The moment that he shrunk in that suit, Steve did what he had to do. It might only take five seconds for the ones he left in the present but for him, as long as he needs. And the first stop was the HYDRA facility, New Jersey, of the year 1970. It should've just been an easy task because it wasn't that hard to sneak in, but he almost got caught when he made a sound and when the tesseract glowed electric blue that practically lighted up the whole room. It was seen by some of the guards. Even so—before those agents got to him—he escaped in the nick of time.

And then, for the next two stones, he travelled to New York, 2012. The only mission would be returning the time and mind stones to where they got them in the first place, but he may have done something else aside from that that's why it took a tad bit longer.

As to what it is, he doesn't want to disclose anythingyet, but it has something to do with creating another reality (or it might actually be a lot more than one), that's parallel to the main timeline where he came from.

Reality.That's the next goal. After successfully putting back the space stone in 2970, then time stone and mind stone in 2012, he travelled to Asgard, 2013, where Jane Fosteris at, in order to get the aether back inside of her; as well as the Mjolnir, right where it should be. It wasn't that easy of a job, considering that Thor existed in that time and he's able to summon the Mjolnir that he holds. He had to stay hidden from the Asgardians but he still wasn't able to avoid some guards which he successfully won over combat. However so, it still made him acquire a few cuts and bruises on his face, adding up to the injuries he got from 2012 when he fought with his 2012 self and practically tangled with the war that was happening at the time. He was lucky the the ancient one went easy on him. After all, the return of the time stone was what she wanted.

And then there were two.

He looked at the remaining stones on the palm of both hands. One of them glowed purple, and the other was a mesmerizing orange; one that made his heart skip a beat.

Steve intentionally kept the soul stone separate from the other five. He always had it near him, either inside his fist or in his breast pocket or simply where he could always find and see it. Right now, the power stone's orb settled on his right palm, while the soul stone was on the left one.

Natasha was left-handed. Even in these little things, he tries to be as close to her as possible, doing everything under her name and glory and thinking of her every step of the way. To be honest, at the moment that all of the other avengers came back after they've been dusted, he still felt Nat even though she wasn't there. When the first portal opened behind him, he just knew that it carried hope. And he might not mention it but Agent Romanoff or not, Black Widow or not, Natasha symbolized hope. And when the portals finally opened simultaneously, he felt her presence, as if she was crawling out of one of those—no—like she was coming out of every single portal. Her spirit radiated through everyone that it made him imagine a gigantic version of her for she practically lived inside every resurrected one. Her soul is a piece of all of them. Even though he wasn't resurrected, way before she sacrificed herself for the soul stone, she had already been a part of him.

The place that she holds is the biggest one his heart that's why when she didn't come back, it all felt hollow. However, it was deeper than that. Their connection didn't just mean seeing or holding each other close every time. It's so strong that even at his lowest point, just thinking of her made him fight. He knew that if she was there he wouldn't tolerate him giving up because she didn't only witness how he always stood up—she was there, standing beside him. He owes it to her to live and get the life they both want,together.

The next stop is Morag, where the power stone belongs. He just wished that he can stay in there for a bit longer, because he is not ready to go to his last stop: Vormir. Not yet. The soul stone is the only thing now that he has of Natasha and returning it in the place where she died would be traumatic. He can't even imagine how. Amongst all the stones, the soul stone is the most mysterious and unpredictable one. Not much is known of it, because it takes a sacrifice to have it and therefore be able to use and explore what it can do. And they only ever used it to complete the six infinity stones in the gauntlet and perform the snap. So no, he doesn't have an idea if his hopes of bringing Natasha back once he had returned what she died for would be effective. Nevertheless, he still wants it to work. If it doesn't, he already made abackup plan.

He returned the orb to the same temple where Rhodey and Nebula got it when they gambled with time. It didn't take much effort, because the one guarding it was an idiot who sings along with music playing and there were no booby traps along the way. He just had to let it float back up in this seemingly holographic purple walls of light that didn't do anything like burn him or strike lightning at him whatsoever. He still let out a relieved sigh after that, because the job was already done, but it made his heart ache that it didn't last that long.

Now he needs to head to Vormir.

The quantum suit covered every inch of him once again as he counted to three, closed his eyes, and in a matter of seconds, he was inside a dimension with a trillion little particles surrounding him. He closed his eyes for a split second when he felt that familiar sensation envelope him again, it was the sign that when he opens those eyes, he will be in the place he should be—to return the last stone.

