35

Chapter 35: how do you think I'm gonna get along without you when you're gone?Notes:

1) 9.5k words later...the final chapter of the Infinity War arc. It took about 8 months and more words than I expected to get here, but yes!!!

2) There will be more chapters, don't worry. There will also be a 'What If...?' series in the future.

3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment!

Also, TYSM FOR 3000+ KUDOS!! I never expected I would get so many in the time of writing this fanfic ahhhh 💜

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

The Chitauri mothership loomed over them, casting its massive shadow over the battlefield. He had thought Tony had destroyed it in 2012 by shooting the missile at it, but it seemed the Chitauri must have had more somewhere in the galaxy. Its overwhelming presence blocked out the sun, the four outstretched legs of the spaceship almost like a spider's.

Being on the front line was as intimidating as it had been the first time. One of the generals -M'Baku- yelled in Xhosa to rally the troops' spirits once they had amassed into a huge army, all of them ready to defend Wakanda.

The Avengers had scattered into their designated groups, ready to follow the strategies they had in place the moment all hell broke loose and Thanos arrived.

Towering machines loomed in the distance as the Chitauri army approached with two distinct figures at the front, though he couldn't see who they were yet. Thanos wasn't with them yet; he probably sent them to wear down their defences until he deemed it necessary to come down to the battlefield.

As much as he wanted to call Thanos' actions cowardly, he knew they were strategic. Why waste your energy when you have resources like an army to do it for you?

T'Challa and M'Baku had a small conversation before the army made its way to the edge of the shield, prompting Captain America, Natasha and T'Challa to go to the edge of the shield for a last ditch attempt at negotiation even though they knew it was futile.

He didn't know what to think about Captain America. On the one hand, his reason for fighting the Accords was reasonable. On the other hand, he had betrayed Tony and left him in Siberia. For now, he would have to put that inner conflict aside and focus on the battle. If he had time, he could make up his mind on Captain America later.

A lithe alien with horns that grew from its eyes stood near the shield, a sword in its hand. It dragged the sword along the shield, testing it as electricity crackled along the blade.

He knew the shield would hold the army back but he doubted it would be for long considering the looming machines in the background.

A bulky alien that was similar to the one he had fought in New York stood by the lithe alien's side. Fighting that would be a nightmare by himself but if he had enough time, he could probably outsmart it somehow.

"Where's your other friend?" Natasha asked, her tone almost teasing. She must have had an encounter with one of the aliens on the way to Wakanda.

"You will pay for his life with yours," the lithe alien replied, its voice slightly distorted but calm. "Thanos will have the stones."

"That's not gonna happen," Captain America said unwaveringly.

"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."

He internally winced at T'Challa's words, knowing how they could come true in the worst way possible.

"We have blood to spare." The alien grunted, raising its sword into the air as the towering machines emerged from the ground. The air rumbled, the dirt around them shaking like it was in an earthquake as the machines rose into the sky.

Captain America, Natasha and T'Challa returned to the front lines, their faces grim as they prepared their weapons.

"Ibombe!" T'Challa shouted, the troops chanting it back as they slammed the butts of their spears into the ground. He carried on shouting in Xhosa as the machines opened to reveal hundreds of Chitauri falling from the machines, all of them sprinting towards the shield like a tsunami.

"What the hell?" Bucky murmured as the Chitauri slammed into the shield, everyone watching the aliens try and force their way through.

He swallowed as he watched one force its torso through before the electricity cut it in half, grimacing at the bloodshed.

"They are killing themselves," Okoye muttered, disturbed by the gory sight.

Frowning at the screeches that were sure to haunt his nightmares in the future, he watched as the Chitauri crossed the lowland area and sprinted towards them, barely registering T'Challa's yell as the troops used their shields and raised their spears.

Precise blue bursts shot out from the warrior's shields, taking out Chitauri where they could as the first wave of bombs Tony planted came into effect.

Boom!

The earth exploded beneath the Chitauri's feet as they stepped on the bombs and mines buried underneath dirt piles, throwing them backwards and hitting the next wave of Chitauri coming through.

His web bombs captured many Chitauri, trapping them under nets and sticking them to each other, slowing them down for long enough that the troops could hit them with the blue blasts.

Falcon soared over the battlefield, flying over a Chitauri that leaped for him and shooting using his drones. Rhodes joined him, shooting more missiles before flying higher to avoid the claws of an alien. How high could those things jump?!

The screeching continued as he realised some Chitauri were on fire, but a stone dropped in his stomach when he realised they had started to circle the perimeter of the shield and were heading away from them and closer to the Vault.

"Cap, if those things get around us they'll have the advantage," Tony warned, firing up his thrusters and flying into the fight to help Rhodes and Sam.

"Then we better keep them in front of us," Captain America replied, glancing at T'Challa.

"We need to open the barrier," he instructed Shuri -she had gauntlets on and had tied her hair up- a grim look of acceptance on his face. "On my signal, open North-West section 17." He yelled an instruction to the troops, prompting them to shut down their shields and raise their spears. "Wakanda forever!"

The barrier came down as the troops roared, everyone sprinting towards the barrier to meet the Chitauri who were streaming through with their alien screams.

Dashing forwards, he ducked under the first Chitauri he saw and dodged its claws, kicking it in the stomach before webbing its eyes.

"We'll need to take out the massive machines back there," Tony replied, repulsor shots firing in the background. "Something tells me they'll turn into weapons later."

"Same. Not sure how much I can do though." He grunted as he grabbed a Chitauri by its fist and swung it around like a bat, sending it flying in the opposite direction. Hopefully it would be caught in a web bomb.

"I'll work something out." The comm cut off as he dodged another Chitauri only to see a familiar face.

Bucky grabbed a Chitauri with his vibranium arm, punching it before grabbing his dagger and stabbing it through the heart. Grunting as Bucky took on another Chitauri, Peter snapped into action and shot a web at it, pulling it towards him and away from Bucky to give him an opening.

