Overprotective Father(figure)s

Summary: When Fury tries to convince Peter that he was the only Avenger available to fight the 'Elementals' with Beck, Peter pulls a Tony Stark and dials the private number of a certain Sorcerer Supreme that he KNOWS will be answered. The results of that call are not what anyone expected.

A/N: Hi! I literally just watched Spider-Man: Far From Home only yesterday and several ideas immediately popped into my mind, mostly about just how interesting it would be for Mysterio to meet an actual fucking sorcerer and who better than Doctor Strange, right? I came up with several interesting (at least to me) ideas and I am not at all ashamed to say that most of them are fix-it sort of ideas. Anyone who knows my style regarding MARVEL's Avengers knows that I tend to try and fix Endgame a bit. I cried like a baby for twenty minutes because of that movie, so please excuse my need to comfort myself. Iron Man was my favorite character and despite how much I bash the other original Avengers in my stories, I really like them all and was sad to see Natasha and Cap go. Still not as bad as Tony but enough about that. This is a Spider-Man: Far From Home story with a sort of fix-it. Peter, the poor little cutie, deserves to stop hurting because of Tony's death and some of the things Fury said to him really pissed me off. We'll see how ballsy he is when there are overprotective, highly intelligent, sarcastic and highly dangerous superheroes staring him down. And fuck Beck, too! How dare he hurt Peter!? We'll see how brave he is when facing off against the rest of Team Giant Flying Space Donut. So here's a series of one shots about how I think MCU could have done it better - for the sake of all our hears and souls, anyway.

Anyway, I hope you like it and please excuse my rant! Enjoy and please r&r!

Onto the story!

If he were to say he wasn't overwhelmed with what was happening and what he was being told this very instant, Peter Parker would be the biggest lair in the universe and he always did his best not to lie because he was a nice kid and he'd disappoint Aunt May and Mr Stark if he changed that. Sure, just a couple of years ago - or more like seven, if you count the 'Blip' period of five years - he would have gladly accepted this responsibility because he would have known he wasn't going into it alone. Mr Stark - Iron Man - would have had his back, would have watched over him like the mentor he was to him, but now? Now, Tony was gone and his absence hurt more than anything Peter could explain and he didn't want to deal with what Fury was trying to shove onto his shoulders. Mr Stark had always been willing to just let him be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man as long as he kept out of danger or at least warned him about a bigger threat. Mr Fury didn't seem nearly as inclined to give him that courtesy.

So he was desperately trying to get out of this crazy situation and go back to his vacation, only for Fury to remain stubbornly stuck on the idea of it being him that works with Mr Beck - who really does look like Iron Man and Thor and Doctor Strange rolled into one and not in the best of ways - because, and he's totally quoting Fury on this, "Bitch, please, you've been to space." Which was totally an accident and Mr Stark had nearly had a heart attack about it and Peter still felt like crap for putting his mentor through that, but Fury and the rest of his black dressed gang wasn't listening.

"Sir, come on. There's gotta be someone else you can use. What about Thor?" He suggested hopefully, knowing this was right up the thunder god's alley. He'd probably get along great with Mr Mysterio and they can exchange stories about their dead families and destroyed worlds aaand maybe he's been spending too much time around MJ because that was dark. But he figures he deserves the right to be a bit bitter his touring of Europe's been trampled on because the former Director of SHIELD decided a teenager was his best bet in a possibly world ending situation. And only eight months after losing his father figure- his mentor. He's still trying to cope and it seems like he's picked up Tony's unhealthy coping mechanisms and he wasn't willing to even try to change that because that and the glasses are apparently the only things he has left of Mr Stark besides the Spider-Man suits the man has made for him. So screw Fury if he thought he's going to ruin this trip for him, the first thing that managed to take his mind somewhat away from his grief.

"Off world," the black dressed man replied casually, not offering any more explanation as to why he's not calling him when they have a means to reach the Guardians of the Galaxy. Peter frowned at that but fired off the next name immediately.

"Okay, um, Doctor Strange?"

