ENDGAME SPOILERS. One shot after you know what happens because I can't come to terms with it yet. Alternate ending.
TW: mentions of character death
Summary: They won, they won, they won. But somehow it doesn't feel like it... Yet.
《A》
"You can rest now."
And with those words, Tony Stark's hand let go.
Pepper wanted to reassure him and tell him everything was fine, it was the least that she could do compared to everything he's ever done. But when there was no one left to comfort, she let her mask fall and the moment his eyes glazed over will forever be etched in her mind. She cried, sobbed until she found it hard to breathe, then kept going. The light her hand rested on has gone off, along with her best friend, her partner, her husband.
He cried silently. Rhodey has to be strong now, for Pepper, for Peter, and especially for Tony. When his friend just couldn't respond, he knew what was coming and accepted it. As a military man, he's no stranger to casualties in wars. But this one will hit him harder than anything he's ever been through, and he decides that later, when he finds himself alone in his room, he will stop being strong for just a few seconds, and cry upon remembering his friend.
But they won! They won, they won, they won. Peter's mind kept chanting that sentence, but it doesn't feel like they did. His heart was beating too fast and his entire body was shaking. He doesn't realize that tears have been continuously falling and that him gasping for air was one of the loudest sounds echoing through the silent battlefield.
It doesn't take long before others have found their way towards them. Towards him. Steve stood silently, Thor by his side. Clint made his way over, and Bruce froze the moment he saw who they were crowding around.
No matter how loud he roars, it won't bring Tony back now.
Slowly, a bigger crowd began to form. And the solemn silence was broken with a voice.
"Wait, is it done?" Most turned to look at Drax, the big blue guy not everyone really knew.
"We won," Steve said, his words heard by most of those present, "the fight's over." But it doesn't remove the grief that they feel.
"Yes." Drax nodded. "But why do we all stand here and stare at him? Bring him back to life!"
"You can't bring people back from the dead." Thor replied, his eyes closed as if remembering something. His own family, perhaps, which he'd lost to death.
"Then why did we do what we did?" Another voice chimed in. The crowd parted ever so slightly and Nebula made her way to the front. Still shaken from seeing her sister turn to dust in front of her, she looked down to not give away the tears forming in her eyes. But she wasn't fooling anyone. "We brought them back." She nodded her head to the crowd behind her. "Why can't we bring the others back as well?"
"Gamora." Peter Quill whispered softly, only Mantis had heard him and she could do nothing but step a little bit closer in support. Attempting to alter his emotions about that would just be disrespectful and Mantis found it a horrible thing to do.
Clint shook his head after a thought. "The red guy said Nat's death was irreversible. And Bruce tried, but it didn't work. I can't... You can't give me hope."
"Hope is an important thing, Clint Barton." T'Challa stepped forward, placing a hand on the archer's shoulder. "But I do agree that death is not something we mess with."
"Oh, please, brother!" His sister, Shuri, exclaimed from behind him, Okoye stepped forward with her in support. "Then why are we back? If we died, why did they bring us back? Why can't we bring them to life if there's a way that we could?" Her tone had risen and several others were beginning to nod in agreement.
"No," Bruce had whispered softly, but it was enough to draw attention. "It's not...possible. Using the gauntlet again would just kill someone else."
"Then we make something that can handle it." Shuri fought back, ever the creator of various inventions. "They have sacrificed enough, have they not?"
This time, Quill stepped forward. "We shared the power of the power stone once. Held that purple stone with our bare hands and all. It almost destroyed us, and that was just one stone." He sighed. "As much as... As much as I'd like to be positive about this, I just don't think it's... worth the risk."
"Please, stop." The broken whisper of the woman still kneeling by the love of her life broke through the argument. "Just... enough. Clint's right. You can't give me hope."
"We can try though. Can't we?" Peter Parker's hopeful tone caught Pepper's attention and she had to look away quickly because the pain showing through the tears on his face was too much for her right now. "Don't we owe it to Mr. Stark to try?"