Gunfire rang out and the Chitauri slumped to the ground, another one replacing it quickly.

He didn't waste his breath making quips, deciding to shoot a concussive web at another Chitauri before activating his Iron Spider arms to help him stab through the ones around him. He didn't like killing but it didn't mean he wouldn't do it, not anymore.

"Didn't I fight you in Germany?" Bucky grunted, throwing a Chitauri at him so he could stab it with one of his arms.

"Yeah," he replied, catching his breath as his heart raced in his chest. Punching another Chitauri, he shot a trip mine at its ankle so its legs were tangled up, leaving an opening for Bucky to kill it. "Where's Falcon?"

"Duck!" Sam's voice sounded over the comms and he did as he asked, curling into himself as explosives dropped from the sky. Fire erupted around him and Bucky, the screeches of the Chitauri deafening them.

Bucky recovered quickly, grabbing his gun and shooting the Chitauri that leaped at Sam as he flew away. "Now we're even!" He yelled, shooting another Chitauri.

Did they have some sort of bet going on or something?

Leaping over a Chitauri, he jumped off its back and shot a web at one jumping up to take a swipe at War Machine, using its momentum to throw himself to a new area of the battlefield whilst defending Rhodes.

Yelping as he collided with a Chitauri, he rolled on the ground before shooting a web at its arm and spinning around like he was throwing a shotput before releasing it, sending it flying across the battlefield.

Panting, he stumbled to his feet and punched another Chitauri. There were so many of them that the second he killed one, another would take its place! He dodged its claws but his heart jumped in his chest as he tripped, falling onto his back as the Chitauri swiped at him-

"Yeet!" Sound waves burst out from Shuri's gauntlets, blowing back the Chitauri advancing on her. He shot a concussive web at it, disorientating it even more before one of his Iron Spider arms killed it.

"Can I get a waffle?" He shouted, stabbing another Chitauri as Shuri blasted one away from him, grinning at him before blasting one that had leaped over him.

"Can I please get a waffle?" She replied, grinning as a Chitauri raised its claws behind her. Shooting a web at its chest, he dragged it away from her and swivelled around, gaining momentum until he released it and it went flying across the battlefield.

The battle blurred into him fighting instinctively, him and Shuri covering each other's backs until Rocket and Drax arrived, both of them yelling as they slaughtered Chitauri without mercy.

"Gah! Come and get some, space dogs!" Rocket's gun took out one of the Chitauri he was wrestling and Drax slashed through the one Shuri had disorientated.

"It's at times like these I wish Nebula was here!" Drax exclaimed, slashing another Chitauri down after he webbed its face.

"Really? You know what, where even is she?" Rocket asked as he shot another round of bullets, several Chitauri collapsing into a bloody mess of tangled limbs.

"Somewhere in the galaxy! Why would I know?"

"Hate to ask, but who's Nebula?" He called out as he stabbed a Chitauri with his Iron Spider arms.

"Gamora's sister." Rocket grunted. "Kid, cover me?"

"Sure!" He shot a web bomb at the Chitauri to his left, capturing five of them in one go for Drax and Shuri to attack. Shit, he was bound to run out of them soon.

His Spidey-sense rang out like a gong, making him wince as he looked around for the new danger that was going to hit them. His heart skipped a beat as the trees behind the remains of the shield collapsed, the ground rippling like a wave as whatever was under it tore it apart.

"Shit."

The ground exploded, revealing five massive cog-shaped vehicles with spikes heading towards them. The air rumbled as they crashed into the shield, tearing it apart like it was paper.

"Fall back!" He heard someone yell. Adrenaline shot through him as he dashed further inland, Shuri, Drax and Rocket following him.

Panting, he activated his comm to Tony. "We need to hit the mothership!" He exclaimed, the rumbling of the machines getting louder and louder until it was almost deafening. "Their orders are coming from it, right?"

"I know, I know! The second T'Challa gives the order it'll be sorted," Tony replied, explosions sounding in the background. Glancing backwards, he realised Tony, War Machine and Falcon were shooting at the cog-shaped vehicles with whatever firepower they had, but it did nothing.

Wanda landed in front of him, her eyes glowing scarlet and hands wielding crimson aura. He skidded to the side, watching as her magic surrounded the machines.

She stretched her hands out, her magic slowing down the machines before she turned around to see the Chitauri behind them and threw her hands backwards. The machines roared past them, dirt flying around as the machines destroyed the ground behind them and killed dozens of Chitauri.

"Holy shit," he murmured, nodding when Wanda looked at him before her magic wreaked havoc on the Chitauri around them. Their claws stabbed their hearts or lungs, almost instantly killing them.

He never wanted to fight Wanda as an enemy. He would die before he landed a hit on her.

Flinching as his Spidey-sense rang out again, he looked at the Chitauri mothership as four figures flew up to it only for flames to erupt from every weak point they had discovered on the hologram. Flashes of lightning lit up the underbelly of the ship before-

Boom!

The explosion briefly deafened him, making him cover his ears as the shockwave rippled across the sky. The ringing in his ears didn't subside as debris fell from the sky, some of it burning up like a comet entering the atmosphere.

"…the Chitauri should be disorganised now." Tony's voice finally came through over comms as his hearing restored itself. True to his word, all the Chitauri around them looking at the sky like the end of the world had started.

Debris rained from the sky, metal hitting some unlucky Chitauri when they were too slow to run away. Jolting back into action, he decided to save some of his energy by activating Instant Kill mode. His Iron Spider arms took no prisoners, slashing through Chitauri quickly before they could recover and attack him.

Some fled into the forest, their collective fear emanating across the battlefield now that their command centre was destroyed. Others stood their ground and fought, their bloodlust fuelled by desperation to survive.

They had reclaimed the advantage, fighting the conflicted aliens and slowly but surely regaining their ground.

