Tony could not recall anything that happened the past few hours. All he knew was Peter, his son, was holding his hand, and his husband, Steve Rogers-Stark, was hanging on by a thread on the other side of that glass. He could have sworn Bruce and Stephen were talking to him about Infinity Stones, those stupid rocks that started all of this mess, but what he heard was all white noise.
Am I in shock or something?
Supposedly, the Avengers all agreed that the best thing for Steve was to just let them go for it, and use the Stones to try to undo what Thanos had done. But the time for talking and speculating was over.
They were doing it.
Stephen looked at his phone, picking My Sweet Lord by George Harrison. Who knew he and Starlord had something in common? Great taste in music. Bruce would have preferred absolute silence, but knew the man needed to step center stage for something so tedious and if this was how he saved lives, then Bruce was going to let him.
Starlord sat down on the other side of Peter, patting him comfortably on the back, the rest of the Guardians waiting in anticipation. Clint and Natasha huddled off to the side. Even Thor came to support his friend, but itching to get back to Carol's room in case she woke up.
Stephen levitated the Time Stone, pausing when it was right in front of him. He turned to look at Tony one last time, Tony giving him the final nod of approval. Stephen turned to Bruce, who raised his eyebrows, as the surgical masks were covering most of their faces. Seeing Steve so small and helpless, the doctor pushed past all feelings of remorse for what he had put them through and moved the Time Stone equally between Steve and himself.
Bruce confirmed with FRIDAY all vitals, checking the scans on the computer.
Everyone held their breath.
"I love you..." Tony whispered. A tear fell down his cheek.
Holding his breath, Stephen Strange twisted his hand counter-clockwise. It was difficult, like trying to push a semi without assistance. Beads of sweat fell into his eyes as he strained to keep focus. His mind willed himself and the Stone to keep going, back to where this man should be.
They could not believe their eyes.
Hallelujah.
Green symbols of an ancient language surrounded Steve, to the point where it was almost blinding to look at. The doctor's hands started shaking, and for a moment, Stephen panicked. Call it PTSD, but at this point, he really did not care about his hands right now. He owed it to this man, who helped save the world more times than he realized.
Hallelujah.
Time is a funny thing. One person can change the course of history. And that was why every single member of these Avengers was so important. Every tiny thing they did brought tomorrow a new hope. Every decision they made, whether good or bad, eventually brought them here, to this moment.
And afterwards, they could finally rest.
Stephen kept shaking, he could feel his whole body about to collapse. This was a lot harder than an apple.
The last thing he remembered was seeing the super soldier once again take in a big breath before his world went black.
Tony leapt to his feet and bolted through the door, Bruce trying to process what just happened, check on Stephen, and keep Tony back. He chose Stephen, as Steve's vitals sky-rocketed to better than normal.
He was back! The serum was back! And FRIDAY confirmed that there were no signs of disease or decay of his once withering body.
"Steve?" Tony fell to his knees, gently stroking blonde hair. "You're alright now. It's ok. You don't have to wake up, just...I want you to know that you're alright."
He scooted over, allowing Peter to get beside him.
"Pops?" The boy's voice was embarrassingly higher than normal. "It's me, Peter...your son." He choked on that last word. "I've missed you so much. We won! I'm back, everybody is back now. We're all together again, just like the good ol' days." Peter cut himself off, as he deemed himself too cheesy to speak anymore. He squeezed Steve's hand and held it for a moment.
Then he almost jumped through the ceiling.
"Dad!"
Tony jumped himself out of his own skin, whipping his head around. "What's wrong?" Panic filled his eyes.
"I squeezed his hand." A hoarse voice whispered.
Tony could not take much more. Honestly, he would be perfectly fine with retiring from saving the universe every other day.
He blinked a wave of tears down his face. "...Steve?"
"Hey, honey." Steve smiled that crooked half smile that made Tony want to roll over.
"Are you..."
"I'm ok. Like you said." He used his other hand to pull Tony close for a kiss. "You're always right, remember?"
Tony laughed, letting out a pathetic sob.
"My friends." Thor knelt down on the other side of the bed, turning their attention to the young god. "This is a wonderful day, our prayers have been answered!" He laid his hand on Steve's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.
"Thank-you, Thor." Steve smiled.
"Uncle Thor!"
"By Odin's beard, COME HERE MY LITTLE SPIDER!" Peter vaulted across the foot of the bed, Thor catching him and spinning him around like he used to do when he was smaller. "WELCOME BACK!"
"It's good to be back, I thought I just passed out after having the worst stomach ache..." He turned to see his dads together, happy at last. After all this time.
