Curious

Thanos was pleased. Earth was more beautiful than he thought it could be and the shed he claimed as his own stood upon layers of land covered in bright green grass. The beauty grew exponentially when everything turned to orange and purple at sunrise and sunset. The universe was finally balanced. He had saved billions of lives instead of letting trillions die cruelly. He could finally rest. He could finally be at peace with himself and the world.

He was satisfied, yet his stomach rumbled at the emptiness.

On his second afternoon on Earth, he was finally feeling the relief and tiredness of a lifetime of hard work and rewarded perseverance. Not anyone in the world knew where he was, but then again, neither did he. And here, in the middle of nowhere, would be his new home.

Thanos forced his body to rise and look for nourishment. Food. Water. He was weak and in pain but without them, he wouldn't get any better.

As beautiful as this place was, climbing down uneven ground proved to be difficult with his limping leg. He gritted his teeth and moved forward, never looking back as he had always done in life.

At the base of the hill, he found crops lined in front of a simple shed, similar to his own. Tall, slim green and pale yellow plants grew crooked and behind them white four legged animals were freely roaming and grassing.

He was truly blessed and meant to live, even after his quest, if fate was handing him what he needed that easily.

Thanos kneeled before the green plant with long leaves and carefully felt it's rough fibers. The stem did not look edible but the bright yellow fruit protruding from it did. He moved on to the creamy cat tails. Softer but drier and less appetizing. They resembled another plant he knew and Thanos wondered if their properties were similar.

A snap of a twig alerted him of strangers.

The source was uncomfortably close and should've been in plain sight if it wasn't for the crops. Tense and senses sharpened, he caught movement in front of him among the plants. Adjusting his eyes, a face took shape between the swaying cat tails and green stems.

"I see you." He teased.

The woman ran and was out of sight in matter of seconds. Thanos hummed and resumed his inspection, unimpressed and unsurprised by her reaction. He had no interest in pursuing a frightened human, especially in his condition. It was a surprise, however, when she returned still frightened and possibly against her and anyone's judgement.

Thanos stole a glance at the woman, expecting an assault or verbal abuse. When nothing happened, he ignored her altogether resuming his inspection.

"That's wheat." She spoke. "It won't help you much right now but it's pretty useful."

Not only she returned to him despite her fear, but now she was helping him. How curious. He also made a mental note to control his facial expressions more carefully. He took a green plant on his hand, a silent request.

"That's maize." Instead of words, she used a demonstration to explain. Her hand disappeared into the bag on her hip and pulled out one of the fruits. Did she think he couldn't understand her? The crunch of her bite and the loud sip of juices reminded him of his hunger. He reached for one and bit off half of it in one bite, taking in even the core. It was somewhat sweet and chewy for the most part. It would make a decent meal if seasoned correctly.

"That's… one way to eat it." The woman struggled to hide her amusement. At least she was clever enough to try not to offend him.

He ate two more and took other three for later. With his hunger sated, thirst was clawing his throat.

"Water." It came out hoarser than he wanted.

The woman's eyes almost fell out of its sockets. She froze in place scpeechless.

"Human. I require water." He requested softly. He had no right nor the wish to command anyone anymore.

The woman stared at him with her jaw dropped. A few blinks cleared her mind fairly fast to her credit.

"I'll get it." Without waiting for an answer she turned on her heels and left.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Thanos drank and drank, leaving the bucket almost empty. After the favor, he wouldn't dare to deny her a handful of water as courtesy. He sighed in relief as the bucket touched the ground. "I am guilty of many things."

The woman frowned at his cryptic answer. "Is that a confession?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On what you're accusing me of."

The sun on her back made her dark skin even darker. He couldn't see her face properly but her voice hinted she was losing her patience.

"The ashes."

"Ah" said Thanos. He had already guessed it was related to the recent events but fending ignorance might've spared him from a lot. "Then yes. I am guilty."

He expected insults, rage, curses and words of hate. Instead, she looked at him with confusion shining in her eyes.

"Why?"

Well, her reaction was certainly different than anticipated. He wondered how long that would last. "It was necessary."

She frowned and shook her head. "No, no no. I mean… why was I spared? My family… they..."

Thanos smiled inwardly. She was indeed a funny little human. How refreshing. "Don't feel special. Half the universe is gone. I would say the odds were not that slim."

Her responding hum was playful and curious.

"How?" Her voice was most filled with amazement than resentment.

He pondered on his answer for a few moments. She didn't push and he didn't rush. He thought of all the things and people he lost on his way and his throat tightened.

"Sacrifice."

Thanos hated pity but somehow her eyes of sympathy made him feel understood and a little less alone.

"What did you sacrifice?"

He counted three heartbeats before he responded. It was just like little Gamora's question and the answer was the same. Didn't make it easier though. "Everything."

Self invited, the human patiently followed him back to the shed. The climb back was harder than the climb down and yet he didn't wish for assistance. The human didn't offer any either, probably because of her small size compared to his.

"What happened to you?"

She really had a lot of questions.

"A consequence of my doings." He simply offered.

"Does it hurt?" Her eyes travelled to his burned left wrist and hand.

"Not significantly."

"How did you get- oh, never mind." Reaching their destination, the torched gauntlet appeared lying carelessly on a bench against the wall. All six Infinity Stones still shining against the dark bronzed gold. It was then when he realized the threat this woman posed. It was a mistake to take her presence lightly.

She must've felt his nervousness. "Relax. I won't steal it."

That didn't ease him one bit. He was stronger, smarter, but right now, she was faster and knew the surroundings. He closed the space between them, blocking the path to the gauntlet... and inviting her to leave.

"Will you be fine?" Intimidating was his expertise and this human here was immune to it. Yet, extraordinarily, she did grasp the meaning of his actions.

"Yes."

After a brief hesitation, the woman nodded and left him be.

"Human." He called before she was out of sight. "Your name?"

The corners of her mouth curved up slightly. "Thabisa."

She didn't asked for his.

I have no clue where I'm going with this story but it's one of those where you wish you knew how to write beautifully and give justice to that idea in your head. I hope you enjoy it and I'll keep writing depending on feedback.