With a clear goal in mind, aka Scott's van, Clint knew what he needed to do. Would it cause both Keira and Natasha to be furious with him? Absolutely.
But their fury would be worth it if it meant all three of them made it out alive.
"Seriously! The next time Earth suffers an alien invasion, consider me off-planet." Keira shouted over the ruckus while burying her blade in an alien's chest. Yeah, after this, she might even consider retirement because damn, she was tired of fighting.
The alien let out a death wail while it clawed at her arm in a desperate attempt to free itself. But it didn't do any good and Keira just pushed her sword deeper, trying to ignore the crunching sound of bones breaking. She pulled it out with a disgusting squelch and turned her head to the side to avoid any blood splatter. "I want a vacation!"
"You and me both!" Clint ducked down under the fallen Chitauri's spear and leaped to the side to avoid getting shot.
To say it was mayhem on the battlefield was an understatement. When new aliens caught Keira and Natasha's attention again, he took his chance and sprinted off in a completely different direction. "Thanks for the help!"
The gauntlet posed a huge risk since it was sought after by everyone on the battleground and if he got it away from his friends, it would at least decrease their chance of dying, even if it wasn't by much.
"What the hell, Clint?!" Natasha yelled after the archer. His departure distracted her so much that she missed the rampaging alien charging at her from the side. It managed to knock her to the ground before she got out her batons at the last second.
The alien's four arms clawed at the ground as it desperately tried to bite Natasha's head off and the only thing that stopped it from doing so, were the batons that pressed up against its throat. "Uh, a little help?" She called out while turning her head to the side to avoid the snapping jaws of the alien.
Keira barely had time to register Clint's disappearance but after hearing Natasha's cry for help, she swiftly disposed of the alien in front of her. "I swear, if he gets killed, I'm gonna drag him back from hell myself." She muttered to herself as she ran over to Natasha.
The alien's neck split open as her sword sliced across it and she pushed the swaying beast's body to the side before it had a chance to fall to the ground. "Hello there." A dorky smile stretched her lips and she bent down to offer her best friend a hand.
"General Kenobi." Natasha played along, an equally dorky smile on her lips. Sure, they were in the middle of a battle but some humor was always needed. She gratefully took Keira's hand and pulled herself up to her feet.
"I'm always happy to be your knight in shining armor." After a quick glance at her outfit, Keira pursed her lips. "Well, matte armor I suppose if you wanna be picky." She shrugged after a moment's thought.
"Glad you feel that way. Better stay that way though." Natasha's eyes playfully narrowed at her last sentence, something that caused the mutant to chuckle.
Keira nearly hopped up and down on the spot in happiness, and she had to stop herself from throwing her arms around the redhead. "You actually got my reference! Now I can die happy!" She squeaked but her joy was cut short as the aliens ganged up on them again.
Like all the other times before, the fighting embraced them with open arms, thereby drowning out anything else.
It was like falling back on an old habit. Her body moved purely on autopilot. Keira barely had time to breathe, even less so to think. All she knew was the feeling of her sword slicing through flesh and bone.
The chatter in her comm seemed to never end and it didn't take long until it made her question her sanity. Who in the hell had thought an open line between all of them had been a good idea? She silently cursed them all under her breath and tried to pull herself back to the present.
What if she just turned the comm off?
Yes, it would be incredibly stupid, she knew that. But she couldn't focus like this. The aliens had already gotten some good hits on her because her head was distracted. And dirty wounds wouldn't do her any favors in this fight.
There was simply too much noise.
Not only was her head busy with her own thoughts, but it also had to make space for all the minds of the others. Those voices blended together into a roaring pandemonium, echoing around inside her skull, and as if that wasn't enough, there was the ruckus of the real world to account for as well.
In short, it was simply too much for her poor brain to handle.
But just as she reached up to her ear to turn the comm off, a very familiar voice broke through.
A voice that stopped Keira in her tracks. Time itself seemed to stop at that moment, but this time, it seemed like she was the only one who noticed the sudden stillness. All the sounds that up to this second had bothered her beyond belief, suddenly turned quiet.
Everything around her appeared frozen, it felt as if she was the only one who could move at normal speed. But the joy that roared into life in her chest was unmistakable. It was the voice she had dreamt of hearing again for over five years.
The voice she would always be able to distinguish out of thousands, no, out of millions. Wanda.
"You took everything from me."
She sounded beyond pissed.
And Keira barely dared to believe her ears. Sure, she had felt her fiancée ever since the portals opened. Had even held on to her presence like a lifeline, but it was a completely different thing to actually hear her. Not just in some distant dream or hallucination, but in real life.
The mutant spun around on the spot, her gaze desperately searching for any sign of Wanda while trying her best to not get her head chewed off by a frenetic alien.
"I don't even know who you are."
In this case, she was grateful for her enhanced hearing. It made it possible for Thanos' voice to bounce back to her through the comm, so she could hear him just as clearly as if she had been standing beside Wanda.
Keira silently thanked her lucky star that she had hesitated long enough to hear her fiancée's voice. Otherwise, she probably would've continued the fight without a goal in mind. And a part of her still would've believed that all of this was just a fever dream.
Yes, the evidence heavily pointed to the fact that it was all real, but after everything she'd been through, she was still hesitant to believe her own mind.
