#I saw a video on the home page titled something like 'a pepper turns to dust in 300 days' so naturally I wanted to check it out

[mercuriallily]

Help I've fallen into the time lapse side of YouTube and am watching an egg dissolve in acid

[inawickedlittletown]

Walking The Wire (161/163)

Summary: Tony Stark always knew about Peter Parker. He didn’t know that Peter was going to get superpowers and become Spider-Man, but he always knew about Peter because Peter was his son.

This will span from pre-Iron Man up through the rest of the MCU (eventually including Infinity War) and will be for the most part canon compliant except where I’ve taken some liberties and interpreted canon a certain way.

Pairings: Pepper/Tony, Tony/Steve (endgame), Tony/Mary (past)

A/N: If you want me to tag you when I post new chapters let me know. This fic is also on AO3

I used Collider’s MCU timeline to stay canon and the title of this fic is an Imagine Dragons song that is just so fitting for Peter and Tony

@findmeinthestarss

Masterpost

Chapter One Hundred Sixty

-

The first thing that Steve did once he’d stepped into the portal and over to another planet was step towards Tony. Tony was there first, reaching for him. Steve fell right into the hug and then a few moments later, Peter was there hugging them both and Steve knew the world was right again. They’d done it. He turned slightly, bringing an arm around Peter’s shoulders. 

“I said you’d make it out too,” Peter said. 

“I know, Pete.” It was good to see him away from the orange tones of the Soul Stone.

When Peter stepped back, Steve had eyes only for Tony and he could see how much Tony’s eyes glinted with unshed tears. There was anger and pain there and Steve knew it was his fault -- he didn’t regret it at all even if it was clear that he had put Tony through something. 

When Steve’s hands had touched him, his fingers brushing tears away before they had a chance to fall very far, Tony melted under his touch and he took in a breath, shuddering as his eyes fluttered closed and he leaned into Steve’s touch.    

“You’re never leaving me like that again,” Tony told him in a whisper.

“Never,” Steve whispered back and Steve drew him into his chest and Tony let out a breath as he pressed his face into Steve’s neck. Steve breathed him in and closed his eyes and everything felt right. He had Tony in his arms, Peter was just a few feet away, and Thanos had been dealt with. 

“You know I had to,” Steve said, low and just for them. “The choice was me or you and Peter needs you more. The world needs you more.”

“But I need you,” Tony said.

“Not as much as you think,” Steve said and it was true. Tony would have survived if he had really died as much as he might try to deny it. Tony would have done it for Peter and for the others and Steve would have become just a memory. 

Tony let him go after a long moment and then he turned away and Steve noticed their audience. None of them seemed to be bothered by them, though. He saw Natasha’s smile and the way that Nebula was almost smiling. 

Natasha hugged him and then Thor picked him up off the floor just because he could. Carol offered him a handshake and Scott grinned and hugged him awkwardly, letting go quickly and looking like he was about to offer an apology. 

“I’m not hugging you,” Rocket said just as Rhodey’s hand landed on Steve’s shoulder.

“Good to have you back, Cap.”

“Good to be back,” Steve returned.

Clint did hug him and he looked emotional and clearly ready to get back home and back to his returned family. Actually, almost everyone looked ready to leave, even those that actually belonged somewhere out in space. But then, they all did need to regroup, and the planet they were currently on didn’t look like it would be habitable for any of them.  

Strange got them all back to Earth using a portal and the first person they saw when they arrived at the compound was Nick Fury. Maria Hill was not far behind. 

“Right,” he said, “so here you lot are at last. The only people that might know what’s actually up and how we’re going to deal with the whole world in shambles.” 

“You mean the world we saved,” Tony said. “Including you.”

Carol stepped around Tony and Steve, then, and whatever Fury was going to say died on his lips. “Carol Danvers.”

“Hey,” Carol said with a smile. “I got your page.”