His Spidey-sense hummed in the back of his head after he and Wanda had dealt with the Chitauri in their area. Deactivating Instant Kill mode to save his suit's power, he turned around to see Stephen a few metres away from him, a grim look on his face as he shut a portal.

"I thought you were with Thor and Loki?" He asked, his heart thundering in his chest as exhaustion started to set into his body, his muscles burning from exertion.

"Thanos has the Space stone," Stephen replied, frowning as he opened another portal.

His stomach dropped. "He what?!"

"Wong contacted me and told me Thanos is coming to Wakanda. It will be a matter of minutes until he arrives."

His Spidey-sense buzzed in the back of his head like an irritatingly loud alarm, each buzz becoming more and more intense until it was all he could focus on. Stephen's words faded away with the din of the battle, everything fading into an ominous silence as his heartbeat pounded in his ears.

An abyss opened a few metres to his left, the air around them growing thinner until it felt like he was breathing in smoke. A figure emerged from the abyss, the gauntlet with a glowing blue stone in its left hand.

He struggled to breathe as Thanos emerged from the rip in space, his left fist clenching as he used the Space stone to shut the spatial rip he had created to get to Wakanda.

Thanos had the Space stone.

All of their efforts to keep it away from him had been for nothing.

"Thanos," Stephen said coldly as he regarded the Mad Titan. Wanda stood next to him, warily looking at Thanos as Peter fought to breathe normally, dread washing over him. Adrenaline had to be the only reason he was still standing.

Fighting Thanos was a suicidal mission he knew he was going to follow through. The fate of the universe relied on everyone to fight against the Mad Titan and he would be damned if he didn't help. His breathing finally stabilised as he realised everyone on the battlefield would be on their way to fight Thanos. He could see Tony and War Machine flying towards them even if they were on the other side of the battlefield.

"Stonekeeper." Thanos acknowledged him. "You continue to resist destiny's will."

"You mean your will." Thor landed a few metres behind Thanos, his eyes glowing with lightning as it sparked around his axe. It would be awe-inspiring in any situation other than this.

"I am following the destiny set out by the universe. I am preventing suffering for billions, creating a balance that has been demanded for centuries," Thanos explained. He looked at them as if they were mere obstacles in his path, easy to discard with a flex of his hand. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

"There are solutions other than genocide," Stephen said. "You cannot expect your solution to be the one everyone complies with."

"I never expected every species to submit to destiny for the good of the future. However, I never expected humans to be one of the most tenacious species I had to fight." Hatred bubbled inside his chest as Thanos remained calmly in the centre as he was surrounded. Tony and War Machine had landed near Thor and the Guardians had arrived, quickly circling Thanos.

The alien knew how much power he wielded. He knew what he could do with the Infinity Stones, had the ability to bring impossibilities into existence, yet used the power to slaughter. He knew Thanos chose to be 'fair' and kill indiscriminately, but his methods were flawed to the point they were irreparable. He was so firm in his belief that he thought he was a saviour when he was the furthest thing from it.

"You will lose," Thor stated. "And you will only know suffering."

"I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening, turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here. Or should I say, I am."

Biting his tongue to stop him from screaming 'fuck you' at Thanos, he couldn't help but feel the sting of Thanos's monologue resonate with him. To some extent, the titan was right. They all knew the helplessness that came with being right but failing regardless. It had happened with the Staten Island ferry around homecoming, with Beck exposing his identity when he was innocent and especially when he tried to help the multiversal villains only for May to die.

He had tried to help only for the consequences to hit him with crushing force until he clawed himself back to a position where he could fight back to prove he was right. He had felt the primal fear that came with failing, with the dire consequences of his seemingly useless actions, until he was in the heat of the moment and he made the right decision that ended up solving the problem.

Quill cursed under his breath. "Fuck you! This is exactly why Gamora hated you! You're not the great saviour you say you are. You're a murderer!" He shouted as Thanos turned to face him.

"Ah, the boyfriend." Thanos turned towards Quill. "The Stonekeeper of Vormir spoke to me after you had left. He said there had been a chance you could have retrieved the Soul stone regardless of me being the one to sacrifice Gamora. Had you been brave enough to acknowledge that Gamora was a necessary sacrifice for the stone, you could have been brought to the Soul world instead of me."

The sickening knowledge made his stomach churn. Thanos had to be taunting all of them.

"Quill," Rocket said, "what does he mean?"

Oh shit. Had Quill not told them?

Thanos echoed his thoughts. "Have you not told your friends what happened?

Rage and grief flickered on Quill's face, his jaw setting as his hands tightened around his blaster.

"He killed Gamora to get the Soul stone," Quill ground out. "We almost saved her and this bastard murdered her."

He didn't catch Rocket and Groot's reactions, the roar of Tony and War Machine's engines catching his attention as T'Challa, Natasha and Okoye arrived on Thanos's right side. Bucky and Captain America were behind Thanos and Mantis was with them.

Thanos had nowhere to run. He was surrounded.

His heart beat rapidly in his chest as his Spidey-sense climbed from a low hum to a buzz, the air vibrating with tension as he wondered what their next move would be. He wouldn't call this situation a stalemate; it was closer to a window for observation. Both parties were deciding what next move would be and the time would run out the second one of them made up their mind.

His eyes widened as his Spidey-sense screamed in his head, his limbs instinctively tensing as Thanos clenched his hand with the gauntlet. The Power stone glowed and his voice caught in his throat as he failed to yell out a warning.

Thanos punched the ground, sending the dirt rippling like an earthquake and tsunami merged in one. The ground roared, dirt flying everywhere as he jumped in the air, barely avoiding being disorientated as all the Avengers and Guardians practically flew into the air.

Stephen had levitated to avoid the dirt tsunami, Wanda had used her powers to fly, Tony had caught Natasha, dropping her down to the ground as she gathered her bearings. The others had either landed fairly well or were recovering quickly, but everyone knew the battle had started.

