Scott
The morning after the party started off pretty great. Meaning there were clothes on the floor and the sun shone a few bright rays on the woman sleeping on my chest. "Good morning," I whispered as she slowly opened her eyes. "Sleep well?" I asked. "Hmmm, a little tired still... you kept me busy long enough, but yes." "I liked keeping you busy." "I bet you did, yes." "Hmmm, I'm sorry, but that dress looked so good on you... I just had to take it off..." "That makes no sense... at all." "Maybe not for you... but... I almost never see you in a dress. And this one matched the color of your eyes and all... although it was slightly darker..." "Scott... are you daydreaming?" "Me? No. Just looking at an angel." She rolled her eyes, but she smiled as well. "Hey, Hope..." "Hmm?" "I love you." "I love you too." I smiled at her, "Breakfast?" "Breakfast sounds good. How about we get dressed first, though?" "Yeah, true, the others don't need to see us like this. Naked as our name day." "What?" "Game of Thrones thing." "Nerd." "Says you."
Breakfast however kinda killed the good mood that lingered after the party. Why? Because, according to everyone, it was time to arrange a funeral. Don't get me wrong, I know it was time to arrange the funeral and all, and I didn't mind it that much, I just don't think it's something you discuss first thing in the morning. Then again, we'd been postponing it for quite some time thanks to the U.N. on our backs and Bruce had been laying in the freezer. Of course the U.N. had asked about him while we were in court, saying that he had died miraculously had been enough proof for them and so we moved on from that. However, now we were back at the subject of Bruce again.
"It should be small," Steve said, "just us I think. His fans can come and pay their respects later," he turned to Tony, "Did he have any family?" Tony sighed, "As far as I know his family is dead..." "So, no family?" "None except for us." Steve nodded, "None except for us." Then he looked at all of us, "I know most of you didn't know him that well... or not at all... but I'd want to invite you to stay... he gave his live to save yours." Hope nodded beside me, she hadn't known Banner, she was one of the lives she had saved. And besides that, he was a scientist, like her. The Guardians decided to stay too, although I'm not sure about Groot, because all he said was, "I am Groot." The other Guardians agreed that they should pay their respects to a man who had given his life to save theirs. Carol stayed too, to honor Bruce. "He has saved the life of one of my friends, maybe of more, I'm not sure. I should pay him my respects."
So, yeah, the morning began great, aftermath of the party and all, then it quickly turned kinda sour, discussing funeral arrangements to... some form of sweet I think... cause it was sweet that we were kinda united now, I think. At least we all agreed to stay and pay our respects to Banner, a man not all of us had known, but a man we respected. And I think that's something good... I mean... someone we all respected and who had died to help us, to save some of us... it was something to fight for, apart from our own lives of course, when Thanos came to us... something that united us in some way even.
Natasha
Steve's speech, if you could call it a speech, had been short and clear. A small funeral where we should all pay our respects to Banner. The thought of this being necessary, a funeral for Bruce... It saddened me, it only made his dead more real. But I wasn't the only one who seemed to feel... off. Wanda looked quite uncomfortable standing quietly in a corner and I wondered what was going through her head. She was a mind-reader herself but she was always hard to read, even for me. Sometimes it worried me that I couldn't read her, that she didn't show anything, then I realized that that's what it must feel like for the people around me when I'm upset or anything like that... I never show anything either... the only one who figures it out is Wanda, and only because of her mind reading abilities. Sometimes she came to talk to me too... when I was feeling down... maybe it was time to return the favor.
