╭-°—✞—˚✧ ψ ✧˚—✞—°-╮
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO!
𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖌𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖔𝖋 𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗
╰-°—✞—˚✧ ψ ✧˚—✞—°-╯
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IT HAD BEEN 22 DAYS since Salene watched Peter turn to ash. It had been days since she's seen any of her family. She misses them. Now all she does is sit in one of the pilot's seats and stare into the emptiness of space before her, waiting to die. Quill's spaceship had been damaged in the battle, Salene wasn't sure if it was the moon that crashed down or if it was the rebound of the moon hitting the planet and making everything fly everywhere.
Salene looked down at her hands, Peter's mask laid in them. She pulled on the mask, watching as the settings of it got situated.
"Karen, pull up old videos of Peter please," Salene spoke softly.
"Salene? Where's Peter?" Karen asked, Salene let out a tear. The fact that he was gone was still processing, making it harder for her to respond to Karen's question.
"He uh, he died, Karen," Salenes voice got warbly, "We lost."
Salene sniffed as Karen let out an "oh", and soon, video logs of Peter were in her vision, she watched as a video from over a year ago popped up, Peter in the mirror, it was the day of Liz Toome's house party, where Salene and Peter got dropped in the lake. She let out a solemn laugh there was no humor in it, hearing his voice made her heartache in a way she hadn't felt in years, it was too much. Salene pulled the mask off weakly, she and Tony hadn't had food in a while. Shifting in the seat left her exhausted. She ran a tongue over her chapped lips as Nebula guided Tony to the seat next to hers, he looked as bad as she felt.
She hated the taste of her mouth, the contestant pain that her stomach was in. Tony turned his head to look at her, he held out his hand. Salene shifted the mask from her left hand to her right, reaching out and taking his. They laid there like that for what felt like forever, there was a bright light shining on Salenes eyelids, she ignored it, a planet probably moved out of the way of the sun, Salene ignored it.
It soon became hard to ignore, the light was so bright that it was making Salenes eyes hurt even when they were closed. She squinted, holding up her other hand, trying to peek at what it was. Tony seemed to have been doing the same thing. At least Salene wasn't imagining it. She lowered her hand as the brightness dimmed a bit, revealing the figure of a woman. An angel.
Salenes breath hitched in her throat, the way this woman glowed isn't far off from how she did. The woman lowered herself under the ship. Salene watched as the stars moved again and soon, they went by in a blur. Nebula ran to the front of the ship, Salene let go of Tony's hand and turned her head up to the blue woman. Salenes breath hitched at the familiar planet, she wondered how much different it will be now that half of the population is ash.
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?"
"Honestly, until this exact second, I literally thought you were a Build-A-Bear," Tony pointed to the animal.
"Maybe I am." He made eye contact with Salene, she couldn't look away. A talking raccoon.
"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now," Steve spoke up, redirecting the conversation back to Thanos, Deep Space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him."
"Who told you that?" Tony sounded surprised, "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the store. That's what happened. There was no fight."
"He broke my nose," Salene muttered bitterly, Tony pointed to her, her plight adding to his case.
"Okay."
"He's unbeatable."
"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Steve asked. Salene slouched in her seat, glancing up at the IV drip that Bruce has her connected to.
She's tried her family a thousand times. No one has answered, She tried aunts, uncles, cousins, not one person in her giant greek family answered. Salene deep in her mind knows what it means but she couldn't help but try to ignore that thought and hope that her phone service is down and her family is facing the same issue as her.
"Pfft! I saw this coming a few years back, I had a vision," Tony spoke with such a hostile tone, salene felt the urge to flinch, he wasn't even yelling at her, "I didn't wanna believe it, though I was dreaming."
"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus," Steve bit back, more stern than before, Salene only watched as the feud unfolded.
