Work Text:
Tony fought with desperation fuelling his moves. Their one chance at ending this whole thing had been blown to hell and a part of him felt resentful at Quill for that. If they had removed the gauntlet, he would have stepped back and let Quill pummel Thanos to the ground for as long as he wanted. Hell, he would have let the Guardians and that crazy ass blue woman tear into Thanos for killing their team mate.
Now though, now that chance was gone, Thanos crashed a moon onto Titan, and everyone else was nowhere to be found. He didn’t know if the Guardians were still alive, he didn’t know where Peter was, and he lost sight of Strange when Thanos threw them all off.
So Tony did the best he could - he fought. He fought with everything he had and more. He pushed his suit faster, harder, spinning around the titan, slamming into him and blasting his face repeatedly. A thrill of hope ran through him when the titan came away from the assault wounded. Thanos himself grinned, seemingly enjoying the challenge that Tony presented. He sent a wave of power tinged with purple at him, and Tony braced himself, taking a leaf out of Cap’s page and hiding behind a shield. Before the dust had even settled he shot forward, turning at the last moment to slam his feet into Thanos, flipping in mid-air to form a hammer – thanks Thor – to smash into the side of the titan’s face.
The two of them crashed against each other repeatedly, Tony becoming more and more desperate with every blow.
Finally, Thanos’ hand caught the leg of the Tony’s suit, slamming him into the ground. Tony forced himself to focus just in time to block the punch that was aimed at his head. The titan pummelled him mercilessly. Tony panicked when Thanos clamped a hand around his face plate and yanked –
Tony fired his repulsors blindly, calling up his armour to cover his face before Thanos could crush him. The titan stumbled backwards and Tony activated the repulsors in his boot, the suit carrying him backwards. However, those few seconds weren’t enough for Tony. Thanos recovered almost immediately and leapt towards him.
The genius caught the blow on his forearms, backtracking as he tried to keep ahead of Thanos’ assault. He tried to land several blows, but the titan was too close and advancing too fast. He gasped when a backhand from Thanos tore off his face plate. His arms raised instinctively as the next blow landed, his eyes widening.
His armour was torn in several places, his hoodie a poor protection against the onslaught of the mad titan. At the end of his wits, Tony formed a blade with whatever nanites he had left, thrusting it towards the titan’s left arm.
Thanos caught his arm and broke the blade, and in a move so quick Tony didn’t register it until it was over, the titan flipped the edge ad drove it deep into his chest.
Stunned, Tony stared wide-eyed at Thanos, who’s visage had seemingly softened, a tinge of regret in the alien’s eyes. Tony sucked in a breath, eyes flicking downwards. He knew the blade protruded from his back, but he couldn’t feel any pain, just a slight pressure from where it had entered his body. Looking back up at Thanos, the alien murmured, “You have earned my respect Tony Stark, I hope your name will be remembered by your people.”
The titan jerked his hand backwards, the blade sliding clean out of Tony’s body.
A strangled noise tore itself from his throat as the blade slide out, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. His knees felt numb, and when Thanos let go of his arm, Tony crumpled to the ground, energy seeping out of him as his blood stained the sand beneath him.
Stephen Strange pulled himself painfully out of the debris, the sound of fighting reaching his ears. Looking around, he couldn’t find anyone, not the spider kid, not the random aliens that arrived. Hissing as his ribs ached with every movement, he pulled himself up onto another piece of rock, panting heavily.
He lifted his head just in time to watch Thanos impale Tony Stark on his own armour. Eyes widening, Strange felt his breath catch in his throat, watching as Thanos cruelly pulled the blade out, Stark’s form crumpling to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He internally screamed at Stark, willing the genius to get up, but Stark didn’t move an inch.
The sorcerer flicked his eyes towards Thanos, who looked back at him expectantly. The titan very deliberately looked up, and then back towards Strange, who understood what he was saying. Stephen swallowed, a heavy weight sitting on his chest. His vision, the one future in which they won, was contingent on Stark’s survival. Or not, he couldn’t be sure at all.
Resignation and defeat filling him, the Sorcerer Supreme twisted his hand, revealing the time stone to Thanos.
“Let them go.” He murmured, “And this stone is yours. Please.”
Thanos inclined his head and plucked the stone from the sorcerer’s fingers, placing it on his Gauntlet.
Stephen felt as though he had betrayed the Ancient One as Thanos walked away with the infinity stone, disappearing into a portal.
Forcing himself to his feet, Stephen stumbled to Tony Stark’s side. He knelt beside the genius, carefully turning him over. The genius moaned, his eyes fluttering open to reveal exhausted hazelnut orbs. Recognition filled those orbs when he glanced at Stephen, his lips twitching into a semblance of a smile.
“How’s the prognosis doc?” he rasped, coughing wetly.
Stephen pressed a hand to the wound on the genius’ chest, retorting hollowly, “I wouldn’t know, I’m a neurosurgeon not a trauma doctor.”