Steve had never seen Fury so pleased to see someone. If he were a hugger, Steve was sure that Fury would gone and hugged Carol, but as it was, he instead gave her a smile and a nod which was more than any of them got from him most days. 

“The only one around here with any answers was Ms. Potts and she’s too busy with your company to do much,” Fury said, directing his gaze at Tony. “But we need a plan. People are confused, they don’t know what happened and no one has offered any explanation. Some people are talking about that orange world we were all in, but not many. They need some answers and those should come from you.”

Steve hadn’t seen Fury in the stone. Then again, after finding Peter and Bucky, he hadn’t exactly been looking for anyone else. Maybe he should have. 

Tony sighed. “Fine.”

Steve touched his elbow and Tony smiled back at him. 

“What do you want to do?” Steve asked. 

“Well, I was planning on marrying you, but I guess that’s going to have to come second to everything else.” 

He could tell that Tony was joking but that there was some truth mixed in too. The thing of it was that there really was a lot for them to still do including putting the stones back. The aftermath of The Decimation and getting society back to normal wasn’t exactly their responsibility, but Fury was right in that they alone knew everything that happened and people needed answers. 

Carol walked ahead of them and into the compound with Fury at her side and he could tell that they were catching up. The others started following, but Tony stayed behind and so did Peter. 

“Strange,” Tony said, “I think it might be useful if you pop into Wakanda and get the rest of The Avengers back and maybe even T’Challa if he’s available.” 

That was a start. 

And even though he’d seen both Sam and Bucky in the stone and for a time he’d caught a glimpse of Wanda, he was excited to see them again outside of the stone. 

“I guess there’s no rest for the weary,” Tony said. 

---

Fury mostly just wanted to talk to him, Steve, and Carol. Tony didn’t really want to part with Peter, but he could tell that Peter was getting a bit antsy with not having seen May yet. So, when he realized that Strange had created a portal for Clint to go to his family and for Scott to go to his, he asked if he could send Peter to see May. 

“Are you sure, dad? I don’t want to--”

“Look, kid, I’m going to be busy for a few hours and it’s best you go now. You don’t want to keep her waiting. I’m surprised she hasn’t called/ See your friends too.” 

“Yes, definitely go see MJ,” a newly arrived Sam said and Peter stuck his tongue out at him. 

Tony had been there to witness Peter hugging Barnes -- almost as if Barnes were his best friend and not Steve’s. But Steve had hugged Barnes next with the same excitement while Tony greeted Sam. 

“They bonded,” Steve told him, ��while they were in the stone.”

“Oh. That’s good that he had someone.”

“Yeah,” Steve said and then Tony watched him go check on Wanda. 

Wanda stuck close to Natasha and had ever since they’d been returned and Tony knew that she had to be taking it hard being back and Vision still being gone. Their only loss, it seemed. 

He, Steve, and Carol sat with Fury and together they came up with a plan of sorts and somehow Fury got the returned President and the Vice President on a video call to explain it all to them. At some point, they’d called Rhodey in too seeing as he’d been the one primarily dealing with the government before. 

In the end, it came down to the UN and the Accords council and a version of the truth was drafted to tell the public. It was mostly true and Tony didn’t really care as long as people stopped freaking out. 

At some point, Pepper arrived with her own numerous lists of things mostly to do with SI and how the company and Tony were going to help with the aftermath. They’d already been doing a lot back when the snap first happened, but Pepper wanted to do even more and she wanted Tony’s input. All of that of course came after she hugged him and hit him and after hugging everyone that had returned to them, she asked about Peter, and looked only a little deflated when Tony told her he was with May. 

By the time that everything was decided and Fury somehow convinced Carol and Steve to be the ones to give the news out to everyone in a pre-recorded video, Tony felt more than ready to collapse. Too much happened way too soon and they still had a lot more to do. The most important being the stones that needed to go back to the past -- to exactly where and when they had been taken from. It was one of the few things they were leaving off for another day. 

Tony was so tired that he didn’t even have the energy to ask after the living tree that Rocket was talking to in a corner. So when Steve touched his back, Tony let himself rest back into him. 