"Unavailable," came just as casual a response but Peter sensed some irritation in the undertones, which made him pause, stopping Captain Marvel's name on the tip of his tongue. He studied Mr Fury and Ms Hill for a moment before he had to restrain a giggle. Oh, he knew why Dr Strange was unavailable. It would seem he wasn't the only one ghosting Mr Fury, only Doctor Strange was doing it much better. To be expected, what with his magic. And it was just the kind of thing Doctor Strange would do, knowing he was annoying one of the most paranoid people in the world.

He must not have hid his amusement well enough because everyone was staring at him intensely, but he ignored them, reaching into his pocket for his phone. Now that he thought about it, hadn't Doctor Strange said he was in charge of protecting the multiverse or something? The man had never gone into detail about it, but Peter knew this was the sorcerer's specialty. Which is why it worried Peter that he wasn't the one responding to these Elementals or that it appeared as though ordinary humans - not counting Mr Beck - had found out about it before the Master of the Mystic Arts who had stood up to Thanos with four Infinity Stones on his own and been pretty darn close to winning. He ignored how the rest were judging him for paying attention to his phone when they were talking about possible world annihilation - like any of them had the room to talk! He'd been on the front lines himself and he's just a teenager! He's the seasoned one where nonsense like this is concerned - and instead focused on sending a text to the overprotective and overly guilty sorcerer.

Ever since the final battle where Mr Stark sacrificed himself for the universe and since the funeral, Doctor Strange had been doing his best to look out for Peter and had been trying to help him through his grief. It had taken Peter a month just to look at his suit, let alone wear it and be Spider-Man again. No one seemed to understand what he'd been going through, but then Doctor Strange portaled straight into his living room one day and they talked and Peter found someone who actually understood. Going to space, Titan, turning to dust, coming back to an even bigger and riskier fight, winning and its cost ...

Loosing Tony ...

Doctor Strange explained it had ultimately been him who had sent Mr Stark to his death but Peter couldn't find it in himself to hate the man or be angry at him because, if he hadn't wanted or been ready to do it, Peter knew his mentor wouldn't have, would have tried finding another way. But the truth was, Tony had been ready to die for Earth, for the universe since 2012, since New York. Mr Stark had always known that was how his story was going to end. He told that to Doctor Strange and then they both cried silently for a lost friend and hero and that's how their weekly sessions of mourning started, then it turned into coping sessions and they somehow became proper friends and teammates. So Peter knew, without a doubt, that Doctor Strange will respond to him if he calls.

To: Doctor Wizard

From: Peter Parker

Message: Hey, Dr Strange. Could you maybe help with a situation in Venice, Italy, with some crazy Elementals that are from another universe and are trying to destroy the planet? We, like, need help right now. Call me when you can and thanks in advance.

PP

"Are you done?" Fury's voice startled the young hero and he nearly dropped his phone had it not been for his enhanced reflexes enabling him to catch it at the last second. "We're kind of having a situation right here," the man gestured around the room and arched his good eye's brow at the boy, who kept opening and closing his mouth in a failed attempt at responding. "Maybe you're not cut out for this. Maybe Stark was wrong and you should just go bac-"

He was cut off by a sparkling circle suddenly opening a few feet away, the men around them all reaching for their guns and pointing them at the man in blue robes and a red bellowing cape that casually stepped through the portal like he owned the place, not in the least bit intimidated or bothered by the weapons aimed at him. Then again, Peter knew Doctor Stephen Strange had nothing to fear of guns. His magical shields can repel the power of the Infinity Stones so what were a few measly bullets for him. And even if he couldn't react fast enough to defend himself, his Cloak of Levitation was and will, the overprotective piece of outerwear that it was. Doctor Strange had nothing to worry about. He just looked around, blue-green-gray eyes sweeping the room until they fell on Peter and the sorcerer focused on him, approaching him without hesitation. Peter saw out of the corner of his vision as Mr Beck shifted uncomfortably not that far away and as Mr Fury signaled everyone to lower their weapons. Probably for the best because Peter could see how aggressively the Cloak was holding itself around its chosen master's shoulders. It was ready to bash some heads in or strangle people if someone so much as breathed wrong in the Sorcerer Supreme's direction.

