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Wakanda was the first to fall.
Their technology kept them safe for a while, but eventually the barrier fell. T’Challa, Okoye and Nakia were the only palace survivors. T’Challa was broken. He’d lost his sister and mother.
Many more would follow.
The Sorcerer Supreme would come out of hiding as huge ships came down from the sky, looking for the stones. Bruce had joined him. It would take hours but eventually the doctors would fall, and the stone would be gone.
Earth was lost.
Steve didn’t know what to do. The few avengers still standing were in hiding, trying to come up with a plan to save what remained of earth.
“He has 4 of the stones,” Thor said. “It is only a matter of time before he comes for the rest.”
“We can’t let him get his hands on it.” Sam joined.
“No, we can’t.” Thor agreed, “if he gets all the stones, he plans to wipe half of the world away. We can’t let that happen.”
“Steve,” Nat said, “what do we do?”
Steve didn’t know what to say. Everything was out of control, earth was in shambles, his team was in shambles and his soulmate…
Bucky was stoic next to him, he hadn’t moved, or said anything in a long time. His eyes were a turmoil, he knew what was going on though his head. It wasn’t much different from what was running through his own.
Steve was to blame for all of this. If he’d only listened to Tony. If he hadn’t dismissed the man’s warnings. If he’d been a good person and told Tony before everything went to shit in that cold Siberian bunker.
“I don’t know.” Steve closed his eyes and dropped his hand in his hands. There wasn’t anything he could do; Tony was gone and all hope for earth for humanity gone with him.
———
“Did you know?”
“I didn’t know it was him.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?”
“Yes.”
Brown eyes stared back at him. Heartbreak, clear in them. Tony stepped back and Steve’s heart broke for Tony. He knew he’d betrayed the brunette, he felt horrible for having hidden this from him. But he had to protect Bucky. His soulmate. Steve wasn’t an idiot, he knew what he felt for Tony was love, but Bucky was his soulmate. And as much as it broke his heart to do it, he had to break Tony’s heart to protect him. The fight broke out and Steve shoved his feelings down and focused on the fight. It was brutal, hit after hit, punch after punch, then Bucky lost his metal arm and Steve was on his knees, in front of one of the men he loved, defending the other.
“He’s my soulmate.” Steve gasped. begging Tony to understand.
“So was I.” Tony bit out, and Steve didn’t understand, but he couldn’t let anything happen to Bucky. Red filled his vision and by the time he came back to himself, he’d buried the shield in Tony’s reactor. The sight made Steve sick to his stomach, he pulled the shield out and went to pick up Bucky. He couldn’t face Tony anymore.
“I didn’t deserve this. To be betrayed and hurt by both my soulmates.” Steve froze where he was and felt Bucky stiffen next to him.
“What?” Tony let out a bitter laugh.
“You think that little tattoo excuses whatever you do, because it was all in order to protect your soulmate, right? Well guess what Rogers, I have it too. Didn’t stop you from lying, betraying me and almost chopping my head off just now. So, fuck you and your soulmate logic.” Steve turned slowly to him.
“What are you talking about?” Tony struggled to sit up and take the gauntlet off. When it was off, he showed Steve his forearm, there in a familiar blue was his soulmark, their soulmark. There was no denying it, Steve had drawn it many times. It was his soulmark.
“Surprise!” Tony let out that bitter laugh again, “you know the first time my father saw it, he jumped for joy, because for the first time in a long time he had definite proof that you were alive. I only saw it for what it was, a dead man’s mark. When you were finally found, I decided that I wouldn’t let this mark decide for me. I wanted you to like me for me, not the mark in my arm. What a load of bullshit. You know for a second I thought we could do it. And then Barnes came back, and I knew then, that I would mean nothing to you compared to him. You didn’t hesitate to throw me to the curb. Whatever was going on between us was nothing compared to you finally having your soulmate back.”
“Tony, I- why didn’t you say something?!” Steve was in agony. When did everything turn so bad?
“Because it shouldn’t have mattered! If you really cared about me, the mark shouldn’t have mattered. So, fuck you, fuck you both. Get the hell out of here and leave that shield. You don’t deserve it; my father made that shield!” Steve closed his eyes as tears fell down his face. They would have to talk about this later. He dropped the shield and walked out with Bucky. His first priority right now was Bucky. He’d figure everything out later.
———
“Wanda and Vision are gone.”
“What?!” Steve turned to face Natasha.
“We just found their bodies; the stone is gone.”
“Jesus, Wanda and Viz….”
“What do we know? He’s coming for the last stone.”
“We avenge them. We have to fight, for those who are gone, we have to protect what’s left of Earth. We have planned for this, we stick to the plan, we stick together and end this once and for all”
“Do you think this will work?”
“It has to, because I don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t.”
———
“Captain Rogers? The king has asked to see you.” Steve locked up from the phone he’d been staring at, all afternoon. Why wouldn’t Tony call him? They had so much to discuss, so much to explain to one another. Tony was his soulmate! What did this all mean? Where do they go from here?