It had been a very long time since her head had been the safe space it was supposed to be.
So instead, a part of her, the part that refused to believe that anything could possibly go her way, just waited for the other shoe to drop. To reveal that the whole thing was nothing more than a hallucination. A dream.
"You will."
With all the aliens swarming around her, Keira finally grew tired of it. Instead of continuing to slice through the beasts, she fell to one knee and crashed her fist into the ground. Great diamond spikes grew from the spot she had punched and they impaled every enemy that dared to be in close vicinity to her.
The diamond spread across the ground like a weed, encasing everything it came into contact with, although it effectively avoided her comrades.
Only when the crystal surface covered the ground around seven yards in each direction, did Keira finally let up and rose to her feet. And it didn't take long until she caught a glimpse of the familiar, red powers she adored so much.
Her heart seemed to skip a beat at the sight and had it not been for the fact that her upper arm got punched at that moment, she probably would've been halfway over there by now. "Ow! What the hell was that for?!" She winced and rubbed the sore spot on her arm.
"Why didn't you do that earlier, you absolute idiot?" Natasha wasn't even sorry for hitting the mutant and just put her hands on her hips. "And stop pouting. You deserved that."
Keira opened her mouth to answer, but honestly, she didn't even know what to say. The thought of using her powers in other ways than just defensively just hadn't crossed her mind until now so she shut her mouth again. "Still doesn't give you permission to hit me, your majesty." She grumbled under her breath, finally daring to lower her hand from the aching spot. Her arm was still sore but she didn't expect anything else when it came to Natasha.
"What was that?" Natasha tilted her head and quirked a questioning eyebrow. When the mutant's lips remained sealed, she just nodded. "That's what I thought, now come on." She began to make her way out through the diamond forest, taking extra care to not accidentally touch the sharp crystal spikes that shot up from the ground.
Instead of zigzagging through the diamond thorns, Keira simply allowed them to disintegrate. The alien bodies that had been impaled now crumpled to the ground with loud thuds.
It didn't take her long to pass by Natasha but she made certain to not sprint ahead. Wanda could handle herself, Keira knew that.
She jumped up on the back of a gorilla-like alien and buried her sword deep into its neck, feeling its spine shatter under the force. But somehow, it kept going, its arms and legs flailing. It was like it barely even felt it, the cybernetic implants taking over the organic parts to keep it going.
Only when Natasha joined Keira's side, plunging her batons into the open wound as the sword was pulled out, did the beast finally crumple as the electric shocks crackled through its body.
With a breath of relief, Keira jumped down from the alien corpse. Despite the chaos reigning around her, she honed in on her fiancée's mind in the childish hope of finding some comfort. But all she was met by was a violent hurricane of emotions.
The pure rage flowing through Wanda's veins was unbelievable.
It felt like Keira got hit in the face with a brick wall. The raw intensity of her fiancée's emotions was so powerful that it nearly brought her to her knees. And while shock was the first thing that hit her, after a little bit of thought, that feeling was replaced by understanding.
Because while it had been five long, torturous years for her, it had been mere seconds for Wanda.
Mere seconds since she had been forced to destroy the Mind Stone, thereby killing one of her closest friends, only to see it become undone.
All her efforts had been in vain. And that wasn't all.
The last thing she had seen before she turned to dust, was the sight of Keira bleeding out in her arms. Despite that, she hadn't been frightened or upset. No, the feeling she had felt was relief. Because when she felt herself starting to disappear, she realized that she wouldn't have to live without Keira. She wouldn't have to suffer a life without her one true love.
But now?
There was no place left for grief in her heart.
Wrath reigned over everything Wanda could possibly feel, something that was made very clear when she swiftly disarmed the mad titan. Not only that, but her powers actually managed to break off a considerable piece of the Uru sword.
And she continued her incredible feat by lifting Thanos into the air, ripping apart his armor piece by piece.
But Keira knew there was more to the anger.
She could feel it all. Everything that simmered just below the surface. The hatred, the sorrow, the pain, and above all, the loss. All of it was there and it fueled the fury into an uncontrollable, roaring wildfire.
They say emotions can be both a blessing and a curse. And in Wanda's case, they amplified her powers, just like they always had.
And with everything she was feeling right now, she would be unstoppable.
It seemed like the realization dawned on Thanos as well. He was powerless against the scarlet magic that engulfed him. "Rain fire!" He cried out in agony, seeing no other way out.
Keira was now close enough to hear his desperate call for herself, and she couldn't help the little spark of pride that ignited in her chest.
The titan's fear of the young Sokovian was so great that he was willing to risk everything to escape from her grasp. Even the lives of his troops. So when his decision was questioned by one of his children, he just insisted on it.
They barely got a moment's warning to react before the ginormous spaceship above obeyed its master.
"Wanda!" Keira shouted desperately when Wanda got blasted to the side by one of the missiles. All rational thoughts were wiped from her brain at the sight.
Whatever happened, she needed to get over there. She narrowly avoided getting blasted to pieces as she ran, but her brain barely even registered the close brush of death.
All she could focus on was Wanda.
Natasha had no chance of following her friend through the minefield and instead ducked underneath one of the glowing forcefields summoned by the wizards, silently praying that the mutant would make it out alive.
