Voices buzz without meaning in the back of Steve's head. They only had one chance to put this to rights but it was gone before they even knew about it. He stands over Thanos' lifeless headless corpse and remembers the months he spent tending to Blaze's body in his home in the Nexus before all of this. Everything he's withstood to get here every push and urging from his friends to get back up burrows underneath his skin. Picking him apart.
What good has it done?
He doesn't remember his legs giving out but the next thing Steve knows Carol's holding him upright while Natasha's shaking hands are finding his shoulders. Telling him to breathe. There's nothing more to be done here. Nothing more any of them can do. If there is an atom of Nebula that wishes to bury her father she will have no one's help but perhaps Carol's. What is left of the Avengers file back into Rocket's ship and sit to take in the bitter truths surrounding them.
Nothing is right. Nothing is avenged. They cannot do a single thing to fix this. There's the other Steve's world in a distant portal across the Nexus but nothing they do to try and help his will alter their own world. Might make things worse. Steve sits amid their defeat but burned into his retinas the image of Thanos' headless body on the floor of the hut will not go away. When he looks up and sees all faces turned to him for guidance something shatters inside of Steve. Every stare an accusation and proof of his failure to lead them to any sort of future.
He gets to his feet like he always does. Looks over each of them one by one.
The inspirational hopeful words don't follow. Steve Rogers has nothing left to give. He steps off of the ship and takes a seat on the grass next to the ship to wait for everyone else to come back.
It's Natasha who gets up when Steve leaves them. Turns around sharp enough to have her hair whipping over her shoulder when she squares her shoulders.
"We'll have to make damn well sure what's left is a place worth living then."
no subject
Voices buzz without meaning in the back of Steve's head. They only had one chance to put this to rights but it was gone before they even knew about it. He stands over Thanos' lifeless headless corpse and remembers the months he spent tending to Blaze's body in his home in the Nexus before all of this. Everything he's withstood to get here every push and urging from his friends to get back up burrows underneath his skin. Picking him apart.
What good has it done?
He doesn't remember his legs giving out but the next thing Steve knows Carol's holding him upright while Natasha's shaking hands are finding his shoulders. Telling him to breathe. There's nothing more to be done here. Nothing more any of them can do. If there is an atom of Nebula that wishes to bury her father she will have no one's help but perhaps Carol's. What is left of the Avengers file back into Rocket's ship and sit to take in the bitter truths surrounding them.
Nothing is right. Nothing is avenged. They cannot do a single thing to fix this. There's the other Steve's world in a distant portal across the Nexus but nothing they do to try and help his will alter their own world. Might make things worse. Steve sits amid their defeat but burned into his retinas the image of Thanos' headless body on the floor of the hut will not go away. When he looks up and sees all faces turned to him for guidance something shatters inside of Steve. Every stare an accusation and proof of his failure to lead them to any sort of future.
He gets to his feet like he always does. Looks over each of them one by one.
The inspirational hopeful words don't follow. Steve Rogers has nothing left to give. He steps off of the ship and takes a seat on the grass next to the ship to wait for everyone else to come back.
It's Natasha who gets up when Steve leaves them. Turns around sharp enough to have her hair whipping over her shoulder when she squares her shoulders.
"We'll have to make damn well sure what's left is a place worth living then."