Marvel One Shots

Greater than him (Short Story)

"But you just got home." Tony frowns. His mother, Maria, bends down and gently places a kiss on his forehead.

"I know, sweetheart. But we'll be back very soon." She says.

"Like, a day soon? Or a week soon?" He asks.

"We won't be gone more than a week, son." His father, Howard, says as he adjusts his tie in the mirror in the hallway. He looks down at Tony, giving a soft smile. "Think you can be brave like Captain America and guard the house for us?"

Tony lets out a soft scoff, rolling his brown eyes. "Jarvis is here. I don't need to be like Captain America."

"And a very special someone."

Tony flips around, a grin growing in his face. "Aunt Peggy!" He cheers. He runs to her, tightly hugging her legs. "I didn't know you were coming."

"I made your father promise to keep it a secret." She says, gently kneeling on the ground. She runs her hands through his dark hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Tony happily giggles, looking up at his father and mother.

Maria gently smiles at him as Howard places a hand on her lower back. "Well, we really should get going, sweetheart. We don't want to miss our flight." He says, urging her to the front door.

"Miss your flight?" Peggy scoffs, rising from the floor. She wipes off her knees and adjusts her skirt. "If I recall correctly, you told me you'd be the one flying today."

"You're correct." Howard says. "I suppose I should be more specific. We'll miss our meeting over in Europe."

"Then I guess you should get going. Don't worry about me and Anthony. We're going to have a grand time." She smiles as she tussles his hair.

"Goodbye, Tony." Maria says, placing kiss on his cheek.

"We'll be back soon, son." Howard says. He mumbles something into Peggy's ear then the couple exit the house. Once they're gone, Tony lets out a loud sigh.

"Something wrong, Anthony?" Peggy asks.

"I don't know." He says, shrugging his shoulder. "Also, people don't call me Anthony anymore. I'm Tony now."

"Ah. I should have known. You've grown so much since I've last seen you." She says, following him into the living room. He picks up a few toys from the ground, messing around with them.

Peggy, wanting him to enjoy himself while she was here, grabs a toy and joins in. "What's your 20, Captain?" She asks, picking up a soldier.

"Captain? I'm not the damn captain! I'm the general." He fires back.

"Language, Tony." She gently scolds, playfully glaring at him.

"Sorry." He blushes. He regains his composure, grabbing the action figure. "I'm your general and you need to treat me with respect, soldier." He says with a deep voice.

"Yes, sir. But, where is the captain?" She asks, pretending to look around.

"I don't know. Probably doing something stupid." Tony says with his general voice, shrugging his shoulder. "Now, back to business. We need to collect all of the rubies before the bad guys do. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Peggy replies.

"Good. Now, follow me." He says. They travel across the room. Tony had already built a cave for them out of blankets and couch cushions. "The rubies should be here somewhere."

"I hope they're somewhere nearby. I'm scared of the dark, general." Peggy says, trying not to laugh.

"What kind of soldier are you?" Tony asks, flipping his guy around to look at Peggy's. "We're from America for Pete's sake! We aren't afraid of the dark." He says.