"And I needed you, as in past tense, that trumps what you need, it's too late buddy. Sorry. You know what I need?" Tony stood, pushing things off the table with a clatter. Everyone winced at the noise. "I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse-"
Tony went for Steve. Rhodey quickly came in front of him, trying to stop him.
"Tony, Tony, Tony!"
"-Alive and otherwise-" Salene glanced down at the mask in her head, her heart twisting, "-what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that's what we needed!"
"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve asked, Salene glanced over at the woman who saved her, Carol, she seemed to be just as lost as her, Salene didn't see the original conversation despite meeting Steve years ago.
"I said, 'we'd lose, you said, 'we'll do that together too.' and guess what, Cap?" Tony tilted his head, pushing it into Steve's face, the blonde man only watched with a pained expression, "We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Pre-vengers."
"Okay." Rhodes sighed, he was doing his best to make Tony sit down, but everyone in the room knew he wouldn't sit until he finished.
"Right?" Tony asked.
"You made your point." Salene wished she had her strength back to help Rhodes with Tony, he was too worked up from Peter's death and Thanos' win, "Just sit down."
"Okay..." Tony muttered, glancing to Rhodes and then to Salenes sickly figure she could see a new sense of anger rise.
"Okay?"
"Nah, Nah," Salene sighed as Tony went on again, "Here's my point. You know what?"
"Tony, you're sick."
"They're great," He pointed to Salene and then to Carol, "by the way."
"Sit down," Rhodes commanded, "Sit."
"We need you guys, you're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules!" Tony walked right up to Steve's face, his voice now quieted down to a harsh whisper, "I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar." Salene looked back down at the mask, she and Peter met Steve, Sam Wilson, and James Barnes together, the two of them saw the beginning of this fight and now it was just her to witness this, she now wondered if it would ever end.
She looks up as she hears the sound of ripping, to see that Tony had taken his Arc Reactor from his chest and shoved it into Steve's hand. She could see the hurt expression on Steve's face, it makes Salene angrier that on top of Peter being dead, it took Thanos to bring these two back together.
"Here, take this, you find him, and you put that on, you hide."
Tony fell to the ground. Salene stood up to help, but Steve is by his side and everyone is starting to gather. Black spots danced in her vision and she felt gravity pull her back to her seat. As much as she wanted to help Tony, she was in no condition.
"Tony!"
"I'm fine. I-" He couldn't finish the sentence, he had collapsed fully, his arms and legs splayed out.
Salene watched with a sense of helplessness and held her hand up, a small blue flame danced in her palm.
What is this? She asked, how did this happen?
You've left the earth as an enhanced human but you've come back as -
A monster, She interrupted, extinguishing the flame, I've come back as a monster.
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THE AVENGERS COMPOUND felt lifeless compared to when Salene was their years back, she remembered that offer to join them, she remembers the denial to join the team, but now it seems she's stuck there. She was an avenger now, a seventeen-year-old avenger who's finally leaving to find her family.
Happy had survived the snap, and now instead of being stuck in the back, she was sitting in the passenger side. The two sat in silence, Salene remembered when she first met the older man, who had helped her keep her cover when she was still hiding from Peter. She glanced back at the seat, it was like she was seeing it for the first time, the memory of Peter lingering back there.
"Salene I-" Happy began, his voice had a small crack, making the girl look to him, she could see his eyes were red-rimmed and watery, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it but-"
"I want to but it's hard, you know, I was in a spaceship with a blue woman and my idol, then I was living in the avengers compound for a while, and like, getting to know Natasha Romanoff is something I've wanted to do for a year, long before I got these powers, and I got it," Salenes own eyes watered up, " And I want to tell him so much about it but he's not here and it hurts, he told me he loves me and I don't even get the chance to say to his face after, cause he turned to ash in my hands."
Tears flowed freely as Happy turned the corner, they were a few blocks from her street, her heart was racing, her tears turned to steam as she anxiously waited to get out of the car. Her heart stopped almost faster than it was beating. The empty street showed the things that she wished to unsee.
