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To travel around the world sounds fun until it isn’t. Tony thought that it sounded fun, something he could do while the “Civil War” as the Internet dubbed it, would blow over. The idea came to him when he was laying in the hospital bed, an IV drip bugging him. The arc reactor had to be put in again because of the shield almost shattering his sternum.
The idea of travelling popped into his head when he found out that Team Cap was staying in Wakanda. Not only that, they were staying in a wing in the palace and it angered Tony. How dare they live in luxury while he’s staying here, in a hospital bed while they lay back. Especially when he could be doing the same thing somewhere else plus vibranium. He knows that Barnes is in cryostasis and that Steve has been moping around the palace.
Romanoff has sent him emails, telling him what they are doing and they are up to. No one has to know that Tony actually reads them and then deletes it. Besides those emails, he gets hate mail from Barton almost every monday so far, demanding to get them back to the U.S. It’s not Tony’s fault that Barton decided to follow Cap and come out of retirement or abandon his kids. No, no, that’s all on Barton and everyone else who chose to follow Rogers.
Tony wonders if this was meant to be what his life is like. Fighting what is right, only to get punched in the face for trying to do the right thing. He wonders if maybe this is meant to be the pattern, something that universe set him up for. And hey, maybe Tony does deserve it for all the things he’s done in his youth but still…
So that’s how suddenly, Tony realized that he didn’t just want to wait around. Sign papers and then bring back Team Cap and get them to sign. He knows they won’t agree to that right away unless Tony decided to change the Accords. If Steve and his crew of misfits would lounge around and wait for him to do all the work, then Tony could do the same.
To go back to what he said originally, Tony thought the idea of travelling would be fun. Turns out it can be exhausting but it’s worth it. His first stop is the south of France and no, Tony doesn’t go to Monaco, that’d be too soon. Instead, he goes to Provence, leaving in the morning and getting on the next flight to France. Taking the private jet, Tony works on some last minute projects before officially handing them over to R&D. He let’s Pepper know that he’ll be gone, taking a personal vacation for a little before diving into the Accords situation.
Tony doesn’t tell her how long the trip might be or where he’s going. He just knows that this is the time to evaluate what he’s done and rethink some things. There’s no agenda either, just a passport, a suitcase of clothing, and a credit card. He uses a separate account for any future charges before making his way to the south of France.
Even though no one knows where he’s going, Dr. Cho is the only one that actually knows. It’s only because she finds him hours before, trying to take out the IV drip and the wristband. Luckily, she pities him enough to allow him to travel but with help, which comes Happy. Happy swears to secrecy before Tony gets off, bandaged up and everything, waving to the head of security.
There’s a car waiting for him but Tony shakes his head. He leaves the airport with a baseball cap and red tinted sunglasses to avoid the paparazzi. With some luck, Tony manages to get a cab before it heads out of the airport, driving to the place he’s rented out for a few weeks at least. Tony passes the town of Cahor before driving further and further into the beautiful lands of France. He ends up at a rustic, 15th century castle outside of Cahor. It’s small but gorgeous in Tony’s opinion in every way.
There are greek statues of women lining up the driveway as he makes his way up, each holding a light in their hands. It’s almost like they are calling to the gods above to shine light on them, waiting for an answer. There’s excitement riling him up as he gets out of the taxi, thanking the driver and handing more than enough for payment. Rolling his luggage with him, Tony walks onto the property, eyes widening in amazement with the castle coming into view.
For a moment, Tony thinks he needs to pinch himself to make sure this is all real but it is. When he finally comes to the front of the castle, there are five people waiting for him. They stand in a line before smiling at him proudly. A woman steps forward, offering a hand to Tony before kissing both his cheeks. “Bonjour, Monsieur Stark, my name is Pomme and this is the staff that comes with the property.” Her accent is heavy but it only makes Tony feel more relaxed as he listens to her soothing voice.
