Tony did it. He brought back Peter, he saved the universe. Too bad it was all for naught. The multiple snaps did nothing to bring back the people who died that weren't dusted. It did nothing but further break the universe apart. Tony wished for another chance and the stones decided to give it to him with the hope he'll be the one to save them all...again.
This fic is Team Iron Man so just a fair warning, I will not be nice to Captain Asshole or his merry band of shitheads...except Natasha...maybe :)
Tony felt as if he'd been here before…but this time it felt different. No, he knows the signs of organ failure; he's memorized how his heart stutters as it tries in vain to keep beating. He knows all of this; he's felt it before, but somehow, this feels different.
His heart isn't frantically beating. It's waiting for him to let go.
Even as his vision faded in and out, he could see everyone's expressions of grief. There was no rush to call a medic, no frantic pleas for him to hold on. There was silence, followed by Peter's sobs into Rhodey's chest while he tried in vain to calm the kid down. He wasn't doing a good job, not while trying to choke back his own sorrow. Finally, there was the sensation of Pep's hands running through his hair. A tactic she often used when he was panicking too much to hear her words. Tony understood at that moment, he was going to die. There was no denying it. He wasn't going to come back from this, yet he didn't want to leave. Why did he have to be the one to die?
"You can rest now," Pep's voice ghosted over his skin, and Tony wanted to cry. She was letting him go, and she shouldn't have to. He didn't want her to. He didn't want to rest, not like this. He wanted to live. He wanted to see his children grow up; he wanted to experience that bliss he had in those 5 years for the rest of his life.
And yet, here he was, seconds away from leaving the ones he cared about the most. You'd think the universe would give him a break after everything he's been through and everything he's done and given up. After Afghanistan and Stane, there was Vanko and New York, Mandarin, Ultron, Germany and Siberia, and eventually the shitstorm that happened 5 years ago. You'd think it'd be enough. Why should he give up his life when he's already given up so much?
The worst part was that he couldn't regret agreeing to this. He despised the fact that he had saved the universe while still being the one who had yet to be saved at all, but he couldn't find it in him to regret it. Not with Peter standing a few steps ahead of him, definitely not happy, and most likely not whole but alive, which meant he would heal. Perhaps not today, but Tony knew this wouldn't be the thing to break him. He couldn't regret it even while knowing he's left Morgan with one parent, she knew he loved her more than anything. So no, he couldn't feel bad about it, but he knew if he could, he'd carry the resentment with him wherever his soul led him.
Peter told him that they won.
They did, but he didn't.
Pepper told him he could rest.
He will, but he didn't want to.
Still, he couldn't prevent the moment his heart decided it was tired of waiting.
With his last breath, he wished for a chance to make it right.
Do it; he can fix it.
The question is, should we allow him to, or do we choose someone else?
If anyone can, he will.
He can't do it alone.
Then let him choose.