Seeing his people settle into the buildings of Wakanda, numbers reduced but still standing, and maybe, just maybe finally out of danger, Thor finally allowed himself to smile for once. If nothing else, he could at least have the remaining Asgardian and Sakaarian refugees to watch over with pride. They had little to no supplies when they arrived, given that the escape pods weren't exactly designed to carry much more than its occupants, so it wasn't that difficult a transition for the most part. Of course, there were some people visibly shaken by recent events, mainly from the children, but that… Thor knew that was to be expected.

"Everyone's present and accounted for, Your Majesty," Valkyrie had snuck behind him without a moment's notice, startling the king. "I gotta say, it's not like I remember it on Asgard, but eh, I spent the last thousand years rotting away on Sakaar anyway."

"Thank you, Valkyrie," Thor said with a distant smile that couldn't match his words. The warrior picked up on it right away.

"Is something wrong? Our numbers may be low, but the people are safe. That's all that matters," she reminded him.

"Yes, I know," Thor replied, still contemplating what was to come. "But as king, I have to be prepared for any eventuality. The people of Midgard will know we're here sooner or later, and I fear they won't be very welcoming."

Valkyrie patted the hilt of her sword slotted into the sheath. "We'll be ready for them."

Thor sighed, but didn't fault her for the response. After all, she had lived in an era where all her king did was charge into battle and drape the cosmos in blood. "We will, but in a different manner," Valkyrie gave Thor a befuddled look. "I'm talking about diplomatically sorting out our relations to the people here. No need for swordplay or killing undead armies—not that they have any here—but seriously, no violence in general. We can work this out peacefully. You know, like how you and the Grandmaster were able to come to that mutual agreement of yours."

"I was enslaving people and leading them to their deaths," she stated flatly. "And that was only after I proved myself in his orgy sessions."

"I-uh… really… didn't need to know that."

"Well how else do you think people gained his favor?!" Valkyrie retorted in frustration.

"Okay, never mind that. Point is, we aren't citizens on Ear—Midgard. Right now, we have to approach them peacefully so they'll at least give us a chance. No taking matters into the arms of battle, no not so subtle threats, none of that."

"Define subtle," Valkyrie said with a deadpan look.

"… Just don't be rash, please?"

"Ugh, fine," Valkyrie pouted as she reluctantly came to agreement. "Since when did Midgardians become so hostile, anyway? I knew it was an isolated realm, but bloody hell, might as well have resorted to Xandar if they were so hospitable."

"I thought I already told you, Thanos decimated Xandar last week."

"Yeah, you may have," Valkyrie replied halfheartedly, chugging down a bottle of booze much less concentrated than what she was used to drinking on Sakaar. "But by the Norns, perhaps my listening skills could use some improvement."

"Good, it's always important to acknowledge one's deficiencies," Thor said daringly, knowingly ignoring the jest in her comment. Though he quickly backpedaled once a dagger made its way to his throat. "Bad taste, sorry. Anyway, upon the event we do have to face Midgardian government in some manner, I'm making you my right hand."

Valkyrie lowered the weapon, more out of confusion than anything else. "Your what?"

"My right hand woman. You know, Asgard's official representative other than me."

"… You want me to represent Asgard?"

"Yes of course, the people will enjoy your presence."

"I'm honored Thor, really, but I haven't served Asgard in such a manner since well… ever."

"Better get used to it then, because it's either you, one of Asgard's commoners, or Miek."

"If you're really considering a creature that has blades for hands, I suppose I really am your best option then," Valkyrie said with a sigh of resignation.

"Glad we could come to an agreement," Thor replied jovially, smirking at his method of persuasion.

"Alright, so we have the potential threat of petty Midgardians, what's our damn plan here?" Valkyrie huffed impatiently.

Thor shrugged, clicking his tongue in thought. "Get the people acquainted here, if we aren't welcomed, well there are seven other realms. But then again, only Vanaheim would really provide hospitality… that's about as far as I've thought things out."

