“Two people in love, alone, isolated from the world, that’s beautiful.”
– Milan Kundera
“How do I look?”
“You look nice.” Even though they're alone in the locker rooms at the compound, Tony keeps the compliment simple, pariniod that someone might walk in on them and hear him say something inappropriate or worse find them in a compromising position. Although his eyes do travel down her figure appreciatively. She’s wearing the matching white, black, and red Quantum Suits that everyone received for the mission, and while it isn’t made to be skin tight or revealing she still looks amazing in it.
“I don’t know why you're so worried. This is going to be great! Our first mission together.”
“This isn’t a game El. Yo-”
Tony stands up from the bench he is sitting on and is about to once more lecture her on how dangerous the mission they were about to embark on was. He was completely against her going, but Natahsa hadn't been able to convince Clint to come back. He believed that they were all delusional and didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing- he truely believed his family and everyone who had disapeared was dead forever. Meaning that there was an extra suit and spot.
And to make matters even worse, Tony was the only one who had objected to her coming, and he couldn’t exactly tell them all the reasons why he wasn’t comfortable with her going without revealing the fact that he had been having an affair with someone he was over two decades older then while also being married.
“I’ve been doing this for three and a half years. I know it’s not a game. But you don’t have to look like you're marching to your execution.”
“This isn’t just some street thugs or corrupt low level government cronies. This involves time traveling and the unknown. Wherever we end up, you need to be careful and you need to listen to me. Stay close unless things get too dangerous and I tell you to run, understand.”
“Yes, sir.”
Tony sighs and rolls his eyes at Elora’s faux salute, but as they exit the locker room to join the others he hopes she actually takes his words seriously. He’s worried about everything that’s going on and it would have made him feel much more assured if she had stayed back in the compound. Or better yet somewhere faraway from the compound that was safe and secure.
But she was stubborn.
“Mr. Stark.”
“Yes?”
Elora stopped walking and turned to Tony lightly placing a gloved hand on his biceps.“Everything’s going to be okay.”
Tony blinked down at her feeling thrown off for a moment. Usually he was the one assuring and reassuring her. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I trust the team. But mostly I trust you. You’re smart enough to figure all this time traveling stuff out and I know you’ll always watch out for me. That’s why I’m not worried about this mission or anything that might happen after it. I know you’ll be there and you’ll have the answer.”
“You really have that much faith in me?”
“Absolutely.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Know your teams, know your mission. Get the stones back. One round trip each, no mistakes. Most of us are going somewhere we know, that doesn’t mean you should know what to expect.”
Steve Rogers, Scott Lang, Hulk, Nebula, Natasha, Rocket Racoon, Thor, Tony and Elora are all gathered in the hangar of the Compound. The nine of them had gathered together to do the impossible and attempt to restore the world before Thanos destroyed it by traveling back in time. Steve Rogers looks over at each and every one of them as he speaks, feeling a spark of pride for the people who he had called teammates and even friends. The last five years had not been easy on any of them and as sound as Tony and Bruce’s science was he knew there were a lot of unaccounted for variables, but here they all were, willing to risk whatever they had left in the world.
“Be Careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives and we’re going to win. Whatever it takes. Good Luck.”
Everyone moved out of the circle they had been huddled in and moved into their position on the time machine. The air is filled with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty, but Steve’s speech had also given them all a renowned sense of hope. That’s why they were here, that’s why they were doing this; hope.
“Alright stroke those keys Jolly Green.” Tony jumps on the platform and takes his position to Elora’s left.
Elora glaces down at the ship that had been shrunk down to fit into the palm of her hand, and glances over to where Hulk is punching in all their coordinates. On the outside she’s stone faced because that’s the only way she can imitate being calm but on the inside she’s uneasy. She’s only minutes away from going on the biggest most important mission of her life. And she knows the plan, she’s played it out in her mind a thousand times that day alone;
Go back to earth in the past, take the Milano and fly it to Vormir, retrive the infinity stone and come back.
But she can’t help but feel the pit in her stomach, can’t help but think about the worst possible scenarios, and almost wishes she hadn’t convinced the rest of the team and Tony to let her come. But it’s too late to change her mind and turn her back now, not that she would if she were given the opportunity.
