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“Dad?" Tony whipped his head around to see his son, standing at the doorway of the lab.“Peter!” He yelled in relief, running to hug him. Peter seemed confused but accepted the hug.
“Pops and I were wondering if you wanted to come upstairs for a movie night” Peter explained, hoping he’d agree.
“I-I’m sorry,” Peter’s face fell, “I’ve got to finish this project first. You know how-“
“C’mon dad!” Peter pleaded “You’ve been down here non-stop for weeks. Pops and I are worried, please..” Tony broke. He knew he hadn’t left the lab in ages, but he had to stay down there. There was something important he need to finish. Though he couldn’t remember at that exact moment what it was…
Tony sighed. How could he say no to his son?
“Okay Peter” His son’s face immediately lit up. Running upstairs, Tony could hear Peter yelling to Stephen that Tony was coming. Reaching the upstairs, Tony saw his husband, cleaning dishes in the kitchen.
“Oh good, you’ve finally decided to get out of the lab” He teased.
“Oh shush. So Pete, what movie are we watching?” Tony asked, plopping himself down on the couch next to his son.
“Finding Nemo” Peter answered as Stephen came in with a huge bowl of popcorn.
“A Classic.”----
They sat and watched the movie as a family, Peter cuddled up in between Tony and Stephen. It wasn't long before the movie was finished and Peter had fallen asleep. Stephen picked up the teenager and carried him to his room, as Tony got up to stretch. Deciding it was the perfect opportunity, Tony tried to slip away back into his lab, only to be caught by Stephen.
“Tony please, come to bed. You can go back down once you’re properly rested.” Stephen tried to convince him.
“What’s wrong? Sorcerer Supreme unable to sleep on his own?” Tony tried to joke, but Stephen wasn't fazed.
“I’m serious Tony. You haven’t slept in close to six days. I hate seeing you like this”
“Fine, but you better let me work tomorrow.” Tony relented, finally letting the exhaustion get the better of him.
“We’ll see” Was Stephen’s reply.----
Tony awoke to the white piercing lights of his lab. Sitting up, Tony wiped the tears away. It was just a memory. But he wouldn’t let that be his last. He would find a way to get everyone back. He wouldn’t lose them ever again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The years had been long and hard. But finally the battle was over and everyone was saved. As Tony took his last breaths, surrounded by Peter and Stephen, Rhodey and Pepper - his family - he accepted that this was the end. He managed to save them one last time, and knowing that they would be okay made him ready to go, even though he didn’t know what’s next.——“Tony?”He felt sore and weak. Attempting to open his eyes, Tony was met with bright lights and a white ceiling. “Tony,” the voice prompted again. “Can you look at me?”Opening his eyes again - realizing he had unwillingly let them close - he turned his head in the direction of the voice, seeing the blurry outline of a face. “Dad?” A voice spoke from behind the face, excited but quiet. It was his son, Peter. Forcing his eyes to focus, their faces came into view. It was Stephen and Peter. They looked tired, but besides healing bruises and other superficial injuries, they looked okay.But in Tony’s foggy, exhausted mind, it was a shock. After the snap, he should’ve died. There was no way he could’ve survived. Right? It could only mean one thing. Tony reached out to grab Stephen’s hand, needing to feel that he was real. “You’re…Alive?” His voice was horse and slurred, his words coming out more like a whisper. Their faces fell. “It worked Dad, you did it. We won” Peter said, the pride evident in his voice. “We are fine,” Stephen assured him. There was a pause before Tony spoke again.“I’m alive…?”“We weren’t just going to give up on you.” A voice interrupted from the doorway. It was Pepper. She smiled, walking up to his bedside. He could see happy tears beginning to build in her eyes. Finally looking relieved, Tony sank back into the bed, somehow more exhausted than before. “We are all okay,” Stephen said, taking his hand. “You saved us all. Now, get some rest. We will all be here when you wake up.”