"But, as for right now," he continued, suddenly shifting his tone. "You need to take a break."

"Your Majesty…" Valkyrie rolled her eyes, but was secretly glad to see him care so much for the well-being of others. It just annoyed her that this attitude extended to her as well.

"You've been up and about ever since our ship got attacked. Take a break, get your mind off things for a bit, that's an order from your king."

Valkyrie scoffed at the notion of Thor ordering her around. Like that went so well on Sakaar. Regardless, she turned to explore the rest of the ridiculously advanced city by Midgardian standards anyhow. And just like old times as a Scrapper, she wandered along without a destination, goal, or concise thought in mind, simply living, if you could call it that.

Tony went to see off Steve and Rhodey as they made final preparations for their meeting with the UN in Geneva. There, they'd be facing down what was left of the Accords Council, the World Security Council, and the official representatives of each country. Tony contemplated tagging along, but decided his heart wasn't quite ready to face more political scrutiny yet. Practically everyone on the planet thought he was dead, and Tony wasn't going to correct them just yet.

"So, this is it, huh?" Tony asked as the two men stood before him.

"Yeah," Rhodey finally said after a quaint silence.

"You got your notes ready?" Rhodey nodded. "Don't deviate from your script, just say what you need to say—"

"Don't give them any ammo, be prepared to have everything you say dissected, molecule by molecule," the former colonel finished. "I know Tony, we've rehearsed this for meetings a thousand times for the last two years."

Tony allowed himself a smile; Rhodes would always be there with him at least. "You gonna be alright, Cap? The beard'll probably intimidate them a bit, which is good, but it's been a while since you've been in a public setting like this." He paused to consider just how wrong it could all go. The most wanted fugitive of the Accords in a room full of pissed off government officials looking to find a scapegoat for the world being thrown into anarchy.

What could go wrong?

"You know they'll go after you, Rogers. Hard. In fact, I'm surprised you guys are even allowed to attend this meeting, how'd you pull it off?"

"Rhodey used what was left of his political pull, told them the gist of what happened today, the UN let us go. Probably just to arrest me, but we're expecting that," Steve explained.

"If it was you working the phones Tony, I'm sure they wouldn't even bat an eye," Rhodey remarked. "You've practically been a model citizen for the Accords, they weren't very happy with me once I let Steve and the others in."

"Yeah, well no doubt they've been keeping an eye on me. Probably would've done something eventually to violate some tedious subsection of the Accords. It was hard enough to keep them from getting their hands on my suits, but now it's gonna be absolute hell."

Steve nodded in agreement, glad that Tony showed some resentment towards the Accords that he suspected was lingering even though he signed. "It'll be tough, but someone has to do it." In light of everything else that happened recently, angry government officials were honestly the least intimidating of them all. He had already faced down Ross, what was a couple hundred more to him?

"Guess you guys should get going," Tony stated conspicuously before pulling in Rhodey for a hug, to the surprise of them both. "Try to make it back in one piece, alright?"

"I'll see what I can do," Rhodes replied with a chuckle, the two best friends for as long as they both could recall enjoying the banter. In times like this, the little things really did seem much more magnified.

"Steve." The two alpha males stared at one another for a good couple of seconds, both coming to understand the difficulties lying ahead and the necessity of working together, working to move past what conflict had befallen them prior given the world's current state. It wouldn't be easy to mend that bridge or cross it once the time came, but perhaps this could be a start.

"Good luck out there," was the phrase Tony eventually settled on.

Steve nodded in compliance, before donning his usual serious Cap expression. "Call her, okay? She knows you're here, but to hear you actually speak…" he trailed off, the message clear.

"I know," Tony stated simply, a wistful look of longing appearing briefly in his eyes. A harmonic silence spread throughout the Wakandan landing port, shattered only when Steve and Rhodes began to shuffle away to the Quinjet, simple waves of goodbye being exchanged.

But before they could takeoff, a "Good god" escaped Steve's mouth, prompting Tony to turn around and find one Natasha Romanoff walking towards them. And she had her classic look of determination in her eye, accompanied by a slight grin on her face, arguably her deadliest weapon of all.

