Harry and Death had become friends of sorts over the many years they had worked together. Friendly enough that they often spoke of personal matters when they spent time with each other.
“Master,” Stated Death one day, during their daily afternoon tea, “I seem to have attracted an admirer within Universe-616.”
“Hm.” Replied Harry, sipping from his cup. “How odd. Let me know if anything interesting comes out of it.”
“Of course.” Nodded Death, sipping from his cup as well.
---
“Master,” Said Death again a few weeks later, “My admirer has decided to call himself Thantos to prove his dedication and attraction to me. I am unsure how to feel about it.”
“A bit weird to name himself after the one he is trying to gain the favour of.” Responded Harry, laughing slightly. “That’s like if someone were to name themselves Harrison to try and gain my favour.”
“That would be strange.” Agreed Death.
---
“He has decided to start waging war on other planets to get my attention via the souls he is sending to our domain.” Huffed Death one day, while they were walking around and checking in on the rest of the underworld. “He does not understand that it is in turn causing me more work, not enjoyment.”
“It has been frustrating.” Harry said. “Would you like me to step in and stop it?” Death shook his head.
“I don’t believe it is yet necessary to intervene.” Harry nodded.
“Very well, but let me know if you change your mind.”
“Thank you, Master. That is most generous.”
---
“Master,” Said Death, storming into Harry’s office, “You won’t believe what that idiot had done now.” He sat himself across from Harry and crossed his arms. Harry pushed the stack of papers he had been reading aside.
“What on earth has he done now?”
“He is collecting the infinity stones as some sort of courting declaration!” Harry paused.
“Seriously? The infinity stones?” Death nodded. “He must be trying to compensate for something with a power play like that.” Death didn’t respond to that, choosing to instead bash his head on Harry’s desk. “The offer for me to intervene is still there.”
Death just groaned.
---
“Death,” Began Harry, gaze on the millions of souls that had just flooded the underworld simultaneously, “I think now might be the time to intervene with this little admirer of yours. This has gone too far.”
“I did not think he would go this far to gain my attention.” Admitted Death. “What would you like me to do?” The grin Harry gave in response was enough to put even Death himself on edge.
“You’re going to come with me and let this guy down once and for all while I try and reverse the fact that he got rid of half of the population on Earth-616 as a courting gift.” Death could only sigh in both defeat and acceptance.
“Very well Master.” Death grabbed onto Harry’s shoulder and they both vanished, reappearing in a clearing where battle was taking place.
Paying the violence that was happening around them no mind, they started making their way to the front of everything.
“Uh, Death? Is your admirer the giant purple thing?” Death sighed yet again.
“Unfortunately.” Death took the lead and they kept walking until they were standing in front of Thantos. It took him a few moments to notice them, but once he did he looked delighted.
“Death.” He breathed, bowing low. “You received my courting gifts.”
“I did and I am not very pleased.” Thantos looked confused at this.
“But my love, I sent you souls to your domain! More for you to rule over!” Death scowled.
“You sent souls, yes, but along with each soul is mountains of paperwork that must get done! You have effectively made my job more difficult!”
“My love-” Started Thantos.
“I am not your love. I want you to stop, Thantos. I do not appreciate all of the destruction.” Harry took this as his cue to step forward.
“You heard Death. Time to stop.” Thantos swung his gaze to Harry and narrowed his eyes.
“Who are you to make demands of me?” Harry smirked and waved his hand, causing the gauntlet where Thantos was storing the stones to disappear and reappear in his hands.
“I am the Master of Death and I am not very happy right now. You can either stop this at once or I will make you.” Panicked, Thanos took a step forward.
“Hand those back at once or I will kill you.” With a snort Harry waved his hand yet again and the gauntlet crumbled, leaving behind the stones. With a final wave, the stones themselves disappeared. Harry then took out his wand and leveled a glare of his own towards the large purple being.
“Final chance. Quit while you’re ahead or else I will have to make you.” Thanos went to take a swing at him in anger. Harry waved his wand and chanted something in Latin, causing him and the large army he had brought with him to disappear. “I warned him.”
“That you did, Master. You tried to be forgiving but he didn’t take your gracious offer.” Before he could respond, he was interrupted.
“Harry?” He heard a voice call out behind him. Turning, he saw a familiar face.
“Tony Stark. Of course I would find you here in the middle of all the danger.” He walked forward to the man and captured his hand in a firm handshake.
“Thank you. I’m not sure how much longer we could have held him off.” Harry waved a hand at this.
“Don’t thank me yet, I still have to reverse the population control he tried to implement.” Harry raised his wand again and started chanting. The wind picked up, and the more words he spoke the harsher it got. Suddenly, everyone noticed that people started to reappear. “I’ve tried to send people back as close to the original spot they disappeared in as possible.” Tony looked scared for a moment.
“I left the kid alone in space.” Harry looked at him questioningly.
“Kid?” Tony looked at him with wide eyes.
“The kid is in space! Do you think-” He cut himself off, hesitating. “Could you bring him here?” Harry nodded and focused. With a small pop, a red and blue figure was suddenly in front of them.
“Mr. Stark?”
“Kid. You’re okay.” Tony pulled the kid in for a hug. “Thank you.” Harry smiled, and turned back towards death.
“I think it is time we go back to the underworld to do damage control.” With one final smile towards Tony, they disappeared again.
---
“Master?” Death asked, knocking on his door a few weeks later. “I just wanted to say thank you. I wasn’t sure how to stop his advances myself.”
“It was no problem.” Harry reassured. “We all have advances that we don’t know how to reject and get away from. Have I ever told you about the time I got roofied in Atlantas?”