I've had this story in my head for awhile now, so I thought I'd write it down.
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"I am inevitable."
Tony had lost track of the gauntlet.
One second Thanos had it and was about to snap, and then Steve and Carol were attacking.
He was waiting for an opening to jump in, when he suddenly noticed that Steve, whose helmet had been removed, was on his knees with the gauntlet on his hand.
How the hell did it get there?
That didn't matter.
Tony could see it. The fire and determination burning fiercely in Steve's eyes.
"And...I'm just a kid from Brooklyn," Steve got out, his voice strained.
Tony knew where this was going. He knew what Steve was about to do, and he had an idea of what the consequence was going to be.
"Steve, wait!"
Steve snapped his fingers and everything went white.
Seconds passed before the white light faded and Tony was able to get his bearings.
The alien army was turning into dust and disappearing.
"He did it," he murmured, looking around for Steve.
The Captain had completely vanished.
He shot into the air to get a better view, and finally spotted him on the ground a few feet from where he had been, leaning heavily against a mound of dirt.
Sam was kneeling in front of him, his hand resting on Steve's shoulder.
"Cap!" He flew over and landed behind Sam, who moved to the side, allowing Tony to take his place. "Hey. Cap. Hey buddy," he looked over the damage that had been done by the gauntlet. Burns were traveling up his entire left side of his body, to his face. "You stole my move. I had this whole idea planned out and you swooped in and stole all the glory. Which again, is typically my move."
Steve's head fell back against the mound, his mouth turning up slightly.
Tony sighed and placed his hand on Steve's chest, "Friday?"
"Life signs critical," Friday reported solemnly.
They didn't have long.
He nodded, "okay. Alright," he swallowed and met Steve's gaze. The fire of determination had been replaced with a look of acceptance and peace.
Tony took a breath, searching for the right words to say. "This is supposed to be me, buddy. I was going to do that. I had this whole hero move thought out. Honestly feeling a bit jipped right now."
"Second...chance..." Steve got out, his voice barely over a whisper.
Tony bowed his head, emotion building up in him; gratitude building up in him. "Thank you," he looked up again and smiled, feeling tears slip down his cheeks. "It has been an honor, Captain."
He felt someone touch his shoulder.
Bucky was standing behind him, ready for his turn to say goodbye.
Tony nodded, and met Steve's gaze one last time, before reluctantly moving to the side.
"Hey pal," Bucky crouched down in front of Steve, and gently caressed the back of his head. "You're always making the big play," he put on a smile, despite the overwhelming feeling of sadness that was quickly consuming him. Steve was his one connection to life before HYDRA, and it killed him inside to be losing him. To be losing his best friend. "You're still the same little guy from Brooklyn who didn't know how to back down from a fight."
Steve leaned his head slightly into Bucky's hand, "End...of...the line."
Bucky nodded, "Yeah. We made it to the end of the line. You and me, pal."
Steve was fading, and fast.
The seconds they had to exist together were running out.
Again.
They always seemed to be saying goodbye to each other.
Bucky took a small breath, preparing himself for the next words. Preparing himself to say goodbye. "Go get that dance," he said softly.
Steve's eyes slowly slipped close, his face went slack and his head fell back.
Bucky sighed heavily and closed his eyes, "I won't do anything stupid. I promise."
. . .
Tony walked up the steps to his house, stopping as the door banged open and Morgan ran out. "Hey!" He caught her as she jumped into his arms, wrapping his own arms around her as tightly as he could. "I missed you so much!"
He could feel his heart pounding.
He was alive.
He was okay.
Morgan was in his arms.
He had a second chance.
"Guess what?"
She pulled away so that she could look at him in the face, "what?"
"I'm never leaving you for a long time again."
"Promise?" She held up her pinkie finger.
He smiled, and brought his own pinkie up to wrap around her little one. "I promise."
She looked at him, her eyes going over his face, and her head tilted slightly. "You're sad."
He chuckled weakly, and hugged her again. "I'm just...sad that I was gone for so long. That's all."
The door of the house opened, and Pepper walked out.
"Why don't you go see if you can find any ducks in the water. Alright? I'll come in just a minute."
Morgan nodded, "Okay."
He kissed her cheek, and set her on the ground, watching her run off towards the lake. He then looked back at Pepper who was leaning against the post of the railing. "Is it weird that I think she's grown since I left."
"Nope," she held out her hands to him.
He continued up the stairs and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head into her neck and shoulder. "It's been a long few days."
"Have you guys decided on a day for the funeral?" She asked after a few minutes.
"Yeah," he pulled away. "This Thursday. We're going to bury him in Brooklyn, by his parents. We've arranged a proper burial and ceremony for him and Natasha. It is, after all, what they deserve. They saved the world. The universe."
"How's everybody holding up?"
He shook his head, "everyone's a bit in shock. We thought that the time mission was going to be an easy win. Get the stones and fix everything. I think we all knew that it was naive to not expect a big battle, but...we were all holding out hope. And then to lose both Steve and Natasha on the same day..." He trailed off and ran his hand down his mouth. "It was a big hit and it's going to take awhile for everyone to adjust."
Pepper nodded and took his hand, "how are you doing?"
He took a long breath, "I'm exhausted. It still hasn't sunk in," he cleared his throat and looked down. "I sort of feel like I'm going to find him at the compound running drills...but then again the compound was destroyed." He fell silent and shook his head, "I know that Steve and I...we had our disagreements, but he was..."
"He was your friend. They both were," Pepper finished quietly. "That pain isn't just going to go away, Tony. It's going to take time."
Tony nodded, "I know. I know. It was just...unexpected. I had the plan to do...what he did, and-"
"He gave you a second chance, Tony. He gave us a second chance. He knew that you deserve peace. You deserve the life that is now before you. Steve deserved rest and he took his chance to get it."
Tony nodded slowly.
He knew that she was right. Of course she was right. Steve had given him the chance to be with Morgan. To be a dad that stuck around and watched her grow up. He had all the time he could ever dream of having.
And he wasn't going to waste it.
"I think I'm done," he said after a few minutes of watching Morgan play by the lake. "This is my life now. You and her. No more world ending events. I'm devoting every minute of the rest of my life to being here. To being present."
"Are you going to be able to rest at night?"
He looked at Pepper and chuckled, "why do you think we have the garage?"
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Thank you for reading.
I'm debating on writing the actual funeral scene, we'll see.
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