Chapter Text
“I am Iron Man.”
Tony said, his voice carried over the battle field. All eyes on him. Then he snapped.
For a split second, relief flooded him. They did it! But it was promptly replaced with pain, excruciating all consuming pain. He felt like he was torn apart from the inside, his body wasn’t made to hold the biggest power in the universe. He would’ve screamed if he was still able to do but luckily he wasn’t. This was not how they should remember him. The power made its way through his body, finding new cells to tear apart, again and again and again. Tony saw everyone rushing towards him but his mind didn’t work anymore. His eyes set on Pepper and Peter, then all went black.
The pain stopped. Good, Tony found himself thinking. Probably means he’s dead now. His body felt cool in contrast to the hot burn the stones had left. Wait, his body? Okay, never been to the afterlife, maybe you keep your body, Tony guessed. He was tempted to open his eyes but wanted to enjoy the peace a little longer. He was allowed to, he reasoned. Just saved the universe from a mad plum. Also, this peace remembered him of good old times where everything was easier. (Besides the point where he poisoned himself but hey, nobody is perfect!)
He heard footsteps. It almost sounded like Rhodey was approaching him, the walking pattern of his best friend was deep integrated into Tony’s subconscious. Must be, he knew Rhodey since MIT, his walk hadn’t changed at all until-
He opened his eyes. Scanning the room. Admittedly, he had expected something else in the afterlife than a military plane. Wait- realization flooded his tired brain. He knew this plane, and he very much knew the tall, black guy standing in front of him. This was the plane that brought him back from Afghanistan. And there was Rhodey, his best friend. Without the goddamned leg braces. And he looked so much younger. God!
“Rhodey.”, he all but chocked out. His best friend suddenly looked very worried. “I know, Tony.”, he mumbled. He looked left and right and then walked over to hug Tony.
And somehow that made everything so much worse. Whatever cruel prank this was, whatever fantasy, Rhodey hadn’t hugged him when he came back from Afghanistan. Because Tony would’ve remembered that. But here he was, and Rhodey felt so real, smelled so real. Whatever this was, Tony didn’t want it to end. Maybe it was a torture fantasy from hell and Rhodey would pull his Arc-Reactor and leave him to die.
No, Tony decided. If it was hell something bad would’ve happened by now. It wasn’t heaven either, he still felt the Arc-Reactor in his sore chest, his broken arm was hurting like hell. But what the fuck was happening here?
Luckily enough, he managed to catch his breath before Rhodey realized there was something wrong, that Tony was moments away from a panic attack. If Tony Stark was a pro in something, it was suppressing emotions.
They left the plane, Pepper and Happy standing there, waiting for him. Tony wanted to cry. Pepper, oh god, Pepper. He had loved her, before. He still loved her, but not romantically. He wasn’t sure if it ever was romantic love.
His mind was racing the entire way back home. To Malibu. Goddamnit, if they pull up there and it’s his old home, his old lab, and JARVIS, he would break down for sure. He was still dangerously close to crying. It was sheer luck nobody saw it. And when they did pull up there, Tony was sure this was some ‘Your Wish becomes reality’ thing because miraculously they let him alone when he asked.
He took a deep breath, tried to steady himself before opening the door.
“Welcome Home, Sir.”, the familiar voice of JARVIS greeted him. His fit hand flew up to his mouth as his legs stopped working and he sank to the floor. “Sir, everything okay?”, JARVIS’ concerned voice asked him. Oh god, since when was breathing so hard? “Sir, you seem to be unwell. Should I inform Ms. Potts?”, his AI asked Tony. “No.”, he somehow managed to get out. “I’m just glad to be back.”, he mumbled.
“For what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re back as well, Sir.”, JARVIS told him and that didn’t help at all because Tony started to cry even more.
He didn’t know how long he sat there, but JARVIS didn’t say anything else. It was dark however when Tony opened his eyes again. Did he doze off? “Glad you are awake, Sir. You should eat something.”, his AI suggested. Tony nodded absently. So what was this? He had thought, maybe this was all a dream. But apparently that wasn’t the case.
“JARVIS, is this real?”, he asked. “Yes, sir. This is very real. You are home.”, JARVIS assured him, then added: “Should I order the usual?” Tony nodded.
“J, what do you know about going back in time or having lived the future?”, he asked while he walked to his bedroom to change into sweats.
“There are no records of time travel, but Sir, did you traveled time?”, JARVIS asked. “I did, actually. But that wasn’t like this.”, Tony mumbled. “How far in the future are we talking, Sir?”, JARVIS wanted to know and Tony was just glad the AI wanted him to see a therapist. Or indoctrinate him into a mental hospital. “It was 2023. But I did time travel to 2011 and the 40s once.”, he told JARVIS. The AI was silent after that.
“You know what, J? Start a list called Priorities.”, he instructed and spent the better part of the next hour listening important things that happened. From his palladium poisoning to Thanos, everything.
Over his missed chinese takeout he then started another list called ‘Changes’.