"Hey, you okay?" I said as I stood in the doorway of her bedroom. She probably already knew that I was there, and maybe even why too. "Hmm... yeah." "You didn't look fine." She looked up at me from her bed, "Well... we were discussing a funeral, you weren't too happy either." "Believe me, I know that. However, most of that is confusion." "Yeah, I know," she sighed, "I'm confused too." I walked over to her bed and sat down next to her, "What are you confused about?" "Banner..." "Huh?" "Well... you know... the last time he saw me... he was kinda okay with me... in Wakanda. But before that... He hated me, Nat. He might have been okay with me helping in Sokovia and all... but he hated me." "That's-," "Don't say that it's not true, because you know that it is." "I wasn't about to say that." I sighed, "Look, I know he didn't like you, that much was clear. But he was okay with you being on the team... which meant that he trusted your motives... that he thought you could make a difference. I know that might not seem like much... but after angering him so much that Bruce... that Bruce was actually angry at you and not just the Hulk... that is actually quite a lot. Yes, he might have disliked you... but he knew you could make a change... and he fought for you too... Wanda." "you think? You think he'd be okay with me being at his funeral and all?" "I think he'd be good with that. I know it sounds weird, but staying angry isn't really Bruce's thing." Wanda smiled, "That does sound weird." "I mean he's not the kind of person to keep a grudge against someone." "I know what you mean." "Good." "Thanks Nat..." "You're welcome."
"So... about last night... you and Steve..." "Wanda..." "You danced." "So?" "That's very special for him." "How do you know that?" "I can read minds." "Oh.. right..." Yeah, right indeed." I shook my head slowly, "Anyway... we just danced." "You laid your head on his chest." "I was tired." "No you weren't. You like him, I know. Don't try to hide it, Nat." "I'm not hiding anything..." "Nat..." I sighed, "Fine..." "Good Natasha." "How about your dance with Bucky?" "Well... we don't know each other that well... we talked a lot during that stupid week at court though... about being experimented on by Hydra..." "Sounds like you had some lovely chats." "Yeah, we actually did... you know... when we drifted off to other subjects." "That does sound better than your dreary Hydra pasts, yes." "Definitely." "So... you think he's a nice guy?" "Stop sounding so suggestive... I don't know yet, okay? I still don't know him very well." "Hmmm... so we'll see, I guess." "Yeah, we'll see."
"Hey, Wanda, what did you think of Sam and Maria?" "You should have seen them in the Soul World. Sam kinda followed her around, trying to help her bring some order to that place." Are you telling me he followed her like a puppy?" "Well... he tried to stay away from Bucky a bit... so he followed her around and they became friends... and then he kinda started to flirt with her..." "Of course he did... you should have seen him stare the first time they met..." I think she read my mind, because she started to smile. "And he just kept stealing glances at her..." "Wow," she was grinning widely now. "That's great, huh?" "So, Sam's definitely has a crush on Maria." "I think it's more than a crush..." "That would be great." "Yeah, I just wonder if she likes him." "I think she does... she kinda asked him out... for a movie night on the couch." "Oh really?" "Yeah, really." "Wanda, you know it's rude to read someone's mind without permission... right?" She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I know." "I mean... it's interesting this time... but, one day you might hear something you don't like." "I kno-how."
Wanda
"So... what's gonna happen now, huh?" I asked Natasha. "Right now? I don't know... I know that we're going to arrange a funeral for Bruce... something small, he would have liked that better than something big... Then... I don't know... we might stay here... wait for Thanos to come and find us... I don't think anybody feels like going on another trip to space." "I almost forgot you guys went to space. What's it like?" "It's no fun, I can tell you that." "I believe you." "Anyway, that's what's going to happen now... or at least in a short time span, but right now? Who knows?" "Do you have to get all weird over such a simple question?" "Sometimes I do." I sighed, "Of course." "What?" "You're just..." "Weird?" She suggested. "Yeah, a bit." "Says you, Scarlet Witch, mind reader who can manipulate smoke and stuff." "That's another kind of weird." "You're weird in more ways then, you're also weird in the same way as me." "That happens when you hang around with a bunch of weirdos." "You sure you weren't weird before?" "Well, I had Pietro. Also, Maria is getting weirder... a little bit." "Nah, she's just starting to show it more. She's beginning to feel more relaxed around us." "That's a good thing I guess." "Yeah, it is." "How about those S.H.I.E.L.D. people though?" "They have Phil." "You say that like it explains everything." "Phil is weird. Fun, but weird." "And the others?" "I know Melinda pretty well, good enough to have permission to call her Melinda. I know Bobbi a bit and I've heard about Hunter. I have met Mack once when my motorcycle broke down... and FitzSimmons... well... I have heard of them." "And Quake?" "Never met her before."
