First and foremost, I'd like to thank a tumblr blog called tonystarkismyprompt for giving me inspiration to write this chapter. I used four prompts of theirs that will be listed after the reviews, and you might recognize some of the text within the chapter itself. Anyways, to the reviews!
DarkLordofMemes said: Dude, just let Toni be happy. Please.
Not gonna lie, when I first read your review, I said "No, why would I ever do that?". But real talk, things get darker before they get better in my stories.
DheeDixon said: aww, I like fenrir and toni moment, they are cutee, If the tag doesn't show strange and toni for a couple, I'd like to see loki and toni with loki's child together
I liked the Fen Toni bonding too, especially with how I imagined them cuddling. And, once again, I'd like to point out that there's a spin-off for FrostIron | FrostIronStrange that's being published alongside this one. Who knows; a child might happen there.
Prompt #1: Sitting in the hospital waiting room anticipating news that could change your life forever: the absolute worst feeling in the world, if you ask Tony. And yet this situation seemed to be a recurring event in Tony's life, a recurring nightmare that kept coming back to haunt him.
Prompt #2: Tony tried to ignore them, he really did. And most days he succeeded. After all, he was Tony Stark. A few crappy articles in the media painting him as a villain were nothing. (Or Tony never admits how much the negative media is getting to him.)
Prompt #3: The stars are beautiful. Shiny, flawlessly patterned, set in an inky blackness that consumes everything and hides the monsters that live in the shadows. (Tony hates the dark… but lives for the light.)
Prompt #4: Finding yourself, as it turns out, is not a punch-in-the-face revelation that occurs after a grueling journey. In Tony's case, it's as simple as a hug from the person he cares most for.
I do not own The Avengers, I am merely writing this fix-it fic because Infinity War was bullshit and could've done so much more.
"Thank you all for joining me today," she began as the audience settled, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Stane and Yinsen waiting just on the otherside of the curtain. "I'm sure you all have questions, and for now, I'm here to answer one giant question that has been hanging over the world for the last few months: Who is Iron Man?
"Iron Man is not a person; it is a project, aimed in the hopes of creating world peace before reaching out towards the stars in space exploration. Iron Man is, first and foremost, a suit. In the beginning, myself and one other built it out of scraps in a cave in-," her breath hitched, memories trying to overtake her, but she pushed them aside. "In Afghanistan. We succeeded in building it and used it to escape a situation that would be, in any other scenario, certain death. Our plan is to create the Iron Legion, a series of suits used for Search and Rescue or cleanup during natural or manmade disasters. Stark Industries created too many fissures, too many ruins of once peaceful towns, so the project will not be with the industry, but with me, which is also why SI is investing in the medical side of science, starting with trying to find a cure for degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease."
"I thought you was finished with weapons!" One male reporter from the back sneered, causing her to huf and roll her eyes.
"Never once did I say or even think that the Iron Legion would be retrofitted with any weapons. The red and gold suit seen targeting Ten Ring's bases is a prototype for a single, well trained flier in case of world-changing emergencies. Now, any questions?"
"Miss Stark, who is currently flying the red and gold suit?" Christine called out, and she grinned.
"Thank you, Miss Everhart. To answer your question," her grin grew sharper, more defensive. "I am flying Iron Man, and for the foreseeable future, I will be the main pilot and leader of the Legion. Thank you and good night."
As she walked behind the curtain, the last thing she expected to see was everyone looking as if they had literally been punched in the gut. "Guys?" she asked quietly, voice quivering. Pepper looked up, dangerously pale.
"Toni," she whispered, and with the other woman's name on her lips, their blood began to spill.
Sitting in the hospital waiting room anticipating news that could change your life forever: one of the absolute worst feelings in the world, if you ask Toni. And yet this situation seemed to be a recurring event in her life, a recurring nightmare that kept coming back to haunt her. They, her, Stane, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy and Yinsen, had all ate lunch at what seemed to be a nice little deli, and somehow, the food had been poisoned.
Apparently, thanks to the reactor, the poisoning from the Palladium cancelled out whatever was in their lunch, leaving her to pace up and down the halls as everyone rushed to get clean blood and an antidote in everyone before it was too late.
Somewhere in the haze, J had contacted Strange and somehow convinced the doctor to help out, though it was mainly to keep her calm as those she loved suffered behind those damned swinging doors. What was that old saying everyone knew? Life requires death. To stop one is to stop the other.