She wanted to be brave. She wasn’t the first time she stood on Titan against Thanos along with her father, Tony, Spider-Man, and the Guardians. She feels maybe if she were than the blip would have never happened, that they could have won if she wasn’t scared and her father wasn’t more focused on keeping her safe.
No one knew about the guilt she carried from that day on Titan- not even Tony. But she has had this driving desire to make it right ever since, to prove herself to be an actual hero and not some scarred and scared child.
“Promise to bring that back in one piece right?”
Elora’s head snaps up to her right and she sees Rocket Racoon eyeing her almost untrustingly. She knew that the ship had belonged to him and his team and perhaps held more sentimental value than he would like to admit.
“I’ve never driven a space ship before, but some guy let me drive his motorcycle once and I don’t think It’ll be that different.” Elora jokes dismissively and Rocket’s eyes twitch in irritation. All the furs on his body rise up, and he has to forcinbly stiffen his body to keep from jumping the short distance to her and snatching the Milano back up.
“You don’t drive a spaceship, you fly one!”
“She’s not the one flying it.”
Tony does his best to placate Rocket from throwing a full out tantrum, and from across the platform Natasha sends Elora a look, and the younger girl smiles back sheepishly and mouths a ‘what’ causing green eyes to roll before turning back to her conversation with Steve.
“We’re ready to roll!” Hulk jumps on the platform going to his spot.
They all stand in a circle on the edge of the reflective floor, the floor starts spinning along with the glass hanging down from the ceiling above them. As the spinning begins to gradually increase, their helmets come down to cover their faces and the floor underneath them opens up to a vibrant orange portal sucking them all down and sending them flying Quantum Realm and into the past.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Vormir is……creepy.”
Elora had only ever been out to space and on an alien planet once in her life, and truthfully speaking once was enough. The planet of Vormir was as desolate as Titan had been, but while Titan had been a bright orange and brown desert plant Vormir felt more as if it were something out of a Star Wars movie.
The atmosphere felt heavy and cold, the terrain was uneven and wet, and the sky was colored in shades of dark greys, blues, and purples. There wasn’t much light to guide them as the only star in the sky was the color of a cantaloupe and looked to be about the size of Elora’s fist from where they were positioned. It provided as little warmth as it did light. Not that it mattered much, their suits were insulated.
Even though none of them had ever been to Vormir, Nebula had known how to reach it, and how to find the infinity stone from her time being on Thanos's side. The planet had one large singular mountain that could be seen anywhere while standing on the planet, and that's where the Soul Stone would be.
“So you wouldn’t want to go on any vacations here in the future?”
“After this I’m never leaving the earth’s atmosphere.”
“I thought you were adventurous.” Tony playfully says. He offers Elora his hand which she takes, and helps her navigate through the uneven terrain more steadily.
“No. I just have the need to do the opposite of what I’m told. If you really wanted me to come on this mission I probably wouldn’t have wanted to go.”
“Now you tell me.”
“I thought you would have figured that out about me by now. But it's too late I guess, we're in the lovely Vormir.....five years in the past at that.” They were now on more even terrain and while she didn’t need to continue holding onto Tony’s hand she did. Despite all the apprehension she was feeling surrounding their mission him holding her hand made her feel better. Being that he was married and she wasn’t his wife there were certain things- small, couply, romantic things that they couldn’t do. Things that Elora had always desperately wanted to do.
It sometimes made her feel selfish and unfair. Tony had always been very clear with the limitations of their relationship, with the fact that he wouldn’t ever leave Pepper and Morgan, not that Elora wanted him to. She felt horrible enough that she was having sex with a married man, and as much as loved Tony she couldn't imagine taking him from his family. She would hate herself too much. But at the same time she wanted more of him, more of his love, maybe even more than he had to give.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm.” Elora’s eyes flashed from infront of her over to Tony. They were nearly at the base of the mountain, nearly to the timestone when his voice broke through her thoughts.
“You don’t usually stay quiet for this long.”
“There’s a lot going on in my mind.”
“Anything you want to share?”
“Not right now. Maybe when we get back to our own time and planet.”
