Whatever it takes

https://angelynmoon.tumblr.com/post/685258088261009408/growingpaynes-art-a-concept-ive-been-thinking

This fic was inspired by a fanart/concept on tumblr which was by growingpaynes-art.

I don't know how to link it but if they find this and want me to take it down i will, but i was inspired by the idea and wrote this. (Edit 2022, thank you to KitChaosFic for helping me link the concept art, let me know if it worked)

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He's the last one standing, somehow it feels like he's always the last one standing even when he shouldn't be.

Thanos had thrown both Thor and Tony far from them.

Steve knows that they'll be back to help but for a moment he's just one man, standing up on shaky legs, Shield broken.

Thanos looks at him and then Steve hears Sam in his ear and suddenly they have an army to match Thanos' and Steve isn't alone, maybe he never really was.

And he fights, Thor's Hammer in one hand, Shield in the other. It's easy, even when, for a moment the Hammer is replaced by the Axe.

But then there is the Gauntlet and they are so close and Thanos throws them and Steve gets back up near instantly.

And Thanos looks at him, tilts his head as he swaps Thor and Tony away like nothing and something changes.

Steve changes, feels different, lungs tightening, the Shield getting heavier and Steve knows, he knows that Thanos has removed the Serum from his blood, undone what Dr. Erskine and Howard had done to him, how doesn't matter, it doesn't, whatever it takes, Steve remembers saying.

Thanos shifts to stare down at Steve, small and fragile, like he never expected to be again.

"You can walk away." Thanos tells him in the sudden stillness, the sounds of battle dim because Steve was part deaf again, "I'll let you."

And Steve believes him, even though it won't change Thanos' choice to destroy the universe, the other being will let Steve walk away from the battlefield, he'll let Steve run.

But Steve has never once run from a fight, not even when this body was all he'd ever known.

Steve looks at the Shield, heavy and broken on his arm, remembers when it was a trashcan lid and he smiles and he looks at Thanos.

"I don't like bullies." Steve tells him.

And he fights, it's useless really, trying to do anything, and they both know it. Steve's not strong enough to stop anything Thanos tries to do, Steve knows that, but he's a good distraction as he throws a useless punch, feels Thanos crush his fist, feels the bones shatter, feels his sternum give way and his ribs breaking as Thanos punches him away.

Steve feels something in his back break as he lands, feels something shift painfully as he stands up again.

He bites back a cry of pain as he rises.

And Thanos' eyes are still on him, staring at him in confusion as Steve gets up, dropping the Shield because it's too heavy and Steve can't really feel his arms anyway as he lifts them up, hands curled into fists.

"I can do this all day." Steve says, a hitch in his voice because his chest hurts and he coughs and the taste in his mouth is blood.

But Thanos' eyes are still on him and Tony has the Stones now and Steve grins bloody and it's so familiar.

And it's okay, whatever it takes.

Thanos stares at him for a moment longer before deciding to ignore him, and maybe when he was young and dumb Steve would take offence but Tony's got this and Steve can only watch him win for them.

Thanos turns to Tony, who has paused to stare at Steve, small and still ready to fight a fight he can't win.

Thanos shifts his empty Gauntlet on his hand and raises it up and stares at Tony.

"I am inevitable." Thanos tells them.

And Steve locks his shaky legs because he's not going to fall until this is over, not until Thanos is dead.

Tony smiles as Thanos snaps and nothing happens.

"And I am Ironman." And Tony gives a snap of his own and Thanos' army falls into dust and finally Thanos himself.

Steve tries to breath a sigh of relief but he chokes and gags on the blood in his throat and mouth.

Steve hears a shout, sees Tony throw the Gauntlet on the ground and feels his hands grabbing his shoulders and Tony's arm is across his chest as Steve goes down.

Steve's knees hit the ground and it almost doesn't hurt.

It should, Steve knows it should.

"Cap'!" Tony shouts and Steve coughs out a laugh and blood lands on Tony's arm and wow, his blood is the same red as the suit.

"Not Captain... America... 'Nymore." Steve chokes out, "No serum."

And Tony is shifting him around, Steve supposes the man is trying to help Steve breath easier but Steve can tell it's useless.

His rib bones have shifted or maybe Thanos just hit that hard but one of his ribs has punctured a lung, Steve remembers the feeling.

"Steve!" Bucky's voice shouts and it startles Steve.

He jerks and it hurts and he wonders if maybe he'd lost consciousness for a moment as he chokes out blood and sees Bucky running across the field towards them as Steve leans against Tony's chest, the man isn't wearing the suit anymore and Steve doesn't remember when it vanished.

