Title: Death's Merchant
Pairing: Tony/Loki or Tony/Stephen
Summary: Left bleeding to death on what once was Titan; Tony drops to his knees and waits.
Tony stared out over the desolated expanse numbly. What else could he feel but numb? Anything else risks chaos and even more bone-tiring agony, no, he's had enough. He's fought enough, picked himself up and started again and again so many times that he could no longer find all the pieces.
Betrayal after betrayal… death after death…
Some of it was his own fault, caused by his hand or those he had given his trust to and where did that lead him? Here, on this forsaken planet with the ash of someone he loved as a son clinging to his fingers and mixing in with his own blood and drying with the torrid air of Titan.
Who else was left?
Who else was sacrificed?
WHY DIDN'T I DO ENOUGH?
He was tired, so fucking tired.
"We need to leave; we can track him from Terra." The voice of the woman – Nebula – echoed behind him causing his whole body to stiffen.
"No," the word was clipped and uttered so softly yet it seemed to echo in the air around them.
Nebula halted in her steps, surprise trickling in her mind but she refused to let it show. "We cannot waste time for mourning now; we must find The Milano before nightfall. It has food and you are in need of medicine."
Dry acrid laughter escaped from his lips as he turned to face her, noting a blink of surprise in her features before they were back to neutral. He knew what she was seeing, what the world had seen before he was Iron Man.
It was a look those left rarely got to see unless well deserved.
It was the look of the Merchant of Death.
"I am tired," He noted his voice just as dry as his laugh, his smile a mocking imitation of his true one; all sharp teeth and dark eyes. "So fucking tired and I am done."
"You are quitting? After all, he has done?!" Nebula spits furious, her opinion of the man before her changing rapidly. Coward.
Another laugh escaped his lips, this time darker. "No, no. I will not rest until that fucker has been turned to ash and remade, I will not stop till he feels even a fraction of my pain. But I cannot do that as I am a bitter old man who is bleeding internally."
With that Tony dropped to his knees and waited, his face tilted to the sky and arms out, waiting.
It did not take long until Nebula noticed the shadows shifting, crawling forward towards the human as a languid pace that had her hackles rising as she sensed the threat the moment the shadows began to leap and stretch up and out forming into a cloaked figure that sent an old shiver of fear down her spine.
"It has been too long since you've called for me my Merchant, you had earned your peace and yet here you are at the end of war once more and ready for my embrace." The cloaked figure whispered and Nebula took three steps back in horror as she realised who the figure before her was. "But I feel the suffering you have gone through, feel the hate that resides within you and the rage that fuels you… What can I do for you my Chosen?"
Tony snapped his eyes open and stared at his Mistress with hard burning eyes. "There are many things that I want Mistress, many things I wish I could go back and change, end the suffering of those I love and fix all the mistakes but I cannot. So I wish for a final peace, no more agony, no more pain and betrayal. I failed you, Mistress."
Lady Death watched as the fire simmered and finally died out in her Merchant's eyes, a fire that had never been extinguished before no matter the agony, the circumstances and it was what drew him to her.
It began as a small child; he was no older than five when he first met her embrace. He was burning bright like a supernova in the darkness of night and on the fringes of her Domain but what caught her attention was his willingness for it. A child so young, one who was old enough to crave life and the beauty of it shouldn't have readily accepted her embrace or even gladly embrace it wish such relief.
It was almost cruel to send him back but she had to, a soul like his couldn't be extinguished yet.
"Why? Why cannot I stay here with you?" He asked with dark eyes that seemed to see right into her very essence, even with her true face he never once balked or looked away.
"Because little one, you will be needed and I cannot let a soul like yours embrace me yet." She replied seeing the twisted strands of his fates. She could see that he would change this realm and the realm of many others just she didn't know how.
The little boy sighed and slumped his shoulders but Death watched as something flickered across his face and he was peering up at her with such intensity she knew his mind was changed. "Mia Madre needs me though."
Death nodded and held out her hand. "Until the next we meet, little one."
And it was only in a blink of an eye till she saw him again but this time he was only a few years older and angry, oh so angry and reeked of death.
"That bastards killed my mother, drunk off his ass like he always was but he killed her! He killed my mom and now I have to deal with all his mess!" He seethed and ranted, face red and stained with tear tracks.
She let him rant and cry, even comforting him as he fell without hesitation into her embrace.
"Shhh little one, your mother will feel no pain in my domain, will fear no more. This I promise." She swore which was a first for her.
He had looked up at her with wide brown eyes. "I cannot come with you to her can I?"
She shook her head. "No my little one, you cannot just yet. There are many things yet you need to do, you're the pinnacle of a war that's to come."
"I understand, send me back."
And so she had, she sent him back with a heavy heart as she looked over his fate to see only more heartbreak and agony but even she had no control of his fate, his life was not yet hers to claim.
She continued her job but Death found herself watching the young one more often than not. She watched him build many things like he was fated to do but sinister souls pointed him towards her, had him following his father's footsteps in creating weapons that sent souls to her domain. He became known in his world as the Merchant of Death, an apt name but unclaimed by him. She knew he was not one to willingly claim the title, his heart heavy with guilt and sorrow for the lives his creations claimed.
In some point of time she had grown fond of the human, the Creator deemed Merchant.
The next time she was pulled to his side was in the middle of a cave and her little one had a hole in his chest. He was screaming in agony and pleaded for her embrace, begged her to take him.
"I cannot take you little one, your fate still lies in the future, it will be you who will stop the mad titan." She whispered to him as she removed his soul from his flesh just to ease the pain.
"I can't take this pain anymore." He choked out and Death knew it was not the current torture he was speaking of. "I just want it to stop, make it stop."
