❝ I'VE COME TO BARGAIN ❞
( KEEPERS OF THE STONES )
xvi. it was the only way
chapter sixteen

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TITAN, PRESENT DAY

Lucina slowly turned her head to look over at Strange, wishing that the word hadn't come out of his mouth. She didn't want to see Tony die, but she also didn't want Strange to get in the middle of it. Strange set himself against a large piece of debris, breathing heavily as he met Thanos' eyes.

" Spare his life, and I will give you the Stone. " He promised, and Lucina nearly felt her eyes bug out of her head; Tony looked confused and surprised at the same time, considering Strange's previous words.

Thanos held an unreadable face as he kept the Gauntlet pointed at Tony, " No tricks. "

Strange's face was deadly serious as he firmly shook his head in confirmation. Vero stayed at his father's side, watching the exchange in worry. Lucina looked over at the man, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

" What are you doing? " She asked him in a quiet voice, and Strange met her concerned expression with a calm one, even with blood running down the side of his head.

" Trust me, Lucy. "

Lucina said nothing but just looked down at the ground as Strange eyed Thanos, " I'll give you the Stone, if you let them live. "

Thanos seemed unconvinced, but he shifted the Gauntlet in Strange's direction, holding out his other hand, waiting. Tony grunted in pain as he called out, " Don't. . "

Strange barely spared Tony a glance as he turned to Lucina, watching her with cautious eyes before he assured her, " Everything will be okay, Luce, it'll only hurt for a second. I promise. "

Lucina felt tears building in her eyes as she placed one hand to the front of her tunic; the woman subtly shook her head as she closed her eyes briefly before looking at Strange pleadingly, " He killed Selena. "

Strange gave her a sullen look as he nodded, " I know. "

Lucina's breath shuddered as she kept the tears from falling down her face, pulling her tunic apart to reveal the bandages wrapped tightly around her upper body. The dark haired woman's fingers gripped at one layer of the bandage as she began to pull it off, the Time Stone glowing underneath them.

" It'll be okay. " Strange repeated in a calm, soothing voice as he held one hand out, his palm facing the Stone, green wisps coming from it; Thanos watched them curiously, as Tony and Vero looked on helplessly.

The Time Stone stayed hesitant for a moment before it suddenly ripped out of Lucina's skin, flying into Strange's hand. She heaved a long breath as she endured the short, sharp pain as Strange took the Stone in his fingers and presented it to Thanos, proving it was real.

He let the Stone go, watching it slowly glide over into Thanos' hand. Lucina felt helpless but guilty in the same beat as she wrapped the tunic back around her body, slouching her shoulders. Thanos looked down at the Time Stone as if he was examining it, then he hovered it over the Gauntlet; it stayed in the air for a moment, then it locked into its place.

The four of them watched with hopelessness in their eyes as the power surged through Thanos. He smiled proudly at the Gauntlet, flexing his fingers before uttering, " One to go. "

Then, out of nowhere, a weak blast hit the Gauntlet, making everyone flinch. Quill appeared, flying over to them, shouting angrily as he continued to shoot at Thanos, who simply raised the Gauntlet and created a portal. He was gone within seconds, and Vero just fell to the ground in defeat. Sullen looks covered their faces as Quill came to a stop in front of them, taking his helmet off and looking around wildly.

" Where is he?! " He exclaimed, pointing his blaster every which way until he registered the looks on the others' faces; his own expression dropped as the realization set in.

Tony sealed his wound on the outside by freezing it, activating a feature in his suit that hadn't been destroyed by the battle. The man looked absolutely defeated and hopeless, leaning back against the rock with a deadened expression.

" Did we just lose? " Quill finally asked, and Vero suddenly chucked a piece of debris across the horizon, screaming " Damn it! " in frustration.

Tony didn't even flinch at the sound, he just looked over at Strange with an expression that Vero has never seen on his father's face. The younger Stark glanced over, and his dad furrowed his eyebrows.

" Why would you do that? " He asked, and Strange looked over at him, exhaustion written on his face but not sadness, not anger. He was calm.

" We're in the endgame, now. "

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WAKANDA, PRESENT DAY

                     As soon as Helena arrived to help, she saw Itai deflecting Obsidian Cull's scythe strikes with his own two blades. She was unsure of where Vision was, but she figured he was call for help if he needed it at the very moment, so she limped over to help Itai.

