The Mimic

189

"Two." Thanos didn't even seem to be scared by the gun.

"One." Bucky pulled the trigger.

The gunshot sounded loudly in Bucky's ears, echoing across the battlefield and mixing in with the constant explosions and blasts occurring between the other armies. Nobody else noticed the gunshot, it was just another loud sound in the fight.

But, the bullet didn't hit Thanos.

As soon as Bucky pulled the trigger, Thanos grabbed Bucky's wrist, forcing him to aim it at the sky instead.

"Did you really think I'd be scared of a gun? Look around you." The giant hummed, a sick smile appearing on his face as he squeezed Bucky's wrist until the gun dropped to the ground. "A God failed to kill me, and you think that you'd be able to with a measly bullet?" Thanos teased, keeping his head tilted to the side.

Bucky kept his jaw clenched, staying completely silent as he glared up at the giant that was keeping a bruising grip on his wrist. Fast and shaky breaths forced themselves out of his nostrils, unable to regulate his breathing and keep up his strong facade. With one hand in Thanos' hold, he was out of action. His vibranium arm was holding the gauntlet, and there was no way he was going to let that go. He just had to pray that someone on the team was able to spot him in time.

"How about I have a go at this threatening thing, hm?" Thanos cooed, pulling the super soldier closer to him before he bent down to meet Bucky's eyes. He could see the fear mixed in with the anger, and that was all the giant needed to fuel himself on. "I'm going to give you five seconds to drop that gauntlet. Are you ready?" He asked, the tone of his voice suddenly taking a darker turn as his sick smile dropped.

Bucky's brave face slowly begun to fall as he watched Thanos take a darker turn. "Fuck you." He spat, but his voice didn't portray any kind of aggression. Just fear. The super soldier watched as Thanos dropped his wrist, grimacing as the giant traced his face with a calloused hand. But, what really caused the terror to settle in was when the giant's hand settled around his throat.

"One." Thanos hummed in a low tone. He picked Bucky up by the throat with a choking grip, making sure that he was completely lifted off of the ground.

Bucky's eyes widened as he was suddenly picked up off of the ground. He gasped for air, holding onto the gauntlet with both hands as he struggled against his grip. The super soldier's legs swung around desperately, squirming and trying to kick at the giant, but he was just out of reach. He continued to gasp, just able to breathe under the pressure on his throat, but the amount of air coming in and out definitely wasn't going to be enough to keep him conscious.

Thanos was completely emotionless. He had a dark look in his eyes as he watched Bucky gasp and squirm, enjoying watching him suffer. The giant reached out with his other hand, trying to pluck the gauntlet out of Bucky's grasp, but the super soldier had far too much of a grip on it. "Come on, hand it-"

"Hey!" A voice yelled in the distance, causing Thanos to turn his head. Bucky didn't have that privilege, but he knew exactly who it was.

Peter.

Bucky closed his eyes in relief as he watched Peter swing around and attack Thanos, happy that he wasn't completely alone. He listened to Peter's little insults, but he wasn't able to enjoy them for long. The angrier Thanos got, the tighter the grip on his throat became. He continued to gasp for air, desperately trying to get Peter's attention to hand him the gauntlet, but he couldn't form any words.

Peter was far too distracted with attacking Thanos. He should've just taken the gauntlet from Bucky and webbed as far away as possible, but he didn't. He wasn't thinking strategically. The kid was thinking about being a hero, and that was what caused him to fail. Peter swung over to attack Thanos again, planning on webbing him in the eyes. "Let go! You wrinkly-"

Thanos swung his fist at Peter with full force, hitting the poor kid hard in the gut and sending him flying across the battlefield. He huffed in anger, finally turning his focus back to Bucky. "Two." The giant continued to count, tightening his grip on the super soldier's throat. It had been far more than five seconds, but he was counting at his own pace.

Bucky's face had shifted to a deep shade of red, his face beginning to tingle due to the sheer lack of oxygen in his body. He wheezed and gasped, his mouth beginning to hang open in a desperate attempt to get more air in. Thanos wasn't giving up, but neither was he. Bucky wasn't going to let go of that gauntlet. He just had to hold up hope that if one Avenger knew he was in trouble, there'd be more arriving.

As time continued to pass, Thanos grew more and more agitated. "Three." He grumbled, his grip tightening even more as he began to throw heavy punches toward Bucky's face. Punch after punch, hit after hit. Thanos was desperate for the gauntlet. He didn't care if he left a trail of blood with him, he just needed those stones.

Bucky's head fell back with every punch, trying his hardest not to allow his eyes to roll back. Along with the constant tingling of his face, he could feel his nose and one of his cheekbones break. He could feel the hot blood begun to rush. He could feel the skin begin to swell. He could taste the blood pooling in his mouth. But Bucky still didn't let go.

"Four." Thanos spat, his grip impossibly tightening as he continued with his punching. There was no remorse in his eyes. Just a simple, emotionless rage. His fist was covered in blood, mangling and destroying Bucky's face with every brutal punch. The super soldier's face should've turned a purpley-blue by now, but that was completely masked by the sheer amount of blood coating his face.

"No!" A voice suddenly screamed, causing Thanos to stop his punches and once again turn his head. Bucky could barely keep his eyes open, spluttering and wheezing as a single tear rolled down his bloodied cheek. He knew who it was, and he didn't know whether to feel relief or regret. He didn't want them seeing him like this.

Y/n.

Peter's unconscious body had managed to be launched in her direction by Thanos, which had gained her attention. She followed the path in which Peter's body had rolled, only to be met with a sight that caused her heart to drop.

She was far too focused on keeping her eye on Bucky to teleport, meaning that she broke out into a full sprint across the battlefield toward her soulmate and Thanos. Pure terror caused her stomach to twist and her heart to pound, her mind practically screaming at her legs to run faster. Tears stung in her eyes, throwing any sort of fire or energy orb in Thanos' direction. She had to stop him. She had to.

She had to save Bucky.

She had to run faster.

She had to stop Thanos.

"Stop!" Y/n screamed desperately, running as fast as she possibly could.

A sick, twisted smile appeared on Thanos' previously emotionless face at the sight of y/n racing toward him. She was too distressed to even aim correctly. Her orbs of fire and energy simply rolled straight past, or even hit Bucky.

Thanos turned his head back toward the spluttering and wheezing super soldier, watching as he struggled to stay conscious. Spit, blood, tears, and mucus coated the hand wrapped around Bucky's throat. It wasn't a pretty sight, and it definitely wasn't one that y/n deserved to see. So, he decided to put Bucky out of his misery.

"Five." He announced, his grip completely tightening. He crushed Bucky's throat in the palm of his hand, smiling as the satisfying sound resonated in his ears.

Crunch.