In Your Eyes // Steve Rogers

Avengers Assemble

"You have to go, Run from here," I told her. I pushed her away from me and pointed away from the battle. "Go, Kona, run!"

Kona whimpered and I shook my head. I reinforced my finger in the opposite direction. She lowered her head. She left.

I dove through a portal and landed roughly on my feet beside Steve. His head turned softly as I landed next to him. Tears threatened to spill over his eyes. Through the ash on his face, I saw his tired eyes, his blank expression, and he exuded fatigue. He looked at me, and the hard truth he was going to accept of facing his death alone disappeared. He saw me and he knew then more than ever I would be with him until the end. I would never have let him die alone.

Then, through our Comms, we heard a crackled, static, "Cap, can you read me?"

I froze.

Steve placed his hand over his ear.

"Cap, it's Sam, can you hear me?"

I inhaled a shaky gasp. Our eye contact never ceased. It was remarkable, how quickly we had forgotten that only moments ago, Bruce had snapped his own fingers. He had tried to bring everyone back. We knew then, when Sam's voice came through, that it worked.

"On your left."

An orange rimmed portal appeared to our left. As sunlight came through the portal, all we saw was three shadows walking towards us. Okoye, T'Challa, and Shuri emerged.

T'Challa's eyes warmed as he saw Steve. He saw Steve and delivered a single nod filled with honor, with empathy , and he conveyed the fact that he was not alone.

Sam soared in over their heads, cueing dozens of consequential portals to swirl open behind us.

A portal behind me opened and my fallen comrades from Titan appeared, ready to fight. Strange, Drax, Mantis, Quill, and Peter Parker returned to Earth.

The cry of "Yibambe!" from T'Challa brought his army to emerge from a few more portals. His ground army entered behind us and with them came the return of Groot and Bucky Barnes. Portals in the air opened, allowing ships to be our air support.

Valkyrie and the Asgardians in their battle gear came to our aid. Wanda Maximoff. Wong and the Sorcerers behind him. Hope Van Dyne. The Ravengers. Pepper Potts, in her own custom suit.

Scott suddenly emerged from underneath the rubble in his giant form. He lowered his hand nearby us and released Bruce, Rocket, and Rhodey from his hold.

We were not alone in this universe. Not ever.

As we held our breath, waiting for any more entrances, we all looked around and nodded at each other— silent, thankful nods. We stood tall and together. A chain reaction was set off everyone readying themselves to fight, igniting their powers, and waiting for Captain call it.

Steve turned back to face Thanos. Gritting his teeth, he yelled, "Avengers!" and raised his hand in the air. As I stood beside him, I furrowed my brow at his action, but when Mjolnier came to his hand, my jaw dropped. Steve released a breath. "Assemble."

With a yell from Thor, we charged at Thanos' army, ready to fight the fight of our lives.

Thanos raised his sword, ordering his own army to barrel towards us.

"You gonna be okay without me?" I yelled to Steve as we ran together.

He glanced over at me. "Think so! Just come back."

"Always," I grinned.

I threw my hands towards the ground and popped myself into the air. When I touched back down on the ground, far in front of my army, I threw my hands to the rubble and burned through the center of Thanos' army.