Chapter Text
Tony lay in Pepper's bed, lazily stroking along her back. The fourth time now here, or something around Way too little. He felt like the elusive boyfriend who never bothered to show up. Her head was resting on his chest, one arm lazily thrown over his waist, while she was busy checking emails.
If they really could kill Thanos within two months or so… Nuts. Absolutely nuts. If things got solved so fast… They could think about planning their wedding! No, not too fast. He didn't want to jinx anything.
"Tony?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think it'll work out? Talking to Odin."
He shrugged. "Stephen seemed optimistic. Guess we'll see."
"You guess on that?"
"Trust me, feels horrible."
Pepper smiled weakly and put her phone away. "What's the plan for the next month?"
Tony hummed lowly. What was the plan? Update the suits, yes, a given. What else? He should probably move his stuff upstate. He didn't want to bother thinking about what changes it could cause down the line if he didn't. Keep Rhodey and Vision in the loop this time around. Sell the tower. He looked at Pepper. What else?
"Do we want to move in together?"
Pepper blinked, staring at him. She hadn't expected that. How could he still surprise her after all this time? "Where? Here? You'd be away from them." Not good if a light flash randomly crept up on them. Had happened before, might happen again. She wasn't sure she could fight off aliens all on her own. "Upstate with the others? I won't live near Vision. The guy doesn't care about doors."
"Or walls," Tony added dryly. "No, I… New York City, maybe? If I move the Avenger's stuff upstate as planned…" like a lifetime ago. He barely even remembered it. "The city will be safer. We could get our own place."
Moving in with him… Pepper hummed. She would love to, yes, but…
"What about travel time?" She hated it. "The commute is annoying." Private plane or not. Eight hours, wasted, just to get over there and back. Every damn week.
"You could move the HQ again."
Pepper hummed lowly. Moving back to New York… She'd have to move offices again. Well, maybe not all, but enough. Relocate some staff, allow others either a grace period or work remote, and if she allowed the latter, she had to allow it for most of them. The factories could stay here, no need for that. But HR and some others; the stuff she liked nearby. Maybe R&D too. Tony was always curious about that. Easier if it was closer. Not that he dropped by the HQ all too often in the first place. Yet, if it was literally on his doorstep… God, she'd have to offer reallocation packages, didn't she? Best way to get people moving. All that fucking money.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Reallocation."
"Oh."
"Bothers me just thinking about it. Didn't help we moved them there and then straight back in 2012." Stupid aliens.
"Yeeah, ehm… Sorry about that?"
Pepper snorted. "Wasn't your fault." As if he had known about the alien invasion. He had been busy with the tower back then. Prove his arc reactor could power it. Green energy business and all that. And then they just used it for the Avengers. Well, brought other publicity points, she guessed. Selling it now… Felt like something was ending.
Pepper shifted, looking at him. "Do I get a Potts Tower?"
Tony barked a laugh. "Do you want one?"
Pepper hummed lowly, simply for the suspense, watching his curious gaze. He wouldn't even mind, would he? Potts & Stark. Oh, that had a ring to it.
---
Riding up an elevator, Pepper couldn't fully believe it. Of course, she knew the benefits of dating him, knew how Tony got treated, how she got treated by proxy, but she just couldn't believe it. Looking at apartments. Just like that. Even back when she had worked as his PA, getting a flat had been a shitshow. Public viewings with some other 200 people, the plain arrogance of the agent. Oh, you work for Stark? Sure, sure. Get in line. Tony being Tony, had made one phone call and had like a gazillion offers.
"… has a pool on the roof, heated floors, triple glazed windows. The best security system, but I guess you'd want to add your own. No problem by the way, city views, obviously…" The agent babbled on. Tony, wearing his usual glasses, hummed. They got shown around the place. Pepper excused herself, walking through the rooms by herself. It looked nice. Of course, it looked nice. Penthouses often did. The view of the skyline was amazing. But somehow… she couldn't even put it into words. Something was missing. She could imagine their stuff in here, but it didn't feel like home. More like her place in LA. Some flat to crash at, not a place to live in.
"Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"What do you think?" If he loved it… but he only shrugged. Pepper saw their agent's smile falter for about a second until he caught himself. Probably his favorite property – and they didn't like it.
---
After he wasn't quite sure how many viewings, with Pepper napping on the couch upstairs, Tony was back in his workshop. He had come down here planning to work on the suits and got sidetracked. Hard. Okay, not even that hard. The traffic back to the Tower had driven him mad again. Should have paid a taxi driver, but he didn't like taxi drivers, and what was the alternative? Public transport? A chauffeur? Yeah, sure. He liked driving too much for that. In general, anyway.
Subsequently, he ripped out the computer of his current favorite car, hooked it up to Friday, and started to hack it, looking over the programming in only so little. Might have been secured by a toddler.
"How much for hacking this stuff, by the way?"
"They sued a mechanic for 3100117 dollars," Friday told him.
"Pff. That's like nothing."
Tony leaned back in his chair, staring at the code. Mostly good, sloppy at times, and he was pretty sure he found a neat little loophole, which was like 70% illegal for sure. If need be, he could tip off the press.
If Friday should control a car… "Faster chip, more than one. A backup, yes," Tony muttered to himself. "Can't fail if driving three tons of steal." In theory, like actually, it wasn't much different than controlling his suit, though. Sure, his suit had access to his network. If on-board Friday failed remote Friday could take over. Just gotta adjust her to driving. He threw together a base program, linked it in with the existing code, and had Friday run some optimizations herself. Now he had to change some wiring and then…
"Tony?" He turned, watching a sleepy Pepper. "Want to come to bed?"
He hesitated. He was in the flow right now. Stopping work in the flow was… but it was Pepper. He could continue when she was in back LA.
During the week, he went on with his car project. Had Stephen visit to go over the suit for him, and back to cars. He knew he should work on the suits, but to hell with that, he wanted some off-time.
---
Two weeks later, still hunting for a new place to live, they were riding up the elevator to yet another penthouse. Tony was humming along to Highway to Hell, he sure as hell felt like it right now, another flat and another flat and another flat, not listening to the agent at all. Pepper was doing the small talk. If something interesting happened, she'd tell him. Their sixth today. Or maybe seventh. He had lost count, both of today and in general. Friday would know, but he sure wouldn't ask.
The door dinged, opened, and he just stared. He knew that view.
"Ooh, that's lovely," Pepper said.
"I told you. Best views of the park we currently have on offer," the agent said happily. "On the other side, you can see the skyline."
"Really?"
"Yes! Let me show you." They exited the elevator, while Tony slowly trailed after them. The Christmas tree had been in the corner. The table currently in his living room would come here. All the tinsel and blinking lights. A shiver ran down his back. He strolled through the rooms. Kitchen, bedroom, walk-in closet, the bathroom he had searched for way too long, worried Friday would murder him any second now. It was all here, or not here, but he had seen it before. He wandered back into the living room, eyeing the fireplace. His couch would be nearby it. They'd eat cookies here, Christine would snap a photo…
The feeling of déjà vu got stronger, together with a sense of horror. Something wasn't right. He couldn't put it into words. This place, here, now… He stopped, staring out the window. Why? Why now?
He nearly flinched when arms wrapped around him from behind, but it was only Pepper hugging him.
"What are you thinking about, broody man?" She whispered into his ear. He turned his head to glance at her and watched her look at him curiously before she looked out the window, just like he had done before. The feeling of repetition got stronger, sending prickles down his skin. This had happened before. No. This would happen again.
"All of it, I guess." He replied to his horror. He had said exactly that during the light flash too.
Thank God, Pepper only hummed. "Well… The view is lovely."