Nat left my room not much later, because Tony needed her help with the arrangements. I was pretty much left out of everything, for it had been decided that the five remaining Avengers would take on the job of arranging the funeral, with help of Fury and Maria. Soon I grew kinda bored being all alone in my living quarters, so I changed and went to the gym to train. As soon as I came there I found out I wasn't the only one who'd had the idea of punching stuff to relieve myself of some stress.
"Is the punching bag giving you a hard time?" I asked. "What the?" Daisy said as she turned around to face me, "How do you people keep sneaking up on me?" I shrugged, "I got some training from Natasha." "Yeah, cause that explains it..." "Well... she is a spy..." "Yeah, I know. Spies walk soundlessly." "They do." "Doesn't give them the right to sneak up on me though." "I take it this has happened to you before?" "Oh, you know, just several times with May, maybe five times with Bobbi..." "And you're still not used to it?" "Not with someone I barely know, no." "I guess I should apologize..." "Well, it's not that bad. Anyway... you're the Scarlet Witch, right?" "Just so happens that I am." "Cool." "Cool?" "Yeah, you got those crazy powers that... I don't know what they do." "Yeah, sometimes I don't really know myself." "You can make stuff float... that's for sure..." "Yeah, and read and control minds..." "That's... kinda creepy... All I do is control vibrations." "So I've heard. You're what they call an Inhuman, right?" "Yeah, I am. So is Elena." "What does she do?" "She uh... she's really fast, but she's kinda like a boomerang, she always comes back to the place where she started running." Doesn't remind me of Pietro in the slightest. No, not at all. "I used to know someone who was quick, although he didn't have the whole... coming back to where he started thing." "Yeah... Inhuman powers have their... limits." "You got a limit?" "My powers can break my own bones if I'm not careful enough." "Yikes." "Yeah, it's why I wear special gauntlets." "And here I thought it was just a weird part of your costume." "Yeah, I wish." "What, uncomfortable?" "No, I just wish I didn't need them."
My conversation with Daisy lasted a while longer and eventually we even agreed to spar against each other. Without our powers first. That was... let's just say that didn't really turn out as I hoped for me. Daisy told me not to worry about it though. She had been with S.H.I.E.L.D. since 2013, so she had at least two more years of experience than me. Then we trained with our powers, we did our best not to wreck the training room... also, it's build to withstand a lot, so it was mostly fine at the end of that training session... mostly. Anyway, this "with powers" training turned out to be much more in my favor.
"You know, throwing things at me isn't really going to help you, Wanda!" "Quaking them back won't work for you either!" "What else do you expect me to do? I'm not gonna break your bones!" She said as she quaked me against a wall. It seemed that my powers couldn't stop hers, which was annoying. Then again, hers couldn't stop mine either. "Ow," I mumbled as I lifted her up and let her drop on the ground. However, she caught herself with her powers, "Is that all you've got?" It was that short moment that I used to lift her up by her feet and turn her upside down. "Seriously?" "Quake yourself out of that one!" "Yeah, and break my neck? No thanks."
May
You know your life is weird when you walk in on one of the agents you trained hanging upside down in midair held by some kind of magic coming from the woman she was training with and it's not the craziest thing you have seen in your life. Especially when you're greeted with a cheery, "Hey, May!" "Daisy." "Look, I'm training with Wanda!" "I see." "And I'm... well I'm pretty much losing." "I see that too." Wanda gave me a short wave, "Hi." "Hey." I turned back to Daisy, "Jemma is looking for you, she wants to know what kind of pizza you want for dinner." "Dinner?" "You girls have been here for hours." "Explains why I'm so damn tired..." "What should I tell her?" "Uh... pepperoni is good." "I'll tell her." I turned to Wanda, "Nat wants to know the same from you." "Did you just call Natasha "Nat"?" "I have permission to do so." "Uh... fungi would be good." "I hope you kicked Daisy's ass enough to beat the "I can use my powers to beat everyone when I need to" attitude out of her." "I uh... I think." "I don't have that attitude." "Good. And Daisy... quit hanging around..." I said as I walked off. Behind me I heard her answer with, "Seriously, May?"
