Long road to go.. [✓]

chapter 13✨

Building the damn gauntlet was easier than deciding who would put their hand in the damn thing and snap their finger. The discussion went back and forth between Thor and Bruce before Thor -quite begrudgingly- agreed that Bruce should be the one to stick his hand in the gamma-producing glove.

“You ready, Brucey?” Harley asks once he suited up.

Peter checked the web canisters on his shooters and gave himself a shake. He had only worn his nano suit a handful of times.

Bruce nodded, flexing his fingers. “Let’s do it.”

“Okay,” Steve says, “remember: you’re bringing everyone back that Thanos snapped away five years ago. They’ll just reappear today. Do not, and I mean this, Bruce, do not change anything from the last five years.”

Bruce nodded and mumbled, “Got it.”

Peter frowns. The tremor in his voice makes him feel like Bruce does not, in fact, got it. Peter opens his mouth and shuts it quickly. Bruce is one of the most intelligent people in the world. He could handle snapping his finger and not snapping

“Friday,” said Peter “activate Barndoor protocol.”

Peter moves next to Harley, who is bouncing up and down on his toes, his phone clutched in his hand.

“You ok?” Peter asked, holding Harley's  hand

“Did I ever tell you that I kept my house phone activated all these years?” asked Harley. He held his phone up, showing a phone number. “I’m so ready to hit call.”

Peter smiled and ruffled the older boy's hair, “Just a few more minutes.”

Bruce reached into the glass, sliding his hand into the gauntlet as it stretched it around him. “Everybody comes home,” he whispered.

Bruce screamed. Peter could see the power coursing through his arm.

“Take it off!” Peter shouts, wide eyes. “Take it off!”

“Wait,” Steve orders, and they freeze. Peter and Harley stood closer together, the shield from his suit covering them. Bruce is hunched on the ground on one knee, breathing deeply. “Are you okay?”

Bruce nodded, “I’m okay.” He grunts, rising to his feet, groaning as he raises his arm, volts of energy bursting from the stones filling the room with lights. He takes a deep breath-

And he snaps.
.
.
.
.
.

There was no moment of divine intervention. No sign from the universe saying, 'congratulations, you've did it!' There's just silence.

Silence and then –

BOOM!

Chaos.

.

.

.

.

***

Pepper woke up in her room at the cabin, alone. She hadn’t realized she had dozed off, she had been feeding her newborn daughter and then woke up to her daughter being gone. She started freaking out and a quick look around didn't help. It looked like things had been moved around and replaced, how long had she been out?

"Pepper?" Someone breath out. She turns towards the voice and sees that it's Happy over there. However, he was looking a few years older than the last time she had seen him.

“Pepper! Your back! It worked!” He ran over to her, sliding to a stop in front of her and throwing his arms around her neck.

Pepper was still confused and had so many questions. What did he mean by back? And where is his daughter or Tony or Peter? 

“Happy, where is Morgan? And what do you mean I'm back?”

“She is safe. I need to tell you something. Can you sit down?” Pepper did as she was asked sitting back down on the bed she had woken up on.

“It has been five and a half years.

***

The last thing Tony remembered was seeing Peter's disheveled face on Titan, begging Tony not to go. Then everything in his memory went black. It was like that for a few minutes before a voice started ringing in his ears.

"Tony."

He recognized the voice but couldn't put his finger on it. All of a sudden, an orange spinning circle of light appeared in front of him. Inside of it was pure darkness.

"They need you, Tony," the voice said, and he realized that it was coming from the circle.

He felt himself walk forward until he was standing right in front of it. Before he could even think, he stepped right through.

And realized he wasn't on Titan anymore. Instead, it seemed he was where the Avengers Compound used to be before it was blown up. Rubble and debris from the building were all over. Gigantic spaceships and thousands of aliens were in front of him. And a certain large purple guy.

Thanos.

***

When Peter wakes, his ears are ringing, and he's surrounded by running water and stone.

"Peter!" he can hear Harley's voice through his comm. "Peter, are you there?" He yelled.

"I hear you, stop yelling!," Peter responds.

"Gee. I got it. " he hears Harley breathe a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm just peachy-fucking-keen," Peter grunts, trying to move the cement debris that had formed a human-sized cocoon around him. "Nothing like having a building dropped on you for the second time in your life."

"Wha---Rhodey, Rocket, move!"

"Harley, where are you?" Peter yells.

"Lower level," comes his static reply. "Rhodeys suit is busted, and Bruce is holding up the roof like he's Atlas or some shit. Water's coming fast. We need help."

Peter grunts again, pushing on the cement as it starts to budge, "Is anyone there?" he yells into the comm. "Scott! Bucky! Steve! Thor! Nebula! Anyone?!"

"I'm here!" comes a gravelly voice. "It's Scott!"

"Scott, get to the lower levels!" Peter yells. "Get them out!"

"On my way!" Scott replies.

Peter continues to press against the concrete, willing it to move. Fuck, how did he do this last time!

"Fuck," he bangs in hands hard on the cement, and to his surprise, it cracks. He pushes the broken cement until he gives way. He's in a tunnel of some sort.

When he finally makes it top side, he is greeted by hundreds of glowing lights with people stepping and flying through each one. He takes a sharp breath when he sees a familiar red and gold suit. Tony. He sees Gaurdians and Dr. Strange. The Falcon and Black panther and many more.

They did it.

They really fucking did it. They brought everyone back.

"Avengers," he hears Steve's voice in his ear, "assemble."