Trapped in the Shadows

Chapter 53 - The Real Hero

As Nightshade and I exchanged blows, I noticed Peter swing across the room. The longer we battled, the less energy I was able to hold on to, but I knew I just needed to hold her off until Peter returned. It didn't take him too long, but when you're battling an evil version of yourself each minute feels like an eternity. Nightshade must have noticed him trying to set up the inhibitors in the room and threw him back, making my heart stop as his body made contact with the floor.

"(Y/N), focus on the fight, I've got this!" Tony called out to me when he realized that I was rushing over to complete Peter's job.

I did as requested, but Nightshade's energy didn't seem to be depleting as quickly as mine was. She was able the throw me back again, my shoulder hitting the hard compound floor. I groaned in pain, feeling as though my shoulder had been shattered, but knew that I needed to get up again and distract her long enough for Tony to set up the inhibitors.

Nightshade made her way over to Tony, clearly realizing that whatever he was working on was going to aid us in defeating her. Before I had time to react, she created a semi-solid blade out of magic and plunged it through his suit, the tip sticking out the other side.

"No!" I cried out, anger and desperation fueling my magic again.

I charged at Nightshade as she tossed my father's body aside. Surrounding me was a wall of my power, her attacks bouncing off of it as I continued to waste all of my remaining energy. Once close enough, I pushed Nightshade against the wall and used my magic to rip her apart from the inside. Fear crept into her eyes and she screamed in agony as my magic took effect, unable to prevent her body from exploding into little bits.

Once she had been taken care of, I rushed over to Tony's side and took his hand in mine, swaying slightly due to my exhaustion, "dad? Can you hear me? You're going to be ok, I promise. Bruce, get the med bay set up, he's going to need immediate attention!"

When Bruce did not move, magic began to swirl around my fingertips, "Bruce, did you hear me?! Go get him help!"

"(Y/N)," Tony interrupted weakly, cupping my cheek with his shaking hand. "I'm so proud of the woman you've become and I love you so much, never forget that."

Tears blurred my vision as I desperately tried to blink them back, "I love you too, dad, but you don't need to tell me this now. You're going to be fine, I promise."

An orange portal opened in the room and Pepper rushed in, kneeling beside her dying husband, "oh god, Tony!"

"Hey, Pep, I'm so sorry," he replied, taking her hand. "I-I couldn't stop it."

Pepper shook her head, "it's going to be alright, Tony. We're going to be alright. I love you."

"I love you too," he barely whispered as his body went limp and the arc reactor switched off.

"Dad!" I called out, trying to shake him awake. "No, dad! Wake up! You can't be dead!"

I felt Pepper's arms around me as she pulled him into a tight hug and I began to sob into her shoulder. This had all been my fault. It was my evil Hydra twin who had killed Tony and I was the one who had failed to protect him. And now my father was dead.

My vision turned to black as I passed out in Pepper's arm, having wasted too much energy in the fight to stay conscious.

...

My hands shook as zipped up the back of my dress, tears welling up in my eyes. I still couldn't believe that he was gone. We had already held the public funeral to satisfy the media and even that had had no impact on making his death feel less like a terrible dream.

A soft knock resounded through my room and I looked up to see Peter walking in dressed in his black suit. He looked almost as terrible as I felt, his eyes red from tears and filled with a defeated look. However, he gave me a small smile and spoke, "hey, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

I turned away from him and but my lip, "I'm fine, I'm almost ready."

A moment of silence passed between us as I slipped on my shoes before I broke. I burst into tears and wrapped my arms around the only thing that could still keep me sane in this moment. Peter returned the hug and I could hear him sniffling as well, both of us broken by the loss of Tony.

"I miss him so much," I confessed as I held onto Peter.

"I know, (Y/N), I do to. He was the closest thing I had to a father after my own dad and Uncle Ben and now he's gone too."

Peter and I remained in my room, complete messes, for a while longer before we managed to compose ourselves enough to head down to the lake. The public funeral had merely been to tame the media, however Tony's true send off was a private affair that consisted solely of family. We held it at the same location as his wedding, gathering the same crowd: the Avengers, the Wakandan royalty, and a few Asgardians on the lawn in front of the gorgeous lake.

Pepper, Morgan, and I carried the bed of flowers atop which Tony's first arc reactor sat. The arc reactor that Pepper had engraved with 'PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAS A HEART' nearly fourteen years ago. His body had already been buried, but this memorial we had created was going to receive an Asgardian funeral.

The bed of flowers began to float away as Pepper wrapped her arms around Morgan and myself. Clint shot the flaming arrow, landing it perfectly in the center of the flowers and igniting the entire memorial. Tears prickled in my eyes as I watched the metal of his arc reactor melt and disappear into the lake.

This was what Tony would have wanted. Not the huge gathering of people pretending to mourn for the cameras, but a quiet little send off between family.

-

(A/N): ok I'm sorry, but with the amount of battles and life-threatening situations they face it would be unrealistic to have no one die. Because I made the first book so happy (even bringing Gamora back which I then got confirmed was impossible by Endgame, rip) so I had to kill someone here and Tony a recipient of the Parker curse so here we are. I did try to soften the blow for those who know anything about the Endgame soundtrack to prepare you without outright spoiling it. Again I am sorry, but I hope that you enjoyed the chapter otherwise! Only one chapter left!