“Thank you,” he followed the guard to the throne room where a stone faced T’Challa awaited him.
“Captain Rogers, I am afraid I have some bad news.”
“What is it? Have they found us?”
“No,” T’Challa motioned to a chair. “I think it’s best you sit down.” Steve did, heart sinking, whatever it was it had to be bad.
“What is it, your majesty?” The young king sighed.
“I was just informed of the death of Tony Stark. Ms. Potts made the announcement a few minutes ago.” His ears were ringing, his heartbeat loud, and Steve felt like he was drowning.
“No…”
“I am so sorry Captain.”
“How…” T’Challa shared a look with Okoye who was next to him.
“Perhaps you should take a few da-“
“How?!” T’Challa sighed.
“He was found unconscious in that bunker, from what I know, the doctors did everything they could, but his wounds were too much. He didn’t make it.”
“Oh God…I did it…I killed him. Oh God!” Steve broke down. He’d killed Tony. A man who had welcomed him to the future and offered his home, his friendship and a family. He’d killed his soulmate.
He’d killed Tony Stark.
———
“He’s here!”
“All right everyone, look alive. You know your teams, you know your mission. Stop him from getting to the tesseract. No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us have fought him before, that doesn’t mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we’re going to win. Whatever it takes. Good luck.”
“Are you sure you are ready for this?” Bucky asked from his right.
“I have to be. It’s what Tony would’ve wanted.”
“Steve…”
“Tony was earth’s best defender, the least I can do is protect it now that he’s gone.” Bucky sighed next to him, and Steve faced forward, the shield T’Challa had given him in his hand.
“Barrier has been breached!”
“Let’s go!” hundreds, if not thousands, of shapes came from above, as one the avengers met them in the battlefield. From his peripheral Steve saw the War Machine and Rescue armors throwing repulser shots one after the other, flight patterns familiar with one another. His heart broke as he thought of another armor, the red and gold one that he’d always trusted in battle with him. He let out a scream as he continued to plow through the invader’s army, he watched as his friends continued fighting but as soon as they took one down another two joined the fight. They were being overwhelmed. He let another yell as he saw Sam plummet to the ground, Natasha was still fighting but she was bleeding from her side. Thor was being overwhelmed by a horde, T’Challa laid dead a few feet away. He saw Clint, his body twisted and gaze unseeing, Scott and Hope, their bodies together but unnaturally still. They were losing and Steve didn’t know what to do anymore.
As they were being pushed back, Steve saw a single shape coming directly to them.
It was time.
“Close in, he’s coming for the stone. Don’t let him get to it!”
“As if you could actually stop him!” came from above them. The droids pulled back, and the remaining avengers pulled closed immediately. As one both the War Machine and Rescue suit came down, gauntlets ready to shoot. Spider-man landed next to them, and webbed Natasha, Thor, Steve and Bucky by their hands and feet. The only avengers still standing. Thor let out a yell and electricity crackled through the air, until the silver armor landed next to him, gauntlet reshaped to a sword and sliced his head clean off of his body.
“No!” Natasha gasped; Pepper shot her straight in her chest.
“Heya, Cap! Robocop! Long time no see,” the helmet retracted and Stark smirked at them, blue eyes cold and cruel.
———
Earth was being invaded, everything Tony feared was happening and Steve was not ready for it. A giant donut shaped ship had come down in New York and the Avengers had boarded a Wakandan jet and gotten there as soon as they could. They joined a man who called himself Dr. Strange and waited as a beam let down a group of people.
“Hear me and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of Thanos and his children, be thankful that your meaningless are now contributing…”
“Stonekeeper, bring me the stone.” The giant purple skin man, who had to be Thanos, said.
“Not a chance.” The Avengers closed in on the sorcerer and fought the aliens Thanos had brought with him. Thanos was fighting Wanda and Vision at the same time so Steve and the others tried to keep Strange and the stone safe.
“Enough!” Thanos raised his hand and with a purple glow threw both Wanda and Vision at a building. He raised his hand again, a red glow coming from the gauntlet in his hand, when suddenly his arm dropped to the floor, it had been sliced off. Everyone gasped and a silver and black armor dropped down in a familiar one knee and fist in the ground way.
“Tony?” Steve gasped. The helmet retracted and a familiar head of brown hair appeared, Tony walked towards the titan’s hand, picked the Stones and placed them in his own hand. Power ran visibly from the stones through his armor, and Steve and the others watched, eyes wide as a man they believed dead, killed Thanos, a reactor blast to the chest.
“Well, that was anticlimactic.” Tony sneered.
“You insolent vermin!” Thanos’s children advanced on Tony, before they could reach him, the War Machine armor flew in and fired at their heads. Spider man behind him, giant metallic spider legs behind him slicing through others.
“You guys are late.”
“Your suit’s faster than ours.”
“Tony? What is going on?! You are alive?!” Slowly Tony turned to face them, and Steve’s stomach dropped. Instead of familiar warm brown eyes, his gaze met blue eyes and twisted smirk.
