My words seemed to ring true in this fight. It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do. There were moments that I began to worry that the choices we made were the wrong ones. I couldn’t see any accomplishment in sight. From the ache in my muscles to the blood from my scars, I felt completely broken. The air on Titan was so thin that it was hard to catch my breath, and I felt tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

Witnessing the large purple brute crushed all hope that I had. There was a moment that I thought we would win until it all began to fall apart. I didn’t want to blame anyone, because there were so many factors that were unraveling at the seems. Quil and I seemed to be on the same wavelength. I understood the reason for his outrage, even though I only got a portion of the reality.

If that were me and Stephen… I’m not sure what I would have done. It made me realize just how important this last fight was, and just how afraid I was. I’d never been stunned by fear. I’ve always been able to keep moving forward until my powers were too weak to hold. But at that moment, seeing Tony broken and stabbed, crumbling right in front of Thanos… I felt it. The sting of fear that caused my feet to plant into the ground, unable to move.

My words from before rattled in my brain over and over. My promises to give me up for my family in an instant. I screamed at myself to move, but the fear had reached all throughout my body. My throat felt so tight, and I looked between Stephen and Tony. A scream was on my tongue, and it took all of my strength to fight against it.

I was too weak to shift, my body giving out despite how bad I wanted one more run. All I could do was summon my claws, and even that seemed to hurt more than it was worth. Tears stung my eyes, and I couldn’t imagine watching my father die right in front of my eyes. Not when it had just been a month or two ago when we found out the truth. It didn’t seem fair how just less than a day ago we were all happy, not knowing the future that awaited us.

How a mere hours ago, when we first met the guardians, there was still some light-hearted laughs to be found. But that’s the beauty of my friend. How we could find humor in the darkest of moments. And that’s the only thing that kept me moving forward in that second.

The thought of my friends, out fighting somewhere else trying to protect the world as we know it. For Tony, who was broken and bleeding in front of me. My father who I had grown to love so much, even though he was missing for half of my life. I had forgiven him and my mother, and I have done whatever I could to make up for it.

I needed more time with him. Even if it was only a few more hours before the world as we know it would be torn apart.

“No! Stop!”

Everyone’s eyes widened as I flung myself in front of Tony, just before Thanos could harm him further. I knew that he planned to kill him in that moment, and I couldn’t let that happen. Even Tony was speechless, kneeling behind me with his hands over his wound.

“Please…”

I knew that it was useless to plead with him, but I tried the only thing that I could. Tears rolled down my face, burning with warmth as I stared into the face of my demise. Pursing my lips, I heard Tony behind me trying to convince me to move.

“Ashley, please… don’t do this.”

“I’m not letting you die, Dad. I can’t just sit here and watch you be taken away from me.”

I felt the shakiness of my tone, and I glanced behind him to smile.

Hearing Thanos chuckle in front of me made me sick to my stomach. Nothing about this was funny, but of course, he would find humor in it.

“Very well. I suppose I’ll give you the end that you want.”

“No! Ashley! Move out of the way!”

I closed my eyes, preparing for the pain that was coming. The tears continued to roll down my face, and I tried to block out the sound of Tony’s voice.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

I had accepted my fate, feeling at peace that I had kept my promise. That was… until I heard a familiar voice from my left.

“Stop! Spare them…”

My eyes flashed open, glancing over at Stephen with my mouth parted in surprise.

“...and I’ll give you the stone.”

Both Tony and I were speechless, hearing the words falling from his lips. I felt my heart hammering in my chest even harder, watching him painfully expose the true stone. I couldn’t believe that this was happening. I had hoped that he wasn’t doing this because of me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself it that was why he chose to give it all up.

After all, he’d told me time after time that it wasn’t personal. But he couldn’t choose Tony over the stone. And I knew that if it came down to it, I wouldn’t be able to understand that decision. Not when it was my own father. But right now, I understood it. Because I felt broken knowing that he was risking the sake of the universe just for me.

Once Thanos had disappeared with the stone, the silence surrounding us was thick and heavy. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything for several seconds. Even Tony was silent, everyone getting their wounds patched up without a second thought.

“Why did you do that?” Tony asked after several seconds of silence, glancing over at Stephen.

He took a second to breathe, glancing at the two of us.

I couldn’t even hear the excuse, because I knew it at that moment. This was what was supposed to happen. For whatever reason… this was the only way. With a clench of my fist, I connected my eyes with his and gave him a nod.

“No, I’m fine. Just finish this-”

“I’m not leaving you. They’ve got it covered for now. Please.”

