Chapter Text
Tony has been given again and again another shot to live- from the time he was first kidnapped, or, from that cave in Afghanistan, from the Palladium poisoning, when Obadiah pulled it out of his chest, when he flew out into the space with the missile, when he almost got trapped and drowned trying to hold his house up, when Steve had brought the shield down on his chest and perhaps many more. Tony has been given several shots at life. He seems to be always given another chance. Tony doesn’t understand. Not till there are only ashes around him. Not till he is covered in dust and he remembers that he is the one burdened with the cursed knowledge. Like Thanos had said he would be the only one who would be able to do anything about it. Like Strange had said fourteen million possibilities. Till then Tony had been unsure of his purpose, of life’s ulterior motive- making him continue to live while people he cared about, people he had wanted to live longer lives hadn’t. As he had inhaled the ash and almost choked on it, he finally knew what he had to. So, he had grabbed the hand of an equally, if not more, broken soul and had stood determined to make this yet another shot at life be that damn possibility of them winning this war.
And like everything else that Tony Stark had set his mind to, he comes out on the winning side. It takes a while but he does. He doesn’t stop even when his lungs are sputtering to provide him with air, even when his muscles pull and make him stumble. He doesn’t stop even in moments when his armour fails him because a Tony Stark who has already lost everything is unstoppable. He becomes a force that even Thanos comes to acknowledge and when the final blow is struck, he sees understanding, pain in those eyes.
Even when he is falling, Thanos continues to be the reflection of the invisible burden on shoulders.
“I wish it didn’t have to come to this, my friend. I understand you.”
Tony had spat on the ground, shaking. “You don’t.”
“If I were in your place, I would do the same too.” Thanos smiles as he falls to the ground and pulls Tony with him. Tony continues to shiver and shake from adrenaline and shock and sleeplessness. Thanos pets his head and it is fucking same all over again. Tony screws his eyes shut and tries to breathe hard and block out the memories of dust and anguish.
I don’t feel so good, Mr Stark.
“This planet is blessed to have you.” Thanos wipes a treacherous tear away from his face. “I hope this world remembers you, my child.”
Then, it is only Tony sitting on the ground and even more pile of ash in front of him, on him again. He presses the heels of his palms to his eyes, doubles over and bawls. His chest wracking with sobs in the absolute silence of nature.
*
When he had been on that doughnut of a ship, bantering with Strange, it had been an effort to find some kind of comfort in the familiar verbal dance of the Tony Stark to keep himself from panicking but mutual respect and imminent danger had cut that short. When Strange had said he would pick the universe over him and Parker he had been relieved because it aligned with his own thoughts. He wouldn’t have had to fight with him on it and if Strange was determined about something, one could be assured to be in good hands and in this case, it had been the universe. Tony had not known how Strange had come to be the “Sorcerer Supreme” but he had been relieved . Tony could trust Stephen Strange to do his job. But like everything else in his life, this relief of his had lasted too short. He should have known. He should have known .
Stephen Strange then did something that Tony would have never expected from anyone in his life. Not anymore.
Doctor Stephen Strange gave up his life for Anthony Stark.