                     Cull caught Itai off guard, knocking him on to his feet, lifting his weapon to shove it into the man's chest, but before he could bring it down, Helena jumped in front of Itai and clashed her sword against the scythe. Itai quickly rose back up to his feet, slicing Cull's arm and making him stumble back briefly.

                     Helena heard a pained groan and her eyes quickly scanned the area, head on a swivel as she looked for Vision. She spotted him rather easily, leaning against a log, trying to push himself to stand. He looked injured, but Helena didn't see any surface wounds. Itai shouted in anger as he continued to slam his blades at Cull, on the offensive and the latter blocked his shots rapidly.

                   Helena rushed to put her hand underneath her breastplate, reaching down and grabbing the familiar, plain golden chain from around her neck. The idea popped into her head instantly and she ran over to Vision, kneeling carefully beside him.

                      " You will die, Keeper. " Cull threatened as the two stared each other down, him leering over Itai as he pushed against his two blades connected to his forearms. " They all will. "

                        " You won't live to see it happen. " Itai fired back, suddenly shoving Cull backwards and slashing at his legs while blocking with his other arm.

                     Obsidian Cull hissed in anger but recovered quickly, lunging towards Itai unexpectedly. The man jumped backwards instinctively and fell to the ground, but it wasn't needed as Cull was tackled by Vision before he could even reach the Wakanda native. Vision rose quickly, sending strategic punching to Cull's face and abdomen, blocking when needed, and Itai struggled to stand, suddenly getting lightheaded.

                   Vision miscalculated a block, though, and Cull took advantage, shoving his scythe straight through his stomach, using his other hand to hold the hero by the throat. Vision's hand flew up to clutch at his hand, choking on either blood on the lack of oxygen. Cull grimaced as he glowered down at Vision.

                     " I thought you were a formidable machine. " Cull insisted coldly, ruthlessly tightening his grip around Vision's throat as he lowered his face, " But you'll die like any man. "

                    Cull released Vision, and his took a stumbled step back before collapsing to the ground, falling against a fallen trunk. With a shaky breath that sounded oddly like a laugh, Vision gave a tight-lipped smirk that confused Cull to no end.

                       " I'm no man or machine. " A voice that definitely wasn't Vision's spoke, and, suddenly, Vision rippled before Cull, and his appearance changed to the Asgardian thief; she held a bloody hand to the wound on her stomach, where blood was gushing over her fingers, but she still managed to spit in his face.

                       Realizing he's been tricked, Obsidian Cull growled in frustration and lifted his scythe for the death blow, but was tackled by Steve Rogers before Helena could even dream of dying. Itai finally regained his composure and ran to Helena, the real Vision coming to her aid as well. They threw her arms around either of their shoulders, Itai keeping one hand pressed to her bleeding stomach.

                    " Get out of here! " Steve yelled as he kneeled beside a fallen Cull.

                  They started to walk away, hearing the clanging sound of Steve and Cull clashing against each other, when Vision came to a hesitant stop. Helena jerked forward, groaning in pain and digging her fingernails into Itai's shoulder; he didn't even think about complaining.

                   " Vision, we have to go. " He insisted, trying to pull the man away without hurting Helena any more. " We have to get somewhere safe, now. "

                          " I am done letting people die for me. " Vision countered, but Itai only got more annoyed.

                          " Helena will die for you if we don't leave! " Itai exclaimed, and Vision let his eyes drag from the man to the injured, likely dying woman, and guilt filled them.

                         Helena, however, sucked in a short breath and lightly shook her head at him as she stated, " Go. "

                  Vision looked her directly in the eyes as he nodded gratefully to her, then he took off.

Itai muttered under his breath about Helena's stubbornness and continued to carry the woman across the opening. He carefully leaned down and sat her against a tall standing tree. The Asgardian looked down at her blood-soaked hand grimly.

" No, do not give me that look. " Itai insisted, making the woman look up at him with a dry expression before he leaned forward and gripped her shoulders tightly. " You are not dying, Helena. You still have a duty to do. "

She said nothing as his words sunk in, but Itai quickly turned around hen he heard Vision cry out. Cull laid dead beside his feet, the scythe also discarded and forgotten about in his wake. Vision stumbled backwards, obviously weakened, and Steve helped steady him before they trudged their way to Helena and Itai.