"It sure is." He glanced at her. They'd take it, wouldn't they? Because they already had. They always already had. Things were clicking into place now, all he had to do was go with the flow.
"What do you think?" He asked, already knowing the answer. He could see it in her gaze. She loved the place.
"Well… I like it. The views, obviously. The layout, too, the terrace..."
Wait, he had a terrace?
The tiny smile on her face, her eyes shining all happy. She blinked and cleared her throat. "What do you think?" Trying to sound all casual. Tony laughed lowly.
"I think it's ours," he whispered.
---
"You did what?" Stephen asked.
"I bought it!" Well, put an offer in, but in his position, the two were essentially the same.
A portal opened beside him, which was weird in and of itself – Stephen had never been here. Only, of course, he had. Just like him. Stephen stepped through and looked around, trailing through the rooms as well, only to end up beside him again, staring out the window. The place was empty, would be for a while. He had to install Friday, up the security, buy some of the other apartments to have space for all his stuff, but it was the place. The place where they had celebrated Christmas. Would celebrate. Will?
"That's… unsettling," Stephen said at last.
"I know." It was. And the way Pepper had talked about it. As if it was the most perfect place ever. As if something wanted him to buy it, because as if he could say no to her wanting something. "It's just… but it's good, right? Means we are all still alive by Christmas."
"Ha." Stephen glanced at him. "That's true." A vague smile formed on his lips. "Oddly calming."
"It sure is."
They kept quiet for a moment, both just staring out the window. The sense of repetition hit him again, stronger than ever. Something was happening and part of him didn't like it.
"Do you… do you feel it too?"
Stephen was quiet for a while, just staring ahead. Tony was starting to feel awkward, just standing here, staring out at the freakin park together, talking about feelings of some sort.
"Something is moving," Stephen said eventually.
"Yes. That's it. As if…" They both fell quiet. Things were getting ready for the big showdown. "It feels too easy," Tony whispered. No way it could be so easy. As if they'd just beat Thanos, settle everything, and then celebrated Christmas. He looked at Stephen again.
"Where is the catch?" Because there had to be a catch. There just had to be. It couldn't be so easy. If it had been, they would have beaten Thanos on Titan and would have been done with it already.
Something on Stephen's face moved. He only saw it for a second, until he hid it again. "Everything okay?" Tony asked.
The smile he got back was weird. Not fake, but… not genuine either. "Yeah. Just worried." Stephen shrugged. "It feels too easy like you said. I hope…"
"What?"
"I hope everything works out."
---
They didn't indulge in more feelings talk that night. Nor the next days. Tony was weirded out, Stephen was weirded out, and it felt like some odd elaborate trap, no matter how he looked at it. Yet, he was even more worried about what'd happen if he didn't buy it. Or maybe he would buy it after all, thus who cared about not buying it in the first place? He wouldn't tempt fate either way. Or whatever was playing with them right now. He'd play along like a good little human and see where it got them. Sign the contract, get the keys, all wrapped up in the blink of an eye. He started with the groundwork – bought some more apartments, paid someone to set up a server room and improve the wiring. He'd check everything afterwards, and then he could start setting up his own Friday and all that came with it.
But for now, it was waiting. He started to sort through his belongings, what could go upstate and what stayed. Hired Happy as asset manager – Pepper hadn't minded all too much for or against it. Probably just happy he couldn't harass staff anymore. Over the organizational nothings, he completely forgot to tell Peter.
---
Tony grinned, looking all too pleased with himself. He forced it down, not really managing. He only ended up with a half-smirk half-grin. He had won. Stephen was wearing his suit. Always refusing, no I don't want to, no, I don't need it, but here they were.
Stephen looked at his suit, eyed the runes Tony had added to the design, and then carefully started to move around. Cloak was following him, eyeing the suit as well.
"How does it feel?" Tony enquired as casually as he could.
"Good. Weirdly light. Thought it'd be heavier."
