Frostbite

Fifteen

Tony saw Thanos going for the glove and intercepted him, shoving him away from the stones. Thanos grabbed ahold of him and pushed him back. He spun, backhanding Tony across the ground. I ran forward, blocking him as he reached for the glove. I swung out with my trident, raking it across his arm as a blast burst from the end, knocking him back.

It didn't deter him for long, because he lunged for me with a low grunt, snatching the hilt of the trident as I clung to it and threw me out of his way. My head bounced off the ground violently as I landed and rolled. It took me several moments to see straight once again. Blood pooled in my mouth, and I coughed, spitting it to the ground as I tried to clamber back to my feet slowly.

I glanced over in time to see Thanos combat both Thor and Steve away, forcing them immobile for the time being. Carol flew back into view as Thanos slipped the glove onto his hand, preparing to snap once again. She gripped his fingers, preventing him from bringing them together. I ran up behind him as he pulled the power stone from its socket and used it to punch her away.

Large spires of ice erupted across the ground, causing him to stumble as they appeared beneath his feet. He corrected himself and used the power stone to send a beam of power right at me. I was expecting this and threw up a shield, absorbing the power. The trident spun in my hand, shooting dozens of sharp projectiles his way.

He clenched his hand, and they stopped inches from him. They began to pull together, transforming into a larger mass. It came hurtling through the air, smashing into my abdomen. I flew back, weapon flying from my hand.

Tony rushed forward, latching onto the gauntlet. He held on for several seconds, but Thanos easily batted him away.

"I am- inevitable," Thanos smiled, snapping his fingers. My breathing stopped, but there was only a metallic clink instead of the wave of power like last time. He turned his fist over and blinked in astonishment. The stones were missing.

My head swiveled around to Tony, dread replacing every other emotion in my body. He raised his hand, the stones snapping into place on his suit. The gamma radiation coursed up the length of his arm and up his shoulder. He smirked at Thanos in triumph.

"And I- am- Iron Man."

Tony snapped his fingers, a thunderous boom echoed around us, followed by a flash of white.

"No!" I screamed, running to Tony. Bruce had barely been able to handle it, there was no way Tony could. His legs gave out, and he collapsed against a pile of debris, gasping for air.

Thanos' army slowly turned to dust. The battlefield going quiet as the fighting died away. I didn't bother to watch and make sure Thanos went as well. I knew he would. He had lost thanks to Tony.

I dropped next to my brother, grasping his bloody face between my hands. Tears ran down my face freely, but I ignored them as I focused solely on him. I cried out in frustration as I tried to heal him, but it wouldn't work, just like it hadn't on Bruce. This magic was useless.

"I love you, ya idiot," I whispered, struggling to control my emotions. Why had he done it? It should have been anyone else.

Tony smiled at me, conveying his last words to me through his eyes. His skin was turning black from the severe radiation exposure as his life force slowly diminished. He had only moments left. Peter landed next to me, already in tears as he stared at his mentor in horror.

"Mr. Stark?" he said, his voice wobbling, "Hey- Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter. Hey. We won, Mr. Stark– We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it."

Tony couldn't even respond at this point. Peter broke down, hugging him fiercely as he knew what was coming. I clambered to my feet, feeling numb. Was this really happening?

"I'm sorry- Tony-"

Pepper raced forward, gently pulling Peter away. He fell into my arms, and I held him there, running my hand against his hair, trying to comfort him. Peter's reaction made it even worse, as did the expression on Pepper's face.

She quietly began talking to him and Steve appeared at my side. He rested his hand on my cheek, his own dirty face streaked with tears as he stared at my brother. He didn't even attempt to pry Peter from my arms.

"We're gonna be okay," I heard Pepper tell him lovingly, "You can rest now."

Like he had been waiting for those exact words, Tony finally closed his eyes. Another sob raked my body. The arc reactor on his chest flickered, until finally, it went out. Tony had taken his last breath.