THE FLIGHT BACK TO AVENGERS HEADQUARTERS WAS SPENT IN SILENCE. No one said a word, the weight of their failure resting heavily on their shoulders. Vision was dead, Thanos was gone, and half their friends had turned to dust.

To put it quite plainly, they had lost. 

Raevanna had since healed herself - or as best as she could under the circumstances. But now, as she sat in the quinjet, she stared blankly ahead, not saying a word. She felt numb all over, and not just because of the lingering effects of her magic. She couldn't believe that Thanos had done this, and taken one of her closest friends in the process. And there was no telling how many other people in her life were gone now. For all she knew, her team could be the only family she had left. 

Sighing to herself, Raevanna unclasped the armguard from her forearm, then put it aside before running her fingers across the blindfold Blake had given her when she temporarily went blind. Raevanna had tied the strip of red silk around her forearm shortly after Bucky had arrived in Wakanda, and hadn't taken it off since. And now, it was the one thing she had left of her friend. 

"I'm sorry," Raevanna said softly, tracing the embroidered dragon on the front with her fingertips. "We should've won, and you should still be here." Raevanna closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and set her jaw. "But I promise you, we will find a way to bring you back. And if we can't, we'll make sure the son of a bitch who took you from us pays for what he's done." 

As she finished speaking, she looked up at Steve, who was watching her. When he raised an eyebrow at her, she shook her head at him, then got up and sat next to him before resting her head on his shoulder. 

"We're gonna figure this out, Rae," Steve said, his voice soft and quiet as he put his arm around her. "I promise." 

When they arrived back at the facility, everyone went off in separate directions to clean up after the battle. As Raevanna walked by, she saw Diana say something to Natasha before walking off, and Raevanna sighed, deciding to give Diana time. She had lost T'Challa, who Raevanna knew she still loved. Diana needed time to process her grief. 

Going into the bathrooms, Raevanna cleaned herself off, taking a shower and changing out of her suit into a fresh set of clothes. Then, as she dried her hair with a towel and left the bathroom, she saw Steve walk into the adjoined bedroom, his beard now completely gone. His look of defeat mirrored her own, and Raevanna met his eyes before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace. 

They held each other for a moment, just standing there in each other's arms. But then, Raevanna felt her resolve begin to crack, and tears welled up in her eyes as she began to cry, squeezing Steve tightly. 

She was heartbroken. She was tired. She had lost the battle, she had lost her friends, and most likely even more. The feeling of loss and failure was too much to bear, and before long her strength crumbled, her crying quickly becoming uncontrollable. 

"Hey," Steve said soothingly, rubbing her back as Raevanna's sobs grew louder and more intense. "Hey, hey, shh. It's okay. It's okay. Just let it out. Let it all out." He kissed her hair, a few tears slipping down his own cheeks. "It's okay. I'm here, Rae. I'm here. I'll always be right here." 

Raevanna cried until she couldn't cry any more, her head hurting and her eyes swollen. Steve held her close to him as her cries died down, not saying a word and just listening to her sadness. Once she had calmed down, she exhaled softly, burying her face in her boyfriend's shirt to hide her tearstained face. 

"I love you," Raevanna said in a soft voice, not looking up as she traced circles on his back with her fingers. 

"I love you, too," Steve whispered back. 

Raevanna finally released him from the hug before she took his hand and wrapped her arm around his. The two then left the room, heading into the main hall and taking a seat on the couch. Raevanna instantly shifted, moving her body so her head was on Steve's lap, and she promptly closed her eyes, asleep within seconds. Steve watched her for a moment, gently stroking her hair as she slept, before he, too, laid down behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. 

Steve had already lost so much, and this defeat only led him to lose more. But he was extremely grateful that he hadn't lost Raevanna. He wouldn't know what he would do if she had been taken from him, and he loved her too much to part with her. She was his rock, just as much as he was hers. 

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Almost a month went by, and it quickly became clear that what Thanos had done was permanent and irreversible. Raevanna was glad that even after everything, Diana had stayed at the compound to help assess the damage the space titan had done, but it was obvious that it was hard for her to be there. But whenever Raevanna tried to talk to Diana about it, the Amazon refused, saying she had more important things to focus on. Raevanna wished that Diana would talk to her - she knew from personal experience that talking about someone that they lost helped with the healing process. Yet Diana seemed to be too wrapped up in her grief to understand that. 

