Steve instantly hated his decision the moment he saw Bucky, the pain on his best friend's face was overwhelming. Steve knew he shouldn't have gone back and lived his life with Peggy, but he has never felt any feelings so strong towards anyone before well apart from Bucky, but they were living in an era where homosexuality was illegal and well he wasn't sure whether Bucky liked him like that. Steve wished the second he saw Bucky that he could undo all the suffering he caused Bucky and all his other friends to experience because of Steve. But he couldn't not without truly messing up the timeline.
"I'm sorry Bucky…" Steve started but trailed off, he had to keep up the old man disguise. Peggy had to believe that even with the Super Soldier Serum he still aged like a normal human being which was the second hardest part for Steve. The issue was… Steve wasn't like a normal human being. Truth to be told… Steve wasn't sure what he was. Whether he was a super soldier or something else completely.
"I think you are a little late to apologise Rogers" Bucky snapped back, Steve flinched hard. Yep he had officially fucked everything up again. Sam looked puzzled as he stared at the two super soldiers. He looked like he wanted to intervene but wasn't completely sure how.
"You're right. What I did was selfish, you have the right to hate me" Steve replied, he wished that Bucky would turn around and say that he didn't hate Steve and that he was just mad that Steve had chosen Peggy over him, but Bucky's expression seemed to harden.
"You are right. You are a selfish bastard. I thought when I finally was free from the conditioning that I would finally be able to get my life back on tracks that you wanted a part in that, but I guess I was wrong. You don't care about me. It should have been you who died on Vormir not Nat. It should have been you who snapped your fingers with the infinity stones to destroy Thanos' army not Tony. They are the true victims of what your selfishness because the second you were able to return to Carter you didn't care about anyone you knew" Bucky snapped. Steve sighed. Bucky was right everything which had happened ever since he decided all those years ago that he wanted to… Steve continued to ruin everything, and he knew that there was only one thing he was truly capable of doing. Correcting his mistakes by not being there to fulfil them.
"You are right Bucky. It is my fault and for once I'm going to rectify my mistakes. I was never fit for this life, I have no idea why I originally thought I was doing" Steve spoke cryptically. Bucky's cold expression broke leaving only confusion in its wake.
Steve closed his eyes the old man disguise started to slowly peel away leaving the younger version of Steve Rogers. Steve opened his eyes, they were glowing white.
"I return what was taken" Steve said as he lifted his arm pointing to an empty space. Sam, Bucky and Bruce followed Steve's arm and slowly at least a hundred unconscious bodies appeared, Tony and Natasha amongst them. Sam and Bucky turned to face Steve.
"Steve what the hell, what are you doing?" Sam shouted confused and fear were present in his voice.
"I'm fixing the world. I was never meant to be here. I was just curious of what being human meant but I never took my actions in account to way up the consequences. Goodbye Sam, Bruce… Bucky. In a few seconds Steve Rogers would have never existed" Steve replied before the light consumed Steve's form and he disappeared.
Bucky turned to look at Sam who rushed over the unconscious forms. People from the house where slowly emerging.
"What happened?" Thor shouted to his fellow comrades.
"I have no idea, they just appeared out of nowhere. There was this light and then they were here. I don't remember why it happened or how. It just did" Bucky answered.
"They are alive, all of them" Sam spoke up.
"That impossible, they died" Bruce said as he carefully stepped over to Natasha's unconscious form.
"Loki" Thor shouted running over to his brother and cradling his unconscious form in his arms before scanned to other unconscious individuals. They were his fellow Asgardian which Thanos has killed along with his fallen teammates Tony, Natasha and a human Vision.
Tony started to stir before slowly opening his eyes and sitting up. He looked down at his body then to the people surrounding him.
"Is anyone going to tell me what happened?" Tony asked.
"We wish we knew" Sam answered.