Today's Quote: "For as long as I can remember I just wanted to do what was right."  

-Steve Rogers

*Infinity War spoilers, and possible Avengers 4 spoilers. Trigger warning, maybe? Truthfully, i'm really sorry. i am, okay. Infinity War literally killed me like seven times over and i've just been waiting for the new trailer to drop so this is where i bury myself. Send help, please. Tiny bit of Romangers implied, as well*

"Steve, we have him in sight, all eyes are on target," Nat's calm voice rang in Cap's ears, despite the air being thick with stress. 

"Copy that," he murmured back before clicking his earpiece off, stalking behind the tall marble pillar of Titan. 

Thanos awaited, standing in the center of the plaza, alone. 

He knew they were all here; he knew why they were here. They weren't simply here on account of receiving vengeance, they were here to right his wrongs, and to mend the universe he had shattered. 

Cap didn't know why he was so terrified - he had been through enough missions like this before, back in World War II and even with his time at SHIELD. But nothing compared to what was racing through his head right now - the constant thoughts of worry, and the overwhelming feeling of being apprehensive towards the thought of failure. Rogers was even sure that he had seen images of his life flashing before his eyes, and he was forced to blink away the vivid memories of his life pre-serum, and the time he had spent after, knowing that that very well could be a sign of his demise in the moments to come. 

For a moment, he closed his eyes and took a much needed breathe. This is it, the end of the journey we all started on years ago. This is the one final thing that will test us, the one final reminder of who we are and the one final chance to make things right permanently. 

Captain Rogers tried to be brave, for he knew that the rest of the world - the universe even - was depending on him in this very moment. That thought alone brought tremendous stress upon his shoulders, knowing that if he didn't succeed right here, right now, time as everyone knew it may fall to ruins, and be started again under the mad titan's horrific reign. 

But no matter how hard he tried, he was still afraid. Who wouldn't be? It was terrifying to think of how you were walking straight to your death, knowing that you would never see the light of another day. He knew this was how true heroes went, fighting for the better good - but was this really what he wanted? Was he willing to give his own life to protect billions of others?

Yes, this is what I was born to do. It's what I've dreamt of doing my entire life. 

He took one final breath, before he he shot around at lightning speed, making a mad dash for the center of the plaza. 

Thanos caught his gaze instantly, and spun around to meet Rogers, his gauntlet ready as the Power Stone began to shine at Cap, and Thanos' face twisted upwards in an evil grin.

He leapt for the titan, his shield in which Tony had returned poised and ready to block Thanos' delivering blow. As expected, purple light shot from the gauntlet and right towards Steve, who threw up his shield at the last moment. Thanos was much stronger however, and the blow swept Cap clean from the air and hurled him across the plaza, before he slammed awkwardly into the ground. He recovered instantly, lifting his head to find that Widow and Stark had sprang into action, Stark darting around in the air above Thanos, firing his weaponry system like a mad man, in a desperate attempt to find some sort of weakness. Widow worked lower, kicking about at Thanos' legs and feet, trying to force him to stumble as he dodged Tony. 

Steve raced back to the scene as Scott materialized off of Thanos' left shoulder, delivering a punch underneath Thanos' jaw that made the titan roar in fury as he stumbled back. Tony took the precious few seconds to fire right in the titan's face, causing him to scream louder. 

All of their efforts were in vain however, as two of the six stones erupted in an explosion of powerful light that hurled the superheroes backwards with astounding force, causing them to slam into the outer walls. All expect for Tony, who was able to fire up the repulsors in time to escape slamming into the wall.

Stark recovered in an instant, shooting back towards Thanos, diving to the side as Thanos fired at him again. Steve sprinted back to the fight, not even waiting for the signal from Scott he was supposed to receive, before he flung himself at the titan, ramming into his chest and shoving Thanos backwards. 

The titan was quick to react, however, and quickly tore Cap from his front with his gloved hand, and once again Cap was airborne, flying through the air like a jet, before he - again - was met with the hard face of the wall, this time causing Cap's vision to blur as he fell to the ground. His muscles were already screaming, and he knew that they would never win like this - it would keep going on and on until everyone grew too tired and . . . well, Thanos won. 

If only Thor were here . . .

Cap was mentally cursing himself for instructing Thor to leave with Carol, Bruce, and Rhodey to travel back to Dr. Strange's time, to forewarn him of Thanos. They could've used Stormbreaker right now, or the Hulk.

