Steve felt numb, as he slide across the dusty terrain. His body felt like one giant bruise, and he felt his blood run from the corner of his mouth, to his chin.
Lying face down in what was once the Avengers Complex, he struggled to catch the breath that Thanos had knocked out of him just moments before.
He couldn’t stay down. He would not give up. Not here. Not now.
The ringing in his ears dulled, and he could hear the sound of Stormbreaker ripping through the air. And then it stopped. The crackle of lightning was replaced by grunts of pain, as Thanos pressed the godly weapon further into Thor’s chest.
Steve glanced to his right, where Mjolnir lay unattended. He swallowed, getting shakily to his feet. He couldn’t contemplate to decision. There was no time. Instead, he held out his hand as he’d seen Thor do hundreds of times, and watched as the hammer flew through the air, into the Titan, throwing him off balance.
Like a boomerang, the hammer returned to Steve’s hand, and he glared at the monster that stood before him.
“I knew it,” Thor muttered, a smirk playing at his lips. Thanos kicked him aside like a big, and averted his attention back to Steve.
Adrenaline courses through his veins, as he spun Mjolnir with everything he had, and attacked the Mad Titan.
It was going surprisingly well, all things considered. He managed to get an uppercut with the hammer, knocking Thanos onto his back. Unfortunately for Steve, he didn’t stay down. The hit to the face only angered Thanos, and he charged towards Steve.
Having a giant purple monster run towards him was probably one of the most terrifying things he’d ever experienced, but he didn’t have time to let that deter his confidence. Using the shield and he hammer to his advantage, he was able to keep Thanos from counter attacking his own. But he couldn’t keep going forever. He wasn’t a god. He wasn’t a titan. He was just a human. Superhuman, sure, but his weaknesses were still very much human.
“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”
The words echoed in his head. Whosoever holds this hammer...shall possess the power of Thor.
And at the exact moment, the murky skies crackled with electricity, and struck the Mad Titan square in the chest. Thanos stumbled backwards, seemingly shocked, more than anything, only to be struck once more, pinning him to the ruins of the building.
Steve took a gamble, leaping at Thanos to deliver another blow, hoping the blasts of lightning would keep him down long enough. He was wrong. As he landed on Thanos’ chest, hammer ready in his hand, he felt the air leave his lungs, and his feet be lifted off the ground. He was slammed roughly into the rubble like a child’s rag doll on the bedroom floor.
He had little time to react, as Thanos lunged at him with his sword gripped tightly in his hand. Steve was able to duck under the first swing, and was just barely able parry the second one with his shield. He felt the third dig into his thigh, and he stumbled forward. His heart beat faster and faster with every second that passed. He couldn’t stop. No backing down until Thanos was gone. For good. If he gave out now, everyone would die. And he couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let Natasha’s sacrifice be in vain. That, he could never forgive himself for.
His breathing was uneven, and his legs felt like spaghetti, but he needed to stand his ground. And he did. Or tried.
Thanos’ next swing was blocked by the red, white, and blue shield, but the blade had sunk deep into its edge, to Steve’s disbelief. And the next blow came before he could even process what happened. Thanos kept abusing the shield until parts of it shattered, and Steve lying on his back, left with half of a painted broken circle.
Thanos lifted the blade one last time, and Steve entire left side burst into a searingly pain, before he was thrown to the side.
“In all my years of conquest, violence. Slaughter. It was never personal,” Thanos said, looking towards the sky.
Steve lifted his hand from the wound in his side, watching as the red blood dropped down his arm in quantities that couldn’t be healthy. He painfully struggled into his stomach, in a lame attempt to pick himself back up from the ruins.
“And I’ll tell you now, what I’m about to do to your stubborn, annoying planet...”
The words drowned out in Steve’s ears. The pain radiated throughout his entire body, blocking out the sounds of Thanos’ monologue. He only glanced up when the pain subsided shortly to see an army gathered behind the Mad Titan.
“Fuck,” he muttered, still on the ground. His body begging for him to just give into the darkness that threatened to take over. And for a minute, he almost let it. Sleep sounded like a pretty good option, but he knew he couldn’t. He didn’t have it in him to just give up. His entire life he’d be fighting. Whether it had been in the alleyways of Brooklyn, in World War II, against the very organization that was supposed to be a safe haven for him. He refused to stop now.
