Whatever It Takes || STEVE ROGERS [6]

2018 ― Upstate New York
"Our best work after the fact? We're the 'Avengers.' We're the 'Avengers,' not the 'Pre-vengers.' Right?"

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth." James Rhodes spoke as all the Avengers were together in the common area of the facility explaining to Carol Danvers what happened in the last 23 days, while a screen showed everyone who had disintegrated during the snap.

"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working... are trying to take a census and it looks like he did... He did exactly what he said he was going to do. Thanos wiped out... 50% of all living creatures." Natasha said, looking around the room. Katherine was standing next to her husband, the remaining avengers were spread around the room, while Thor sat off away from the others because he was pissed.

"Where is he now? Where?" Tony asked. It broke Katherine's heart to see her godson in a wheelchair and hooked up to an IV. She felt like she failed Howard. She swore she would always protect him, and he got lost in space for 23 days and almost died.

How is that protecting him?

"We don't know, T... he just opened a portal and walked through," Katherine said, and then Tony scoffed before looking over at Thor.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked.

"Oh, he's pissed. Nikita disappeared in the snap. He thinks he failed." Rocket added in. "Which of course he did, but... you know, there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?" Rocket said.

"Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear," Tony said, which made Katherine laugh as she shook her head. Even though Tony had been through hell and back and almost died. He still kept up his usual sense of humor.

"Maybe I am." Rocket said.

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep space scans... and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him." Steve said, and Tony immediately looked up and shook his head.

"Who told you that?" He asked, continuing to shake his head. "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet... while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight because he's not beatable." Tony said.

"Okay, T... it's okay." Katherine said her tone softening as she noticed that he was starting to get riled up, so she walked over and sat down next to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Steve asked, and Katherine sighed.

"Steve..." She said shaking her head. She knew that was not something that he should probably be asking at the moment.

"Uh... I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision, I didn't want to believe it. Thought I was dreaming." Tony said, and Steve stood up from the desk that he was leaning against.

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus," Steve said, and Katherine sighed. It's the first time that they've seen each other since Berlin, and Katherine already had a bad feeling this was about to go South.

"And I needed you. As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry." Tony said, and then he took a deep breath. "You know what I need?" He asked, slamming his fist against the table. "I need a shave." He said, quickly standing up and Katherine stood up too.

The rest of the Avengers in the room, Steve, Natasha, Rhodey, all looked at him with sad eyes. They know the weight of fighting and losing to Thanos, but Katherine knew it was hitting him extra hard because he lost Peter in the process, just like they lost Christian and Nikita.