Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

79 - Aftermath

THE FLIGHT BACK TO AVENGERS HEADQUARTERS WAS SPENT IN SILENCE. No one said a word, the weight of their failure resting heavily on their shoulders. Vision was dead, Thanos was gone, and half their friends had turned to dust.

To put it quite plainly, they had lost. 

Raevanna had since healed herself - or as best as she could under the circumstances. But now, as she sat in the quinjet, she stared blankly ahead, not saying a word. She felt numb all over, and not just because of the lingering effects of her magic. She couldn't believe that Thanos had done this, and taken one of her closest friends in the process. And there was no telling how many other people in her life were gone now. For all she knew, her team could be the only family she had left. 

Sighing to herself, Raevanna unclasped the armguard from her forearm, then put it aside before running her fingers across the blindfold Blake had given her when she temporarily went blind. Raevanna had tied the strip of red silk around her forearm shortly after Bucky had arrived in Wakanda, and hadn't taken it off since. And now, it was the one thing she had left of her friend. 

"I'm sorry," Raevanna said softly, tracing the embroidered dragon on the front with her fingertips. "We should've won, and you should still be here." Raevanna closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and set her jaw. "But I promise you, we will find a way to bring you back. And if we can't, we'll make sure the son of a bitch who took you from us pays for what he's done." 

As she finished speaking, she looked up at Steve, who was watching her. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she shook her head at him, then got up and sat next to him before resting her head on his shoulder. 

"We're gonna figure this out, Rae," Steve said, his voice soft and quiet as he put his arm around her. "I promise." 

When they arrived back at the facility, everyone went off in separate directions to clean up after the battle. As Raevanna walked by, she saw Diana say something to Natasha before walking off, and Raevanna sighed, deciding to give Diana time. She had lost T'Challa, who Raevanna knew she still loved. Diana needed time to process her grief. 

Going into the bathrooms, Raevanna cleaned herself off, taking a shower and changing out of her suit into a fresh set of clothes. Then, as she dried her hair with a towel and left the bathroom, she saw Steve walk into the adjoined bedroom, his beard now completely gone. His look of defeat mirrored her own, and Raevanna met his eyes before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace. 

They held each other for a moment, just standing there in each other's arms. But then, Raevanna felt her resolve begin to crack, and tears welled up in her eyes as she began to cry, squeezing Steve tightly. 

She was heartbroken. She was tired. She had lost the battle, she had lost her friends, and most likely even more. The feeling of loss and failure was too much to bear, and before long her strength crumbled, her crying quickly becoming uncontrollable. 

"Hey," Steve said soothingly, rubbing her back as Raevanna's sobs grew louder and more intense. "Hey, hey, shh. It's okay. It's okay. Just let it out. Let it all out." He kissed her hair, a few tears slipping down his own cheeks. "It's okay. I'm here, Rae. I'm here. I'll always be right here." 

Raevanna cried until she couldn't cry any more, her head hurting and her eyes swollen. Steve held her close to him as her cries died down, not saying a word and just listening to her sadness. Once she had calmed down, she exhaled softly, burying her face in her boyfriend's shirt to hide her tearstained face. 

"I love you," Raevanna said in a soft voice, not looking up as she traced circles on his back with her fingers. 

"I love you, too," Steve whispered back.