Thanos activated the Power, Space and Reality stones, the deadly glow catching his attention as he punched the ground, pillars of dirt rising and transforming into metal spikes those in the vicinity were forced to dodge.

Heart pounding, he threw himself out of the way as a pillar formed to his left, almost piercing his left side if he hadn't moved in time. Panting, he realised he had landed near the Guardians, their faces grim with grief and rage.

"Quill!" He yelled, catching the leader's attention. "We can't get the gauntlet. What if we steal the stones?"

He winced as explosions made the ground rumble, flames towering around Thanos as War Machine, Falcon and Tony shot whatever they had at the titan. A wall of dirt that had been turned into vibranium protected Thanos, deflecting the sheer force of the explosions into the air.

"It's a half-baked plan but it's better than nothing." Quill shrugged, nodding at Rocket, Drax and Mantis. "How're we gonna get it?"

"Get as close to the gauntlet as possible, make sure we overwhelm him and steal it when he's not looking." It was all he could think of. There was no other way Tony had stolen the Infinity Stones from Thanos without getting close and luckily they had enough people that they could try it. "I'll try and tell everyone else – oh shit!"

Yelping, he dodged the tree flying towards him, its base sharpened like a spearhead that surely would have impaled him. Similar trees flew all over the battlefield, forcing people to duck to the ground if they didn't want their innards to be smeared over wood.

Shooting a web at an incoming spear-tree, he dug his feet into the ground as the momentum of the tree almost pulled him forwards, tensing his muscles as he twisted around and threw the tree at Thanos.

Distracted, his Spidey-sense rang out as another tree shot towards him but his foot twisted awkwardly, shooting pain rendering him useless for a precious second. Looking up, the tree flew across the battlefield, waiting to impale him-

An entity sprinted in front of him, punching the tree dead centre as splinters flew everywhere.

"Vision?!" He exclaimed as the synthezoid turned to face him. "Thanks."

Mounds of dirt rose from the ground, a rocky shell forming around them before they all shot in one direction. Watching as the boulders flew towards Thanos, he realised who was fighting him: Tony.

Shooting a web at one of the boulders closest to him, he ignored the pain in his leg as he slowed the boulder down, trying to give Tony time to shoot missiles at the boulders nearest to him.

Portals opened in the sky, catching some of the boulders in a loop that he knew Stephen controlled.

Vision jumped up, punching the boulder and shattering it on impact. Shards of rock rained on them harmlessly as explosions reverberated. His breath caught in his throat as a boulder smashed into Tony's chest, sending him flying backwards into the ground.

"Karen, show Tony's vitals," he said, a small window opening on his HUD. Tony's vitals were elevated but still healthy. Letting out a small sigh of relief, he relaxed for two seconds before he realised the boulders were soaring high into the sky.

Thanos had made meteors.

"For fuck's sake," he murmured before sprinting towards Thanos, leaping over a ditch only to start floating, the weightlessness in his limbs throwing him off balance.

Now gravity wasn't working properly. Great.

Wait, he could work with this.

Shooting a web at the ground, he used it as a tether before he leapt from the ground, the swooping sensation in his stomach becoming bearable as he covered more ground, landing near Stephen.

Electricity crackled in the air as Thor fought Thanos, matching the titan's blows with devastating hits before he raised his hand and a lightning bolt struck Thanos.

Thanos clenched his fist, the Power stone glowing as he punched Thor, throwing the god across the battlefield as Captain America, Bucky, Natasha and T'Challa approached him.

Raising his fist, the Power and Space stones glowed as Thanos brought his fist down, pulling all the meteors towards the ground. Gravity returned to normal as the ground shuddered with the impacts, the vibrations like an earthquake as dirt flew in the air and he struggled to keep his balance.

"Stephen!" He yelled. "We're trying to steal the stones from Thanos, right?"

The sorcerer opened portals where the meteors were going to hit them, opening portals above Thanos so the meteors could hit him. The titan grunted, activating the Space stone and sending the boulders into the abyss.

"If you can get close then do," he replied. "Even getting one will set him back and buy us time."

He opened another portal, flying through it as Peter leapt through the portal before he could close it, opening his comm to Tony quickly.

"Tony, are you there?" He asked, his eyes widening as more trees shot out of the forest before he shot a web at one approaching Stephen and throwing it at another tree heading towards him, splinters flying everywhere as the trees destroyed themselves.

A pained grunt. "Yeah, I'm here. Heading towards the battlefield now." The edge in Tony's voice told him to cut to the chase. He didn't want to piss off Tony more than he already was.

"Don't bother fighting Thanos, try and steal the stones," he said, wincing as Captain America was thrown to the floor by Thanos. Natasha and Bucky were still in combat and he had no clue where T'Challa was.

"We'll delay him by taking at least one stone." Repulsor beams roared in the background. "Okay, I'll tell everyone else." The comm beeped, signalling the call had been cut off as his Spidey-sense tingled and he dodged the beam of purple energy shooting towards him.

The heat emanating from it warmed his back before the purple lightning cut through one of the trees, burning it to smithereens in seconds. That had been way too close.

Gunfire rang out as Rocket unleashed a hail of bullets onto Thanos, Quill flying above him and using his blasters to distract the titan. Drax sprinted past him, yelling out something that sounded very close to alien cursing, prompting him to join their attack.

Sprinting forwards, he shot a web at Thanos's eyes, partially blinding him as Quill shot fireballs from his blasters, hitting the back of Thanos's head.

After shooting a concussive web at Thanos's head, he shot a web at his knee and managed to force him into a half-kneeling position just like he had when he was on Titan in the previous timeline. Drax slashed at Thanos's other knee, making the titan grunt in pain.

Quill dropped down, grabbing the gauntlet and grappling at one of the stones. His heart thundered in his chest as Thanos clenched his fist-

"Quill!" Rocket yelled.

