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The entirety of the Avengers compound was in complete and utter silence. It was strange, sure, but for someone who had been there for the last 20 days, it was a natural occurrence. Whether it was to discuss dinner plans or new statistics from the entire world's population, there were zero interactions between the Snap's survivors. To them, it was sort of accepting what they were living at the moment. There were some, like Pepper Potts, who came to try and lift the spirits of their friends, but wasn't so lucky most times.

Steve and Natasha sat in silence in one of the compound's many conference tables, flickering their gazes from the projecting screens from the windows. They were eagerly anticipating the return from one of their friends, and they started to grow worried when it was taking her too long. But the drowning silence and worrying thoughts were thrown out the window when they sensed how the pens and cups on the table started to rattle uncontrollably.

Not knowing what might be causing the disturbance, they both ran out to the outside of the compound with Rhodey and Bruce behind, all trying to find the source of the sound. Natasha was the first to notice, pointing toward the sky to see how an enormous spaceship was approaching the ground, with two faint familiar glows holding it from the belly.

Everyone saved their distance for the spaceship to be placed into the ground, and their eyes widened when they saw who had been carrying most of the weight of the ship. The glow disappeared from (Y/N)'s figure, who merely spared Carol beside her a glance before bolting toward the opening rear hatch.

Natasha carefully made her way over to (Y/N). "How did you even — "

(Y/N) flashed her an apologetic look, her eyes focused on searching for someone else. "Later."

Natasha flickered her gaze toward the two figures walking down the steps of the spaceship and nodded in understanding. (Y/N) didn't have to think twice before rushing in the same direction, spotting the blue woman holding half of her fiancé's weight as they walked down the steps with Steve already waiting at the end of them.

"Couldn't stop him," Tony merely muttered to Steve as he allowed the blond to guide him through the grass.

"Neither could I."

Tony stopped walking, his eyes threatening to spill tears. "I lost the kid."

(Y/N), already in earshot to the men's conversation, felt her own breath hitch at his confession. She didn't even want to imagine how scared both Peter and Tony must've been in that moment, and her heart was too heavy to even create that image in her head. Still, she knew that Tony needed comfort more than anything right now, and so she continued on her run toward his line of sight.

"Where is — " Tony's eyes settled on her form. "Oh, good."

(Y/N) sniffled when she got up close and embraced him into a tight hug, finally seeing him up close and not behind a window. She inhaled his cologne that she used to poke fun at and let out an emotional laugh at having to smell it again. She let out a quiet sob at how much his figure had changed in the course of the past days, and how tired he looked. Tony melted into her touch as well, closing his eyes to savor the moment of her in his arms, having all that fear of her being dusted off disappear from his mind.

"I couldn't save him," he whispered in her ear, only loud enough for her to hear.

"It's not your fault," she muttered into the embrace. She pulled him even closer, if that was possible. "It is not your fault. We did what we could."

Tony lifted his face from being buried in (Y/N)'s shoulder to press a feather kiss to her temple. She closed her eyes at the touch, and with linked arms and hands, they walked toward the compound where they could assist his weak figure. Steve trailed behind them, keeping his distance to allow the couple to be with each other after being separated for a long period of time.

(Y/N) turned her head back to the spaceship in the middle of the field for a quick second, catching a glimpse of the blue woman sat by the end of the steps. She caught her eye for a short period of time, but wanted to make it count.

"Thank you," she whispered under her breath, making sure the woman could read her lips.

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"It has been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth."

Silence filled the room after Rhodey's words. The pictures from everybody's close ones were projected on the screens, switching from image to image. Nick Fury's picture came into the screen, and (Y/N) still couldn't register it in her mind; out of all people that wouldn't disappeared, she didn't imagine he would be part of them. Then, in the other side of the screen came in Peter's picture, and (Y/N) had to advert her eyes for a second to avoid shedding tears in public.

"World governments are in pieces," Natasha spoke up next, her tone being close to cracking. "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 gonna do. Thanos wiped out. . .50% of all living creatures."

"Where is he now?" Tony questioned and removed a hand from his forehead, sat in a wheelchair in the middle of the room with an IV behind him. "Where?"

"We don't know," Steve responded with crossed arms, leaning against a table. "He just opened a portal and walked through."

Tony's eyes fell on Thor's slugged figure, staring at the ground in silence. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he's pissed," Rocket Raccoon answered, and Tony's eyes widened at the animal talking. "He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did but theres a lot of that going around, ain't there?"

"Honestly, until this exact second I thought you were a Build-A-Bear."

"Maybe I am."

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep space scans. . .and satellites, and we got nothing," Steve took a pause to think his next words through. "Tony, you fought him."

"Who told you that? I didn't fight him," Tony snapped his head to stare at him. "No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the store. That's what happened. There was no fight, 'cause he's not beatable."

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?"

Tony made a sputtering sound at the question, as if it was obvious. "I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't want to believe it. Thought I was dreaming."

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus."

"And I needed you," Tony corrected, passing a hand through his not trimmed beard. "As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry."

"You know what I need?" Tony sniffled and threw the plate that sat in front of him to the side when he stood up. "I need a shave."

(Y/N) and Rhodey, who were on either sides of him, eyed him with concern and carefulness, since he still didn't have his full strength. Another side of (Y/N) was worried that the argument between the two men would escalate, since it wouldn't be the first time it happened.

