Everlasting • Tony Stark✔️

102 | time heist

PEPPER smiled at Pietro as he stirred the food in the pot. He leaned over, worried it would burn. She shook her head bemused as she walked over to him. She gently grabbed his hand to slow his stirring since he was going at super-speed.

"Slow it down, Speedster, before you break the spoon," she teased.

He stuck his tongue out at her childishly before turning to Tony. "Find Charlotte, please."

Tony waved him off. "Send me to do the dirty work after you threw your sister off the roof."

"Why do you think Pepper has confined me to the kitchen?" Pietro asked rhetorically.

Tony shoved him aside with a smirk as he opened the door. He clapped his hands as he looked around the yard for Charlotte.

"Chow time!" he called with a smirk. "Charlie!? Charlotte M. Stark, you want some lunch?"

As Tony made it to the garage, he smiled when the door opened. Charlotte stood there in an new Iron Man helmet that was silver and blue. "Define lunch or be disintegrated."

"Okay, You should not be wearing that, okay? That is part of a special anniversary gift I'm making for your mother," Tony admitted, knowing it sounded stupid out loud that he continued to buy or make Lyra gifts on their wedding anniversary. He pulled off the Iron Man helmet and ruffled Charlotte's hair.

"Okay."

"There you go. Are you thinking about lunch? I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce," Tony asked with a snigger at her jaw-dropped expression.

Charlotte smirked. "No."

"That's what you want. How did you find this?" Tony asked he threw the helmet back into the shed.

Charlotte shrugged. "Shed."

Tony nodded. "Really? After I made you and Pietro swear not to go in the shed after he threw you from the roof. Were you looking for it?"

"No. I was looking for the shield, actually. I just found it, though," Charlotte answered.

Tony crouched in front of her. "You like going to the shed, huh? So do I. It's fine, actually. Your mom won't be able to wear anything I buy her anyway," he said softly with a smile. He patted her shoulder before they started to walk up the porch. Charlotte turned when she heard the sound of gravel being crunched.

"Daddy? Is that Capsicle, here?"

Tony turned. "Yes, it is," he said quietly. "Why don't you run inside and get Pietro out here, huh?"

"Can I stay?" she asked.

"No, go with Aunt Pep. Please."

Charlotte sighed before walking inside. Tony sighed further when Natasha, Steve, and Scott Lang walked out of the car toward him.

"We need to talk," Steve said as Pietro appeared at Tony's side. "Hey, Pietro."

Pietro waved at them. "What's going on?"

They all sat down on the porch as Scott began to explain the plan they had come up with since Scott had been trapped for five years. Tony listened intently, almost feeling a surge of hope, but then, he could hear Pepper and Charlotte laughing at something inside. What if they screwed up life even more? What if he lost Charlotte next? Pietro? Pepper?

"Now, we know what it sounds like—"

Steve cut him off, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?"

"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck Scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?" Tony said suddenly as he handed Steve a drink from the cooler next to him. The Avengers stared at him confused. "In Layman's terms, it means you're not coming home."

Scott shook his head. "I did."

"No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a... What do you call it?" Tony asked.

Scott smiled timidly. "A time heist?"

"Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?" Tony said, pushing hope away as he thought of Lyra's eyes staring at him.

"The Stones are in the past. We can go back and get them," Scott explained.

"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everyone back," Natasha added. "Bring everyone back."

Tony knew she was hinting at Lyra. "Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?"

"I don't believe we would," Steve said.

"Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. Lyra loved it. Charlotte gets it from you, too. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise," Tony explained.

"Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. That means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events—" Scott said.

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back To The Future?" Tony said.

Scott looked down embarrassed. "No."

"Good. You had me worried there. 'Cause that'd be horse shit. That's not how quantum physics works."

"Tony... We have to take a stand," Natasha whispered.

"We did stand. And yet, here we are. We lost, but I can't lose anymore."

Scott nodded. "I know you got a lot on the line. You got a daughter..." he looked to Pietro. "A son. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did. You did, too," he said as he voice rose. He tried to show how desperate they were for his help. "And now, now we have a chance to bring Lyra back. To bring everyone back. And you're telling me that won't even–"

"That's right, Scott, I won't even. I got two kids, already lost two. I'm not losing anything else," Tony said, watching Pietro look down sadly.

Charlotte walked outside, smiling at everyone. "Hey, Auntie Pep told me to come save you." Tony grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Good job. I'm saved," he said as he stood. He turned back to them. "I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I... I missed you guys, it was... Oh, and table's set for seven."

"Tony, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance," Steve said. "Think about Lyra."

"I got my second chance right here, Cap. I can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch," Tony said before walking off.

Charlotte glanced at Pietro who stared at Scott. "You think this will work?"

Scott jumped at his voice, not ever speaking to the Maximoff twin before. He nodded. "It's got to. I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't."

Pietro turned to Charlotte. "I'm going to help them. Tell Dad where I've gone, okay?"

Charlotte bit her lip. "You're going back in time?"

"To get Wanda back. To get Mom back," Pietro whispered. "He may be scared, but I can't let this go without trying."

Charlotte hugged him tightly. "Be safe, okay? Love you."

"Love you, too, Lottie," Pietro whispered, kissing her forehead.

Charlotte turned to Steve and Natasha. "I'll try to talk to him... I hope it works."

"Me, too, kid," Steve said softly, pulling her in for a hug.