"Nat," Steve's voice seemed weary at her presence. "What are you doing?"

"Why, I'm coming with you of course," she replied good-naturedly.

"I thought we already had this discussion. You said you weren't one for the cameras and all that."

Natasha shrugged. "To be honest, I was more on the fence than anything. But I gave it some thought, and I figured, it'd be best to draw at least some attention off your arrival. Besides, I can be quite convincing even in hostile environments."

"I don't know," Steve said with a shake of his head. "It could just be a trap to detain us. Ross wasn't very happy when we arrived at the compound."

"Technically, I am still a signed member of the Accords."

"Who stunned T'Challa at the airport and allowed two violators to escape while also assisting said violators for the past two years," Steve pointed out.

"He's got a point there, Romanoff," Tony chimed in, to be met by a more half-hearted glare from the former agent than anything else.

Natasha huffed in frustration. "Look, I'm coming one way or another, you must realize that by now, right?"

"I think I did ever since this conversation started," Steve admitted in resignation before turning to the other man accompanying him. "Rhodey, you think this'll work out?"

The colonel gave a tentative nod. "I think I should be able to get her clearance. I'll have to wrangle a few objectors with all the political pull I have left, but it'll be fine."

"Alright, welcome to the crew then, Nat," Steve said, extending his hand outward. She took it, stepping into the Quinjet with her usual grace and precision. Tony had forgotten just how tactical the woman could be when it came down to convincing others, just by how fluid she was with her words, the calm in her tone. Oh, she was good alright.

"See… you guys around then," Tony said as farewells were passed around once more.

This time, there was no sudden interruption as the aircraft took off into the sky, leaving Tony to his thoughts once more. To his dismay, all of his suit's systems were offline; the pulse of the arc reactor being the only constant. FRIDAY wasn't even operational thanks to his encounter with Thanos. He made a mental note to repair it once he got back to New York. Still, that could wait.

Trudging back towards the interiors of Wakanda, he remembered he had a phone call to make.

The ceremony had a solemn mood this time around, and although tears weren't shed (that could wait for the procession of funerals and mourning to come), it wasn't like any ceremony of past. This time around, the new ruler wasn't a new generation of leadership, the circumstances surrounding the country altogether were unfathomable, and a sense of unease reverberated throughout the tribes.

Shuri stood near the base of the waterfall, dressed in a traditional warrior outfit with a few touches. She had smeared her face with black paint marks in a similar manner as T'Challa, with the unnatural feeling of a spear and wooden shield in hand, and most notably, she wasn't cracking jokes or disrupting the process this time around. In fact, she had only just managed to get her lip to stop quivering a few moments prior.

Ramonda stood in her usual position, putting on a strong face for the rest of the Wakandans. Never could she have imagined she would've lived to see another ceremony, certainly not one where a new generational heir would rise. But of course, this was different. Her son may have been on the brink of death two years ago, she had a sense of foreboding for the several weeks following the incident and the civil war that ensued, but even so, never could she have been ready for his passing so early on. The still grieving mother could sense herself losing to the dark thoughts, but fortunately in that moment, her attention was drawn away to the base of the falls. The ceremonial speaker—an older woman who appeared jaded by the recent events that took place—was ready to begin.

The drumming and chants in Xhosa stopped, and what was left of the Wakandan tribes stood respectfully at attention. "We are gathered here today," the speaker began, observantly looking at the tribes up and down. "not to mourn, but to honor the memory of our fallen with the crowning of a new ruler."

"I am tasked to bestow the mantle of the Black Panther upon Shuri, may her brother's soul rest in the ancestral plane," the speaker continued, as respectful murmurs went in the air. "As by tradition, the mantle cannot be passed just yet however. Victory in ritual combat… will come either by yield or death. If any tribe wishes to put forth a warrior for a path to throne, the offer now stands."

