Marvel One Shots

Alternative Timeline (Short Story)

"How much longer?" Tony whines from the back seat.

"Only a few minutes, darling." Maria says, looking over her shoulder at him. He lets out a long sigh, rolling his brown eyes and looking out the window.

"Are you excited, son?" Howard asks, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"I guess." Tony shrugs.

Maria glances at Howard then back at their son. "I'm sure you'll have a grand time. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"The only thing I'm worried about is being bored." Tony says, furrowing his eyebrows. "There's nothing for me to do over there. I'd rather be at home and working on some invention."

Maria lightly chuckles as they pull into the driveway. Her Tony was just like his father. They'd both rather be in a stuffy lab than anywhere else in the world. Well, when Howard was younger he didn't mind socializing with others. She knows Tony will be the same once he gets older. But right now, this seems like a punishment to him.

"We're here." Howard says. The group of them exit the car. Maria walks to the front door with Tony trailing behind her as Howard retrieves his suitcase from the back.

"Would you like to ring the doorbell?" Maria asks. A gentle smile forms on his face as Tony reaches out and presses the button twice. The door opens, making Tony slightly frown. He was kind of hoping they weren't home.

"Hello! It's so nice to see you again!"

"Hello, Steve." Maria says, pulling him in for a hug.

"Hey, champ." Steve smiles, looking at Tony. "Ready to spend the weekend in Brooklyn?"

"I don't really get much of a choice." Tony grumbles, making them laugh.

"He's very excited. Just tired from the car ride." Maria says, running her fingers through his hair.

"It is a long journey." He nods as Peggy joins him at the front door.

"Hello, Maria." She smiles, hugging her. "Hello, Anthony." She smiles, bending down and waving at him. "I'm so glad you get to spend the weekend with us."

"Me too." He sighs, knowing it better to lie than hurt their feelings. After all, if he got to pick who to stay with, it would be with Steve and Peggy. They're practically family. Better to be with them than some strange sitter.

"Where's Howard?" Steve asks, resting his arm on the doorframe.

"He's just grabbing Tony's bag." Maria says as he appears behind her. "Here he is."

"Good to see you two again." He smiles, shaking both of their hands.

"Well, would the two of you like to come in for a cup of coffee? I just put a pot on." Peggy says, gesturing for them to enter.

"We'd love to stay and chat, but we really must be going." Maria says. "We're running behind as it is."

"Alright." Peggy softly sighs. "Well, don't worry about Anthony. He's in good hands."

"We know. And we're very grateful for the two of you to help us out on short notice." Howard says.

"It's the least we can do after everything you've done for us. Besides, we enjoy having Tony around." Steve says, softly smiling down at him.

"Well, we best say our goodbyes then." Maria says. She bends down, gently kissing Tony's cheek. "Goodbye, Tony. Behave for Steve and Peggy."

"I will."