I sighed softly, slowly relaxing back down on the ground.

Stephen’s hands examined my side where the blood had been trailing from. I had many other cuts and bruises on my skin, but that one was the worst, the deepest, and the biggest. It was the main reason why I was unable to move very much. I started to feel very light-headed, and Stephen started to notice as he lifted my tight fitted top.

“The wound’s too deep. You’re losing a lot of blood,” He said, “We need to get you treated now.”

“Stephen, wait-”

“Stark! She’s badly injured and can’t continue! We need to get her to safety immediately!”

“Got it. Fluffs, I need you and Cap and the others to continue without us.”

I tried to protest, but Stephen was keeping me down and it was already too hard to speak.

“Got it. We’ll be right behind you.”

His hands kept me still, pulling me against his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. This was all my fault. If I hadn’t had overused my power and took a second to analyze the situation, then I definitely wouldn’t have been in this position right now. Tony told me to stay back and let him handle it, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to.

God, why was I so stupid?

I’m supposed to be here saving the city, not causing more trouble.

“Ashley, stay with me,” Stephen said, watching my eyelids flutter, “We’re going to get you out of here. Just hold on a little longer, okay?”

I nodded, coughing a bit more.

His eyebrows furrowed, worrying filled them as he wiped away the blood that trickled down my chin. Slowly, he adjusted my body in his arms and stood up to situate myself. His body felt so warm, and I folded against him almost immediately. It was comfortable, and definitely a step up from the hard concrete below. The cloak’s edges flitted across my face, and I took a second to glance into Stephen’s eyes.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay,” He whispered, even though he was getting a little choked on his words.

Tony landed beside us, uncovering his face to get a good look at me. I could barely see him from how blurry my vision was getting, and I just felt so weak.

“How bad is it? What’s the damage?” He asked, glancing at Strange.

“It’s pretty bad. She’s lost a lot of blood. This wound’s very deep, and it looks like she’s got a few more-”

“Well, then what are we doing standing around here for! Let’s go!”

Hearing Tony shout was new to me, I’d never heard him this frantic before. I’ve definitely heard him scream and shout at me during a fight, but this was completely different. He was nervous and scared for me. I’d never heard such a quick and irrational response from him. It’s no surprise, but it was just proof that he was losing his composure.

Stephen nodded, and before I could even blink there were bright white lights shining above me. The ringing in my ears was back again, and I was leaning my head against Stephen’s chest for support. The only thing I could hear was the muffled voices of Tony shouting and Stephen trying to calm him down. Even though, he wasn't really in a position to say much. He too was calling out for someone to help him with me, no doubt speaking of his credentials to get someone immediately.

“Stephen…” I mumbled, trying to speak but my voice was failing me.

“Shhh… it’s okay, baby. We’re going to get you treated as soon as possible. I promise… nothing’s going to happen to you.”

I wanted to reassure him that I was fine, but how could I? There wasn’t anything to indicate that I was. Stephen knew better. There wasn’t anything that I could say, even if I could. He knew how important it was that I figure out the damage immediately. At the rate that I was going, there wasn’t long that I had to wait.

Finally, he managed to get someone to come along that he most likely somewhat knew. I didn’t really catch anything that was being said, mainly because they were talking super fast and I was fading in and out of consciousness.

“Is there any more damage? Any more wounds-”

“I’m sure that she does. Kid got beat up pretty good.”

I groaned, feeling Stephen set me down on what felt like a bed. But I wasn’t entirely sure.

“What in the… What could have caused this-”

Tony went into a long detail explaining the blasts that I was hit with. It was a long string of scientific gibberish that my usual self couldn’t even understand, let along my current self that was half unconscious.

The nurse let out a loud sigh, and I could hear Stephen interjecting rather quickly. “She’s losing consciousness. We don’t have a lot of time. Please. This is my wife we’re talking about here,” He said, “Get me a doctor right now.” I could hear the sternness in his voice almost, and I was sure that he was close to cracking at this moment.

Tony was already gone, demanding that someone come immediately. Using everything that he could in his power, and Stephen was trying his best to keep his cool. If I was awake and conscious I would’ve been better help, but I wasn’t in the right state right now. It was at this point that I had lost completely consciousness. I wouldn’t wake up until after the procedure was over.

I’m sure that the entire time Tony was frantic, but Stephen was helping in any way that he could. There was no way he would leave my side for anything.

