While maybe not as spry as he once was, Happy Hogan was still quick on his feet. Literally and figuratively. Both worked in his favor when he was thrown curveballs like exploding virus addicts, paparazzos in the bushes, SOS phone calls from the Netherlands, and getting zapped into a mysterious pocket dimension that apparently didn’t adhere to the normal laws of time and space. Oh, he had lost it for a moment or two. But then he had squared his shoulders and rolled with the punches.
Like the fact that Tony was somehow alive and well. Pepper was expecting. And Morgan was old enough to vote.
Rolling with the punches.
Happy beat Tony to the address he’d sent and took a seat with a view of the door. He had already been surprised by Tony once today. He wasn’t sure how he would react a second time.
Tony knew all about his death and, while not ideal, he knew he had a good reason for doing what he did. He, however, would always feel guilty about those he left behind even if there was no other way to defeat Thanos. Still, Tony knew springing himself on his loved ones when they arrived in Goodland was risky. It was like he was a ghost in some ways. There just wasn’t any good way to pop up with a “hey, I’m alive” declaration.
He couldn’t help dumping on Happy almost immediately. Call it old habits, but Tony was used to having his right-hand man knowing everything. It had been a lonely few months without Happy, even if Tony had no shortage of people to love in Goodland. Some people were simply irreplaceable.
It was all he could do not to summon his suit and fly to meet Happy. He didn’t want their reunion to be about Iron Man as anxious as he was to see his friend. Brother, really. Tony arrived at the cozy restaurant as quickly as he could and spotted Happy almost immediately since he was facing the door. He told the hostess he was meeting someone and hurried toward the table. “About time,” he teased Happy.
Years ago, this kind of restaurant would never have been Tony’s style. He had lived fast and flashy, but Happy had kept pace just fine. It was the domestic stuff where he struggled. Tony, of course, like everything he did, made it look easy to settle down. Happy wondered if he had it in him.
He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he saw Tony walk through the door. Would he be maimed from the power of the Infinity Stones? Would he look like the ghost that had been haunting Happy’s thoughts the past nine months? A smiling hologram saying goodbye? But no. He was just Tony, and he was coming toward him. Happy rose to his feet, a lump forming in his throat. He kept his cool. “Sorry, boss. Didn’t know we had an appointment.” But he reached out to pull the other man into an embrace.
Nostalgia filled Tony when he heard the familiar “boss” term. Sure, he was technically Happy’s boss, but the word wasn’t one that placed a barrier between them. It was a term between friends. He smiled wistfully, wondering just how much he missed in Happy’s life back home.
He easily accepted the hug and squeezed Happy tightly, without caring who was around. “Need a better appointment system,” he joked, but his voice betrayed how much he cared.
“I’ll have someone get on that.” After a moment, Happy cleared his throat and pulled away from the hug with a pat on Tony’s back. “It’s good to see you, Tony.” His eyes lingered on Tony’s face a little as he sat back down in his seat. His friend looked younger than he remembered. Less gray. Less troubled. And he wondered if time was playing tricks on Tony too. Happy wouldn’t mind shaving off a couple years himself.
“What else am I missing?” He sat back in his chair a little. Tony had dropped a lot of info in his lap earlier, but Happy could sense there was more he didn’t know.
Tony took the seat across from Happy. “Hang on, pal.” He beckoned over a waiter and requested a tab. They were going to need it. Once he thanked the waiter, he turned back to his friend. “Well, I think you got the basics.” He wasn’t sure what anyone else said to Happy. He’d been too shocked that Happy turned up, especially so quickly after Bruce. He thought he’d pushed his luck with Banner showing, but now Happy? Tony was afraid the entity was going to get ideas that Tony’s life was too good. Call him a pessimist, but life wasn’t always kind to Tony Stark.