"I can, it is within my powers to do so but it comes with a price." She whispered while never taking her eyes off of him.
"What is it?" He asked never looking away.
She turned her eyes from his current form to his flesh, watching as the doctor try his best to keep her little one alive even with the guns pointed at him. "You will take up the name the mortals gave you and turn it into reality, you will truly be my Merchant but not in the way you would think."
"I can't keep killing…" Tony choked out.
"No little one, you will do what you were born to do– create. You will help bring forth those that will help you aid in the death of the one who claims to love me. In time you will understand, but I cannot promise that things will be easier." She explained sadly, her eyes turning to the body that the doctor was trying to save.
Tony turned and stared, still and silent. She had no clue on what he saw for him to turn back and face her with such determination but it was done, the moment he nodded his silent acceptance he became her Merchant.
It was after that she saw great change in him, he did as she asked and began to create better things to help aid his people and his planet. He inspired others with his deeds and all was well until she was pulled to him once more but this time it was a slow death by the very thing he created to help him live.
"I'm not ready yet, I refuse to go." He uttered the moment she came into view, he was elbow deep in parts and had not even glanced her way before he was moving to what was left of his suit.
"I am not here to take you," she hummed, taking a seat by his side as he began to flip through an old journal. "You are not yet dead."
"I'm dying." He replied, finally glancing at her and in that brief glance she saw the agony he was hiding.
A frown pulled at her brows and she brushed back his hair and let her power coarse through him, chasing back the poison and giving him a little more time. "You are nearly there my Merchant, be patient."
He surpassed all her expectations and more, becoming one of her most beloveds out of all her Merchants and when it came to the point where he had been betrayed by those he called friends and left him dying in that bunker her anger ignited.
Ragged gasps were the first thing she heard when she was pulled to her Chosen, followed by the low rasping laughter that sounded too much like insanity than she expected from her Chosen Merchant. The scene she walked into was not what she expected; her merchant was laid out like a fallen angel of old, a light bright against the darkness and bleeding to death in his own creation.
Her eyes took in the shield to her left with the broken arm and back to the jagged wound in the gold and red armour. The sound of death echoed loudly in her ears and rage ignited in her very veins as the scene fell into place and she saw the destruction the soldier caused to her Chosen.
"He will suffer." She snarled as she stalked forward and placed her hand upon his broken chest to keep him there and not fading into her halls yet. The soldier will suffer for betraying her Chosen and will feel her hand upon him once again but she will no longer sustain his life in ice like she once did but will rip it from his very breath for this betrayal.
"No," her chosen gasped out in pain. "He is needed, they're all needed."
"He betrayed you!" She snarled, her form flickering between flesh and bone, even now her Chosen does not flinch.
"They all betrayed me, believe me, a true Merchant of Death and wouldn't believe me otherwise but they are needed, my mistress. They will help end Thanos once and for all." He choked out through gritted teeth until blood seeped through.
Her rage simmered and bubbled under her flesh and bones but she knew his words spoke true. Her Merchant had taken her words to heart and created, had inspired others that would fight the mad Titan and end his so-called reign after all. "Very well little one, but in time they will face my wrath and judgement… but for now, you have done all that I have asked and will ask no more of you."
She could feel her Chosen's creation hurrying towards them, a soul bright like all the others he had created and she knew then that there was a chance.
"But he is not yet defeated Mistress." Her Chosen rasped out confused.
"But you have created and you have rallied those that will end him, I cannot ask you to suffer more pain. Your creation grows near, his soul bright like all the others and you need not be my Merchant any more, be at peace and if you need me just call. Goodbye, my little one, be happy."
"You have not failed me, little one, not yet," She soothed, brushing back his hair. "There is one thing I can do that will help you fix this."
His eyes snapped up to hers with the fire burning brighter than ever. "Then do it."
"It comes with a price Anthony Stark." Death explained. "Are you prepared for that?"
"It always does." He replied neutrally. "It always does and nothing can be worse than the pain of seeing the son of my heart falling to ashes. Whatever the price I will pay for it."
Death hums and places her hand on her Merchant's forehead and turned towards the daughter of Thanos. "And you? Will you pay the price?"
Nebula strode forward and knelt by the human's side and before Lady Death. "Yes."
"Very well, your price will to live again, suffer again until you make this right." She whispered and pushed the two backwards into the abyss, a flare of gold flashing before their very eyes until darkness took them once more.
Nebula and Tony slammed into one another before being yanked in different directions just as quick. Screams tore from Tony's throat as he fell spinning uncontrollably till he impacted harshly with a solid mass. He didn't know what had happened or where he was, what year it was but everything clicked into place when light burst behind his eyes and the view of his lab that was once lost came into view.
His hand hovered protectively over the arc in his chest as he gripped the workbench with a white-knuckle grim as the new element burned the heavy metal poisoning out of his body. It seemed to burn more than he remembered and when it finally subsided he was left in a sweaty mess.
"What the…" He trailed off as he lifted his hand to see instead of familiar blue his arc shone gold. It was a familiar gold, one that he had seen only once and he wondered what the consequences of his Mistress's actions caused by giving this to him.
"Sir, your readings are not what they should be and the element is not as it should be." Jarvis's voice rung out in the lab frantically.
Tears pooled in Tony's eyes as Jarvis spoke. "Jar is that you buddy?"
"Yes sir, I recommend you seeking help right away." There was an undertone of panic in the A.I's voice, one that Tony had not always heard but noticed when Vision was created.
A small sob of laughter escaped his chest as he finally took in the mess around him for a brief moment before it turned into laughter. "I'm good Jarvis, better than good."
After all, he was back and there were many things that needed to be doing and dealt with like Vanko, Hammer and Thor.
Author Note: This is gonna stay a one-shot for now but ta-da!