"where Tony isn't dead and the Avengers go to Vormir to retrieve Natasha's body"
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
What did it cost?
It cost Tony an arm. Taking out Thanos' army wasn't nearly as severe as wiping away or restoring half the universe, but it was already far more than what Tony's mortal body could handle. Still, he nano-sprayed the wound, closing it up.
In a sense, he was tremendously upset about it. Tony's hands were probably the second most valuable parts of his anatomy, depending on who you asked, because they were his vessels for making things.
Still, he couldn't muster the strength to be too upset. He got away from the whole ordeal with his life. Thanos was gone, after eleven years of haunting him. He protected his family. He didn't fail.
Hugging the kid was like a dream, and seeing Pepper's face as she came to his side was like Paradise. He really could have died right then and there, and he wouldn't have regretted a thing. Morgan was safe. He protected her. The Avengers gave her a better world to live in.
But as it would happen, here he was quite alive, though in excruciating pain. He and Bruce could bond over being part of the Galactic-Power Glove Club later. Natasha would get a kick out of -
Natasha was dead.
Tony grimaced and sat up. Tears were running down his face and he hardly knew why. Pepper held him and Peter stared at him in absolute awe. Tony wasn't sure if he was crying in relief or pain. Steve lumbered over to him, holding Mjolnir loosely in one hand. He helped Tony up and let him lean on him as they all began a walk to… what, exactly? Avengers HQ was gone.
But still, they walked. Tony and Cap took the lead as the motley crew behind him began chattering and exchanging whispered conversations. Everyone was exhausted but ecstatic. Thor and Bruce spoke with Ant-Dude and Captain Sun-Woman.
It wasn't until Tony heard Morgan running over to him that he recognized where they were: home. He fell to his knees and took her in with his left arm, holding her tightly as Pepper and the Avengers watched on.
They were home.
Saying goodbye to everyone was quite an event. It was mournful and cheerful all at once. There wasn't much to eat or drink, and they couldn't even order shwarma. The rest of the world was probably dealing with, well, everyone coming back.
The wizards opened up some portals, which Tony idly imagined broke quite a few rules of physics but hey they just time traveled so he let it slide for now.
Everyone went home. Wizards to…everywhere. Wakandans to Wakanda. Asguardians to Norway. Avengers… inside his house. The Guardians stuck around a little bit too, since Thor hoped to join them. But before he went he wanted to say goodbye to his family.
Thor lightly put his hand on Banner's hurt arm. "Friends, there is one last matter to attend to."
The room quieted.
"Natasha." Bruce breathed, pulling Morgan closer to him where she was seated on his good arm, right in the nook between his forearm and his bicep. She patted his heart softly. He smiled weakly.
"Her body is in Vormir" Clint spoke up.
"Are we allowed to get it?" Steve asked.
Nebula nodded. "The stone required a soul. Not a body."
"So let's get it." Thor got up. He looked more himself than before. "Natasha was a warrior. She deserves a warrior's burial."
Nobody disagreed, and the Guardians offered their ship.
Pepper stayed behind with Wanda, Sam, Bucky, Rhodey and Peter. Scott and Hope also decided to stick around, and they had Cassie come by and babysit Morgan for a while with Peter.
It was a solemn ride to Vormir.
Tony moved to sit next to Bruce. "Hey buddy."
"Hi Tony."
"She would have been proud, you know."
Bruce nodded absent-mindedly, looking out a window at the galaxies passing them by.
Tony recalled that Bruce once told him he was an open nerve, that his life was a nightmare. Looking at him now, he looked more like an open nerve than ever before. His self-loathing would kick in soon, Tony knew that look.
"Not your fault. Not anyone's. Imagine how Clint must be feeling right now."
Bruce released a breath, nodding again.
Tony switched tactics. "Anyways, I guess my days of arm-dealing finally caught up with me."
Bruce looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.
"What are you going to do about that?"