But then again, they hadn't expected to find Thanos here, and this was possibly the last chance they would get to defeat the mad titan, as he was entirely alone, and for once hadn't anticipated the Avengers' arrival. 

As Steve's vision returned to normal, he noticed that Scott and Nat had returned to the fight, Lang being a mere blur as he maneuvered around Thanos' attacks, shrinking back and forth as he tried to get blows of his own in. Widow dashed about here and there, spending most of her time dodging and barrling swiftly out of Thanos' way.

Just as Thanos closed his hand to use another stone, Tony's suit released some sort of iron net, that wrapped itself tightly around the gauntlet and then attached its other end to Thanos' metal tunic and then the back of his shoulder blade, forcing his hand apart, preventing it from closing. 

The titan screamed in frustration. The net wouldn't hold him long, they all knew that, and within seconds Steve was there again, delivering a spinning kick to Thanos' jaw, causing him to stumble backwards, only to meet Scott's foot as he morphed back to his normal size, kicking Thanos square in the spine before shrinking again. Meanwhile, Nat fired several pieces of smaller tech at Thanos neck, and they quickly erupted with tiny lighting bolts, indicating electricity that jolted throughout his neck, causing his free hand to reach up to tug it off desperately as the pain shot through him. As he attempted however, Tony arrived, firing both repulsors at his hand before kicking Thanos square in the face with his solid, metal suit. Thanos fell to his knees, roaring in fury and frustration. 

Steve wasted no time, as he instantly dove for the gauntlet, where the net was starting to snap in several places. He's too strong . . . 

He twisted and tugged at it, Nat joining him, while Tony was able to lash out at Thanos' free hand to keep him occupied. Scott however, was nowhere in sight. 

"DAMMIT! GET OFF!" Cap yelled, gritting his teeth. But no matter how hard they pulled, it refused to budge. 

"THAT DOESN'T WORK ON ME ANYMORE!" Thanos thundered as the final strings on the net snapped, and instantly the stones flashed boldly as he closed his hand and lashed out at Widow and Cap. 

Steve managed to throw up his shield in time to deflect the worst part of the blow, but Nat had been directly hit and instantly hit the dusty floor with an explosion of dirt, unconscious. 

Steve's stomach lurched, and for a moment he was frozen in shock, worry tearing through his body like a tornado. 

A moment was all the titan needed, however, and before he had time to react Cap's shield was knocked away from him and he was snatched roughly by the leg and slammed into the ground over and over again. 

His head was reeling, and pain tore through his body with an earth-shattering force, as he thought he could feel every bone in his body snap in two. Every time he hit the ground he screamed in agony, unable to suppress the horrible cries from escaping his lips. Thanos was relentless, even as Tony jabbed at the titan, but the blade simply wouldn't pierce the flesh, and it was as if Thanos had some sort of protective barrier around him that made his skin impenetrable. 

The titan rose from the ground as he tossed Cap away, and he skid roughly and painfully across the dirt, unable to rise again. 

There seemed to be a fire that swept through his body, and he couldn't take it upon himself to open his eyes, as nothing in his body seemed to be functioning properly. He groaned in pain, as another wave came boring down upon him. He tried to lift himself up and failed, falling back to the ground. 

He was in so much pain, it was hard to tell if what he was feeling was real or not. Perhaps that was why he didn't feel someone grab at his legs until he felt the floor fall away beneath him, and he felt as if he were floating in mid air. 

Then suddenly the ground was there again, and it took his mind a moment to process the fact that he was being rammed into the ground over and over, almost as if someone was trying to grind him through the rubble-covered surface and shove him to the center of the planet. Get up, snap out of it! Fight BACK! He screamed at himself, trying to force the energy back to his muscles. 

But he failed again as the hard surface of the ground met his body again, slamming through all of his bones. 

"ROGERS!" he heard someone scream, although the voice was distant and seemed to echo around in his mind. Then there was a loud boom, and the sound was similar to that of a massive explosion, like a bomb going off. 

This triggered Cap, as memories of his previous war days washed over him. Suddenly, however, he was on the ground again, only this time he stayed put. 

But it was not to last. 

It seemed like mere seconds before he felt strong fists pounding down on him, the being's large hands hitting him from every which direction. He couldn't anticipate any of the attacks, as he was blinded by his closed eyelids which had refused to open in the sudden desperation of the moment. So he threw his weak arms up with what little strength he had, knowing there would be nothing be could do. I'm going to die. 