The Power stone glowed as a purple shockwave blinded him, sending him flying backwards into a tree as his head smacked against the wood.

His eyesight blurred, distant figures flying in the opposite direction of Thanos as a blue aura tinged with violet emanated from the gauntlet.

Stephen's red cloak caught his attention even if his vision was hazy, his breaths laboured for a few seconds as the sorcerer made a hand motion and created an amber shield as a black and blue shadow shot towards him, dispersing the second it hit the shield.

A flurry of green exploded from the shield, flying towards Thanos and into the forest. Curiosity briefly washed over him and he weakly raised his hand to touch one of the green flurries only to realise it was a butterfly.

"Peter!" Someone exclaimed, a red and gold figure blocking his vision as they crouched in front of him. "Underoos, are you with me?"

He groaned, dropping his hand to his forehead even though he was wearing a mask. "…Tony?"

"You took a nasty hit, didn't you? Up, up, c'mon." Tony manoeuvred himself into a position where his arm supported Peter and helped him stand up even as the ground swayed. "You still good to fight?"

"Hmm?" Shit, his head felt like it was swimming. "Yeah, yeah, gimme a sec." Leaning against the tree, he gripped one of the low branches to help him ground himself, his dizziness fading away quickly. At least his super healing liked to deal with head injuries much faster than the rest of his injuries. "Okay, I'm good."

He staggered slightly as Tony let go of him but quickly recovered, standing up straight only to see what looked like one hundred Stephens levitating around Thanos, magic ropes coming from each of the clones.

'What the fuck?' He thought, jogging forwards as the orange and purple glow of the Soul and Power stones wrapped around Thanos's clenched fist, the titan's pained face turning into a determined snarl as he send out a blast at the clones.

The clone-Stephen's disappeared in rapid succession, leaving the original Stephen exposed as the blast reached him, sending him flying backwards as blue-aura versions of him left his body before returning. Was it similar to what he had done to Peter when he was trying to escape the Sanctum with the magic box in the previous timeline?

"You're full of tricks, wizard." Thanos activated the Power and Space stones, bringing the battlefield towards him as he pulled Stephen forwards and grabbed him by the neck. "Yet you never used your greatest weapon."

His heart froze as Thanos broke the Eye of Agomotto that had hung from Stephen's next, the idea of the titan taking the Time stone rendering him unable to move.

The Eye of Agomotto crumbled to pieces in Thanos's grip.

The Time Stone wasn't in his palm.

He let out an unconscious breath, his heartrate going back to normal. Stephen must have hidden it somewhere else.

"A fake," Thanos remarked. It was like he expected the Time stone to be somewhere else.

Tossing Stephen aside like a ragdoll, he activated the Power and Space stones, opening a portal before disappearing into the abyss.

Sprinting forwards, he reached where Stephen was and helped him up. Blood trickled down his temple and he had a split lip but it seemed like he would be able to fight.

"What now?" Tony asked.

"We need to go to the Vault. He knows that's where the Mind stone is," Stephen replied, opening a couple of portals. Wanda and Thor stepped through their respective portals, grim looks on both their faces. He guessed Stephen had spoken to them at some point in the battle about this plan.

"Let's go."

The Vault lived up to its intimidating name.

Towering vibranium walls with beams supporting the sides. Fluorescent lights accentuating the historical artifacts kept within the fortified walls. Columns separating each artifact to make it more notable.

The chilly atmosphere contrasted the warm glow of the Mind stone at the other end of the Vault.

Waiting for Thanos made anxiety swirl in his stomach. Anticipation lay heavily in the air, begging to be broken by the arrival of Thanos.

Internally, he wondered why Stephen had kept him here. Most of the Avengers had been left on the battlefield, many of them injured or dealing with the aftermath of the Chitauri. So why had Stephen chosen to keep him to fight? He was at a complete loss and the only reason he could think of was that it had a major influence on the outcome – except that was egoistical. He couldn't be that important, could he?

"Stephen?" He murmured, making the sorcerer glance at him from the other side of the beam they were waiting on. Tony, Thor and Wanda were behind the columns below them, keeping themselves hidden from Thanos if he entered at the same point they had with Stephen's portal.

Wanda was closest to the Mind stone. They had decided that if worst came to worst, she would have to destroy it while they stalled Thanos.

Ideally, they would be able to restrain Thanos for long enough that they would steal at least one Infinity Stone from the gauntlet. He knew Thanos was basically unbeatable – they had struggled to beat him with all the Avengers! If they concentrated all their attacks with the most powerful Avengers available, hopefully they could steal the Infinity Stones.

"Yeah, kid?" Stephen asked.

"Have you seen the outcomes since last year?" He asked, remembering how he had said there were 14,000,605 futures he had seen and there was only one in which they won. Surely the odds had increased in the past year and a half they had been in the past.

Stephen nodded, frowning when he realised what his next question would be. "No, I'm not going to tell you how many we win."

He cursed internally. "Let me guess. Me knowing might change the outcomes?"

"Yes." Stephen sighed. "If I could tell you, I would. If we survive this, maybe I will."

He reluctantly nodded, knowing he had been left with more questions than answers. He knew Stephen trusted him but he also knew he had to consider how telling anyone would change the future. All he could do was hope that they were in a future where they won.

Gusts of wind blew through the Vault as his Spidey-sense rang in his head, making him tense as he watched a smoky black and blue abyss appear where Stephen had opened a portal. Thanos emerged from the void, the smoke clearing up behind him as they all waited with bated breath.

The eerie silence broke when Thanos stepped forwards, the clunk of his armour tearing through the ominous atmosphere like a blade through fabric.

Warily, he watched as Thanos made his way to the Mind stone, the scarlet of Wanda's magic flashing in his peripherals. A scarlet cube formed around the Mind stone as Thanos's eyes widened, his fist clenching as he activated the Power stone.