She had saved Yinsen and Stane… but at what cost? Her best friend who was always there for her, thick and thin? Her fiery assistent who was essentially her sister? Her bodyguard and brother? How many would die if she stopped Hammer and his mock-droids at the Convention? A cold chill ran down her spine at the thought. Ben and May took Peter to the Expo the night of the explosions, and they had barely survived. Hell, she barely saved Peter from a freaking droid…
"Do you know what it might have been?" Strange asked her as she returned back down the hall in a daze.
"Palladium poisoning cancels out a few, so I'd look there," she mumbled, but his sharp hearing caught it and he… stared. "What?"
"Palladium poisoning is certain death, Miss Stark," he answered. Oh, right, they didnt know about that quite yet.
"There's a cure, I just can't access it yet," she hedged. "I just… can't believe they'd try to do this as opposed to… what changed? What did I change?"
Toni Stark: Protecter of the World or Leader of the Damned?
Antonia Stark Under Investigation for Supposedly Poisoning Close Friends!
Will Toni Stark Face Justice for Attempted Murder?
With a smooth mask, she sent a quick text to JARVIS, asking him if he could round up all the media slandering her and begin to press charges. "Miss Stark, what do you have to say about the recent rumors that you closest circle of friends has been severely poisoned? Do you know who did it?"
"While the assassination attempt failed for me, it is true that several of my friends are currently in the hospital. I have a suspicion on who it is, but for everyone's safety's sake, I will not say it aloud. But know this: Any, and I mean any, more reports about me being the one who almost killed my friends will be met with more lawsuits than you can think off. That's all I will say, now please, leave me in peace."
Except, as the reporter ran off, her mind was left in a swirling darkness that she knew too well. It was her fault, wasn't it? If she had eaten alone like she had planned, none of this would have happened. Putting her hand over her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the tears form.
None of this would had happened if she had been alone.
Somewhere in her panicked state, she had gone onto the roof. As she stared at the sky, she heard someone walking up and sitting beside her. "The stars are beautiful." she said, not yet looking away. "Shiny, flawlessly patterned, set in an inky blackness that consumes everything and hides the monsters that live in the shadows."
"Impressive," Strange's voice said in a soft tone. "Very poetic. Anything else you'd like to share?"
"I hate the dark. It reminds me of all the times I got kidnapped. And then I look around and I see so many with blackened souls, and it…" she sighed, closing her eyes and hanging her head. "But then I look closer. There's so much blackness as a whole, we forget to look at the person. We take the dawn for granted, and when it comes, how many actually stop and stare? How many will remember what the blending colors looks like?"
"Will you?" His question made her startle, and she looked up. "If all it takes is one person to remember, will you take the responsibility all by yourself, or will you allow others to help you?"
She blinked, mind spinning. "I… I'd allow others to help," she finally whispered. "I've flown solo for so long, I just can't do it anymore." Strange let out a small hum and, before she could stop herself, she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. "If this feels wrong, tell me now," she mumbled into his chest upon feeling him stiffen. When he made no movement of any kind, she sighed and started to move away…
Just as he arms hesitantly wrapped around her.
Oh fuck I'm so screwed.
Finding yourself, as it turns out, is not a punch-in-the-face revelation that occurs after a grueling journey. In Toni's case, it's as simple as a hug from the person she cares for. After a minute of hugging from Strange, she was able to flee into Rhodey's room, feeling her face burning as she leaned against the door with wide eyes.
"I must admit, I didn't expect you to ever have that expression," he half joked. "What happened?"
Shaking her head, she pulled the chair up to his bed and laid her head down beside his hand, looking up at her best friend. "I… I think I'm starting to feel, honey bear."
"Romantic feelings?" At her nod, he smirked, obviously remembering one of their conversations. "Hell must be freezing over then."
"Oh shut up," she murmured, feeling his hand gently card through her hair. "You didn't get in too much trouble with the generals, did you?"
"Not as much as I should've if I'm being honest," he shrugged. "But if I had to choose between rules and saving you, Tones, I'd do it all again."
"I know," she murmured, half asleep and mouth filter off. "You're an awesome brother."
Now because of the back-to-back updates, I'm going to be taking a quick break from ELU to work on other stories, most notably We Were Wrong and An Ocarina of Time Tale. Please leave a review telling me what you think!