And he truly believed it. He was going to die - right here, right now. He was going to die in vain, in a losing battle that could've been skillfully won and tactically conquered. 

Eventually, his arms fell to his sides in exhaustion and he submitted to his fate, unable to fight it any longer. The endless pounding continued, and he could've sworn he heard someone still distantly screaming his name, worry and horror woven into their voice. 

Then came the final blow - the last attack that would finish him off and kill him, snatching him away from the land of the living and into the land of the dead, a land of vastly forgotten people and heroes who were never heard of again. 

The one final attack didn't feel like a punch like it previously had, however - it felt . . . unlike anything he had ever felt before. It wasn't a stabbing, exactly, but it wasn't a burning pain either - it was so indescribable there was no way to put it correctly into words. How could he explain something he didn't understand?

Perhaps . . . perhaps it felt like the last of his life was being drained slowly and painfully, as if someone had taken a pipette and decided to suck the life out of him as slowly as they possibly could until there was nothing left but a paled, lifeless corpse. 

Was this truly, honestly, what it felt like to die? To lose all you'd fought for your entire life, only to feel and meet this terrible, awful end? Was this what it felt like to sacrifice yourself, to die a hero's death and hope that people would remember you with honor and tell stories about you to their grandchildren? If so, than why did he feel as though his entire body seemed to cease of all emotion? Was this what death was truly like - to have your emotions stolen from you as you bid goodbye to the world?

It was as if all emotions were stripped from his body, snatched away and torn into a billion pieces in front of his very eyes. For a moment, there was nothing - no pain, no hurt, no suffering; he couldn't cry, or scream, or wail; for a moment, it was emptiness. It was nothing. It was a void, a dried-up sea of once powerful emotions and feelings that had once thrived within him, now empty and dead, ceasing to exist. 

But then the torment resumed, and came crashing down upon him just as quickly as it had left.

His ears were still ringing, and his body was sore and in flaring pain. His skin felt as if it was being stretched so far that it was starting to tear apart, and his head felt like it would burst if he thought about anything too long. 

The ringing in his ears drained out the crashing and booming noises that echoed around him, beating like some kind of insane wardrum. He grunted as he felt his body give in on itself, and his eyes sealed more tightly together, as if there was some sort of super glue that prevented them from opening. His lips formed a thin line, and the loud, ringing song in his head grew so immensely deafening that it became painful, and sent courses of nausea rolling throughout his body, tearing through his systems like some sort of poison, infecting his every muscle and blood cell with its toxic venom. He rolled over - or it least it felt like it - so he was lying on his stomach. His lungs were heaving, trying desperately to keep him conscious. His heart was beating faster than the speed of light it seemed, pounding profusely in its mad haste to keep his burning blood flowing. He knew he should've been dead by now. Any normal human would've been - the serum was the only thing keeping him alive. 

And then all of a sudden, he was staring at himself. 

His old self, his life pre-serum. His skinny, useless, weak self that he had once despised. He saw himself in the training camps, as he worked endlessly in a desperate attempt for someone to notice him, and make him into someone he could be proud to be. Then there was Peggy, the first woman who had made him into someone, the first person he could say he loved. Of course, Bucky was there, the one true friend that had been with him through thick and thin. No matter what happened, Buck was always there in the end, always by his side. 

Only this time, he wasn't - he wasn't there. He was gone, too, taken the same way Steve was. 

Then there was his life that had started after the super-soldier serum, a life that - unbeknownst to him at the time - would be filled with victories, joy, pride, loss, pain, suffering, and defeat. Before he knew it, his brain was showing him Red Skull, and the battles he had fought endlessly in for what had seemed like a hundred years.

Then, he was falling. Plummeting in the Hydra bomber, the sea careening towards him at lightning speed. He could hear Peggy's voice, and the sadness that clung to it. However, his life kept moving, a once seemingly endless journey he had started on that one Fourth of July, many, many years ago. 

Soon he was taken through New York, then battling Ultron, and then finally, he found himself in Wakanda, before his memory drew to a blank and was enveloped in darkness. He hadn't been shown the years after, the years they had spent planning their attempt to bring down Thanos. 

So, was this where his story ended? Was this the period at the end of the sentence, the end of his road?

