Ashes to Ashes

Decisions

You all took a seat around the table and watched as everybody who had encountered an infinity stone described what they looked like and what the experience with them had been.

The biggest difficulty you all faced was where the stones were since there were only enough Pym particles for one round trip per person.

While it was decided that the Reality stone could be found on Asgard, the Power stone could be found on Morag, and the Soul stone could be found on Vormir, you all struggled to figure out when and where you could find the mind, space, and time stone.

You knew you could find the time stone in New York but weren't sure when exactly.

As you, Tony, Natasha, and Bruce laid around in the early hours of the morning continuing to brainstorm, you felt stuck. Despite how heavy your eyes were, you continued to fight your sleep. Steve had fallen asleep and you were on the floor with him, using him as a pillow.

"You guys," Natasha finally said, making Steve stir. "If we choose the right year, we have three stones in New York."

"What?" You questioned, sitting up.

"When Loki was there, he had two of them," Bruce said to you since you were not part of the team at the time.

"What year?" You questioned, now wide awake.

"2012," Tony muttered, half asleep.

"Steve," you said quietly, gently shaking him. "Wake up!"

"Hmm?" He hummed, his eyes still closed.

"Nat figured it out!"

With your words, everybody woke up, except for Thor.

"Thor," you said loudly, throwing a pillow at him. "Wake! Up!"

Though it took you and Rhodey being mildly aggressive towards Thor, he reluctantly woke up.

"So who is going where?" Tony said as he raised a pen to his lips in thought.

"It makes sense for you and Steve, at least, to go to New York. Though, if there's three stones, maybe it should be you two, Nat, Clint, and Bruce? You were all there in the first place." You muttered, looking around the room.

"What do you guys think?" Nat asked.

"That's too many of us that were originally there," Steve muttered. "We can't risk getting caught. Scott?"

"Yes, Captain America?" He questioned, looking at Steve.

You laughed and Steve shook his head before speaking.

"You come with us to New York. We could use your size."

"I'll go to Asgard," Thor chimed in.

"I thought that part was obvious," you teased.

"Rocket, you'll go with him," you voluntold him.

"Since when do you call the shots?" Steve questioned, half joking.

"Since you decided to sleep on the job," you replied with a smirk.

"Rhodey and Nebula?" Natasha questioned.

"Yeah?" Rhodey answered, questioning back.

"Morag."

"What about me?" You asked.

"You and I will go to Vormir," Natasha replied.

"I'll go with you two. You always need someone to kick your asses into gear," Clint said with a chuckle.

"So us three to Vormir. Steve— you, Tony, Bruce, and Scott will go to New York. Rhodey and Nebula will head to Morag. Thor, you and Rocket will head back to Asgard," you said, confirming everybody's locations as you wrote it all down in a notebook.

"We're really doing this," Natasha muttered in disbelief.

"After five long years," you said back to her, a smile on your face. "I'm going to get a few hours of sleep. Everyone meet in the hangar at seven am," you said as you stood up.

Steve, Tony, and Rhodey all looked at you in confusion. You were one of the newest around and here you were, calling the shots like you were around since the beginning.

"What?" You finally questioned as more people started giving you strange looks. "Nobody else is making decisions so I'm doing it for all of us."

You shrugged and started to walk off.

"Seven a.m. or else I will wake you all up in a very not nice way if you aren't in the hanger," you muttered before going to your bedroom.

After you left, everybody's looked to Steve as if they wanted to know why you had been calling the shots.

"Don't look at me. She made all of the decisions and I won't argue with them," he said, shrugging, before following behind you to your room.

Steve stripped down and laid down beside you and stared up at the ceiling.

"So we're actually doing this," he finally said, breaking the silence.

"In just a few short hours," you said with a sigh.

The realization was finally hitting you that if you were successful in getting the stones, that you would possibly be bringing everybody back.

"I'm worried for you, Natasha, and Clint," he said quietly, rolling onto his side to face you. "You don't know what you're up against."

"You don't need to be. We're going to be okay."

You smiled at him through the darkness before resting your hand on his cheek.

"You know, if we do this and Sam comes back..." Steve started before you cut him off.

You hushed him and put your index finger over his lips.

"We aren't talking about that. Right now, it's you and me, Rogers. We've gone over this."

"Just hear me out, it wouldn't be easy for me but I would understand," Steve muttered.

He was the sweetest man. He deserved the entire world and you hoped you would be able to give it to him once everything was over with the stones.

You would have never admitted it but you were terrified because you had no idea what any of you were getting into once you were on Vormir. As much as you wanted to sleep, you couldn't. Your mind was racing. Steve, on the other hand, took your advice and ended up falling asleep for the next few hour while you stared at the ceiling.