He chuckled. "None of them ever felt heavy. Clunky, sure, may, but not heavy." Except for the very first one, but no one ever talked about the first one.
Stephen hummed. "Can I shoot at something?"
"Feel free to. Don't aim at pictures."
"Ha! Didn't plan to."
Stephen shot a few times, then turned to just moving around again. Tony sat down in the meantime, still watching him. Before long, he started to use magic. Runes, shields, weird energy bands around his wrist. It looked funny alright, at least to him. His suit and glowy golden magic. Should have made the runes light up when external energy got close. Not sure what Stephen would think of it though, not that he cared.
"Does everything work?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. Why shouldn't it?"
"Just curious."
Stephen hummed. "Cloak?"
Cloak settled on the suit. And then it just lifted off the ground. Without using repulsors. Cloak floated it around for a bit, up and down and up again, swirling around, just keeping steady, and then a few dodges for good measure. Tony got the odd feeling it was having fun.
"Do you get motion sick in there?"
"Nah."
"Really? I would've." All the abrupt change of motions. Sure, he flew like that often enough, but he knew it was coming. If his suit suddenly dropped or jerked around, he'd be worried as fuck.
Stephen chuckled. "You get used to it. I know I can trust it."
"Hm." Basically like… his AI. Just as a cloak. And less sassy. Although cloak sure as hell could get sassy too if it wanted to.
"Can I take it along?" Stephen asked. "Set us down, cloak." Cloak did. Carefully lowering the suit to the ground, flipped off it and then bounced around. Tony smiled softly. It sure as hell had had fun.
He looked at Stephen again. "Not yet. Want to finish a few things."
"What of that wasn't finished?"
Tony grinned amused. "I sure as hell won't tell."
Stephen snorted. "Trade secrets?" Which made him burst into laughter. Well, yes, that too.
"Can I drop by every now and again to train some more?"
"Sure thing."
"Can we…" he hesitated.
"Yes?"
"Can we fight at some point? Would be best as training. I guess."
Tony hummed. "You can just ask if you want to get beat up." He would use magic, though, wouldn't he? Level the playing field.
Stephen snorted and chuckled a little. "That's a way to put it."
---
Screwing the motherboard back in for the third time now, Tony hummed along to the currently playing song like usual. The first two times were a bust, but he thought he got it now. Once the board was back in, he hooked up the extra wiring – cables to control the engine, wheels and brakes – and settled behind the wheel.
"Are you with me, Friday?"
"Sure thing, boss."
He had to sort out the battery earlier or later. She'd drain it in no time if she was always on. "Want to take a ride?"
"It'd be a pleasure."
A pleasure? Sounded like Jarvis. Maybe he had deleted too much of her when he erased the suit housekeeping protocol.
"Perfect. Start the engine for me."
She did. It hummed to live.
"Forward. Slowly." The car started to roll in his underground garage. "Turn left." The steering wheel moved. That one wasn't new. Cars could park themselves for ages now. "Do a few rounds and then analyze the results."
"Sure thing, boss," Friday said again. He watched her drive, always ready to grab the wheel if things went south.
---
Pepper stopped in the lobby when she spotted Tony leaning against their reception counter. He was here so often now, it was nearly creepy.
"Surprise," he said, grinning all happy and moved towards her, kissing her when he got to her. Pepper kissed him back slowly, well aware some employees were still around. Could walk right by. Probably see them. But screw it. Everyone knew they were dating.
"How come you are here?" She asked softly.
Tony shrugged. "Just wanted to see you. Stephen sneaked in today to train some more with the suit. He saw me in boxers." Pepper snorted. The thought of a sleepy Tony and Stephen using his suit, both staring at each other.
"Did you offer him breakfast?"
"God, no." He pecked her lips again. "I did offer him coffee, though."
"Uuh."
Tony snorted. They exchanged some small talk while walking to his car. Her day, his day, minus Stephen. He talked about his latest car obsession.
"Shouldn't you finish the suits first?" She asked, rather curious while putting on her seat belt.
