monster ψ p.parker ¹

xxii. | the beginning of after

A tear slid down her face as she thought of the fact that she would now have to face Aunt May without Peter. How is she going to tell the woman that the boy she's raised since he was young is dead? How is she going to face her family, her friends? She looked back down at the mask, her chest aching as she felt the ship touch ground. Nebula flipped a few switches, pushed some buttons and Salene could hear the door open. Nebula helped both her and Tony up hunching down to let both her and Tony lean on them to walk. Salene couldn't walk on her own for a few days now, it seemed that Tony just started needing help.

Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, and James Rhodes were all outside, Steve and Natasha kicked it up to a run, Steve had taken Tony for Nebula, and Natasha had taken Salenes weight. Salene looked to Nebula, she hadn't said anything to her since before Peter died.

"Thank you," Salene spoke weakly, Nebula only nodded as Salene looked back at Natasha, the look of deep concern etched into the older woman's face, "I know you."

Natasha only nodded, helping Salene walk inside the compound. Salene looked around, her hand still gripped on Peter's mask, she couldn't bring herself to part from it. Salene could hold it in anymore, she broke down into another fit of sobs the crying shook her body, making her hunch over as she clutched onto Natasha as support. Salenes cried before, hell she cried yesterday, but this was a true, broken cry.

The older woman who was holding her up only rubbed her back as she helped Salene to a bed. Salenes vision started spotting with what looked like static. When it cleared, Natasha was in her face with Banner next to her, holding a flashlight to his eyes.

"She needs food and water," Banner spoke as Salenes head fell back into the pillow.

"Soft," She muttered, her eyelids drooping as sleep took over her mind.

• • •

SALENE WAS STILL too weak to move. She wanted to leave this place, go home. No one at the diner has been answering her calls and she refuses to let anyone here go to the diner. She wants to see for herself. Salene was currently sitting at the table, watching as people she's only heard of or met once lit up on the screen. Thanos killed 3.9 billion humans.

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth," Rhodey spoke, looking around the table. They were all standing except for her.

"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census. And it looks like he did," Natasha took a moment to herself, closing her eyes, "he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent of all living creatures."

"Where is he now? Where?" Tony asked, making Salene look at him, they were both reduced to skin and bones. Salene may be more so due to her body heat burning off things faster.

"We don't know," Steve spoke, Salene found out that he had a beard and was pissed when she saw his clean-shaven face. She wanted to see that beard, "He just opened a portal and walked through."

Salene looked around the room and saw a sullen-looking Thor, sitting on a bench, seemingly deep in thought. He hadn't said much since she arrived, this was her first time meeting Thor, ever since Sokovia was reduced to a crater in the earth, he had been off-world, seemingly getting cool haircuts and new weapons, though she thought that hammer was a big part of the Thor myth.

"What's wrong with him?" Tony asked, filling her line of sight.

"Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed," Salene looked at the raccoon in clothing in shock, her eyes widening as she realized he was talking, "Which of course he did, but you know there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?"