Steve has a feeling that Tony is afraid of moving him, probably wise.

Bucky falls to his knees next to them and Steve has to give him a smile, bloody and wide because Bucky's okay, he's back and alive and okay.

"Buck." Steve coughs, fresh blood filling his mouth as he takes a shaky breath, Steve swallows it back down because he's not going to let Bucky see how bad it is.

And it's bad.

Steve can hear Tony talking over them, maybe to that Strange guy but Steve doesn't care.

He doesn't, because Bucky takes his hand, the one Thanos didn't ruin,bin his hand gently, careful not to jar Steve in Tony's hold.

Steve focused on Bucky's face, the worried frown and tear filled eyes.

"I had...had him... on the... Ropes." Steve forces out because he wants Bucky to smile at him, doesn't want that worried frown to be the last thing he sees.

"Sure you did." Bucky forces out his own laugh and scrubs at his eyes with his metal hand, his flesh one holding Steve's tightly.

But Steve can't feel it anymore, he knows it only because he sees it and he misses the colors the Serum gave him, it had made Bucky so much brighter and Steve misses seeing all the colors that had danced in Bucky's eyes.

Steve coughs again and this time he can' swallow the blood in his mouth, feels it spilling out over his lips and he chokes a little on the blood in his throat, gagging a bit.

Tony shifts him at the same time Bucky moves to help him sit up a little to help him breath, for a few minutes it works, he breaths easier but it's temporary.

Tony moves away, still talking to someone, or maybe he's yelling, Steve can't tell, but he sees orange ghost over his skin but it doesn't matter because he's in Bucky's arms, he's in Bucky's arms again, something he never thought he'd get again.

The metal arm is against his back, Steve knows this because it doesn't give like a real arm and it's firm across his shoulders and the flesh hand is still holding his hand, Steve wishes he could still feel it.

There is someone holding his head up, someone has to be because Steve's not doing it, he thinks it might be Sam and Steve is grateful because he can look at Bucky's face instead of his head resting on Bucky's shoulder.

For a moment too long Steve's eyes close.

"Hey! Hey! Steve, Stevie, look at me. Stevie, come on." Bucky's panicked voice makes him force his eyes open again.

He doesn't want to close them again, not of doing so makes Bucky look so scared.

"S'okay, Buck." Steve chokes out, he lifts his hand out of Bucky's to press it to the other man's cheek, he wonders how he does it when he can't feel his arm moving, "'M gonna...be...alright...like...always."

A little more blood spills out as Steve lies, he probably deserves that.

Steve lets his hand tangle in Bucky's hair, he wishes he could feel it, he misses Bucky's hair short but he likes it long too, likes everything about Bucky, always had, always would.

"Wanna draw...you." Steve mumbles as he felt himself drift down and away, "Wanna...draw you...when I...wake up." He mumbles as his eyes fall closed again.

"Yeah, but you gotta wake up." Bucky said and it sounded far away and sad, staticy and breaking.

"S'not...the...end, Buck." Steve forced his eyes eyes open, wanted to see Bucky's face one more time, he knew he was lying but he had to, had to reassure Bucky he'd be okay, make him not look so sad.

"Wanna...wanna see...you smile..., missed it." Steve said, hand sliding to let his thumb trace the corner of Bucky's mouth.

Bucky caught the hand in his and pressed a hard kiss to his palm, Steve wished he could feel it.

"S'good...'nough." Steve choked out and let his eyes drift closed before Bucky looked back at him, feeling more blood spill out.

"Steve! Stevie! Don't you dare! Don't you dare!" Bucky's voice shouted but it was drifting further away, so far and Steve couldn't even hear the murmur of Tony's voice anymore.

It was all fading away, no matter how Steve tried to cling to Bucky's voice. It all faded away until eventually there was only silence.

And that too was okay.

At least they had won.

Whatever it takes, Steve was alright with it being him, as long as it wasn't Bucky, not again.

They had won.

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A/n: as stated before this was inspired by a tumblr post about Thanos using the Reality Stone to take the Serum from Steve. I did not state that's what happened because I wanted it to be vague.

But i read the concept and i thought that even without the Serum Steve would fight because that's who he is and well Steve knows he can't win this but he can cause a distraction for Tony to get the Stones from Thanos without his noticing and so that's what Steve does.

And Tony lives for reasons unknown maybe because the Stones are using the energy from tbe Serum.

I do want to write a second chapter that has Steve living and maybe something from Tony's Pov but not right now.