Work Text:
“When you snapped your fingers, Peter died. That was the first time in 5 years that Anthony let me take full control; that was the first time in 5 years that he let me destroy. When you snapped your fingers, and Peter died, that is when Anthony and I agreed to annihilate you.” Tony’s smirk was razor sharp. “You see, that was the one soul I’m not quite ready to part with yet; that was the one soul my Mistress was content to let me keep.”
“But I am serving your Mistress, why should you kill me?” The Titan asked haughtily.
“Because that was my kid.”
That cutting smirk didn't falter as Tony stepped even closer to Thanos. "I'm impressed, actually. Even those who called themselves his friends while using and abusing him couldn't pull as much hatred from Anthony with all their years of lies and backstabbing betrayals as you managed with one snap." Steve couldn't help but wince at that, but Tony's sharp grin only grew teeth as he stepped within striking range of the Titan. "Of course, they were only hurting him, not those he loves."
Tony's slight figure looked extremely fragile next to the colossus towering over him, sneering but making no move to stop Tony from lazily running a single finger across the Titan's breastplate. "They tried to crush his heart and soul, and ultimately failed. You, on the other hand, tore it out..." Tony's hand slid through the gleaming armor as the metal corroded and flaked away from his touch. "...and here's how that feels."
Tony's arm flexed and he pulled a misty, shimmering string from Thanos chest, making the Titan arch back and mewl in pain. Still grinning, he stretched it a little further before plucking it like a rubber band. Tony - no, the Merchant of Death let the string relax, though he kept hold of it. "That's the pain you have left in each and every survivor of your centuries-long campaign of destruction. Hundreds of millions of them."
The Merchant pulled at the string again, not as hard, but still causing agony. Thanos tried to strike at him, but his massive fist passed harmlessly through the Merchant's form. He chuckled quietly. "There are benefits to being the one who collects souls. You could hurt Anthony, but you can't touch me."
He pulled again, twisting his wrist as he did, and Steve joined most of the rest of the observers in losing his lunch... again. Even the stoic Colonel Rhodes flinched and paled at the sound of Thanos' screams. Nebula alone seemed unmoved, the barest ghost of a smile quirking her lips. The Merchant's grin only grew wider, his dark chuckles turning almost to a purr. "Vengeance is most satisfying if you get to hear their screams. I think I am almost satisfied, now."
As soon as the Merchant's grip relaxed, releasing Thanos from his torment, he raised one hand shakily, and snapped.
The Merchant's form wavered for a brief second, and he laughed,
- "Your shiny toys won't help you. Death - Entropy - is fundamental to existence. Even the Infinity Gems can only temporarily override it. Even if you remake the entire universe, Death will and must endure. She will claim her due, and I'm her Collections Agent."
and pulled the string taut again.
- "All things must pass - from the simplest organism to the most massive star. Planets decay and crumble to dust, metal corrodes,"
The golden gauntlet began to crumble just like Thanos' armor had and the Stones dropped from their settings, bouncing on the ground. The Merchant pulled harder than before
- "Titans die"
and the string snapped.
- "and will never be reborn."
Thanos collapsed, his screams silenced. Forever.
Steve could barely watch as the man he thought he'd known calmly coiled up the iridescent string - Thanos' soul, he suddenly realized - as though it were a bit of leftover twine, as though he hadn't been laughing at the agonized screams of the being he was torturing mere seconds ago. Steve had wanted Thanos dead and gone, but the self-satisfied smirk on Tony's face as he collected the Infinity Stones and tucked them away into thin air was just wrong.
Steve took a shaky step forward to confront him, still queasy from what they had just witnessed, but Rhodes stopped him. "No. Right now is not the time for you to get near him." Steve didn't have the strength to object and watched the Colonel greet the Merchant of Death - not with the grin and hug he would have given Tony, but a polite nod and quiet words. That, on top of everything else, rattled Steve and convinced him this was not Tony.
He started slightly when Natasha placed a hand on his arm with a wan smile and uneasy eyes. "He's right, Steve. We are those so-called friends. Tony might have forgiven us, but he's not the one holding the reins right now."