"You got the orders?" Both Jemma and Nat asked me, then they looked at each other a little strangely. "Huh..." Jemma said. "Weird," Nat mumbled. "Yeah, I got them." "What does Wanda want?" "Fungi." "And Daisy?" "Pepperoni." "Noted," they both answered. "It's getting weird now... Nat mumbled. "Agree," Jemma replied. "You are weird, Romanoff." "Thanks, May. You too." "Where is Daisy?" "Last time I saw her she was hanging around the training room... literally." "What?" "She was being held up in the air by her feet by Wanda." "Yeah, that sound like something Wanda would do." "Romanoff, if you would give me the list of orders of the Avengers I'll go looking for Quill, so we can call the whole order in at once." "Yeah, sure," Nat said as she handed Jemma the list, "That's gonna take them a loooong time though." "Well, might be we get them for free then." "Or at least half the price." I rolled my eyes. "What? Everybody loves cheaper/free food." "If you say so, Nat." "I'll go looking for Quill, see you later, May," Jemma said as she walked off.
"So... Daisy and Wanda training together huh?" "Yeah, it was... interesting to see Daisy like that." "Wanda is probably happy to be fighting someone who's actually a challenge for her." "You trained her, didn't you?" "Yeah, I did." "I trained Daisy..." "Okay, if you're gonna say that we're getting old I'm going to invite you over to that training room to show you how not old I am." I grinned slightly. "Oh boy, are you smiling?" Nat pretended to shiver, which I rewarded her for with rolling my eyes. "What?" "Sometimes you're a pain in the ass, you know that?" "I think Clint might have mentioned it once or twice..." "Another occasional pain in the ass." "And you still like us." "Oh, do I?" "Yeah, you do, otherwise you wouldn't let me call you Melinda." "Hmmm, you might have a point there. So, how are the arrangements going?" "It has only been a day, Melinda." "Yeah, I know, but, I'm just curious. You think it'll take you guys long?" She shook her head, "I don't know, I mean... Yeah, I really don't know. Of course we got to hurry a little because we'll never know when Thanos will show up." "Yeah, that's a bit of a problem." "You think you guys will stay here long enough for that showdown?" "Can't say, Phil is the one who gets to decide those things." "Yeah, I thought so." "Knowing him he'll do pretty much everything to help Captain America." "Yeah, how is it to be in a relationship with a man that has a crush on Captain America?" "Are you saying that my man is trying to steal your man?" "What? Steve and I..." she sighed, "We're not a thing." "Yet." "Is everybody going to confront me about my feelings for Steve today?" "Maybe, it's quite amusing." "And you called me a pain in the ass."
Pepper
Tony had joined us for dinner, but after he had immediately gone back to work. It was midnight by now and he still hadn't come back, so I decided to drag him out of his lab. He didn't appreciate it very much, but he got calmer as soon as he laid down. I couldn't blame him of course, the last week had been hard on him, so had today. He missed Bruce... of course he did, the man had been one of his best friends. However, that didn't mean he had to overwork himself. It was annoying when he did that, cause I'd find him in his lab the next morning, half asleep, unable to fully function. Those mornings he always drank too much coffee to get himself back on track, which is, of course, very unhealthy.
Now I have to say that Tony isn't the only person that I encountered who works too hard and too long. There's a certain other figure who goes by the name Maria Hill who I caught sleeping at her desk a few times, and with a few I mean at least fifty times, that's when I stopped counting. On those mornings I got a little angry at her for taking on too much work, but she listened as well as Tony. I seriously don't get it how she managed to manage the Avengers and help Coulson's team at the same time. I seriously don't get it.
"Pep?" "Yes, Tony?" "You think we'll have all of this done before Thanos comes for us?" I thought about the question for a while, "Well, I can't be sure, but I do hope so." "Yeah, so do I." "But knowing you, everything will be fine." "What do you mean?" "Well... You tend to... you know, overwork yourself." "Ah, you're pulling the "you work too much" on me again, huh?" "I guess I am." "Well, I'm not the only one, Romanoff went to bed only half an hour ago." "Oh great, another one I should watch..." "What?" "I'm just trying to make sure you all stay healthy, which means a healthy sleeping schedule." "Why?" "Well, with you, because I love you, the others because they're not only your friends anymore, they're pretty much my friends too by now." "Ah, yeah, I guess that makes sense." "Yeah, it does." "How long have you been doing that?" "For a few years now." "Ah." "You never noticed?" "No, because I'm pretty sure I'm the only one you had to manage when it comes to... ya know, working too much." "Yeah, no. I had an employee who worked too much." "You did?" "Yeah." "Who?" "Maria." "Hill?" "Yeah, that one." "Huh... you know, I'm not even slightly surprised, she looks like she needs a vacation."