“Please add: Starkium, EXTREMIS, Harley and Peter, Avengers, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, Ultron, the Winter Solider, Infinity Stones, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos and the Snap.”, he asked. “Oh, and don’t forget SHIELD, I won’t do all that shit again they manipulated me into.”, Tony promised himself. “Okay, Boss.”, JARVIS said.
“Oh, and JARVIS? Are you ready to be a big sibling?”, he asked the AI. “What have you planned, Sir?”, JARVIS wanted to know instead of answering. “You see, you became an android called ‘Vision’ and I activated FRIDAY after. She doesn’t replace you but I miss her.”
“I do assure you I have no plans on getting a body, Sir.”, JARVIS promised. “It wouldn’t be half as fun to get on your nerves if you could make me shut up.”, JARVIS said in an attempt to lighten the mood. It did. “I can still destroy your servers.”, Tony threatened, almost a grin forming on his face. “I have an armor now, they’ll call me Iron Man.”
“Also, send a memo to the Board. Stark Industries won’t produce weapons anymore. Get a press conference scheduled, first thing tomorrow. Ten o’clock.”, Tony ordered his AI. “Sure thing, Sir. Anything else I can help you with?” Tony had to think for a moment. “Send a message to Stane, this bastard, to meet me afterwards. Tell him something about… I don’t know, tell him something. I don’t want to see him before the press conference.”, he decided tiredly. Suddenly he was so very tired.
“You should sleep now, sir. You need rest and we can go over it tomorrow.”, JARVIS said and Tony didn’t even nod, just curled himself and fell asleep before JARVIS could turn off the lights.
—
Waking up was… weird. Tony was absolutely sure he had just dreamt some bullshit about going back in time when he realized he hadn’t actually dreamt anything. When he opened his eyes he was in Malibu, in his living room. And JARVIS greeted him. That was as good as it gets. “Sir, I have let you sleep longer because you needed the rest but ts time to get up now. Your press conference is in precisely an hour. Mr. Hogan will be here in thirty.”, JARVIS told him and Tony groaned but stood up. It proved to be a difficulty to get dressed alone with just one arm but nothing could hurt as bad as the Infinity Stones.
He was ready to go when Happy arrived, which, honestly, surprised both of them but it wasn’t too bad because those extra minutes allowed them to go and get a burger for Tony. The press conference was the same as he remembered but without Stane, this motherf-. In some ways Tony still hadn’t gotten over that betrayal. His first ‘villain’. The press reaction however was the same. A lot of drama for something Tony would and could handle. Not that anyone thought that, though. He actually had a plan this time around but it had been just fine without one as well.
“For god’s sake, we have other projects too!”, Tony told Happy as soon as they got in the car and then spent the majority of time talking about Arc Reactors. Well, it was more of a rambling, really. Not that Happy could understand him because the very element Tony was talking about hadn’t been invented yet but hey, Happy had seen weirder things happen in the backseats.
So when they pulled up to Stark Industries and Stane was there, waiting for him, Tony still wasn’t ready. You can’t let him see something is up, Tony had to remind himself twice before stepping out of the car. Obadiah greeted him with a hug and Tony went stiff. “Everything alright?”, Stane asked and Tony nodded. “Just the arm.”, he lied well enough for Stane to drop the topic.
“Tony, we seriously need to talk about your decisions.”, Obadiah urged him as soon as they were inside. “We don’t.”, Tony hold against it. “We do. Did you even think about it? Our stocks, if we’re lucky they go down 40, realistically more.”
Tony nodded. “I know. Not for long though.”, he said confidently. “We’re a weapon manufacture. What do you possibly think? The board isn’t pleased about this, Tony. I can handle it for you but you need to stay low.”, Obadiah said, very convincing. “Yeah, okay.”, Tony agreed and fled the building.
Okay sure, he hadn’t shown Obadiah the arc reactor but he knew about it, Rhodey had sure as hell told him, so much he still knew from last time. “Get me home.”, he commanded Happy before drifting off with his thoughts again.
Obadiah needs to see the reactor and he needs to built an Iron Man and he needs to get FRIDAY running and handle Coulson and shit, he needed to change the reactor. And bring a new element into existence, again. He could, however, use the Palladium poisoning on his advantage. Shouldn’t let it come so far and everything but he could use it for some pressure on the President. He wants the Iron Legion bigger and sooner and wants to make it public. They should help, no weapons. Still, the president won’t be too happy. Maybe he could twist it with his palladium poisoning so he gets full approval.
He definitely wants a heads up on EXTREMIS, has to make the later War Machine Suit better and safer for Rhodey. Needs the Avengers Compound sooner because he doesn’t want them to live in his home anymore. (Maybe some, definitely not all) Then there was the whole Winter Solider thing and Tony hopes he gets a miraculous idea how to de-escalate that situation.
He doesn’t know yet if he wants to help Hammer out, but he knows other people that will definitely get more and sooner help. Peter on the very top of that list.
It was all so much, too much.