a/n_ i know quills would be iNTERESTING but thats next chapter cause this one seems like it should go first anyway ty for the support

Disclaimer: Marvel isn't mine but I'm adopting the characters, they're hurting them too much

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Chapter 2: Strange

The ship Tony had been in landed ungracefully and the ones the Guardians and Nebula had used was partially damaged in the unsuccessful fight with Thanos, but the last two standing had a talent for putting mismatched puzzle pieces of metals and wires together to create a new picture. With whatever luck they had left, Tony and Nebula managed to get on a ship and out of that planet.

It took less than a day to get to Titan - which according to Nebula was the name of the planet they were in and the exact one that Tony would never visit again - but it was estimated to take them a week back to Earth this time since the ship received damage and they were saving whatever fuel it had left until they get to another planet nearby. But at least the maps told them they were going the right way.

So, that's good.

The ship was big enough for the two of them to have their own space. Tony stayed in his area for most of the journey. His suit was now detached from him and standing on the corner of the room. A part of it that was completely damaged has been removed and placed on a flat metal surface that Tony has been using for repairs.

He hasn't eaten in two days. That morning was supposed to be a peaceful one. Wake up, get ready for a jog, go jog, get something to eat, have a nice brunch date with-

But that didn't happen, did it?

No, he was needed for this. He was dragged into this. All because some Harry Potter wannabe made this portal of some sort and took him on this magic carpet ride full of pain and death.

So much death.

He doesn't understand. Tony can't comprehend why he was even there. What was his suit against stones that could move a planet? What was his genius mind against powers that his science hasn't explained?

He's been called a hero because he shot down aliens and it miraculously worked. But the Chitauri are different from Thanos and none of the things he did even made big and purple try to catch his breath.

"All that for a drop of blood?"

And after that, all he felt was pain.

He was getting mercilessly beat up and was slowly accepting that he was going to die. The amount of times he tried to console himself that at least he died in space seemed like it was impossible to fit in the time he felt he had left.

And then the strangest thing happened.

So very strange.

A bargain was made.

A stone that could turn back time and could help wipe out half the population was freely offered up in exchange for the several years left in one Tony Stark's mortal life.

This didn't seem like a fair deal to Tony.

But this wizard who was completely against destroying the stone and possibly stopping Thanos' plans in collecting all six, has decided to give it as a present, like some sort of surprise gift for a child, except it wasn't the child that was surprised.

He begged. Tony begged for him not to give it up. He wasn't worth it. Why was this magic doctor not understanding that?

Hopeless, confused, lost, done, but mostly angry. That's how Tony felt. He was angry. And when they have settled down and are probably on the way to Earth to help if they can, Tony would let that anger be known.

He didn't even get the chance.

They all slowly disappeared. Strange went with them.

"There was no other way."

Did that mean he lied? That he gave up from the start? That there was no one-in-a-14-million chance? Or was giving up the stone the only way they could win? And if so, how?

Did Tony have to live?

The sound of metal hitting metal was getting louder. The piece Tony was hammering down had been flattened five minutes ago but his thoughts would not let him stop. It sounded loudly through the room and echoed through the ship.

Did Tony have to live? Because if he was asked, he'd rather die than have the stone given up. He'd rather have died after losing all ability to fight back. He would rather have died if it meant that everyone else would live.

His heroic, yet suicidal, tendency and need to put everyone else's lives before his was something the doctor hadn't known. Something he hadn't understood.

Because if he had, then Tony wouldn't be having these thoughts right now.

The makeshift hammer he was using suddenly slipped, nearly hitting his head, almost crushing his other hand, before it fell loudly against the metal surface. A loud shout of his name was a change in the sounds that break the silence in the ship.

Nebula had entered the room but Tony didn't raise his head. When she threw the hammer to the side and forcefully grabbed the top front of his shirt, his eyes shifted to look at her.

"Stark, we don't know each other," she started in a dark tone that matched her black eyes. "But you're going to need me to use this ship, and I'm going to need you to get to your planet and find all the answers. So I can't have you breaking down and killing yourself, you understand?"

Tony just pushed her hand away and picked up the hammer before he started flattening the metal again.

"Sort yourself out, Stark. Your death right now would be useless to anyone, so save it for when you need."

END.

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a/n_ peter's chapter was mostly guilt, this was mostly anger, i keep on thinking that he'd be more angry about strange giving up the stone for tony's life than anything... this is the guy that took a nuke to space with possibly no chance of coming back, of course hed rather have died than give up the stone just like that...

so im planning to have a chapter abt quill and other people but still on tony's perspective, Life's_For_Living asked for nebula and tony interactions which i have planned before, included, and am vERY intrigued about so it would be scattered around and about but i dont think id make a chapter dedicated to her unless i think of st also im bad at dialogue but i try ok