So now, as Raevanna passed Diana's room, she heard soft sobs coming from inside. Raevanna sighed, putting a hand on the door as she listened to Diana cry. It broke her heart that such a strong woman was feeling so much pain, and she wanted desperately to help. But she couldn't help Diana if she didn't let her. 

Just as Raevanna started to open the door, the walls suddenly began to shake — slowly at first, then growing in loudness and intensity. Almost as soon as the intensity grew, Raevanna turned and ran down the hall, where Steve was waiting. Moments later, Diana ran out of her room to join them as they ran towards the door, and once Natasha, Bruce, and Rhodey had joined them as well, they all ran out onto the yard in the Avengers Compound.

Looking up, Raevanna's eyes went wide when she saw a massive spaceship being carried by a blonde woman in a red and blue uniform, who was glowing with iridescent golden light. The landing gears of the ship then deployed as the woman touched down, and immediately after the entry hatch opened, revealing a strange blue-skinned bald woman who was supporting - much to Raevanna's shock - a very sickly-looking Tony Stark.

"Holy shit," Raevanna gasped. "It's Tony!"

Steve and Raevanna ran to Tony to help him stand up, and Tony gripped Steve's arm as they joined him.

"Couldn't stop him," Tony managed to say.

"Neither could I," Steve told him.

"I lost the kid," Tony replied.

"Tony, we lost," Raevanna said as she held Tony's other arm.

"Is, uh...?" Tony said, struggling to ask about something. 

Raevanna knew right away that he was talking about Pepper. The woman had come to the compound looking for Tony shortly after the heroes had returned, saying that he had taken on several of the Black Order but hadn't returned since. Pepper was terribly worried about him, and it was clear that Tony's main priority had been to make sure she was alright. 

So Raevanna smiled at Tony, gesturing to the compound. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

That was when Pepper ran out of the compound, obviously both shocked and relieved to see Tony. "Oh, my God!" Pepper cried. "Oh, my God!" Then, she and Tony embraced, and Tony quietly assured her that he was okay.

Raevanna smiled again at the interaction before using a more authoritative tone, saying to the group, "Come on. Let's get him inside." Then, facing the blue-skinned woman (who had watched the entire interaction with a stoic expression), Raevanna asked, "And who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Nebula," the woman replied. "I helped your friend."

Raevanna nodded at her. "Alright then, Nebula. You come inside too, you can help us."

With those words, the group walked into the compound, with the strange blonde woman taking up the rear with Diana. Once they were inside, Rocket (who hadn't come out with them) seemed surprised to see Nebula, but quickly sat down with her and took her hand, both appearing to silently mourning their losses. It was clear to Raevanna that they knew each other, and that Nebula had lost people to Thanos as well. And, since Nebula was obviously from another planet, it was clear that Thanos' decimation reached well beyond Earth.

While Tony was set up to get blood for healing, and Diana walked over to talk to Nebula, Raevanna took up a spot beside the blonde woman, facing her with a raised eyebrow. 

"So who are you, exactly?" Raevanna asked. 

"Carol Danvers," the woman replied, sticking out her hand for Raevanna to shake. 

Raevanna raised the other eyebrow, a little surprised by Carol's formality and commanding aura. "Raevanna," Raevanna said as she shook Carol's hand. "Most people call me Raven." 

Carol nodded. "Nice to meet you, Raven." Tilting her head, she then said, "You're a faery, right?" 

Raevanna blinked in shock. "How'd you know?" 

"The tattoos." Carol nodded at Raevanna's back, which was partially exposed due to the shirt she was wearing. "They're a dead giveaway. I learned about dark fae awhile back, and I learned they could disguise their wings as tattoos. Plus, you've just got the vibe." 

Raevanna huffed, surprised, but didn't comment. Instead, she crossed her arms and said, "So what planet are you from?" 

"This one," Carol said. 

"But..." Raevanna shook her head. "You came from space. You were carrying a spaceship, and you were glowing." 

Carol smiled and winked. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later." 

Raevanna shook her head, even more confused than she was when she started talking to Carol. However, she decided to table the conversation for another time and turned to the others, looking at a holographic casualty report that listed the names and faces of those lost to the Decimation.

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth," Rhodey said.

"World governments are in pieces," Natasha added. "The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures."

