Bird Set Free | Natasha Romanoff ✓

Chapter Fifty-Nine

"Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. I'm hoping if you play this back, it's in celebration."

The living room of the Stark family house was crowded with Tony's family all of them silently mourning the loss as they watched the man in question talk about his own death.

Keira, Rhodey, Happy, Pepper and Bea sat side by side on the couch, little Isabella Stark sitting between them, completely unsure about why there was so many people in her house and why so many of them were crying.

Steve Rogers had one arm wrapped around Quinn's shoulders while the other one was wrapped around Aquila's who used her free hand to wipe the few tears away. Clint, Bruce and Thor standing not too far away, their own eyes watching the hologram of Tony Stark walk back and forth across the living room. Peter Parker and May Parker stood at the back of the sofa, one of Peter's hands resting reassuringly on Bea's left shoulder.

This was what was left of the Original team and his closest friends, this was the first family Tony truly had.

"I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back, and something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone, let alone, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. But come on, you know? The epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And, for better or worse, that's the reality Isabella's gonna have to find a way to grow up in."

The hologram of Tony Stark suddenly stopped pacing before turning to sit in the chair that had been with him in the hologram that whole time. His eyes flickered back to the camera, a smile gracing his face one more time.

"So, I thought I'd probably better record a little greeting. . . In case of an untimely death on my part. I mean, not that, death at any time isn't untimely. This time travel thing that we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it's. . . it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. That's the thing. Then again, that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end. What am I even trippin' for? Everything's gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to."

The hologram version of Tony paused for a moment, before looking straight towards where Isabella Stark was sitting in between Keira and Happy almost like he knew that was where she was going to be sitting.

"I love you 3000."

Tony flipped off the hologram on his end and the final image of Tony Stark slowly disappeared. The family that had gathered could only stand quietly for a moment, eyes never leaving the spot where Tony had just been.

Aquila wiped at her eyes again, after all, they had won, but it had once again been at a huge cost. Did it really make it worth it then?

Steve offered her a slight smile, squeezing her shoulders gently, as he steered her outside, following Keira holding Isabella tightly in her arms despite the bed of flowers also held in her arms. 

As a group, they walked out towards the end of the dock, Keira slowly lowering the bed of flowers into the lake, lying in the middle was the bright yellow diary, Keira's name scribbled across the front with the first arc reactor that Tony had ever had with the same scripture from Pepper still around the outside.

PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAD A HEART

Rhodey, Happy and Pepper stood behind where Keira, Bea, and Isabella stood. The three of them clutching onto each other tightly, trying their best to hold back tears.

Steve stood with an arm still wrapped around one of his best friend's shoulders, the two of them releasing their tears for their fallen friend, Steve's left hand held in Quinn's.

Peter Parker stood not too far back from them, May Parker's arms also wrapped around her nephew's shoulders for comfort.

Bruce, Thor, Stephen Strange and Wong also stood silently in a group together, their eyes never flickering away from the lake before them.

Scott Lang with the Pym family stood off slightly to the side, still mourning the loss of a hero. The Guardians of the Galaxy also stood off to the side, silent with their heads hung low.

Clint's family stood next to T'Challa, Okoye, and Shuri, the small group paying their respects to a man who had risked it all to bring them all back.

Sam, Wanda and Bucky towards the back, all three of them weren't as close to Tony as the rest but still wanted to pay their respects to the man.

A teenager boy stood right up the back, Aquila had only initially recognised him because of a story that Tony had told her one late night, years ago. His name was Harley Keener and Tony had met him while trying to rein in the Mandarin attack.

Maria Hill stood with Secretary Ross, their eyes cast downward, neither of them daring to look down to the lake.

Carol Danvers stood one of the furtherest back, on the stairs of the Stark Family home veranda. She had known Tony Stark the least out of everyone who had gathered to mourn the hero. But she could still understand their pain and grief, Tony Stark whether he had meant it or not had irreversibly changed their lives in one way of another.

And finally Nick Fury brought up the rear, standing on the veranda of the home. His one good eye fixed on the lake and the people gathered around it. He was the one who had started it all after all, brought together seven people from all different walks of life and expected them to learn to work together. A family had evolved from what had started as a simple idea, it had turned into something so much better.

A group of heroes, the Avengers had gathered one last time around the lake, to farewell the death of one Anthony Edward Stark, the man who had sacrificed everything so they could have it all.