He’s introduced to the rest of the staff before they welcome him into his new home. There are more than enough bedrooms for him and the staff, along with a salt-water pool and two libraries and more. The interior design shows some of the paint peeling from the walls or the beautiful chandelier in the living room. Tony can tell some of the rooms have been remodeled, showing clean floors, polished… there’s so much he wants to see.
…
Tony ends up riding around the property on a bike and yes---it has a basket and it might be pastel blue. It’s hard to navigate without trying to put too much weight on his bruised arm. He rides around, seeing some lavender fields not too close by and the trees make it more exciting. A light breeze runs through Tony’s hair as he rides along the dirt path.
Very carefully, he let’s go of one handle, letting a hand out to feel the breeze. He watches as his hand curls in and out as the wind runs through it gently. Tony feels slightly more relaxed when he comes back, smelling fresh dinner as he comes in. Pomme smiles at him gently before offering him a plate of steak and french fries. “I figured Monsieur would like a touch of American food tonight.” Tony flushes a little before sitting down at the table, seeing the view of the sunset coming down slowly.
By the end of the night, Tony finally sits in the living room, using the holograms pre-installed to catch up on work. But he doesn’t dwell too much on the work before settling, enjoying the silence that the castle brings. That’s interrupted pretty fast before his phone rings loudly, making Tony groan quietly. “Hello?”
“Tony! Oh thank god! I-I didn’t know where you were or where you went! Happy refused to tell me where you were either! Where the hell are you?!” Pepper immediately bombards him with questions before Tony can even get a word in. He rubs his temple as she speaks before finally interrupting her.
“Pep! Stop! I’m not in danger at the moment, ok! I just---wait, didn’t you get my email?” There’s a silence on the other line and Tony’s starting to think that everything is going to shit. There are sounds of clicking before there’s an audible gasp on the other end.
“Vacation! You went on vacation! What about the Accords! What about the team? The Avengers! Did you forget that before leaving me an email! What about Steve?” There’s a dead silence on both ends now because Tony should’ve known those questions would come. He just didn’t think that it would happen so soon. Sighing loudly, Tony lays back against the sofa, lying on his back before answering finally.
“Look, Pepper, I don’t know honestly. I just realized though that I need some time to think. Just to think of what I need to do. Pepper, I need to breathe again and I can’t worry about the Accords right now or what the Avengers need to do. Because guess what, the team split up and half of them are in Wakanda right now! So, if they get to sit back and relax while waiting for me to rescue them, they have another thing coming.” Saying some of it outloud made him relax in a way, there was no explanation for it.
Tony decided to end the call after that, promising to email Pepper again before the next week. It only makes him more frustrated, he came all this way to avoid talking about that. It’s just not his priority right now and no one likes that---too bad. He was not going to let Team Cap and the Accords ruin his vacation, no sir.
…
Two weeks pass before Pomme asks him why he came here in the first place. It ends up with Tony breaking down everything that happened without going into the gory details. When he’s finished, he expects pity or a silence in return for what he said. Instead, Pomme smiles at him before offering a chocolate croissant fresh from the bakery.
When he finishes, Pomme smiles gently at him before sitting down next to him. They’re sitting outside near the pool, the sun shining down on them both. Pomme takes his hand gently and says, “I may not know what happened. But have you considered that perhaps both you were wrong? Forgive for me though,” Tony’s mouth is agape from what she said. It’s not a shock, but it’s a different answer that Tony didn’t expect. “You seem to really care for this man but you say that he cares for the other man more. Is it possible to care for both of them?”
The question startles him at first, how can he care for Steve if he cares for Barnes more. How can he forgive or even look at Barnes when he killed his parents. The mistress leaves him in silence as Tony sits there, frowning slightly. No--he can’t forgive Rogers and he can’t look at Barnes at all. Rogers lied to his face as Tony watched the Winter Soldier choke his mother and Howard. N, he cannot forgive Rogers and he will never trust him again.