They could still hear the war chants from the battlefield, which gave Itai hope that this was still not over yet. They turned around to see the ships cracking and collapsing, thanks to Thor and his newly created weapon, Stormbreaker. Steve carried Vision over to the duo, but when he caught sight of Helena's his calm demeanor faltered for a minute.

" I'll be alright. " Vision commented, meeting Steve's eyes then nodding towards Helen; he sat down on the ground, breathing heavily as he kept a hand against the slash in his side, golden sparks jumping from it.

Steve moved to check on Helena, just as Wanda flew down to them. The witch ran up to Vision, kneeling before him and clasping hers hands around his face. Itai heard her ask if he was okay, and before he could answer, the Soul Stone flowed in alarm and Vision curled forward in pain.

" What-what is it? " Wanda asked, concern etched into her face as Vision's eyes went wide.

" He's here. " Vision gasped, looking around rapidly for Thanos.

" Wanda, I know you don't want to hear this, " Itai called as Steve left Helena, promising her that he would be back; Itai approaches Wanda and Vision cautiously, " but you must destroy the Stone now. I will protect you until my dying breath, but it has to be done. "

Wanda looked at him in astonishment, she didn't know what to say. She had been preparing for this moment, but now that it was here, she couldn't process it. Instead, though, someone else answered for her.

" No. " A strangled voice said, and the three of them turned to see Helena standing behind them, a hand clutched against her stomach as she raised her head to look at them.

She looked like a walking corpse. Her braided hair was stringy and wild, her warpaint was smudged and blended with the black goo from the creatures. Cuts and bruises adorned her face and her exposed skin, and her leg looked like it was barely functional, long, jagged teeth marks wrapping around her knee. Her hands were coated in her own blood, and the Sword of Serenity hung loosely from her grip.

She looked like an Asgardian warrior.

" Do not destroy the Stone unless you have no other choice. " Helena ordered, looking at Wanda solemnly, her face almost too tired to hold any form of expression. Then, she looked to Itai. " I will protect the Stone, you don't have to do this anymore. "

" Like hell. " Itai retorted, furrowing his eyebrows at the woman. " I'm not leaving you. This is my duty, remember? "

Helena looked mildly impressed, a half hearted grin on her face at his response. Steve came back around, a finger raised to his earpiece as everything seemed to go still. The other sound anyone could hear was the rustling wind.

" Everyone, on my position. " He called, " We have incoming. "

Now, most of the Avengers stood with them. Natasha, Sam, Rhodey, Bruce, T'Challa, Okoye, Bucky, Rocket, and Groot gathered just before a bright blue portal appeared at the edge of the woods. Everything went silent, so much so that Itai was sure he could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Then, a big, purple-skinned man walked through the portal, which closed behind him. He wore golden armor that looked pristine, like he hadn't just battled the other half of the Avengers on Titan. On his left hand was the Infinity Gauntlet, missing only one of the Stones. Helena narrowed her eyes at the Power Stone, clutching the sword tighter. Thanos just stared at the line of heroes before him.

" Cap, " Bruce said, " that's him. "

With that, Steve activated his new shield and ordered, " Eyes up. Stay sharp. "

Then, one by one, the Avengers attacked. Thanos walked painfully slow towards them, like he knew he didn't need to use any of his effort against their attacks. Bruce lunged at him, but he only used the Space Stone to phase Bruce passed him, pinning him down within the rocks. With a swipe of his hand and the Power Stone, Steve went flying, then he grabbed a leaping T'Challa by the throat, punching him into the ground.

Itai became increasingly more nervous as he continued to back up, now heaving Vision on his shoulder as Wanda stood behind him, Helena standing off to the side defensively. Sam flew at Thanos, shooting and yelling at the same time, but it took one blast of energy from the Gauntlet to knock him down.

Vision made Itai let him go as they backed up as far as they could, the remaining Avengers defending them. He kneeled in front of Wanda, grasping her hand with a pleading expression in his eyes.

" Wanda, it's time. " He whispered, and Helena felt herself subconsciously want to fight the decision, but, as she saw more and more heroes go down, she realized that this was the only way to save humanity as they know it.

" No, " Wanda insisted, shaking her head and turning back around, but Vision grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

" They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can. " He reminded her, and she reluctantly turned around, tears settling in her eyes. " Look at me, you have the power to destroy the Stone, you must, Wanda— "

Amidst Wanda's adamant, teary eyed protests, Vision kept pulling her back, taking her hand and placing it against his cheek.

