Tony's lab at the compound was dark when Natasha approached it, a single source of light being the single, flickering hologram projecting from a turned-over palm of a slumped over figure. The man was fast asleep, head placed on his forearm on the table. Natasha sighed and walked to him.
"Liam." She muttered and placed her hand on his shoulder. Liam jerked awake, eyes panicked for a moment before settling on her.
"'Tash." He said, voice scratchy.
"Hey. I'm glad you're finally getting some sleep but your body needs something comfortable."
"I... I didn't mean to fall asleep. Sorry." He hummed and brushed some of his ebony hair out of his face.
"I know. C'mon, let's get you to bed." Liam nodded and stood up. At first he thought the shaking was from him being so tired, thinking he was only seeing things, but the way Natasha was looking around, concerned look on her face, he guessed no. The room, no, the whole building was shaking. They shared a simple look before darting outside the compound where they were met with Pepper, Steve, Bruce, Rhodey and Rocket, all looking up at the sky. And there it was. A huge spaceship was carried down by a single woman, her body glowing in a large variety of colors. The entry hatch opened and the group outside tensed up. Out stumbles Tony, being supported by a woman with blue skin. Steve runs up to the two and helps Tony from the other side.
"Couldn't stop him." Tony sounds exhausted, voice near a whisper and an absolute defeat in his eyes.
"Neither could I." Steve sighs and looks at Tony with understanding.
"I lost the kid."
"Tony, we lost."
"Is, uh...?" Tony stumbles over the words and looks around.
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Pepper ran forward, embracing Tony in a tight hug.
"It's okay."
***
"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth."
"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures." Natasha joins Rhodey on filling Tony and Nebula in.
"Where is he now? Where?"
"We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through." Tony looks around in frustration and spots Thor, sitting further away, staring into nothingness.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed. Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?" Rocket said.
"Honestly, until this exact second, I literally thought you were a Build-A-Bear."
"Maybe I am."
"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him." Steve takes a step forward.
"Who told you that?" Tony looks around, surprised. "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight."
"Okay." The blond man raised his hands in defense.
"He's unbeatable."
"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?"
"Pfft! I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming."
"A vision?" Liam perks up, eyes widening.
"Liam, you look like shit." Tony tells him and Liam backs off, clearly understanding Tony had no desire to fill them in.
"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus." Steve's words make Tony seethe.
"And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?" Tony stands up and stumbles, Rhodey, Steve and Liam taking a step to him. "I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse-" He takes a few wobbly steps to Steve, Rhodey quickly moving to stop him.
"Tony, Tony, Tony!"
"Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we needed!"
"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve answers bitterly.
"I said, "we'd lose". You said, "We'll do that together too." And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Prevengers." Tony looks at his bect friend, looking for any kind of affirmation.
"Okay." Rhoody sighs.
"Right?"
"You made your point. Just sit down."
"Okay..."
"Okay?" Rhodey raised an eyebrow, not believing Tony was done.
"Nah, nah. Here's my point. You know what?" Tony proves him right.
"Tony, you're sick."
"She's great, by the way." Tony points at Carol, as she introduced herself.
"Sit down. Sit."
"We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar." Tony shoves a finger into Steve's chest, pushing him away. Then he grabs at his own chest, where there was previously an arc reactor. He rips the device that holds his suit off and shoves it into Steve's palm "Here, take this. You find him, and you put that on. You hide." His knees give out and Steve, Rhodey and Liam move to help him.
"I'm fine. I..." He cuts himself off as he falls unconscious, Liam barely catching his head before it hits the ground.
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