The imminent darkness swirled around him, like dark clouds of nothingness that hovered over his mind and soul, wanting to swallow him into their shadows of mystery. 

Suddenly, his ocean blue eyes were opening, slowly, but surely. His vision was so heavily blurred that at first he only saw the white light that clouded his eyes, as if someone had shone a flashlight in his face. He felt numb now, his body turning immune to the horrendous pain he had been in for what seemed like ages now. 

Where was he? He struggled to remember. He couldn't recall how long he'd been like this, either. What happened? Did they win?

A dark black figure began to take form through his vision, and then he slowly recognized the silhouette of a woman, a woman with striking blonde hair and piercing hazel-green eyes. She was beaten and bruised however, and bleeding in multiple places.

Natasha. 

He remembered her, from when she was last knocked unconscious. 

"Steve? Oh thank god . . ."

She . . .  she was speaking to him. The voice was muffled and sounded like he was listening to her through headphones, but the voice was very much recognizable. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His vision faded in and out as his nerves began to tingle, and he suddenly was very alert of the taste of blood in his mouth. Wheezing, he barely managed, "Did we win?"

Nat laughed softly, her voice echoing around in his ears. "We did, I guess," she said, although her voice was stern and sad. 

Cap's face twisted with worry, expressing as much emotion as his body allowed. It was then that his eyes sight focused in on the outline of a body, one that wa partially covered in red and gold metal. Next to it, was the seemingly lifeless corpse of a purple titan-looking being, his neck torn open, scorch marks painted all over his body. 

Steve sharply inhaled, despite the pain in his lungs. No gauntlet. 

He should have been happy. He should have smiled. 

But he didn't. He couldn't. 

They had won, but what had it cost? The life of millions. The life of heroes. T'challa, Dr. Strange, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Vision, Groot, Parker, Quill, Gamora, Drax, Mantis, and now, Tony. Even Loki, the once horrible, crude villain, had given his life and died a hero. 

A line of heroes, gone, their lives snatched away and cut short by the same titan that had terrorized entire galaxies.

This was too much. It was too hard to take in, too hard to believe, mostly because he didn't want to believe it. 

He started to hyperventilate, his lungs starting to heave till he felt as if he was choking on his own air. Pain shot all around him, blood dribbling down the sides of his face and onto the dusty floor. Natasha started to shake him violently, seemingly forgetting about his current state. "No, Rogers, don't do this," she hissed, angry and sad and frustrated all at the same time. "STOP it! You need to calm down!"

But he was losing control, the sight of Tony's dead body sending him into a frenzy, as visions of everyone else's death flashed never-endingly through his mind, flashing like the bright headlights of a car. 

His heart was beating fast again, his pulse accelerating. 

"ROGERS!" Nat screamed at him, trying to calm him down. 

It was no use - he knew he was slipping away, he felt it. He felt it with the way his bones were quivering, the way his blood was boiling, the way his head was swimming in circles as the world began to spin. "We didn't . . . . w-we didn't win,"he choked, more scarlet blood drooling lazily down the corners of his mouth. 

Nat looked at him for a long moment, as Steve's wheezing and painful coughing began to die down, and his pulse began to slow. "You're right," she said, looking guiltily over her shoulder at Tony. His vision was starting to cloud over from the corners of his eyes, the familiar darkness slowly dragging him in. 

"We don't win without you," she said finally, although he could barely hear her voice anymore. It was being drained into the quiet, as was all other sound.  

I'm with you to the end of the line pal, Bucky's voice rang in his head. 

Is this my end of the line?

Is this where my story ends?

"Don't do it, Rogers," her voice echoed again, although it was no louder than a whisper to Steve. His eyes started to cloud over, but he could still recognize the desperation on her face, and the pain and hurt that was starting to settle in her eyes. She knew what was going to happen. "Don't do it. I know you can hear me. We need you. You are our victory."

Victory . . . 

The word rattled around in his head, and beat its way down to his chest, invading his heart and lifting his soul. Maybe they had won . . .

Thanos was dead. The gauntlet was gone. The remaining team could reverse this, they could fix this mess, right?

The cost had been great, but the result . . . the endgame . . . it had become something so much more, something so much better than the future they had wanted to tie around the world. Everyone would come back; families reunited; nations brought back together again. Everyone was being given a second chance at life, and from first-hand experience, Steve knew just how incredible that gift was. 