"And I believe I remember telling all youse — "

Tony ripped off the IV entrance in his arm and (Y/N) took this as a sign to step up. Rhodey jumped in to assist her too, taking a step forward to call his attention and be prepared if he lost his footing.

"Tony, Tony!"

" — alive and otherwise, that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that?" his tone grew louder with each sentence. "Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we needed."

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?"

"I said we'd lose," Tony responded to that. "You said, 'We'll do that together, too'. And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there."

More guilt flashed behind Steve's eyes. Everyone else watching the exchange was flickering their heads from side to side, wanting to pay attention to the argument in hand.

"But that's what we do, right?" Tony kept firing words while Steve stayed silent. "Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers. We're the 'Avengers', not the 'Pre-vengers'."

Tony tried to take a step forward but Rhodey wrapped his arms around his lanky figure to prevent him from moving. As he was restrained, Tony kept yelling out to make sure people were hearing his argument, and Rhodey eyed (Y/N) to aid him and make Tony calm down.

"Okay."

"Right?"

"You made your point," (Y/N) placed a hand on his shoulder as a way to soothe him back down. "Just sit down, honey."

"No, no, here's my point. You know what?"

Tony still fought against Rhodey's grip, and his attention was now set on Carol standing a few feet away, trying to ignore the argument. "She's great, by the way."

"Sit down, okay?"

"I kinda remember you," Tony pointed out and Carol squinted her eyes at those words. "We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules."

Tony managed to successfully free himself from Rhodey's tight grip and marched up to Steve with an accusing finger. Even with him glaring daggers at him, Steve still wore a guilty look behind his eyes. "I got nothing for you, Cap."

"I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, liar."

Tony impulsively removed the newly installed arc-reactor in his chest. He let out a shaky breath at the new sensation and the empty place in his chest, but he firmly placed it in Steve's hand.

"Here, take this," he already sounded out of breath. "You find him, you put that on. . .you hide."

His knees gave up underneath him and he fell toward the ground, losing his balance. Everyone tried to reach out to help him at the same time.

"I'm fine!" he panted and brushed everyone away. "Let me — "

He didn't get to finish his sentence before he fell unconscious on the floor with a loud thud. (Y/N) panicked intensively, and she was one of the first to kneel beside him to check if his pulse before figuring out what to do next.

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(Y/N) sat on the foot of Tony's bed and monitored his breathing, trying to make sure it didn't change from a steady up and down in his chest. He was still unconscious and had the IV back in his arm, the same one he had ripped off a few moments back. Pepper, who had come back to the compound, sat beside (Y/N) with a comforting hand on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Rhodey removed the sunglasses from Tony's eyes to make his slumber more comfortable.

"He's fine," Rhodey reassured, sensing (Y/N)'s visible discomfort and worry. "He's back home. You brought him home."

"I know. It's just — " (Y/N) flickered her gaze at Tony's form resting on the bed. "I was so scared."

"Me too," Rhodey confessed. "But let's not focus on that, okay? Let's figure out a way to get him to pay for what he did."

(Y/N) nodded with her eyes not leaving Tony. Pepper sensed the inner debate in (Y/N)'s mind and she rubbed her hand up and down her back before opening her mouth to speak.

"Go," she said in a low voice for her to hear. "I'll watch over him. Go and be a hero."

(Y/N) wasn't so sure and stayed silent. "I can't — What if — ?"

"We'll be fine," Pepper cut her worries off. "Don't worry. Now, shoo before I push you out."

The woman gave the strawberry blonde a look before standing up from the foot of the bed. Hesitantly, (Y/N) made her way toward the door but paused before crossing the threshold to think her actions through. Pepper sighed heavily and waved her off with her hand, which made Rhodey choke on a laugh as he and (Y/N) made theirs way outside the room with the others.

Steve, Natasha and Carol were waiting on the other room in silence, waiting for updates on Tony's state.

"Bruce gave him a sedative," Rhodey explained first. "He's probably gonna be out for the rest of the day."

Carol placed her hands on her hips with a decided look. "You guys take care of him and we'll bring him a Xorrian elixir when we come back."

(Y/N) didn't know what she meant by 'we' until she saw how Carol gestured to her and herself. She frowned, but figured it was a stable plan until now. The slight doubt that she had was how they'd include the others in the plan, since she knew they surely wanted a part on it.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked with a frown.

"To kill Thanos."

Natasha and Steve exchanged a confused look before focusing it on (Y/N). The duo thought that she held the explanation to Carol's storm off, but shrugged when all eyes fell on her for an answer. They all trailed after Carol through the hallway, wanting to stop her before she went off.

Natasha called her attention and this made Carol turn back. "You know, we usually work as a team here and, uh, between you and I, morale's a little fragile."

"We realize up there is more of you and (Y/N)'s territory, but this is our fight, too," Steve reasoned beside Natasha.

"You even know where he is?" Rhodey asked from behind them with crossed arms.

"I know people who might."

"Don't bother."

All eyes flickered to the voice a few feet behind Carol, leaning against the glass door of the room. It was the same woman who had come out of the ship with Tony, the one (Y/N) thanked in silence. Now that she was seeing her up close, she could see the metal arm and different machinery parts all over her body.

"I can tell you where Thanos is."