The adrenaline pumping through Keira's veins helped to scorch away whatever tiredness had been tugging at her muscles and after vaulting over a broken concrete slab, she finally laid eyes on Wanda.
She nearly lost her footing at that moment but after a few stumbling steps, she fell to her knees. Thanks to the slope, she slid across the uneven ground but she barely even felt the pain. The sharp rocks and broken glass that pierced her skin was nothing compared to the despair she had suffered for the last five years.
When she finally reached Wanda, who still seemed to be unconscious from the blast, she desperately dragged her fiancée with her, to get her out of harm's way.
A piece of protruding metal gave them the shelter they so desperately needed and Keira allowed herself a short moment to breathe, her fingers dancing across her fiancée's face.
Wanda's eyes fluttered open and at the sight of her lover's face hovering mere inches above her own, a disbelieving gasp escaped her lips. She slowly lifted her right hand and as if she was afraid that Keira would disappear at the lightest touch, she delicately let her fingers graze the ragged scar that ran across the mutant's cheek.
At the featherlight touch, Keira focused back on her fiancée.
With her body hovering above the redhead, acting as a shield for any stray projectiles, she let her back transform into diamond as well, to provide additional protection. "You're here. You're really here..." Her voice was slightly hoarse and her eyes raked over her fiancée, taking in every little detail.
Wanda looked exactly like she had done five years ago. Well, the only real difference was the dirt that was painted across her skin, a simple courtesy of the raging battlefield.
But what made Keira's heart skip a couple of beats was the fact that the emerald eyes she had yearned after for so long, shone with such intensity and love that it felt as if they had never been apart in the first place.
"You... You're alive..." Wanda's eyes burned with welled-up tears and the fire in her chest burned more brightly when the mutant leaned into her touch, convincing her brain more than anything that this was real. And she finally allowed herself to take in everything that was Keira. From the softness of her skin to that beautiful mind of hers.
Keira did not look the same as she had done five years ago.
The ends of her normally blonde hair were now dipped in a deep, mahogany color, and together with the pale scar running across her cheek, it told tales of a grim past. It didn't help that Keira's soft face seemed so much sharper now, more weathered.
But after all, it had been five years. It didn't feel like that to Wanda but it explained why the mutant looked more mature now.
"So are you." Keira whispered and tenderly brushed a few strands behind her fiancée's ear before letting her hand slide down to the side of her neck. With all of her weight on one arm now, it didn't take long before her muscles started to shake.
It still felt like a dream. All her nerve endings seemed to come to life from the mere feeling of Wanda's skin against hers.
And when Wanda threw herself around her neck, Keira was pushed back onto her shins. Her body was grateful for the change in positions and she hugged her fiancée tight, burying her face against the crook of her neck.
The flowery scent that she adored so much almost seemed buried under the smell of dirt and blood, but it was there.
Tears streamed freely down Wanda's cheeks and she desperately clung to the mutant. If she dared to let go, she was afraid that Keira would disappear before her very eyes. So instead, she let her eyes remain closed, simply breathing in her fiancée's calming presence.
It felt like home.
And while Keira wanted nothing more than to stay in Wanda's arms for all eternity, she pulled back long enough to see the surprise glimmer in the emerald eyes she loved more than life itself. But the astonished look quickly faded away when soft hands cupped Wanda's cheek to pull her close and crash their lips together.
It felt like an inferno roared to life within Keira, igniting every nerve ending and bathing her in a warmth that she had been deprived of for five long years.
The world felt right again.
Keira couldn't hold back her tears any longer and instead, let them run freely as she laced her arms around Wanda's neck, pulling her impossibly closer. Their hearts seemed to beat as one and they both had to fight hard to not melt under each other's touch.
A hint of salt could be tasted on their lips as their tears joined the kiss but it wasn't enough to make them separate. The euphoria they both felt at finally being reunited with their greatest love overshadowed anything else.
Only when oxygen became an issue, did they finally pull apart.
A wonderful, almost disbelieving chuckle left Wanda's lips as their foreheads remained resting against one another. They stayed tightly tangled as they fought to regain their breath, a difficult feat in the cramped space.
But even without any oxygen in their lungs, they still felt invincible together.
Keira let her fingers tenderly dance over Wanda's cheek, along her jawline, and down the side of her neck. It still felt like a fantasy and she couldn't help but gaze in awe into those emerald eyes.
They were so smitten with each other that they were pretty much oblivious to Carol Danvers' arrival. Which in itself should've been impossible since the woman took it upon herself to destroy Thanos' spaceship and send it crashing down into the lake.
The mutant pressed a kiss to Wanda's cheek before untangling herself and pushing herself back to her feet. She held out a hand, one that her fiancée gratefully took to pull herself back up.
"I... I thought you died." Wanda confessed quietly, not daring to meet those storm-grey eyes. While the world had moved on, her last memory was the feeling of Keira's mind turning black. To her, it had happened less than an hour ago. "I watched you die." She corrected herself and shamefully shook her head.
Keira, whose arms had been locked around her fiancée's waist, now unclasped one of her hands. With a soft smile on her lips, she gently grabbed ahold of Wanda's chin, her forefinger running along her jaw. "I nearly did." She tilted Wanda's head up so their gazes met. "But how could I leave this world knowing there was still a chance you could return to me?"