Slowly then, his eyes fluttered open, and they could only ever perceive strong purple clouds and a lot of other purple shadows that jived with the fog. The place is indeedverycold, like it's reminding him of how mysterious the stone and its home is, and also how it is like the graveyard at night. Cold and creepy. Not to mention that there is this grim-reaper-like entity that's guarding the stone, or rather waiting for it to come back.

He studied the place closer, grasping the soul stone in his fist tighter and tighter as he turned around. Nothing scared him more than seeing the last sight that Natasha saw. Or maybe this isn't even all of it, he didn't even look at the cliff yet and he for sure doesn't know how it feels or how it looks like falling from in between those two giant, rectangular, temple-like rocks.

This is the last thing she saw aside from Clint's eyes before she decided to throw herself down the height of it. He's at the highest point of this planet seeing that the clouds could already touch his shoulders and the temperature is at its freezing point yet it was still so dark. White light barely touched the surface because of the gray and purple clouds that blocked it. If it's already that dim here, then what about at the bottom? What about Nat? When she was falling, did she have to see the increasing darkness as she went down? When she hit the ground, was there at least a single ray of light shone on her to at least see Clint one last time?

The thoughts were already making his eyes burn with tears and his jaw shake while trying to hold them back. He looked down to his closed fist and a tear managed to escape, supposedly followed by a lot more if only he wasn't distracted by a low, chilly voice.

"Steven, son of Sarah," it said, approaching him through the fog. Steve decided to squint, hoping that it'd give him a better view, but the only thing he can see is a floating black cloak and the shadow it made as it got nearer. Then, he looked at it from the bottom up. There he saw eyeballs almost popping from a literal corpse face that's bright red in color.

Red Skull.

"Schmidt?!" He exclaimed, stepping back one time as he collected all of the thoughts that made his heart thump relentlessly.

Countless questions of how and why targeted his limited brain capacity. Why is he here? How? How is it possible that he's the guardian of the stone? Is this some type of illusion? Is this a quest in order for him to return the stone? Does this task include battling with an old, unexpected enemy that he had ultimately defeated in the past? What is this? Why does it have to be Red Skull? Does the soul stone know that he means to bring Natasha back that's why it's putting him in this test?

But then, the guardian spoke with utmost wisdom.

"The past that we had is already done, Steven. I have nothing against you if that is what you think. I am no longer a threat to you and the safety of what you protect. Instead, I am serving as the guardian of the stone you have come to return."

The calm gaze of Schimdt went down to his fist, where the stone gleamed brightly through all the possible spaces it can manage to escape. As if it knew it was already home and cannot wait to be returned to where it once rested. But Steve refused to let go of it. In fact, he even clenched it more securely as he bravely gave the gaze back to the cloaked figure.

"If I return this to you... will the life used to acquire this... will it come back, too?" His voice almost cracked.

"'Tis not for me to declare what happens after you have returned the stone to where it belongs, for I have only ever been here to guard it and attend to the questions of whoever needs to have it. The power of giving it to anyone nor taking it back is not vested upon me. And so I cannot give you any proper words to tell how giving it back would go."

The mistrust and uneasiness he had been feeling right when he saw Red Skull just increased when he said that. It made him chuckle dryly, thinking that it is all a lie he has to be smart about. He's really starting to think this is the stone putting him in the test.

"Are you saying that you don't have an idea as to how I should return this stone?" He asked, trying to trick him if anything. But Schmidt was wiser than that.

"I see that you still don't trust me," he declared, turning his back from Steve and started walking to the near edge of the cliff. "Follow me, then."

Steve obliged. He looked at the stone that still glowed from inside his hand and then caught up to Red Skull, walking behind him as he talked once more.

"The stone has a wisdom of its own that even I could never know. The only law I know of it is to trade a soul for a soul; that is if you mean to own it. But your situation is different from the others, because you are trying to return it. But still, a soul for a soul. Natalia Romanova's soul was what it cost to earn thesoulstone. Therefore--"

"I can get her back." He concluded. Hope coursed in his veins as his eyes lit up when he knew what Schmidt was trying to say. The thought of getting Natasha back filled him with excitement and joy. But it was once again broken when the guardian stared at him with dead eyes.