Tony grinned weakly and huffed, “Useless doctor.”
“Stop talking.” Strange ordered, his other hand reaching out to tangle itself in Stark’s hair.
“Take care of the kid. Please.” Tony whispered, his strength draining out of him.
Stephen met the genius’ eyes, finding regret mirrored in the other man’s eyes. “We tried our best.” He replied, “It’s the only way.”
Tony nodded weakly, feeling his grip on reality weaken. “Get back to Earth, the others – they’re there.”
Stephen nodded mutely, unable to do anything other than offer the man some semblance of comfort.
Sitting so close to Stark, he felt it when the life finally bled out of the man’s body, his heart giving one final beat before falling still forever. Stephen Strange closed his eyes, irrational anger and grief burning within him.
A thud came from behind him, but his cloak did not react, and Strange dreaded the moment the kid realized the horrible truth.
“Doctor Strange? What – what happened?” Peter asked, dropping down onto the ground, “I – where’s Thanos? Did we win? I don’t – where’s Mr Stark?”
Strange recognized the moment when the spider kid realized exactly what happened.
“Mr Stark?” He whispered, horrified.
Peter scrambled forward, landing on the other side of Stark’s body. Stephen watched dispassionately as the boy ripped off his face mask, dropping to his knees. His hands fluttered above Stark’s body, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“I don’t – what – Mr Stark? Why is he –”
He looked to Strange, his youth shining so brightly that Stephen had to look away. His hand clenched slightly, making him realize that he was still tangling his hand in soft brown hair.
“Thanos.” He said shortly, as an answer and an explanation all at once.
The boy’s face scrunched up, tears welling up in his eyes. “That’s not – that’s not possible. It’s Mr Stark - he can’t –”
“...Oh Shit.” Quill muttered under his breath, his eyes widening at the sight of Tony Stark’s body lying on the ground, the sorcerer kneeling beside him and the kid crying openly, his hand fisting around the genius’s hoodie.
Strange turned back, eyeing the other human. His face was cast in stone, but fury burned in his eyes. Quill stepped back at the intensity of the stare, feeling sorely intimidated. The rest of the Guardians gathered round behind Quill. A palpable taste of defeat was present in the air, but Strange couldn’t bring himself to care. He hoped, vaguely, that the humans on earth would stop Thanos from obtaining the mind stone, but he didn’t hold much hope for that. They had their best shot at stopping the titan here and they blew it.
Stephen Strange didn’t know how long he sat there, offering silent comfort to a young teenager who was huddled by the side of the person he looked up to. The sorcerer only glanced around when his ears registered confusion and the sharp intake of breath. He turned, just as the female empath started crumbling to dust. Confusion painted the faces of the other bigger alien, followed by Quill himself. Stephen glanced back at the kid, whose bloodshot eyes were wide with horror.
“What –”
The ex-neurosurgeon just clenched his fist and closed his eyes, sighing deeply, “We lost.” He said simply, “Thanos has all the stones.” He willed himself to feel horror, or even surprise, but he had known since Tony Stark had fallen, that their future had fallen with him.
“I – oh my god. This is – this is insane what – the avengers were on Earth they couldn’t possibly –” the kid choked, looking down at the body of Tony Stark before remembering that heroes could die too.
“We need to get back to earth.” Peter whispered, “We can’t – we can’t stay here and Mr Stark needs to – we have to get him home.” His voice broke off. “Can you get us home?” The kid asked, his voice small.
Strange frowned, “I don’t know.” He replied honestly, “I’ve never tried to teleport this far before. I will need a power source.” His eyes fell to the suit that covered half of Tony Stark, an idea forming in his mind.
Footsteps alerted him to the only other person on this godforsaken planet who was still alive. “Will you not be joining us?” He called out after her retreating back.
She stopped, then asked, “What for?”
“We regroup. There are allies on earth, whoever is left that is willing to fight.” Strange replied, feeling numb. He didn’t know how to process this whole day, and he didn’t know what to do or how to stop Thanos. What he knew, was that Tony Stark was dead, and the kid was right, he needed to bring him home. It was the least he could do for the man who had come after him and saved his life.
The blue alien stalked back towards them, her solid black eyes unblinking and unnerving, but he held her gaze nonetheless. When she nodded, he turned back to the body in front of him, placing his hands on the Ironman suit, feeling it’s power still thrumming beneath his fingers. Closing his eyes, he drew on the energy present in the suit, feeling it build up within him.
Steve couldn’t do much other than kneel in the ground, his fingers barely brushing the pile of ashes that used to be his best friend. Around him, he heard Rhodey calling out for Sam, vaguely registered Okoye’s pained gasp and the raccoon’s grieved cry. But he paid no attention to them. He could only stare at the pile of ashes, remembering the way Bucky had reached a hand towards him, falling to pieces before Steve could even raise his own arm in response.
“Cap.” Natasha called softly, her eyes displaying her anguish.