…
It’s been over a month now and the news is panicking over Tony’s disappearance. Rhodey eventually finds out after threatening to beat Happy with his prosthetics. Rhodey isn’t mad, in fact, he just wished that Tony brought him along too. Which Tony doesn’t blame him for, because in the moment, Tony wasn’t thinking about anyone but himself. There’s a little voice that says Rogers would say he was selfish for doing this instead of saving the team--putting them back together. Tony just wished that everything he did for them, the gadgets, the home, everything wasn’t worth it. If he had known all of that wouldn’t do anything to save the only family he had, Tony would’ve jumped into the past to pull himself out.
Anyway, Rhodey ended up sending him a package, it was from Rogers. Inside was a letter and a flip phone, the letter was handwritten. It was writtenneatly. Reading it, Tony wonders what Steve was thinking while writing this letter and there’s a moment of softness when the words ‘I’m sorry’ popped up. He just wished that it was in person, not written on paper or a phone call away. He gets that Steve wants him to know that if he needs him, Steve will come.
But why does it have to take a phone call to call Rogers when it should be in person. Tony burns the letter with a lighter before putting the flip phone in a box. He doesn’t want a reminder of what could be everyday while he’s here, trying to get away from it. Pomme ends up taking it and burying it near rose bushes in the backyard, near the pool. It makes Tony smile a little before he waters the roses himself, enjoying the peace and quiet.
He tells himself that maybe, one day, he will forgive Steve Rogers.
…
Pomme gives him a poetry book one day and for once, Tony misses Rogers’ teasing voice for having it. If the captain was here, he would tease Tony for going back to paper. It’s a book of poetry written by a woman, it has the name written in yellowish color. There are drawings of oranges or some sort of fruit that hang from green leaves.
He reads through the poems, the pages were a yellowish tint and the font was made to look old. Tony reads the first poem quietly, feeling something hollow before he realizes there are tears falling.
LA, I'm upset, I have complaints, listen to me
They say I came from money and I didn't
And I didn't even have love, and it's unfair
Something about the poem makes Tony relate to it in some way. It only makes him ponder on what could’ve been with Steve or even Barnes. Maybe, eventually, they all could’ve been together, happy and ready to fight when the world couldn’t. But it wouldn’t happen now, at least no until the next time that he saw them both.
“Pomme! Je vais faire un tour!” Tony pulls out his bike, ready to leave when the mistress comes running out, mumbling curses in french. “Not with that outfit you will! Entrez d’abord!” She pushes him back into the house before dragging him to the closet. Tony doesn’t move to help as Pomme throws a white shirt at him and some black pants. They stop at the ankle but fit him perfectly before Pomme buttons the shirt up, shoving his hands away. When they reach the door, Pomme puts a light beige trench coat, stopping mid-thigh before kissing him on both cheeks.
“Now, remember, stop at the market and get some wine! Enjoy yourself, chéri!” Tony smiles at her before walking to his bike, waving goodbye. He paddles down the dirt road before seeing clear skies and rows of grass and sunflowers from afar. For a moment, he tries picturing Rogers here, with him, sitting in a chair while drawing. The thought alone makes Tony’s heart squeeze tightly along with his body, causing him to stop abruptly on the road.
He freezes when he hears the sounds of clicking going on before seeing the paparazzi start coming out of the bushes. All Tony can do is flip his sunglasses on and keep riding, heading into the town of Cahors without too much fuss. There is a market selling fresh strawberries and cantaloupe, shouting out bargains and offers for people.
Tony breathes in all the different scents before riding forward, buying strawberries and a magazine, the headline reads: “Accords disaster is worsening! Where is Tony Stark now?!” It makes him roll his eyes before quickly reading through, trying to catch up on what he missed. Rhodey was now working to get the remaining Avengers back on U.S. soil instead of him. Tony only knows that he’s just trying to make things right and if that means getting Team Cap home, then so be it.