"I cannot assure you of that, Steven Rogers. The sacrifice is irreversible but the stone is mysterious and has a capability to make decisions of its own. I am neither giving you hope nor feeding your despair, but I am stating the truth I am aware of."

Then, after saying that, he gave way to Steve, stepping aside so he could step forward to the very edge where both Nat and Clint tried to jump into.

There wasn't an assurance, but he was ready for this. As he said, he's got a backup plan.

He looked at the stone, transferring it from a palm to another, then glancing at Red Skull.

"So how do I return this?"

"The way it was obtained."

And with a nod, he faced the height where he's supposed to drop the stone like Natasha did. But before doing that, he clasped the stone with both hands and closed his eyes as he placed it near his lips, saying a silent prayer.

Please come back to me.

"It's time, Steven," whispered the eerie voice of the guardian. And with one last breath, he let it drop to the bottom. And the last thing he saw was light, striking the skies in sparkling hues of orange and purple before everything went black.

Her eyes opened in a heartbeat as she ascended from the ground, catching her breath. Like she wasresurrected.

Natasha's eyes grew rapidly big when she realized where she was. Purple skies and rocky mountains.Vormir. She's at Vormir, and at the bottom of the cliff as she can see with her own two eyes.

Then it hit her. She's dead. She knew she's dead. A few minutes ago, she was still fighting Clint and then saving him from the fall, which she took by herself. The memory of how she urged him to let go of her hand was still fresh in her mind. Because it just happened earlier. Like perhaps a minute ago. Of if she was unconscious for a long time then it could've been years but the vision didn't look like it came from a long time ago.

She could've sworn she fell from the cliff a minute ago, but why is she awake? She reached her palm at the back of her head and it didn't hurt, there wasn't a trace of blood on her skin and her hair is still perfectly fixed like it had been when Steve tied it up.

Just then, when she stood on her feet, raging rays of what looked like fire struck the skies and it gave a whole new light to the dim place where she woke up. No, actually, it looked like it just gave Vormir its own sun. The purple clouds weren't overpowered, instead they were joined by that mix of warm marigold and bronze, making the planet look like a city of sunsets. A smile almost grazed her lips in the realization that maybe, that's the outcome of her sacrifice. Maybe, somewhere in the other side is Clint, obtaining the soul stone.

She would've really wanted to see him head back at least, so she is sure that nothing happened to him, but she knows that she can no longer do that. She is dead, so perhaps this body is only the illusion of what lived inside of her. This, perhaps, is her soul. The cost she exchanged for another, in the form of a stone.

Nat breathed in the now warm air that touched the skin of her face She doesn't remember Vormir being this warm. It was practically snowing earlier, but now, she doesn't feel the chills anymore. The beauty of the mountains was finally revealed by the golden light and she thought that maybe it won't be so bad to be wandering around here. But still, the regrets started bugging her. Yes, she gave her life for a billion others. And even though she didn't have an assurance that they'd win, the action is what counts. She did her best, but she just wished she also did her best to do the only thing she failed to before disappearing.

She really didn't have a place in this world. She's proved and told that to everyone a million times already, so she doesn't have that much to accomplish. The fact alone that she gave her life to revive countless others should be enough to wipe off the red on her ledger, and that's just everything she was trying to do all her life. She did it. Yet she failed one more.

Aside from taking something off of her, she also wanted tohavesomething.Getit, and live with it. And though she succeeded at burning the baggage that's been punishing her for so long, it still didn't feel complete. The things she had done... it was just so hard to carry, and it was too much, but it was never enough to fill the void in her heart that still yelled for a name. Still yearned for a tomorrow when it could finally be exposed.

Nat started crying. Her eyes like waterfalls while her whole body imitated an earthquake for every part of it trembled.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered to herself, clasping her hands on her face. Eyes closed as the film ofherlife projected inside her head, right from the moment she thoughthewas cute to the time when she denied that she fancies him and continued to every part where she tried to open her mouth and say three little words that always got interrupted by something that's either her fear or his own heart; that chose the same person over and over again.

She wasn't expecting anything, she just wanted to let him know. He deserved to know because she wanted to prove him that he was never alone. Even if he couldn't have given the same feeling back, the relieve she would've felt just from being able to disclose it would have been enough. She's not planning to go anywhere anyway.