“I think everything is set up for tomorrow. We don’t have to worry about anything else, want to go home?” 

Tony nodded. “Better words have not been spoken. But, I’m still a little mad at you.”

Steve chuckled and kissed his cheek. “I did it because I needed to. For you. For Peter.” 

“I know and I love you for it. I want to marry you for it.”

---

Doctor Strange delivered him into May’s living room which was luckily empty, because Peter didn’t think that May could have handled him arriving via portal well at all. 

“May?” he called out. 

The house looked mostly the same and it was a good sign that it was clean and normal and that May hadn’t let it fall apart. It meant that maybe she was handling things better than Peter had expected. 

“May?” he called again. 

He walked towards the kitchen and found a few dishes on the sink but not much else, but when he turned, May was just outside the kitchen, standing completely still and with a hand covering her mouth. 

“Peter, is it really you?” 

“Yeah. May, haven’t you heard, we’re all back. My dad and The Avengers -- they did it.”

“Oh,” May said and then she stepped forward and Peter met her half way and hugged her and he could feel her shaking. She was crying and clinging to him and Peter felt so much absolute relief at being with her again. 

“Are you okay? What was it like? I couldn’t imagine -- when Tony told me, it was--”

“It wasn’t bad. Painless. It was just kind of boring but I wasn’t alone and we were safe until they brought us back.”

May nodded and she pulled back from the hug, her hands lifting to cup his cheek and look at his face. She seemed to be assessing him and making sure that he was all really there. 

“And your dad? Everyone else? Everyone okay?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah. They’re all okay. Everyone’s good and Thanos is gone.”

May told him about the last few months and how horrible things had been. She told him about the accidents that occurred when the snap happened and how the governments of the world were in shambles. 

“I don’t know how much worse things could have gotten,” May said. “Mostly I just spent my time hoping and wishing you’d come back. Your friends kept coming by and that helped a lot -- they’ll want to see you.”

Peter nodded quickly. “I want to see them too. Ned and MJ.” Saying her name made him blush a little and Peter didn’t know if it was because he really did have a crush or because of all the teasing Sam and Bucky had given him. 

He stayed with May for a while longer. She made him a sandwich and they turned on the tv, but there was mostly news coverage on everything that happened and Peter wasn’t too keen on seeing it. He kind of wanted to forget that it had happened at all. So May turned it off and Peter told her about what it had been like to be in space and in the Soul Stone. He tried not to tell her too much about how much danger he’d been in, but she seemed to have already been aware. 

“I yelled at your dad after he came to see me. He looked horrible and I knew that but I--” she trailed off and Peter could see a glint of guilt in her eyes. “I was just really upset and I blamed him even though I guess you would have disappeared wherever you were.”

“I think he blamed himself too,” Peter said. “It’s okay, May.” He hugged her again for a long time. 

Instead of going to see Ned or Michelle and getting in the way of their reunions with whatever family members had been dusted, Peter sent them both texts letting them know that he was back and well. Neither responded immediately. Instead, a text from Tony came in. 

Peter, I Am Your Father: Steve and I are going back to the tower for the night. Let me know if you’re staying with May or coming home.

He stayed with May a bit longer and managed to get on her computer to see for himself what was happening. He asked May if she wanted to go to the tower with him, but May shook her head and he could tell that she wished he would stay with her, but she didn’t push it. 

“I’ll be back soon, May,” Peter said before hugging her. “I just--”

“Your dad. I know,” May said. “Call and visit soon, though. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

Peter decided to swing to the tower and it felt amazing to be back in New York and when he got close enough to see the tower from afar, he couldn’t help but smile wider because he really was home.