And while Wanda allowed their eyes to meet for a moment, her gaze quickly averted to the ring hanging around the mutant's neck. Had it been there all these years?
"Wanda..." Keira ducked her head down and stroked her thumb over her fiancée's cheek. "I was afraid I had lost you forever, but you'll always have my heart." Her voice broke slightly and she turned her head to the side to try and hold back her emotions.
This time, it was Wanda who cupped the mutant's cheeks and turned her head so that they faced each other. It all still felt like a dream. How could it possibly have been five years when her suit was still stained with Keira's blood from when she had died in her arms? "You'll never lose me again." She gently wiped away a few stray tears that had made their way down the mutant's cheeks.
"Lovebirds!"
Both of them jumped as they were abruptly pulled from the tender moment and they spun around to face an out-of-breath Natasha.
"Look, I know you have a lot of catching up to do, but we're kinda in the middle of a big battle. Care to join maybe? Besides, Parker needs some backup, so chop-chop." The spy didn't wait for an answer but rather rushed to the boy's aid.
The duo followed her without protest, and it didn't take long until they joined the other women who had answered the boy's call for help.
"I don't know how you're gonna get it through all that." Peter spoke softly, throwing a cautious glance at the charging aliens. Now that the air had finally stilled, they were ready to launch their attack again.
And had Peter not noticed how Carol had just taken down an entire spaceship without getting a single scratch herself?
He, on the other hand, looked like he could use a break. A battlefield wasn't a good place for a sixteen-year-old boy. Powers or not.
"Don't worry." Wanda reassured him, allowing the red mist to slither around her fingers and wrists. Rūna and Warsong landed behind them, the steed throwing his head impatiently while more women joined their ranks. All of them were ready to protect the gauntlet. Not that Carol really needed it.
Okoye just threw an indifferent glance at the aliens. "She's got help."
When the women marched forwards, the gauntlet held safely by Carol, Peter allowed himself to slide down to the ground. Every inch of his body ached and screamed for a long rest.
Keira had just been about to throw herself back into the fighting, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the boy's slumping body. She turned back around and crouched down in front of him. "Hey, you doin' okay, Pete?" She questioned, gently taking his face in her hands to search for any more injuries. And as she turned his head to the side, Peter winced slightly.
"Yeah, yeah." He panted, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "I'm o- okay." But he felt half-dead.
Keira tilted her head and quirked a disbelieving eyebrow. But she wasn't in the mood for arguing so she let her hands fall from his face. "Just take it easy, okay? Stay back and don't engage unless you really have to. We still need you alive after this, alright?" She pursed her lips slightly and searched the pockets of her suit. Before the boy had the chance to protest, she placed a chocolate bar in his hand and pushed herself up to a standing position.
Peter just blinked in confusion, glancing between the retreating mutant's back and the candy bar. "Thank you." He called out weakly before allowing his body to slump back against the rock.
Keira just spun around and did a little bow before continuing to walk.
"Who would've thought you were a caring one, huh?" Natasha teased lightly and nudged the blonde's shoulder.
Keira rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, shut up." With her katana in hand, she felt ready to kill every alien that had the unfortunate fate of crossing her path. She was already lagging behind thanks to her little chat with Peter, but before she had the chance to storm out into the chaos with the other Avengers, a hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back.
Surprised, she turned around to meet Wanda's worried eyes.
The redhead chewed on her bottom lip and her gaze averted to the ring hanging around Keira's neck. "Just... Be careful, please?" She mumbled before hiding her face against the mutant's shoulder. It was almost as if she didn't dare to look at her fiancée for longer than a few seconds, as if any longer would cause Keira to disappear into smoke.
Like nothing more than a daydream.
"I promise." Keira on the other hand, couldn't get enough and gently tilted Wanda's head up so their foreheads could rest against one another. "Just like you said, you'll never lose me again." She whispered tenderly and pressed their lips together in one last kiss before letting her fiancée take to the skies.
It was a work of art to watch the red mist embrace the Levithans, stopping them in their tracks so Rūna could fly up alongside them and slice them open.
They all collided with the aliens again and it didn't take long until they were all covered in a new layer of blood.
Carol shot past them, glowing as she blasted through the aliens like an unstoppable tank. And she was supposedly the one needing backup?
Bah, humbug if you asked Keira. That woman was powerful beyond belief.
It didn't take long until chaos reigned on the battlefield again. Keira didn't know where she was, or where anyone was, really. All she knew was that she had Natasha by her side and the poor aliens that dared to cross them were quickly disposed of.
But just like back in Wakanda, there seemed to be at least triple the amount of aliens compared to humans. And that was even after the fact that a good part of them had been obliterated by Thanos'own missiles.
Or, ironically, the aliens seemed to follow HYDRA's motto. Cut off one head and two more shall take its place. Only in this example, it was aliens instead of heads.
Either way, it sucked.
Keira's killing blow was interrupted by a powerful blast that hit her straight in the chest. It came from out of nowhere and he flew backwards, crashing into a slab of concrete. The alien she had been fighting lay beside her, its face nothing more than a bloody mass pressed against the stone.
A painful groan escaped her lips when she dared to move, and the cracked concrete crumbled down around her. The world before her eyes was spinning and her muscles seemed to have gone on strike. They refused to obey her. Keira closed her eyes and tried to calm down her breathing. She allowed her senses to estimate her injuries for her.