But now, she's in the middle of a planet that she doesn't know. Dead. Without a chance of coming back nor a way to at least trade something to see Steve Rogers one last time and tell him.

The plan was to just cry her heart out while sitting on that stone she fell onto when she slipped, but not an eternity later, she heard a grunt from nearby. Like the sound of someone she used to wake up from nightmares, and that's not only alike. It'sthe same.

Her tears stopped dripping when she heard a second muffled complaint.Steve. She cleared her vision by rubbing her wrists against her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed upon seeing a shining golden light make its way through gray fog. She stood up when she saw a struggling shadow, thinking that it might be a local from this planet or that creepy skull guy so she put her hand by her holster, ready to pull out a gun anytime.

The awareness that it could be an enemy disappeared from her mind when she heard it cough, catching its breath like she did earlier. Even the cough sounded so familiar to her that she didn't think of anything else but to run to there, waving the fog apart and stepping closer to the light that mimicked the golden hour. She almost dropped on her knees when she sawhim, crouched down on the ground, looking for any familiar faces, then he heard her hiccup when she tried to hold back her sobs.

It was Steve...

She was frozen in place, the only parts of her that still had the strength to move were her eyes, as they followed his own that looked straight to her. He stood up weakly, growing a genuinely brittle smile on his mouth as the fog slowly faded into the humid air.

Natasha clasped her mouth as the clear image of Steve walked closer to her. He looked like he was so weak, he could barely walk, but still, he did, and he went faster, making his footsteps bigger each passing second and when she finally was at his arms reach, he held out his hands and grasped her shoulders, pulling her into the tightest embrace possible.

That was the moment whenboth of them cried, Nat pressing her face and crying loudly against his chest as her fists rested there, too; and Steve with his face pressed firmly above her head as his chin quivered uncontrollably.

He felt every inch of her falter onto him and he held onto her so dearly because this time, his life really depended on it. If she fades or disappears or dies again, he's genuinely not gonna know what to do. Thank heavens, she is moving. She's very much alive here at least. Her little hands moved from his chest to his back, lacing together by his spine and pulling him closer, as tight as she could.

Tears were uncontrollably falling and nothing was clear in their sight except for the both of them. When Natasha withdrew, she looked directly to his face, not minding how she looked like or how he looked like while crying. Her left hand moved up to his face as her right one pressed against his beating heart.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice quavered, like her weak fingers as they trailed the few bruises and blisters along Steve's face. "What happened to you? Why are you hurt?"

He smiled delicately as he ascended his hand to her face, sweeping the tendrils of hair all over her face to the backside of her ear. "It doesn't matter..."

"Please tell me you didn't jump," she pleaded. But he was too struck by the moment to care about what she's saying. He just continued caressing her face, trying to wipe away her infinite tears.

"Steve, you didn't jump, right? You're not dead... right?" She followed up. And he finally answered, but it was something nonsensical.

"I don't know..." he whispered, looking at her. He truthfully doesn't have any idea what happened after he'd dropped the stone. If he's dead then— "I don't care."

"Stop. talking. like that! I'll really kill you." She said in a certain beat as she hit his chest in the rhythm. This made him giggle. The adorable anger on her face... her little fists that wanted to hurt him but they hold back.

Shereallycame back to him.

"You can't kill me if I'm already dead," he jested, making her give him another glare with tears in her eyes. He pulled her back in an embrace again, now kissing her head. "Can we not think about that for a while? I just want to stay like this."

And Natasha agreed, nodding softly as she buried her face again on his shoulder, her hands clasping the back of his shirt, resuming the fall of her tears.

No one was counting. They really wanted it. They wanted to be together. And if only the universe permits this moment to freeze, they would very much want that to happen. But Nat kicked in her thoughts. She knows that she is here first and the sacrifice was surely hers to have performed. Steve—if he's an illusion or even if he's real—he will not last here. He will disappear or he will have to go back to where he should be. So she called out his name before any of that happens.

"Steve?"

He answered with a hum, like the usual, putting his eyes down on her while still stroking the back if her head.

She squeezed out her final tears and gathered a big breath in before wetting her lips and looking at him from her upper peripheral vision.

"I love you."

There it was.Finally.She was able to say it. It didn't fail. She promised to tell him after a minute and she did. It only had been a minute for her so she doesn't feel like she didn't keep her word.