According to the tabloid, Rogers and his merry crew are set to come back in a month or two. No one knows yet where they are but the Accords are changing. Secretary Ross was also removed from office recently which made Tony slightly relax a little. There’s still a twinge of anger and hatred towards the crew, having stopped looking at Romanoff’s emails.
Instead, he sends anonymous tips on how to help Shuri pull the triggers out of Barnes’ head. Because he starts to realize that maybe it’s time to forgive. Tony knows though that he’s not ready yet but eventually he will be.
…
It’s officially Fall when Tony decides to leave France. He doesn’t tell anyone where he’s going, only telling Pepper he’ll be back soon. Rhodey let’s him know that the kid is being taken care of and that he’s doing a fine job in the city. Rogers and his team of merry men (and women) are now back in the States. Rhodey tells him that Steve is disappointed when they arrive at the compound, along with looking guilty.
Tony rolls his eyes at the way Steve shows his emotion but there’s a moment when he feels like a winner. It might be because of how he leaves Rogers feeling but it makes him feel happier. Shuri let’s him know that Barnes is in cryostasis at the moment and that the trigger words are out. Tony ignores the gratitude she shares with him over email when everything has finished.
Tony ends up going to Ireland, near Moher, staying in a little cottage near the seaside. The tenant that shows him the rooms make him fall in love. For a moment, he wonders if Steve has been here before, the soldier once mentioned he knew some Irish from his Ma. After that, he enjoys the seaside, having different foods every night. There are stables near the cottage he stays in and the tenant and his wife encourage him to ride along the beach.
Every day, Tony wakes up to the sounds of sheep and chickens, which is better than an alarm. Some of the sheep are black and some are white, they are incredibly pretty in his opinion. While alone, Tony tries his best to follow some of the recipes that the tenant’s wife gives him for dinner. He distinctly ignores the emails that come in everyday through his phone, whoever it may be.
What Tony doesn’t expect is to get an email from Rogers while he watches the sheep eat. It’s not another apology, instead it’s a picture. A picture of flowers actually and when he sees them, he wonders if there is a meaning behind it. Friday ends up looking the meanings up after scanning the photo entirely. The purple flower, Nightshade means truth and Tony wonders what that could mean. The second flower was a Blackthorn flower, which meant difficulty. The last flower is white clover, and Friday told him they meant ‘think of me.’
He almost deletes the picture but the arrangements they are in are beautiful. Yes, they may be an odd arrangement of flowers but when was Tony ever normal?
…
This time, Tony sends an arrangement of flowers to Rogers and Barnes separately. It’s almost the end of November now. He goes online to order them to the compound and Wakanda immediately. Tony loves likes the idea that Rogers has before settling on different flowers for the both of them.
For Bucky, he’s accepted the nickname now after almost a year. Anyway, for him, Tony sends corn bottle flowers, they were a beautiful blue color, meaning delicacy. Yes, Tony saw Bucky and he was sure others did too, that Bucky was something delicate. The man was just getting his life back together and was trying to enjoy it in Wakanda. Next is the fern, meant to mean fascination and maybe it’s too soon for Tony to admit that but oh well.
There’s another flower that he picks, flower-of-an-hour, beautiful white petals and a dark center. For a moment, it reminds him more of Bucky than Rogers for some reason. It might be because Bucky may look fragile on the outside but inside, there is a dark past hiding. Then again, everyone has a skeleton or two in their closets so it’s fine. It does mean delicate beauty but he hopes that it will be worth it. The last one reminds him more of a plant than a flower but he picks it because of the meaning itself. Sincerity, something that Tony finds hard to do often,
He doubts that Bucky will understand any of it but he just prays that Shuri won’t look up the meanings. Tony decides to just send Rogers purple flowers, Lucerne, the meaning of life, something simple and not too difficult.
