The Mimic

182

Y/n's earpiece had been completely shattered, but she could hear Steve's loud and clear.

The pair were stood in a state of shock, unsure of what to say or how to react. They knew that voice, but it didn't seem real. Y/n even debated if she was hallucinating, but a quick pinch to her skin was enough to confirm that she was awake. The silence between them was deafening, both staring at Thanos' army as they listened to the voice in Steve's ear.

Steve took a sharp breath, slowly lifting his hand up to rest on his earpiece. He wanted to respond, but no words left his lips. He was too shocked, too exhausted. The only confirmation that he wasn't hallucinating was the fact that y/n had heard it too. It was real. The voice was real. In the midst of the chaos, he and y/n had forgotten that Bruce had snapped everyone back.

"On your left." Sam hummed through the earpiece, a smile obvious in his tone of voice.

The sound of a spark behind them caused y/n's head to whip around, but instead of fighting, a breath of relief escaped her lips. "Steve..." She whispered, causing him to turn around to face whatever she was looking at.

It was one of Dr Strange's portals, and y/n knew exactly where it was from. That skyline was something that she'd stared at for months on end.

T'Challa, Shuri, and Okoye stepped through the portal and onto the debris-littered ground. A serious look painted each of their faces as they stared out at Thanos' army in the distance. The Wakandan army were right behind them, spanning from as far as the eye could see. T'Challa made eye contact with y/n and Steve, yet no words were uttered, just a knowing nod.

Sam suddenly flew out of the portal, tapping the back of y/n's head as he flew past. "Heads up!" He laughed. It was something he'd always do during any type of mission with her. If he had a chance, he'd smack the back of her head to annoy her.

Y/n couldn't help but let out a small laugh as Sam smacked her on the back of the head. It definitely hurt this time, especially due to the amount of hits to the head that she'd already taken, but y/n didn't care. Sam was back. He was back, and he was still as stupid as ever.

As her eyes followed Sam soar through the sky, her attention was suddenly captured by the hundreds of portals opening. It wasn't just T'Challa and his army, it was everyone.

Dr Strange, Starlord and his friends, Peter, Wanda, an Asgardian army, an army of people with the same magic as Dr Strange, and so many more. There were so many people she didn't know, but that didn't matter. Hundreds of thousands of people, all there to defend the Earth and defeat Thanos.

Y/n's eyes glistened with tears of happiness as she watched everyone merge from the portals. She was full of a sort of childlike wonder. Her shoulders had completely dropped from the relief, a proud smile plastered across her beaten and bruised face. She didn't know what to say or do. It was a type of relief that y/n had never felt before. It was a full body experience. Chills that caused goosebumps to appear across every exposed piece of skin, salty tears that stung her eyes, and an unstoppable smile. She shook from the adrenaline of it all, the only thing that kept her even slightly still was Steve's hand on her shoulder.

They were all back. All back after five long years of exhaustion and pain.

Obviously, the main person that y/n was scanning the crowd for was Bucky. She knew that he would've emerged from the Wakandan portal, but she couldn't see him. There were far too many people. That didn't wipe the smile from her face, though. Y/n knew that Bucky was there. It was impossible for him not to be. She'd run into him soon enough.

Y/n really thought that her and Steve were about to die at the hands of Thanos' army. That Thanos won, and she was going to take her final breath. Her life had even begun to flash before her eyes. But, there they all were. The amount of relief that had washed over her in that moment was immense. She just wanted to burst into tears and hug everyone, but there wasn't time.

Steve's eyes flitted between the sight of everyone stepping through and the amazement on y/n's face. A proud, relieved smile played at his lips as he allowed himself to relax a little. He was trying his hardest to hold back tears of joy, but they continued to blur his vision and roll down his cheeks with every blink. He was exhausted, but the sight of everyone reappearing just seemed to fuel him with a newfound energy.

Steve let out a shaky breath as he removed his hand from y/n's shoulder, instead setting it on his back as he guided her to turn around and face Thanos' army. There was one thing left to do. Everyone was waiting on Steve's command. He just had to say two words, and then they'd all start attacking.

They'd all start attacking for one final time.

One final mission.

But, instead of saying those two magic words, he decided to make a different call. He carefully took his earpiece out of his ear, wincing at the pain that ravaged through his body. He didn't drop the earpiece, nor did he simply switch ears. Instead, he held out the earpiece toward y/n. A proud, sincere smile on his face. "Do you want to do the honours?" Steve asked in a hopeful tone, but it wasn't really a question. He wasn't going to let her refuse it.

Y/n's eyes widened at the offer, the joy coursing through her simply seeming to grow stronger and stronger. Of course she'd do the honours, she'd always wanted to do the honours. "Are you sure?" She asked, but was quickly met with a reassuring nod from Steve, and that was all it took for her to carefully take the earpiece out of Steve's dirt-caked palm.

Y/n pulled her broken one out of her ear, letting it drop to the ground before she pushed the new earpiece in. She couldn't stop smiling as she stared out at Thanos' army. This was it. One more mission, and she was in control.

One final deep breath of the smoke-plagued air, and it was time.

"Avengers!" Y/n yelled, savouring the fact that her voice was echoing across the wasteland. "Assemble."