C126 Godmother

C126 Godmother

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The room was thick with tension as Peggy and Tony locked eyes, their simultaneous exclamations echoing in the confined space. "Why is he/she here?"

Peter stood between them, feeling the intensity of their reunion. He had known Peggy would be surprised to see Tony, but he hadn't expected this level of shock from both of them.

“I’m guessing you guys know each other?” Peter asks in confusion. ‘I don’t think they knew each other in the movies...’

Peggy was the first to break the silence between them, her voice tinged with surprise and a hint of nostalgia. "Tony... It's been a long time."

Tony, equally taken aback, nodded slowly. "Yeah, it has..." he replied, awkwardly fiddling with his hands. “Uh, sorry for not answering your calls...”

Peggy shook her head, a wry smile forming on her lips. “And my letters, voicemails, not to mention the door.”

Tony turned away, unable to meet her gaze. “Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I wasn’t home...”

Peggy scoffed. “I saw you through the window, Tony. You saw me too, but then you acted like I wasn’t there and cranked up the AC/DC until I left.” She turned to Peter, her eyes narrowing. "Why is he here? I don’t want him involved in this...”

Peter raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Don’t look at me. I didn’t invite him. Howard, in his drunken stupor, brought him here."

Tony's confusion deepened. "Wait, what's going on here? Why are you in a floating base? And what exactly do you not want me involved in?"

Peggy's eyes flashed with frustration. "You don't need to know, Tony. This is way beyond anything you're used to handling. Now go home and find some model to pass your STDs to..."

Tony crossed his arms, a defiant look on his face. "Oh, so now you're the gatekeeper of what I should and shouldn't know? I haven’t seen you in almost two years. Why should I start listening to you now?"

Peggy's expression hardened. "Because this is dangerous, Tony. More dangerous than you realize. I’m trying to protect you."

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Protect me? Protect me from what? The truth? Maybe if you and my father had been more honest with me, I wouldn't have to find things out on my own."

Peggy’s temper flared. "You think we wanted to keep things from you? Your father did everything to protect you from the world we dealt with, and for good reason. You were reckless then, and you're reckless now." She stood from her seat and pointed at the door, exclaiming, “Now go home!”

"No," Tony's face darkened, his voice dropping to a cold, hard tone. "You’re not my mother. And even if you were, I’m a grown man. I do what I want. Hell, to begin with, we’re not even related. You’re just my godmother, which, by the way, is some idiotic religious nonsense. So no, I don't think I’m going anywhere. Now, tell me what the f*ck is going on here?!"

Peggy recoiled as if struck. For a moment, the room was deathly silent, the weight of Tony's words hanging in the air. Tony's anger was quickly replaced by regret, realizing he'd gone too far. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Peggy cut him off.

“You know what? Fine," Peggy said, her voice icy as she walked towards the door. "You want to stay? Sure, do as you please..." She marched out of the room without another word.

Tony called out, his voice laced with regret, "Peggy, wait!" But she didn't stop. The door closed behind her with a soft hiss, leaving Tony and Peter in an awkward silence.

Peter stepped closer, a look of sympathy on his face. "Are you okay?"

Tony quickly masked his emotions, adopting his usual nonchalant demeanor. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Peter didn't believe it but decided not to push further. "Look, I know you and Peggy have some history, which I only just found out about, but this is serious stuff we're dealing with here. You should listen to her and just go home," he said, aware that Tony didn’t have his armor yet. ‘Although I’d love to work with Tony, he's not Iron Man yet...’

Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I get that, but I’m not leaving until I know what’s happening here. Care to fill me in?"

Peter hesitated. "I don't want to go behind Peggy's back..."

"Come on, Peter," Tony pleaded. "I need to know what's happening. If it's as dangerous as she says, I can't just walk away and leave her here."

Peter took a deep breath, weighing his options. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, I'll give you a little bit of info. But if you want to know more, you'll have to get it from Peggy. I'm not getting in the middle of your family drama any more than this."

Tony's eyes sharpened, his curiosity eating away at him. "Sure, sure. So, what are we dealing with?"

...

A few minutes later, Peter found Peggy standing alone, staring out of the large window on the viewing deck of the Red Room, looking up at the night sky. The base was currently moving, enhancing the already breathtaking view. He could sense her turbulent emotions through the Force, a storm of sadness and disappointment swirling within her.

Tony was like a son to her, as Peggy never had children of her own. She spent more time with him than his own father did, always taking him in when he and Howard fought. So, hearing him disregard her so easily certainly stung.

He approached quietly and spoke softly, "He didn’t mean it, you know."

Peggy turned to Peter, surprised by his sudden appearance, before gazing back out of the window. "Is he gone?" she asked, her voice tinged with both hope and resignation.

Peter shook his head. "No, he’s currently raiding my armory."

Confused, Peggy turned to face him fully. "Why?"

Peter smiled gently. "Because he said that you’re the only family he has left and he won’t leave you to fight an alien invasion alone."

Although hearing that brought a flicker of happiness to her heart, Peggy frowned. "You told him..." she said accusingly.

Peter nodded. "Yeah, but only about the Kree. I didn’t reveal any of your secrets."

Although she was unhappy with him, Peggy sighed and then nodded. "Thank you for keeping my secrets at least."

"I get that you don’t want Tony involved, but he’s not a kid, Peggy," Peter said, moving closer to stand beside her. "He’s smart, capable, and determined. He can handle this."

Peggy shook her head. "He’s reckless, Peter. You’ve seen how he behaves. He’s a mess. I don’t want him getting hurt or worse..."

Peter nodded, understanding her concern. "I get that. But he’s also Tony Stark. His mind is one of the sharpest on this planet. He can adapt, learn, and build things that can help us."

"Like his father..." Peggy murmured, a wistful look in her eyes.

Peter smiled. "Exactly. Tony has the same potential as his father. You should give him a chance to prove himself."

Peggy sighed deeply, her eyes once again focusing on the stars outside. "I just... I don’t want to lose him too."

"You won’t," Peter reassured her. "He’s tougher than he looks. And besides, he cares about you. He may not always show it the right way, but he does. And he’s not leaving as long as you’re here."

Peggy was silent for a moment, considering Peter’s words. "He’s so much like his father. Stubborn, brilliant, and impossible to reason with."

"Let's not tell him that, though. He's already pretentious enough," Peter chuckled. "But seriously, give him a chance. At least go and see what he's working on. If you don't think it's good enough to help us or keep him safe, I'll personally drag him into a heli, kicking and screaming, to send him home."

Finally, Peggy nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Alright, I’ll let him stay. But if anything happens to him..."

Peter placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Nothing will happen to him. I’ll make sure of it."

With that assurance, Peggy turned back to the window, a small, hopeful smile forming on her lips. Peter stayed beside her, silently supporting her.

————

Back at the ship, Tony had just finished gathering an impressive array of alien weapons and equipment from Peter's armory, his mind racing with the possibilities each new piece of tech presented. With his arms full, he made his way out of the armory and into the hallway, his thoughts still consumed by the upcoming invasion and how he could contribute.

As he stepped into the hall, he suddenly felt something cold and hard press against his lower back, halting him in his tracks. His heart skipped a beat as a voice called out behind him, sharp and suspicious.

"Where do you think you're going with my babies?"

Tony turned his head slowly, his eyes widening as he saw Raccoon standing there, holding a big blaster rifle aimed directly at him. The raccoon's eyes narrowed, clearly not amused by what he thought he had stumbled upon.

"Uhh... I can explain?"

A/N: 2306 words :)