He had left his mark on history. He had ended his road, sure, but what he had given to the world in return was in truth much greater, much happier than the sadness his death would bring. 

He knew he'd be missed, he'd be mourned - but that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing, was that he'd finally done what was right - he'd fought until the end, giving his all and fighting with not only his strength but with his spirit. He had offered his soul to this one final battle, this one final test. And death? It was simply the price of a hero. 

He knew the others who had died, the other Avengers - had the same thought process. They couldn't be afraid of death. They knew it would be sad on those they loved, but they had to rejoice, and be grateful that they had given their lives meaning, and that their life had a lasting purpose. They would always be here, as it was the Almighty Avengers' promise to the world. 

They'd always be here to protect the universe, and its billions of galaxies, even if they weren't physically here. 

All of his previous negative thoughts drifted away, being replaced by the sweet and wondrous taste of victory, a victory that he was starting to understand. 

Sure, they had lost a lot. Sure, many lives were cut short. But for good reasons. They had pulled through in the end. They would all be greatly missed, but they would be remembered. 

Suddenly, death didn't seem so scary. It seemed . . . calming. He wasn't afraid anymore. Steve's heart reached out to everyone else's, as one final goodbye.

It was then, that for one final time, Steve Rogers was completed - heart and soul, he felt more like himself than he ever had. He smiled hopefully, feeling his eyes twinkling.

"Don't worry, Nat," he spoke softly, all pain and ability to feel draining from his body. "It's okay." 

She shook her head. "Don't you die on me, Rogers. Don't do it . . ."

"Nat, listen to me," he demanded softly, suddenly able to ignore the shooting pain that had once rang throughout him. It was as if the pain had completely vanished, and a sense of everlasting peace rocked through him, almost like a soft, peaceful, harmonic lullaby lulling him away to eternal sleep. With new-found confidence, and one final outburst of energy, he spoke to her, "It's okay. We did it, we won. Thanos is gone. All there's left to do is reverse his curse, and bring everyone back. It's alright, really." 

"No, Steve. It's not alright. You can't die, it can't end like this. We can help heal you, you'll be okay. Please . . . Stark . . . Stark is . . . he's already gone. I can't lose you too . . ."

"You're not losing me, Nat. You never will. I'll always be there, watching over you, just like Stark and the others who can't be revived. You can't get rid of us. Our spirits are still here, in all of you, as they always will be." He paused before going on, wanting his final words to have meaning. "My entire life, I've only wanted one thing . . . to do what was right. I was given that chance, multiple times. Every time, I was able to sneak by - to get away with what I thought was the right choice. But now, I'm certain - this is my legacy, Natasha. This is the life I wanted to live. Sure, I've made mistakes. Who hasn't? But our mistakes are what make us shine, are what make us who we are. Actions speak louder than words. I know you think you're losing me. I know it's hard, I've felt what you're feeling before. But death is not the end. It's a beginning. It's the shape of a new fate, the birth of a new light. There will always be bad people, Nat. But for every bad person there's a good hero on their tails, giving anything and everything to do what they know is right. I can rest knowing that I've left a mark on the universe. I've saved people, just as everyone else has. Natasha, I lived. And that's the greatest gift anyone could ever receive."

He breathed, long and heavy, gazing into her eyes as his vision began to fully fade away. He saw her tearing up, which was strange to see for Widow. But most of all, he saw her smiling. You jerk, she mouthed. Or, she could've said it - but either way, he couldn't hear anymore. 

He mirrored her grin, hoping that she could see the joy in his eyes, so she would know that she didn't have to worry. 

Then slowly, he finally gave in, letting the tranquil silence surround him as his eyes fluttered shut, taking him down below into their calming darkness. His nerves faded away, his heartbeat ceased, and there was nothing but silence. Silence, and happiness. 

He wasn't sad, or angry, or frustrated, or in grief, or in pain - no, he was only happy, pleased with the life he had left behind. 

And when his eyes opened again, he saw all those who had truly perished. 

Everyone was here - Vision, Loki, Gamora, Pietro, Odin, his parents, his family, old soldiers he recognized from his war days, Tony . . . and Peggy, too. Behind them, stood billions upon billions of other people, beings, animals, aliens - whatever you wanted to call them. 

Each and every one of them, was smiling, wrinkles etched in the corners of their face, their grins reaching their eyes as they welcomed their soldier back.

Alast, he was whole, he was himself, he was with his people. 

Finally, he was home.