…
The next time that Tony gets an email from Rogers and Barnes is when he is riding along the cliff edges of Moher. The sounds of water chopping up against the rocks settles Tony’s mind as his phone rings. He taps against the reactor unconsciously before pulling it out of the trench coat Pomme gave him. It’s two pictures, one from Bucky and one from Rogers. Actually, it’s three after he scrolls through both emails separately.
The first picture is of the flowers that he sent to Bucky, they are sitting by the window of Bucky’s cottage. Tony doesn’t expect any words to be sent along as well, but they are. It’s not long or anything, just a simple thank you from the man. There’s a flutter in his chest just reading it but ignores the hidden disappointment that Bucky doesn’t know what they mean.
When Tony is scrolling, he is surprised to see another sentence simply written out.
Others see me as delicate but you find me delicately beautiful, do you mean it with sincerity? Shuri told me the meanings of the flowers.
There’s not much to argue with the words he’s written. But it also sounds so formal that Tony almost has to gag. It’s either Bucky’s way of being polite or he doesn’t exactly know how to write. Tony tries not to think too hard on it before seeing the pictures that Steve sends to him. The first picture is a watercolor painting of the flowers that Tony sent to him. Steve clearly knows the meaning of the plant when there’s another picture, it’s hanging in Tony’s workshop. The flowers are hanging from a long chain, connected to the ceiling.
It’s a cactus, long stems and prickly needles sticking out. Tony wonders what it means until Friday reads his mind for him. “It means modest genius, boss.”
Modest genius. An interesting word for Tony, since he isn’t entirely sure if it fits him. Maybe it doesn and he just doesn’t realize it. Or Rogers knows it already and he’s trying to get Tony to see that but he refuses that thought alone.
Tony doesn’t acknowledge the picture, only seeing the words that Steve leaves him. I miss you.
…
It’s raining outside while Tony rides along the sandy beaches with his horse. The hooves of the horse pound against the sand loudly. He doesn’t know where he’s going but wherever it is, it will be worth it. The rain blurs his vision before Tony looks up at the sky, feeling rain drip down his face. The horse protests when the sounds of clicking come out before paparazzi are chasing after him for answers.
Tony panics, trying to rein the horse in to not panic before turning around. He hears them chasing after him but refuses to look behind him. The horse picks up speed before they practically run back to the cottage quickly. The sounds of flashing and clicking fade away before they make it to the stables as Tony finds a letter waiting for him there.
It’s from Rhodey, explaining that the Accords have been settled finally. Rhodey also explains to him that he didn’t know where Tony was anymore. Not knowing for sure if he checked his email, Rhodey writes this was the only way for communication. All of it only makes Tony laugh even more before he finishes reading the letter completely.
There’s news reports of Tony being spotted in France at the airport and then in Dublin, Ireland as well. Someone is definitely keeping tabs on him and Tony wouldn’t be surprised. He did disappear after all, just to get away from all the stress and the Accords. At the end of the letter, Rhodey writes that the council wants Tony home immediately or as soon as he can which only makes Tony bristle.
There’s a picture underneath, showing Steve lounging in his lab, just drawing or watering Tony’s new plant. Another one shows Romanoff stealing one of his suit jackets from his closet, subtly taking a whiff of it. It’s very clear that some of the Avengers miss him and Tony can officially put them all together again. Maybe he has finally forgiven Steve but there’s still an apology to be made and it’s not just by Steve either.
It might be time to come home soon after all.
…
Going to Russia was not part of the plan but then again, so was Ireland. Tony didn’t exactly know why he wanted to go here, all it brought were bad memories. Siberia, a place that he promised in the beginning never to go back to.
Instead of going there, he ends up going to Moscow, seeing the Kremlin from a distance. He ends up renting an apartment for a few weeks as well, trying to enjoy everything. When Tony leaves his apartment for the first time, it’s snowing outside heavily. He can feel the cold flutter of snowflakes brushing against his skin and melting away.
