ƬIMΣ [MCU]

losing [ten]

DRIFTING - NF

The time stone drifted through the air to its deathly resting place. Fitting nicely into the golden gauntlet, already lit with the Power, Space, Soul and Reality stones.

"One to go." The energy blast hits the gauntlet, making Thanos wince at the intensity. Quill now took this time to attack Thanos, as he slipped right into a portal, and was gone, the flying idiot crashed and rolled on the ground after zooming straight through nothing.

"Did we just lose?" Stephen didn't answer, as his first priority was Spencer. Running over, he saw the cloak rubbing her cheek, trying to wake her .

"Pulse...pulse...!" He sounded off to himself, immediately reaching for her wrist and injured neck. His mouth moved to calculate her pulse, second by second, relief flooded his figure when it seemed to be normal and not below 40.

"60." Tony, Peter and the Guardians had gathered somewhat around the two. Stephen needed to know that she was going to be alright, she had to be awoken, despite the circumstances.

"Sorry, Spence...You can't go like this." Stephen took three fingers and pressed them against her tender, mulberry colored esophagus. Her immediate response was to screech herself awake, gagging and coughing, Stephen wrapped the Immunity cloak around her further, cradling her to his steady figure. The blood kept running down her front, the panicked noises coming out of her mouth as she tried to breathe and not holler in pain.

"D-Dad, the—"

"You're alright, Spence. You're ok." Spencer started choking on her spit from the build up in her throat as her now cinnamon eyes clouded with water, tumbling down her cheeks.

"I can't—STARK." Tony stepped up, grimacing at her wound, her chest heaved and heaved, losing air. Stephen frantically but bluntly asked him if his nano-tech can repair flesh and bone. He nodded, a little unsure, though Stephen was NOT going to take no for an answer.

"This is gonna hurt, Spence---" He was cut off by Spencer waving her hand wildly in his face, Stephen's hand curled around the end of the knife.

"Attach the skin back together, as soon as the knife is pulled out, clear?" Tony nodded, panic washing over his normally dead-inside eyes. Dirt collected in Spencer's fingernails as her hands raked the ground for support. Quill actually took off his leather jacket, bunching up a sleeve quickly and Spencer opened her mouth, shoving it between her teeth so she wouldn't ultimately bite her tongue off.

"Spencer breath in..." Her shaking chest moved up slowly, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as possible.

"And...out!" Steam could have popped out of her nose at the rate of speed it blew out at, Spencer's body lurched up at the burning sensation, more wetness striking into her clothing as the pain rippled from her sternum to her fingernails. The scream was muffled, but still heard to those around. Whimpers escaped her mouth, the cloth spat out as Tony activated his nano-tech he used to hole-up the ship moments ago, to know repair Spencer's skin.

"P-Please...tell me...y-you—" Her voice was airy, scratchy and sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Except no nails and no chalkboard.

"..." Their almost identical faces met, Spencer's face scrunched up in agony, using the pain as her fuel for this outburst.

"You...god-d-damn i-imbecile!"

"I'm sorry, Spencer, there was—"

"I-I t-told...you if a-any-anything, c-came...bet-tween me a-an-and the stone--" It broke Stephen's heart, listening to her normally hard-headed, sarcastic comments, reduced to cracking and wheezing words.

"Do you really think I would choose the stone?" Her mouth opened, but the agonizing fires of hell built up in her throat make her break off, giving a cry, then convulsing. Splats of blood shot out of her mouth, decorating the stone rubble like rain drops. A bitter shock buzzed through her ear still, her body slowly became numb to the world, she barely felt the cloak brushing against her open cut skin. The garnet, sticky liquid gushed down the side of her head and out of her sangria-stained lips. Spencer heaved in every breath, her mouth quaking, then she hacked after each breath in, using it as a breath out.

"Spencer, breath with me..." Heaving in and out ragged breaths of her own, Spencer rubbed her fingertips together to calm her anxiety. In a fit of anger, she pushed Stephen onto his side, and this time it was anything but playful.

"Yes." Stephen gave her a confused look. 

"I-I...t-thought you w-would choose...t-the stone." He hung his head a little, guilt peaking into his nervous system, like sand falling through the cracks of your open fingers at a beach.

"Me? V-Versus the entire universe? N-Nah." 

"Spencer--" 

"The W-WHOLE universe, i-is FUCKED. Because of you!" Spencer pulled herself to her feet, spitting on the ground in between Stephen's legs.

"I know you're mad, Spencer there was no other way, I swear." She ignored him and tried to walk away, weakly summoning a portal to God only knows where. Stephen yanked her back by her shoulders, twisting her 180 degrees to face him, she responded by socking him in his face then his chest, repeatedly. Once. Twice. Thrice.

"Spencer. I would think that if it was me in your position, you would do the same I did." Spencer swallowed her pride, holding her hand on his shoulder and bitterly gazing at the ground. 

"Y-You...you, should h-have let him kill me."

"You? Versus the entire universe, Spence? Yeah, you win, if it's my choice."  Stephen was somewhat shocked by her end reaction but, this was expected to a certain degree. Noticing her fists tightly wound together, he let out a low scoff at how stubborn she was. She's my kid. She's my entire universe, dammit!  Breaking his cord of thoughts, in his line of vision came a fist. Spencer's fist. The sun-tinted eyes stared at him, not blinking, which was weird but he couldn't keep her waiting, as she was the one instigating the make-up between their blowout. 

Stephen grinned. The duo fist-bumped, like nothing happened and Spencer flushed peach as she let out a tiny 'hmp'. Stark cleared his throat and angrily looked at the younger doctor.

"Why would you do that?" He questioned, his tone surprisingly not encased in fury, but desperation. Spencer could see in his eyes that he would've died for the stone and she admired that about the selfish, dick that can be Tony Stark.

"Better m-me...t-than you." Stephen sat back down on the crumbled plaza steps, out of breath and out of mind.

"We're in the Endgame now."