It was absolute chaos
But they were so close.
In the air there was violent weather. Thunder, rain, hail, fire, meteors. Portals opened up at random and shot stuff towards them. Time and space was falling apart around them, but the Avengers weren't finished!
Several of the Avengers were struggling to hold down the growling, screeching form of Thanos. But Tony knew that it wasn't enough, they needed more power to stop him. Panting in and out, close to the point of panic, he looked down at his own hand.
The Infinity Gauntlet.
Just as Tony thought of this, Thanos roared, and rose again, sending all the weakened Avengers flying. He couldn't wait, there was no other way. He grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet, and ran forward. Flying into the air, he launched forward with the gauntlet on his fist.
With a vicious slam, it crashed into Thanos' stomach, The overhaul of violent power made Thanos fly back, his body crumbling into dust as he fell down the tower, his remains tumbling into the portal. Tony's body lurched forward, the drain on his human body worse than he could describe, his suit crumbling off his body from the whiplash. Before he could fall, a strong hand wrapped around his free wrist.
Tony whipped around to see the rough, exhausted Cap. After a few frantic pants escaped him, a small smile grew on the man's bearded face.
It was over.. They'd won.
.. .. ..
CRACK!
The rejoicing stopped, as the Avengers Tower suddenly split in half, the violent storms around them starting to get sucked in by appearing portals. With Thanos gone, the power he had forced into the Earth had now started to react violently.
Steve and Tony tumbled forward as the rest of the team fell backward. Steve managed to grab a beam as they fell, leaving them hanging high above the ground. Tony's eyes wandered, he felt his heart seize up at the sight of the swirling portal below them, forcefully breaking apart, and swallowing large chunks of the tower inside of it. It's violent winds were pulling at the two men, threatening to swallow them up as well.
He heard a loud, painful groan behind him. Tony whipped his head back around to Steve, and he could see the struggle in his face. How much longer can he hold on for? Tony thought in fear. This portal isn't going to stop until it's satisfied..
"Tony!" Steve yelled against the thundering noise,"Hang on! We'll get out of this, I promise!"
Even after everything that happened during Civil War, Steve wasn't going to let Tony die. The genius knew that, but he also knew that if they didn't manage to do something, both of them were going to fall.
Both of them were going to die.
"It's not stopping!" Tony exclaimed loudly, his horror growing more prominent with every second.
"Just hang on!" Steve snapped,"We'll make it!"
"CAP!" Tony yelled in return, his voice cracking dangerously.
Tony could see the fear hidden below layers in Steve's eyes. But the man hung on tightly, and that fear was covered by determination. He was ready to die, Steve was ready to die.
But Tony couldn't let that happen.
Nobody would care if Tony died, the world would move on. But Steve.. Steve needed to stay. He needed to keep the Avengers going, to help the world rebuild after the destruction. The world needed Captain America, the world needed Steve Rogers.
Tony Stark was expendable. Iron Man could continue without him, he wasn't needed. But he could at least die for a reason. The Infinity Gauntlet was still on his wrist. Just imagining what could happen if someone got ahold of them filled him with fear.
Suddenly, Tony knew what he needed to do.
Steve's face was contorted with pain, Tony could see his feet scraping for a grip, his arm was shaking. "It's okay, It's okay!" He yelled,"We'll make it, Stark, I promise!"
Steve opened his pained eyes, looking at the genius. Tony's face was empty of emotion everywhere except his eyes. His eyes were shining with regret.. But determination. The blonde suddenly felt confused. Then, a small smile rose on the older man's face, eyes brimming with tears. Steve didn't understand.. What was-
"Steve.." Tony began,"Take care of everyone for me, okay?"
Suddenly, Tony's suit disconnected. The piece Steve had desperately been trying to keep ahold of fell from his fingers.
"Tony?! TONY NO!" Steve screamed, but all he could do was watch the man fell down into the swirling portal with the infinity gauntlet.
But this time, the portal didn't stay open. The second he flew through, another loud explosion rocked the building, colors flashing violently into the air as it slammed shut.
Everything stopped at once. The skies cleared, portals closed, magic dissipated, and anything that was floating crashed to the ground.