Despite the hard crash, her body seemed relatively unhurt although her back and head hurt like a bitch.
Stubbornly ignoring the pain running through her veins, she reached up to feel the back of her head. Something warm and sticky coated her fingers and when she looked down at her hand, it was coated in blood.
Great, just great.
There was no doubt in her mind that she had a concussion, but she knew she couldn't give up now. So, ignoring her body's protests, she shakily got back to her feet. She swayed slightly on the spot and she blinked hard to try and stop the world from spinning. Not to mention the painfully loud beating of her own pulse thundering in her ears.
It took her a moment to figure out what the hell had hit her, and when the realization dawned on her, she felt her heart sink.
Their last Quantum tunnel had been destroyed by Thanos' sword.
The blade was buried deep in the back of the van, killing any hope they might've had to return the Stones. So now, they really had to deal with the mad titan head-on. Some of her friends had been knocked out cold by the blast, Natasha and Hope just to name a few.
But Keira couldn't blame them. She probably would've suffered the same fate if she wasn't a mutant.
Among all the confusion that fogged her brain, one fact was clear.
The gauntlet lay unprotected.
Thanos and Tony, who were closest to it, both made a beeline for it. The man tackled the titan off-course, but Thanos easily threw Tony off of him.
Just as the titan bent down to pick up the gauntlet, he nearly got his hand chopped off by Stormbreaker.
Thor used both his weapons to try and hold Thanos at bay, the lightning flowing through him as he slowly forced Stormbreaker's sharp blade into his chest. Steve jumped on Thanos' back, grabbing the axe's handle to try and force it deeper.
But not even a god and a supersoldier were no match for Thanos, who unceremoniously threw them aside like ragdolls, punching Steve across the temple and knocking him out.
On unsteady legs, Keira sprinted forwards. She had her hands on her knees as she fought to not fall over, and at the same time, helping her to push off. Would she be able to reach the titan in time? No, but she had to try. With a concussion in the works, nausea had started to creep up her throat, and considering how violently the world was spinning, it was a miracle she was still standing.
It was Carol who interfered just as Thanos picked up the gauntlet. She was glowing with power, delivering punch after punch, but it didn't seem to even phase the titan.
Keira could only watch in horror as Thanos grabbed ahold of Carol's arm and sent her flying into a pile of rubble.
The titan put on the gauntlet and just like before, rainbow-colored streaks of power scorched the purple skin. Just as he was about to snap, Carol shot out from nowhere. She forced his hand down and started to pry his fingers apart. It was clear that her mission was to break them off in the wrong direction.
Thanos tried to headbutt the woman, but Carol stood fast, not budging an inch while slowly bending his thumb and pinky backwards. He didn't see another way out than to peel off the Power Stone and use it with his free hand. And this time, Carol had no chance to resist.
Nobody stood in the way of Thanos snapping his fingers together now.
Or that was what Keira believed until she noticed Tony.
The man dragged himself across the uneven ground on his stomach and locked eyes with Doctor Strange, all across the battlefield. The latter held up one single finger.
Keira hadn't been with them on Titan, nor had she paid any attention to their previous conversation, but she still understood what it meant.
This was their one chance to put everything right.
And so, with his broken suit, Tony scrambled to his feet and grabbed the gauntlet, hindering Thanos from snapping. But it was to no avail. They had a tug of war for a moment, but ultimately, the titan easily punched the mortal man away from him.
Keira forced herself to get moving again, cursing herself for stopping in the first place. She could feel the blood trickling down her neck and did her best to ignore it. To focus on her pounding head or spinning vision wouldn't do her any good. All she needed to do was to reach the titan.
But her legs nearly failed her again as Thanos straightened up with his hand held high. He was victorious once again.
The titan threw a pitiful glance over at Tony's slumped figure, not paying the slightest attention to Keira, who was merely a few feet away from the man now. "I am... inevitable." Thanos said confidently as he brought his middle finger and thumb together.
He snapped. Again.
But something was different.
There was no shift in the universe this time. No blinding flash of light and no scorching of purple flesh. Everything... just stayed the same.
Had Keira had enough focus to pay attention to the gauntlet, she would've noticed that the slots for the Stones were empty. The metal remained unharmed, it hadn't suffered the power surge that nearly caused it to melt the first time. But she was too preoccupied with trying to remain on her feet.
When nothing happened, Thanos turned his hand over and the realization dawned on him as well. The gauntlet no longer held the Stones.
So, where were they?
That's when Keira's gaze fell on Tony. The man had pushed himself up into a sitting position with his right hand raised as the nanotech placed the Stones in their respective slots.
For a second, immense relief washed over her, and with a deep exhale, she allowed her legs to stop. Her muscles wailed in gratitude over the pause. Thanos didn't have the Stones. Everything would be alright.
But whatever peace she might've felt, it was rapidly replaced by horror.
Horror at the fact that Tony was the one who held the Stones. He wouldn't be able to survive it. The Stones had nearly brought both Bruce and Thanos to the brink of death. And while Tony was brilliant, in the end, he was just a man. And had the Snap brought both a titan and a gamma experiment to their knees, what wouldn't it do to Tony?