“Oh, I am more than alive Cap, I am a whole new man!”
“What is this?” Nat asked from behind him. “What did you do Tony? I saw your medical records, you were dead.”
“I was, little spider, but I just refused to stay that way. When Cap and his long-lost love left me for dead in that cold Siberian bunker I thought about just giving up and dying, but you know what? I couldn’t do it.” Tony stepped closer to them until he was face to face with Steve, “I couldn’t give them the satisfaction of killing me off. So when I got back stateside I asked my dear friends for the final Hail Mary. Something that would keep me alive. My wish was granted and here I am.”
“Tony, why didn’t you let us know?” Steve asked, “I mourned you, for months! You are my soulmate and I thought I had killed you.”
“But you did Rogers. Just because I found a way to come back to life does not mean that you didn’t do it. You and Terminator here,” he turned those cold eyes to face Bucky, who swallowed and met his eyes, “killed me. I am just too damn stubborn to stay that way. As for the other thing, you two have nothing to worry about. Extremis is a very good listener. I asked to not be tied to you two anymore, and extremis listened.” Like water, Tony’s silver gauntlet crawled back and left his forearm out for display.
The mark was gone. Steve gasped and stepped back.
“Tony how could you?!” The mark was a sacred thing, and Tony had just erased it like nothing mattered.
“Very easily I assure you. I didn’t want it.”
“But Tony,” Steve begged, “we are meant to be together all three of us, I need you, we need you.” Tony let out a laugh, it sounded cold and detached.
“I don’t. I don’t need you, any of you. I never have.” A pair of sunglasses appeared in his hand, and he put them on. “Now for the real reason I’m here. Wizard,” he turned to Strange, “give me the stone.”
“Get lost.” Tony groaned.
“Why do you make this so hard on yourself?”
“I don’t know what you want Stark, and frankly I don’t care, but this stone is under my protection.”
“Thanos had a point you know,” Tony said lazily walking towards Rhodes and Spiderman. “There are just too many goddamn people on this planet, and the rest of the universe, I’m sure. But he wanted to randomly select those that get snapped away, and that’s just not my cup of tea. I believe in getting rid of those who really deserve it. Then we can start again, from zero!”
“And what gives you the right to play god?” Strange barked.
“Please, being a god can’t be too hard. I mean if Thor can do it…”
“You think this is a joke?” Clint demanded
“I’m the most intelligent, capable person on the planet. I am not playing god.” Tony swiped the shades from his face, Steve gasped at the red eyes that met his. “All this time…I’ve been playing human.” A blue iron man suit landed right behind Strange, a hand ripped the amulet from his neck and the other shot him through the heart. The blue suit held the glowing amulet and crushed it until only the stone was left.
“Ms. Potts, so glad you could join us!” The helmet retracted and Pepper Potts stood there, eyes a glowing blue. She walked to Tony and handed him the time stone.
“Would that be all Mr. Stark?”
“That would be all Ms. Potts.”
“Tony stop! This isn’t you, sweetheart please. Let me help you, whatever you injected yourself with has done this to you. We can fix this!”
“I like you begging Rogers. But there is nothing to fix, for the first time in a long time, I feel free! And now I am going to fix the goddamn planet. So I recommend you and your little team run. You run and you hide, because if you get in my way, I will take your heart and crush it in my bare hands.” Tony caught him by the neck and laid a harsh kiss in his lips, laughed and flew away, the other three following.
“Oh God…”
———
“Why the long face Cap? I thought you would be happy to see me! After all we used to be soulmates, hm?”
“You may have his face but are not Tony. My Tony would never do the things you’ve done!”
“Ah, but you killed that Tony. I mean you were there, so you agree with me, right Barnes?” Bucky clenched his jaw but kept quiet, “aww, don’t be like that. Do you let Steve do all the talking for you? Pity. I was told you were a lot more charismatic than that.”
“Leave him alone.” Steve bit out.
“Why? He’s my soulmate too or used to be at least. And you know a lot of time has passed, and I’ve come to the conclusion that Steve is right, you weren’t to blame. So, I am going to give you this one chance to join me.” Stark smirked and Bucky glared.
“Not on your fuckin’ life”
“Ooh, listen to that Brooklyn drawl, I guess I can see why Steve would burn down the planet for you.”
“Get away from him!”
“Or what?” Stark taunted, “You know the last time I saw you I told you that I would take your heart, and I am a man of my word.”
“I am not afraid of you.”
“You should be. Желание.” Bucky gasped and scrambled back.
“Ржавый, Семнадцать.”
“Stop it!”
“Рассвет. Печь.”
“Stark I will kill you!”
“Девять. Добросердечный.”
“Please, I beg you. Stop this!”
“Возвращение на Родину. Один.”
“Tony!”
“Товарный вагон.”
Steve was on his knees crying. This couldn’t be happening. This had to be a nightmare. Not this. God, not this.
“Soldat?”
“Ready to comply”
“Bring me the heart of Steve Rogers.”