C493 Spider-Man (Patreon)
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As he and MJ finished putting their clothes back on, Tom blinked in surprise, trying to wrap his head around the situation. "Peter?" he asked, "What are you doing here?"
MJ, standing next to Tom, also wore a puzzled expression. "Yeah, and why are you with Mr. Stark?" She pointed at Tony, who stood beside Peter, his appearance clearly throwing them off. "Didn’t you say you’d be spending the weekend with Morgan and Pepper?"
Peter gestured to Tony. "Ah, right. Allow me to introduce you. This is Tony Stark from my universe." He then gestured to his lookalike. "And this, Tony, is a version of me and MJ from this universe."
Tony raised an eyebrow, looking between the two Peters. "Two Peter Parkers? And you both somehow ended up with MJ? You've really outdone yourselves.."
Tony couldn't help but feel a mix of surprise and curiosity. Tom and Peter looked remarkably alike, except Peter seemed a bit taller, and maybe even a little older.
"This is... surreal," Tom muttered as he eyed Tony, still trying to process the situation. “You look so young…” He’s used to the older grey haired Tony Stark, not this young clone of him.
Meanwhile, MJ couldn't resist her curiosity any longer. She approached the cylindrical ship and peered inside the open door. Her eyes widened as she stepped back, pacing to circle the ship before peeking inside for a second time. Finally, once she was done, she glanced back at Tom in disbelief. "You won't believe this... It's bigger on the inside! How is that possible?"
Peter couldn't help but smirk at MJ's discovery. "I always wanted to hear someone say that.” He had always heard people say it in Doctor Who when they first enter the Tardis, but now it was real and it was his ship they were taking about.
Tom, intrigued, walked over to the ship and repeated the same steps as his lovely girlfriend, confirming her observation. "She's right. It's like a Tardis from Doctor Who or something. What is this?"
“You have Doctor Who here too?” Peter asked before stepping over to the ship to explain, a hint of pride in his voice, "This, my friends, is a multiverse-traveling ship. Tony and I built it together with some donations from various bad guys. I truly have to thank all of those villains that sacrificed themselves to bring me their tech. May they Rest In Peace, or in jail, or wherever I sent them…”
MJ eyed the ship's metallic exterior, unimpressed. "For a badass multiverse traveling Tardis, it looks a bit bland, don't you think?"
“It does sort of look like a tin can…” Tom nodded in agreement, standing beside her.
Peter let out an annoyed sigh, shooting a look at Tony, who merely shrugged and said, "I told you so."
Peter turned away from Tony and huffed, "Just go ahead and activate the cloak already… None of you understand what real art is…"
With a triumphant smirk, Tony entered the ship and began fiddling with the controls. The ship seemed to twitch for a moment before shimmering into a new form, molding itself into a closet right before everyone's eyes, matching the decor of the bedroom.
Tom marveled at the transformation. "Now that's cool. How did you make it do that? Is it some sort of illusion with the lighting or something?"
Peter smirked and answered with a single word, "Magic."
Tony stepped out of the closet-turned-ship with a satisfied grin. "That'll do for now. I'll give it a proper makeover later since we don't have much space in here."
As Tom was still eyeing the ship, MJ noticed a shining ring on Peter’s finger. “Is that what I think it is?” She asked, shocked.
Everyone turned to Peter, following the direction of MJ’s stare. “Yeah, my MJ and I are engaged.”
“Congratulations…” Tom smiled, glancing over at his MJ, wondering if or when they’ll get engaged.
“Yeah, congrats…” MJ follows up, blushing a bit as she peeks over at Tom.
Tony raises a single eyebrow at Peter. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It only happened a couple days ago, and truthfully, I’ve been so busy since then that I haven’t told anyone besides family, and that’s only because we live together. Actually, I don’t even think Fury knows yet…” Peter explained, causing Tony’s betrayed look to slowly simmer down. “Besides, I’ve been wearing the ring, so I’m not trying to hide it.”
“Yeah, fine, you’re forgiven. Just tell me next time.” Tony huffed, but ultimately let the matter go.
Tom, still processing everything, asked Peter, "So, you're here just to test your new ship? And why would Nick Fury need to know about your enhancement?"
Tony chimed in, correcting, "Our new ship. And he needs to know because he’s MJ’s father. At least in our universe."
