Several minutes passed after that terrible moment, with Brooklyn crying as she knelt next to her fallen parents and brothers, and with Tony sitting in stunned silence as the world continued to burn around him. He didn't know who else had made it out, and a part of him didn't care. Pepper was gone, you were dead, Steve was dead, his grandsons were gone, and he didn't know if he could be anything to Brooke with the lack of soul that he was carrying. He could never raise her now, as this shell of a man, this hollow façade of a grandfather. He could try, and he would if he must, but the shadow of your own childhood would be the bar that he would measure her by in his grief, and that wasn't fair to her in the least. Nothing would be fair ever again.

"No," Tony said flatly, emphatically shaking his head and unable to process what he was seeing. His eyes were fixed on you, but his empty focus was looking through you and to something beyond that only he could see. He was unable to process this loss, and just as unwilling. "No, this won't happen. I can...I can fix this."

"Grandpa, come on," Brooklyn tried, wiping away her tears and standing up to pull on his arm, but he wouldn't budge.

"I can fix it," he continued as if she had said nothing, taking the Gauntlet and raising his hand into the air, "with this. I can fix all of it. Baby, you can have your mom and dad back. I can give you that. Anthony and Grant..."

"Tony, no," she warned harshly, in a tone that echoed your own voice, using his proper name in the hopes of jolting him back to reality, "this isn't right. You don't know what you're doing. That's power that you can't control, trust me. I've seen it in a way that you haven't, and you have to believe me. Please, put the Gauntlet down. Mom wouldn't want you to."

"I can't let them die, Brooke. Not if I have a way to make it right again. You told me that I can fix anything, remember? When we almost lost your mom? Well now I really can, and I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you can't stop me. Nothing can stop me anymore." He turned away and looked at you, his expression dropping and falling into a heavy sadness, his eyes so tired and wet with tears. But mere seconds later when he looked back, her grandfather was gone, replaced by a darkness swirling through him, and a blank stare that left her cold with fear.