When I finally did wake up, I was in a hospital bed with monitors around me and a really bad headache. My head was dizzy from the drugs they had given me, and I could only pick my head up a little bit. Immediately I felt a warm hand touch my arm, shifting my hair from my face. Stephen looked so blurry, but I could make out the curves of his face. I immediately felt safe, folding into his touch.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Stephen spoke softly, “Try not to move too much, okay? You’re still recovering, but you’re going to be alright.”

“What… Stephen, I’m sorry, I-”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. These things happen. Just rest, I’ll go let Tony know you’re awake.”

He walked off a second later, not before adjusting the blanket around me.

The room was extremely cold, but it was comfortable. Too bad I couldn’t enjoy it. I was still in a lot of pain, my side still healing from the impact of the blast. My entire body felt like I had been run over by a truck. There’s no telling how worried I made everyone. I hoped that I didn’t cause anyone else to be hurt because of my foolishness.

Swallowing hard, I tried to push back my tears as the door opened again. Tony cane rushing to my side, taking my hand in his. My vision was still blurry, but I could make out the worry in his face and furrowed brows. Holding my hand tightly in his, I felt him squeeze and let out a breath that he’d been holding in. I really didn’t want to worry him or Stephen. I hated that I had put them through this.

“To...Tony, I’m so sorry-”

“Don’t you dare apologize. None of this is your fault. If anything, it’s mine. I’m the one that gave you the order in the first place.”

“Please, don’t say that. This isn’t… this isn’t your… fault.”

I tried to sit up, wincing and hitching my breath from the pain.

Tony slowly pushed me back down, shifting my hair from my face and whispering softly for me to stay. It was hard to stop myself after I’d been on the move for so long. I’m not used to just staying put at this point, especially when there was possibly still trouble to deal with.

“Ashley… sweetheart… I know you just woke up, but… there’s something I need to tell you.”

I blinked slowly, watching him shift in his seat and squeeze my hand harder. The tone in his voice was strange. I’d never heard him so close to crying before, and I started to wonder if something had happened while I was unconscious. I couldn’t tell how upset he was, and I noticed that Stephen hadn’t come back into the room.

“Tony… what is it?” I asked.

I took a couple more breaths, and I could now fully see his face.

It was rather obvious now that he was tearing up, and it was the first time I had seen him cry. It was hard to see him break down like this, even though I had no idea what had prompted it. There could be the possibility that he was just worried about me, but there was something else. His hands were shaking around mine, and he cleared his throat quickly before he spoke.

“You lost a lot of blood, and you needed an emergency transfusion. Turns out you and I are a match, but… there’s something else…”

I tilted my head, “What…”

“Ashley… I don’t know… how to say this but uhm…”

His voice trailed off, and he looked up at me with those same glossy eyes.

I wasn’t prepared for what he was going to tell me.

“You’re my daughter…”

My eyes widened, and I stared at him for several minutes trying to process what he had said. It wasn’t like I ever expected for this to happen… or had any idea. I always thought that my father just left when I was young. I had no idea that… my father was with me the whole time. The one person that I always saw as a father figure. The man that I have grown to love as a father was… really my dad the whole entire time.

My eyes began to water, and I felt my lower lip trembling.

“I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. I’m… I’m just as shocked as you are, but… I always knew that there was something special about you.”

Swallowing hard, I started sniffling as tears fell down my cheeks. It was hard to let the idea sink in that Tony was my biological father. I had no idea that this would be a reality. To be honest with you, I had always wished that it was a possibility. All this time we spent together and how close we came to be. How much I cared about him and how much I looked up to him. I always wanted this to be my reality.

Now that it was… I honestly couldn’t believe it. This had to be some kind of crazy dream or joke.

“I’m sorry, Ashley. If I would have known… that you existed I would have been there. You have no idea how… hard it was to find out the truth. I’m happy, but… I’m disappointed in myself for missing everything-”

“Don’t be… I’m just happy that we’re together. And that I finally know.”

I smiled, giving his hand a firm squeeze.

Tony chuckled.

The two of us were silent for a few seconds, trying to let the moment sink in. I knew that Tony was most likely beating himself up on the inside, while I was just happy. This was… so much better now that I know that it brought us closer together.

“This doesn’t change anything, does it?” He asked after a few minutes of silence, “I don’t want it to change the way you feel about me. You would’ve been my daughter either way, but I understand if it will take you some time-”

“No… you were my dad before, and you’re my dad now. You’ve always been my dad.”

And for the first time since I woke up, I was able to sit up and wrap my arms around him in a tight hug.

Tony squeezed my back as gently as he could, holding me against him as I sobbed into his shoulder. I’d never been happier knowing that I finally had closure on my relationship with him. All this time I knew that it was something special, but I had no idea it was because of our connection. Now that I did… I knew that the universe brought us together for a reason.

