❝Just because I'm smaller than you doesn't mean that I couldn't easily take you in a fight.❞
Subject: Carter May
Number: 17
Age: Nine
Sex: F
In which the nine-year-old test subject escapes, using the powe...
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TONY WAS SITTING ON the ground, a large piece of rubble behind him the only thing keeping him upright. Carter wasn't aware of moving her legs, but within a few seconds she was kneeling in front of him.
His face was extremely pale and the right side of it was charred and looked as if it was about to crumble at any moment. His eyes were blank as he looked at her.
Peter was beside her saying something, but she couldn't hear any of his shaky words. She wasn't even aware that she was crying until a loud sob escaped from her throat.
It was extremely loud in the quiet atmosphere, but she didn't care. She couldn't care. Tears kept streaming down her face and she put one of her hands on Tony's shoulder, shaking him gently. "T-Tony," she said, though her voice was in no way strong. Her bottom lip was trembling a great deal and it was hard to get her words out. "Tony, Thanos is gone. We can go home and get the ice cream now! And watch—and watch Tangled. J-just like you said, remember?"
But the only response she got from Tony was his empty eyes looking at her. She moved towards him, her arms shaking so bad it was almost comical. She was engulfing him in a hug once again, but there was no response from him this time. "T-Tony, please."
She could feel a gentle hand on her right shoulder and she was lifted from her position on the ground by Pepper. She was rubbing her shoulder in a comforting way, but Carter couldn't feel it. She felt completely numb; this didn't feel real, it had to be a dream, right?
Another hand took her arm and she was gently being pulled away by Steve. She didn't protest against his hold, but she wasn't exactly willingly going with him either.
Pepper was on the ground in front of Tony, whispering something to him. Carter was still crying, so much so that her whole body was shaking. If Steve didn't have his arms wrapped around her, she probably would have been on the ground, her legs having collapsed beneath her.
It was too much to handle. Her chest was heaving with sobs and she could barely even see what was going on with Tony and Pepper as her vision was blurred by the tears. She felt like she couldn't breathe and her gasps for air mixed horribly with her loud sobs. It was like a hand was squeezing her heart and wouldn't let go.
What she did notice was that Tony looked at her one last time. His mouth curved upwards into a small smile before his eyes flitted back to Pepper.
And then, his head moved slightly and he was still.
