-Present Day: Endgame-
FIVE YEARS LATER
Knowing the portal jumping spooked the civilians sometimes, you find yourself fast walking though the seemingly abandoned streets of New York City. There are a lot of boats gathered around a dock, all abandoned. A baseball stadium comes into view, with no life present at all. The aftermath of the Decimation is evident, and Earth has not coped well. You approach the abandoned cafe, with a poster on the wall labeled "WHERE DO WE GO, NOW THAT THEY'RE GONE?" and turn in to join the therapy session that is taking place with Steve and seven other people, some of whom you recognised.
"So I, uh... Went on a date the other day. It's the first time in five years, you know? I'm sitting there at dinner... I didn't even know what to talk about." You slide into a chair near the man talking, Steve giving you a look to question why you're late.
"What did you talk about?" He turns his attention to the man talking.
"Same old crap, you know? How things have changed, and... my job, his job... How much we miss the Mets. And then things get quiet... He cried as they were serving the salads."
"What about you?" The man you recognised as Jim or at least you think he name is Jim asks him.
"I cried... just before dessert. But I'm seeing him again tomorrow, so..."
"That's great. You did the hardest part. You took the jump, you didn't know where you were gonna come down. And that's it. That's those little brave baby steps we gotta take. To try and become whole again, try and find purpose." He smiled a little at the man and then looked around the room as he spoke "I went in the ice in '45 right after I met the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later. You gotta move on. Gotta to move on. The world is in our hands. It's left to us guys, and we got to do something with it. Otherwise... Thanos should have killed all of us." he ends the speech dramatically.
"Y/N you want to share today?" He asks as the room muses over what Steve had said, most nodding.
"I don't think so..."
"Come on Y/N, its a safe space here, you never talk, we're here with Captain America..." Jim encourages.
"We're here for you..." another voice joins in, Steve smiles.
"Ok I'll talk..." you sit up abruptly slapping your hands on your thighs. "I don't want to come to these meetings, I hate them, they're stupid." Everyone looks a little stunned although most nod in agreement. "In fact, I would argue its worse than the pain Hydra put me though and defiantly more embarrassing than finding out what Rumlow made me do wasn't just a part of the job..."
"Y/N..." Steve tried to stop you.
"No no, you wanted me to talk here it is Cap." You throw your arms about. "Every day for the last five years, when I'm not in excruciating pain form the loss of my... of Bucky... I am trying to help Natasha Romanoff keep what's left of the Avengers together because, some people, think its ok to go into hiding or run therapy sessions." You narrow your eyes at Steve. "I am not going to let half the universe disappear.... not after all the bad shit I've done.... all my life I've wanted to be a good guy and when I realised I'd been on, not just the wrong side, but the epitome of evil, I was heartbroken... and I have a lot to do to make up for it. So excuse me whilst I save the love of my life and the rest of universe." and with that you disappear into a portal that you create behind you and vanish.
"I like her..." Jim says and the others nod.
"Right, that's it for today, I'll see you all here next week." Steve ends the meeting heading straight for the compound.
You portal Inside the New Avengers facility and decide to head to the training room to let out some steam before you head in to see Nat, knowing you're too angry to talk to anyone right now.
. . .WITH NAT . . .
someone cutting the two bread with peanut butter filling into a couple of triangles, as someone else was speaking. The camera pans up to Nat is cutting up her peanut butter sandwich into triangles, her long red, over-colouring her blonde streaks let loose over her shoulders. She listens as Rocket talks about his status so far via one of the tech panels that has what's left of earths hero's joining the call.
"Yeah, we boarded that highly suspect warship Danvers pinged." Nat comes into the room, looking over the holographic calls from the left to right, respectively: Nebula and Rocket Raccoon, Okoye, Danvers with a tomboyish haircut, and Rhodes.
"It was an infectious garbage scowl." Nebula's tone cold as always.
"So, thanks for the hot tip." Rocket turns to Danvers and replies back with a smirk.
"Well, you were closer." Carol remarks back.
"Yeah. And now we smell like garbage."
Turning to Okoye, Nat looks up and asks "You get a reading on those tremors?"
"It was a mild subduction under the African plate."
"Do we have a visual? How are we handling it?" Nat asks, stood at the desk.
"Nat, it's an earthquake under the ocean. We handle it by not handling it." Okoye give her a look.
"Carol, are we seeing you here next month?" Nat asks, turning to the other call screen.
"Not likely."
. . . END OF NAT POV. . .
"What, you gonna get another haircut?" You come round the corner and join Nat by the desk arms folded, hair almost now completely white, you'd managed to style it in a way that made it look like it was meant to be messy but it was still post electrocuted hair, the stress of the last five years draining it of colour. Rocket chuckles at your comment.
Irritated Carol turns to face you "Listen you freaky little experiment, I'm covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth, are happening everywhere, on thousands of planets."
"Glad you're being useful somewhere at least..." you mummer under your breath but Nat nudges you "All right, all right, that's a good point. That's a good point." you say a little louder for Carols benefit and she relaxes her shoulders.
"So you might not see me for a long time."
"Good" you whisper to yourself.
"Alright. Uh, well. This channel is always active. So, if anything goes sideways... anyone's making trouble where they shouldn't... comes through me."
As they all agree, one by one they cut off the call.
Before she cuts off, Carol turns to Rhodey "Good luck." and then she disappears.
Nat sighs exhausted, and sits down, motioning for you to take another one, you both notice Rhodes still online in the call
"Where are you?" You ask.
