the strongest avenger (2)

seventeen

I push out all my curious thoughts and questions as we swiftly travel back to the Compound through the quantum realm.

I look around as we land, deactivating my helmet.

"Did we get em all?" Dad asks across from me.

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey asks with a smile.

I start to smile, but it falls as I look over at Nat.

"Nat, where's Clint?" I whisper.

She looks up and meets my eyes, tears forming, but she then looks back down. I lean over and take her hand, feeling tears rise in my own eyes.

***

"When we get them back, we'll have a proper funeral." Bruce says as we all sit out by the lake.

"We can get him back." Thor says. "We have the stones, stop this shit. We're the Avengers."

"We can't get him back." Nat says from where she leans against a pole. "It can't be undone." She sniffles. "It can't. That's what the red floating guy said." She looks away and takes a deep breath. "It was gonna be me, but he sacrificed his life for the stupid stone. Said he was too far gone to be saved."

"He's not coming back." Bruce says as he takes a deep breath.

"We're gonna make it worth it." I say while standing. "We are."

**

"I'm sorry Tash." I whisper as I sit down next to her.

She looks over at me and gives a small smile. "We'll mourn later, now we focus."

"Yes ma'am."

"You really think this could work?" She turns and asks.

"Yes. It has to. Cause if it doesn't...I don't know what I'll do."

She pauses for a second. "Do you still love him?"

A small chuckle escapes my lips. "Yes. But...would I want to be with him if he comes back? First of all, I can't. That's illegal. Second of all, I just...I'm not the same. I'm not the same Tal that he remembers. But I'm always gonna love him."

She reaches over and takes my hand. "We're gonna have to help Laura take care of the kids."

"That's fine."

"I know you don't like kids."

"Yes well, I can do this for Clint." I whisper.

"Thank you Lia."

"For what?"

"Being my best friend, and for being there for me."

"Tash, I'll always be there for you. After all this, you're not going away again okay?"

"Alright...but I need to be far away from you and Steve. You two are too loud."

A blush creeps onto my face. "Moving on from that topic..."

***

After our talk, we went over to the labs where Tony was finishing up with his Iron Gauntlet thingy.

"Alright, the glove's ready." I hear Rocket say as we walk in. "Question is who's gonna snap their freakin' fingers?"

"I'll do it." I turn around to see Thor walking forwards.

"Excuse me?" Tony asks
.
"It's okay."

"Stop stop slow down" Tony tries to push him away.

"Thor just wait, we haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet." Steve says.

"I'm sorry what, we're all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?"

"We have to think about this, Thor." I chime in.

"We should at least discuss it." Scott says.

"Look, sitting here staring at the thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger okay? So this responsibility falls upon me."

"Normally you're right." Tony steps towards him.

"It's my duty."

"It's not about that." Dad says while taking Thor's hands. "Hey buddy..." Tony tries to shush him and I look away.

"Just let me do it." Thor begs. "Just let me do something good. Something right."

"Look, it's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent." Tony explains to him. "I'm telling you. You're in no condition."

"What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?"

I hold my tongue as multiple answers come to mind, however Rhodey does not control himself.

"Cheez Whiz?"

"Lightning." Thor glares at him.

"Yeah."

"Lightning."

"Lightning won't help you pal." Bruce speaks up from where he stands in the corner. "It's gotta be me. You saw what those stones did to Thanos. They almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?" Steve asks.

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was made for this."

We all sigh, knowing that he's right. So dad grabs the gauntlet and hands it to Bruce.

"Good to go right?"

"Let's do it."

"Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago you're just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." Dad explains.

"Got it."

I look over to see Steve and Scott back in his suit, and I quickly activate mine. We form a circle around Bruce, Thor shielding Rocket, and Tony activating his suit along with a shield.

I hold my hands up and make a quick energy shield that wraps itself around Bruce.

"Friday do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol will ya?" I hear Tony say from the suit.

I look around as doors close over the sky light and the other windows, shutting us all inside.

"Everybody comes home."

I watch as the gauntlet adjusts to fit Bruce's hand, and then I gasp as he falls to his knees. The energy of the stones flowing up and down his arms as he groans.

I strengthen my shield, incase anything bad happens.

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor yells as we see Bruce struggling and in pain.

"No wait!" Steve says. "Bruce are you okay?"

He just groans in response.

"Talk to me Banner."

"I'm okay." Bruce groans out and I immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Bruce yells and groans as he strains to lift his hand and finally snaps. There's a blinding light, and then everything comes back to normal.

The gauntlet falls from his hand as Bruce falls to the ground and I quickly dissolve the shield, staying back as everyone crowds him.

"Bruce!"

"Don't move him."

Tony cools Bruce's mangled arm with the same stuff that he used on Titan.

"Did it work?"

"We're not sure. It's okay."