reality is merely an illusion
“Um.” Tony coughed. He was here, who knows what billions of years later somewhere in New York or whatever they call it now, with no protection whatsoever. With Kang the fucking Conqueror. He shouldn’t have been this distracted. He should have been careful, he was always careful. But he was hardly to blame when Steve was around. He sighed.
“What do you want, Stark?” Kang asked, not bothering to move a finger while still sitting on his throne- it really looked like the Iron Throne and Tony suspected for a few minutes this was all actually a game his mind was playing- and they were in a abandoned palace-like place. Actually, it didn’t look like people existed any longer. Tony felt a uneasy feeling in his chest because of that. Steve was actually dead now. Well, not really but still it bothered Tony that he did not exist in this future. He hated the future. He hated Kang.
“Um.” He said again. “To go back to the Mansion?” he tried. Kang looked unimpressed. “Look I appreciate that you think me as a genius, which I totally am by the way, but what exactly do you expect me to do here, which I’m totally not going to do, by the way.” He added cockily, which was probably not the best thing to do with a villain like Kang. But whatever.
Kang didn’t answer. Of fucking course.
“Look, there are no people here. Who are you going to rule?” Tony talked softly like he was trying to reason with a three year old who had no concept of comprehending things.
Kang laughed hysterically. “People? I’m not planning on ruling you weaklings.”
Tony raised an eyebrow.
Kang actually rolled his eyes. “I have,” he sighed. “A council of Kangs.”
“Well, shit. What? How? Why?”
“Maybe you are not as smart as I think you are, Stark.” Kang mocked him. Tony ignored it. “I am the only being in the universe that can time-travel this often, whenever I want, precisely. So, in almost every time of the history of universe and all things, a Kang is present. There is not just me, Kang the Conqueror you know, there are many versions of me that have various kingdoms. For example, Immortus. I believe you have met him before.
Tony’s eyes widened at the sudden realization. “Oh, I can see the resemblance.” He then grinned.
“And as for the why,” Kang ignored Tony’s comment. “I will combine all of the Kangs and their kingdoms and we will become one kingdom. A big one for my eternal monarchy. You and I, Stark, will build my empire until they come.”
“Jesus, Louis XIV, calm down.” Kang frowned. Of course. Do not make references to estranged aliens and men from future, Tony made a mental note. “How do you think you’ll make me work for you? Because, I will never.”
“You will eventually, Stark. This place is empty and deserted. It has no people in it, no people at all in the future. You don’t have the Captain to accompany you too,” Kang smirked. Really? Tony resisted the urge to flinch at the comment.
“So?”
“I know you. You are in constant need of building things, fixing things. Have you spent a day without doing these? I do not think so. You will never be able to just sit, will you, Stark? Doing nothing but to think of your days with your good friends who will forget you as they have forgotten all of their friends who have died in battle. You are no different. There will come a day when you cannot stop the voices in your head that tell you to give up your hopes of returning home and you want to do something, to create something will overcome your so called heroism, Iron Man.” Tony knew that he was right, Kang knew him because they were alike somehow and he hated that. He hated that he was right but he had to try. He could never give in, never give up. He would normally, but now he had Steve. He would never betray his trust and he would never stop believing that he would come for him, someday.
“Oh, well you’re wrong.”
“We’ll see.”
***
6 MONTHS LATER
Need.
The armor.
Build. Fix. Create.
Gotta go back.
Steve
Steve.
It’s been six months. Six. Fucking. Months. Without doing anything, accomplishing nothing. Tony needed to do something, to create something just like Kang said when they first got here. And Steve. Oh, how he missed him. Even when they were at war, he didn’t spend more than two months without seeing him and now it was like Steve was just a memory. Maybe they didn’t even get together, maybe they weren’t in bed when Kang first came to get Tony, maybe Tony made it all up in order to survive in this fucking future. Maybe they were still at Civil War, maybe Steve had fucking died- God, god, god. Don’t think. Don’t think.
He didn’t even see Steve in his dreams anymore; he couldn’t even if he really wanted to. Kang didn’t show up for the past two months, he was still convinced that Tony would come around. He wanted to do something, he really did but he would not dare. He could never do it, not when he still had a slight memory of Steve.
He heard voices. No. No. Not again.
The door fell in front of his feet as he saw the ones coming in. He embraced his knees as he covered his face to prevent seeing him.
“Tony.” No, this was far too real. This sounded so much like Steve. It was too much.
He felt the arms wrapping around him but still he hid his face.
“Tony, look at me, please. Please.” His voice was too desperate but Tony knew better. This was not Steve who’s holding him. This was exactly the 816th time that Kang sent an illusion and Tony couldn’t bear to see the face he loved so much but knowing it was not real.
“Tony! Please. Are you hurt? Are you hurt, Tony?” The voice was getting more worried as Tony didn’t reply.
Fake Steve embraced Tony. “Let me go, you sick fuck! LET ME GO!” Tony started yelling, punching the man and tears started falling down his cheeks. Kang was getting good at this. This illusion smelt and felt just like Steve and it hurt. “Get the fuck away!”
“Okay. Okay. Calm down.” He sounded really worried now, like he was actually Steve.
“Thor, there is something wrong. You should come here.” Steve said into the transmitter.
“There was never Thor. Just Steve. Just Steve. Not Thor, too. Please.” Tony murmured as he crawled on the floor.
“Tony, I love you. I am real, okay? I am Steve.” He started to walk towards Tony slowly.
“No, don’t!” Tony raised his hands up and looked at him with a horrified expression. He looked so much like him.
“We came here to save you. I’ve been trying for months. I need to touch you, Tony; I need to make sure you are okay. Will you let me?”
“No. Get. Away. From. Me. “Tony said as he watched Thor came in from the back of the building. He groaned. “Not you too.”
“What is wrong? Captain?” Thor said.
Steve looked at Tony with an almost angry expression.
“I will kill Kang. I have never killed a villain but I’m going to. He’s dead; do you hear me, Tony? I will fucking kill him.”
And with that, Tony blacked out.
***
“Is he okay? Bruce?” Tony heard his voice but couldn’t move limb or open his eyes. He felt like he was chained.
“I just said he was. Cap, stop asking it every two minutes. He will be waking up soon.”
Tony needed to get out of here. They couldn’t be real. They just couldn’t. Kang was just improving his game. Tony couldn’t let himself believe that they were real. He felt a hand holding his. Steve.
Tony suddenly sit straight up, eyes wide open. He didn’t panic though, he could do nothing by panicking. Steve looked at him hopefully which made his insides turn.
“Say him I will never agree to it. Tell him to stop playing games with me; I will never work for him.”
“Tony-”
“You are not Steve. You can’t be.”
Steve frowned and kissed him. Tony was shocked, an illusion wouldn’t do that, right? Right?
He parted even though he wanted more, he missed this.
Steve kissed him on his forehead before Tony broke down and hugged Steve, crying uncontrollably.
“I missed you so much. So fucking much.” Tony said in between sobs.
“You have no idea.” Steve sighed, pressing Tony’s head to his chest.