Not that Peter could say he was surprised, judging on what he was seeing. Said Sorcerer Supreme looked dead tired on his feet with huge dark bags under his eyes and a sheen of sweat on his forehead. His stride might be steady and he might be holding himself as strong as always but Peter could just make out the minute tremors of his scarred hands, even through those silly yellow gloves he wore. Still, there was a ... cheery vibe to him despite his tired state and his lips pulled into the most genuine and elated smile Peter had ever seen on the man in the time that he had known him. There was a gleam, a light in his unique eyes that, for reasons unknown, had Peter himself vibrating in excitement. Which made no sense as there was nothing to be excited about. The world was in danger and they kind of needed Stephen's help to save it. That's kind of why Peter had called him. That didn't stop the man's good mood from partially affecting the teen, also stirring his natural curiosity as to what had caused this change. He could use some good news.

"Peter-" Doctor Strange began when he was just a few steps away from the teen, only to be cut off by Fury.

"Are you telling me you'll answer to a random teenager but not to a man who would call you to discuss world ending threats?" The man sounded well and truly perplexed and Peter couldn't help but blush at how that sounded. Doctor Strange, though, only arched an eyebrow in a way Peter well recognized. Judging by Mr Fury's and Ms Hill's paling complexions, so did they.

"This random teenager helped save the world and I know he won't abuse having my personal cell number for his own entertainment or goals." Which was only partially true, since Peter hand rung up the sorcerer a couple of times for help in getting to school on time seeing as he'd spent a long night out patrolling New York. "And world ending threats? You honestly think you will know about them before I do? Just where were you when Thanos attacked? Definitely not trying to lure him away from Earth and fighting with your life on the line to keep it safe. When you do do something of that nature or magnitude, you can call me."

"Are you telling me there's another one?" Ms Hill groaned and Peter didn't know whether he should be offended on the behalf of his mentor or amused with their reaction to how similar Mr Stark and Doctor Strange are one to another. It had certainly been an entertaining voyage to Titan with those two around.

"You're rather arrogant to think yourself above a threat like this," Mr Beck drew Doctor Strange's attention to himself by scoffing, arms crossed over his chest as he gave the sorcerer a once over. Peter wasn't sure why, but he bristled as much as the Cloak of Levitation did on Doctor Strange's behalf when Mysterio looked up to the sorcerer's eyes with an expression that spelled out he found the man wanting. Doctor Strange, in his seemingly infinite patience, just arched an eyebrow at him as though he were crazy.

"What threat? The threat of you lot wasting my and Peter's time? And just who are you supposed to be? A crossover of Tony, Thor and myself? Because if that's the case, I find you both unoriginal and lacking in all three impersonations." He paused, studying the attire of the now glaring Mr Beck for a moment before looking back to the man himself, unimpressed. "Aren't you that fishbowl dude I saw on TV this afternoon? The one fighting imaginary monsters?"

"Fishbowl!?" The offended man squawked, looking ready to get in a magical brawl with the sorcerer-

"Imaginary?" Fury and Peter asked at the same time, suspicious and incredulous respectively. "And how would you know they are imaginary? You haven't even seen them up close."

Stephen huffed, crossing his arms in a clearly annoyed manner. "Because, one, the Elementals are peaceful beings who live in their own dimension that is almost completely out of touch with any other and they send out their influences through the multiverse but never directly interfere or show themselves to anyone and, two, if they or any other extradimensional or extraterrestrial being were to come to Earth, I would be the first one to sense their presence. As Sorcerer Supreme, it is my sworn duty to protect the Earth and the reality we live in. In order to be able to successfully do my job, I have to have a way of learning of possible threats. The Elementals, even if they were to come to Earth, would not be a threat. They'd come in the form of crystals with their powers locked away and would be unresponsive to anyone but the Sorcerer Supreme's energy signature. Therefore, whatever it is that you're 'fighting', it's not the Elementals."

