Chapter Text
If he was being honest, Tony realised his fate long before Strange held up a single finger. He had known that he was going to have to sacrifice himself, that he wasn't going to make it out of this battle alive, even if he hadn't come to terms with it.
He had started getting an inkling of what was to come when he read the words MODEL SUCCESSFUL in bold, showing a working, functional time machine. It filled him with dread, knowing that everything was going to change. A huge, overwhelming, selfish, part of him didn't want that. He didn't want to give up the life he had worked so hard towards after Peter had dusted in his arms. Sure it wasn’t perfect, and he hated the fact that he couldn't make it work with Pepper. That he wasn't good enough to make it work. But it was better this way. It wasn't fair to either of them to keep pushing for a romantic relationship when they knew they were better off as friends. Besides, she was right. He wouldn't be able to rest, knowing he could, quite literally, turn back time. He could reverse everything, save everyone.
Of course, no one could have predicted what would actually come of the final battle. No one, including Strange, would have known that the Infinity Stones had claimed Tony; used him as a vessel to right the wrongs of so many of the past wielders. They had seen something in him that they hadn't seen in any of the other welders. They had seen that selflessness that was synonymous with Tony Stark, the human that destroyed a whole fleet of Chitauri, who continues to give more than he should be able to, and made the Mad Titan bleed.
But for now, all Tony knew was that his time was slowly creeping up on him. Call it being paranoid, but he had a vague feeling of dread that was slowly getting stronger as he drove toward the Avengers Compound.
He knew he had to make amends.
So he tossed the shield that had plagued his nightmares for so long into the trunk of his car and drove to the Compound. He does try to think about what he’s going to say to Steve; he doesn’t want it to be awkward, but at the same time… They’ve been through so much, and it sort of feels like they’re drifting apart.
Steve was like a brother to him, and the media dubbed Civil War hurt, even though they were both right and wrong in different places.
At one point, the Avengers were his family, and that meant he did everything in his power to keep them safe. The only thing that he wished he had done differently was that he wished he had brought them in sooner on the whole thing, didn’t work at it alone, so that they could see his point of view.
That's all he’s ever wanted - to keep the Avengers safe.
But what’s done is done, and despite him literally inventing a time machine, he can’t go back and change that. All he can do now is try get Steve on the same page as him and then get everyone back, reverse Thanos’s stupid idea of salvation.
He’s pulled out of his thoughts as he reaches the Avengers compound, and for some reason, isn’t surprised to see Steve out front. He probably heard Tony's Audi, given his super hearing and all. Nor is he surprised, to see the defeated look on his face. There's a million and one things that could have gone wrong, and not taking even just one little thing into account could dramatically change the result.
Well, anyhow, it's time to change that look on Steve's face.
He reverses the car to get in line with Steve, before rolling down the window. "Why the long face?" He asks, knowing exactly what is likely to have happened. "Lemme guess, he turned into a baby."
Steve shrugs. "Among other things, yeah. What are you doing here?"
Tony gets out of the car, but doesn't stop his rambling. "It's the EPR paradox. Instead of pushing Lang though time, you might have wound up pushing time through Lang. It's tricky, dangerous," and despite everything, he can't help the next words. "Somebody could have cautioned you against it," he says, not looking at Steve, but is surprised when he replies.
"You did."
"Oh did I?" Tony asks, the mock shock evident in his voice. "Well, thank god I'm here. Regardless," he carries on, holding up his hand, with the GPS on it. "I fixed it. A fully functioning time-space GPS."
At this, Steve smiles, but Tony can't tell whether it's at him, or the fact that he's, you know, figured out time travel, so he merely shrugs. "I just want peace… Turns out, resentment is corrosive, and I hate it."
Tony knows Steve sees the olive branch that he's extended, and yet is still relieved when he agrees.
"Me too."
"We got a shot at getting these stones but…" Tony sighs. "I gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost, I hope, yes. But I don't want to lose what I've already built in these past five years Steve, I can't. We've given up so much…" He sighs again, but hopes Steve is picking up what he's putting down. "I don't want to sound selfish, but I don't want to give up what I've fought to protect, you know?"
"That's not selfish Tony, not in the slightest. I completely understand where you're coming from."
They taper off into silence once more, but now, the air is lighter than it was before, and Tony's glad that they've had this conversation.
"Sounds like a deal," Steve says, sticking his hand out, and Tony shakes it. They can both tell that something has eased between them, maybe for the first time in years. They're finally, hopefully, going to be able to go back to the ribbing banter and pranks they used to be known for in the Tower. This has definitely been a long time coming.
And then Tony knows it's the right moment to give back the shield, so he takes a few steps back to the trunk of his Audi, and Steve follows him. He grunts as he pulls out the shield, tipping the blanket off of it. Immediately, he can almost physically feel Steve's hesitance as Tony holds it up, clenching his jaw.
"Tony… I dunno."
"Why? He made it for you. That shield… It has a lot of memories, both good and bad. Besides, the fact that Howard made it for you is irrelevant, at least to me. I want you to have it, okay?"
