Tony, I love you so much
(Peter POV)
I saw Strange lift one finger - not his middle finger, mind you, though that would not be out of character - to Mr Stark. Mr Stark's face washed with emotion as he looked at it: panic, fear then resignation and acceptance. What had he accepted that made him so scared?
Thanos had the gauntlet, I saw it out of the corner of my eyes. Mr Stark sprung at him, grappling desperately to regain the gauntlet. Fighting. Fighting for a better future. Fighting against evil. Like he always did. Like the hero he was.
He punched Thanos, who retaliated with a headbutt, making Mr Stark fly away and hit his back against a piece of rubble.
Then I saw it, Thanos hadn't noticed yet: the stones were gone. had taken them. Mr Stark was fighting for a better future, but not for him.
Tony was going to die.
He had a child. I had acted like I didn't see the folded up photograph in his pocket. It was off him, Pepper and a cute little girl. 5 maybe. He had a kid.
Another kid would lose her father.
Children shouldn't lose their parents. Not even one of them. She should be allowed to grow up, with the devoted attention of a loving mother and father. She deserved to have Mr Stark as a father-figure, her whole life long.
'I am... inevitable.' Thanos spoke softly, but triumphantly, and snapped his fingers. The battlefield stilled. Nothing happened. I used the distraction to run over to Mr Stark.
'Mr Stark,' I started, intently searching for where the stones were. Thanos hadn't figured it out yet. He was snapping his fingers again and again as nothing was happening. Steve had a confused look on his face. 'Tony, I love you so much.' I told my father-figure, tears in my eyes: I had located the stones.
Mr Stark's eyes lit up when I used his real name: 'Appreciate it kid, tell me again in an hour or so so I can record what you said.' he told me with a smirk, guilt in his eyes: he was probably thinking about how he would be dead in an hour.
I engulfed him in a hug, Thanos had figured it out, he yelled out. Mr Stark ignored him, just gripping me tightly. In one swift motion, I took the stones from him. He didn't even notice as he pushed me back slightly and smiled, facing Thanos, still sitting on his knees. He turned to me, his eyes glassy: 'I'm sorry.'
'So am I.' I whispered back, my voice hardly perceptible.
Mr Stark turned to Thanos and grinned, triumphantly pulling out, his empty hand. Thanos's eyes widened. Mr Stark's eyes widened. Bucky realised, he turned to me: 'NOOOO! Kid don't!'
Realisation on both Mr Stark's and Thanos' face. Desperately, they lunged forward. Thanos to have the stones. Mr Stark to stop me. I was too fast for both. The stones had already morphed with my suit, electricity buzzed up my arm. I gave Mr Stark one last smile. One last glance.
I snapped my fingers. I wish for the whole of Thanos' army to disappear, and for all the victims that fell at Thanos' hand to come back to life. I wished it. Pain. Just pain. I crumpled to my feet. I felt pain, excruciating, coursing through my veins. But I was happy: that little girl - whatever her name would be - would grow up with a father. And that was all that mattered.
(Tony POV)
'Mr Stark,' Peter said, looking earnestly at me, he gulped almost imperceptibly, had he figured it out? 'Tony, I love you so much.' Tears were in his eyes, mine filled with tears as well: he called me Tony. He called me by my real name.
'Appreciate it kid, tell me again in an hour or so, so that I can record what you said.' I told him as I smirked, trying to hide the guilt in my eyes. In an hour I would be dead. Dead. Such a weird word when it comes up closely.
Peter engulfed me in a hug. No comment about how we weren't there yet. He knew. Pete had figured it out. He knew I was going to snap my fingers. Him and his intelligence: it was truly unrivalled. I returned the hug, even as Thanos realised what was going on, watching me in shock. Looking between me and Peter. He realised I had the stones.
I pushed the kid away softly: 'I'm sorry.' I told him, no longer holding the pretence that I wasn't about to get myself killed.
'So am I.' he whispered back. That kid: always apologising for things he shouldn't apologise for. At least he would make a great holder of the EDITH glasses: he would truly be the greatest hero the world would ever see soon. Wished I could be there to see that. Wished I could see him morph more and more into the man I knew him to be.
I turned to Thanos and grinned triumphantly as he started sprinting towards me. I whisked my hands out, then stared at it in shock: the stones were gone!
Where were they?! I looked at Thanos, he didn't have them: was just as confused as I was.
Bucky screamed out loudly in the silent battlefield: 'NOOOO! Kid don't!' he cried, running to Petey.
Then I realised: Peter. He told me he was sorry as well. He used my real name. Told me he loved me. Gripped onto me like he was afraid of ever letting go again. He had noticed earlier on than I thought: Pete had taken the stones.
Realisation dawned on Thanos's face as well. Desperately, I lunged forward, to stop the kid. He had to stop. He was too young to die. He couldn't die.
He smiled at me sadly. One last smile. Then he snapped his fingers. He dropped to the ground.
I didn't even notice Nat, Clint, Gamora and dozens of soldiers appear out thin air around us, confusing riddling all of their faces.
I just had eyes for the kid. My kid.
I grabbed him as he fell to the ground, his eyes glassy as death started gripping him. 'No. No. No. NOoooo!' I sobbed loudly, holding the frale child in my arms.
He looked up at me, then whispered softly: 'What's her name?' I stared down at him: he had done it for Morgan. He didn't want her to go through what he did. He saved me for Morgan.
'Morgan.' I whispered softly, stroking his brown locks out of his face, 'It means sea-born.'
'Tha-, tha's ma f'vr'te pl'ce.' he mumbled softly.
'Why do you think we called her that?' I asked him softly, cradling him in my arms as tears cascaded down my face, damn his super healing: he had to suffer so much longer than others.
Behind me, Clint sunk to his knee, and the others followed suit, even T'Challa. They were bowing. They were bowing to the kid that saved the world.
The kid that should have lived. The kid that died in my stead, just to save a child from losing her father. A kid that loved so much, it finally had destroyed him.
'Te' M'rgan hi fr'm m', I w'ldve l'v'd t' m't h'r.' he stuttered out. I smiled down at him. His eyelids fluttered, I smiled down at him:
'I will, Pete. It's okay, you can rest now.' I told him quietly, he glanced at me one last time. Gave me one last smile. Then his eyelids slid shut. And they stayed that way. He no longer breathed. His pulse was no longer there.
My kid, was dead.