Even After Everything | Steve Rogers

Chapter 43- Avengers Endgame

A few weeks later, I sat at the kitchen counter, staring at my uneaten dinner.

I had trouble getting myself up in the morning, feeding myself. After the two years of imprisonment, then half the universe dying... well, it was a lot to take in.

Steve walked in, and stood across the counter. Him, being Steve Rogers, tried to make things better. He helped me do everything when I didn't feel like it myself. It was extremely kind of him. I knew he was upset just the same, but instead  he chose to focus more on helping me.

"Come here," He nodded his head. I followed him to his bathroom, and he pulled the scissors and razors from underneath the sink. He began to set up the razor, bringing it up to his beard.

"Wait!" I yelled.

He stopped quickly, looking at me through the mirror, "What?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Shaving my beard," He shrugged.

"Um, no you're not. I love that beard, Steve," I raised my brow, half joking. But mostly not.

He set the razor on the counter top, turning around to face me. "Do you know why I want to shave it?" He asked. I shrugged and didn't answer, "I'm shaving it, because every time I look at myself, all I remember is a time where I didn't have you. I remember when you disappeared from my grasp. When you told me you loved me, and I didn't have time to say it back."

I looked at him sadly.

"I love you Cora, and I could not stand being without you any longer," He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly, not letting go for a long while.

I unwrapped my arms from around his neck, nodding my head towards the razor. He let go, and began to shave his beard. Every time he shaved, I winced.

"Are you kidding me?" He laughed.

"It was a hot beard," I shrugged, smiling.

When the beard was gone, and I had finished giving him a haircut, he looked at himself in the side mirror.

Suddenly, the mirror began to shake, slightly at first, then began to get more violent. Steve and I looked at each other in confusion.

We ran outside, meeting Natasha, Bruce, and Rhodey as they stared at a landing spaceship. Carol Danvers was directing it, a woman who we had met a few days ago after seeing a distress signal sent from Nick Fury. Another life who was taken.

The entry hatch opened, Nebula and Tony walking out. Steve and I rushed over to Tony, who was extremely frail.

Tony looked to us, "I couldn't stop him."

"Neither could we," Steve muttered.

Tony met my eyes, "I lost the kid."

"No," I whispered as tears formed in my eyes. After a census had come in of the people of who disappeared, I had hoped that Tony and Peter made it. I obviously now knew that Tony did, but knowing Peter didn't broke my heart.

"Tony, we lost."

"Is, uh...?" Tony struggled to speak, but I knew he was asking for Pepper. She rushed forward, embracing him tightly.

We all then met in the living area, as Tony was getting medical treatment. A hologram was on the table we stood around, reporting the names of the dead.

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

"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census," Natasha said, folding her arms, "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 asked urgently.

"We don't know," Steve sighed, "He just opened a portal and walked through."

Tony looked to Thor, and I looked to him too, seeing him sitting on a bench and staring at his hands.

"What's wrong with him?" Tony asked.

"Oh, he's pissed," Rocket said, "He thinks he failed. Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?" I had to get used to a talking raccoon walking around the compound, it's not every day you see that.

Tony pointed towards Rocket, "Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear."

"Maybe I am," He sighed sadly.

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him," Steve nodded towards him.

"Who told you that?" Tony asked, surprised, "I didn't fight him. Cora didn't fight him either," He said, nodding towards me, "No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight."

Steve tried to calm him down, "Okay."

"He's unbeatable."

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Steve asked.

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

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus," Steve said.

Tony began to get angry, "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 stood, and accidentally pushed things off the table, landing on the floor with a clatter, "I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all you-"

Tony walked towards Steve, and Rhodey and I quickly stepped in front of him.

"Tony," I said, "Tony!"

"Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that's what we needed!"

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve scoffed. I turned around and gave him a look. We didn't need to fight.

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

"Okay," Rhodey placed his hand on Tony's chest.

Tony looked to me, "Right?"

"You made your point," I said, "Just sit down."

"Okay..."

"Okay?" Tony changed his mind and tried to walk forwards, "Nah, nah. Here's my point. You know what?"

"Tony, you're sick!" I tried to sit him in a chair.

Tony pointed to Carol, "She's great, by the way."

"Sit down. Sit."

Tony continued to look to her, "We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules!" Tony walked straight passed me, and up into Steve's face, and I gave up on trying to stop him, "I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar."

Steve looked hurt by his words, as they stared at each other silently. After a few moments, Tony ripped the Arc Reactor off his chest, shoving it into Steve's hand, "Here, take this. You find him, and you put that on. You hide."

Tony fell to the ground, and Steve and I rushed to his side.

"Tony!" Steve tried to prop him up.

Tony waved his hand, "I'm fine. I..."

Tony immediately passed out, falling in a heap to the floor.