And also, she kept her word to herself, that she won't wait for a response. She won't expect him to feel the same way. She's just glad that she finally said it before everything ends. Steve really didn't say anything until he did.

"I didn't jump, Nat." He started off huskily. The surprise made her stagger back and face him. He still kept his hands on her cheeks.

"I'm not dead, I just returned the stones," his eyes twinkled at the calm affirmation before his voice trembled yet again. "I returned the soul stone and I got you..." he paused for a breath, "...I got you back."

"What?" She was all but confused. "Steve, it can't be undone. The sacrifice can't be taken back. You... you can't get me back."

"I can. I just did." He began crying.

"But... how?" She asked as if he can answer it. Maybe he can. But she knows she will deny it.

"I've been holding on to that stone for God knows how long, and every split second, I talk to it like I talk to you. About how much I want you back and maybe it heard me... it brought you back."

"No... no, it can't. It didn't," she countered with all her belief. She put her hands on both his cheeks and stared at his eyes like she was compelling him. "Listen to me, Steve. I am done for. You have to let me go--"

"Not a chance in hell."

"No. You listen to me right now, Rogers. You will go back there, and you will fight. You're gonna have to win for me, do you understand that?"

"Butbaby, we already won," he replied with pride and joy in his eyes, taking Nat aback, not only because of his confirmation but because of the way he addressed her.

"We really did?" She started tearing up hard. "You got them back?"

"Yes..."

Her happiness burst in the form of another gallon of warm liquid escaping from her eyes. But she knew that he's telling the truth.He's a terrible liar.However so, she still stood by the belief that the sacrifice can't be undone. She is stuck here forever and she won't let him be stuck here, too. This is not his place.

"Well then you're gonna have to do something for me..."

Steve looked at her but didn't answer. She knew that he already knew what she was about to request. The disapproval is evident in his face but she said it anyway.

She held his face firmly. "Do you remember when I told you to get a life? You have to do that for me now, okay? Go back. Go use the time machine and get that dance with Peggy, huh?"

It pained her so much to be the one saying those words but she shed every last drop of her strength to continue.

"Use your talent. Draw, sing, learn how to dance and dress up, you hear me? And this braid..." she touched her hair that he braided, "...it looks good and it stayed intact even when I jumped, didn't it? Do it for your daughter, too, okay? You're gonna be a great dad. So go back home and--"

She was silenced when in an unexpected turn of events, Steve captured her lips to stop her from speaking. He kept his right hand on her face as he ran his thumb along her jaw and kept the other four fingers on her nape, and his left hand crawled to her and clung on it as he deepened the kiss. All of his frustrations and feelings clashing in a form of affection. It took her seconds to respond but she ends up doing so. When she closed her eyes, she battled with his lips and made sure to savor what she believed are the final moments that he's gonna be there. Though it still was unclear to her why he did this.

A kiss under sunset-coloured skies. As if it was trying to foreshadow a goodbye.

Then they pulled away, not catching their breaths because Steve knew they had more time to do a lot more of those breathtaking making out, and he will stand by that promise. He didn't let go of her hand even when he claimed his lips back, because he had to say something.

He has to say everything.

"Didn't we talk about gettingthatlife? The two of us, Nat. It wasn't just me," it started with that, he squeezed her hand inside his own. "And didn't you tell me you'd teach me how to dance? You're also my training ground in braiding hair so I could do it withourdaughter."

She was once again immobilized, refusing to accept the fact that she heard it all right.

"We'll have twins. A boy and a girl. Then we'd grow old together, travelling the world. We will have grandkids, and you will be with them when your hair is gray and your skin is wrinkled and even if you teeth is falling, you would still be pretty."

He played with her hair again, pleading as he studied her eyes. "Nat, I'm begging you to get that life with me. You're the one that I want to be with. Not Sharon, not Peggy, not that girl from accounting you tried setting me up with. I fell in love with you and I still do. If you're gonna continue pushing me away and putting me up with other people, then I can never have a home."

"I could go everywhere, but I will never be able to go back home if I can't go back to you and I can't be beside you. So if that means having to be here for the rest of my life just to be with you, then I'll take it." He hardened his words, showing her that it was the decision he made.

Right now, he knows that it's the truth. So he looked at Natasha's overflowing eyes with love and admiration, declaring the truth that she had to know.

"I am home."