marvel imagines.

steve rogers | ghost

[ this imagine takes place after infinity war and after Steve sees most of his fellow avengers and friends die, he passes the suit to Bucky unable to take the pain. *DISCLAIMER: this is an AU. please don't take it TOO seriously lol. enjoy! ]

It had been roughly thirteen months since your fight against Thanos. He had killed many of your friends and left the others who survived with a deep hole in their chest which nobody could heal.

You sat in an empty room at SHIELD as you thought about everything that had went on and the fight and seeing your friends lying helplessly in the dirt unconscious.

The sight alone was enough to make you vomit for you had just lost many members of whom you called your family and it deeply saddened you to your core that your heart physically ached.

You didn't want to think about Natasha's body or Clint's lying helplessly under some scraps of cement or Tony's pleading eyes as he laid in the dirt, looking up at you.

"You have so much to live for. Don't turn your back on SHIELD, the world needs a courageous hero like you (Y/N)." He stuttered and coughed as you had placed both your hands over his chest wound that was bleeding profusely.

"Tony you're not dying on me!" You yelled out in tears as your heart broke, knowing perfectly well that your friend was reaching his final moments.

He managed a small, yet broken smile. "It's my time now, (Y/N) but not yours. You defeat Thanos and save the world. That's what us superheroes do." He stuttered again, placing a weak hand on your bicep before his chest suddenly stood still and his eyes glazed over and you knew that he was gone as you rested your forehead on his chest, crying out in pain.

You wiped a tear that had managed to escape your eye as you stood up from your chair and walked over to the glassed window overlooking the rest of the Avengers HQ.

The only agents that remained on the Avengers team were you, Wanda, Peter Parker, Scott, Thor and Bucky who had taken the torch from Steve as Captain America.

The rest of the Avengers such as Steve, T'Challa, Sam and Bruce had left. You hadn't heard from them since that heart wrenching day they lost some of the closest friends they had ever had.

Steve had taken it the hardest, it was like he had fallen off of the face of the Earth after the fight. You couldn't track him anywhere, he was gone and you knew he didn't want to be found.

"(Y/N)." Fury spoke from behind you as you turned around, somewhat startled by his sudden appearance.

"Yes?" You asked him, twirling the little necklace around your neck in your fingers absentmindedly.

"I have a new mission for you." He said.

—

You had dressed yourself in everyday attire as you had to go undercover in the small town of Clarens in Africa.

Some HYDRA agents were down there, attempting to build a new base and you had to go and find all the weak points so SHIELD could take over and stop them.

After a long day on the job, you were headed to a small coffee shop in the town as you would grab the coffee and head to an isolated cabin that was owned by SHIELD for the night.

You were about to walk into the shop when a tall, muscular man with a beard and a baseball cap that looked worn— like it had sat out in the sun too long, walked out. You instinctively backed away from the man to give him some space, "I'm so sorry—" You paused before you realized who the man actually was when he lifted his head to look up at you.

"Steve?" You asked, feeling staggered as you looked him over. You felt like you had just seen a ghost— a very real looking one.

"(Y/N)," He nodded simply, looking at you with furrowed eyebrows. "It's been awhile." He sighed, meeting your eyes.

You looked into his bright blue ones and were instantly met with the devastation and torture you could tell he has been feeling. "That is has," You answered. "How have you been holding up— I mean, considering the situation."

"I guess I could say I've managed," He answered and swallowed. "And yourself?"

"I guess I could say the same." You replied, instantly remembering that Steve was a very secretive man, especially now. He didn't let anyone know what he was actually feeling, which was dangerous.

He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee before running his finger across the lid absentmindedly. "So you've been in Africa all this time, I see."

He nodded once more, before breaking the eye contact and staring out at the ocean that was nearby. "I was hoping I wouldn't be found," He admitted. "But I guess I can go nowhere without SHIELD knowing." He chuckled humourless.

You sighed, "SHIELD didn't send me here to find you."

He looked back at you again, "Then why are you here?" He asked curiously.

"I'm on a mission about a newly built HYDRA base that's located in this area," You paused. "Walk with me?" You asked him.

He hesitated for a moment, like he was deciding whether to or not before he nodded softly and fell into step with you as you descended a corner.

He sighed, "The good ole days when HYDRA was actually our main enemy."

You looked up to your right at him sadly as he stared out in front of himself, not meeting your gaze.

"I realize now that even though HYDRA was a pain to deal with, I'd take it back in a heartbeat to save ourselves the heartache if it would have been our only enemy that we had to deal with." He said quietly.

You looked down at your feet, knowing what event he was talking about. "I lost my friends too, Steve. You're not the only one in pain right now, the only reason I'm still with SHIELD and not falling into isolation is because it was Tony's dying wish, that he asked me to stay." You hadn't realized you were crying until you finished as you both had halted your steps on the sidewalk.

Steve looked up at you from the ground, a look of pain and heartbreak splattered across his face as he watched the tears flow down your cheeks and he rose his hands to wipe them away. He didn't know exactly what to say so he just engulfed you into a tight hug which you graciously accepted.

It felt so good to be back in Steve's soft but strong arms after all this time being apart from the super soldier. You had missed him dearly, "I have never stopped worrying and thinking about you since you disappeared that day," You whispered. "I thought I had just lost a man that I cared so deeply about."

He pulled away from the hug just enough so he could see your face, "You never did, I'm right here." He said, kissing your forehead lightly.

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hey guys! Lol it's like 4am right now and I'm writing this meanwhile I have to be up early tomorrow for my sisters soccer game agh. rip me. 😭😂

anyways hope you all enjoyed this post-infinity war au! (:

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Ly all xx