"Pff. They are like nearly done. Okay, I still have some work to do, but… I wanted to do something else for once?"
She hummed "Reasonable." And very Tony. Getting sidetracked in whatever else he could come up with.
"Friday, start the car."
She did. Pepper watched anxiously how the AI started to drive. "How did you install her in here?"
"Brought the motherboard with me, fixed up the wires, no big deal." No big deal?! God, geniuses.
"Can she hold the lane? Read traffic signs and lights?"
"As if she was born to do it."
She did. She could. Pepper stared exasperated. How could he just? Companies worked on self-driving cars forever, didn't get nowhere, and he just threw it together in a week or two. She glanced at him, watching his smug smile. He had built his suit from scraps in a cave. Guess cars weren't a big deal if he set his mind to it.
"How?"
He glanced at her. "Do you really wanna know?"
She hesitated. She'd probably not understand a single word. Or every third or something like that. "Yes. Later." He could use simple language if he wanted to. Would, just for her.
Tony nodded. "Did I mention… Stephen asked me to beat him up."
"Oh. Did he?"
"Well. Not in so many words."
Pepper snorted. "Before or after coffee?"
"Some days ago, actually."
"Hmm. Could we…" Pepper stopped and chuckled. "Want to beat me up too?" She asked teasingly.
"That… sounds weird when you say it. And weirdly seductive. What's wrong with me?" He fake-whined.
"I can make anything sound seductive," Pepper said matter-of-factly and leaned closer, her lips brushing against his ear, one of her hands resting on his thigh, stroking gently. "Want to buy me milk?"
"God, yes."
They looked at each other, and cracked up, bursting into laughter. Milk.
"Do you want some, actually?" Tony asked eventually after he had calmed down. "Did you run out?"
"Mm… Well. Would be nice."
"Noted."
Pepper smiled softly. If he actually bought her milk… "Can we train, though? Like, tomorrow?"
"Yes, of course."
They did. They took their sweet time getting out of bed the next morning, Pepper doing some more work afterwards, lounging on her couch. Tony paced around her flat, discussing whatever the hell it was with Friday. And then they fought some, with Pepper getting some strikes in. She had the feeling he was going easy on her, though.
---
"Do you really think two are enough?" Tony asked for about the fourth time.
Rhodey snorted. "Yes. Trust me. What would she want with a fridge full of milk?"
"I don't know. Milkshakes? But I would have to get her strawberries as… there is something about strawberries. She loves them, right?"
Rhodey just snorted and shook his head.
"How are you doing, anyway?" Tony asked, trying to distract himself from milk and strawberries. He wanted a milkshake now.
"Same old, same old. Nothing new."
"Good. Bad. Whatever."
Rhodes barked a laugh. "Yeah. Could put it like that."
"Is Vision home?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Have to ask something."
---
Vision looked around the empty flat. Mr. Stark was leaning against a wall, watching him. The rooms were nicely cut, yes, the views were nice. A good place, but nothing remarkable in his opinion. Mr. Stark's earlier places, as far as Jarvis could remember, had been nicer. This one was quite small, to be honest. He stopped in front of the window, looking outside.
"I don't feel anything out of the ordinary," he said at last. He couldn't quite get why Mr. Stark had been so worried. It was just a flat.
"Really? Nothing?"
Vision turned, looking at him. "Do you feel something?"
"Well, not right now but…" he sighed. "There was something. Stephen felt it too." He stepped beside Vision, looking outside as he had done then. He waited for it. The feeling that the pieces were clicking into place, that something big was starting. It would hit him any second now, he was sure of it, and Vision would feel it too. Maybe with his Infinity Stone, he could get some insight into whatever was going on. Time passed. Vision glanced at him. Nothing happened. The feeling didn't come. Now he just felt silly.