Tony smiles softly at the touch as he stands in the square in front of the Kremlin. There are other people there, taking pictures or enjoying the nice view. But he’s just there to enjoy the view before he goes back to it all. He stops though when there’s a couple holding onto each other, the woman clinging to her boyfriend. There’s a feeling of envy rising in him, surprising himself before he avoids eye contact with them.
He tugs further on the black peacoat while adjusting the black suede gloves that keep him warm. Tony tries not to think about the voice in his head, that could be you with them both. He had come to accept the fact that he was in love with his parents’ killer but it no longer mattered. All he wants is some peace but there’s still a big threat out there.
…
Rhodey tells him that Wanda and Vision have gone to Ireland to relax a little. Tony again envies them but doesn’t say anything in return. Romanoff and Barton are off on a mission in Bucharest while Steve is staying at the compound. He’s not alone though, having Sam and Scott there with him along with the kid too. The colonel let’s Tony know that Steve has taken him under his wing, making sure he’s safe and being careful with enemies. A familiar flutter in his chest makes Tony smile softly this time, and his heart ache to be there for the kid too.
It’s already January and yes, he did spend New Year’s Eve alone, but it’s fine. He’s always been alone but this time, he’s not sad about it. It is something that Tony decides to do because he wants to even if his heart is telling him to go back. Everyday, he buys coffee at a little shop, gleefully laughing at the people working there. Tony may be American but he knows too many languages to count and he loves surprising people often.
“я хотел бы кофе пожалуйста.” The girl smiles at him before running to make it as Tony sits down. He sits by a window before pulling out a book he found, along with the poetry book. The first book is a novel called Anna Karenina, a sad but beautiful novel as the register said. The pages smell old but in a good way, something that Tony would never admit outloud.
Before he knows it, time passes by, Tony has two more coffees before making it halfway through the book. He hears people passing by loudly and quietly as the bell chimes when it’s opened every time. Tony doesn’t look up when a familiar redhead and a man with a bow sit a few rows back. When he decides that it’s time to go back, he packs up, fitting his gloves and walking out.
He walks out in time before seeing snow fall, smiling softly at the snow falling. Tony walks down an alley to avoid incoming traffic of people, quietly listening to anything. Tony makes it halfway to his apartment before he sees a flash of blonde hair and a bow. The feeling of being watched makes Tony walk faster before practically running up the stairs to his apartment.
Closing the blinds quickly, Tony turns out all his lights before lighting candles. From there, Tony tries to be quiet as possible, reading blueprints and working on his new Mark. The new Mark will include nanotech and the newly stabilized Extremis virus. But the virus was meant to be as a backup, in case he was on the verge of dying anytime soon.
…
Tony is sitting in the coffee shop when he sees the television. It’s being broadcasted live as he looks up in time. He sees the kid and some guy with a goatee like his trying to stop the wizard before Tony realizes. He always knew something big would come to earth and god, where did the time go? He jolts from his seat before running out the door.
Tony runs to his apartment quickly before bringing anything that was important into a backpack. He goes into the small bathroom and cuts his hair perfectly. Making sure all the angles are right, Tony manages to cut his hair the way it was before and clean up the facial hair. There are streaks of grey hairs running through his hair now but it only makes him feel better.
Once upon a time, Tony would’ve been ashamed to be aging, to get wrinkles and grey hairs. He would’ve immediately dyed it the color it was before. But now, Tony didn’t care and he didn’t have time to even think about it. Tapping the reactor, the armour forms around Tony before he flies into the air, praying silently that he will make it in time.
…
It takes a few hours but he manages to find the team assembling in Wakanda. That means every single person that Tony hasn’t seen in two years altogether. Clint’s even there along with Lang and Bucky too, everything was in place now. If only Tony could get there quickly before Thanos’ armies arrived to destroy the earth for good.
He manages to arrive in time with the quinjet landing, landing a few feet away. Everyone stays quiet while Tony walks forward, the shield shining in the sunlight. The faceplate lifts away and Tony silently looks at them all curiously, seeing Rogers and the rest of the team. He sees Romanoff and Bucky standing next to Rogers, almost protecting him in a way.