"Nothing will ever stop me from making my (Y/N) happy."

~~~

Tony hated moments like this, standing at the door with a bag packed and in hand, looking at you with pain in his eyes that you refused to believe was really there; you never once believed that he felt as bad as he really did when he had to leave, and he didn't know how to convince you so he didn't bother to try anymore. His life was full of business trips, meetings that extended into all-night sessions, and experiences around the world that he wished he could share, but the chasm between you both had grown too wide.

"I'll be home in two days," he called out to you, looking up to where you stood on the level above in your Malibu home. "Is there anything you want me to bring back for you? I'll be in a desert and all, but I might be able to find something-"

"No."

"Okay..." he sighed. His hand tightened around the handle of his bag, a reflex but one that conveyed how he felt when he didn't want his expression to give it away to you. He was sad, yes, but more than that, he was pissed. He was pissed that you had become such a spoiled, petulant little shit, and that he had no one to blame but himself. He tried to play it off on your age, but he couldn't deny that he had turned you into a true Stark without really trying; how could he not when it was all he knew how to be?

"I'm staying at a friend's house anyway," you announced flatly, "so JARVIS can tell me when you're home."

"Excuse me, young lady. How about if you ask me if you can stay at a friend's house instead of telling me?"

"Pfft, right," you scoffed, turning away, "I've been there all week, and you didn't even notice. Have a nice trip, Tony."

But Tony wouldn't have a nice trip; in fact, it would be the worst time of his life, and it would redefine him as a man, even as a father. He would be gone for three months, kidnapped and tortured, forced to work for a promised freedom that was never going to happen. His body was mutilated, his mind was pushed to the brink of insanity, but amongst it all was the inherent drive to live through it, and the promise to himself and to you that he would be better. If he survived, he would be the father that you deserved and needed, and he would never take you for granted again. It was the impetus needed to find his focus, and to find his purpose as Iron Man; but it would mean nothing without you there with him.

On the day that Pepper called you to tell you that Tony was found, you had been locked away in your room for nearly two months, once you had decided that he was gone for good. Eating was forced on you, sleep was a luxury that you didn't want, and nothing could quiet the sound of Tony's last words in your mind. His tone was hurting, and you were the cause. You were so rude and unfair, and he just took it from you like he deserved it. You weren't about to let him believe that to be true if you ever saw him again, and you would make sure he knew that you loved him, despite the fractures in your relationship. You would make them right again. When the car came to a stop at the airport, in front of the massive jet that carried Tony and Rhodey, you jumped out before it was fully stilled, with Pepper left to chase you towards its door as it lowered.

"Tony!" you practically squealed, running and ready to grab him, but stopping short as to not hurt his splinted arm. "Are you okay? You look so thin. You're really pale. Have you eaten? Uncle James, did he sleep on the way home? Does that hurt?"

"Wow," Tony smiled weakly, "you sound like you care. What happened?"

"I do care, Tony," you answered quietly, failing at hiding the wave of emotions burning your throat, "I always have. I just suck at showing it."

"Hmm, you probably get that from me."

"Well those days are over," you insisted. You reached out and took his hand from Rhodey, allowing him to lean on you instead as you led him to the car. "As soon as we get home, I'm making dinner and you're spending the evening relaxing."

"You're making dinner? Since when?"

"Hey, if I didn't know how, I would've died years ago. All you keep around the house is Doritos, Oreos, and Scotch."

"Sounds balanced to me," he huffed, leaning into his seat with a small groan. Yeah, he was in pain, but you didn't need to know that. Then it hit him as he looked up to meet your eyes, and he saw the genuine concern that was in them; he needed to stop hiding and stop with the guise of infallibility. "Actually, dinner sounds wonderful," he smiled. "Can I pick the movie?"

"Of course, you can."

Pepper had slid into the seat next to him, while you took the front seat next to Happy. She leaned in close to him as the car began to move, but his eyes never left from watching you. "She was a mess while you were gone," she gave up your secret, "but look at her now. She's actually happy."

"Maybe I'm doing something right after all? Maybe it's just...gas."

"That's babies, Tony. Babies smile when they're gassy."

"Yeah...right..." he smiled, "but I'd still take it just to see that smile again. So, tell me something, Pep. How do I not screw this up now that I have it back? All that I could think about in that cave was that I had abandoned her, just like her parents did, when I was supposed to protect her. What would happen to her if I never saw her again...and I...I never thought she'd forgive me if I made it back."

"But you did, alright? You're here."

Tony sighed heavily, the movement making a sharp wave of pain in his shoulder, but he ignored it in his attention on you. He had to let that past go, and just focus on today, and tomorrow, and the next day, making sure that the mistakes weren't replayed. Of course, they would be, because he was Tony Stark, and he had just given himself global responsibilities as an unlikely hero. Your relationship had yet to fracture nearly beyond repair as it would when the day came that you would finally run away, but it would never be the end. If there was one thing that Tony believed over everything, even beyond belief in himself, was that the two of you were meant for so much more, and he would do anything to see you happy again.

~~~

The scene was visible from miles away, though the black cloud that had covered the compound grounds was beginning to fade just a little by the time that Wade could arrive. Blaring sirens surrounded it from every direction, passing him as he pushed his motorcycle to its limits to get there, his body coursing with adrenaline, fueled by panic, and his imagination filled with visions of the worst. His mind was racing with what this scene must have looked like from the massive damage that he was preparing himself to see, but nothing would prepare him for what it actually was.

The main building was nothing more than burning garbage now, it's borders crumbled, fallen debris taking down other structures around it. It looked like a bomb had gone off there, and in a way, it had. It was a bomb called Thanos, and the name left a burning disgust in his throat as he muttered it aloud for the first time. He didn't want to step into the scene, but he couldn't pull himself away, his curiosity and need to know who was left prompting each foot to move.

His first steps into the carnage led him past your teammates...teammates who were to be his, but he was too slow in getting here to know that camaraderie. Avengers, superheroes, and people far braver than he could ever be had fallen, and were lifeless at his feet as he passed them, leaving him with a growing rage in each step. This should never have happened, but he was at a loss as to what could have stopped it; he just knew that it was wrong.

And then came the sight that brought his rage to the surface, blinding him as he stumbled forward. "Oh, Sam," he groaned, dropping to his knees next to his still friend, "fuuuuck, man." Wade hung his head, dropping it into his hands to push back tears that he didn't want. "You were always the hotter one, my friend," he finally admitted softly, "and a better man than I'll ever be. I'm gonna miss the fuck outta you, Black Wilson. You were a good one."