"Tony, I-" He relishes in the fact that he made Steve speechless, which honestly doesn't happen often, but then regrets it when Steve speaks again. "I'm sorry, I really am. Not just for the Accords-"
"Cap, we both made mistakes. I thought that I could keep you all safe by handling all that political bullshit alone, but I should have brought you guys into it. Besides, you weren't entirely wrong. The Accords wouldn't have worked as they were, and they had Ross's dirty fingerprints all over it."
They walk through the doors of the compound together, just like Steve said what feels like a lifetime ago.
*****
He didn’t lie to Steve; resentment was corrosive, and he hated it. He kind of hated the fact that he acted so impulsively in Siberia, but no one ever said Tony Stark thought things through. Now that he had had time (too much of it these days, really) to process everything, he knew that Bucky was just as much of the victim in this situation as Howard and his mom. He had come to terms with it, even forgiven Bucky in his head.
Maybe he would get to tell him in person, but nothing was guaranteed, especially in the post-dusting world they were living in.
Ugh, they really needed to come up with a better name than that. He was Iron Man, he could get people to do that right?
****
The next few hours, or years, depending on how you look at it, are a blur, and just when Tony thinks they might actually pull it off, is, of course, when it all goes to shit.
I really need to stop tempting fate, Tony thinks as he coughs, glancing around at what used to be the Avengers Compound, but is now pretty much decimated. The comms are broken, only spitting out every third word, but he makes out Rhodey and Clint.
He glances around, taking stock of the situation and spots Steve, passed out on a pile of rubble. His shield is in another direction, so he grabs it before heading over to the man, shaking him.
“Steve, come on Cap, wake up,” he says, lightly shaking his shoulder. Luckily, Steve jerks awake, so Tony hands him his shield, smirking slightly.
“What happened?” Steve groans, accepting a hand up from Tony.
“Told you. We messed with time. Time messed back.”
Though he was still a little unsteady, Steve follows Tony through the ruins of the lab. “Where are the others?”
Tony snaps on his face shield again, probably to use his HUD screen, before responding. “I read life signs, maybe 800 feet down, but it’s hard to tell.”
They reach the edge of the crater where they spot Thor, who’s got his eyes fixed on Thanos. For an evil megalomaniac, he doesn’t seem to be doing much right now apart from just…. Sitting on a rock. Waiting. The two of them reach Thor, and Tony speaks.
“What’s he been doing?”
“Absolutely nothing.” Thor spits out, and after that, it’s pretty much chaos. The only time they have a vague semblance of a plan, it’s almost immediately shot to pieces - literally. Thanos throws his spear and the only working time machine van that they have explodes.
The dust clears, and Tony spots the gauntlet just a few metres from him. The only issue is, Thanos spots it too. They’re losing, badly, and everyone knows it. They might have got everyone back, but it’s not going to stay that way for long if they don’t do something drastic.
Tony’s mind starts going even faster than it was before, calculating probabilities and outcomes. With the plan he’s got in mind, he knows then, that this is it. He isn’t going to survive this. But if it means that everyone else does… Peter, Rhodey, Happy… He’s okay with that. If he doesn’t do something now, they’ll lose again, and this time, there’s no coming back.
He takes a deep breath before scrambling for the stones. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Thor do the same. Carol reaches Thanos first, who headbuts her, but she doesn’t move. Except now, Thanos has the gauntlet, and he uses the power stone to send her flying. Even Strange is struggling now, water spilling into the crater. Tony looks over at him, meeting his eye, and all Strange can do is hold up a single finger, which confirms what Tony was thinking.
Using his last reserves of energy, he lunges for Thanos, who throws him off quickly, but thankfully, not quickly enough for the nanno-bots not to take hold.
Thanos lifts his hand in the air triumphantly. “I am...inevitable.” Thanos snaps his fingers, and it seems like the entire battlefield holds their breath, but nothing happens. Confused, Thanos turns the glove over to find it empty, no stones in sight. Only then does everyone spot Tony, the nanoparticles sliding and shifting to form a new gauntlet on his wrist to accommodate the six Infinity Stones.
The power creeping up Tony’s neck is clear to everyone, but the man in question just seems to ignore it, raising his arm. “And I...am Iron Man,” he grinds out, before snapping his fingers. All around the battlefield, the effects are immediate. The tidal wave evaporates into mist, Sakaarans and Outriders turning to dust. Thanos himself looks around in disbelief as his troops start to disappear, until he’s the only one left. And then, even he is nothing but atoms, signalling the Avengers victory.
Tony collapses against the upturned roots of a tree, armour smoking, and his arm is withered and blackened. Rhodey rushes to him, but with one glance over Tony, he already knows it’s too late. Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, is dying.
Tony exhales, almost letting go, but then Peter lands, and he knows he has to hang for just that little bit longer. He takes Tony’s hand, close to tears. “Mr. Stark...Tony…” If Tony had any energy left, he’d be teasing the hell out of Peter for finally calling him Tony. “It’s okay, it’s okay...Mr. Stark, we won. You did it, sir…”
He really wants to apologise for leaving Peter like this, he really does, but when he tries to open his mouth, he fails, eyes sliding shut.