---
After that weird fail, Tony got himself a pizza. At least some good food after… yeah, whatever that had been. His creepy flat wasn't creepy anymore, and he couldn't decide if it was good or bad. How could not creepy be bad, for fucks sake? But it felt like it. Whatever Stephen and he had sensed, it was gone now, and that scared him.
"Sir?" The teenager holding his pizza box asked.
Tony blinked. "Oh, yeah. Just put it on the table, please."
The teen did as asked. "Ehm… could I have an autograph, maybe? Please?"
"Sure, sure. If you have a pen. How is your name?"
"Boss?" Friday chirped up on his glasses. "Peter is trying to get to you."
"Mathew," Mathew said, still timid, and brought him a pen and an empty piece of paper.
'Best pizza I ever had' Hopefully, anyway. 'Thanks, Matthew' he scribbled together, then added his questionable signature. The kiddo beamed, taking hold of his piece of paper.
"Thank you, sir!"
"No worries," he got up, finally grabbing his pizza box. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this. "Tell him I'll be there in 10."
As if the creepy flat had moved on to… whatever this was now.
Only it didn't turn out all too creepy after all. Just mildly worrisome. The bank robbers from back then were already robbing banks - two months early. Stephen said they didn't have anything to worry about, though. Everything was still the same. Which somehow seemed odd as well, because obviously, things were changing.
---
A week passed. For once, Tony was back at what he should do. Work on the suits. He wanted to up the density of the nano-bots, just as a precaution. No one was getting stabbed (again) on his watch. He'd have to update Peter's suit as well, but for now, the kid seemed to be happy with the work. He at least hadn't heard any complaints.
Tony smirked somewhat. Of course, he didn't get any complaints. Cause he did awesome work always. Now, he was just making things even better.
His phone rang and his music tuned down. He sighed weakly and glanced at the caller ID on this screen. Peter?
"Accept."
"Hey, Tony, ehm" Peter already talked before he could even say hi. "I found the Vulture. Liz' dad. Remember? He's currently at some parking lot. Wanted to ask if Karen could have access to whatever traffic cameras nearby."
Tony hummed. "Where is he?"
Peter gave him the address, Friday pulled up some traffic cam feeds. Tony eyed the quartet. "Give Karen access," he said simply.
"Sure."
"Really? Awesome. Thanks, Tony."
"No big deal. Take care."
Peter chuckled softly. "I will, no worries."
The call ended; the music tuned up again. He just got back into working, when his phone rang again. He sighed weakly and glanced at the caller ID. Pepper. He couldn't send Pepper to voice mail.
"Accept call."
The connecting call chimed.
"What's up?" He greeted her. "Ran out of milk again?"
Pepper snorted. "I won't live that one down, will I?" She asked.
"Never."
She chuckled lowly. "Well, if I get free milk I'll take it. Can I invite the ladies to the tower on Saturday? For, you know, lady's night stuff."
"Will they stay the night?" He asked casually.
"Maybe. We'll see."
"Sure."
"Thanks," she said warmly. "Love you," and hung up on him.
"Always," Tony told his workshop. Thank God, Friday didn't comment on it. Back again to getting into work.
His phone rang again. Tony groaned. Seriously? What was it today?
"Accept."
"What's up, buttercup?" Tony asked. "Forgot something?"
"Eehhm…," Stephen said on the other end. "No."
A moment of awkward silence followed.
"Anyway," Stephen was the one to break it. "Peter got hurt fighting that… that Vulture guy and –"
"Peter got hurt?" Tony asked, his work forgotten. He had only talked with him like 5 minutes ago!
"He is fine, no worries. I bet he'll jump around tomorrow with his healing powers."
"He asked if we could talk the guy out of being a murdering psycho, in his words."
Tony was silent for a moment, letting the words sink in. Talking to the guy… it was so Peter. Wanting to help everybody and always believing in the best. They had to talk about his boundless optimism earlier or later. The world wasn't always nice, less alone people.
"Sure. I'll come up with something."
"I can help if you want."