Struggling, and slowly, he got to his feet, much to Thanos’ surprise. He looked down at the strap, keeping the shield on his arm, and tightened it angrily. The space between him and Thanos seemed like a mile, and if that’s how far he had to walk to prevent the deaths of millions of innocents, then he would walk it. Confidently, and proudly. This was his home, and he wasn’t much of a hero if he couldn’t protect it.
“Hey Cap, do you read me?” A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. Steve stopped, listening for the voice again. It couldn’t be? Was it?
“Cap, it’s Sam. Do you hear me?”
It was.
“On your left,” Sam’s voice came through on the communicator again.
Steve glanced over his shoulder, where a bright yellow circle begun to form. T’Challa, along with Shuri and Okoye emerged from the light, and Steve let out a sigh of relief. Sam followed, his falcon suit fully able, as dozens more portals opened surrounding the area. They were back. Everyone. They were all back.
He scanned the land, watching as the army Thanos had destroyed, emerged in quantities as large as his own. In the midst of the unfamiliar faces, he found Bucky’s. He was okay, and in that moment the pain in his side subsided. Bucky was okay. They were all okay. They could do this. They still had a chance.
“Avengers,” he heard himself yell, louder than he thought he had the strength for. “Assemble.”
What happened next went by in a blur. He vaguely remembered Carol returning to Earth, and how they ended up defeating he purple Titan. He had been on his feet one minute, the enemy hot on his trail, and the next minute he was lying on the ground. Energy depleted, lying a strangely thick puddle of water. He tried to sit up, only to be reminded of the giant gash that remained in his abdomen.
“Shit,” he murmured, his vision going blurry. He lifted his fingers to his eyes, realizing the puddle wasn’t water, it was blood. His blood. He grimaced, clutching his side desperately. He had to make sure his friends were okay. That they were safe.
He made it unsteadily to his feet, and limped across the uneven terrain. There were bodies everywhere. Of fallen comrades that had given their life, twice, for the sake of humanity. It reminded him of the war. The bodies left behind in the wake of battle. Friends he had lost. The thought made him feel sick. He knew going into it, they wouldn’t all make it out alive, and yet a sliver of his still hoped that everyone could have gotten their happy ending.
He stumbled forward, until he was able to make out the familiar figure of his best friend. His brother, walking towards him, calling out his name.
“Bucky?” He asked, a smile spreading to his face.
“Steve!” Bucky began to break out into a sprint. “Steve, you’re alive. You’re alive. You’re okay. You-“ He stared back at Steve, and down to where his hand was gripping his side. The dark red stain had grown tremendously, covering half of his uniform.
“Oh, Steve,” he whispered, a look of realization coming over her face.
“I’m sorry Bucky,” was all Steve managed to get out, before he felt his legs give away.
A warm embrace caught him before he fell, lying him down, his head resting in someone’s lap.
“Help!” Bucky called, his voice wavering. “Someone, please help! We need-“
“It’s okay,” he said, letting out a shaky breath. “It’s okay. We did it. We won.”
“Yeah, we did,” Bucky smiled, tears forming in his eyes. Steve took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry...I couldn’t be there for you...you know, all those years...I’m sorry.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault, okay? Don’t worry about me now. I’m okay, I’m okay.”
“I wasn’t there for you...when you...when Thanos snapped...I should have been with you...”
“Stop, Steve. It’s okay. It’s not you’re fault, you couldn’t have done anything about it. It happened, it’s over but I’m here now, alright? I’m here now. With you til the end of the line, right?”
“Yeah,” Steve murmured, his vision getting darker. “Til the end of the line...”
“I need to get you help, Strange. Tony maybe. Someone can help you, I need to-“
“Just...just hold me,” Steve begged. “Please.” He knew he was dying. There was no way around it this time.
“Bucky-“ “Hey, hey,” Buck said gently. “Save you’re breath, okay?”
“Thank you...for always being there...for me...”
“Even if you were a pain in my ass,” Bucky chuckled, trying to hold himself together.
“Yeah...” Steve whispered. “Especially then.”
He paused. “I love you, Bucky...I know I never said it enough....but, I love you.”
Bucky’s cheeks glistened with tears as he started down into Steve’s eyes. “I love you too, Bud. Always have, always will.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Steve smiled. He stared up into his best friend’s blue eyes, before they dulled into a dark gray.
“Hey, Steve? Stay with me. Just a little longer,” Buck pleaded, shaking his shoulder slightly. And he really wanted to. He wanted to stay, but he couldn’t. And as his vision faded to black, he let the darkness consume him.