Miss America

Chapter Nineteen

Bucky's in the room, there's a cot beside him with Billy in it when Tony is wheeled in along with the others. He stays quiet in the corner as the others being to discuss whats happened. 

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth." Rhodey begins. 

"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent, of all living creatures." 

"Where is he now? Where?" Tony pipes up. 

"We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through." Steve says almost defeatedly. 

"What's wrong with him?" Tony looks at Thor. 

"Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed. Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?"

"Honestly, until this exact second, I literaly thought you were a Build-A-Bear." Tony replies.

"Maybe I am." Rocket says sullenly. 

"And you, whats with the. . ." 

"Tony. . ." Pepper tries to stop him but he wheels himself over to the cot near Bucky, who's heckles immediately go up, he stands as Tony looks down. 

"I didn't even know she was. . ." Tony said almost regretfully. "I'm sorry." Tony finds himself saying, even to Bucky who he still hated for what he'd done, but he couldn't help the feeling it stirred inside him, Peter. 

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him." Steve tries to bring Tony's attention back from the baby. 

"Who told you that?" Tony span round in the wheelchair in shock, Bucky sitting back down next to the baby. "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the store. That's what happened. There was no fight."

"Okay." Steve sees he's hit a nerve. 

"He's unbeatable."

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Steve pushes fo more. 

"Pfft!" Tony scoffs "I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming."

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus." Steve says looking at Tony, now quite delirious but seething at Steve's words. 

"And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?" Tony pushes himself  out of the chair, he leans on the table causing things to clatter. Billy begins to cry "I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all you still . . " Tony goes for Steve. Rhodey quickly comes in front of him, trying to stop him. 

"Tony, Tony!"

"Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armour around the world!" He calls, he looks at Pepper helping Bucky with the baby and gets angrier "Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that's what we needed!"

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve looks at Bucky and then baby then at Tony again. 

"I said, "we'd lose". You said, "We'll do that together too." And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Prevengers."

"Okay, can we calm it please." Bucky grunts as he soothes Billy. 

"Right?"

"You made your point. Just sit down." Rhodey once again steps in to stop Tony.