"My world's science division had a technical name for them. We just called them Elementals because it's easier to pronounce in battle," Mr Beck was quick to remind but Doctor Strange didn't look particularly impressed.

"Oh? And what might your world be? The psych ward?"

"Earth 833," grit out the other man, glaring daggers at the sorcerer now while everyone else watched with interest, not sure what to make of this.

Strange hummed under his breath, a finger tapping against his forearm. "Really now? And why are you here?"

"Because the Elementals destroyed my world and I want to prevent the same from happening here. So you either help," and Beck spat out the word before pointing to the still open portal, showing what Peter recognized to be the New York Sanctum's library. From the angle they were looking through, it was obvious someone was resting on the couch, covered by an old duvet blanket with their feet not quite reaching the other armrest of the old, dark olive green couch. "Or go back where you came from."

"Really now?" Doctor Strange repeated and started floating in the air, crossing his legs until he was in the usual meditating position, eyebrow arched so high it nearly disappeared under his loose bangs that Doctor Strange liked to make move around with magic for dramatic effect and an air of mystery and power. It worked, as always, and only made him sound even more doubtful of Beck's story.

"Yes," came the growled response but the sorcerer paid it no heed.

"Because from what I know of Earth 833 - and I do have the power to gaze into the multiverse, Eye of Agamotto and the Time Stone or not - it doesn't exist anymore. Hasn't been since 2014, when Ultron succeeded in killing Tony Stark before the confrontation in Sokovia and as such succeeded in dropping the city. It not only killed all organic life, as had been his intention, but it had also destabilized Earth's core, which resulted in the planet soon after falling apart. Wherever it is you're from, it most definitely is not from Earth 833 or any other alternate universe. Trust me, I should know. I viewed them all."

And while they all gawked at him or turned suspicious glares at Mr Beck, rustling and movement caught Peter's enhanced senses' attention, making him look towards the portal, only to gasp as a wounded animal. That brought everyone else's attention to him and then to the direction he was looking in, resulting in a round of gasps, scrambling backwards in fright, wide open eyes and hanging open mouths. Doctor Strange, though, only cursed as he rushed towards the staggering figure, steadying the man before he could get well acquainted with the floor.

"Tony, I told you that you needed to stay in bed for a few hours! You've practically been dead for the past eight months! Keeping your body semi-alive doesn't mean it had been kept properly active! Your muscles aren't strong enough to hold you up-"

"Oh, chill out, Doc. I'm fine," the all too familiar voice said, though it came out rough and raspy from disuse and Peter felt his heartbeat hitch. This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. How was this even possible? There was no way Mr Stark was actually here ... right? The man leaning on Doctor Strange looked real enough, though. But how? "You and your hocus pocus have done their job spectacularly. I just need to work out some to get my muscle mass back in functioning order. And it's all your fault that I'm awake and out of 'bed', if you can call that dingy couch a good place for bed-rest. You shouldn't have been so loud and I would have remained asleep. Talk about waking the dead, am I right?" When there was no other reaction than Doctor Strange glaring at him, Mr Stark gave an awkward smile. "Too soon?"

And it was such a Mr Stark thing to do that a hinged giggle escaped Peter, drawing those impossible honey colored eyes to Spider-Man. Something in him shriveled and died at the same time an insane warmth spread through him as well as an until then unnoticed weight fell off of his shoulders when Tony smiled at him, offering him a small wave with his fingers.

"Hey, kid! Looking good! Why aren't you wearing the Iron Spider suit? How's Aunt Hottie?" He then looked further around the room, smirking at the stunned Ms Hill and Mr Fury. "Maria, Nick, a pleasure as always. What? Did you honestly think you're the only one who can come back from the dead? Although I guess my case was quite a bit more literal, but oh well. It's not like it's the first time this has happened, is it? I mean, I am kind of used to this. I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history. Although I am. God, can you believe how spot-on I've been with that line? How many times has it been in the past fifteen years? Hey, do you have some water because I'm perched. I'm so dehydrated that I feel like I've just returned from space with Nebs. Thanks," he says when a black dressed person listlessly hands over a bottle of water, all of them still staring at the should-be-dead-but-isn't genius as he drank half of it in one go. "Gosh, that feels great. Hey, Doc, can we sit down? Because I want to sit down ... Make it more ... personal ... "

"You need to stop quoting yourself, Stark," Fury finally said, voice tight and barely there as he gazed upon a lost friend, having to swallow thickly when Tony smiled at him.

