Ghost of Christmas Future

[st_arkintern]

"Mr. Stark?"

Peter stands at the edge of the bed that Tony shares with Thor. He wears the Iron Spider armor Tony made for him, the faint glint of the moon through the thin slit between either side of the curtain reflecting off the suit's dark colors.

Peter's hair is styled differently from the Peter here at the inn; it's longer, more wild, even floppy. School had grown more and more demanding as the end of his sophomore year approached and balancing school and his time as Spider-Man was difficult. He had promised May he'd maintain his grades as part of the Spider-Man Negotiations of 2017, but criminals didn't stop just because he had two papers to write by Friday, a quiz tomorrow, and a test next Tuesday.

Hair had been less of a priority. Peter couldn't put off his homework if he wanted to continue being Spider-Man; he couldn't put off his evening patrol if he wanted to protect Queens, either. There were no serious long-term consequences to not getting his hair cut (save for perhaps more bullying from Flash, who was prone to bullying him anyway). A haircut could wait until later.

Peter always thought there'd be more time later.

Tony doesn't stir. Peter presses his lips together -- a nervous habit acquired when he was still alive -- and draws a little closer. He resists the natural urge to place a hand on Tony's shoulder to wake him; he knows that his fingers will slip right through. Instead he repeats, this time a little louder:

"Mr. Stark?"

Comments

[st_ormbreaker]

"You will probably see all too much of me when I find the other Asgardians," Thor says. Tony had promised they would have a place to stay and Thor would take him up on that offer; he had imagined that things would all just work out when he got to Earth, but now he's not nearly as sure.

There's one last thing Thor needs to say. One last thing that Tony should know. Thor swallows and says it.

"Quill and I have only truly discussed where we think Thanos may be," he says. "He thought that might be Titan, but now that I know you're alive there, I'm not so sure myself."

Thor would probably be starting from ground zero again.

"If we manage to kill him, I'm going to use the gauntlet."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Wherever he went, it wasn’t back home.” Suddenly, Tony wished he’d bothered to ask, though that may have been outside the scope of Peter’s abilities. Though it stood to reason that if Thanos returned to Titan, peaceful cohabitation with the two souls left wasn’t on the menu.

“Are you gonna tell the others?”

[st_ormbreaker]

"What part?" he asks. "The half the universe being wiped out part or the part about me being responsible for it?"

There were still people who were unaware of the former and only Tony knew the latter. It could just as easily be one as much as the other.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“Both.” Tony shook his head. “Every single person we have here laid it all out. Some didn’t come back.”

[st_ormbreaker]

"Rocket, Bucky, and Rogers." Thor looks up at the ceiling. "Everyone else knows about what Thanos has done except Loki."

He had given Loki the notebook, but he had declined to read anything but the details that were relevant to him.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

“I’m not asking you do it alone.” Tony bit his lip. “Though with Peter...that’s me.”

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor takes a breath at the mention of Peter.

"Are you certain you'll be okay?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony's body shook in a wry chuckle. "Yeah. And if I'm not, Pete and I can be Not Okay together."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor sets a hand loosely against Tony's back.

"Let me know if you need anything."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Eyeing Thor meaningfully, Tony scooted towards his lap. Ask and one received. "Keep me warm."

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor shifts the hand on Tony's back around to his side and pulls him in close enough that their arms touch.

Thor presses his lips to Tony's temple. "As long as you need me to."