"Where is he now?" Tony asked them. "Where?"

Steve shook his head. "We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through."

Tony nodded at Thor, who was sitting in the corner with a very sullen attitude, seeming to be deep in thought. "What's wrong with him?" Tony asked.

"Oh, he's pissed," Rocket said as he and Nebula joined them. "He thinks he failed. Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that's going around, ain't there?"

Tony glanced at Rocket. "Honestly, until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear."

"Maybe I am," Rocket retorted.

"Guys, seriously," Raevanna said, rolling her eyes as she tried to end an altercation before it could start. "Now is not the time."

Steve looked at Raevanna gratefully before addressing the others. "We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing." He faced Tony. "Tony, you fought him."

"Who told you that?" Tony asked in surprise. But he didn't even give anyone time to answer before he responded, his anger obvious. "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight."

Steve sighed and nodded. "Okay."

Tony shook his head. "He's unbeatable."

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Raevanna asked.

Tony puffed air out of his lips in irritation. "I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming."

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus," Steve told him.

"And I needed you," Tony retorted, beginning to seethe. "As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?" Tony abruptly stood up, pushing things off the table with a clatter, and everyone winced at the noise. "I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all you se-"

Suddenly Tony went for Steve, but Rhodey and Diana quickly jumped in front of him, trying to stop him.

"Tony, Tony, Tony!" Rhodey told him.

"Please calm down," Diana said.

Tony ignored them as he glared at Steve. "Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not — that's what we needed!"

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve replied.

"I said, 'we'd lose'," Tony told him. "You said, 'We'll do that together too.' And guess what, Cap? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Prevengers."

"Okay," Rhodey said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Right?" Tony asked, looking at Rhodey.

"You have made your point," Diana said. "Just sit down."

Tony nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay..."

"Okay?" Rhodey asked.

But Tony shook his head, growing angry again. "Nah, nah. Here's my point. You know what?"

"Tony, you're sick," Raevanna said.

Tony nodded at Carol. "She's great, by the way."

Rhodey kept trying to push Tony down. "Sit down. Sit."

"We need you," Tony said to Carol, then looked at Diana. "You too, princess. You're new blood." Looking at the others, he raised his voice and shouted, "Bunch of tired old mules!" Then, Tony walked right up to Steve and got in his face, his voice hushing down to a venomous whisper. "I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada." He glared at him. "No trust. Liar."

Steve looked affected by Tony's words, and the room was silent as the old friends just gazed at each other. Raevanna couldn't find any words, either. She knew Tony was sick, but she had no idea Tony would be this upset with Steve over his choices. The billionaire was furious, and it was obvious. 

After a moment, Tony ripped the arc reactor from his chest and shoved it into Steve's hand, shocking both Steve and Raevanna as they realized he no longer needed it.

"Here, take this," Tony snapped to Steve. "You find him, and you put that on. You hide." Then, he abruptly collapsed.

Steve was by his side in an instant, while everyone started to gather around him.

"Tony!" Steve said worriedly.

Tony shook his head. "I'm fine. I..." But before he could finish, he suddenly fell into a heap, unconscious.

Raevanna looked up, watching Diana as the Amazon looked at Steve, then back at the others. Raevanna could see the anger in Diana's eyes, upset over the interaction between Steve and Tony. But before Raevanna could say anything, Diana spoke, her voice and tone clearly as upset as she looked.

"You told me you were a team," Diana snapped to Steve. "You told me you could work together. Does this look like a team to you?"

Raevanna took a step forward, trying to diffuse the situation. "Diana-"

"No," Diana said, cutting her off. "There is no team here. This team died the moment you turned on each other. This team died in Germany." She looked at the others, who seemed shocked by her sudden anger. "I will help you find Thanos and restore peace. But once that is over, I am done. I am leaving and I am not coming back. So do not seek me out again."

Without another word Diana spun around and left the room, ignoring Steve's calls for her to come back. 

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A/N: ok but the fact that dua was the one who announced the ama nominations for tonight but then also got like 3 nominations herself?? like that's some queen shit right there 

also i just realized that to anyone else who sees my reaction to literally anything involving dua they'd think i hate her. but like, no bitch, i would literally write a novel on how much i love dua lipa and she's literally 95% of the reason why i'm not straight 

...no one actually cares but idgaf