A Twist Of Marvel || Infinity War

82. Grief

The Avengers compound was, in a word, quiet. A full 24 hours has passed since the final struggle against Thanos, most of the heroes taking the time to nurse their injuries, or aid in the clean-up of the battlefield. Other than Naomi, the Avengers suffered no casualties.

Thanos's ship cast a foreboding shadow over the grass, but without the Titan it was simply an abandoned vehicle. Under Rocket's supervision, Shuri had begun to pick over the ship, along with Groot, analyzing its structure and scavenging for parts. Peter declined her invitation to join, opting to stay inside and sit with Tony for a while. The man was quiet, and kept to himself, though he never protested Peter's company. Tony never protested any company, though it soon became an unspoken rule in the facility that those who had known Naomi would mourn her quietly, and together. The likes of Steve Rogers, for example, kept a respectful distance, and oversaw the aftermath of the battle. He smiled and nodded at Tony whenever he passed by the man in the hallway, or saw him sitting despondently in the kitchen, but apart from that, Steve decided it was best to let it alone. He employed the same method with Thor, and Bruce, who had learned about Naomi after the Hulk de-transformed, completely willing and without prompt. It was strange for Steve to see the woman's impact on those close to him, and he was deeply regretful that he had never properly met Naomi Swanson. 

Naomi had not been the only death to come out of the battle. Gamora mourned her father's demise quietly, with immense guilt that she even dared to grieve him. She felt for Naomi, too, but she could not bring herself to feel the same pain over the Prophet's death as she did her fathers. Gamora remembered when Naomi had told her that she would cry if she watched her father die, and her prediction had come true. In the end, it was Nebula who dealt the final blow, but Gamora could not help the tears in her eyes when she witnessed him fall prone to the ground. She suspected that deep down, Nebula too, was mourning, but the mechanical woman had distanced herself from the rest of the compound, and from her sister.

Peter didn't know how to comfort her, but he tried his best by sticking by her side and offering silent support. At some point, he had brought up the idea of a road trip to Gamora and the other Guardians. He wanted to do something to take Gamora's mind off of Thanos, and now that he was back on Earth again, Peter discovered an urge to visit his hometown, in Missouri. He figured he could show his new family where he grew up, and maybe even visit his mother's grave. Peter had been wanting to see her again for a while. Gamora was receptive to the idea, as was Mantis and Drax. Rocket was less excited about sitting in a car for several hours a day with 'a bunch of numb-nuts,' as he put it, but the raccoon sucked it up none the less. Similarly, Groot was less than excited to leave his new friends behind so soon after he met them, but he knew that supporting Gamora and his family was important, so the teen kept his complaints to a minimum. Besides, Shuri had promised to get him a phone so they could make a 'groupchat' with Peter, so Groot knew that he wouldn't fall completely out of contact with the two.

Indeed, there were small spots of happiness in the compound, areas where one could see the relief felt after the passing of a huge threat. However in order to see the bright side, one had to look past the looming sadness in the facility.

Tony had been quiet. He fought fiercely after Naomi used the Space Stone and disappeared, leaping at Thanos as soon as the Titan was open, Loki by his side. Their attacks hadn't ceased until Thanos fell at Nebula's hands. After that, Tony felt numb, barely even aware of Loki's incessant screams, demanding to know what had happened to Naomi. Eventually Thor had calmed him down, but hours later, when Loki appeared at the doorway of Tony's room, the Trickster God had red eyes, and bruised, bloody knuckles. Tony didn't bother asking which wall had suffered the man's wrath, only motioned for him to take a seat in one of the chairs. They sat in silence for a long while, neither caring what godforsaken hour of the morning it was. They had an understanding, the two of them. Pushing aside their shared history- the attack on New York- Tony could recognize that the two of them had had the closest relationships with Naomi. He suspected that Loki and Naomi had ended up as more than friends, but that didn't matter. They had both loved her in their own ways, both mourning her loss deeply.

At the peak of dawn, when the sunlight was just beginning to filter into Tony's dimly lit room, Loki spoke up. 

"Why did she do it?" His voice was soft, and strained. Tony looked at him, and saw Loki's elbows propped on his knees, hands clasped in front of him as he pressed his thumbs into his forehead. His posture reminded Tony of prayer, though Tony could hardly imagine Loki worshiping anything other than himself. Or at least, thats what he would have thought a few weeks ago, before he had witnessed the way Loki looked at Naomi, and how she stared back at him.

"Because she's Naomi." Was Tony's answer. He didn't look as the sound of choked sobbing filled the space between them. He knew what Loki was feeling, since grief filled Tony's own heart, just as deeply as it did Loki's.

But despite everything, Tony found it within himself to be grateful. It was twisted, to feel such a way so soon after her death, and Tony despised the feeling, but a small part of him was relieved. From the way Naomi had spoken, there would have been several more deaths had Thanos been allowed to continue, even though the only one she had ever told him about was Peter. So Tony was grateful that no one else had to die, because he didn't know if he could handle two of his kids dying at once.

So Tony sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. In his hand, he clutched the battered iPhone that she had entrusted Gamora to give to him. Eventually, he thought that he might look through her pictures, and see her again, even if it was only a photo. He thought that Loki might like that too, although the man's slumped and shaking form was enough indication that he was not remotely ready for that yet. But sometimes, people had to do things they weren't ready for, because they had to be done. Tony knew that, so he dragged himself off the bed, and stood by the window. He drowned out the sound the Loki's wails, and watched as the sunlight began to slowly pour over the rest of the compound, lighting it up for a new day. Tony's eyes watered as he looked out over the scenery, and thought about where to put the gravestone.

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Worlds away, Naomi opened her eyes.