Shadow Of Darkness: Avengers x Male Reader

Chapter 92: You Again

(Y/N) woke up gasping for breath. Cold air filled his lungs, hands pressing against the frozen snow beneath him. His eyes shot open to take in the sight before him.

It was Colorado. The same spot that would usually rest a base, instead sat the powdered peaks of the mountains. (Y/N) was right on top of such.

He rose up into a seated position, groaning and rubbing the back of his skull. The surroundings were a confusion to say the least. What happened to the compound?

"You look a little lost." The man's head clicked to the side, spotting the dark clothed form of his father. This second time meeting made him just as befuddled as the last.

"Why are you here again? Don't tell me I got knocked out..." (Y/N) said. He remembered the entire compound shifting with explosions, meaning it was more than likely.

Eric strolled towards him, his boots crunching the snow down beneath him. His black cloak fluttered on the cold breeze as he reached out a hand to the downed male. He offered a hand, causing his son to glare at it, then him.

(Y/N) stood up of his own volition, ignoring the offered hand. He took a few deep breaths as he locked eyes with the other man, many questions floating in his mind.

"You're dead." He stated. To say the weather conditions were cold and tundra, beads of sweat had begun to form across his skin.

"That I am." Eric nodded. His hand slipped into an inside pocket of his cloak, grabbing at something. When his hand reeled back, it was revealed to be a pack of cigarettes.

(Y/N) could actually recall the few times he had seen his father smoke. Even while he did so in small amounts, something odd was the fact (Y/N) had never seen him suffer from side effects such as coughing or lung issues.

Eric removed one of the cigars, placing the box back. He placed the item between his lips, seemingly ignoring everything around him as he raised up two of his fingers.

A spark left the tips, igniting the cigarette which began to burn. He took one inhale, removing it and placing it between his fingers before exhaling smoke out into the air.

"So would you care to explain how you're here? This... this isn't a dream." (Y/N) came to the conclusion, recalling how he was told the same thing during their first encounter.

"No one's ever really gone. Death is just a... stepping off point." Eric sighed, sitting back as if he was going to fall through the air. As he did so, a chair manifested beneath him made of purely shadows. "The body may break, but the soul stays strong."

"The soul gets carried away with the Black Parade for all I care. Why. Are. You. Here?" (Y/N) put emphasise on each word. His mental state was already in shambles. The lack of sense only continued to push him down.

"I've always been here. I just switched seats. With you." Eric nodded to his son, the other man having wrapped his arms around his neck as he paced back and forth across the frost. He paused for a second, squinting at his father. Something was very distinct, and now that he noticed it, it wasn't going unnoticed even if he wanted it to.

"Why do you..." (Y/N) trailed off.

"Have the same aura as yourself? Genetics, son." Eric took another puff of his cigarette, watching his son with a drily expression. (Y/N) hadn't all the pieces of the jigsaw, but he certainly just found a few matches. Seeing the manifestation of a chair, the similar clothing... It was all too familiar.

"You were like me?" (Y/N) said as more of a rhetorical question.

"A fucking wimp? No. God of Darkness? Yes." Eric tapped his finger against the air, declaring the truth like (Y/N) just won a jackpot. His son just glared at him.