"But who better to quote!"

"Oh my god!" Peter finally said in a rush, practically teleporting to where Doctor Strange had magicked a comfy armchair for the man to sit in, all but ending up in his mentor's lap as he wrapped his arms around the man in a desperate hug that he was still conscious enough not to make painful by squeezing too hard. "You're really here! It's not a dream! Mr Stark ... Tony! I missed you so much, please don't leave or die ever again because everyone was so sad and I didn't really know what to do anymore and the whole world is in mourning and-" He cut himself off as soon as familiar arms wrapped weakly around him, choking on his own sob, only now realizing there were tears running down his face. Probably snot, too, but Tony didn't care as he hugged the boy close so Peter didn't either. He'll apologize later.

"It's good to see you, too, kid." The warmth in his voice was undeniable and Hill had to look away as she wiped away a single tear that threatened to escape her iron control. Stephen just smiled at the two's reunion, having had a similar one himself just hours prior.

"You're supposed to be dead!" They all looked up, startled out of the tender moment, when Mysterio practically screeched in hysteria, staring at Stark with wide, terrified, hateful eyes. "How are you alive?!"

"Oh, well, turns out death by Infinity Stones isn't a permanent thing, more like a near-death coma. The longer the Infinity Stones stay near the body of their wielder, the faster the body heals and the sooner the person can come back from the Soul Stone. So death by them is pretty much like a ... mystical vacation you don't remember," the genius replied, arms still full of Peter but he tried to look around the teen to the person who posed the question. "It's not medically or spiritually detectable unless you've had direct contact with an Infinity Stone before, which is apparently why only Stephen noticed, but it's a matter of proximity so he noticed only during my service while he was saying goodbye."

Peter had been there to see that goodbye, as he and Aunt May had been next in line to have a private moment with the body. He had seen Doctor Strange's shaking shoulders as the man bent over and touched his forehead to Mr Stark's before jolting away. The reaction had been, for the lack of a better word, strange, but he had been too deep in his own grief to question it, or the lack of tears as the funeral came to a close. Or the fact that no one was there to see the coffin being placed into the ground and covered with dirt. They had all just watched Mr Stark's first Arc Reactor, the one engraved 'Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart', being placed in a bed of flowers and left to drift away on the lake next to Mr Stark's and Ms Potts' home.

"Did anyone else know?"

"I told Pepper," Strange confessed, looking a little guilty for not telling Peter. "We agreed not to tell anyone else since there was no guarantee he'll ever really come back. We had to keep him in the Sanctum while he recovers because the flow of magic there is much smoother, something he desperately needed after the other Infinity Stones were returned back to their right timelines. Our Infinity Stones still exist in our universe and timeline, but they're scattered atoms at best. However, they will congregate to do what they always do and repair the damage done to their last wielder, which, technically, still is Tony, no matter which version he wielded. He woke up a few hours ago and has been resting since. Pepper is still the only one who knows. I imagine that won't stay the case for very long, but, oh well. The world will always need Iron Man, right?"

"Wait, are you saying that the Infinity Stones are reforming themselves in your sanctuary?" Fury asked and Doctor Strange tsked.

"Sanctum but yes, they are."

"There's still a possibility to get Vision back," Tony said with a smile and Peter couldn't help but laugh, finally getting off of his mentor. "Maybe even Nat, too. We'll have to work something out." Brown eyes twinkled when Mr Fury and Ms Hill just shook their heads at him.

"It's good to have you back, Tony," Hill said with a smile and Tony returned it, his eyes sliding over to Mr Beck finally and staying there, furrowing.

