Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or any of its characters and lines from the movie used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. I do not make any profits from it.
I believe it is my job as a Pepperony fan/fanfic writer to deliver this Choose Your Own Adventure fanfic where we just select which Infinity War Pepperony ending we want for our favs.
A
Happy jumped to his feet the moment he saw Tony waving a medic away and looking worse for wear. He probably declined or refused medical treatment. But that wasn't unusual.
"Tony! Oh thank God you're back!"
"I'm fine. It's good to be back."
Tony gave his friend a once over. Happy wasn't entirely sure what the man was looking for, but he seemed to have found it, because he strode past the former bodyguard and looked around, eyes darting everywhere in the living room.
"That's good. Because I'm not! I'm freaking out! What's going on?"
Tony seemed to think for a minute. "Intergalactic space heist. And we lost."
Happy's eyebrows knit together. "Well, I watched the news. And half the city seems to have disappeared! Do you know anything about that?"
Tony checked the kitchen and walked out a moment later. "I'll tell you later ok? Right now, I need to see Pepper. Where is she?"
Happy immediately stiffened and his face was unusually pained.
Tony didn't like it. "Happy, where is she?"
Happy took a step back with defensive hand gestures. "Now, don't get mad. I didn't know what else to do!"
"Hogan, I swear to God—"
"YOU WERENT HERE!"
"—if you don't tell me—"
"One minute she was talking to me and then the next thing I know she's ash! I panicked!"
Tony shook his head, refusing to believe it. He grabbed happy by the scruff of his jacket.
"Where is she?"
Happy's eyes darted to a ziplock on the coffee table.
Tony choked out a sob.
"She was just ash," Happy whispered, still quite unable to believe it himself.
B
Pepper was all over him the minute he landed, choking him a bone crushing hug. The ice on his stab wound (was it a stab wound if it was made using a sword and it went through him?) was beginning to wear off and he was hurt in all places. He should go see Medical. He must be bleeding all over his organs right now.
But Pepper wouldn't let him breathe. She had one leg wrapped around his, her arms were around his neck, her wails were right in his ear.
And honestly, Tony didn't want to leave. She smelled so good and felt alive (she's not ash!)
If he closed his eyes and thought hard enough (maybe he should try saying There's no place like home and click his red boots or what's left of it anyway), maybe he'd be back in the park talking about babies and wedding arrangements. So… peaceful. So normal.
"You came back! You're alive!" She was hysterical. Happy was trying to calm her down and pry her off him so Tony can get checked out but she wasn't having it.
After the noisy rejoicing came the angry punches. She hit his shoulder. Hard.
"YOU IDIOT! YOU ASSHOLE! YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BABIES! WE'RE GETTING MARRIED! AND YOU DECIDE TO GO TO SPACE? WHERE YOU DON'T WANT TO GO? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?" Her hand hit his wound and he groaned audibly.
Pepper gasped. "Oh my God. You're hurt."
Together she and Happy supported Tony's frame and headed to the sofa.
"Friday, call an ambulance!"
They wheeled him out of the house in a gurney and Pepper's calming voice was the only thing keeping Tony together.
Inside the ambulance, Tony reached for Pepper and her hand enclosed his. "May," he gasped.
"What?"
"Call May."
"Tony, I don't—"
"Just call her. Tell her Peter is… that I tried to…"
"He's crashing!"
Their hands are pulled apart as the paramedics did their work.
He was dead on arrival.
C
Tony woke up in his bedroom, an IV drip hanging above him and Pepper talking softly on the phone by the edge of the bed.
Hmm. He's back on Earth. When did that happen? Also how?
Pepper noticed him stirring awake and she promptly hung up, telling the other person on the line she'd call him back.
Tony groaned as he attempted to sit up, his abdomen feeling like it's been through the shredder. Did they fix him? It didn't feel like it.
Pepper pushed him back down, giving him a cup of water with a straw to drink from.
"I have to go," he croaked out because getting back home did not mean the end of the war. The world was still in trouble. He needed to fix this. He needed to call Rogers, call May—God, Peter. What was he even gonna tell her? Was she even still alive?
"No. You are to stay in bed."
"Doctors orders?" he snorted. Pepper should know better that he didn't give a rat's ass about whatever the doctor said.
"No. My orders."
Shit.
That wasn't fair.
