THE DARKEST HOUR » tony stark ¹

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[ 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ]

TONY

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'This can't - ' he murmured in defeat at the dead man in front of him. 'This can't be it.'

The electromagnetic pulse was a fickle thing. Mercurial enough for him to mindlessly choose the first fittest option in front of him. And because of his oblivious reflection, he faced the mire of consequences that awaited him. There were no flashes of shine as he anticipated after this was over - just a near departed woman taking her ultimate breaths. I see you, he wanted to say but his insides were tight in desolation, I do.

'Tony, Hill? Does anybody copy? There's a blackout in the city. I repeat, anybody copy?'

'Elle,' he had no courage left to cry, the pain locking him in. He tapped on his comms. 'Rhodey. I need an assist. It's Elle.'

'What - '

'Her reactor's shot. It's... it's really bad.'

'Hold on. I'm on my way.'

 Tony dragged his trembling body forward, kneeling beside her with a jagged range of emotions. He dragged a hand around her face. 'You're fine. You're fine, baby. I'm here.'

He fought with his strength to reach out and tear the material of her shirt to see the muted reactor - lifeless and dead. No longer in use and late for revival. The metal burned and crackled with an intense pulse, burning the skin to coal around the reactor. The wires were fried and everything was reduced to black - there was nothing to save her from.

Elle inhaled another trembling whiff of air, a gasp and hoped to clutch on a few more minutes. 'It's o-okay.'

My fault.

'I did this,' he whispered.

I am to blame.

She let out a staggering sigh. With her futile arm, she tried to stretch out to his hand and seize him in a feather-light grip. 

'Look at me,' she murmured. 'Tony.'

'This is Hill. I copy.'

Tony forced his stiff neck straight, facing the soft influence of her glum blue eyes. There was a flicker of hope as she tweaked the edge of her lips. He took this time to look at her, to really look at her. Elle and her breathtaking smiles, soft hair that always fell into her eyes in bangs and azure blue eyes he never wanted to close.

'You saved so many lives. Lose to win, right?' Her voice broke with exhausted energy.

'Elle,' he dumbly urged when she paused her words. Her jugular bounced with hurt and he knew the piercing agony she was under - the shrapnel in her heart clenching deeper until there was no more. There was no stopping them.

'I should've stayed back.'

They partook a shoal laugh, the sparks in both their eyes extinguished. How much ever Tony wanted to scold her stubborn nature, carry her still breathing self to the nearest first response team - he knew it was going to go in vain. If he was going to spend a few more minutes, he might as well do it with spared moments of grace.

When he looked up from their entangled sooty hands, her eyes had gone vacant. Her red lips parted as the sign of her final gasp for her air, a wave of pain washing over him. Her head lolled over, leaning back against the wall without will.