Everything fell silent suddenly, Thanos's creatures seemed to stop their assault. You spun in your spot, your eyes landed on Steve, he looked as confused as you did. For a brief moment you hoped that it was over.
"Steve." Bucky's voice called out softly, you watched as Steve looked over to his friend.
Your stomach dropped as you saw Bucky's hand start to turn brown, the color slowly traveling up his arm. His hand was the first to turn to dust, following the color. You stood frozen, mouth slightly open watching in perplexed horror as Bucky stood a staggering step, he knees buckled and as he fell his body became dust.
Steve rushed to him but it was too late, the man fell to knees. You wanted to move but it was as if your legs turned to lead, the sound of people letting out gasps slowly started to filter through the quietness of the Wakandan forest. Out of the battles, and fights you had been there was not one that the group had lost.
In the snap of a pair of fingers life had changed, it was so sudden and so massive it made you truly feel as small as you really were. When you finally moved you found your way back, reuniting with the rest of the group. Everyone else had the same shell shocked look you were sure was on your face.
Wanda was gone, dust, her smile, her light, gone. Sam, also had been turned to dust as well, the man who there for vets, always with a witty comeback, he was gone like Wanda. The king of Wakanda had also been taken like your friends, Vision was killed by Thanos. Who knew were Tony was and Peter, if they had survived. You sat down on the fallen log next to the talking raccoon, any other time you'd be amazed, any other time you ask him a million questions. But this wasn't any other time.
The team was quiet as you made way back to the Wakandan palace. Walking through the half way empty streets, hearing the sobs and pleas of the people that resided there was heartbreaking. You had failed them, the weight of Thanos's snap was truly starting to settle in.
You entered what maybe was a great hall, or something, you had started this morning out in this room. All of you pumped ready to save earth, and here you were, numb, broken, and missing your teammates. It was quiet, everyone in some kind of shock or heavily reflecting their own part, what they could of done differently. Shuri came racing around the corner, hopeful eyes darting around before landing Okeye. The warrior shook her head tears welling up in her eyes.
Shuri shook her head, backing up before she fell to her knees, quiet sobs shaking her body. Slowly one by one each of the avengers retired to a room provided except Steve, you hesitated before returning to your room. You walked in a trance straight to the shower, it was almost blistering when you stepped in. Watching as the water turn brown and red at your feet, washing the evidence of your failure down the drain.
You stayed like that long after the water had turned cold, still painfully numb you dressed yourself. Your feet kept moving, useasiness had settled upon you and you knew you couldn't sleep. You went back to the room where you had left the hundred year old man.
He was just as you left him, staring out the window out into the night but lost in his head. You could hear each ragged breath he took, his body lightly shaking. Quietly you walked up to him, placing your hand on his shoulder, he inhale deeply as you approached his side. His cheeks glistened in the moonlight that spilled in through window.
"They're gone." His voice was hoarse with the tears he was trying hold back. "We.."
"Steve." You whispered, pulling him to you.
He allowed you to wrap him in your arms, his head buried in your neck beneath your hair. You held onto him, his arms encircling your waist. The man who carried the team through thick and thin, the one who was always helping, giving more of himself then the world ever deserved, you knew that deep down even the strongest of people had a breaking point.
In the dead of the night when the team was off reflecting, mourning, sleeping he was here by himself.
"What are we going to do?" His voice soft, your heart broke a little more at the lost sound escaping in those words. The man out of time, a man who had spend his life at war, who always seemed to know what to, who always had a plan, was lost.
You took a deep breath, pulling back a bit. You gingerly took his face in your hands, looking into those deep blue eyes, red rimmed from spent tears. He needed an anchor, he something to hold onto.
"What can we do?" You asked him back, searching his eyes.
"I.. I don't know." He shrugged, closing his eyes.
"Steve.. we will figure this out." You told him softly.
It wasn't a lie, you knew come hell or high water you wouldn't stop. Thanos has taken your teammates, friends, he had the people you had come to know as family, and even if took your last breath you wouldn't stop fighting.
"How do you know?" The uncertainty in those eyes, made him seem like a boy, a child who had lost hope.
"Because, that's what we do." You replied, gently wiping a tear from his face. "We don't stop fighting, we never have. Thanos may have snapped his fingers, taken our family from us but I can't give up. This can't be how it ends, I won't let it. It's always darkest before dawn, we will find away."
"I wish I had your hope." He sighed, looking down at you.
"Then, I'll hope enough for the both of us. When everyone turns to you, you can turn to me." You smiled up at him, feeling yourself recharge. "We haven't failed until we give up, and we're not giving up, right?"
"No." He breathed softly, closing his eyes again.
"For Wanda, T'challa, Vision, for Sam, and for Bucky. We will fight for them, we will fight for everyone." You voice grew a bit, conviction in each name you said.
You watched as Steve stood a bit straighter, he nodded, looking past you out the window. The sun beginning to lift the veil of night that had its hold on the sleepy earth. The night was for mourning, it was for reflecting, for the coulda, shoulda's, and would haves. A new day break was for the fight, try or perish, no in between.
You looked up at Steve, the spark was back in that face. To hell with Thanos, the gantlet, the stones, to hell with the war. Like a Phoenix you all would from the ashes of your loss and be stronger, this wasn't over not by a long shot.