"Mexico. The Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys. Never even had the chance to get their guns off."
"It's probably a rival gang." Nat says nonchalantly.
"Except it isn't." Nat realises something and then turns to you as you also realise before turning back to Rhodey "It's definitely Barton. What he's done here, what he's been doing for the last few years... I mean, the scene that he left... " Nat starts to show signs of sadness as she gradually tears up. "I gotta tell you, there's a part of me that doesn't even want to find him." In an abrupt moment of silence, she tries to chew her tears and emotional feelings as she eats a sandwich.
"Will you find out where he's going next?" You ask while Nat composes herself.
"Y/N..."
"Please."
"Are you really the best one to be looking into this, you haven't exactly handled it much better..."
"Do it for me please, Rhodey" Nat finally speaks.
"Okay" Rhodes cuts off his call.
Nat starts to cry as she tries to hold back her tears miserably. You're about to comfort her when Steve appears in the doorway.
"You know I'd offer to cook you dinner but you seem pretty miserable already." Nat wipes off the tears off her face as Steve speaks.
"You here to do your laundry?" You roll your eyes.
"And to see some friends" he gives you a look and joins you both a the desk.
"Clearly, this friend is fine." She jokes her tear stained face giving her away.
"You know I saw a pod of whales when I was coming up the bridge."
"In the Hudson?"
"There's fewer ships, cleaner water."
"You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side. Um... I'm about you to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich." She jokingly smiles, as Steve does the same.
"Sorry. Force of habit." Steve jokes as he throws his jacket, then sits down on another chair, opposite you and Nat. "You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and... grow. Some do. But not us."
"If I move on, who does this?" Nat states, looking between the three of you, not once in five years had any of you decided there was no hope.
"Maybe it doesn't need to be done."
"I'm sorry what?" You look shocked at Steve, mouth agape.
"Y/N, I'm just saying..."
"Don't just say what you're about to just say Steve, don't..." you point at him shaking your head.
"Look, maybe its time to take a breather, experience a normal life...?" He gently suggests.
"I won't ever be able to have a normal life"
"Maybe you just need to find someone to have it with...?" He ventured. His mind wondering to Bucky's last words to him. He was meant to be looking out for you, but he hand't been, now it was starting to feel like the time to settle. At first he thought Thor might take your mind off Bucky, but, well the undying love you have for his friend and Thors inability to deal with grief got in the way. Now it was his turn, to stop you living in the compound, to stop the endless training, to stop almost driving yourself insane all over again trying to figure out how to bring them back. Maybe you needed to start again.
You were about to say something when you were interrupted by Nat, half listening, half deep in her own thoughts. "I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job... this family. And I was... I was better because of it. And even though... they're gone... I'm still trying to be better.... so is Y/N."
"I think we all need to get a life." He jests.
"You first." Nat smiles and for the first time today so do you.
"Erm, guys, what's that?" You suddenly stand pointing to a scene with camera footage that had popped up behind Steve, showing Scott Lang with his Quantum Realm Van behind him.
"Oh! Hi. Hi! Is anyone home? This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big, and I had my mask on. You wouldn't recognise me." You had heard about him helping Steve escape and save Bucky so you liked him instantly also he was funny.
Standing too, Steve frowns at the image and then turns to Nat "Is this an old message?"
"It's the front gate." She joins, making you a trio of confused stood up superheros.
"Ant-Man? Ant-Man, I know you know that. I need to talk to you guys." Scott continues on the screen.
"We should probably let him in" you suddenly get a spark of excitement.
. . . .
Once inside Scott starts pacing worriedly in front of You, Steve and Natasha.
"Scott. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." He replies to Steve, you look at him unconvinced as he struggles to ask about something. He finally blurts it out.
"Have you ever studied Quantum Physics?"
"Only to make conversation."
"Love it" you smile at Nat's casual interjection.
"Alright. So... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... She was my... " you raise a brow as he struggles to not tell the entire truth about their relationship. "She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there."
"I'm sorry. That must've been a very long five years." Nat says sympathtically.
"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours." You, Steve and Nat share a quick bewildered glance as Scott continues " See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving."
You hold out the plate with Nat's sandwich on it and chuckle a little as he strides over and bites into it.
"Scott, what are you talking about?" Steve waits for him to finish his mouthful.
"What I'm saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if, we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like... Like before Thanos."
"Wait, are you talking about a time machine?" You can't help but get excited, clapping your hands together.
"No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. It's more like a... Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way... There's gotta be...some w... it's crazy.....Scott by the way... " he stretches his hand out to shake yours.
"Y/N... I'm"
"You're the Winter Soldiers shadow right? Little bit nuts, is a human Tesseract?" he asks. You're a little taken back by the first bit but then again, that is you.
"His name is Bucky.. and thank you for saving him.."
"Pleasure" Scott smiles as you finish shaking hands.
"Scott, I get e-mails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore." Nat sees you handling making friends well and nods happily as she moves the conversation along.
"So who do we talk to about this?"
"Tony..." Steve says.
"Will he help?" You look up at Steve, knowing that although you'd never have what Tony currently has, that you'd be reluctant to help with anything that could destroy it or them.
"He has to ..." Nat breathes out, worried about her friends reaction but knowing Tony as well as she does, she knew he would help eventually.
"Maybe I shouldn't be there.."
"No, he should know who's been helping all this time whilst he's been away, the four of us will go." Nat says firmly.
"Ok.." you play with the sleeves of your cardigan and look at the floor. "ok".