Tony nodded, and his hand squeezed hers in understanding and reassurance. There was a lot on his mind too. About the mission, about the next steps if they were successful, about his family, and Elora. Over the last two years she had never been far from his mind. Even when he was with Pepper he was mostly consumed by thoughts and images of her.
He loved her, more than he would ever admit to himself much less her, and that was the problem. Their relationship was more than just an affair, it was more than sex. It was a deep emotional connection, an unhealthy codependency, and Tony knew that if they were able to reverse the blip and defeat Thanos that he’d have to give her up. He’d have to set her free and allow her to live a normal life away from him and develop healthy relationships with people her age. He knew that he would need to focus on his marriage, and while he would never confess his nearly year long infidelity to Pepper, he loved her enough to want to make it work.
He knew that Elora would be hurt when he broke things off. She would definitely cry, curse, and maybe even beg for him not to do this. He knew she wouldn’t completely understand at the moment. But he hoped that one day she would come to understand.
They’d never get a happy ending together. That wasn’t how relationships like theirs worked. Eventually she’d come to realize how advantagous he was with her and come to resent him, and he couldn’t stand the thought of that. But if he let her go then maybe one day she could forgive him.
They could maybe be firends, and she would have a chance at real love and happiness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Tony and Elora reach the top of the mountain they find it to be flat and for a moment Vormir is a sight to behold. It no longer feels dreary and dark. The color swirl more calmly and there’s a bit more warmth to the air and for a second Elora thinks of how peaceful and almost beautiful it is here.
Before words can be exchanged between the two a wraith like figure in a hooded back cloak floats before them and instinctively Tony takes a protective step in front of Elora putting more space between her and the possible threat.
“Who are you?”
“I am the Red Skull.” The figure's voice is deep and accented. He raises his head to meet their eyes but does not remove his hood. Not that he needs to, the red skeletal face is recognizable even behind the shadow of a hood. Even to those who have never seen him in person before.
“How? You died years ago fighting Captain America.”
“I remember that battle well. A fate worse than death met me at its end. I was cursed. I am cursed. As punishment for my misuse of the space stone. To be imprisoned on this planet as a guardian for the soul stone. To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power.”
“You know where the soul stone is?”
“I am it’s guardian.”
“Show us. We need it to undo what Thanos has done in our timeline.”
The Red Skull doesn’t answer with words. He turns his back to them and walks to the end of the mountain, looks down, and waits.
Tony and Elora exchange an apprehensive look, but follow behind with Tony standing in the middle still wanting to keep a safe distance between Elora and the former Hydra leader. He hadn't calculated having to fight a hundred something year old Hydra leader into this mission, but either way he came prepared.
The to come to a stop inches away from the Red Skull and peer over edge. The way down looked longer than they way up, and the could hardly tell if what they were looking at was solid ground or not. But they knew they certainly weren't seeing an infinity stone waiting for them anywhere down there.
“What is this!? There’s nothing down there.”
“What you seek lies in front of you. But to take the stone you must lose which that you love.” Red Skull speaks calmly in a rehearsed manner and takes a step back. “An everlasting exchange….a soul for a soul.”
“A soul for a soul.” Elora speaks slowly to make sense of his words. When she does her eyes go wide and her voice wavers “Yo- you mean o....one of us has to die here to get the stone?”
Red Skull nods his head and Tony instantly starts arguing and calling the man a liar. “There has to be another way.”
“There is no other way. The stone demands a sacrifice.”
“Mr. Stark w-“
Elora attempts to reach out to Tony to calm him and hopefully get some needed reassurance, but he slips her grasp and begins pacing as he does when he’s being stumped on a difficult problem.
“You said to get the stone you must lose what you love. But we don’t love each other. So one of us dying here would be meaningless to the stone. Meaning there has to be another way to get it.”
“Mr. Stark!”
“It’s true I don’t love you.” Tony turns in time to glimps as devestation covers Elora's soft face. Her expression makes him feel as though he’s just shot himself through his own heart. But he doubles down on his false proclamation because if it means she lives than he’s willing to tear her heart open, and make her hate him for the rest of their lives. “I don’t love you El. You don’t love me either, your only nineteen. Your too young to know what it means to love someone.”