The tribes all were unanimous in their decisions not to challenge. Though the throne had never been passed down by blood, they were faced with a very extraneous situation here. Wakanda could ill afford more bloodshed after losing half their warriors already. Just as the speaker was ready to crown Shuri, a chant could be heard coming from the caves. Sure enough, the Jabari tribe emerged from the opening moments later.

The blood practically drained from Ramonda's face. Shuri only had moderate training at best in terms of hand to hand combat, and that was being generous. If one of their warriors, or god forbid, M'Baku dared to challenge… she couldn't lose both her children, she simply couldn't.

M'Baku stood ramrod, taking a brief look at the scenery before turning to address the speaker. "The Jabari tribe…"

Ramonda closed her eyes. Shuri had a fierce look of anger on her face, prepared for a fight.

"… will not be challenging today." Gasps of surprise spread throughout the tribes. Though M'Baku had been on good terms with T'Challa, the memory of the Jabari leader voicing his displeasure towards Shuri during T'Challa's coronation had not been forgotten. His announcement caught them off guard given that the throne was quite literally there for the taking.

M'Baku chuckled at the rampant confusion. "We simply came here to honour the passing of the Black Panther mantle," he stated before turning to Ramonda. "Your son has done more for us than all rulers of the past centuries. I respected him, now I am paying it forward."

Shuri sported a relieved smile, taking solace in the fact she wouldn't have to engage in combat. The speaker addressed her and the tribes. "Very well. I now present to you… Queen Shuri, the Black Panther!"

Exhilarating cheers and smiles spread quickly with roars of approval, and while Shuri wasn't looking forward to the burdens that came with being queen, she could at least attempt to enjoy the moment without the thought of her brother's death looming over him. So she smiled through it all, especially once the tooth necklace was hung around her neck. She turned to face each tribe leader in thanks, eye contact lingering when she got to M'Baku, who had become one of T'Challa's higher confidents recently. The smile he gave her was earnest, confident, and reassuring all at the same time, and when she realized this look was being mirrored with the other warriors there, Shuri suddenly didn't feel so daunted with the responsibilities thrusted upon her now, at least for the moment.

Maybe she could do this.

Navigating the hallways of this vast Wakandan building was a chore for Tony, but eventually he was able to get his hands on a satellite phone with the help of some technicians, the skeleton crew still working.

Flopping down onto a decorated couch, Tony hesitated for only the slightest of instances before inputting the digits. After all, it was Pepper he was calling for crying out loud, not a fugitive in Steve Rogers who he hadn't been on speaking terms with. The call was picked up on the third ring, each successive one causing his heartbeat to spike.

"Hello?" she sounded tentative, likely due to the fact she had apparently bunkered down in one of Stark Industries' safe rooms for maybe a good day or so after what Thanos had done.

Still, her voice was all he needed to hear. "Pe-Pepper, it's—" he started.

"Oh my god, Tony? Tony, are you okay? They—" her voice broke and Tony wished he could reach over and just hold her right that instant. "They said you were stabbed, and I… the whole day I've been on edge, just waiting…"

"I know, Pepper, and I'm sorry for making you worry like that. But they fixed me up, and I'm okay now."

"God… all this and it's hasn't even been two days. How'd you heal so fast?"

"Wakanda, its technology is even more impressive than advertised. Just amazing," Tony said with a slight shake of his head. "But enough about me, how are you doing? Is everything… okay?"

He could almost hear her rolling her eyes at the question. "First, a wizard comes to you with some sparklers and asks you to save the universe, then you head into space, and next thing I know, people are fading away right in front of me. How do you think I'm doing?"

She didn't really sound mad, more like having come to terms with what had happened. Tony could sense the fire in her though, and judging from her tone, the ripened seeds of a subsequent argument were planted with those words. "You're right, bad question. How's everyone else holding up?"

"Happy's... gone," Tony's heart ached at her confirming his suspicions regarding his longtime bodyguard. "I gave whoever's left of our workers a leave of absence until further notice. Not that I needed to since everyone bailed on their jobs when the panic settled in."

