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“If we land harder than expected, it’s your fault,” Sam said as he manoeuvred the QuinJet to the coordinates he’d specified. They wouldn’t, he was certain because this wasn’t the first time he’d been here. Steve stared out at the familiar airspace and counted the seconds before the force field disappeared and the familiar skyline came into view. He could see the shock on Sam’s face and smiled a little to himself. That had been his exact reaction when T’Challa had brought them here all those years ago.
“Where is this place?” Rhodey asked, looking out the window and admiring the view.
“Wakanda” Natasha answered as she removed her seatbelt before checking her weaponry once more. It wasn’t her first time here, although she’d found her own way in. Steve leaned against the cold, hard metal; watching as she passed Bruce a bottle of water with a quiet smile.
It had been an awkward first encounter, but she’d brushed it off like nothing at all.
Bruce had disappeared since the events of Ultron and Steve knew it had hit her harder than she’d like to admit. But, when he and Tony had gone head to head, she’d put her own feelings aside to deal with their falling out. If there was anything Fury had taught the both of them during their time at SHIELD, it was compartmentalisation.
Despite the facade she famously wore, she was still human and she’d never gotten the closure he knew she had wanted for a while. She passed him by and offered him a stick of gum, something that he never learned to fancy even during the war, as her way of asking him if he was okay. Neither one of them had it in them to back down from a fight, not during the Battle of New York and most certainly not now. While they never actively sought out conflict, they had always faced the problem head-on when required.
They were soldiers, and perhaps that was all they would ever be.
He shook his head, “I’m holding up alright.”
Whatever fear he felt had to be left behind, because the only thing that mattered now was Vision. His very existence was in jeopardy and like he’d mentioned, they didn’t trade lives. Natasha flashed him a soft smile and turned to look outside as they prepared to land. Steve could only watch as he realised how much had changed since the Avengers had broken up. He’d been in Wakanda at the time with Bucky, and she’d somehow managed to track them down. Bucky had just been put into cryo and when T’Challa had told him who’d arrived, he couldn’t believe it.
It was close to seven in the morning when Okoye dropped by his room to tell him that someone was here to see him. He’d been prepared to fight as soon as they stepped outside but instead of Ross or a squad of government officials, the familiar red hair had caught his gaze first.
“Nat? What are you doing here?” He asked in disbelief as she’d gotten down from the QuinJet she’d likely taken from the Avengers training facility. It wouldn’t be the first time any one of them had done so. She didn’t reply, instead, she’d just pulled him into an embrace. He had missed her. Ever since half the team had decided to sign the Accords, they’d all been left in some sort of a limbo and their relationship had been caught in the middle of it. It had been impossible to say that nothing had changed since then, but it wasn’t irreparable.
He was just glad that she was here.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. He couldn’t see her expression but he knew easily enough that she had a grimace painted on, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. “What for?” He murmured as he held her close. It had been difficult, at the airport where he thought he might’ve had to fight her. If she hadn’t let them go, he didn’t know what he would’ve done. “I shouldn’t have signed it,” she replied, pulling away with a sigh, “You were right all along.”
“Nat…”
She shook her head and smirked a little as she pointed towards the QuinJet, “I stole that thing from Tony after telling him his ego was too big and ripping out the tracking system.” Steve chuckled softly, it was such a Natasha thing to do, “It’s good to have you back, Nat.”
He watched as her expression melted into a smile, “You too, Rogers.”
As they stood outside Shuri’s laboratory, watching her attempt to remove the Mind Stone from Vision through the glass doors, it was all he could do to stop from pacing a rut into the polished marble. This had to work. It just had to. Vision’s life was at stake, and he simply couldn’t bear to watch Wanda cry. It had been hard enough on her after Sokovia and now, she was being asked to murder the one she loved.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how that felt.
They’d been preparing to start the surgery on Vision when he’d found her crying in the bathroom. Her eyes were red and her hair was a mess; the sight itself had broken his heart. Watching someone so close to him suffer was painful. “Wanda,” he’d said softly, leaning against the frame of the door as she looked up from where she was on the floor, leaning against the bath. She choked back a sob and he couldn’t help but plant himself next to her, holding her as she sobbed. “Vision is not going anywhere,” he said, petting her hair, “He’s going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” she replied, between tears, “I can’t lose him, Steve. I can’t.”
“I know you can’t. He’s going to be in good hands and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure he’s going to be alright.”