Keira knew she was short on time. But one thing was clear: Tony would not die from this. She wouldn't allow it.
And as she forced her protesting muscles to get going again, she was thankful she wasn't too far away by now. After a few stumbling steps, she could simply throw herself over him. Lucky, because she seriously doubted her legs would've been able to carry her any further.
There was no decision to be made here.
Keira wrestled the man to the ground and before he even had a chance to protest, she gave him a right hook to the chin, thereby effectively knocking him out. It was the least harmful way she knew, and she really hoped it wouldn't cause any lasting damage.
The simple fight took more out of her than Keira had expected and she fell down on all fours. Her shoulders and back heaved violently as she fought to remain conscious.
If she knew Tony well enough, which she did, he wouldn't sit idly by and accept that she would risk her life instead. So before the Stones had the chance to cause any more damage to him, she pried apart his armor and pulled the gauntlet off his hand.
It had already managed to burn him, but with any luck, he would still have full use of his arm once it had healed.
In her peripheral vision, she noticed a single movement. Thanos.
There was no way she would let the mad titan stop her. Not this time. She was tired of losing those she cared about. That part of her life was over.
And with Thanos coming closer, she stubbornly ignored the pounding of her head and punched the ground. Diamond spread from her fist, tearing up the ground in a straight line until it reached the titan. It formed around his feet, and up his legs until he couldn't take another step.
He was anchored to the ground, and no matter what he did, he couldn't break free.
With Thanos out of the way, Keira finally looked down at the gauntlet. It lay there, between her two hands, and looked as innocent as ever. As if it didn't hold the entire universe's fate in its palm.
She dug her fingers into the ground before exhaling deeply. There was no one left to stop her. Either they were too far away to interfere, or they were knocked out cold, just like Tony. And if she stalled any longer, hope would be lost. She couldn't let that happen.
With a deep sigh, she sat back on her shins and picked up the gauntlet. As she slid her hand into it, she bit down on her lip to stifle any sounds that wanted to escape her.
The power that surged through her body was insane and she could practically feel it crackling through her veins, like a thousand lightningbolts. Was this how Thor felt when he summoned his powers?
Keira sincerely hoped he didn't feel like this because it hurt like hell and it was safe to say that a cracked skull wasn't helping matters.
Getting knocked out by Natasha's Widow Bites was nothing compared to this. HYDRA's methods of brainwashing was nothing compared to this.
It felt as if she had been drenched in kerosene from the inside out and someone had lit the match to seal her fate.
The Stones' powers burned away the fabric on her right arm, scorching her flesh and traveling up towards her shoulder and neck. Every atom in her body was being ripped apart and sown together, only to be torn apart again.
Somehow, Keira wasn't screaming in agony.
Her jaw was so tightly clenched it was a miracle her teeth didn't shatter under the pressure. The taste of iron lay heavily on her tongue, although she was unsure where the blood was coming from. Whether it be her lips, the wound on the back of her head, or something else, she didn't know. Didn't really care either.
Her heart was beating more wildly than a pair of hummingbird wings and from the way it was thundering in her head, she was surprised her eardrums hadn't ruptured yet.
But she knew what she needed to do.
Despite the pain, she had a clear vision of what she wanted the Stones to do. Stars began to pop before her eyes, but she was determined to watch the realization dawn on the titan. And with the remaining vision she had left, she locked eyes with Thanos. "And I... will be your downfall."
She didn't have the strength to make it fancy, so her hand simply remained on her thigh. But with one last, painful breath, she did it. Her middle finger and thumb met with a dull clunk.
There was no surge of power this time. No powerful wave of pure energy blasting people back. But the universe shifted.
Keira knew it had worked. She could feel it in her bones.
Thanos' armada would disappear into dust and he would never get the chance to fulfill his mad dream again. He would, however, be forced to witness his own failure. It only felt fair.
And as her teammates watched how the aliens disintegrated into thin air, Keira had to fight tooth and nail just to remain conscious. The snap had drained every ounce of energy she possibly could've had and she wanted nothing more than to get the gauntlet off of her. Like a child who didn't want to have a glove on any longer, her other hand just pathetically brushed against the singed metal, barely even registering the pain anymore.
But it fell to the ground and a wave of relief washed over her when the cool wind brushed against her burnt skin. At least she was free of the cursed thing. It even overshadowed the fact that she could barely see anymore.
"Key? Key, hey. Come on, stay with me. Just stay with me."
Soft hands cupped her cheeks and gently guided her down until her head rested in their lap. It was such a strange sensation. Her eyes couldn't focus on anything in front of her. The parts that weren't covered by darkness, were simply bathed in a heat haze.
At the same time, images kept flashing past her retinas.
Her life was passing by, simple as that.
Keira had been on the brink of death many times. Hell, there had even been times when she had wished for the Angel of Death to come and sweep her away. But never before had she felt its cold hand so clearly. She knew this was it.
This was her final moment.
And the memories dragged her below the surface.
She watched her younger self accepting Natasha's outstretched hand. To think that a biting snowstorm could be a scene of such importance was simply laughable. They had been on different sides back then, but it had been the moment that changed her life forever.
It had changed it for the better.
All the early mornings when she got up before anyone else to surprise the team with freshly made pancakes on Saturdays. Or the endless sparring sessions when she ended up on her back. HYDRA had been a good teacher but Natasha was better.