"Well I was hoping that maybe you'd help me figure that out. You're the one with the seven glorified smartness certificates."
It worked, sort of. Bruce snorted. "So you want to grow an arm?"
"Something like that."
"We'll see."
Suddenly, the stars outside stopped passing by so quickly. It was very still, and silent.
"We're here" Clint said.
Vormir was beautiful, and on any other occasion, Bruce would have cherished the fact he was on an alien planet. But not this time. This was where Natasha died. He hated it by default.
They didn't bother climbing the mountain. Clint guided them to where she was. She was hard to spot, between all the stones, but when they found her, Bruce viscerally wished that they hadn't. She was splayed on the ground, blood crowning her head.
He wanted to vomit but he held himself steady. She was gorgeous still, with a little smile on her face, but she was dead. It was so wrong that someone so alive, so fiery could be dead. But she was. Bruce swallowed and made his way to pick her up.
Clint was sobbing openly on the ground and Steve knelt to his level, holding him. Bruce looked back to see Tony blink away tears and Thor watch in awe at one of his most respected comrades. The Guardians stood vigil.
Star-Lord was affected by the whole ordeal. Bruce learned earlier that this was where his love had died, at the hands of Thanos.
When Bruce was a step away from her, he hesitated. Was he really the right person to pick her up? Thor was just as strong. She likely wasn't heavy. He could…hurt her with his hands.
He shook away the thought. Natasha had spent too much time assuring him that he could never hurt her for him to doubt himself now. He could do this.
Gingerly, he picked her up, his hands supporting the back of her head. He shook silently, and tears clawed their way out of his eyes, trailing hotly as they fell to the ground beneath him. He lifted her up. He carried her body with more care than he even used with Morgan. They began a procession into the ship, and they put Natasha on one of the medical beds.
He sat by it, her blood on his hands. He had this nightmare so many times before. He never imagined that one day her blood would be on his hands for any other reason than he hurt her. But he never did. He stayed well away while she was suffering, in the hopes she wouldn't get hurt and yet… here she was anyways. His nightmare happening right before his eyes.
"My, uh… my girlfriend was green."
Bruce looked up. Peter Quill sat across from him. He drummed his fingers on his legs nervously.
"And you're green. You probably knew that already, but uh…"
Peter sighed. "I'm not very good at this. What I mean is, you were her green and Gamora was my green. I… understand what you're feeling right now."
Bruce offered a smile. "I'm sorry."
Peter stood up. "Your… Natasha was a hero. Like Gamora. She made this possible, she fixed this."
Tears fell down Bruce's face. "She was."
Peter moved awkwardly and patted his shoulder, before going back to the front of the ship. It wasn't long until he and Rocket were bickering about something inane.
Bruce smiled.
Upon arrival, Steve and Thor didn't waste time in making a wooden raft. They used the trees around Tony's home to do it, and Thor gave it his Asguardian blessings. Clint prepared it with fetched some batons he had prepared for her, and put them by her side. And Bruce? Bruce reached into his bag and pulled out something he had been saving for some time.
A postcard of Fiji. "Wish you were here." was written on the back. He placed that in her arms.
The sun was coming down, bathing the lake in a red-purple hue. Bruce went into the water, pushing her raft out gently. Everyone waited at the shore. The Guardians, the Avengers, the Langs, and even the Bartons had been flown to New York. He lumbered back to where Clint stood, a flaming arrow aimed at the raft. When Bruce came to his side, water dripping down from him, Clint let the arrow loose.
It trekked brightly across a dwindling sky, and arched down to where the raft was. It came aflame quickly, and it burned with fervor. Sparks flew from it, and the skies cleared above it, allowing a glimpse into the Milky Way.
"She has been accepted into Valhalla" Thor said knowingly as a golden mist arose from the flames, climbing towards the open sky. "Where heroes rest."
A/N: Please feel free to review! We can all cry as a team. Feel free to check out my other Avengers fics on my profile!