Rhodey pulled the boy closer. "There's nothing strong enough to make it happen, and we can't exactly make anything. Those stones have to go."
"Rhodey's right." Bruce spoke louder. "We have to put them back."
"I think one more snap isn't going to take much time." Sam muttered.
Nebula watched them. "This is a chance to have a war where you suffer no casualties. Your enemy has been defeated, and you can bring back those you lost." She narrowed her eyes. "You've done it once before."
"I can't do it anymore," Bruce whispered dejectedly. "No one can survive that level of gamma radiation like I can, yet it still burned me. Doing it again would just..."
"No one's making you do anything." Steve stepped in. "We have to accept casualties as a part of war. Those that we lost before was a different case."
"How is it different, Steve?" Bucky's voice made him stop. "We were casualties of the war Thanos won. So how exactly is it different if his goal was to kill us off, and he did, then you brought us back? They wouldn't hesitate about this if you were in their position."
"The point is," Thor interjected, "there's no one who could do it. So there's nothing to do."
"But how does the thing work?" Valkyrie asked. "You just think what you want clearly, then snap your fingers and, boom, it happens?"
"Then think 'I'm going to survive this too' and snap away!" Scott added.
Hope frowned and shook her head. "I don't think that would work. It might be too much power for one to handle and things could just get worse because its contradictory."
"Why do you people think messing with death isn't going to have repercussions?" Thor questioned, looking at those who have voiced the agreement on the plan to bring the fallen back.
"Doctor Strange," Steve called out. "Tony... Tony once mentioned you can look through time. Can you do that? Would doing this be right?"
Stephen Strange exchanged glances with Wong before turning back to the Captain. "Back when I looked through time to see what it would take for our side to win, the only possible way was through Tony Stark." At his words, everyone's eyes went back to the man in iron, peacefully resting with his suit torn to pieces. "I did not view the events following the defeat of Thanos because it was not of interest at the time. I'd be able to do check using the Time Stone, yes. But, nevertheless, I'd not be able to give you the answers you want. If I tell you, then it would not happen. Hence, making it quite useless."
"So, it's just up to us then." Wanda concluded.
"It is." Carol Danvers walked through the crowd. She had stood behind them and listened to their discussion, but now finds a reason to join in. "You keep forgetting though. You have me."
She walked towards Tony and placed a hand on the gauntlet barely intact on his hand. "May I try?" She whispered softly, looking at Pepper who looked at her with wide eyes. Do you want him back? is the silent question.
Pepper wanted to say no and rip her hands off of Tony's. Tony could finally rest peacefully, no more nightmares to haunt him at night and no more unwanted shadows from his past to follow him in the mornings. But...
Morgan makes things different. Tony was always so proud of her, even for the smallest things, and he constantly said he would hate to see her be a teenager and date people, but he said it with such fondness that Pepper suddenly can't remove from her head. She remembers when he first laid his eyes on their beautiful baby girl and he just lit up with so much love and whispered so many promises to them both when he thought Pepper was asleep.
Of course. Of course, Pepper wants him back. If not for Pepper, then for Morgan. She can lie and pretend to be strong all she wants, but she can't deny that they both need him. That they both love him.
She doesn't realize she was saying these words until Carol nodded and slowly pulled the gauntlet off his hand. Her selfishness, she reflects, prevents her from stopping anything that followed.
Everyone watched wide-eyed silently. The only person who spoke was Steve, who looked absolutely unsure about the situation, but only asked her if she was sure.
Carol shook her head. "It should have been me from the beginning, Rogers." She took a step back and the moment she put on the gauntlet, her entire body glowed as it did before, but now colors of the stones ran openly through her veins and her hair. Some would claim that they saw signs of the gauntlet burning her, but the light just grew brighter, as if fighting it, until those signs were no more.
Then came the snap.
It really is funny how all these had happened. Five snaps and they change the world.