“No! I love you! It doesn’t matter how old I am, everything I’ve felt for you these last two years have been real. And I know you feel the same. I know your lying.”
“He is indeed lying. The soul stone has more power than to simply manipulate the soul. It can read your heart. It knows your greatest desires. You would have never made it this far if it did not believe you could give it the sacrifice it so desired.”
“I knew you were lying. Even the stupid powerful stone knew you were lying.” Elora approaches Tony letting out a scared bitter laugh and when she’s close enough he reaches out cupping the sides of her face and whipping away her tears with his thumb. With an almost defeated sigh he rest his forehead against hers.
“I was hoping that I-“
“I know.”
One of them would have to die here. It was inevitable.
“I’ll do it.”
“What?”
“Get the soul stone and get back safely.”
“No! Mr. Stark you can’t do it. I’ll do it.”
“El you’re young and y-“
“And you have a family. Think about Pepper and Morgan. They need you. The team needs you. And to be honest everyone I have- they disappeared with the blip. I have no one to go back to, no one who cares.”
“I need you.”
“Not as badly as the rest of the world needs you or Iron Man. They would’ve never made time travel possible without you and they won’t be able to figure out how to use all the stones together without you. I know it.”
Not wanting to hear him protest she leans forward pushing him into a kiss. It was a bitter-sweet kiss. A kiss that spoke more clearly than any other words they had said to each other that day. Elora pressed her body against Tony’s, and he in turn gripped onto her back as if it were a life line. They knew this was it. This would be were their story ended. This would be the last time they would ever hold each other, ever touch each other, ever see each other. They knew what they felt for each other was selfish, but it was love, it was special, and it was something they had never felt for anyone before. They poured all those emotions, all the things that was left unsaid, and all their regrets into that single desperate kiss.
When they pulled away their lips were bruised, and their breathing was labored, and tears were staining both their cheeks. Wanting to get it over with before she lost her nerve Elora brought her hands to his chest and she could feel her power moving through her and down her arms. Before he could register it Tony had been telekinetically thrown almost half way to the other side of the platform they were standing on and Elora sprinting to the edge. Just as she had passed by the Red Skull Tony had managed to get enough of himself together to activate the repulser rays on his glove, reach his arm out and send it shooting at her feet. It wasn’t enough to hurt her but just enough to cause her to trip and go tumbling down.
In the same second Tony had jumped to his feet and began sprinting for the edge himself. The same thing kept repeating in his mind. That he’d already lost so much, he wasn’t willing to lose her, he wasn’t going to lose her. That even though Steve had said do whatever it takes to get the stone and get back, he wasn't going to let her die. That was out of the question.
Tony’s feet left the edge and he went flying through the sky. For a second all he could hear was the wild thumping of his heat and he knew that this would be different compared to all the other times. There was no suit this time, there was no coming back up. He was going to crash and die.
But she would live.
“No!” Elora almost didn’t recognize her own voice when she got up. It echoed in her ears but it felt distant. She was standing again and her hands were stretched out in front of her. She didn’t think she had the amount of power in her that she was exerting. She'd never used her power on such a scale, because she hardly relied on it for much. Pain rippled through her mind and muscle, but somehow she had managed to stop Tony’s body mid air and was yanking him back down onto solid ground.
She could hear him protesting, begging her to let him go but she wouldn’t listen. She wouldn’t let him do this. This was a sacrifice that she needed to make not him. She yanked him back harder and sent him flying over her head and to the farthest side of the small mountain platform. It's something she should feel bad about because she wasn't being gentle, but she knew in her heart that she was doing the right thing. To make sure that he couldn't attempt stopping her again she used her powers to rip away the repulser on his chest.
Her body was shaking from the exertion of her powers and the adrenaline of what she was about to do next. But that didn't stop nor slow her down- she staggered one step at a time towards the edge, and sent a silent prayer that the Red Skull wasn't fooling them, that her sacrafice would get them the soul stone, and that the rest of the team would be able to restore everyone that had been lost to Thanos.
“El! NO! DON”T DO IT!” Tony screams struggling to get up on his feet fast enough. Being thrown around the air and into stone was hard on the body, and everything hurt, but not enough for him to stay still. Not enough for him not to try and stop her.
