Too Little Too Late

Steve Rogers

It was laughable how his life had turned around the Starks. The best and the worst of them. Howard had been a friend, even more than that. The scientist had given him everything. His shield and a way to save Bucky from the Nazis. They had gone against the orders, behind enemy's lines. Peggy had also helped a lot of course. They had faith in him.

Howard and Dr Erskine had seen who he really was. They didn't stop the procedure even when it had been so painful for him. He had screamed but immediately had asked them to continue anyway. People trusting him, Steve wasn't too used to that kind of feeling. Back then, a sickly child had little chance to live. He proved to everybody that he was more than the illness and sickly body. Really, Howard had contributed to his new life. Steve couldn't think of him in a bad way but it had been difficult for him to reconcile what he knew about his friend and the son he had raised.

Tony. From the very start, they didn't get along. Shield had shown him videos and Natasha's report. The image it gave him wasn't pretty. But Steve had actually waited for their first meeting to make up his mind. And boy, did it go wrong. After just a couple of phrases they were already at each other's throats. Tony didn't like to be compared to his father. Of course, he couldn't compare to his elder in Steve's eyes. In his anger, Steve made a point of reminding Tony of that. The selfish little forty-ish years old brat needed someone to remind him about his place and where he came from.

But Stark had been surprising in the end, carrying that nuke into the portal. Steve thought that maybe he had been too quick to judge. The captain had to give him the benefit of the doubt after all. In memory of Howard.

Now, years later, standing alone on that field –Well Spiderman was there too but what could he actually do against Thanos?– Steve was thinking about everything that had brought them here. To that instant. To that defeat. Because even if it was hard to admit, Thanos was too strong for them.

Steve had thought that he was enough. He would have been really. If Stark had been there holding his support role as he should have. Howard had given the U.S. army weapons to defeat the Nazi. If The man had been honourable, he would have done the same. Tony's big ego had been bruised. Big deal. When so much was at stake, there was no excuse not to participate. But the genius was not the kind to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over him. The only thing Tony really fought for was himself.

Then Tony attacked them in that bunker for a crime Bucky wasn't responsible for. Steve didn't understand,the genius already hated his father anyway. Surely, he wouldn't have been affected by the proof of his murder. Especially after so long. Twenty years was certainly enough to come to term with that kind of event. Tony should have been mad at the ones who asked for the assassination not at the weapon who was used for it. That was common sense really. Still, all of the mess that had come after that seemed stupidly simple in comparison to the one they were in now.

They were the last ones standing. Him and Spiderman.

Steve attacked again. Thanos sent him flying. Webbings caught him just in time and he stood up once more. Desperation was coursing his veins. What else could he do but try, try and try again? He couldn't stop. Until the last second, he would get back in the ring. People all around the world were counting on him to save them. The galaxy even. The serum had made him so much better. Steve refused to think that Dr Erskine had been wrong about him.

All around him, the corpses of his friends were lying here and there. Thanos was making no prisoner.

Bucky had been standing next to him to the end of the line. It was so unfair. Steve had just gotten his best friend back only to lose him so quickly again. Despite all of their efforts, half of the galaxy was still about to disappear. Clint had died first. Now, Natasha, Sam, Wanda, Vision, Scott, Bruce and even Thor had given their lives for nothing. Steve really hoped that Tony was happy with his little vengeance. Was it worth it? Captain America had wished that in the face of a genocide, Stark would come and help anyway. Whatever had happened was in the past. Especially after the apology letter he had sent.