The White Phoenix 10: An Avengers: Endgame Fanfiction

Chapter 19: The Juxtaposition of Sadness and Joy

Pepper Potts, her daughter Morgan Stark, Happy Hogan and Rhodey all watched the holographic message being projected from Tony's Iron Man helmet after his death, before his funeral.

'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. 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, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. And, for better or worse, that's the reality that Morgan's gonna have to find a way to grow up in. So... I thought I'd probably better record a little greeting - in the 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.' Then he stood up from the chair and began walking towards the camera. 'What am I even trippin' for? Everything's gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to.' He leaned down towards the camera, staring straight at Morgan. Then he cracked a smile. 'I love you 3,000.'

Several minutes later, Pepper walked out, Morgan in tow, with a wreath in her hands. Walking through the intimate funeral, she placed the wreath in the water carefully and stepped back on the jetty platform to allow the wreath to flow away on the lake. On the flowery wreath was laid Tony's first arc reactor, engraved with the words 'PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAD A HEART.' She crouched on the deck, with Morgan by her side, Happy Hogan and Rhodey behind her. Behind them were Steve, May Parker, Peter Parker, Thor and Bruce. Further behind them were Doctor Steven Strange, Wong, Scott, Janet Van Dyne, Hope Van Dyne and Hank Pym. Behind them were the Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill, Rocket, Nebula, Drax, Mantis and Groot, as well as T'Challa, king of Wakanda, Okoye and T'Challa's sister Shuri. Behind them were Clint Barton, his wife Laura and their three children Lila, Cooper and Nathaniel. Just behind them were Bucky, Wanda, myself (holding Bucky's hand), Sam Wilson and a kid named Harley Keener. Behind them, on the steps of the house that Pepper and Morgan lived in, were Secretary Ross, Carol Danvers, Maria Hill and Nick Fury, all of us, silently watching in mournful respect.

Later, Clint and Wanda stood at the lake, staring out onto it.

'You know,' Clint was saying, 'I wish there was a way - that I could let her know. That we won.' He made brief eye contact with Wanda. 'We did it.' She looked thoughtfully at him.

'She knows. They both do.' The two put an arm around each other, each drawing from the comfort of the other.

A while after the funeral, I was approached by Pepper.

'Hey, Pep,' I said without turning. 'How you holding up?' This time I turned to face her.

'Good. How about you? Are you and Barnes getting married soon?'

'Yes. We are.'

'How you doing with that?'

'Good.' After a minute of silence, I spoke again. 'You know, it's okay to be sad for Tony. I am too.' She smiled and drew closer to me. 'You can cry. You know that, right?'

'Yes,' she said, sniffling. Leaning her head on my shoulder, she cried a few tears while I rested my head on hers and my vibranium arm settled around her waist.