Nick
I had never been at the Avengers HQ as long as I had been now. Which means, more than a week. I had never really been at the Avengers HQ for a whole day, not that I can remember. But now I even had a room there. However, I had forgotten that I had left my water bottle in the fridge of the canteen and then I had to go to the toilet and I saw light coming from one of the offices. At one a.m. "Well, that can't be good," I mumbled as I went to see who was in the office. I soon found out that it wasn't too bad, but it wasn't really good either. "Maria?" She looked up at me, she was barely able to keep her eyes open, "Nick?" "What are you doing here?" She yawned, "Checking S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites to see if something's coming to Earth." "At one a.m.?" "Is that the time already?" She looked at the clock. "Oh great... that thing broke then... it's stuck on nine o'clock." "Maria..." "Yeah, yeah, I know it's late, I just had to check this. I've been working on that funeral..." "For so long?" "Well... we never know when we can expect those aliens to attack." "Which is why you're checking the satellites now?" "Uhu." "You see anything?" "Not yet." "Maybe I should check the last ones." "No, I'm fine." "Maria... not too long ago you came back from being dead for almost a year... You have been working your ass off trying to think of what you should say to defend the Avengers, don't tell me you didn't because I know you did. Oh, wait, I almost forgot the part where we had a car crash before we got snapped... You're working too hard." "Disagree." I sighed. Of course she disagrees. "I only need to check three more satellites." "Fine, I'll wait here with you to make sure you go to bed." "I don't need you watching me." "You clearly do. I'm starting to think you're going to need a vacation after this." She looked up at me, "No thanks, wouldn't really know what to do with myself." "You could go somewhere with someone nice. Wilson seems interested in doing something like that with you." She quickly put her attention back on her work, "That's none of your business, Nick."
Eventually I made sure she went to bed, even if it was already a whole hour later by then. Part of that hour had been us discussing her unhealthy sleeping schedule, something I had never really brought up before. It seemed to anger her slightly that I did, although she seemed to be quite confused as well, probably because this situation was as new for her as it was for me. Anyway, after making sure Maria got her rest I finally went back to bed myself. Where I quickly fell asleep, something that doesn't happen too often.
Rocket
It took those Avengers guys about half a week to arrange the funeral. This included a location, a gravestone, a grave and quite some flowers. Also, all of them looked quite horrible at the day of the funeral. And with that I meant they looked like sad sleep deprived humans. I'm not trying to be mean here, they just did. I mean, I understood that they were sad, Bruce had been a nice guy who had given his life to save the universe, but arranging a funeral at your own expense, meaning: lack of sleep, not something I'd do. I mean... that's kinda stupid... right? Anyway, it could have been worse, I mean, at least it wasn't raining. Rain would only have made the mood worse. Just like a big crowd. There could have been a big crowd waiting for us at the building... you know, a crowd of fans... but there wasn't, which I think is kind of weird, since the Hulk used to have a lot of fans, even Banner himself used to have fans amongst scientist, you know, young ones who were just beginning...
The ceremony, if you can call it a ceremony, was short, if you don't count the long speeches. And believe me, the speeches were long, very long. A few people were crying, under which the leftover original Avengers, who all gave their own speeches. The ones od Tony and Natasha being the most impactful ones if you ask me... and the crying people around me. They were the last two to give a speech as well. Natasha first, then Tony.