He brought his fist down on the cube only for the violet of the Power stone to clash against Wanda's magic, the cube remaining in the perfect state it had been before. He didn't know what Wanda had done to improve her powers but thankfully she had enough knowledge to create forcefields that could resist some of the Infinity Stones' powers.

"You humans…you irritate me," Thanos said, turning away from the stone. "You continue to deny reality when I am saving you from ruin."

The piercing shriek of repulsor beams killed the silence as Thanos took a hit to the face, making him stagger slightly before he activated the Space stone as a shield, deflecting Tony's next hit. Tony flew over Thanos, shooting a massive repulsor beam at Thanos's head before landing.

"Stark," he said calmly as he turned to face Tony.

"You throw another boulder at me and I'm gonna lose it," Tony muttered. He wasn't sure if Tony knew his comm was still on but he smirked. "You know me?" He asked Thanos.

"You're not the only one cursed with knowledge." If only Thanos knew how many people in the room that applied to.

Tony huffed. "My only curse is you."

Thor's axe struck Thanos's armour, lightning crackling around the blade as Thanos created a shield using the Power and Space stone, warping the air around him as Tony shot another repulsor beam at him.

Thor's attacks were relentless as he wielded the axe with precision as he summoned lightning to his fingertips, his punches unrestrained as he worked in sync with Tony.

"Kid, pass me your hand," Stephen muttered, prompting to turn towards the sorcerer only to see him holding an intangible amber bracelet. Hundreds of runes formed the bracelet although he had no clue what they meant. Stephen merged the bracelet with where his webshooter was, making the runes glow against his suit.

"The second Thanos uses the Soul stone, pull their astral forms back into their bodies," he instructed before he opened a portal and appeared next to Wanda.

"What-?" Glancing at Thanos, his heart skipped a beat when he saw him clench his fist and activate the Soul stone alongside the Power stone, sending a shockwave of orange at Thor and Tony.

Without hesitation, he dropped down from the beam he had been perched on and used his other webshooter to stop himself from hitting the floor.

Using his momentum, he swung towards Tony's astral form and shot his magical webshooter at it, letting go of the web attached to the beam as he forced Tony's astral form into his body. The web itself was amber like Stephen's magic -it reminded him of when Stephen had enchanted his webshooter to send the villains from other universes into the Alcroft- and the web dissipated in seconds.

His Spidey-sense buzzed and he flipped over the violet lightning streaking towards him, avoiding the Power Stone's strikes as he made his way to Thor's astral form. Ducking under the bolts of purple lightning streaking his way, he shot a web at the Asgardian's unconscious astral form and pulled it towards him.

Crouching next to Thor's unconscious body, he forced Thor's astral form back into its physical state as his Spidey-sense screamed in his head, purple lightning nearing-

A figure appeared out of thin air, twin daggers crossed over each other to deflect the lightning as he realised who his defender was.

His saviour was Loki.

"Brother?" Startling as Thor sat up, he jumped out of the way as the god summoned his axe to his outstretched hand.

"Your saviour has arrived!" Loki smirked before turning to face Thanos.

Common sense told him to get out of the way.

He listened to common sense for once, sprinting to one of the columns as Thanos eyed Loki.

"God of Mischief, your lies often outweigh the truths you speak. It seems you were forthright when you said you didn't have the Space stone but you lied when you said it was destroyed with Asgard. I wonder what judgement will be cast on you when I have all the stones."

Loki huffed, unamused. "I suppose judgement will be left to the higher fates?"

"Indeed." Thanos nodded. "I am simply carrying out my destiny. Humanity's tenaciousness forces them to remain blind to the necessary balance of the universe."

He crept around the column he had hidden behind, making his way to Tony as he quickly gained consciousness.

"Kid, what happened?" Tony asked as he sat up, his damaged faceplate repairing itself with nanobots until it was whole again.

"Your soul was briefly evicted from your body," he replied quietly, observing Thanos and Loki talk.

"I shouldn't have asked." He chuckled at Tony's response. "Is the wizard done yet?"

"Nearly." He glanced at the pillar Wanda and Stephen were behind. He hoped they would finish whatever enchantment they were meant to be creating because Loki wouldn't be able to stall for much longer. Well, he hoped Loki was stalling for their sakes.

His Spidey-sense buzzed in the back of his head as Thanos clenched his fist, the Power Stone glowing as Thor's grip on he shifted into an attacking stance.

The room flashed with light, purple lightning meeting Thor's crackling lightning. Explosions echoed within the Vault as the Reality Stone glowed, turning Thor's lightning into harmless bubbles as the god's eyes widened.

Without hesitation, Thor grabbed his axe and swung at Thanos's chest, the screeching of metal deafening his ears as he winced. Tony stood up beside him, his repulsors firing up as he raised his hand and blasted at Thanos.

Shooting a concussive web at Thanos, he internally sighed with relief when Stephen emerged from behind the pillar with Wanda, both of their hands glowing with magic. Wanda threw scarlet blasts at Thanos, distracting him as Stephen created magic blades, sending them flying towards him.

The titan grunted under the strain of his attackers and clenched his fist, activating the Power and Space stones to create a shockwave that made the floor ripple with its might.

Jumping onto a column to avoid the shockwave, he watched as Thor slammed his axe into the ground to slow himself down as he was thrown backwards, the vibrations his axe made by tearing into the floor countering the shockwave.

Wanda steadied herself using her magic and Stephen formed a magic shield that also protected Tony before he fired up his repulsors and flew towards Thanos, his nanobots forming a blade in his left hand.

Deftly avoiding the blast of violet energy from the Power stone, Tony engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Thanos as Loki joined in and they took on the titan to try and overwhelm him.

Well aware of the job he needed to complete, he jumped into the fray and shot another concussive web at Thanos's head. He doubted it would do much damage but he distracted Thanos enough that Loki stabbed the area connecting his shoulder armour to his chest plate, making Thanos grunt in pain.