But Tony ignores everything in front of him because there was a bigger threat coming. He quietly walks to the king of Wakanda before offering a hand. The man takes it firmly, offering a small smile to him before Tony looks back at the group in front of him.
The rest of the group stays silent as they walk into the palace wing, placing Vision on a table to look. Tony stays in the corner, already missing the peace in the coffee shop in Moscow and his books. Who knew Tony Stark would be missing his paperback books. He drops the shield to the ground before leaving the room, there’s too much tension that he doesn’t want to deal with.
Standing outside, Tony looks up to see a ship landing on the barrier, crashing instantly. It reminds him of the waves crashing against the rocks in Moher or the lightning strikes in Provence. He turns in time to see eyes on him, Bucky is staring at him quietly, no emotion on his face. Tony turns away from him, trying not to acknowledge anything that’s going on.
He moves his head to the side, looking over his shoulder at Bucky, “Надеюсь, ты не убил свои цветы, Яша.” Tony ignores the shocked expression on Bucky’s face before turning away again, launching into the air.
…
Bruce uses the hulk buster while Rhodey, Sam, and him fly up ahead of the group. Tony lands first at the barrier, staring at women and a large alien. The faceplate lifts before the alien woman raises an eyebrow at him, almost bowing in respect to him. “You are Anthony Stark,” she says it like it’s the holy grail while it makes Tony feel nauseous.
But he puts on his playboy smirk, smirking at the alien before she shifts a little, uncomfortable at his gaze. “You know me?” He comes closer to the barrier before she raises a sword, watching as the barrier blocks the sharp object. “My name is Midnight Proxima, you have my respect, Stark.” Tony turns away from her, a sneer on his lips before he hears her laugh. “You are cursed with knowledge just like Thanos is,” the words make Tony angrier by the second, hands curling into fists angrily.
“Вы не получите этот камень сегодня,” he says it roughly before the faceplate barely covers the incoming slice. Tony feels a trickle of blood on his cheek before turning around, seeing the alien smirk. The scratch is on his cheek and there’s blood dripping down the side of his face and it shouldn't be possible at all. She raises her arm with her sword before smirking at Tony ruthlessly, as everyone waits with bated breath.
His faceplate comes up again just as the first monster tries to make its way through the barrier. Claws scratch against the suit before Tony runs, imagining the days he was on horse again. He jumps into the air as the first creature makes it past, hitting it instantly before doing the same with the others.
Tony’s not worried yet, not at least until the big threat comes.
…
He tries to protect Vision, the only thing that’s left of Jarvis entirely. Tony refuses to lose him to one of Thanos’ faithful soldiers. So that’s how he ends up stabbing the male alien through the side, even if half of the nanotech is covering his face now. That doesn’t make him stop fighting, even if he collides through a window with the alien.
They skid off the roof of the palace, falling to the ground before Tony makes the first move. Using the alien’s scepter, he pushes it through the alien, piercing its center. Vision is still up there thankfully and Tony is losing nanobots but that won’t stop him from fighting.
He turns around in time to meet the Mad Titan Thanos, face to face. Tony doesn’t move and the titan doesn’t either, all that fills them is silence. He hears Steve and everyone else coming, but not before turning back Thanos. Thanos is the first to move, stepping forward just as Tony steps backward, they keep doing this until a portal opens behind him.
They both land on the ground of Moher, before Thanos runs after Tony. At least, the titan is away from the team and Vision for now.
He knows he can’t hold him off for long but Tony tries anyway, using everything that he can.
…
He tries everything, shields, blasters, everything to stop Thanos, getting more bruised and scraped as it goes on. Tony tries everything even if his breathing is becoming ragged and his body is screaming to stop. Thanos is barely getting a scratch and it only makes him more angry that this is happening before Tony loses it completely.
