The plasma blast came hurtling in. Thanos tilted his head aside to evade it, recalling that ridiculous battle years ago when he had traded insults with Russell and Steve. His face twisted with rage.
For a time, Thanos had regarded that memory as a disgrace. He refused to admit it had been his doing and did not even want to mention it.
If not for studying Russell's fighting style, he would have long since blocked out that terrible memory and buried it in some forgotten corner to gather dust.
"Eh? Thanos, why aren't you spraying insults back?"
Russell was so shocked that his voice rose, loud enough for the Black Order in the distance to hear every word. "You've changed. Power has made you look down on everything. You've become arrogant and lost the... shamelessness you had when we first met."
"Shut up!"
"No, I'm going to say it."
Russell stubbornly shook his head. "I remember clearly. The old Thanos would stop at nothing to win. The direct evidence is that you used that vile monkey-steals-the-peach move on Steve during a fight... Oh, you don't know what monkey-steals-the-peach means... It's when you curl your five fingers into a claw and deliver a devastating strike to Steve's family jewels."
"..."
The Black Order lowered their heads. They had heard nothing.
"As the saying goes, you can't lose the chicken, because no chicks will come if it's gone. A chicken can only be ruined once. Boss, this computer is dea—"
Boom!!
With a thunderous bang, Thanos threw a punch and cut off Russell's mental pollution.
In the stands, Natasha and the other women shrugged and avoided making eye contact with Steve.
It was the only support they could offer Steve: preserving what little dignity he had left.
As a good brother,