Chapter 45

                                    

                                          
NARRATOR'S POV:
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Tears spring to Peter's eyes as he looks for his best friend, unable to see her anywhere. Knowing that if she was okay, she would be there. Tony inhales sharply, trying to convince himself that she's just lost in the crowd.
                          
He can't lose her.
                          
Neither of them can.
                          
But for now, they have to fight.
                          
Because they swore that they would, whatever it takes.
                          
Steve holds out his hand, calling Mjölnir towards him as a voice comes through all the comms, sending innumerable waves of relief through Tony and Peter.
                          
"Start the party without me?"
                          
The near father-and-son duo looks up, seeing a figure bounding up a slope of debris and stopping at the very top.
                          
A wolf.
                          
It tilts its snow-white head upward, sending an echoing howl throughout the whole area. In just a few seconds, two more-- one grey, one brown-- run to the bottom of the platform, gathering in the group of Avengers with their teeth bared and haunches raised. 
                          
"Avengers!" the leader of heroes calls out, sending fear into Thanos's heart. (Y/n) shifts back, standing up and pulling out her two swords, her golden eyes sending off a light so strong and bright it nearly blinds the enemy.
                          
Tony smirks as he turns back to face their match, 'Oh, you bitches are so screwed now.'
                          
"Assemble."
                          
YOUR POV:
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I stay by Jackson and Ben, fighting in a triangle formation as the alien creatures attack us from all sides. I shift from wolf to human form constantly, my motions and attacks consisting of a fluidity I've never achieved in my training before. 
                          
Ben takes down most of them, being five years older and stronger now since he apparently didn't disappear in Thanos's snap. I slice the head off of the last creature in their small group's attack, blood spattering onto my face.
                          
I pant for breath, shaking my head a bit. 
                          
"That's really gross."
                          
TONY'S POV:
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I get knocked back against some rubble, a figure with familiar white eyes running towards me. "Hey! Oh, holy cow. You will not believe what's been going on. You remember when we were in space? And I got all dusty? And I must have passed out because I woke up and you were gone, but Doctor Strange was there, right? And he was like, 'It's been five years, come on, they need us!' And then he started doing the yellow sparkly thing that he does all the time, like-"
                          
I cut Peter off by pulling him into a much-needed hug.
                          
Even though I thought we weren't there yet.
                          
"This is nice."
                          
I force back tears at the fact that he's right here, that I'm seeing him again.
                          
I kiss his cheek, keeping my arms around him as I try to make sure this is real.
                          
All of a sudden, a gunshot comes from my left, and I pull away from Peter to see a creature falling down. The person behind it is holding up a pistol that's smoking slightly, clad in a very familiar leather and silver suit.
                          
(Y/n) drops her hand, her face filling me up with joy. "Oh, my god," I mutter as she runs to me, nearly knocking me over as she gives me a hug. I squeeze her as the tears fall from my eyes, pulling away and taking her face in my hands. She smiles, sadly, as I look at her, exactly the same as the last I saw her. 
                          
"Five years," I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut, "I didn't know I could miss someone so much." 
                          
She chuckles, and I kiss her forehead, looking into her eyes. "I'm so sorry, kid, but..." my voice chokes up, and I take a deep breath. "Nat, she's... she's gone."
                          
A second passes before her eyes widen at the realization, tears welling up, and she shakes her head. "She can't be. No, she's... she's not gone. She can't be. Tony..." 
                          
"I wish she wasn't."
                          
She chokes on a sob, tears pouring down her cheeks, and I pull her into another hug. Her shoulders shake, and she buries her face into the crook of my neck, tears wetting my skin. I tighten my arms around her as she starts taking deep breaths, trying to keep her composure. "I'm so sorry," I repeat, my heart breaking. Her voice is a whisper, choked up and pain-inflicted, "Now's not really the best time, but we're gonna have a funeral, right?"
                          
"Of course. Of course we will."
                          
"Okay."
                          
"Watch out!" Peter yells, making the two of us pull apart and turn to him. (Y/n) lets out a soft growl as the creature breaks out of his webs, shifting and running forward. 
                          
Her wolf leaps into the air, clawing at the alien-dog's shoulder, turning around mid-air and reverting back to human form. She drags a sword down its back, effectively killing the creature. I smile a little in admiration as (y/n) goes up to Peter. "Hey, dork," she says, softly, and he chuckles, pulling her into a hug. 
                          
She pulls away, wiping her tears and closing her eyes. But then, her eyebrows furrow, and she turns, looking into the mass of battle. "What's wrong?" I ask, stepping forward as concern takes over my body. Her eyes widen as she turns to me, all traces of sorrow gone, "I need to go."
                          
She leans forward, giving me a kiss on the cheek before turning to Peter and squeezing his hand, quickly. She shifts, speeding away into the hub of bodies and ruin.
                          
YOUR POV:
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I shift as I approach the scene, pulling out a knife and throwing it into the heart of one of the creatures. Jackson manages to push off the other two, standing up and both of us fighting them off as we stay back-to-back. 
                          
I get thrown backwards, a creature very much like the ones I fought in Wakanda running towards and jumping on top of me as I desperately try to fight it off. Its claws cut my cheek, blood flowing immediately. It aims at my neck, just missing as a dark grey wolf jumps on it, tumbling to the ground and continuously rolling over, each trying to get the upper hand. I try to breathe as my world moves in and out of focus, the scene wavering.
                          
But right as my vision clears, my stomach drops. Jackson is back in human form, trying to push the alien off of him with just his bare hands. 
                          
'No.'
                          
I frantically push myself up to my knees, trying to move towards him.
                          
The creature lifts one of its arms, claws glinting.
                          
And it plunges them right into his heart.