Natasha
I sighed, "Honestly... I don't really know where to start. I haven't really thought about writing anything down... Although I knew this would be required of me. It's just... it seems so unreal. It seems so unreal to lose you, Bruce... Cause... you had the Hulk inside you, it was almost impossible for you to die... you said so yourself, you even tried it yourself... And now... you're gone. A good friend, a loyal friend, one who was always there for us when we needed you. That's what you were, Bruce, but there was more to you than just that. You were one of the smartest people I ever met, and even thanks to that you stayed humble... never boasting about what you could do. And apart from that you were also an occasional dork." Did I just sniffle? Oh dear god... "Chicks dig that. A lot. I have wondered how it came that you never got a girlfriend... That's another thing you are... Protective. You wanted to protect women who... fell for you from what was inside you, even if they could occasionally calm your anger, even if they were willing to take it on... loved you for who you are, despite the monster inside you." I'm not crying, I am not. "Even if you loved that person back... Only to protect them. Not acting on your own feelings because you were afraid to harm the other person, not matter how much it might hurt you to drive that person away. I would almost call that self-sacrificing... well, no, that's exactly what I would call it." Why does my voice sound like that, my voice shouldn't sound like that.
"I know you thought you were a monster Bruce... but... all those things together, the brains, the loyalty, the stupid jokes, the dorkiness and the good heart. You weren't a monster. You were about as far from a monster as I can imagine, Bruce... You were a good man. A very good man, who deserved so much better than this. And... I really hope that you feel better now. I really do... because... well..." I can't find my words... What is wrong with me? "Because you deserve to rest, you deserve to be happy. I hope that you are, wherever you are. I hope that, maybe, you're looking down at us right now with a smile, feeling the best you've felt in years." You're messing up Nat, time to wrap it up... "We'll miss you, Bruce. I'll miss you..." The last line was one I whispered, for I couldn't bear to say it out loud. I quickly hurried back to my seat.
Tony
Great, now it's my turn. I walked up to the little stage, hugged Nat before she sat back down on her chair, for which I received a soft, "Thank you." Then I went up on the stage and cleared my throat. "Well... that was a good speech, I don't think I'm gonna top that. I know you won't blame me bud, you know I'm not very good at this stuff..." I sighed. "Look, Bruce... There are just a few things I wanted to say. The first being... I never appreciated you as much as I should have. I mean... you listened to me when I told you about my problems and you were actually patient with me. Okay, you might have fallen asleep once or twice when my stories got too long, but I can't blame you for that. After all, you weren't a psychiatrist. However... you were a great scientist. One I've had the pleasure to work with. A great pleasure man. I've always admired your work, you know? I told you as much the first time we met, remember? I might have phrased it a little differently, but... you know what I meant. I know that you do." Try to do somewhere with this, Stark... come on. "It's why working with you was such a great pleasure, that and the fact that you were as patient with me as you were. Honestly, I never found you so easy to anger, which shows some real self-control, man." I sighed, "I'm gonna miss that... I'm gonna miss working with you, making terrible jokes with you... I'm gonna miss the way we appreciated each other. Because you did. You appreciated me as much as I appreciated you. Something I find hard to do from time to time. Seriously, the only other person who just accepts me for who I am is Pepper..." I swallowed back my tears, or at least I tried. "I'm really glad you could do that too, you know? It made me feel better about myself. And... maybe not just me, I think. You had a way of encouraging people, making them feel better about themselves, making them see that they could be better versions of themselves. I don't know why you did that... maybe to feel like you could be a better version of yourself too. But you weren't a bad version of yourself... you were always a good man, Bruce, even if you didn't see it yourself, the people around you did. I mean, look at how many lives you have touched, look at all of us sitting here... that's for you, man. And you deserve that... you deserve to be remembered... and I personally will make sure that you will be remembered man." Can someone stop me from crying? "Yeah... I'll miss you buddy... and that won't go over for a while... a very long while... but I'll make sure the world remembers you, the real you, the good man, not the Hulk."
(Hi guys, I'm back with chapter 24 of my fanfiction!! I hope you guys still like it... cause the lack of reaction on the last chapter is making me feel like I'm missing something to satisfy you guys... Yeah, I'm an insecure little shit like that. Anyway... I know we have two Nat pov's in this chapter... but I just wanted to do the speeches from the pov of the person who was speaking and I wanted to do speeches from Nat and Tony... so... yeah... that's it. I really really hope you guys are still enjoying my story... Sorry it took ym so long to update by the way... Vacation is a bit of a mess. Anyway, don't forget that you guys are great... and maybe a little crazy... just like me ;) ~Crazy Moonwolf)