𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 , peter parker

039.

GLISTENING DIAMONDS.
039. ❛ the snap. ❜

DIANA COUGHED AND used one of her sonic shocks on Thanos' arm, making him let her go. She didn't land very softly, but she got up quickly, trying to hold onto every bit of air she could.

He stood up quickly with a groan and shot a blast of the Power Stone at her. She moved out of the way, but it still skimmed her arm, making her cry out in pain.

He got right in her terrified face, looking at the worn-out teenager struggling to stay alive. Her suit was beaten up, her eyes were begging to close, and her hair was messy.

Diana looked up at him as she fell to her knees out of exhaustion, "Y-you..." She tried to speak as she caught her breath, "You'll lose."

Thanos kneeled down, smirking as his eyes bored into hers, "And why's that?"

"Because once you think you've won, they'll come for you. Even after I'm dead, and everyone else, they'll come for you with a striking ambition to fix what will be done. They need this loss; no matter how much they don't want it, they need it to survive." Diana slowed her breathing and continued, "Once all is said and done, you'll be dust, old man."

"You'll be nothing but dust because you'll never be a god." Lowering her voice down to a taunting whisper she looked in his menacing eyes, "Never."

Having enough of the girl, Thanos' aggravated face scoffed and used the Power Stone to throw her back, far past Wanda and Vision, who were still trying to destroy the Stone.

Hopeless and tired, Diana laid in the Wakandan grass, unable to get up. She was fading in and out of consciousness, and her hearing was now a ringing noise. She stared at the blue sky for a moment, wanting to completely forget about the matter at hand.

Her body lied on the lush grass, surrounded by towering trees. The sky was scattered with delicate cotton-like clouds that drifted lazily, casting fleeting shadows on the vibrant green below. The cerulean expanse gradually deepened toward the horizon, where it meets the earthly embrace of the verdant forest. The sun warmed her body while the gentle breeze orchestrated a dance among the leaves overhead, creating a symphony of nature's beauty.

She let her tired green eyes look over towards Wanda, Vision, and Thanos. Thanos picks Vision up by the neck, presses his fingers into Vision's head, and pulls the Mind Stone out, Vision's body losing its color.

"No." Diana breathed out and started to slowly stand up, using all the strength she had in her tired muscles to get up.

Thanos threw Vision to the side and looked at the Stone before placing it in the last spot of the gauntlet. The energy of all the Stones together goes off, and Thanos struggles a little to cope with it.

"You son of a bitch." Diana scoffed, shaking her head and looking at Thanos who was ready to snap his fingers, "Don't do it."

Seeing he was about to snap, Diana ran at him as fast as she could, putting her sword in between his fingers, stopping him from snapping.

Thanos pushed the girl off him easily, watching as she stood up again. He chuckled in amusement, "You humans never give up, do you?" Diana set her determined eyes on him and ran at him again, but this time he activated his gauntlet.

Using the Space and Time Stone, Thanos opened a green portal and Diana ran straight through it, disappearing from everyone's view and was never seen again.

Thanos once again looked at the fully finished gauntlet, and then suddenly, a blast of lightning threw him back. An axe flew into Thanos' chest, and Thor was right behind it. He brought Thanos down to his knees, and he was at eye level with Thor now.

Thanos whispered his last words, "You should've .... you should've... you should've gone for the head." And then he snapped his gauntlet fingers, and everything went blank for a moment.

A blast of wind covered the Wakandan land, Thanos' gauntlet arm was burnt, smoke coming from it. The two looked at it weirdly, confused about what happened. "What did you do?" Thor asked, his eyes wide, "What did you do?!"

Then Thanos disappeared into one of his portals, leaving the axe that was in his chest behind. Thor stood there in shock, his eyes still as wide. He couldn't believe it.

Then Steve came along, finally conscious. "Where'd he go?" Steve asked. Thor didn't answer. "Thor, where'd he go? Where's Diana? Where is she? Answer me, Thor."

MANTIS LOOKED AROUND THE Titan wasteland, goosebumps running up her arms, "Something's happening."

Peter Quill turned to see Mantis suddenly flake away into ash. He grunted as he held onto his injuries, watching Peter Parker help Tony Stark stand to his feet.

Quill watched as Drax looked at him with fear in his eyes; his arm started to wisp away, "Quill?" With the word barely whispering, his body fell and crumbled to ashes.

"Steady, Quill," Tony reassured, his eyes solemn and tired.

Quill looked up at Tony, his forehead creasing, "Oh, man..."

Peter Parker stumbled back in shock, not believing what he just witnessed. His mind started to wander. Started to wander to Diana.

Was she alright? Was she with the other Avengers? Was even alive? Was she going to fade away? Was she going to leave him too? He didn't even have a chance to tell her that he loved her.

"Tony." Tony now turned to Stephen Strange. Stephen shook his head lightly. "There was no other way." Tony watched as he suddenly dissolved away.

"Mr. Stark?"

Peter clutched his side with one hand as he looked up at his mentor, "I don't feel so good."

Tony swallowed thickly and shook his head in denial, "You're all right."

A whine escaped the back of Peter's throat, but not a whine of pain, a whine of fear. Peter looked at his hand, tripping forward into Tony's arms. "I don't— I don't know what's happening."

He gripped Tony's shoulder tightly, trying to hold himself up as his legs became numb. "I don't wanna go. I don't wanna to. Mr. Stark, please, please. I don't wanna go." He whimpered and held onto Tony tighter.

Parts of Peter's body were beginning to break apart like dirt would, as if his skin were cracking painlessly. Tony gently bent down, laying Peter on his back. Peter's eyes stared into Tony's soul, "I'm sorry. Please tell Diana I-"

The boy didn't get to finish his sentence as he faded out of existence. Tony paused in that position before he suddenly felt space beneath him. Falling forward, he lay in his bed of ashes.

Tony's blinked away his tears. He slowly lifted his arm, his hand coated in the teenager's ashes. "He did it," Nebula muttered, her eyes on the ground.

Tony waited for his own hand to start to disintegrate. But when it didn't, he lowered his head, his worst nightmare coming true. Tony pressed his stained hand to his face as if he was trying to hug the boy he loved.

Was it harder to die?

Or was it harder to be the one who survived?