"Go ahead Mr. Parker. You have five minutes."

Five minutes.

I nod as the suited man by the door pulls it open for me, revealing a white room. Forcing myself to step inside, I let out a breath before the door clicks shut and I jump out of my skin.

Easy. Easy Pete…You know what's here.

Involuntarily, my eyes fall on the polished wooden box displayed directly in the center of the room, white linen emitting from it flawlessly.

Five minutes.

Quickly , I let out another breath and glance at the small book beside the…coffin.

Anthony Edward Stark

1970-2018

I let my head bow as I crouch down, barely grasping my edge of the coffin, but enough to tell him.

Mr. Stark.

My next breath comes out more like a rattle, and I can't stop my hand from shaking slightly.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Make a play kid!"

Seeing the staff wielding goon of Thanos get caught clean by one of Mr. Stark's blows as behind him, Thor, the blonde haired chick and Groot are all trying and failing to stop him. Instinctually, I jump forward and kick him and the face as hard as I can, sending him flying multiple feet in the air before I am blasted aside by another blast from that glove.

The whole entire thing was brutal. Pick whatever word you want for it.

Ruthless, cruel, vicious, inhuman.

I don't know how they did it exactly. I don't think anybody except they actually know what they did to get that far.

They went back in time to get the Infinity Stones that fit in the Infinity Gauntlet , all thanks to that huge Ant-Man guy from Germany.

Wait…

He'd want me to stand up. Not kneeling. He wouldn't be happy I'm this close to crying, but I can't do anything about it.

He's gone. I know he's gone.

I know he's gone because Ben's gone.

The most brilliant man of all time. Created a revolutionary suit of armor that has literally changed the world for the better. After taking over Stark Industries after his father died.

Was killed. Apparently the news on that has changed too.

A lot's changing.

"Son, Husband, Friend, Mentor and Father."

Father.

Pepper's pregnant. She has been this whole time.

Through all of this.

From what I have been told by…everyone, it took them five years to fix everything. Five entire years. The world literally moved on.

That's not the problem.

Everything worked. Thanos' plan…worked. With half the population gone, apparently the world was a happier, more stable, united planet. Obsessed with taking to space and getting back at Thanos.

I don't know. I was…

I don't know exactly.

Feeling my hands shake again, I wipe them on my slacks before remembering that these are $5000 slacks, and that I probably shouldn't do that.

It's Italian. They bought it for me. Fitted, tailored and everything.

What do I know?

I know that Captain America's death was violent.

Still haven't watched it back. It was bad enough live.

I don't know how they got the glove off. The first thing I recall is falling directly onto the ground and hearing the worst scream of fury I've ever heard.

They got it off, and the first thing they did, was bring everyone back.

Cap basically was bludgeoned to death. By Thanos. He threw himself at him to buy us all time to get a plan together.

Find a way to win.

The first punch basically broke his shoulder. The second one…is the one I think that did…it.

But he kept hitting him. Again and again and again.

As Thor. And Mr. Stark. That girl. And Mr. Strange, the Doctor. And Drax. And what felt like everyone else tried to stop him.

I tried to tackle him and force him off, but I got batted away.

Like a fly.

I couldn't do much. There was too much going on.

I saved people a few times. I don't know.

It's a blur now.

At some point Cap's shield broke. Thanos was the only one who didn't freeze.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Not now…

I have to keep it together. I don't have much longer.

Again, I force myself to stop crouching at the foot of the coffin and stand again, and this time forcing myself to look at Tony's face.

They put makeup on his face even though it's going to be a closed casket ceremony.

Probably for the few visitors that were granted access in here.

All five living presidents. Leaders from basically every major country that talked themselves into the room to pay their personal respects.

The whole world's been stopped for two whole weeks. Since I dropped out of the exact spot in the sky that I hung onto that doughnut of a ship.

But there was no ship to grab onto.

Wouldn't have mattered. Coming back from whatever that was hurt like hell and I couldn't get my eyes open until I had already bounced off a building.