The memories blurred together but through the haze, she could make out some of the movie nights in the Avengers Tower.
Tony and Steve squabbled like an old married couple over what snacks were the best while Natasha had a tug-of-war with Clint to win the fluffiest blanket. Thor had all the liquor he could carry while Bruce sat quietly in the corner of the sofa, observing them like a bunch of wild animals.
Which, to be fair, they could behave like sometimes.
Or the hopelessness that had haunted her while she was locked up in that godforsaken fortress back in Sokovia.
But those dark days had ended when the twins had entered her life, especially Wanda. Keira could feel the pride burning in her chest as the two of them succeeded in their exploration of Wanda's powers.
The imagery shifted and instead, she was embraced by all those late nights she had spent with Wanda's arms around her waist, slowly swaying together to an imaginary tune while no one else was awake.
"Please, stay with me, Key."
Natasha's voice sounded like a desperate prayer, pleading to whatever higher power might exist to save her best friend. The price didn't matter, there was nothing she wouldn't do if it meant that the mutant made it out alive.
Perhaps it was her voice that pulled Keira back from the dark abyss, causing reality to fall back into focus, if only for a short while.
She tried to lift her arm, wanting to console her best friend in any way she could, but all she accomplished was a slight twitch of her fingers. Pathetic, really. If you asked her brain at least.
But when she felt shaking hands embrace her own, she knew Natasha had seen her pitiful attempt. And perhaps she needed to settle for that, because whatever energy reserves she might've had, she was running on fumes now.
No one ever saw Natasha Romanoff cry. No one.
But now, she didn't even try to conceal the silent tears that ran down her cheeks as her best friend lay dying in her arms. "N- No more hero business for you in the f- future, okay?" She whispered hoarsely before bowing her head down so their foreheads rested against one another. It came as no surprise when her voice broke, the sorrow was simply too much to handle.
This couldn't be how their story ended. It just couldn't.
Despite the serious situation and the immense pain she was in, a chuckle actually left Keira's lips. Sure, it was weak and watery, but still, a chuckle nonetheless.
But the vibrations that ripped through her body hurt so badly that she forced herself to stop. "D- Deal, Tasha." She wheezed and tried to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. The blood that pooled in her mouth threatened to drown her, so she did her best to swallow it down without choking.
And her attempt at comforting Natasha rather had the opposite effect. The redhead was horrified to feel what little strength the mutant had left.
Wanda landed right beside them and she stumbled a few steps before regaining her balance. Her eyes were already bloodshot from the tears trailing down her cheeks. She had felt it happen, but since she had been on the other side of the battlefield, she couldn't possibly have made it to the mutant in time.
But to actually see Keira like this was almost worse.
She looked so fragile, like a porcelain doll that might break at the softest touch. It was only the scene that didn't match this impression. All the dirt mixed with both alien and human blood didn't exactly scream frail.
It couldn't end like this. Wanda's legs gave way and she fell to her knees, shaking her head in denial.
Natasha couldn't think of any words to say. No matter what, they wouldn't make a difference. All she could do was hold Keira's hands as if they were her lifeline. And when strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, gently prying her from the mutant's body, she couldn't even find it in her to protest.
Instead, Wanda overtook the responsibility of cradling Keira's head in her lap.
"I just got you back. Just got y- you back." Wanda shakily brushed a few strands of dirty blonde hair behind the mutant's ear, all to see her fiancée's face more clearly. "I... I can't lose you. Not again." It came as no surprise when her voice broke halfway through the sentence, ending it in a sob.
This couldn't be their destiny. How could it be written in the stars that they would be together, only to be ripped apart, over and over again? Fate couldn't possibly be that cruel.
Natasha buried her face against Clint's shoulder, clutching the fabric of his suit so tightly that it might break. She couldn't stand to witness this. And to hear Wanda's heartbroken voice only made it feel so much more real. Had it not been for Clint's firm embrace, she honestly doubted that she could've remained standing.
Keira couldn't see clearly. Between the black spots and the memories that threatened to drown her, the real world seemed like nothing more than a simple fantasy. And yet, somewhere deep in her mind, she could feel Wanda.
It was this that seemed to keep her from falling off the deep edge. A delicate string that anchored her to the land of the living. Oh, how lucky she was to have been loved this deeply.
Wanda cupped the mutant's right cheek and slowly stroked the jagged scar with her thumb. "Stay with me. Please." She placed her other hand on Keira's chest, feeling the steady beating of her heart under her palm. But with every passing moment, those heartbeats grew weaker and weaker. The blood that painted the back of the blonde's head was almost dry by now and the soft smile that painted her lips did nothing to ease Wanda's sorrow.
"Please. Don't do this to me. Don't l- leave me."
Just like a lost child, Wanda felt powerless.
She didn't know what to do. Was there even something she could do? She was at the end of the road, and no matter where she looked, she couldn't see a way out. None of her options seemed to be enough.
Keira could feel the despair plaguing her fiancée's mind and against the will of every fibre in her body, she forced herself to lift her hand and place it over Wanda's. Whatever she was going through, she never wished her one true love to suffer because of her. "It- I- 'S okay. I love you, Wanda." Her voice was barely above a whisper but her words were for Wanda, and Wanda alone.
