Here's another one. (:
This one is slightly happier, but not by much.
Ironman isn't mine, obviously. Mistakes are.
"Oh, God. Oh, no. Stay with me Tony, please." she begged him through the tears pouring out of her puffy, red eyes. Blood seeped between her trembling fingers and stained his white shirt. My favorite shirt, he mused to himself. The little trickles of the cherry ooze that fell from the wound tickled the sides of his stomach when finally pooling on the ground.
He yelped in surprise when she applied more pressure and squirmed helplessly. "Jeez, Potts." his voice rasped. "Ouch."
Little white snowflakes wisped around in erratic patterns, some deciding to land in his dark head of hair and pale face. Others landing on the trees, piling onto the branches like white shadows. It was beautiful, especially the ones that clung to Pepper's desperate expression and curly bounce.
"Relax." he breathed uneasily. "I'll be fine."
Both of them knew this was an outright lie, he wasn't going to be alright. The way his eyes seemed to be impossible to keep from rolling in the back of his head, the way the pain seemed to be fading away instead of gaining intensity, and the way Pepper's stained figure went slack were all indications of this.
"No. . . " she cried in defeat. "No. You- you can't leave me, Anthony Stark." A light slap to his arm followed suit.
"You'll be fine." he corrected slowly as it seemed to get harder and harder to breathe.
"No I won't." she warbled and plopped her head onto his shoulder, wet hair hitting his cheek.
He started to float then. Like letting go of someone's hand, a hand you'd been holding onto quite awhile; one that was warm and familiar, exchanging it for something cold and strange. It was a pleasant strange, though. Peaceful and light.
He tried to stop with the withering strength he had. He yelled at his body to let him feel the pain of the gunshot in his lower abdomen. That way he'd know he was human, like everyone else and not just some novelty superhero who made a slight mistake in projection. But it wasn't happening and it wasn't going to. The only pain he did feel was the deep heartache slowing in his chest. The thought of never seeing his wife again egged it on, making salty tears pool into his eye lids like the liquid that continued to flow freely from the black hole. It made him feel sticky and stiff.
"Virginia." he addressed sternly, straining to caress her sobbing head still on his shoulder. The new pain of trying to stay in his dead-weight body added to clench of his teeth. "I have to go." He whispered plainly.
A whimper sounded from her lips.
"No."
"Yes." he chuckled. The new vibration in his lungs caused a coughing fit to take place. "I love you." he struggled when he was able to speak again. "And I always will."
She looked up and wiped her nose.
"Don't say that. Don't- -" A warbled noise escaped. "People only say that when they're saying goodbye."
He sucked in a sharp breath before shakily replying "But I am leaving, Potts." Wind brushed past her nose.
"I'm sorry. . . " he said shakily when she didn't reply.
She looked away quietly and took her hand off of the dark spot, the loose toboggan slipping off of her head.
He couldn't hold back any longer. The nagging pull of his spirit jerked in agitation. He circled the wedding band on his finger around as a habit and smiled.
"Let me die a man, Pepper."
A few seconds passed and when she dared to look into his endearing chocolate brown orbs, they stared back at her, void and lifeless.
The now red colored snow lay beneath her, while new blankets began to fall. It covered Tony in the most natural casket.
333
It snowed here yesterday and this is the image that popped into my head while watching it fall outside of my window. So there you go. (:
Review, please.
I like em'.