-

Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two

[imagine-loki]

Packless Monsters

TITLE: Packless Monsters CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 7/? AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine you’re a werewolf who ends up in the company of Loki in the Avenger’s tower after saving Pepper’s life RATING: M NOTES/WARNINGS: Also on AO3 click here

     You woke snarling and enraged, your eyes snapping open as you shot up into a sitting position…on the couch? You fell asleep in the car. “It’s ok!” multiple voices jumped to reassure you, which just made you turn your attention to the room. The Avengers were all gathered around the living room, waiting for you to wake.

   ��It took a long moment, and cool arms pulling you back against an equally cool chest for you to calm enough to remember what was going on. Loki had slid onto the couch behind you when you’d shot into a sitting position. Brave, stupid man. “It’s alright,” he soothed. “No one’s upset.”

    You blinked back the haze of your wolf’s fear and anger and reigned in your control. She was pissed at being poisoned with silver and it took some work to reassure her that you were ok now that the silver was gone. She huffed, but remained on alert. You’d have to be careful to keep your control over her. “It’s ok,” you told Loki softly, carefully. His arms were wrapped tightly around you. “Sorry,” you murmured to the rest of the team.

    “Look at me, love,” Loki bid you softly before he’d let you go. You leaned back further against him and tilted your head back, letting him see your eyes.

    “I’m fine,” you told him firmly and he let you sit up when he saw that they were green again. “You shouldn’t do that, by the way,” you told him when you were sitting on your own on the cushion next to him. He raised an eyebrow in question. “Hold a snarling werewolf like that. It’s not safe,”

    He smirked. “I think I can handle one little wolf,” he teased.

    You rolled your eyes. He didn’t understand the danger. You had to make him understand before he did something stupid and got himself hurt or worse. With the briefest moment of concentration and only an instant, your shifted your eyes to wolf’s, you canines extended, your nails turned to claws, and your ears were sharper furred wolf ears. It only took an instant. “A single snag of a tooth or claw can turn you into a monster like me,” you told Loki firmly while the others gasped at how fast the change was. Yes, a full shift took a minute even for you. Natural wolves shifted faster and easier than made wolves. The partial shift for you was an instant.

    “You are not a monster,” Loki told you firmly. Then added quickly before you could argue more: “I’m careful, and besides your wolf would not harm me. She would have done so already were she going to. She has woken before you twice now,” Loki told you gently. You shook your head and shifted back to human. You still didn’t think he understood and you’d have to be extra careful for his sake.

    “Yeah, your wolf scared the shit out of Tony when he tried to help Loki carry you inside,” Nat added with a grin.

    You flushed and looked at your lap. “Yeah…she doesn’t like silver, and blames him. He was also the one who carried me bound and drugged down to the cells in the basement. She doesn’t like him for that either…” That earned a laugh from the others at your understatement. You finally saw the time and cursed. “I’m going to be late for work!” you exclaimed as you moved to jump to your feet. Loki grabbed your arm and hauled you back down on to the couch.

    “Stark already called off for you,” Cap explained while you glared at Loki.

    “The excuse ‘Y/N can’t come in because Tony Stark is stupid’ apparently gets you a paid day off. It’s double pay when the call comes from Stark himself,” Nat added with a grin. You remembered that rule from the employee handbook, as well as the warning that the excuse had to be verifiable, but never thought you’d have cause to use it.

    You laughed and relaxed and eventually went shopping with Nat and Loki to fill out your destroyed wardrobe.

    *

    Your life settled into a routine after a couple weeks of living there. You continued your classes at the university, intent on getting your degree, and continued working at Stark Industries, though you had a better job working directly with Pepper now that your cover as a werewolf had been blown. Loki pestered you one day until you took him to work with you. He annoyed everyone so much all day there that you were told your job for the rest of the day was to take Loki home and make sure he never came to work with you again. They never did tell you what he’d done to annoy everyone so bad.

    Your presence and influence as an Omega had spread through the team. None of them seemed to notice and you weren’t going to tell them. Omegas brought peace and balance to the pack, and it seemed to superheros as well. It was becoming more and more common for little friendly touches when you saw any of the members of the team, a touch on the shoulder, a ruffle of your hair, and though none of them would ever say anything, they all enjoyed cuddling up with you and your peace and happiness. You were still hesitant, of course, wary of overstepping or offending, but someone always invited you to share their couch, to sit next to them. It was wonderful to be invited, welcomed, but not pressured. It was so much better than the pack who expected and demanded so much and gave nothing in return.