Shuri was one of the most talented people Steve knew and he was sure she was going to do everything she could to make sure they kept Vision alive. They sat like that for awhile, until her tears subsided and she found it in herself to finally face the rest of the team. Natasha had sent him a look when he’d emerged outside Shuri’s lab with a visibly shaken Wanda. But he didn’t have to explain, Natasha knew as well as he did that Wanda was strong enough to handle most everything. But, this was something different altogether. How was she expected to destroy the one she loves the most? It would weigh on her conscience for the rest of her life and he couldn’t bear to see that happening to someone like her. She was too young to be experiencing so much grief. First, her parents and then Pietro. Now, after Ultron, how was she meant to ever live her life ever again if she killed Vision? He tried to clear his thoughts, wondering what the hell they were going to do if Thanos were to win this. It wasn’t until she felt Natasha tugging on his wrist to pull him aside did he snap back into reality. “What is it?” He asked, a serious expression on his face as they stood near the end of the corridor, away from where everyone else stood.
“I-”
She hesitated and her expression became unreadable. Now, he was worried. Something wasn’t right. She simply didn’t mince words and the fact that she was unsure of whether or not to tell him something could mean a lot of things.
“Nat, what’s wrong?”
All sorts of terrible situations started running through his mind, suddenly fearing the worst as he felt the trepidation spread like wildfire. She paced around a little, not quite looking him in the eyes as she spoke quietly. Whatever she was saying was only meant for him to hear.
“I didn’t want to tell you this, not now, but if we don’t make it today,” she said, turning her gaze away from him, “I don’t think I could die -”
“Nat, don’t,” he replied softly. He knew more than anyone that they might not be walking away from this alive, with or without meeting Thanos. It was now or never, and no matter how much he anticipated that this might be it, he didn’t want to hear it. Not from her.
“Steve I want you to promise me, that regardless of whatever happens today, we’ll move on.”
He paused for a moment, unsure of what he should be responding. Yes, he will move on. No, he doesn’t believe his own words. If she had placed hope in the fact that he wouldn’t lie to her, she was always right. “I promise,” he replied, his heart heavy as he looked at her, meeting those green eyes he’d grown to love so much. She smiled, the corner of her lips twitching into a smirk, “I knew I could count on you.” They stood in the companionable silence for a moment longer and it was quiet enough that Steve could hear his own heart beating. Before she spoke up.
“I guess I should come clean…”
“What?” He asked.
“I’m pregnant.”
If she hadn’t spelt it out any clearer, he might’ve thought he was hallucinating. He stood in shock for a moment, as a hundred and one emotions rushed through his mind. Steve felt his heart clench at the possibility of what her words might entail. They were going to have a baby. “Is it even possible?” He asked, feeling like the wind had been knocked right out of him. “I don’t know,” she replied, honestly, “But I’ve done just about every test they could offer me and they’re all positive.” He didn’t know how to feel. If they didn’t survive this; God, he didn’t even want to think about it. Her expression was passive and he could tell she was struggling to find the words as well. This was something they hadn’t been trained for and now they were being thrown headfirst into the deep end.
They were going to be parents to a little human.
As he processed the thought, he couldn’t help but feel the slightest glimmer of happiness and warmth in his chest. “Are... we going to keep it?” Natasha asked, looking at him. He shook his head, slightly bewildered that she would ask. But of course, she didn’t know what to do. He was as lost as she. Regardless, it was ultimately her decision. If she didn’t want the baby, he couldn’t blame her.
“I want to say yes but it’s not my call,” he admitted, taking her hand in his, “Do you want to keep it?”
She shook her head and let out a quiet sigh, “I don’t know.”
“How long?”
“A little over three weeks.”
“I want you to know that I’ll support your decision, either way. Nothing is going to change between us, not in the slightest,” he replied, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head, “You don’t have to make a decision yet.”
She laughed, her grip tightening on the back of his suit, “I can’t believe it. We’ve made an actual living being.”
He smiled, “Me neither.”
Leaving a kiss on her forehead, he pulled away. “Nat, this kid couldn’t possibly have chosen the worst timing in the world to come to be, but I promise you if you choose to keep it, I’ll love him or her with everything I’ve got,” He replied earnestly, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it.
“I know you will,” she smiled softly and reached up to kiss him, curling her hand around his neck and pulling him as close as physically possible. He loved her, and whatever else came after him loving her? He didn’t care.
