Chapter Text
He stared out at the front of the spaceship, restless. Soft footsteps came up behind him.
"It doesn't feel real, does it?" Natasha spoke after a moment.
"I'm terrified it's not real. I'm terrified that we'll get there and something will have happened. But the thing that's keeping me from a panic attack is that none of this has felt real," Tony replies.
She turns towards the soft snore in the pilot's seat. "Of all the things I've seen, Rocket I never imagined. Makes me think this can't be something I'd dream. But Tony, I've never said -- thank you for never giving up."
Tony looks up in surprise, then exhales slowly. "I... never even thought about that. But I had a hint, maybe. Doctor Strange looked through different timelines with the Time Stone, and then... while fading, he told me it was the only way."
"But there are an infinite number of timelines starting from any point in time. How could he know?"
Tony rubs at his forehead. He's thought about that moment countless nights, the way Strange calmly faded into ashes while speaking straight at him. "I've wanted to ask him that for three whole years."
Natasha smiles slightly. "Well, guess you'll get your chance after all. Get some sleep, Tony."
--
Their arrival to Titan is fairly anticlimatic. Not 10 minutes after everyone got un-snapped two weeks ago, Tony gave an unbecoming screech at seeing a portal with a vaguely familiar Asian man -- right, Wong, invited to his wedding before there wasn't a wedding anymore -- waving excitedly at the exhausted Avengers.
"Finally! Why the final battle ended up being on Earth is beyond me, but Doctor Strange and the others on Titan are fine -- "
"Peter!" Tony gasped.
"-- Yes, yes, Spiderman is fine. Anyways, we can send messages with astral projection but inter-planetary portals are extremely difficult. I don't suppose someone could send a spaceship?"
"Yes! Someone give me a ship!" screams Rocket.
Rogers, sitting down on a hunk of concrete with his head on Barnes' shoulder, suddenly cracks a smile. "I think that can be arranged. How are they? Do they have any food and water?"
"Mantis helped Doctor Strange put everyone in a sustaining meditative state. But it would be ideal to make haste."
So here they are two weeks later, landing on Titan while Tony cranes his neck trying to see them. Doctor Strange is looking up calmly, and Mantis is jumping up and down and Groot is waving slowly, while Drax, Quill and Peter are all floating in the lotus position, seemingly asleep. Tony digs his fingernails into his thumbs painfully, straining to see movement in their creepy floaty meditation, but suddenly the ship shakes as they land and he watches them all jerk awake. Rocket darts off from the controls right into Groot's arms while Strange and Mantis are restraining Quill, and Peter --
"Mr. Stark Mr. Stark Mr. Stark I'm alive you're alive did you save the universe how is Aunt May ohhh she's going to kill me --"
Tony bursts into tears.