    Loki was a near constant companion when you were at the tower. He seemed to always be around, unless the team was out on missions. You didn’t pressure him for his company, and even purposely tried to stay away from him a couple of days, just to make sure you didn’t crowd him or annoy him. You were sure on those days he had to be annoyed by your presence. He had tracked you down himself on those days. You interested him, he liked you, and patiently reassured you that he wasn’t annoyed by your presence or company…and even admitted that he was lonely when you weren’t around.

    *

    “So Y/N, how strong are you anyway?” Cap asked one afternoon while you were working out in one of the gyms. You didn’t have to hide your strength and pretend to be human around them and it was great.

    You grinned. You’d been waiting for this question. You looked over your options and finally walked over to Thor who was nearly a foot taller than you and a good hundred pounds of muscle heavier than you. “May I?” you asked him with a smirk. He roared in laughter.

    “You may try, little wolf,” he teased, stealing Loki’s usual term of endearment, which just made Loki glare at his brother in reply. You lifted him off of his feet. It was only difficult in that he was so much bigger than you and it was awkward, but you could carry him easily and was even holding him in the traditional princess carry before you set him back on his feet. He just stared in shock that you had pulled it off. So did everyone else. “Can you do the push-up thing?!” he boomed excitedly. You looked him over.

    “I could but your frame is broader than mine. I don’t think you’d easily fit on my back,” you replied after consideration.

    “Please?!?,” Thor begged you, too excitedly. He was spurred on by Tony and Clint, who were amused by all of this. Cap was watching, appraising your skills even while you played around with the guys.

    You sighed and rolled your eyes at them, but obediently got into position. A minute and some arguing later someone was sitting cross legged on your back, but it definitely wasn’t Thor. You turned your head to look to see who it was, but Cap barked an order to start the pushups while Tony started recording the footage.

    It only took ten pushups before Loki exclaimed from your back: “How are you this strong?!” You laughed as you kept going.

    “How did Thor convince you to do this?” you asked in reply as you worked. This was still nothing but entertainment.

    “He is quite persuasive,” Loki replied. You took that to mean that Thor had picked him up before he could flee and set him on your back.

    You grinned and switched to one arm, which impressed the guys even more.

    The video nearly broke the internet when Tony posted it to the Avenger’s page.

    *

    “I am glad that Loki has finally found a friend. I’m not surprised he was intrigued by your wolf. When we were children he was forever sneaking injured animals into the palace to nurse them back to health. But…I would be remiss if I did not warn you not to trust him too deeply. He tends to give up on relationships, and gets bored once he has figured out whatever puzzle he is working on. You intrigue him, but I fear he will abandon you once he has you figured out,” Thor warned you one evening. He had pulled you aside to talk to you. “Be careful not to let him break your heart,”

    “He’s a friend, Thor. We understand each other and have both had to live with something people would consider a monster inside of us. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think he’ll give up on friendship that easily,”

    “He has given up on more,” Thor replied darkly. It was strange to hear Thor be dark. He was usually so booming and happily enthusiastic. You stood up on your toes to kiss his cheek. He was one of the ones who actually liked physical contact.

    “We’ll be fine, Thor,” you told him and made your way back to your usual couch where your homework and Loki were waiting.

    “What did the oaf want?” Loki asked, a touch of jealousy in his voice. You kissed his cheek too before you took the spot next to him on the couch.

    You rolled your eyes. “To warn me not to get too close or attached to you. He thinks you’ll get bored with me,” you told him with laughter in your voice. You didn’t believe Thor, for all that he wasn’t lying.

    Loki chuckled in reply. “Never, little wolf,” he said softly as he pressed his lips against your hair.