Somebody did the math. I'd been terminal velocity for 19 seconds as I fell straight from basically space, completely unconscious.

I hit the second building so hard that I was redirected a full three blocks. I barely caught myself on the ledge of the third building as hell on earth broke loose.

Half of humanity had just returned to Earth.

It's not that easy though.

The world celebrated. The New York Times posted the headline that could be iconic.

"Everyone is Forgiven Now"

This wasn't an act of God.

It took one for sure God, two maybe others plus all of the rest of us to stop him. Them. All of them.

Tomorrow is the day. Normal life is supposed to start back up.

After the celebrations. After the news hit.

After the world doubted. Then mourned.

After the world seemed like it was ready to burn to the ground.

Steve Rogers' Funeral was Friday. Two days ago.

Today is the last National Day of Mourning.

I'm supposed to go home after this. After THIS.

Some genius said "Humanity will be fighting this battle forever. An Infinity War." It stuck.

This whole thing is the "Infinity War". Joining the "Battle of New York", the "Destruction of the Triskelion", the "Ultron Offensive" and of course, the "Avengers Civil War".

None of it matters.

I blink and look into Mr. Stark's face, placid and at ease.

"It's time." Somebody says behind me.

No.

"It can't be." I say through my closed throat.

The room is silent for a brief moment before I start to feel that the entire room is full.

Thor. Colonel Danvers. Dr. Banner and Widow. Tree, who only says 'I am Groot', the raccoon who can talk, Star-Lord and his green girlfriend. Sam Wilson and the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes. A girl I don't know beside Thor, who seems to be putting on a face she doesn't actually mean.

Dr. Strange and his buddy. T'Challa too.

Everyone from Earth is wearing suits, like I am. The rest, like Thor and the girl beside him are in their armor, looking ready to be immortalized.

This is an immortal moment.

And I have to put on a mask for this one too.

Widow showed it to me at the Compound. It's easy.

Just slip it on and tap the side of my head twice. The face I'm wearing is already programmed in, and disguises me instantly.

I'm some guy they picked. I don't know who. He looks decent. Tall, Dark, Handsome type. I was blonde for Cap's ceremony.

Feeling everyone's eyes on me, I pull my mask out of my jacket pocket, and slip it on before stepping aside.

Colonel Rhodes looks to Thor, who hesitates for a half second before taking point and together, lifting Tony up into the air. I jump into position behind Rhodes as beside me, T'Challa takes the burden gently. Dr. Banner slides in behind me and immediately puts his hand on my shoulder.

Support. I'm not alone. We're doing this together.

I glance back and see Widow beside Dr. Banner. Happy and Scott at the other portion of the coffin. Everyone else falls in behind us.

I went to Cap's ceremony as a blonde. Same general look, meant to be studied and obsessed over like it's my actual face.

They've got something else coming today.

May joked that the internet was in for a shock. Our trick is going to become apparent today. But that's the point at the exact same time.

My "face", hell my entire body is disguised. They will have no idea what I look like.

But it's a mask.

May. Home.

Home.

How am I supposed to just go home?! Lie in bed? Stare at the ceiling? Wait for what's next?

School is tomorrow supposedly. It might be a half-day though. I can't remember what May said.

I know I'm missing stuff right now. Two weeks might as well been two days. I'm having a hard time focusing.

Everyone's said it's normal. Grief. Loss.

Death.

It'll be "a little while", the psychologist lady said.

Which is real specific.

May can't talk about it with me. It's too close to Ben.

Uncle Ben was so bad.

And it makes this worse.

I couldn't save Uncle Ben. And I couldn't save Mr. Stark.

Someone gently taps my shoulder, and I hop to it, rejoining T'Challa, who immediately meets my eye.

I don't want to go to school tomorrow. I'm not gonna learn anything.

One more blink, and we're walking through the cathedral, armed guards and soldiers every few feet, all at attention as we walk up to a massive, polished wooden door.

We're here.

…

It's time to say goodbye.