And she heard them.
Wanda faintly shook her head and hugged the mutant closer. She didn't want to hear any goodbyes, for she refused to believe that this was the end. But the ever-fading heartbeat underneath her palm told a very clear tale.
Keira wasn't long for this world.
"No, no, no. I can't do this without you, Ria." Wanda admitted in a choked-out whisper and buried her face in the crook of the mutant's neck. Her short gasps of breath did nothing to supply her body with the oxygen it needed but she didn't care. All she could focus on was holding Keira close.
To feel her skin, her presence, and her soul.
Underneath all the smoke, dirt, and blood, Wanda could still sense the soft tones of cinnamon that was the mutant's trademark. Something familiar, something consoling among all the chaos.
"I'll always be with you." Keira's voice sounded so brittle that it was a miracle it could even be heard in the first place.
But Wanda still didn't dare to break the tight embrace, if anything, she hugged the mutant even closer. Her eyes burned more than ever and she could already feel how impossible it would be to put the pieces of her broken heart back together. "I love you."
Keira wanted nothing more than to respond, but all that left her lips was a pathetic wheeze. The blood on her tongue nearly caused her to choke but she simply didn't have the strength to swallow it all down anymore.
When Wanda finally dared to open her eyes and loosen her hold on the mutant, her heart sank impossibly deeper.
Blood ran from the corner of Keira's mouth and her storm-grey eyes were becoming duller by the second. Her skin looked almost grey, thanks to the blood loss, and it felt as if her muscles had turned to stone.
But if there was one thing Keira was, it was stubborn.
So against her brain's better judgment, she didn't give in to the darkness that called her name. Instead, with some of the last strength she had, she pulled Wanda's hand to her lips and tenderly kissed her palm.
It was something she had done many times before, so it only seemed like a fitting gesture for her to do in her last moments.
"Until forever falls a- apart." It took everything she had to allow the words to leave her lips and not get smothered by the blood filling her mouth. But she could feel it. The delicate string she was so desperately clinging to was wearing out.
And once it broke, she would have no other choice than to succumb to the eternal sleep.
Wanda took the mutant's face in her hands, silently praying for some miracle way out of this. "No. Stay with me. Please. S- Stay with me." But as she bowed her head down to lean their foreheads together, she felt a short burst of acceptance.
Not from herself, but from Keira.
"I love..." The blonde didn't have the strength to finish her sentence and blood trickled down from her mouth as her muscles turned slack. Her storm-grey eyes stared up at the sky, but they weren't seeing anymore.
Keira was blind to the world.
And everything that was her, seemed to fade away at that moment.
Tears streamed down Wanda's cheeks, leaving burning trails behind. "N- No. Come back. Don't leave m- me." There was nothing she could do to. She was powerless.
Useless.
Her brain refused to accept it. There had to be another way out.
But all she was able to do was to helplessly cradle Keira's body close, childishly hoping it would somehow return the mutant's soul to her body. "I- I can't feel you." Wanda pressed a kiss to the blonde's forehead before grabbing her sleeve to try and wipe some of the blood away.
"Wanda..." Natasha finally managed to peel her face away from Clint's shoulder and for a second, no, a second was way too long, hope seemed to flow through her veins. But her heart dropped when she realized that what little color resided on Keira's cheeks and chin was simply the aftermath of the blood Wanda had tried to wipe away.
But she was speaking to deaf ears.
Wanda was so deep in her own mind that the outside world was nothing more than a glorified nightmare. But when Natasha fell to her knees beside her, she was pulled back against her will. Her will to fight had evaporated the same moment that Keira's heart gave up, and so, she just leaned her head against the spy's.
Natasha stretched out a shaking hand and placed it over the mutant's eyes, gently closing them. Now, she might as well have been sleeping.
Neither Wanda nor Natasha said anything. They just sat there, watching the mutant's unmoving body with tears streaming down their cheeks. One of Wanda's hands was still cupping Keira's face, slowly feeling the warmth evaporate. The other one was clutching Natasha's hands.
Silence had fallen over the battlefield. Even the wind seemed to have stilled.
None of them said anything. For no words would ever be enough to express their loss.
How would they ever be able to live in a world without Keira?
And they were not the only ones hit by grief.
Clear streaks adorned Clint's ashy cheeks as he fought hard to swallow back whatever tears still wished to fall.
Steve fell to his knees a couple of feet away, slowly shaking his head as if it would make it less real. He unclipped the buckle underneath his chin and ripped off his helmet. For a moment, he regarded the headpiece in his hands, nearly crushing it before throwing it as far as he could.
More and more people gathered around them, all with somber expressions on their faces. They all understood the sacrifice that had been made.
The Avengers had lost a valued member, and the world would mourn their loss.
Tony just stared in disbelief at Keira's body. He had recently returned to consciousness but he knew this wasn't a hallucination. The dull look in his eyes remained there, even as Peter and Pepper landed beside him.
The Avengers were Keira's chosen family, and more than anything, she had found a home within the group. And that was something she would always be eternally grateful for.
But what she didn't know, was that she was the glue that bound them all together. And just as highly as she valued them, they also valued her. Which only made their loss even more significant.
More than anything, they had lost a friend.
~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Sooo.... What are we feeling right now..?