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parallels/ 1.The grass is crisp, the wind is just the right kind of a subtle breeze, and he decides that today is the day. He’s going to visit him. And so he walks, slow and hesitant, still afraid to face the truth of what will lie before him when he meets his destination.The stone doesn’t even reach his knees, but the reality of it is so much bigger. He kneels down onto the grass, plucking a few stray strands, patting the grass and lying a bouquet of flowers on the grave.“Tony.” He starts. It’s still weird, he thinks. To not have a witty response spouting out whenever he spouts out the name. It’s also weird to not hear loud music bleeding out of the workshop at all hours of the day. It’s weird to not see a grumpy non-caffeinated small brunette on the breakfast counter everyday. It’s weird to just not have him here.“I’m sorry I haven’t visited you since the funeral... I guess it kind of hurts? I don’t know, Tony. God, I’m pretty confused without you here.” He takes a deep breath.“I didn’t get to tell you so many things, you know? How sorry I am, how much of a jackass I am, how much you mean to me,”“...how much I love you. Loved? I guess”“We wronged you in so many ways, but you still saved us at the end of the day— save bucky,”“But I don’t know, Tony. I miss you, I miss you a lot. And I can’t help but think everyday that well... maybe it wasn’t worth it. All of it.”“Well, the Avengers are doing fine, as fine as we can be, that is. We lost so much, Tony. And I’m sorry I couldn’t... that I couldn’t prevent it. Rhodey is fine, he misses his best friend though. And that kid? The one that you picked up? Peter- Spider-Man, well he’s trying to continue your legacy, he’s a smart kid, a great kid. And knowing you, your kid?”Steve chuckles and that, and he chuckles at his own image. Captain America crying over a grave of a dead man. But he’s much more than a dead mean, he was a hero, he was earth’s greatest defender, he was Tony Stark, most importantly, he was his Tony.“Well I’ve never been much of an interesting chap even when you were alive, right? I suppose you’d laugh at me now. And Tony...”“I miss you, I miss your addiction to coffee, I miss going on picnics in central park and trying to hide from bystanders, I miss going out for burgers and drawing in your workshop until it’s late. I miss how you’d just spout out ideas for your inventions to me even if I can barely understand half of it, I miss your voice, I miss talking to you. God, I just miss you and your entire being, Tony.”“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t visit, I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of your friends, I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, I’m so sorry”Steve finds himself wiping tears tracking down his cheeks.“God- I’m sorry, I- I gotta go” Steve hurriedly stands up, patting some grass that stuck to his jeans. He turned around and takes a deep breath as he’s about to leave.“It really wasn’t worth it, nothing was. Not for you”Steve starts to walk away, his figure slowly starting to disappear out of the line of sight.Captain America may live, but Steve Rogers... he’s dead. 2.“NO!” he scurries, his voice breathless.“Mr. Stark, no...” Peter takes a deep breath, he can feel his heart racing inside his chest, his pupils blown wide in shock and fear.“Mr. Stark please... please don’t go” he begs, kneeling down next to the body of the man he sees as his mentor, his hero, his father.“Kid...” Tony grunts out, bloody hand reaching out to brush Peter’s cheeks. “Don’t cry... you’ll be fine”“But I- Mr. Stark please” he’s scared, he’s so scared. He just got back, they just got back. Why is the price to pay so high? life and death- they synergies, and together they take, and take, and take. And he’s so tired of it.“I’m sorry” Tony breathes, a final one. His eyes go blank, the sparkle in them are gone. His face goes blank, that grin he’d like to see still everyday in their workshop sessions. His mouth unmoving, usually full of words, full of knowledge and full of compliments.The air is dry, the world feels grim, Peter’s standing alone in the middle of it. He can hear the cheers of the people, people being reunited with their loved ones, people just cheering- being happy altogether after the news of Thanos being defeated was known. What they don’t know- what they don’t know was the cost of it, what it cost to defeat a giant ugly purple grape. What it means to him, and how much it hurt.The man he looked up to after- after Ben, the man who saved him, who brought him back to life, the entire reason why Peter is even standing here, he’s gone. His mentor, as a hero, as an inventor, as a person. He’ll trade anything just to see the lifeless body he’s holding in his arms rustle- to see his body move, any sign of life from him, because Peter can’t lose him, not anymore. Not again. The world needs him- the world needs Mr. Stark. Peter needs him.The world lost Tony Stark, the world lost Iron Man. But Peter lost his father.For the third time. 3.Rhodey stormed into the room, tears in his eyes."WHERE IS HE?" he screamed at everyone in the room."Rhodes" Steve puts a hand on Rhodey's shoulder, trying to calm him down."Don't you dare 'Rhodes' me, Rogers. Where is he? Where is Tony? Where's my best friend"“He- I’m sorry, I tried, but-“ Steve tries to come through to a furious James Rhodes.“Just- I just want to see him,” Rhodey tells Steve, his face turning even more somber.“Second corridor on the left, I’m sorry, Rhodey. I really am” Steve looks down on the floor, unable to look at Rhodes in the eyes.Rhodey enters the room, his eyes immediately directed to a cloth stained red above a table. Tony’s body is under that. And in that moment, he feels as if he has been slapped in the face by the Hulk, and more than ever Rhodey wishes this is some cruel joke Tony is playing and that he’ll walk into the room making a remark on how stupid Rhodey is to even for a moment Tony could just die like that- die that easily. But no, it’s real. Anthony Edward Stark, his best friend, is dead.Rhodey runs his hands through his eyes, his vision getting hazier from the tears.“Stupid, stupid, stupid. Damn it Tony, you’re not supposed to be here.” Rhodey almost laughs at the irony of the situation, how a few years ago he would’ve been in Tony’s position if it weren’t for Tony- and how he can’t save Tony, unlike what he did for him.“I’d like to think that this is a joke, that you’re just playing a prank on me. But I guess present you wouldn’t do that, college you, maybe. You son of a bitch, I can’t believe- that out of everything after everything we’ve actually won- there’s nothing else, Tony. And it’s all because of you- but you can’t-“ Rhodey stops, trying to collect himself.“You can’t see it for yourself, you can’t enjoy any of it. And that’s just not fair, you know? You deserve it, more than any of us” Rhodey looks down to find his hands shaking, and wipes his face to find tears running down his cheeks.He collapses into the ground, the sound of his wails echoing through the room. How can Tony- his best friend, just die? The world took so much from him, asked so much of him, wanted and expected so much. He is- was earth’s greatest defender, he deserves the victory, he deserves to be happy.The Avengers are there to avenge in the cases of lost, practiced to the dot by Tony, by the whole team. More than that, the Avengers was an idea- it will forever be, there to protect the world, to be earth’s shield. In the name of earth, in the name of loss, now- in the name of earth’s greatest defender, the golden avenger, Iron Man. Tony Stark- his best friend, the little scrawny rascal from college who didn’t even know how to use a washing machine properly, who slept in class and worked all hours of the day outside of it. He sacrificed it all- for a world that is undeserving of him.“Goodbye, Tony.”Rhodey storms out of the room to come face to face with Steve.“Rogers, just the man I was looking for”“Rhodey, I- uh” Steve stammers.“Bring me Thanos”“We- he’s in custody”“Tony Stark avenged the world, now I’ll avenge him”