He was about to offer useless condolences, a formality at this point, when Pepper continued. "Tony, we—I need you here. And I know it's a big part of you, but this hero complex of yours…" she spoke with pure raw emotion weighing on her. "You'll do everything you can to protect people, and there's a part of me that'll always appreciate it… But what happens on the one day you don't come back?"

Pepper was on the verge of hysterics after turning the conversation in a completely different direction. Tony knew there would no dissuading her, still he tried anyway. "Pepper…"

"It almost happened yesterday! No one knew where you were Tony, everyone took you for dead on an alien spaceship. I… I just can't take it. If we're going to take the next step…" her voice broke again.

In the pause that followed, Tony was very meticulous in the selection of his next words. What Pepper had said resonated strongly with him, but in spite of that, he had still gone on his 'one-way ticket' aboard the flying donut to try and stop Thanos, hadn't he? If he lost his life, well then so be it if it meant the majority would live. Not that I was given much of a choice, the bitter thought entered his mind as he recalled the memory of the bargain to save his life. Thinking forward, the prospect of settling down with Pepper and maybe even starting a family was certainly enticing, but could he really just retire the hero mantle altogether, give up being Iron Man, a staple of his identity to do so? He had already tried once, but there was always that constant tug, the feeling that he could be more. Sitting on the sidelines just wasn't his forte.

For Pepper though, it would be worth it… he believed it, he had to.

"You know what, I completely agree," Tony said, his voice finally finding him. "I can't lose you either, and I know I've said it before, but if it's between the suit and you, I'll always choose you. Simple."

"Tony… I want to believe you, I really do, but what happens during the next another world ending event? Will you really be able to turn away?"

Tony hesitated for the briefest of moments, not wanting to make a promise he couldn't keep. "I'll think of something. Unmanned suits, drones, maybe work out a system with FRIDAY. I'm gonna commit though Pepper, I promise," he vowed, before lowering his voice to almost a hushed whisper. "When I got stabbed, all I could think of was how I failed everyone, how I failed you. And I knew how quick life could come and go, but to go through that myself… you're never truly ready for it."

Pepper remained silent, likely brooding in thought at what he had said. Tony took the opportunity to push forward. "I'll come home soon Pepper, don't worry. Just hold out a little longer for me, okay?"

"Okay," the word came out laced with a flurry of emotion that made Tony's heart melt.

"We'll get through this Pepper. Together. I promise," Tony said with all the conviction he could muster.

"We will," she replied softly.

They exchanged goodbyes and more reassurances before Tony finally had the will to hang up, his mind in a much better place than prior to the conversation. Hearing Pepper's voice was just what he needed, but with the new question of whether he would truly give up being Iron Man… the answer would reveal itself in time. Thanos made everyone else he fought pale in comparison, and nothing would measure up to the destruction and chaos he caused. He doubted any extraterrestrial would even be interested in taking over Earth a la Loki in the universe's current state, so that left internal threats. As for those, it seemed that the world was constantly expanding on superpowered beings, maybe someone else could handle it. Maybe he could just retire and live out the rest of his life with some semblance of peace in mind. But the feeling of failure, it would always weigh on him, so much so that he wondered in the moment, if he would even hesitate at a chance for redemption in battle.

Regardless, any decision he made about the issue would have to be concise and well thought out. He has time though, right?

Thanks for reading everyone! Apologies if this chapter seems too fillery and dialogue heavy, I'm really just trying to set things up for future chapters, hopefully it all goes as planned. And yes, I lied, Rocket wasn't in this chapter, he'll definitely be in the next one though for those of you who read these messages. It's honestly hard for me to write these heart-to-heart talks because we don't see too many of them in the MCU, so it's hard for me to gauge if everyone is in character or not, but hey I do my best anyway.

Be sure to review, rate, follow, fav, and all that good stuff if you're enjoying the content! Sorry this chapter came out pretty late, I chalk it up to some lack of motivation (my mind's on future chapters) and juggling responsibilities like school in my life.

Until next time faithful readers,

-BasketballIsFun