"All this, just for a drop of blood," he remarked, ripping the dagger out of his flesh and discarding it like it was a toy before he punched Loki in the stomach, throwing the god across the room.

Activating his Iron Spider arms to manoeuvre him around Thanos, he leaped at the titan's arm and grasped at the gauntlet, his fingers centimetres away from the Soul stone as he clawed at the metal-

Pain exploded in his back as Thanos threw his hand out to the side, slamming him into a column.

Desperation fuelled him as he fought past the stinging pain, ducking his head to avoid Wanda's mistimed magical blast, barely registering how erratic his heartbeat was as he touched the Soul Stone-

His Spidey-sense screamed in his head as the Power Stone glowed, bound to send another shockwave. His fingers touched the Soul Stone and he gripped it, eyes widening as a portal opened around the gauntlet.

Boom!

Thanos cried out as he staggered forwards, throwing Peter viciously off him as the shockwave hit his head. The swooping sensation in his stomach stopped as metallic hands gripped his arm, stopping him from hitting the ground too quickly.

The portal above Thanos's head stopped the shockwave from hitting him just in time.

Glancing at Stephen, he nodded at him gratefully. The last thing he needed was a concussion.

Darting behind a column, he opened his previously clenched fist to see the Soul Stone in his palm.

"So, was this your plan all along?" Thanos asked, flexing the gauntlet as he gazed at each of the Avengers. "Steal the Infinity Stones to slow me down."

"Monsters like you shouldn't have access to such power," Thor replied, glaring at Thanos.

"I tire of your games."

His Spidey-sense buzzed as he peered around the edge of the column, the glow of the Infinity Stones increasing how intense the buzzing was until it was all he could hear.

Thanos clenched his fist, slamming his palm into the floor as a blast of bluish smoke exploded from the gauntlet, shrouding the room in darkness.

Turning on his night vision lenses as he crawled up the column, he squinted as he made out the faint outline of someone – oh shit!

Dropping from the column as a purple blast shot at him, he dodged Thanos's next punch. The glow of the Infinity Stones became an ever-present line in his vision as he dodged Thanos's attacks.

Had he figured out Peter had the Soul stone? It was too quick for him to realise it!

He wouldn't be able to use the Soul Stone to defend himself. He had no clue how to use it and there was probably some requirement that was different to the other Infinity Stones if he was able to hold it and not die in the process.

The familiar scream of repulsor beams firing up filled his ears and he dropped to the floor to avoid getting hit, rolling to the side before getting up and shooting a web at the ceiling to get out of Thanos's range-

Snap!

His stomach dropped as his webline was cut in half, leaving him to fall to the ground- ouch.

His shoulder smashed into the ground as he hit the floor. Yelping, he forced himself to stagger up and move out of the way as Thor's axe flew past him, a gust of wind following it.

Crunch.

Wincing at the horrific sound of Thanos's armour being destroyed, he sprinted towards Stephen as the sorcerer sent another wave of daggers towards Thanos, some of them hitting their mark as the titan hissed in pain.

They had to end this soon.

Adrenaline surged through him as the bluish smoke cleared away, showing Thor's axe in Thanos's chest as the god glared at Thanos murderously.

"I told you, you'd die for what happened before," Thor growled, lightning flashing in his eyes as he forced Thanos to his knees.

Thanos stared at Thor, something akin to pity simmering in his eyes. "You…should have gone for the head."

Clenching his fist, Thanos created a shockwave that made the ground tremor with such violence he lowered himself to the floor only for his eyes to widen as the beam he had perched on earlier crashed to the ground. He shot a web at the wall to find somewhere to stick to, trying to think of a plan to steal another stone.

Thanos's pained grunt reached his ears as he watched the titan throw Thor to the side before catching Loki's daggers and stabbing him in the stomach, tossing him to the floor as Tony and Wanda shot blasts at him.

Using the Space Stone to create a shield, he stormed towards the Mind Stone as he activated the Reality and Power stones, rendering Tony and Wanda's blasts harmless as they turned into bubbles. Tony didn't give up, flying towards Thanos with his nanobot-formed blade as he tried to stab the titan's neck.

Thanos grabbed his wrist as he neared his neck, twisting around and slamming Tony into a column as Tony fired up his shield, protecting him from being knocked out.

Stephen intervened, creating a magical whip as he drew the attention away from Tony. Wanda flew towards Thanos as he shot a purple blast at her, hitting her head.

Swinging towards Wanda as her eyes fluttered shut and her magic stopped protecting her, he grabbed her by her waist as she fell and placed her next to Loki, taking the god's reluctant nod as a sign he would try and keep her out of the way.

Stephen continued fighting Thanos, trying to keep himself as the centre of attention as his whip wrapped around Thanos's arm and the titan hissed before grabbing the whip with the gauntlet and yanking it. Stephen's eyes widened as Thanos threw him forwards, slamming him into several pillars before the whip dissipated and he was unconscious on the floor.

Dodging Thanos's lightning as his Spidey-sense rang out, he clutched the Soul Stone in his fist. He had to keep out of Thanos's range if he wanted to keep it safe-

The air was knocked out of his lungs as the beam pinned him to the floor, his vision going hazy as his head hit the ground too quickly. The blue aura around the beam made it weigh much more than it was, leaving him unable to lift it off of himself as he struggled.

His head pounded as Tony's repulsor beams fired and he fought Thanos before the titan grabbed his shield and crushed it to nothing, leaving Tony defenceless as he grabbed his ankle and slammed him against the column.

"Tony!" He involuntarily cried out as Tony's body went limp and Thanos dropped him to the ground.

How had everything gone so wrong so quickly?!

Fear froze in his chest, leaving an unescapable pressure to weigh him down as Thanos walked towards him, his fist clenched as the Space stone continued glowing. He grabbed Peter's wrist and forced his closed fist to open and reveal the Soul stone.

Thanos took the Soul Stone and placed it in next to the Reality Stone, the amber stone glowing as it recognised the other Infinity Stones.