He stopped struggling but continued to glare mildly at a pleased Pepper.
After she readjusted his position, pillows, and blankets with much more force than was considered gentle (she was doing this on purpose, he just knew it), she finally sat beside him and said, "I need you to listen to what I have to say."
He opened his mouth to reply in the affirmative when she shook her head and pressed a finger to his lips.
"Just nod and listen."
Tony nodded, already resigned. She was gonna bench him. He just knew it.
"When I called you to come back," she began and Tony felt the guilt stirring in that wrecked abdomen of his for ignoring her, "and you didn't… I… Tony, you were right."
His head perked up. About what? his expression asked her.
"Back in the park. I… I went home and I… did a test. And I'm—"
"Pregnant?" Tony asked.
"I told you to listen!" she hissed. "Yes. Yes, I really am pregnant. God, I can't believe you were right. Don't give me that look!"
He dropped his self-satisfied-but-still-kind-of-hurting expression.
"Anyway, that's what I was trying to say when I called you." Her voice shook as she said, "Tony, the thought of you up there, that you might not come back, might not meet… Morgan… I… don't do that again. I mean it." She grasped his hand tightly. "I can't… We can't have a baby if you're not going to stay. I can't do this by myself and I won't raise a child with a father who can be killed at any minute. It's not fair to the baby."
Tony nodded slowly. That made sense. Why have a baby if half the time he'll be out on patrols, not sleeping, putting himself and probably Pep and the baby in harm's way? Did Howard even think of it this way or did he simply want someone to take over?
No. A baby's more than that, more than a successor. Morgan deserved better.
"Tony, say something," Pepper said softly. Between finding out about the pregnancy, worrying for Tony's safety, and dealing with the fact that half of the people on her payroll are missing… it's been one hell of a week.
"So," he chewed on his lower lip. "We're really settling on Morgan for a name?"
D
Thank the galaxy that this blue robot chick knew how to fly a spaceship because if it weren't for her, Tony would probably be dying on Titan.
The ship landed in the middle of Manhattan and when the doors opened, Tony was frozen in place, unable to tear his eyes away from the herd of police cars and military vehicles, all occupants of which were pointing various weapons at his direction and right at the helm was an armored woman.
Tony stared at his fiancé, his beautiful, wonderful, glorious fiancé wearing the RESCUE suit like she was born for it.
If he wasn't bleeding internally and suffering from self-induced frostbite, he'd be turned on.
RESCUE took the first steps and then aimed her hand at Tony.
Tony took a step back, startled. "Are you serious?"
Then he realized it was aimed at his companion.
Nebula! That's her name.
Nebula was already sighing and reaching for a gun when Tony stopped her. "Don't! I know these people!"
This time Tony raised his hands. "She's with me! She's friendly! She's with me!"
Finally, RESCUE lowered her hand and the face plate popped open revealing a very unimpressed Pepper Potts.
She raised a brow at him, demanding he say the first piece.
"I… I'm… I got nothing," admitted Tony. He could barely imagine what it must be like for her, to worry about him, to know he went where he did and not know if he's going to come back.
"How about an 'I'm sorry I left' and 'thank you for covering for my ass.'"
So that's what she was doing, thought Tony. Well, if all the heroes were busy, at least she was here doing some good work.
"That'll do," nodded Tony.
Pepper walked closer to him.
"You're an idiot."
He took one step forward. "Agreed. But aren't we all in the face of imminent death?"
"Is that what this is? You're trying to fulfill your death wish?"
"Aren't we all dying anyway?"
Her eyes flashed with anger and she closed the remaining space between them. "And you decided you'd choose death in space? Leaving me to just wonder if you'll ever come back?"
"I am back!"
"That's not the point!"
"What was the point?"
"We're getting married!"
"You're together?" Tony heard Nebula ask.
Pepper went on, "Do you have any idea what that entails? Marriage is about discussing things together before doing something that drastically affects the couple involved!"
"So, I have to get the OK from you before I go off to rescue the planet from aliens?!"
"Yes!"
"Fine! Can I kiss you now?!"
That caught her off guard.
"What?"
This time, with a voice no longer raised, he said, "I'm discussing things. I'm asking permission."
"I—yes."
Tony got up on his toes and kissed her. Pepper's hands went to his waist and lifted him off the ground.
A/N: i am so taking requests for more alternate endings btw.