~Broken Family~

...And So Does Vibranium

"One day we'll get out of here," Harley sighed, cowboy boots propped up on the dashboard of his old truck. "Maybe not forever. We can just go on a world tour to see your family in Minnesota or mine in Tennessee."

Gwen tugged at her ballet shoe as she undid the laces. "Maybe," she agreed grudgingly. "But...what if it's not for real?"

"What? I'm fairly certain Minnesota is a state, unless I---"

"No, dummy," she giggled. "I mean...how do I know you're not just going to...I don't know... Break my heart again and leave me stranded?"

"Okay, that was you who broke up with me, first of all," Harley said with a chuckle. He rubbed at his eye underneath his old mirrored sunglasses as if trying to wipe away the pain. "Second, why would I do that? You mean the world to me. You are the world to me."

"But what if we---"

"This is true love," Harley declared in a perfect imitation of Westley from the Princess Bride. "You think this happens every day?"

"But how can you be sure?" Gwen continued in her Buttercup accent.

"Hear this now." Harley placed a hand on her shoulder, using the other to take off his sunglasses and gaze deeply into her eyes. She smiled, feeling like Buttercup as Westley was leaving for his voyage. "I will always come for you."

"Well," Gwen sighed, pulling away from him. Harley started his truck with a smirk. "I'd better let you get to your voyage, then, Dread Pirate Roberts."

"Anchors away."

***

With a crunch that sounded like the end of the world, Thanos' spear impaled itself straight through Harley's armor and sent him to the ground. The suit short-circuited for a few seconds before the shattered arc reactor shut down. Harley didn't move. He was still. He was silent.

Time froze. Everything turned red. Without really comprehending what had happened, she focused on Thanos' satisfied grin, gritting her teeth in anger. Pressure built itself up in Gwen's throat until it exploded outward in an enraged scream.

She blanked out for a second, allowing her fury to overtake her.

The next thing she knew, every alien within a 30-meter radius was taken down, except for Thanos. He was watching her with a somewhat surprised, somewhat pleased look. His eye was swelling, just a tad, and a cut split his lip, dark purple blood slowly oozing from it.

Gwen turned away from him.

Her gaze darted around desperately until it landed on the suit of armor she knew so well, that she'd helped rebuild. The Wakandan spear pinned her best friend, her world, her lifeline, to the ground, shooting cleanly through the chest plate like it was made of butter and cracking the arc reactor in two.

A choked sob escaped her lips as she threw herself down next to Harley, yanking off his helmet and rolling him over flat so she could inspect the damage.

His head lolled back, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His beautiful blue eyes were wide open in shock, unfocused and glazed over, staring at the sky.

"Harley," she whimpered, gripping his shoulders tightly. "Harley, wake up."

He didn't respond.

Hopelessness clawed at her chest.

This was it. He was really gone.

Her whole world had been taken away faster than she could blink.