When he stood to straighten his uniform and wipe his eyes dry, it hit him like a freight train; he didn't see you anywhere. Come to think of it, he didn't see Steve or any of the rugrats. His brain finally shook him awake, and he cursed himself for taking so long to make the connection. He broke into a sprint, in the direction that felt true, seeing a glimmer of Tony's suit in the remaining flames around him. How could he have not thought of this with his very first step onto the grounds?

"(Y/N)!"

~~~

"Wade, we cannot get married! This is insane!"

"Duh! Have you met me?"

"Oh my god, Tony is gonna kill me," you whined, standing outside of the tiny Vegas chapel, "he's going to kill me dead."

"Come on, like you actually care what Stark thinks? Since when? You're dating me, (Y/N), so I think that blows your lie of giving a shit right out of the water. Now come on, let's go before you chickenshit outta this." He grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the door, but the sound of wedding music turned your stomach and made you stop in your tracks. "What?" he asked, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Wade...I don't know..."

He took a long breath, and let it out slowly to calm his own nerves, which you had yet to notice, taking your other hand in his and kneeling down on one knee. "(Y/N), look at me."

"You don't have to do that-"

"Look at me," he repeated sternly, waiting for you to comply. "(Y/N), I know that I have a hard time with serious stuff, and feelings are just...eww. But as sick as it makes me to say, I love you. I don't give a shit what Papa Stark has to say about it, and Fury can kiss my fan-fucking-tastic ass. All I know is that I want to be with you, okay? If you don't want to do this, then we won't, but if we do, I promise you, all of this," he paused, letting a hand go so he could wave it up and down his front, "till death do us part, baby. All yours."

"You sure drive a hard bargain," you smiled, genuinely relaxed under whatever spell he had cast over you. You weren't sure where your fears came from, other than the obvious rage that Tony was likely already churning, and the fact that Nick was probably sending all of SHIELD out to find you, but they weren't from Wade at all. He was actually the only constant, caring presence in your life now, and the idea of not being with him scared you more than what you were about to do ever would. "Alright, Wilson, let's get hitched."

"Yes!" he cheered, standing up with a bounce of glee. "Let's do this before you realize how long forever really is!"

~~~

There was no way to know that forever would turn out to be only three days before your name would be scrawled across annulment papers, but wow, what a tumultuous, whirl-wind three days of wedded bliss they were. And even though you would go on to marry Steve one day, and your promise to each other of forever being shattered, Wade had never given up on till death do you part. But even now, as he stood over your body, lying next to your fallen husband, he wanted to be the one at your side. He had made that promise, yet here he was, alive and well without you. He wasn't jealous of Steve, he never truly had been; but it was an unsettling churning in the pit of his stomach to be feeling it now.

Tony looked up at him with eyes that Wade didn't recognize; they were dark and vibrant, filled with a universe of darkness and light, and they didn't belong to him. The power behind them wasn't his, and when he glanced over Tony's shoulder to look at Brooklyn, the terror and worry in her face put his own senses on edge.

"Alright, Stark, I see what you're doing," Wade nodded towards the Gauntlet, "and I get it. Believe me, I'm so fucking getting it right now."

"Uncle Wade, you can't let him do this. The power in that thing will own him."

"Shush," he snapped with a hand up to silence her, "I've got this." Turning back to Tony, Wade knelt down next to him and removed his own mask, holding out his hands and lowering his voice so that the girl wouldn't hear. Even so many years later, and at an age so much older, he couldn't help the wave of anxiety when facing your father. "Mr. Stark, I've loved your daughter for years, and I know that you know that, and even though it pisses you off, it doesn't change it being true. I don't want to live without her any more than you do, okay? But this isn't right. Power like that is too much for you. Give me the Gauntlet."

"No," Tony answered in a whisper, "I have to do this. I don't care if it kills me, Wilson. It was supposed to be me."

"Well, tell ya what, death doesn't really like me all that much anyway," Wade smiled darkly, "so how's about if I do it instead?"