MJ’s eyes go while I’m shock. “That can’t be right…”
Peter turned to MJ. "Yep, I’m afraid it is. You’re lucky you’re cute, you know. Because dating the daughter of Nick Fury is a very dangerous position to be in. I mean, the guy shot me at least 10 times. But I’m guessing he’s not your father in this universe.” He said as MJ nodded.
Tom sighed as a wave of relief spread throughout his entire being. “Oh, thank god…”
”it’s actually not as bad as you’d think.” Peter shrugged. “As for why we’re here… I'm looking for Wanda Maximoff. Do you know where she lives?"
Tom raised a questioning brow. “No, but we can go to the Avengers tower and find out…”
“What did she do?” MJ asks curiously.
“I’ll explain on the way…”
————
Before leaving for the tower, Peter took extra precautions to secure the multiverse ship. He and Tony had implemented a multitude of technological and magical seals and security measures, making it nearly impenetrable. Only someone as knowledgeable as the Ancient One could hope to crack it, and even then, it would take months, if not years.
Portaling over to the tower, they left their fortified ship behind in Tom's room. The vessel was locked up tighter than anything in the known universe. Peter, Tony, Tom, and MJ emerged from the portal into a luxurious penthouse at the top of the tower.
As soon as Tony stepped out of the portal, his eyes widened in shock. Before him, an utterly unexpected scenario unfolded. Standing there were this universe's versions of Pepper, Tony Stark, and their daughter, Morgan.
(A/N: I will now refer to this universes Tony as Anthony, since his name is technically Anthony Stark. Peter’s Tony will remain as Tony.)
Anthony was currently being chased around by Morgan, who was dressed as a princess, wielding a plastic sword. Her father, however, wore a comically ill-fitting dragon costume, which he was no doubt forced into by his cute daughter.
Pepper watched the spectacle with an affectionate smile. It’s been over a year since Anthony came back to life and she’s love every second of it. But no one loved it more than Morgan, who barely ever separated from her father ever since. As the saying goes, you only know the value of something once you’ve lost it, but luckily, they were given a second chance.
"Come on, Daddy!" Morgan exclaimed, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "Stop running! The princess has to slay the dragon! You're not allowed to run away! It's against the rules!"
Tony was momentarily frozen in place, processing the surreal scene. He realized he was a father in another universe, and based on Pepper's joyful expression, they had a daughter together. It was a revelation that left him both astounded and slightly overwhelmed. He had never imagined himself as a father, always finding children to be an annoyance. Moreover, he had been determined not to turn out like his own distant and preoccupied father.
Suddenly, Anthony and Pepper noticed the unexpected guests in their penthouse and froze. Morgan, seizing the opportunity, continued her pursuit and dramatically swung her fake sword at her father, declaring, "I slayed the evil dragon!"
However, when her father didn't play along as he usually did, Morgan grew curious. She glanced around the room and realized they had some uninvited guests, her expression shifting from playful confidence to a shy, puzzled demeanor. She instinctively ran away, seeking refuge behind her mother's legs, peeking out cautiously.
Peter waved. “Yo, sorry for dropping by unannounced.”
“Peter?” Anthony muttered in confusion. “How did you come back? I didn’t think I’d see you again… And this is…” He trails off, eyeing Tony, who steps up to get a good look at him.
The two Starks look one another up and down with judging eyes. Tony was the first to speak. “You look… old.”
Anthony raised a brow at him, looking quite offended. “Well, excuse me for aging.” He turns his attention to Tony’s suit and sneers. “Where’d you that suit? Goodwill? I remember donating it about 8 years ago.”
Tony gestures towards Anthony’s dragon costume. “Are you sure that you want to mention clothes right now?”
Anthony sighed. “Fine, you got me there…”
"Morgan, sweetheart," Pepper began, crouching down to her daughter's eye level. "These are... special guests." She exchanged a knowing look with her husband, silently acknowledging the complexity of the situation.
Morgan, her curiosity overcoming her initial shyness, looked back and forth between the two Tonys once more. With childlike innocence, she finally voiced her question, "Why are there two daddies?"
Tony felt a mix of emotions surging within him, from disbelief to a strange sense of connection to this alternate universes daughter of his. He exchanged a glance with alternate, older self, realizing how happy he looks. ‘Maybe I should think about having a kid?’
A/N: 1627 words :) Should Tony have his own child when they return?