The Avengers tower crumbled to the ground underneath Steve's feet, sending him crashing to the ground. Too consumed with guilt and horror, he couldn't register anything else. He forced himself to his feet, running over to where the portal was.
Falling to his knees, he slammed his fists against the ground. "NO! NO!" He yelled, desperately begging for the portal to bring back the man who had just saved his life. He continued to slam his fists against the ground, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Captain! Stop!" A voice called. Suddenly, his wrists were grabbed. He struggled for a moment, his pained eyes turning to look behind him. Bucky, Drax, and Thor were all holding onto him, while the rest stood behind them, staring at where the portal would have been.
Steve struggled for a moment longer. "No! But- But!" He cried out, before falling backwards. "But what about Tony?!" He exclaimed,"He.. He let go of me! Why did he do that?! I could have held on! The portal was closing anyways!"
"I am groot.." A sad voice responded.
"Groot is right," Rocket declared,"That portal closed because of Tony. If he hadn't let himself fall through, who knows how much longer it could have gone on for!"
"But.." Steve stuttered out,"NO! He can't be dead!" He yanked his hands from the hold of the other avengers, and turned to Strange. "You can trace portals, I know you can!" He yelled,"Find the portal! Find Tony, please!"
Strange's surprised face changed to one of mourning. "I'm sorry, Captain," He replied,"I can't feel anything.. It's as if the portal was never there."
Steve's body filled with despair, as he flopped down on the ground once more, tears filling his eyes. "Tony.." He whispered,"Why? Why did this have to happen?"
Natasha knelt down by his side, rubbing his back. "Steve," She said softly,"There's nothing we can do now.. The fight is over, the portal is gone."
Steve lowered his head, but Natasha kept talking. "It's going to be okay Steve. Tony would want us to keep going," She claimed,"He died for us, he died a hero."
"He didn't have to," Steve whispered,"He already was a hero.."
Somewhere Else
Everything was hazy..
Tony didn't know where he was, the world seemed to be floating in and out. He was in pain, his chest clutching tightly, his body gasping for breath. But he couldn't see, he couldn't move, everything was numb.. What is happening to me?
Suddenly, there was a hand on the back of his head. Something was placed over his mouth and nose, making his breathing calm down considerably. The air was no longer painful, and it confused him.
Before he could reach out, he was suddenly being moved. He was lifted up, and moved onto something fuzzy. Then, there was a constant movement around him. Confusion swelled within him, as he desperately tried to form a coherent plot. But, after closing his eyes for a simple moment, the world seemed to jump once more.
The next time he was a little aware was.. Strange. The thing on his mouth was removed, but the pain didn't come back. He felt warm.. Whatever he was in was soft below him, he felt like he was on a cloud. Tony frowned, trying to open his eyes, and see what was happening around him. But his eyelids were like weights..
Tony's hand groped against the soft thing, searching for anything stable to hold onto. Is this what death feels like? He wondered.
Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed his. He let out a shaky gasp, his heart speeding up. But instead of the pain he was expecting, the hand moved to the back of his head. Lifting his head up, they placed something against his lips.
Curiously, Tony's lips parted just the slightest, and found his mouth being filled with nice, cold water. He didn't realize how dehydrated he was, as he opened wider, gulping down as much as he could without choking himself.
The mysterious person pulled the water away, making Tony let out distressed noise. "Shh.." Their voice responded, though it sounded like they were underwater. "If you have too much at once, you'll get sick.."
The voice did not sound familiar.. It was.. Different.. But everything felt that way. It was a little nerve-wracking and scary, but also was making Tony extremely curious, desperate to know what was going on.
Tony took a deep breath, blinking his eyelids several times. "Wh..Wh- Who.." He croaked out, but once again was cut off. The hand lowered him back down, and the soft thing on top of him was pulled up to his chin.
"No questions right now," The mysterious voice ordered,"You've been through a lot, you still need rest. Go back to sleep, okay? We can speak when you awaken."
The hand's fingers began to run through Tony's hair soothingly, in a massaging motion. Tony's mind didn't seem to be listening to him, the thought of sleep suddenly overriding everything else, even the questions that plagued him.
Soon, his body relaxed, and he faded into the embrace of unconsciousness once more.