"Your insolence will cost you," Thanos muttered.

His heart sunk as Thanos walked past him, making his way to the Mind Stone as he clenched his fist and made all the stones glow before he raised his hand at the scarlet box surrounding the Mind stone.

He willed all the Infinity Stones to shoot a beam at the scarlet box, amber runes lighting up as precious seconds passed by.

Despair welled in his chest as the scarlet box started to flicker, the magic weakening against the might of the Infinity Stones -or maybe it was Wanda being unconscious that weakened her protective enchantment- before it disappeared.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched Thanos reach towards the Mind Stone before he rescinded his hand, his expression amused as he turned towards Peter.

"It seems your sorcerer has one last trick up his sleeve," he said as he strolled towards Peter. "Unfortunately, he will pay the price."

He activated the Space Stone and the blue aura around the beam pinning him to the floor disappeared. Peter frantically reached towards the beam, desperate to escape as Thanos's hand reached towards his throat-

His breath caught in his throat as Thanos's hand clutched his throat, the pressure almost bruising as he wheezed, his heart hammering in his chest as he struggled to breathe. Thanos stood to his full height as he continued to half-strangle him, turning to face the end of the corridor.

"Let go of him."

Stephen's voice echoed in the Vault as he stood a few metres away from Thanos, his gaze unwavering.

"Or what?" Thanos asked. "You have tested my patience for far too long. Your actions will cost you dearly."

He let out a gasp as Thanos tightened his grip on his throat, weakly clawing at his fingers. It was like Goblin in Happy's apartment building all over again-

"Spare his life…and I will give you the stone," Stephen said, his tone resigned. Through his watery vision, he could see Stephen's reluctance.

He choked. "N-no!"

Thanos glanced at him before matching Stephen's gaze. "No tricks." He squeezed his throat for emphasis.

The glow of the Infinity Stones entered his blurred peripheral vision as Thanos pointed it at Stephen as a second warning, waiting for him to give him the Time Stone.

Stephen lifted his thumb and forefinger, his hand trembling as he summoned the Time Stone to him. It floated in between his fingers before hovering in mid-air as it floated towards Thanos, nearing him until Thanos brought the gauntlet forwards and the Time Stone clicked into the knuckle seamlessly, as if it had returned to where it belonged.

Thanos let go of his throat, dropping him gracelessly to the floor. He hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, gasping as air filled his lungs and his chest lightened so he could breathe normally.

Turning towards where the Mind Stone was, he watched helplessly as Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse Stephen's enchantment protecting it. He placed it into the gauntlet, completing the puzzle that would allow him to decimate half the universe.

"You have my respect, sorcerer," Thanos said as he activated the Space Stone. "I hope they remember you."

He opened a portal and left the Vault, leaving him, Stephen and Loki as the last conscious beings.

"Why would you do that?" Loki hissed, pushing himself up against the pillar he lay again. "You time travellers better have an amazing reason for letting Thanos win."

"You knew?" Stephen asked wearily.

"The second I met him in Odin's Vault, I knew there was something off about your presence here." Loki glared at them as if it was their fault they all lost.

He couldn't say the god was wrong.

They had changed the timeline to move the Infinity Stones to where Thanos didn't expect them to be, hoping their movements made a fucking difference to their future when none of it mattered. Thanos had won.

Struggling to his feet with wheezy breaths, he made his way to Tony, his throat aching with physical and emotional pain as he made sure he was still alive.

"Karen, vitals?" He croaked out, his repressed tears making his vision blurrier. Now wasn't the time to cry. He didn't want to break down here. They needed to warn everyone what was going to happen. How would they explain the devastation the Snap would wreak across the universe?

"Kid?" He faced Tony, moving backwards so Tony could sit up. "Where's Thanos?"

He didn't trust himself to speak.

"Thanos won." Tony turned to face Stephen before using the pillar to support himself as he stood, his helmet rescinding. His eyes were wide with disbelief, as if he couldn't believe what had happened.

"What?" Tony's voice shook.

"He forced my hand and I had to give him the Time Stone. He reversed the enchantments we placed on the Mind Stone and collected all the Infinity Stones," Stephen replied stiffly.

His mind didn't focus on the rest of their conversation as he watched Thor regain consciousness and stumble next to Loki, both of them watching Tony and Stephen's defeated conversation. Wanda woke up a couple of seconds later, confusion morphing with despair as she realised what had happened.

They had lost.

His Spidey-sense hummed in the back of his head, the feeling different to when it warned him of danger.

Normally the danger would be present, within the vicinity, preventable.

He had only felt this once before.

No.

Please.

Not again.

He looked at Stephen, his eyes wide with fear when he realised what was happening.

Stephen met his stare and, with resignation in his eyes, walked over to him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he lowered his voice so only Peter could hear what he was saying.

"It was the only way."

Something twinged in his chest like a fraying string. Did he mean…?

"Something's not right," Loki murmured as he leaned against the column for support. He looked away from Stephen to see what the god meant.

His blood froze as he saw the god's hand turn to dust.

"The sun will shine on us again, brother." Loki's body turned to dust, floating towards the floor to its resting place.

Hands shaking as his body started stinging, he turned to face Stephen, unable to move his body as he watched the sorcerer nod, acknowledging the inevitability of their situation. His hands turned to dust before the rest of his body crumbled seconds later, leaving a chasm between him and Tony.

His nerves felt as if they had set themselves on fire as he stumbled around Stephen's remains, tearing his mask off his face as he looked at Tony.

There was no guarantee he would come back.

"Tony-" he choked out, barely able to form a sentence as his healing factor tried to repair itself against the will of the Infinity Stones.

"Pete, you're fine, you're-" Tony caught him as his body collapsed, "-fine."

Tony lowered him to the ground as he fought for his vocal chords to work for him one last time, his lower body and torso turning to dust.

"I'm sorry."