I tried to tell him that I could come back later, but he insisted that I stay. Not that I don’t mind spending time with him. It’s been a while since we’ve had a moment to sit down and just hang out together. It was too late for me to go home now, and I knew that Tony wouldn’t let me walk home even if I shifted in this late hour.

But if I knew that he was just going to be working all night, then I would have at least brought something to keep me occupied.

“We should watch a movie,” I said, suddenly, “You’ve got popcorn and stuff, right?”

“Yes, of course. You never know when you’re going to have a movie night at your place, right?”

Tony rolled his eyes and I could sense the bubbling sarcasm on his tongue.

“Oh, c’mon, Dad. Don’t tell me you don’t like movies.”

“I never said that. You think I have time to watch movies?”

He motioned with his hands towards all the tools and parts he had laid out in front of him on the table. I bit my lip, glancing around the room. Part of that was true, and part of that was bullshit. I could sense that he had been on edge the entire time I’d been here, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was frustrated with the project or… something else entirely.

Tony heaved a sigh, setting down the tools and tapping his finger on the table. I continued to eat my food, poking at the noodles and pulling my knee up to my chest. It became extremely quiet. Almost awkward.

“I’m sorry,” He sighed, “I’m just… a little stressed at the moment.”

“It’s okay… maybe it was a bad idea that I came over.”

“No,” He said, sternly, making eye contact with me, “I’m glad that you stopped by. I wanted to see you. Just… gimme a few more minutes, okay?”

He turned his back to me once again to finish up, motioning behind him.

“There’s a couple DVD’s in that drawer over there.”

I snorted a little.

“You still keep DVD’s?”

“Of course I still keep DVD’s! Especially the classics.”

“I’m sorry! I just expected you to have them all just digitally downloaded and refusing to have physical copies.”

“Well, I do have them all downloaded. I’m not an animal.”

He smirked a bit, causing me to laugh rather loudly as I turned my back.

Shifting through the movies that he had, I had him turn on the large screen to allow me to see everything that we had available both physical and otherwise. Most of what he had was classics, stuff that I had never seen, and a few obscure titles that made me reread a couple of times. Finally, I settled on some random action film, knowing that he’d appreciate my choice.

By the time I had made my choice, he was cleaning up his workspace and putting everything away. He leaned down to ruffle my hair, causing me to grumble softly. He chuckled, sipping on the drink in his hands.

“You gonna give me some of that?” I asked.

“You don’t drink whiskey. But I have some wine. It’s red wine, but-”

“That’s fine,” I interjected, “Can you also pop some popcorn. That sounds sooooo delicious right now.”

“Of course it does. Alright, gimme a second.”

I smirked, leaning back a bit on my palms as he walked away. “Love you!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Giggling softly, I waited patiently for him before I started anything up. I had missed the days that I was over here almost every single day when he wasn’t busy at least. We’ve gotten incredibly close over the past couple of years, and I wouldn’t be the person I am now without him. Every time I try to say that, though, he insists that he had nothing to do with it.

It’s easy for me to gloss over that fact and just accept that I made it here on my own. But it would be completely false. I don’t know where I’d be if Tony hadn’t chased me onto that rooftop years ago. Pursing my lips together, I pulled my knees up to my chest and sighed. I’ve always wondered how I was going to thank him for all that he’s done for me. But it would be impossible, considering he would never let me do anything crazy.

So I just stay by his side, and I show my loyalty in any way that I can. Call him out on his bullshit and try to be the best friend and daughter that I can be.

“I can’t believe you actually wanted me to make this. Didn’t you just eat?” He asked, setting down the bowl of freshly popped popcorn into my lap.

“Yeah, but it didn’t really fill me up. Besides, you can’t have a movie and not enjoy some popcorn.”

“Alright, that’s fair. What did you choose, anyway?”

Tony sat down beside me on the floor, sipping on a new drink rather slowly.

“Some spy movie. It looks like it could be good, or really cheesy.”

“Oh, you know that I love cheesy,” He said, sarcastically.

I giggled softly, pushing my elbow into his.

Turning on the movie, I grasped a blanket from nearby and wrapped myself up in it. Tony had the lights dimmed, and the two of us silently watched the movie together.

It ended up being extremely cheesy, but that didn’t make it bad either. Tony ended up chuckling a lot at the terrible jokes and terrible effects. He and I made a few bets about what would happen in the end, whether the main guy would get the girl or the girl would die tragically. We hoped it wasn’t the latter, silently.

