Dead Memories

60

Author's Notes: Sorry for the longer wait for this chapter. I injured my right hand and it's still healing. Typing was not possible for like a week.

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Chapter Sixty

For a while Steve kept staring at the stars, his head tilted up, just gazing into the darkness above. He closed his eyes for a moment, just to relax a bit, just to breathe and let his muscles relax. He fell asleep. When Bucky shook him awake they were in New York, at the tower. The skiff softly landed on the usual landing pad a moment later.

It looked like both Tony and Clint passed out too, because Wanda was shaking them awake as everyone else stood up to get off. It looked like it took some serious effort for Tony to move. It was clear as day how exhausted he was. Wanda was the first to try and help him get to his feet, but Vision took over almost immediately.

Tony was the worst off out of all of them really. He needed a small miracle to get through this without an infection. First that cave, then the weird demon land with all the dust and smoke and... Steve's mind was still processing all of this. Not just the dark horrors of the caves, but everything that came after, including the giant things that literally tore a world apart right in front of their eyes. Earth was fortunate that Loki was nowhere near this well-prepared and determined to destroy them. And wasn't that an odd thought? That the Battle of New York was something small in his mind now, something they've survived with relative ease. The things he saw put everything in a very strange new perspective.

Steve let the others get down from the skiff first, because he could wait, he didn't need to get medical attention straight away. The next time he looked up, when he was finally walking down the ramp, Pepper, Rhodey and Bruce were all hurrying out of the building towards them. There were doctors or nurses following them. Rhodey's face went through a series of emotions as he ran towards Tony, but it looked like worry and frustration won in the end.

'You have no idea how mad I am at you,' he said as he stopped next to Tony and Vision.

'Can you lecture me from my bedside?' Tony asked.

Rhodey huffed. 'Sure thing.'

Pepper's expression was a bit more straightforward. Steve understood why she hated seeing Tony like this; bloody, dirty, and hurt. The exhaustion was on clear on her face even now. Steve was never going to claim that he knew everything that went down between Tony and Pepper, but that look on her face told him that the pain she now felt was probably one of the reasons she tried to keep her distance. Not that Steve himself would ever try and tell Tony to quit. Tony couldn't stand by when he was needed any more than Steve himself. Pepper probably knew this all too well.

'My friends, forgive me, but I must go at once!' Thor called after all of them got off the skiff. Steve turned around to look back at him.

'I will return when I can, but I do not know when that will be,' Thor added.

'No, of course. Good luck,' Steve said. 'If Loki shows up here by any chance…'

Thor smiled, even if the expression was more than a little forced.

'If my brother returns, I will know… if he wants me to know,' Thor said. 'I hope there will be peace on Midgard in my absence.'

'We'll be fine, big guy,' Tony said. 'Don't worry about it.'

'Get that arm looked at,' Natasha added.