Steve swallowed, nodding at her. He needed to be strong now, his team needed him. He looked around, realizing that of the avengers, only the few of them who had been the originals were left. He met Bruce’s pained eyes, the man standing by Thor in his Hulkbuster armor, the god kneeling defeatedly, his weapon laying forgotten on the ground. Steve wanted to call them, to ask them to regroup, but before he could, a sizzling sound caught his attention, and they all snapped to attention as a bright orange circle opened in the middle of the clearing.
Only Bruce remained relaxed, hope stirring within him slightly. “That’s Doctor Strange, it’s gotta be him!”
Steve shared a puzzled look with Natasha but chose to remain on guard, his Wakandan shield braced before him.
When the portal opened to its full width, a blue, mechanical alien stepped out.
“Nebula?” Rocket called incredulously, interrupting Steve’s train of thought. The alien’s eyes whipped around to fixate on the raccoon, her tense form relaxing minutely.
“What – where’s Quill? And the others? They’re here right?”
The blue alien – Nebula – shook her head. “They’re gone.” She said shortly.
Rocket stumbled back, Thor moving forward from his defeated posture to steady him, “No,” he shook his head, his ears flattening on his head, “No way. That’s – that’s not possible. What about Drax? Quill? Mantis? Gamora?”
Nebula’s face darkened at the last name, but she replied, fury underlining her voice, “Thanos murdered Gamora to get the soul stone,” she spat, “The rest turned to dust.”
Gaping, the raccoon didn’t say anything else, but Steve’s attention was drawn to another figure stumbling out of the portal –
“Spider-Man?” He murmured, shocked. He moved forward instinctively, catching the kid by the elbow. He realized belatedly that the kid had collapsed into him, fingers digging into his suit as he rambled, his voice tinged with hysterics. “You gotta – you gotta help him – I can’t – he’s –”
“Kid,” Steve called, “Kid, breathe. What’s wrong? Where’s –”, he looked back at Bruce, “Where’s Doctor Strange?”
The kid sucked in a shaky breath and whispered hoarsely, “He’s – he’s with Mr Stark.”
A jolt ran through Steve as Tony’s name rang in his ears. Passing the kid off to Natasha, he ran headfirst into the portal, ignoring the alarmed cries of his friends.
Abruptly, he found himself on a dusty planet filled with broken rocks. Scanning the landscape, his eyes landed on a man with a red cape, bowed over something. Steve walked towards the man numbly, the man looking up at his approach. He could see another body lying on the ground, but he couldn’t – wouldn’t –
Steve reached them, and he fell to his knees.
“No.” he moaned, the heaviness in his chest amplifying, “This isn’t – How –” He croaked, a trembling hand reaching out to touch Tony’s. He almost withdrew back in shock, it was so cold.
“Thanos.” Came the reply, “He fought Thanos.”
“Alone?” Steve asked disbelievingly.
The other man bowed his head, “Yes.”
Steve closed his eyes. This couldn’t be happening. This was not happening. First Vision, then Bucky, and now – now Tony was gone too?
“I can’t keep the portal open for very long.” Strange muttered, his form trembling with exhaustion.
Steve nodded. Pressing his lips together, he slid a hand under Tony’s neck gently, his other hand sliding under the smaller man’s knees. Steve knew that Tony was by no means heavy, but carrying him now, it felt like his arms were going to break. Steve’s eyes were drawn to the gaping wound in the centre of Tony’s chest, and he felt sick looking at it, knowing that Thanos did this to him.
He turned and followed Strange, who walked ahead of him.
The moment Steve exited the portal, he heard several gasps of disbelief.
“No!” Rhodey snarled, surging forward, his eyes crazed and disbelieving. The colonel stopped short of Steve, his hands coming up to tangle in Tony’s hair. “No, Tones no. Not you too, please.” He begged, tears welling up in his eyes. He stood in front of Steve, who stubbornly stared straight ahead, willing himself not to break down.
Bruce stared, horrified as Steve carried his best friend’s body out of a portal. “What – what happened?” He asked, Thor turning to rest a hand on the Hulkbuster’s arm, “What the hell happened?” He shouted at no one, his voice breaking.
Doctor Strange, looking completely drained and exhausted, reported hollowly, “We had a plan to remove Thanos’ gauntlet. He recovered before we could remove it completely. He threw all of us out of commission when he crashed a moon on us. Stark recovered the fastest.”
Thor narrowed his eyes, his own eyes shadowed with grief, “He fought Thanos alone?”
Meeting the thunder God’s eyes squarely, Strange nodded, “He went head to head with Thanos. He lost.”
Steve finally dragged his eyes back to his friends, meeting the gazed of the remaining survivors. He saw fury and vengeance coloured in each of their eyes.
“We’ll find Thanos,” he growled, “and we’ll tear him apart. We’ll avenge them.”
Steve looked down at the body in his arms, “We’ll avenge him.”