Unloved - (Fem Reader X Bucky Barnes)

Chapter 37 - Fading

Strange starts throwing portals everywhere, Peter leaps through one on Thanos' left. "Magic!" He punches Thanos in the head and vanishes through a portal to the lower right before reappearing above Thanos. "More magic!" He yanks Thanos' head down hard, then leaps into a portal in front of him. He leaps through another portal high and behind Thanos. "Magic with a kick!" He delivers a flying kick and falls feet-first into an exit, then appears on his right. "Magic with a-"

Before he can finish Thanos turns, grabbing him from the air, and throwing him to the ground, with his hand around his neck. "Insect!" He then throws him at Strange, knocking them both down. Thanos finally tears the Cloak away and is then promptly surrounded by fiery explosions as dad bombards him. He sucks all the flame into the gauntlet with the Power Stone and fires it in a stream at dad, hitting him dead on and sending him far away, plowing through a massive fallen machine.

He turns to me and tries to use the power stone to blast me back, I teleport behind him and leap up onto his back, punching his head. He grabs my head and throws me over and into Strange. I land on top of him and grunt in pain, looking back as a small ship crashes into Thanos.

"We should-"

"Right." I nod, pulling myself off of him and teleporting over to Thanos. Strange uses bands of his power to grab the gauntlet, pulling Thanos' fingers open and trying to pry the gauntlet off his hand. Thanos tries to pull free, as Drax slides in from his right, kicking his knee and knocking him off-balance, then wrapping himself around Thanos' kneeling leg.

Quill shoots a electric trap onto the ground to Thanos' right, the tangle-field holding down his unarmored hand. Peter swings in, webs Thanos' chest then wraps it around behind him, digging his Iron Spider legs into the ground to anchor himself. Strange opens a portal straight above Thanos' out of which drops Mantis, landing on his shoulders, her hands on his temples. He bellows as she tries to put him under.

I hold onto his other arm as he sleeps, "Is he under? Don't let up." Dad says as he tries to pull off the gauntlet.

"Be quick. He is very strong." Mantis frowns.

"Parker, help! Get over here." Peter drops his web-line, and hurries to help dad with the gauntlet. "She can't hold him much longer. Let's go."

Quill flies over and stands in front of  Thanos. "I thought you'd be harder to catch. For the record, this was my plan. Not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?"

"My Gamora...?" Thanos mutters.

"No, bull-shit. Where is she?"

"He is in anguish." Mantis stars to cry.

"Good."

"He... he mourns." Mantis sobs.

"What does this monster have to mourn?" Drax asks.

"Gamora." A blue lady says.

Quills eyes widen. "What?"

"He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone... but she didn't."

"Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now, you understand?" Dad asks as Quill slowly turns to Thanos. "Don't, don't, don't engage, we've almost got this off!"

"Tell me she's lying. Asshole! Tell me you didn't do it!" Quill yells.

"I... had... to."

"No, you didn't...! No, you didn't...!" Quill yells through his tears.

"Quill I swear to god! I will kill you! Stop!" I scream.

Quill then snaps and starts pistol-whipping Thanos three times in the face, causing Mantis to let go in pain. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"

"QUILL!" Dad screams., leaping over to Quill. "Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!"

"It's coming! It's coming! It's coming! I got it! I got it.... !" Peter yells.

Thanos wakes completely, truly furious. He head-butts Mantis, grabbing the cuff of the gauntlet just as it is sliding off his hand, causing Peter to stumble back, and then throwing Mantis away off his shoulders. He grabs me and throws me off of him, using the power stone to make me hit the ground harder.

I wake up and look over to see Thanos was beating dad, I teleport over to him and stab his stomach as he stabs dad. He lets go of dad and lets him fall to the ground, grabbing my neck and holding me up in the air, the stones keep me in place. "You have my respect, Stark. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you and your daughter."

I start struggling under his hold, gasping for air and trying to kick at him. "Stop!" Strange yells. "Spare her life... and I will give you the stone."

"No tricks." Thanos says. Strange shakes his head as Thanos points all four Stones at him instead, still holding me in his other hand.

"Don't...!" I gasp.

Strange reaches up and plucks the Time Stone out of its hiding place. He opens his hand, the scars on his fingers and their inherent trembling particularly obvious now. Thanos drops me and kicks my stomach, sending me flying over next to dad as the Stone floats to Thanos' bare hand. Strange watches him intently, as he takes the Stone and drops it into the thumb setting, the energy pulse making him wince. "One to go." An energy blast hits the gauntlet right in the empty Mind Stone setting, and Thanos grimaces in surprise.

Quill screams in incoherent rage, helmet up, firing with both hands and flying straight for Thanos. Thanos doesn't even bother responding to the assault, he just leaves through a porta. Quill flies through where Thanos had been and crashes, rolling several times "Where is he?!"

I hold onto my neck and cough as dad stitches up his stab wound as well as he can with his suit functions; he has no breath for answers. "Dad...." I sit up as he pulls me in, he presses his forehead against mine and sighs in relief as he holds me.

"Did we just lose?" Quill asks.

I pull away and sit back, staring at Strange. "Why would you do that?" I ask.

"We're in the Endgame now."

Dad and I stand up, he side hugs me as I side hug Peter. We look up as there's a strange gush of wind. "Something's happening." Mantis looks around, she suddenly disintegrates into ashes.

Quill looks behind him as he sees Drax disintegrate. "Quill?"

Quill stares in horror as he turns back to us. "Steady, Quill." Dad steps forward.

"Aw, man." Quill also disintegrates into ashes.

Strange looks up at us, "There was no other way." He disintegrates.

"Strange?" I ask, stepping forward.

"Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good..." Peter suddenly says.

"You're all right." Dad nods

"I don't know what's -- I don't know what's happening. I don't-" Peter falls into dad's arms, clutching him tight while beginning to cry. "I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, Mr. Stark, please. Please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go..." There is a short silence before Peter speaks again. "I'm sorry." Peter disintegrates into ashes in dad's arms. Dad falls forward from the lack of weight in his arms, before staring at his hands in disbelief.

I look down at myself, only Dad, Nebula, and I were left.

"He did it."