A car was halfway through the window of her diner, Kyrils car was in its spot, hope was creeping up but there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head. Happy hadn't fully stopped before she was out, she couldn't wait anymore. She ran up to the car and a sob that seemed to be more of a squeak escaped her mouth as she saw a coat of dust on the driver's seat. Kyril had been a victim of Thanos' snap. Salenes hair was now on fire, she ran inside, there was dust everywhere, the tv was on but sounded like it was blaring due to the emptiness.
Salene flew up the stairs as she skipped saints to get to the apartment. The living room was empty.
"Hello?" She screamed, hoping for a reaction, wanting to hear her mom yell at her for being so loud, her dad to yell back something in response, "Mamá? Bampás?" Silence. She stormed to the door but something caught her eye in the living room area.
Six spots of dust coated the floor and couch. She screamed, falling to her knees. She crawled over to the dust, the tears falling and evaporating just as fast. They were all gone, she assumed that the sixth pile of dust was Ian Barnett, Adrian's boyfriend. She fumbled for her phone, the thudding of footsteps coming up the stairs stopped her, Happy appeared in the doorway, seeing her face and his expression fell, realizing the same thing she did.
Salene didn't just lose Peter, she lost everyone she ever loved.
"Come on," Happy spoke softly, walking over to her as she calmed her hair's flames, trying her best not to burn the man.
"They're gone," She spoke, her eyes widening more and more as the realization was now hitting her.
With one snap, Thanos took everything from her.
"We need to go to Peter's house, if May's alive, I need to tell her myself what happened," Salenes warbly voice betrayed the firm face she had put up in a desperate show of strength.
Happy only nodded silently as he guided her out of her home. The place that she grew up in that used to be full of life was now coated in the ashes of the ones who loved her and raised her. Happy was texting someone, Salene thought it was maybe Pepper Potts or Tony. She wouldn't know.
"Also, Peter and I left our bags in Manhattan, some of his trackers are in there so Megan can help me find them if they haven't been stolen somehow," Salene spoke.
"If it's stolen I feel bad for whoever you're gonna find holding those bags."
• • •
FACING THANOS SEEMED easier than what Salene was going to have to do now. She stood before Peter's door, holding her spare key. She opened it up, his bag drooping off her shoulder in a sad sack.
"May?" She weakly called out, a lump rising in her throat, not sure what she was hoping for. She anticipated a tear-streaked woman holding a fistful of tissues waiting for her boy to come home only to see her holding his things.
There was no sound. Nothing. Salene stepped through the kitchen down into the living room. There is where Salene found a pile of dust that was formerly known as May Parker. Salene wiped the tears out from under her eyes She walked to Peter's room and set his bag on his desk, walking over the bed and laying down.
She could smell his shampoo and a bit of the cologne she bought him last Christmas. Salene sighed and sat up, looking around. She knows what she's about to do is bad but she can't help it. She got up and walked over to his bag, opening it and taking out his jeans and his books, leaving the shirt in there, she walked over to his closet and took his favorite shirts.
Thanos had destroyed the stones, their only shot at undoing the damage was gone. She was never getting anyone back, and she'll be damned if the only pieces of him left were in her brain. She stuffed the bag and looked at the bed, she took his pillow too. He wasn't going to use it.
Salene stepped out of the apartment where Happy patiently waited. The look on her face told him everything.
"Let me take you home, I'll stay with you at the diner during high school, and who knows, maybe you can live in the compound when you graduate," Happy offered. Salenes eyes watered up as she stared at him.
"Thank you."
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3.1k words
this was a doozy but YES! her whole family is dead, and we all knew may was dead but,, yeah.
literally salene the whole ride home and the whole time she's at the compound.
poor little salene.
salene @ thanos
i want to thank you all for reading this it means the world to me and i can't wait to fully write for endgame for the first time!!
comment with theories i'm curious as to what you think!
-greta