You were his wife in the 40's through thick and thin, sickness and health, richer or poorer, and through all of the twists of life. Even 70 years later you continued to love him, and stay by his side.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
After a quick shower and a change of clothes I sat in the kitchenette with Steve. Our mugs full, hearts heavy with sorrow and conversation non-existent. Between us there resided the steam which swirled out of our coffees, silence and, of course, defeat. There were no words, just loss...
"You know, I'd offer to make you a midnight snack, but I'd hate to make this night any worse for you than it already is." My blonde friend commented, breaking the chain of quiet, always persistent on trying to remain a symbol of optimism and hope.
The mask he wore of false upbeat pretenses perhaps working on others, but not me. I knew better, and after three weeks I knew that inside he forced down his torrent of emotions. The world had never lost as bad as it did on the day of the snap, and the Living Legend couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. He, like everyone else, was powerless. He, like everyone else, was just struggling to make it through each day that followed.
To everyone left, it hurt to even breathe, and function. To live out each day with the weight of a mourner who had, quite literally, lost the world. Or, at least, half of it.
"Well, my cooking won't lift our spirits either. Never really learned that skill in Home Economics." I replied, mustering up the smallest of smiles. A fake smile, but the effort to force it onto my face was there.
In our collective silence I was the first to notice the ripples in my cream filled coffee as everything began to tremor. The kitchenette visibly shaking as if in response to the forming of an earthquake.
Alcohol bottles on the glass topped bar cart started to rattle, the glass nearly shattering. The pots and pans which hung neatly on hooks clanged loudly, and a vase of fresh flowers on the counter shook, crashing to the tiled floor. The vibrant blossoms left dying in a puddle of broken pottery and spilled water.
From the rows of windows I saw something enter the atmosphere, and a beam of light flashed across the star filled night sky like a comet.
Immediately, we were up and out the door, ready to see what it was. Our guard up and always on edge, us thinking it was another visit from Thanos, or another threat. But, as we ran out onto the lawn the sight of an aglow celestial woman carrying a whole spacecraft on her shoulders flew down from the navy skies.
Standing in a formation on the turf of grass Natasha, Rhodey, Bruce, Rocket the raccoon, Thor, Pepper, Steve and I waited in anticipation as she gently set the whole extraterrestrial ship down, the battered and broken down flying device without power, creaking as it was placed down onto it's corroded landing gear.
With a hiss the pressurized gangway was lowered down and from within the spaceship a blue alien woman and a familiar friend came out. The sight of the Iron Man a welcoming blessing in our weary eyes.
The Avenger not even strong enough to stand on his own. Severely dehydrated, starving and suffering from minor signs of hypothermia from being trapped within a hunk of metal in the depths of Space. He looked to be on his last legs. Underweight, pale, his hazel eyes sunken and bloodshot.