"What's all the fuss about?" Clint walks again, a huge smile on his face. Peter almost knocks the archer over with a bear hug, but took it easy as Natasha kissed him on the head, embracing him as more tears appeared from her.
She was so happy to have all of her babies back safe and sound.
"How are you feeling, Steve?" Bruce came over, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Breathing ok? Let me check your heart and lungs real quick."
Tony forced himself to give his friend some space, as they all came to find out that Steve was perfectly healthy again. He noticed Stephen was missing. Maybe he had gone to check on Carol?
Going down the hallway, he heard a crash and ran around the corner.
"Hey! Ok, come here." Tony reached down and helped the fallen man up, his hands shaking, breath heavy and labored. He sat him down on a small couch.
"I...was just going...to, uh, check on..."
"Yeah, ok. Take a second. You deserve a timeout...not too literally, I should say."
"I am Groot?" They turned to see Groot, game nowhere to be found, with his head cocked to the side.
"Um...Tony Stark." He awkwardly waved as the teenager rolled his eyes and walked off.
"Tony..." Tony focused back on the doctor. "I am so sorry about all of this. I knew everything that was going to happen, even up to this moment. That's as far as I got. I-"
"I'm going to stop you right there." How dare he stress me out overnight, not telling me he knew the outcome of not only how they won, but how he was able to bring Steve back no problem. Could've saved him an ulcer. "You saved our lives." Tony began. He teared up. "You saved my life just now. Because I can't live without that man in there nor my son. I owe you everything."
Stephen smirked. "So sentimental."
Tony sniffed. "This does not leave us. Or I will ruin you. I have a reputation to maintain."
"So do I."
To Stephen's surprise, Tony hugged him. "Thank-you."
"You're welcome..."
Tony could feel the slightest vibrate, and pulled back to notice Stephen's hands were shaking.
"What's wrong? Was it the Stone?"
He shook his head. "That took a lot out of me. I always use some energy to keep my hands steady, as they will never be permanently healed." At Tony's look of curiosity, he said, "For another time. I'm just...so weak right now, I can't..."
"I got it. You're beat." Tony stepped back, offering his hand to help him up. "Why don't you go lay down for a while?"
"I need to check on-"
"I can help Bruce with her." Tony cut in. "Please. I don't need you passing out on me during dinner tonight."
Stephen sighed. "I need to return to the Sanctum."
"Wong has been doing just fine. If he can survive six months, he can survive a bit longer till you are back on your feet again. I can send a letter via owl for you."
Stephen rolled his eyes. "You really are a handful, Stark."
"That's why they love me."
Tony was making his way back to Steve's room when he suddenly heard a shriek, followed shortly by Thor sprinting down the hall from where he just came from.
I swear, one more surprise, and the arc reactor is going to short circuit.
Thor slammed the door open a little too roughly to find Carol had supposedly thrown herself off the bed. He bent down slowly, not wanting to startle her anymore than she already was.
"Carol? Look at me, look at me."
Big, terrified eyes shot to him, then went in all different directions before settling onto the floor in between them.
Why was her arm on fire? She inspected it, confirming that it really was not engulfed in flames, it just hurt really bad.
"It's alright." Thor slowly laid his hand on her shoulder. "You're ok. You just have a few minor injuries here and there."
"...Thor?" She tried to clear her throat and twitched in shock as she realized Thor had quickly offered her a glass of water. Her lips tentatively engulfed the end of the straw.
"Slowly, slowly." He pulled it away, which she did not really like. "Come on, let's get you back up." He slowly got her up onto her feet, and without hardly taking away support, her legs gave out and she fell into his chest. "Ok...ok..." He laughed softly. Gently picking her up, she was back on the bed, followed by pillows and blankets.
She sighed feeling so comfortable, but was still so confused.
"Thor?"
"Yes, my love?"
She fought back tears. "Did it work?"
Thor did as well. He kissed her forehead. "...Yes...yes, you did it. Everyone is reunited, all over the universe..." He looked down, and lowered his voice. "You scared me to death, though. I thought I had lost you. But...you are a lot stronger than I ever gave you credit for."
Carol sobbed, reaching for Thor who obliged by hugging her gently.
"They're ok."
"Yes. But what about you?"
"I feel..." She really did not know. She felt lost again, like a part of her was hidden away, and she could not find it. She felt empty.
She felt...
"Carol?" Thor coaxed. "You're shaking." He wrapped a blanket around her, getting up to reposition himself against the bed, pulling her back down into his chest.
"I...I don't know what's wrong with me..."
"Nothing is wrong with you. Whatever made you think that?"
"I think my powers are gone..."