"Do I know you?" Quentin glares daggers at Tony. "Ah, yeah, that glare looks familiar. And not just familiar in the sense of this-is-the-general-let's-blame-our-evil-ways-on-Tony-Stark-for-even-existing sort of way, but in the I've-seen-it-being-directed-at-me-by-you sort of way. Have we met? Maybe the New Years party in Bern, 2000? No? Had to check because that's where Killian's from. Uhm, my dad didn't kick off your dad from some super duper project like the Arc Reactor, did he? No, that was just Vanko."

"Seriously!? You don't even recognize my face!?" Beck glared at Mr Stark even harder when he didn't flinch at the yelling. "I worked for you! You fired me!"

"If that's the attitude you had back then, it's probably a good thing I did-"

"You stole my invention, my life's work, decided to use it for therapy reasons and named it after puke!"

"Ah, now I remember you!" Mr Stark crowed, cutting off Mr Beck before he can spiral even more into a rant. "You're that Beckett guy, the one who wanted to turn BARF into a weapon for the military!"

"My name is Quentin Beck!"

"You sure? Because you sure do remind me of that short staff Lord Beckett that hates Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean, the books and the second and third movie squeal. You know, the guy that wanted to take all of Sparrow's glory for himself despite it being Sparrow that was the brains behind finding that lost golden city or whatever and wanting to use slaves or wanting to get Sparrow to do something he swore he'll never do by shipping slaves? Yeah, you sound just like him. Especially since I said I will never make weapons again." Mr Stark's voice had gone cold in a way Peter had never heard it and he shifted in unease as the two men argued and the truth behind Beck's illusion started crumbling apart. "The holograms were never your invention, Beck. I've had them since before 2000. You were only one of the many employees I assigned to help me make it into practically a virtual reality. The specs were mine, it was up to you to improve them or just build them because, despite what the rest of the world may think, I am a very busy man and I can't spend all my time stuck in my lab, no matter how much I sometimes want to. I fired you when you tried to go behind my back and sell it under your own name when it was patented as a Stark Industries project-"

"It is my invention! It was my idea-"

"To mount my projectors on my drones to make the hologram mobile outside of a closed space," Mr Stark countered once again, all vulnerability and possible weakness or tiredness gone from his voice. He even crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat and looking like he had just woken from an impromptu nap than like he had been dead for eight months. Or in an Infinity Stones death-like induced come, apparently. "A good idea, but nothing particularly revolutionary. Are you behind the destruction in Venice? Who else is working with you?"

"Maybe I just have real superpowers," Beck snapped back and the resident genius inventor rolled his eyes. Never has an eye roll looked so perfect in Peter's opinion.

"Yeah, you're the first person to have the superpower of spewing bullshit. That's it, I'm done. I'm tired and I want to see my girls and hang out with Steph and the kid in my lab, put on some AC/DC and chill for a while before I announce my not-dead state to the world. EDITH?" He spoke even as nanobots surged from his Arc Reactor casing on his chest to form identical glasses to the ones he had left for Peter, the lenses lighting up with a familiar blue glow. "Protocol shut down. Find all Stark Industries drones and bring 'em around. Disable all found around them and inform the authorities. We're done here."

"Right away, Mr Stark," the AI chirped at her creator and Beck snarled in rage, lunging for the engineer. Doctor Strange caught him with magic and held him in place before he could reach the revived hero, glaring death at the fraud. Tony didn't even blink. He just clambered unsteadily to his feet and accepted the Cloak's help when it wrapped around his shoulders to keep him upright.

"Kid, enjoy your trip. Get the girl. All that shit. Come visit when you get back. Fury, don't annoy my kid or I'll annoy you. Coming, Doc?"

Peter just watched the two go with a light heart and a huge smile on his face. He passed by Beck without a second glance and shot a peace sign to the two former agents of SHIELD and their accomplices, excitedly swinging around Venice back to their little dingy hotel. He couldn't wait to get back to New York, knowing Mr Stark was back and waiting for him and his tales. The world was about to be taken by storm with the return of Iron Man and Peter couldn't be happier.

But for now ...

Eifle Tower, here he comes!