“Let’s see, pocket dimension we went over. Marriage to Pepper. Morgan is a teenager. Having a baby.” He ticked things off one by one. “Oh!” He banged the table lightly. “Time is weird here too since the entity can pull whoever it wants from wherever it wants. A few of us are working to find the root cause and stabilize the magic so people have a say over whether they remain or not.” He was talking fast, just like he always did when excited about a project. “I had just…” He hated this part. “We had just lost. I was still in space with…” His eyes glistened, but he blinked quickly. “I was with Peter and the others and Peter had just...well.” He cleared his throat. “Next thing I knew I was here and then about two months ago something happened and I...I know what happened the next few years. And I know we won and at what cost.” He finally stopped talking and took a good look at Happy, hoping he didn’t break his brain. Granted, it probably wouldn’t be the first time if he did.
Happy had his own Snap story, one that involved weeks of thinking Tony had been dusted too. And he had heard Tony's before, but Happy let him unload, his lips pressed into a firm line. When he fell silent, Happy didn't fill the quiet right away.
"I know too," he finally said. And it showed on his face. Fortunately, their waiter had impeccable timing and arrived at their table with the drinks Tony had ordered. Happy took a swig of his scotch, looked inside his glass, and swirled it around, before he would look back at Tony. "Always a showoff. Couldn't just grow old and bitter like the rest of us, you had to go out with a bang." His words were irreverent, but there was no mistaking the pain behind them. When it happened, Happy wanted to be mad at Tony, but it didn't take. He was too damn proud and he missed him too damn much to shift his hurt into anger.
Tony gulped some of his drink and waited for Happy to say something. He was relieved when it was a joke, although the sentiment behind it didn’t go unnoticed. Tony pushed the guilt aside; he had to focus on the present in Goodland or he’d go insane. “Everyone had to know my name,” he said dryly before winking. “Now, your turn. Fill me in on what I’ve missed.” He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since his death in Happy’s time, but he was still anxious to hear about his buddy.
Happy couldn’t help but roll his eyes a little. There was a lot that he wanted to say. Things that he had never gotten the chance to tell Tony before the sudden loss of his friend. But now, sitting face-to-face with the guy again, his mind went blank. Maybe this wasn’t the right time for that kind of conversation anyway.
“Your face plastered everywhere. A terrible documentary. A couple supermodels from the old days threatening to write tell-alls about your legacy in the bedroom.” He blinked a couple times and pretended like he just now realized that isn’t want Tony meant.
“Oh, with me?” Happy took another drink of his scotch. “Still sporting the blip beard.” He motioned toward his face. “I like it better when it’s my own doing instead of yours,” he added, referring to their NBA bet from some years back. He used it as a stalling tactic to give him some time to think about what all to tell him. Everyone's still a little bit miserable and misses him? The world is mending, but it's still a mess?
“Did a little humanitarian work this summer.” No mention of May Parker, the reason why. “Got attacked by pirated Stark tech. Now that took me back. Navigated Nick Fury. You know, that guy is scary. I gotta figure out how he does that. Maybe it’s the one eye.” Happy closed his left eye for a second. He was taking a page out of Starks’ playbook, purposefully playing it loose to avoid the hard stuff. He didn’t mention the time he spent with the grieving Pepper and Morgan or the pep talk he’d had to give to Peter. Or his own grieving process which was still very much an on-going thing, even nine months later.
Tony chuckled at the memory of their bet and nodded approvingly at Happy’s blip beard. However, his smile faltered when Happy mentioned Stark tech and Fury. Had Pepper been endangered? The other Avengers? The world was supposed to be safer! Tony, nevertheless, could tell Happy was keeping it light and decided not to push. It was Happy’s first day; the man had a lot to digest. There would be time to dissect everything he said later. “Huh huh,” he muttered before downing the rest of his drink. He gave him a look that said they’d talk more about everything later. “It’s damn good to see you,” he divulged. “Tell me if I’m giving up too much information for one day.”
Happy gave Tony a look of his own, acknowledging he'd been caught in omissions. But then he smiled, a not entirely common expression for him. "You too, Tony."
He followed suit and finished off his drink. "I think I have room for a little more."