A couple drinks in and Tony was extremely hilarious. Laughing at a lot of shit that he normally wouldn’t even laugh at. It was quite humorous to watch, and I giggled a few times at him after my second glass of wine. When the credits rolled, I had somehow ended up resting my head in his lap, sniffling a bit to myself.

“Are you crying?” Tony asked, glancing down at me.

“What? No! No, I’m just… my nose is running.”

“Because you’re crying.”

“No- Okay! Alright, yes I’m crying. But you have to admit that ending was kind of beautiful.”

I sniffled some more, and Tony let out a loud sigh. He ran a hand over my hair, shaking his head at me.

“It was cheesy,” He mumbled.

“Oh, yeah. Very cheesy.”

He laughed, hand brushing a few strands of hair behind my ear.

I yawned a bit, curling up in the large blanket and shutting my eyes tight. Now that the movie was over, I was feeling incredibly tired.

“Hey,” Tony said, shaking me a bit, “Hey, why don’t you go ahead and get in bed. Before you pass out on me and I have to carry you.”

“Could you?” I asked with a smirk, “I’m… too tired to move.”

Tony let out a sigh, shaking his head.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m not carrying you.”

I pushed out my bottom lip into a pout, refusing to move from my spot. I was too comfortable, the warmth of the blanket making it easy for me to drift off into sleep. Tony tried his best to get me to stand up, but I refused to move. He was becoming frustrated, throwing his arm down to his side.

“Ashley, I am not carrying you. I will make you sleep on the floor.”

“Fine, whatever. I’m already comfortable… and falling asleep.”

Tony huffed another sigh, mumbling under his breath about me being difficult. I cracked an eye open, watching him slowly set my head down on the floor as he stood up. Touching his hand to his forehead, he turned off the big screen and gathered a bunch of trash from the table and floor. It was funny watching him continue to grumble as he stomped off, throwing dishes into the sink and trash into a bin.

When he came back into the living room, I had my eyes shut tight once again.

Tony leaned down, sliding his arms underneath me and heaving me up into his arms. I let out a laugh, opening my eyes to see his thinly lipped frown. “Don’t say anything,” He mumbled. I held up my hands, slowly wrapping them around his neck to make sure that I was secure. The last thing I wanted was for him to drop me.

But since I was tired, I ended up resting my head against his collarbone, feeling the wave hitting me once again.

“No need to pretend now,” He mumbled as he carried me towards the guest room, “You got your way.”

“I’m not pretending, Dad. I’m actually tired.”

“Oh.”

I giggled softly, shutting my eyes since I was hardly able to even keep them open at this point.

Somehow he got the door open, turning on the lights and slowly setting me down on the bed. I glanced around the room at the bare and empty guest room. I didn’t expect for it to be full, considering it’s probably hardly ever used in the first place.

“There, happy now?” He asked, “I’m gonna be in the other room if you need me.”

He started to turn around when I called for him again.

“What?” He asked, turning around and seeing my pout.

“You’re not going to tuck me in?”

“Excuse me? Ashley, you’re not five years old. You are a grown woman.”

Narrowing my eyes, I untucked the blankets and threw the sheets over me, flopping down on my side.

“Fine. I just wanted my dad to be nice and tell me goodnight, but nevermind then.”

“Okay, how many glasses of wine did you have?”

“Just two! I’m a little bit of a lightweight, but I’m not drunk.”

Tony rolled his eyes, looking at me as I closed my eyes tight and stopped talking. He must have thought that I was seriously upset with him and not playing it up to be funny. Because his shoulders slumped a bit and he let out another loud sigh that I could hear clearly.

He stepped over to the side of the bed and patted my head, adjusting the covers a bit around me. Turning off the lights, he folded his arms across his chest and watched my sleeping form. I could tell that he knew I was somewhat faking being asleep, but he didn’t bother calling me out on it.

“Thanks for coming tonight, Wolfie. I enjoyed your company. Even if you make it really hard for me to focus,” He said with a chuckle.

“No problem, Dad. Anything for you.”

Tony smiled, ruffling my hair gently in response.

Things got a little quiet, and I could hear his footsteps fading away as he started to exit the room. I shifted a little in the bed, adjusting the pillow just right and feeling the comfortable sheets around me. Of course Tony would have silk sheets. I’d never felt such soft sheets before, and the room was the perfect temperature.

“Goodnight, Wolfie. See you in the morning,” He mumbled, hand on the door.

“Mmm… night, Tony. Love you.”

That last part I mumbled completely subconsciously, already slipping deeper into sleep at this point.

Tony chuckled, slowly shutting the door.