𝗟𝘂́𝗺𝗲̈,𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗼 | LOTR & Marvel Crossover [PART3]✓

26 | Arfanyarossë of the Multiverse

26 | Arfanyarossë of the Multiverse

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Tony Stark | Iron Man

Location: Avengers Compound, New York, USA

Time: October 2023

Three Years Ago...

Tony let out a breath as soon as the door closed.

After a few hours of brainstorming (admittedly more like procrastinating), Bruce left to go rest before the mission tomorrow. Or more like going back to tinkering with the suits if he still knew what his science bro was like. Even being...whatever he and the Hulk were...Bruce was still Bruce. Tony knew that he would just leave to sleep, or more likely try to find something else to do that wasn't lying on the ground in the meeting room.

The moment he did, his mind already revolved back to what he was planning to do tonight. He'd been debating to himself whether he should even do it, thinking that Pepper would frown in concern why he considered being so drastic with the idea. The few days he'd been back here almost made it even more conflicting. Should he even try to? Is this him knowing how it will all turn out?

"You should sleep."

He turned over, the cushion only making some comfort for the back of his head as he noticed the person still laying on the same table beside him.

Face staring up, she was twirling a pen in her hand, notepad on her stomach.

With a sarcastic tone, he retorted, "If I wasn't busy staring up at the ceiling: I would have thought you didn't know me at all."

Natasha Romanoff shrugged her shoulders a little, though he could sense that familiar tone changed as she replied, "Just trying to be better every second I can."

"Well...we aren't all angels," He drawled, side-eyeing towards a specific direction.

Knowing from what FRIDAY told him, his certain...plus one to this entire mission was probably helping Lang or Rogers with something. Might be doing some sorcery shit. Meditating maybe; that was something he'd seen whenever she came around to babysit Morgan after putting her to bed.

"Like Illyria?" Natasha implied, and he hummed in confirmation as she continued, "I wonder how you even managed to adopt the kid."

Oh, sometimes he wished he did. Illyria Strange was everything he wasn't and yet everything that could have been. Intelligent and confident and yet incredibly so considerate and forgiving. Not the sort of kid he imagined Strange to have but then again: Tony only knew Stephen Strange for just under a day.

And within that less of a day, Tony realised how much Strange loved his daughter. He just didn't imagine loving Morgan like that then as well.

He rubbed his forehead, blinded slightly by the lights as he answered, "Not my kid. Morgan and Harley are enough. Just taking care of her when Strange is gone and Lewis is busy with her doctorate."

"I know you wouldn't let her come here if you didn't trust her. Or Lewis more likely."

The former Russian Assassin turned SHIELD Agent just had to be open, but he wasn't surprised nowadays. Natasha was actually concerned as to why he brought Illyria, but then remembered how that day in the lakeside house turned out.

It's not every day to tell the world that a nineteen-year-old kid forced the three Avengers who were broken up to get along and have lunch together. If Illyria wasn't there that day along with Harley and Morgan, Tony wouldn't even listen to them about their weird hot-tub time machine heist Lang was talking about.