" We are out of time. " He told her softly; Wanda shook her head, insisting that she couldn't do it. Vision steadily took her hand and placed it in front of his face, hovering it over the Stone. " Yes, you can. If he gets this Stone, half the universe dies. "

" Wanda, " Helena finally broke in, disbelieving that she was even saying this, " he's right. I'm afraid. . this is the only option we have left. . . I'm sorry. "

The witch looked at the dying Asgardian with tears streaming down her face, but she quickly turned back to Vision with a regretful look on her face.

" It's not fair, it shouldn't be you but it is. " Vision told her, giving her a reassuring smile, " It's all right, you could never hurt me. I just feel you. "

Then, Itai and Helena watched as the red magic began to grow from Wanda's palm, quickly exploding into a strong beam as she began to blast the Stone. Vision jerked back, his cape blowing behind him from the intensity.

Thanos continued his assault on the Avengers. Rhodey hovered in the air, shooting every bullet in his War Machine suit before being crumpled and tossed to the ground. Bucky ran up to him, shooting wildly with his beloved gun, but was knocked away all too easily. Okoye threw her spear, but he was able to stop it and throw it behind him as he sent the woman flying back. Natasha ran forward, but he lifted rocks from the ground, entrapping her in a sort of cave. Groot shoved his hands into the dirt, sending roots shooting up around Thanos, but he broke out of it like it was nothing.

Wanda turned and saw the defeat going on behind her, and she increased the magic by using both hands, eyes trained on Vision through blurred tears. Helena dragged her eyes away from the lovers to Itai, and she gave him a precautious look.

" When she destroys the Stone, you are going to feel pain, because a part of our being is being killed. You'll be okay, but it'll be easier if you're expecting it. " She advised him, and Itai looked confused, but didn't have a moment to speak or ask her what she meant.

When they looked back, Steve had made it face to face with the Mad Titan. He slammed his sharpened shields into him, but barely made a dent until he punched him straight in the jaw. Steve's shields eventually cracked from the raw power behind Thanos' hits, and he raised his hands to grab the Gauntlet as it came down near his face. Steve held his own, keeping the Gauntlet at bay as his face contorted while he gave it his all, before ultimately being sucker punched with Thanos' other hand.

Itai and Helena became the only line of defense between the Stone, Wanda, and Thanos. Helena quickly met Itai's wide eyes, and she grabbed his wrist with her bloodied hand, pulling him down towards her, their noses nearly touching.

" It is okay to be afraid, Itai, but we must fight. Stay strong, we are Keepers, we can hold him. " She told him, her dulling blue eyes staring into his amber colored ones.

" I don't want to die alone. " Itai hurriedly admitted, feeling her fingers squeeze his wrist.

" You won't. Not alone. " She promised.

Then, Thanos was there. Helena began swinging the Sword of Serenity, striking his arm, his torso, anywhere she could land a hit. Itai took the other side of the Titan, slashing with both his blades, alternating between blocking and attacking. Thanos deflected most of their hits, but they were holding him back, giving Wanda more time.

After keeping him at bay for a few minutes, the two Keepers started to struggle. Helena's wound had still not stopped bleeding, and she could feel herself getting dizzier by the second. She nearly fell, dropping to one knee and holding her sword against Thanos' hand. Itai kept the Gauntlet against his blades, gritting his teeth.

And, within a millisecond, the Stone behind them burst, exploding and sending waves of intense energy around them, knocking everyone backwards unsteadily. Helena collapses to her knees, clutching at her stomach as she started heaving, coughing and spitting up blood.

Itai understood what she meant now, as he, too, began to choke on seemingly nothing but air. An intense pain washed over him, flooding his nervous system until he fell backwards, grasping at his neck for air. It took several seconds for either of them to catch their breath or for the pain to start to fade into a blissful ache, but they recovered as much as they could.

Itai looked over at Wanda, who was sitting on the ground, head down as she sobbed. Then, just a few feet beside her, Vision's body laid, colorless and lifeless. Still, when he looked at Thanos, he was not frowning with disappointment.

note.

and we all know what happens next

If you have any feedback about this chapter, I'd love to hear it! What'd you like about it, what'd you dislike about it? A specific character, relationship, or scene caught your eye? Brotps? Otps?

Any predictions or worries for the future chapters? Anything else you'd like to mention? I'm all ears!

until next time,