Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

85.

Tony tinkered with some equipment in the garage. Usually, he would have FRIDAY blare his heavy metal music to get his ideas flowing. But three years ago, Sue commented that the man never responded to her when she called for him from the kitchen. He thought this was because of his loud music, so he decided to have it on a lower volume. But even then, he couldn't hear her calls. Booker would have to be sent into the garage to collect him and he realised that countless years of guitar riffs and drum solos had muted his hearing. It made him realise that he was getting older and that he wouldn't be able to continue his old lifestyle of listening to rockbands, reading small text and bending down to grab things off the ground without consequences.

He let FRIDAY piece together some titanium-alloy that would soon be Pepper's birthday present while he scrolled through the news on his phone. Articles of citizens who found out their blipped loved ones left them love letters or had secret hobbies flooded his timeline. The doom and gloom went on for about a year and a half after the blip, but the media soon had no choice but to try and get some of society's morale back up. There were many stories around the world about people learning to live without the other half of the population that once walked the Earth, and things were beginning to look up. But the event could never be ignored, and what once was, will always be in everyone's minds.

There were of course the articles about the missing Avengers. The press hadn't been on their case as much as they used to be. There was the assumption that a lot of the team had been blipped, which wasn't exactly false. But Tony and Sue never complained, and Booker's identity still hadn't been found out by the public. It was the life they wanted with hero work behind them and a new family. They just wished the circumstances were better, and that their family still had the one person who was taken from them all those years ago.

'Dad, Mum says lunch is ready,' Booker opened the door to the garage. The boy walked down the steps and looked up to the blue hologram that showed the formation of a suit.

'Thanks, sport,' Tony looked over the top of his reading glasses and slipped his phone back into his pocket. 'What's the boss got cookin'?'

'Grilled sandwiches. Hey, what's that?'

'Nothing.'

'Doesn't look like nothing.'

Booker stepped to be next to his father and eyed FRIDAY's work. Tony reached his arms up and tapped in the air, buttons appearing under his fingertips. He then swiped to the right and the suit plan disappeared. The garage darkened before the lights turned up at FRIDAY's operation. All the walls were littered with what was considered old-fashioned tools like hammers, mallets and screwdrivers. Desks were full of paper and sketches, all marked with adjustments and notes. Tony hadn't lost his passion for engineering and technology, but it became a light hobby, as opposed to his previous habit of letting it take over his entire lifestyle.

'And you don't look like you've brushed your hair this morning, mister,' Tony ducked down and picked up Booker by the waist. The boy let out a giggle and Tony headed for the door, while bouncing his son on his hip. Booker put his hands on his father's shoulders and Tony opened the door to the hallway, where the smell of grilled chicken hit his nostrils.

'Boy, does that smell good,' the Stark called out and the sound of feet padding against the mahogany floors travelled from the kitchen. Susan appeared with three plates in hand, ready to dish out their lunches.

'What's the go, hun?' Tony planted his lips on Sue's, and she beamed, her smile wide as Booker squealed.

'Gross!' he covered his eyes and Tony laughed. He crouched down to let Booker's feet touch the floor and the boy immediately broke out into a run.

'Don't touch the sandwich press!' Sue lowered down to tell her son as he passed her. Booker skidded across the floor and turned the corner of the living room and ran into the kitchen. Sue sighed and shook her head at his actions before turning back to Tony. But she was met with his side profile, as he looked out of the window that stretched from beside the front door. It viewed the front yard and the treeline that encircled the house, and Sue followed his gaze that had turned solid.