At first, there was no anything. Nothing happened. Carol abruptly removed the gauntlet after the snap, panting slightly from the energy it took. They thought that perhaps it didn't work, and some people held a bit of fear that they'd be turning into dust once more.
But in the distance appeared a startling white light so bright that they all looked away. Once the light slowly dimmed, they could make out silhouettes walking towards them.
One of the Wakandan warriors suddenly broke from the group and ran towards the silhouettes, appearing to hug one of them tightly. And it sinks in that it worked.
Those they have lost in the fight with Thanos have returned.
"I am Groot!" The tree shouted excitedly, pointing at the distance, tapping Rocket repeatedly. The Guardians of the Galaxy looked at that direction and stilled at the sight of one of their own walking towards them. Quill was the first to run up to her and hold her tightly in his arms, the rest of the group soon followed and they had a quick little reunion of contented chatter.
Nebula quietly walked towards them with a look of satisfaction in her eyes. Gamora easily spotted her and, though there was a bit of hesitation for a second, they gave each other a hug.
After seeing this happen, Clint, despite trying very hard not to, had suddenly gained all the hope in the world. His eyes scanned through the crowd and, there she was, running towards them. Clint caught her and lifted her up with a laugh.
"You're never allowed to do that again." But she only laughed and looked at the people behind him. Steve was the next to step forward to greet her with a smile and a hug, a bit overwhelmed with emotions and suddenly finding it hard to speak.
"Hey, big guy." Natasha smiled up at the doctor. Bruce contented himself to staying a few steps away and smiling gladly at her return. But she shook her head and placed her hand in his. "It's good to see you again."
Thor had already been happy with the scene of fallen warriors and friends returning, until he realized that one side of the silhouettes were made up of his people. Two familiar figures leading them.
Heimdall walked purposefully, his gold eyes finding Thor's almost immediately and he bowed in front of him. Other Asgardian people followed suit before reuniting with their own families.
His brother walked slowly, as if enjoying the sight of the battlefield while also being unsure if he'd be welcomed. Loki spotted the sorcerer who had trapped him in a 30-minute fall and kept a close eye on him that he almost didn't catch the rock that was thrown at him. But he did.
Immediately after that, a large man had enclosed him in a tight hug. "Norns, brother. What have you been eating to make you this way?" The teasing tone brought more tears to the god's eyes as he pulled away to have a proper look at his brother. Green eyes looked back at him, a color he had come to associate with mischief and family.
"I did tell you the sun will shine on us again."
The reunion of many took the attention away from those who still stayed at the same spot. They had their own light to almost blind them, and when they heard the familiar voice, the happiness they felt was indescribable.
"I swear, if someone did kiss me this time, it better have been you, Pepper."
Holding back her tears, she pulled Tony into a tight embrace where he whispered apologies and more promises that he swears he'll keep this time. They don't pull away, but Tony does pull someone to join in on the hug. Peter did not protest and practically sobbed into his shoulder, mumbling words neither of them would remember, but the meaning was clear.
Rhodey knelt beside them and patted the man's shoulder before giving a sigh of relief. They looked at each other with tears in their eyes, but both were content with the silence for a while.
Tony looked to the other side, still trapped in the hug, and found Carol watching them with a smile. He saw the gauntlet that she held in her hand and put the pieces together. "Thank you." He mouthed silently, before the tears he had been holding back began to fall. She nodded before standing up and walking away towards a familiar man with a patch over his eye.
He watched the others for a few more seconds, some were in a tight embrace like he was, others were just holding each others hands, or content to talk with one another. Slowly, he pulled away to look at his company with a smile.
"It's good to be back."
《A》
"So look alive, and don't forget
That it's not over yet!"
- Team Starkid, "Not Over Yet"
《A》
I finished the film around 5 hours ago and I'm still crying.
I am trying to accept their deaths. Its just taking a while because I just truly loved Tony Stark and Loki with all of my heart. ((I thought of bring Vision back, but his situation is so complicated kedhaksj))
Part II of Inevitable Series is now up and complete! - Backfire
fin_apr252019_12:31AM