As they stood on the battlefield with T’Challa’s army, it was obvious enough they were outnumbered by what seemed to be a never-ending number of Outriders. Battling with the Black Order had been one thing, but it wasn’t just the two of them now. Hundreds upon thousands of these aliens were going to prove to be difficult to defeat. The Chitauri in New York had been a product of Thanos’ will to obtain the Infinity Stones; now, they found themselves in the heat of the situation all over again. Natasha stood beside him, looking every bit as ready as he felt. There was no turning back now. He trusted that she could hold her own, and he had no doubt that she’d likely take out more of these beasts than he would and that was consolation enough. Steve reached out to squeeze her hand, if not to reassure himself that whatever happened today, they would be able to overcome it.
He found himself sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, outside the medical bay, a stoic expression on his face as he watched the remnants of battle outside the large bay window. The glowing embers and smoke rose in the distance, a reminder of what had just happened. Thanos had succeeded with a snap of his fingers and now it was time to deal with the aftermath of the situation. They’d all been wounded and scarred in more ways than one and now it was time to regroup and figure out how the hell they were meant to defeat the greatest evil in the universe. The medics were in the process of treating everyone and he’d watched solemnly just moments ago as they’d pushed the needle through his skin, stitch by stitch, but he barely felt a thing.
He was numb.
He’d survived the World War by some miracle, he’d fought an alien invasion in New York and he’d taken down a robot trying to take over the world. Now? Thanos had desecrated half the universe. There wasn't any manual on that. Natasha had been injured in the battle and they were in the medical bay. They wouldn’t let him anywhere near her but he’d caught bits and pieces of conversation that made him grimace all the same.
Bruised ribs.
Internal bleeding.
There was hell going on inside of him. Steve vaguely heard Rhodey calling his name, and he turned around to face him. “Steve, are you okay?”
He wanted to shake his head and say no. How could he be when they’d lost just about everyone? But, he knew Rhodey was just asking out for him. He looked shaken as well. “I’m holding up. How are you? Did the medics check in on you?” Steve asked, a hand on his shoulder. Rhodey was a good man, and he knew there wasn’t anything Rhodey wouldn’t do if he could. Bucky had been one of those who disappeared, and Steve didn’t know how he’d felt when he’d heard him call out his name as he watched him turn to dust. He’d lost his best friend for the second time, and there was absolutely nothing he could do this time. He’d felt powerless and once again, he couldn’t protect him.
How many times was enough?
“I’m alright, nothing they could do about these legs, though,” Rhodey smiled softly. Steve smiled, “Well, I think the chicks might just dig it.”
“Well, I’m glad cause it’s not like I got much of a choice. I’m going to go check on the rest.”
“Okay, I’ll catch up as soon as I know what’s going on with Natasha,” he replied, running a hand through his hair. It wasn't long after that that he got to see her. She was leaning with her shoulder against the wall, her arms crossed, looking deep in thought.
"Nat?"
She turned towards him and smiled, "Hey, soldier."
He would've wanted to hold her, but wasn't sure if she was okay. She was still dressed in her suit and there was something in her gaze that just wasn't quite right, "Do you feel any pain? I heard the doctors talking and -"
She winced a little as she made her way towards him, but the expression left quickly as it had come. That was Nat, she'd never let herself show any sign of weakness when she didn't want to, and she hardly ever did. "I'm fine, Rogers. Not completely, but I'll manage. You're not the only one with accelerated healing."
"I know, -"
"Just hold me and be quiet alright? Everything is going to be okay."
Steve wasn't quite sure if she was trying to convince him or herself but he only obliged, embracing her. She didn't say a word but after a moment, she only looked up at him and there was a seriousness in her tone, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, "Let's go meet the rest of the team."
As they gathered in one of the palace's open areas, there was a silent question hanging in the air.
What are we going to do now?
Nobody had a clue on where to go next or who to ask for help. They couldn't even determine for sure who was left alive. "We've to find Thanos, we cannot let him escape," Thor spoke, his voice echoing through the room, "He will not leave this battle unscathed. He took away the people dear to me and for that, he will pay. An eye for an eye."
"Pirate angel baby, it's a cute idea and all but how the fuck are we going to find him?" Rocket asked, looking both disheartened and angry, "Let's face it, we've lost."
"I'd sooner burn in hell than let Thanos get away with this," Thor replied, "We must get the others back. All of them."
Rhodey shook his head, "And how do you suggest we do that?"
Steve watched as Natasha stepped up, her expression hard set and determined. “We’re going to save the world, one way or another," she said, "Because I'll be damned if we're called the Avengers for nothing."