ironstrange meet Morgan Stark
I debated for some time what constitutes “meeting” (does it count as IronStrange meeting her if it’s really only Stephen meeting her for the first time since she’s Tony’s daughter?) and how AU I wanted to go (Morgan as their daughter?) and then decided to use an idea I had that never went anywhere. I hope this counts! (It also got away from me a little... 511 words away. Oops.)
When Tony comes back, thanks to some bizarre echo of Infinity Stone energy that Strange has explained and which Tony promptly forgot, they don’t know, at first, if he’ll get to stay. Tony decides not to tell anyone that he’s around until they’re sure.
By the end of the first week, Tony is wondering if he should stick around. If it would be right to.
He wants to, of course. He never wanted to die. But now… It’s been fourteen years. Pepper is remarried. Morgan is off at her first year of university. Rhodey has been promoted more since Tony’s death than in the entire rest of his career. The Avengers have a bustling international roster of thirty-one heroes. Who needs Tony Stark anymore?
The only person who doesn’t seem to have moved on is Strange. He tries to be discreet about it, but Tony is living with the man. Maybe it should be uncomfortable to have someone he barely knows so hung up on him, but in reality, Tony is just grateful to be important to someone. It doesn’t take long for that to turn into something more.
When it’s time to reintroduce Tony to the world, Stephen goes with him to meet Morgan.
She’s a young woman now, dark haired and dark eyed and an inch taller than Tony and he missed it. Tony missed her growing up, he missed her entire childhood, and even as she throws her arms around him, his heart is breaking. He hugs her back, and it’s beautiful, but he’s still wondering what she’ll think of him, because kids love unconditionally, but she’s not a kid anymore, and Tony… he’s made so many mistakes.
Eventually they pull back and Morgan looks at him, eyes shining with tears, smiling so broadly it has to hurt, and then she looks over at Stephen, and then back at Tony. Her smile widens. “I’m so glad you have each other,” she says.
Tony laughs, startled. “How did you know?” Stephen wouldn’t have said anything.
Morgan wipes the tears from her cheeks, still beaming. “I was so little when you died,” she says, “people thought I’d forget, you know? Years later I’d get sad and people would say, ‘Do you even remember him?’” Her smile slid into a brief grimace at that. “But Stephen… he gets it. We talk all the time. About everything, but a lot about you.”
Tony glances over his shoulder at Stephen. He’d promised Tony that Morgan would be happy to see him, no matter how much time had passed, but he hadn’t mentioned that he had that assurance personally. “I didn’t want you to learn what kind of person she is from me,” he says softly. “I wanted her to give you that.”
Tears spring to Tony’s eyes all over again. “Thanks,” he says roughly, and holds out an arm. It takes a minute, but eventually Stephen steps in close enough for a three way hug.
It doesn’t matter if the rest of the world needs Tony Stark, as long as these two do.
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