PSEUDONYM! PETER PARKER ²

5.00 Classified: The Camel's Back

CLASSIFIED MISSION: FINAL STRAW

TEAM: THE SURVIVORS

DATE: 28 DAYS AFTER THE SNAP

LOCATION: UPSTATE NEWYORK

"Is he up yet?" Outside of the medical room, Steve Rogers stood with his arms crossed. The one-sided glass in front of him had a clear view of the billionaire. Tubes and wires were netted around his thin body like snakes, and Steve had avoided the medical wing of the Avengers compound for that very reason.

Beside the tired patriot was Natasha Romanoff with a focused expression on her face.

"Yeah, Pepper's been talking to him for awhile now." James Rhodes, who seemed to have the opposite problem as Steve, kept his gaze focused on his best friend. His wife sat next to him, and Tony's head stayed in a position that made sure his eyes never left her. "Are you going to tell him, or should I?"

Steve took a deep breath. "I'll do it."

"Your call, Cap," James replied warily.

However, before Steve could open the door, Natasha rested a hand on his arm. "Maybe you should let Rhodes handle this one. He's still pretty pissed about everything."

Steve placed his hand over hers and shook his head. "He should hear it from me."

As the cool air of the room touched his face, he braced himself, shoulders set like a soldier. Instantly, the quiet whispers of the couple were silenced.

Tony looked like hell; the color in his face was slowly returning, but the weight he lost from his isolation in space made him look like a skeleton. Pointedly, he kept his attention on Pepper's necklace, toying gently with his fingers. The redhead greeted Steve politely with a small smile, which Steve returned.

"I think I'll go get you some water, now." She said to Tony and stood up.

"Actually, I think you should stay. The place needs a splash of red." He countered, waving his fingers around the room.

Rolling her eyes, she pressed a kiss on his forehead. "I'll be right back."

Once the door shut, it felt as though the room had expanded, pushing Tony a million miles away from him. For a second, Steve considered taking a seat but found himself unable to move out of his spot. Tony had warned them against any other attacks on the purple titan that broke the universe, but as always, Steve could never find it in himself to listen. "We found Thanos."

Tony rested his hands over his lap. "Judging by the lack of balloons and confetti, I'm assuming things didn't go as planned."

Splat. The blonde-haired man could feel the Titan's blood splash over his face as his ears processed Thor's ax cutting through his skin. Swallowing, Steve looked at the floor. "We were too late. By the time we got there he had already destroyed the stones." Tony nodded, fiddling with the heart monitor wire. "Thor killed him before we found out anything else. I'm sorry."

"Don't say sorry to me," Tony said quickly, indifferent to the words Steve had just said. Unbothered, he shrugged. "I told you what was gonna happen." Then, he snapped his fingers and pointed at Steve. "You know this is why Pepper brought me pudding. I thought she was congratulating me on my weight gain, some thanks for living dessert, not mission went horribly wrong dessert."