Elora stops at the edge and turns her back to it, so she was now facing Tony. She still wanted to see him one last time.
“I love you.”
It was the last thing she needed to say to him. She didn't need to hear him say it to, but needed to know that he knew that.
And she took a step back.
And she was falling.
And falling.
And he was screaming for her.
And both their worlds went black.
And if the Red Skull - now standing alone- were any other man he would lament over the story of doomed lovers at the mountain of Vormir.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tony doesn’t remember much of what happened before he snapped his fingers anymore. What he does remember can’t be put into words- they were feelings. There was determination, there was adrenalin, there was hope, there was anger, and then the pain came, and then everything felt as if it froze after.
He stumbled back and slid down and he could hear Pepper’s voice, but he didn’t know if he was talking back to her or not. Everything had gone numb and he was no longer a part of his body. But he could still see them so clearly. All of them on the battlefield, all the destruction they had caused.
And he wishes he had his voice. That he could say something witty and intelligent, that he could thank them all for sticking besides him, that he could see Morgan one more time, that he could apologize to Pepper because she didn’t deserve him cheating on her, that he could apologize to Dr. Strange too. For lusting after his young daughter and not doing enough to save her on Vormir.
Tony’s eyes began to grow heavy and Pepper’s voice begins to grow softer but he fights against the inevitable for a moment longer, because if there was one thing Tony was going to do it was fight. He wanted to burn the image of all of them into his memory a little longer. Regardless of what the after life had in store for him he wanted to remember them all.
He doesn’t believe in god but as his eyes close for the last time and everything fades to black he knows he’s just saved the universe and maybe that evens out the scales for all his impiety and flaws.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Tony opens his eyes again he’s resting against a droopy oak tree. The first thing he notices is how light he feels, as if some weight had been literally lifted off of him, and if he wanted to could float away. When he stands up he does so easily and realizes he’s no longer in his Iron-Man armor but casual jeans and a t-shirt. His body naturally stretched and was pristine of any injury or feelings of pain. He takes a few unsure steps forward looking at his surroundings. Endless miles of green grass and a large lake near where the tree was that he had been sitting under. On the other side of the lake were endless miles of large dense trees, but he could not tell where those trees lead to, or what his behind them. It was all endless, quiet, beautiful, and serene.
Far from the environment that Tony was used to. As wonderful and simple as it was, Tony felt that he was slowly becoming overwhelmed at it all.
“Mr. Stark?”
Tony turns around at the sound of his name and standing a few feet behind him is Elora casually fitted in shorts and a shirt. She looked less confused than him, but her expression still showed surprise.
“El.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I thought you could use some company.” Tony jokes even though he isn't sure where 'here' is, if Elora is also with him than he might have a hint, and he's okay with that
“You did something stupid didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Was my dad there?”
“It was sort of his idea.” Tony pauses for a moment, remembering the brief interaction that he and Dr. Strange was on the battlefield. Everything had happened so fast once Thanos arrived, and his memories were a bit blurry. But he remembers the pained look when he revealed to Dr. Strange that Elora had passed. She was the first person he had asked for. “He misses you.”
“Did you guys win?”
“We did.”
Elora bit her lip, barely able to fight back the smile. “I know I shouldn’t be but I’m happy you’re here. I never thought I’d see you again.”
“I didn’t know what was going to happen, but this- this is better than I could have hoped for.”
“So what now?”
“Explore the afterlife together, for eternity?”
“Eternity’s a long time.”
“That it is. Are you up for it?”
“Since you’re the only other one here I suppose that I don’t have much of a choice. I’d drive myself crazy not having anyone to talk to for that long.”
“You could at least pretend to be happy about it.”
“I don’t have to pretend. I am happy."
Elora holds out her right hand to Tony. He takes it intertwining their fingers together and begin walking in the direction which he assumes she came from. They don't make it far when something dawns on them and he stops walking causing her to also stop and look back at him in concern.
"Is everything ok?"
"I almost forgot...." Tony brings their intertwined hands up to his face and kisses the back of Elora's. "....I love you too El."