Tony puts everything into his nanotech before creating a sword, trying and hoping it won’t be used against him. He screams loudly, dodging Thanos’ incoming hit before shoving right through the titan’s chest, right where his heart is. There is so much running through his head, what about Pomme? What about the nice tenant and his wife? What about the coffee shop in Moscow or the books that he read?
Tony pushes the limp body over the edge of the cliff, the water crashing against the rocks before a portal is being opened. Thanos’ body and him land back in Wakanda, landing in the center of the field abruptly. What’s left of the nanotech retracts back into the reactor as Tony collapses to his knees, completely exhausted this time.
He rolls onto the ground, breathing weakly before something comes into his view. There are flowers, or a flower, delicately untouched on the ground near Tony’s face. It’s a white michaelmas daisy, farewell, it whispers to him.
Tony tries to imagine the rain falling on his face or the snow brushing against his cheekbones gently.
…
When he wakes up again, he finds himself in a bed, the medbay probably of the palace. Tony turns to the side weakly, surprised by both supersoldiers sitting in chairs. Bucky’s asleep on Steve’s shoulder while the blonde has his mouth open slightly while sleeping. Tony smiles gently before slowly lifting a hand, carding his fingers through Bucky’s long hair. It jolts him awake before settling when he meets Tony’s eyes again.
“Bonjour, chérie,” he smiles at Bucky, seeing a pink tint spread on his cheeks. Tony sighs weakly before Bucky kicks Steve’s chair completely. Steve chokes a little before instantly waking up, startling a little before seeing Tony’s eyes. “Tony! H-how are you feeling?” There’s a slight twinge of nerves in Steve’s voice before Tony smiles at him gently, offering his hand to Steve.
“I know that there isn’t a threat anymore and we can finally talk. But can we just lay here a while before there are tears and emotions?” Bucky snorts before getting onto the bed, laying on Tony’s left side before Steve follows. He knows that there are definitely going to be many emotions while they talk but for now, Tony enjoys this
Perhaps maybe he was an idiot for staying away for so long or it was a good idea to let everything slip away. The anger was gone and replaced with it was a blossoming rose, coming from his reactor.
…
Two years later
Tony giggles as he watches Morgan and Peter play in the lavender fields. Her little chubby feet trying to catch up to Peter’s long ones was adorable. He waves to them when Morgan looks back for her father to see. The wind picks up as Tony walks to his bike, getting on it to ride back to the house, only a mile away while Peter is with Morgan. The seventeen year old was taking his duties as an uncle very seriously, always enjoying babysitting duties with Morgan.
When he arrives, Pomme is waiting for him with a smile. She greets him eagerly before pulling him into the house, leading him to the living room. Sitting there is Bucky, who’s arranging something while Steve is reading the paper. Steve looks quite annoyed though with Bucky moving so much before seeing Tony’s soft smile. “Hey sweetheart, how was your bike ride?”
“Good, Morgan’s with Peter in the fields right now. What’s Bucky doing?” They both look in his direction, seeing Bucky pester over something before moving out of the way. Tony sees a beautiful blue vase holding white flowers and they look absolutely perfect. He walks forward before sniffing them, a wonderful scent filling his nose.
“They’re Camellia japonica flowers, Pomme suggested giving them to you.” Tony continues to stare at the flowers, touching the full petals gently. “They’re s’posed to mean perfected loveliness or somethin’. Thought you might like it though, doll.” He chuckles at Bucky’s brooklyn accent slipping through, before turning around to meet their eyes.
Except he isn’t in the same position as before, instead Bucky and Steve both hold out a velvet box. They’re both holding it while Tony stares, shocked. He doesn’t realize he’s tearing up until there are wet spots forming on Tony’s shirt. Slowly, without saying a word, Tony takes the box from them. Inside is a beautiful silver ring, it’s simple and elegant in his opinion.
“Well, whaddya say, doll?”
Tony meets their eyes before smiling, “yes.”