In Your Eyes // Steve Rogers

His Final Fight

I pushed myself to my knees and captured Kona's body in a bubble. I lifted her from the ground and placed her away from us, underneath an accidental tent of rubble, and I left the shield over her protectively. 

Fighting had resumed on the further parts of the battlefield. The closer it came to where the explosion occurred, the more barren the land, the less people we saw. 

Carol had flown off in the time I took to protect Kona.

A crater had been formed where the Van exploded. I hustled to climb it. Feet from the top, I was forced to duck, as Carol flew above my head, a purple gust of energy following her. Recognizing the situation was dire, if Thanos used the Power Stone to rid Carol of the fight, I threw my hands to the ground and launched myself over the hill. 

I found myself in front of Steve and Thor, who had both been knocked to the ground. I saw Thanos with the Gauntlet, standing tall, proud, reveling in his final grasp of the Gauntlet in his hand. 

Tony was standing behind him, unnoticed, and not taking a stand towards Thanos. I followed his eye. He was looking at Strange across the battlefield, the cause as to why he was frozen, and he was accepting his fate. Strange was holding up one finger. 

I inhaled a shaky breath. I lit up a fireball in my hand and tossed it at Thanos to grab his attention. He turned my way with a snarl. Steve lunged for my hand, and I sent a flush of energy at him to blow him and Thor away from me. I didn't have time to tell him what was going to happen. I just had to distract Thanos enough for Tony to make his final move.

Tears fell from my eyes. I grunted with rage as I threw continuous fireballs at Thanos from both my hands, whipping them at his shoulders, pushing him back and closer for Tony to attack. I was going to watch my friend die in front of my eyes. I knew he was going to die, and I did nothing. 

I hit Thanos' shoulder with a final burning fireball and I lowered my hands. I watched it burn through his armor and settle deep into his shoulder and spread across his arm. As he screamed in agony, I nodded in satisfaction that I had hurt the man who caused the universe's sorrows. He raised the Gauntlet in my direction. I didn't flinch. 

Tony grabbed the raised Gauntlet and he struggled against Thanos' might for a mere moment until he was punched down to his knees. 

Thanos almost laughed in his face. A grin spread across his features, his hand raised in the air, and he kept eye contact with Tony as he muttered proudly, "I am inevitable," and snapped his fingers once more. 

The only sound in our ears was the clunking of metal scraping against metal. No thunder, no flash of light. It was just Thanos, holding his fingers in a snap, his brow clenched and his lips split in utter confusion. 

I smiled softly as Tony raised his own hand, facing outwards. He showed Thanos the Stones he had knocked out of the Gauntlet and he proudly wielded them in the knuckles of his suit. Lightning ran up his arm, he was panting, his brow clenched in pain, but he grunted, "And I... Am Iron Man," before he snapped his fingers. 

It was then where a flash of white light blinded the battlefield. Thunder started to rumble in the darkened sky when the normal light returned. 

Dust began to float in the wind. Thanos' army began to fade into the wind, slowly, one by one. The foot soldiers disappeared and the ships in the sky vanished. 

Thanos watched. He slowly sat on a stump behind him. He watched his army die, his Children, with no visible sign of remorse for any of them. His chest rose and fell slowly. He was conscious to show no signs of fear as he was the final one left on the battlefield. Thanos stared at his hand as it began to fade. Quicker than it started, the wind ate away at his body, and Thanos, the Mighty Titan, vanished to dust. 

Tony fell backwards. He was ghostly white; a dark blue covered the veins in his neck, his lips, and underneath his eyes. He didn't move. His eyes barely had the energy to move. His eyes were on me, the only thing in his sight, and I stepped through a portal to be closer to him. 

I crouched in front of him and I put my hand on his. His eyes watered with fear as he stared at me. He had close to no time left. 

"You need to hold on so they can say goodbye, Tony," I whispered. I nodded in reassurance and tears spilled from my eyes. I smiled at him, though he could not make any reaction to my words. I shook my head. "God, Tony, there's a million things I could say to you right now, but... I just... Despite all the galaxies I'll explore, every planet, I'll never live up be even close to the Universe's Greatest Defender. I won't try and I'll leave that title alone, okay? I'll be nice to you, you can have it, yeah?"

Tony's hand flinched in my own. I smiled at him. I looked behind me as I heard the familiar sound of a suit flying in. Rhodey. I rubbed Tony's hand with my finger, my own final goodbye, then I let it lay on his lap. I stepped away from him. 

Rhodey fell on his knees in front of Tony. He was already crying softly when his mask rescinded. He looked at his best friend, his face twisted, trying to hold back the brunt of his tears. He put his forehead on Tony's, his eyes closed. He had no words to say. 

Steve and Thor stepped beside me. I didn't have it in me to look at either of them. 

The detaching of webbing hit my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, a soft exhale leaving my chest. Steve took my hand.  

"Mr. Stark?" quivered Peter's voice immediately. He took Rhodey's spot in front of Tony, his hands on Tony's. Tears fell freely from his eyes. His voice broke with every word. He was entirely flustered, his heart was shattering, and he could barely think of words to say to his idol as he died in front of him. "Mr. Stark, hey, hey, can you hear me? It's Peter. Hey, we won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark, you did it, Sir, you did it. I'm sorry, Tony..."

Pepper landed softly behind him. Her hands patted Peter's shoulder and he lowered his head into his chest, a heavy sob coming from his mouth. I slipped my hand out from Steve's to take Peter from Pepper. He tucked his head into me, I held him in my arms, and he sobbed quietly into my chest. 

"Hey," greeted Pepper quietly as she knelt in front of Tony.

Tony had saved his breath for his wife. "Hey, Pep," he whispered to her. 

"Hey, Pep," whispered Tony

Pepper intertwined their fingers and put their hands over his chest, his Reactor. His heart. She smiled at him. "Tony, look at me," she told him, as his eyes started to drift. He did as she asked. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now."

With her words, Tony accepted his fate. His eyes fell from focusing on hers. The bright light on his chest dimmed until it was no more. 

Pepper lowered her head and inhaled a quiet sob. She leaned forward to press her lips to his warm cheek, then her head fell on his shoulder and she sobbed for her husband, for their daughter.

The battle was done.