Thanos.
Bucky could feel his stomach twist at the sound of those footsteps behind him. It was more than a chill down his spine, but he was determined to keep a brave face. Shaky puffs of air were forced out of his nostrils as he slowly reached a hand down to the gun holster strapped to his leg, his vibranium arm fastening tightly around the gauntlet. Bucky was completely alone. He had no backup, and no time to call out for help on his earpiece. It was just him and Thanos. A purple giant against a man with a vibranium arm. It wasn't looking good for Bucky, but there was no way he was going to give up without a fight.
"Thank you." Thanos hummed in a calm tone, continuing to stroll toward the super soldier. "Thank you for bringing the gauntlet to me. I am truly grateful." He smiled. A hand raised up to wave away the aliens that were still trying to attack Bucky, the other still having a firm grip on his double-edged sword. "I'm happy that you're able to understand my goal of wiping out the human race. You're all as stubborn as one another, and if I'm correct, humans haven't particularly treated you or your girlfriend well, have they?" He cooed, his smile only seeming to grow at the sight of Bucky's shoulders tensing.
Just like the last time y/n tried to control Thanos' mind, he was able to see into a few of y/n's memories. From her time in Hydra with Bucky, to her time in the Avengers. It had been a rocky road for the pair of them, and Thanos knew exactly how to pull at the heart strings. How to hit a nerve. How to make Bucky snap.
Bucky clenched his jaw, his whole body tensing at the mention of y/n. Thanos was right, the world hadn't treated them fairly. The world hadn't treated them fairly at all. There were so many people on the planet that had manipulated him, used him, and hurt him, but that didn't mean that he was willing to give up the gauntlet. He was happy with the small circle of people that he adored. Giving up the gauntlet to avoid an inevitable defeat from Thanos was something that didn't even cross Bucky's mind.
Thanos continued to stroll toward the super soldier, merely a few steps away. "Now's the time to hand the gauntlet over." He hummed, keeping his eyes fixed on the back of Bucky's head. The man hadn't even turned around to face him. It was disrespectful. "Just hand the gauntlet over and all the pain you've suffered will be gone. Nobody to mourn you or force you back onto this hellish earth, and nobody to hurt you or your girlfriend ever again." He cooed, confident that he was beginning to manipulate Bucky.
The purple giant wedged one blade of his double-edged sword into the ground, aware that he didn't need it to fight a man with a vibranium arm. It wasn't fair on Bucky. He continued to stroll until he was inched away from the super soldier, able to breathe down his neck if he really wanted to, but instead he reached a hand out. He reached his calloused hand out and set it on Bucky's shoulder. "Hand it o-"
Bucky whipped around, shoving the giant's hand away from him as he cocked his gun. "I'm giving you five seconds to walk away." He snapped through gritted teeth, beginning to take slow steps backwards. His boots seemed to catch on every single piece of debris on the ground behind him, causing him to stumble, but the stone-cold look on his face remained. "Five."
Bucky's heart was pounding out of his chest. The adrenaline that coursed through him caused the hand holding the gun to shake, yet he continued to put on a brave face. He had no choice. It didn't matter how terrified he was, Bucky was going to fight for the gauntlet.
"Four." He hissed, beginning to raise his voice to show Thanos that he was being serious.
"Three." The giant wasn't moving.
"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.