We drove up to Tony's house, he lived with in the woods by a lake.
We stepped out of the car as Tony was heading inside with his Daughter in his arm. He walked up onto the porch and looked at us.
———
"No. We know what it sounds like." Scott stammered as Tony poured some drinks and we sat on the porch.
"Tony, after everything you've seen, there's anything really impossible?" Steve asked.
"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale... which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition." Tony explain. "Can we agree on that? In layman's terms, it means you're not coming home."
"I did." Scott told him.
"No." Tony simply said. "You accidentally survived. It's a billion-to-one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull a... What do you call it?"
"A time heist?" Scott admitted.
"Yeah, a time heist. Of course. Why didn't I think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable. Because it's a pipe dream." Tony told us.
"The Stones are in the past. We can go back, we could get them." Steve explained.
"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back." Nat said.
"Or screwed it up worse than he already has, right?" Tony asked.
"I don't believe we would." Steve said.
"Gotta say it. I sometimes miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help... if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist." Tony sat down. "I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise."
"Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. All right? It means no talking to our past selves... no betting on sporting events." Scott sat down beside Tony.
"I am going to stop you right there, Scott." Tony interrupted him. "Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on back to the future? Is it?"
"No." Scott shook his head.
"Good you had me worried there. 'Cause that would be horseshit. That's not how quantum physics works." Tony signed.
"Tony. We have to take a stand." I told him.
"We did stand. And yet, here we are." Tony said.
"I know you got a lot on the line. You got a Wife, a Daughter. But I lost somebody very important to me. A lot of people did. And now, now we have a chance to bring her back... to bring everyone back, and you telling me that you won't even..."
"That's right, Scott. I won't even." Tony interrupted him. "I can't."
"Mommy told me to come and save you." Tony's little Daughter, Morgan ran up to him.
Tony lifted her up and hugged her. "Good job. I'm saved. I wish you were coming here to ask me something else." Tony stood up with me Morgan in his arms. "Anything else. I am honestly happy to see you guys, I just... oh, look, the table set for seven."
"Tony. I get it." I tell him. "I am happy for you. I really am.
"But this is a second chance." Steve told him.
"I got my second chance right here. Can't roll the dice on it. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch." Tony offered.
"He's scared." Nat said as we walked back to the car.
"He's not wrong." Steve agreed.
"Yeah, but, I mean, what are we gonna do?" Scott asked. "We need him. What, are we gonna stop?"
"No, I wanna do it right. We're gonna need a really big brain." Steve said.
"Bigger than his?" Scott asked.
———
We sat at a dinner as Smart Hulk, wearing glasses and a shirt ate.
"Come on, I feel like I'm the only one eating here. Try some of that. have some eggs." Smart Hulk pushes a larger bowl of scrambled eggs towards Scott.
"I'm so confused." Scott said.
"These are confusing times." Smart Hulk chuckled.
"Right, no, no. That's not what I meant." Scott said.
"Nah, I get it. I'm kidding! I know, it's crazy. I'm wearing shirts now." Smart Hulk smiled.
"Yeah. What? How? Why?" Scott asked.
"Five years ago, we got our asses beat. Except it was worse for me... 'cause I lost twice. First, Hulk lost, then Banner lost... and then, we all lost." Smart Hulk explained.
"No one blamed you, Bruce." Nat told him.
"I did. For years, I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then, I start looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in the gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together... and now, look at me. Best of both worlds."
Three kids walked up to Smart Hulk.
"Excuse me, Mr. Hulk?" The girl asked.
"Yes?" He to turned to them.
"Can we get a photo?" She asked.
"100%, little person." He took he took the phone from her. "Come on, step on up. Do you mind?" He asked Scott holding phone out to him.
"Oh, yeah, yeah." Scott took the phone and took a photo of them.
"Say green." Smart Hulk said.
"Green." All four of them smiled.
"Did you get that?" Smart Hulk asked.
"That's a good one." Scott handed the phone over. "Did you want to grab one with me? I'm Ant-Man?" The kids looked at each other awkwardly. "They're Hulk fans. They don't know Ant-Man. Nobody does."
"No he wants you to take a picture with him." Smart Hulk said looking at the little boy. The boy shook his head, saying no.
"Yeah, look, he's even saying no, he doesn't." Scott pointed out. "I get it. I don't want it, either."
"But come on. The kid." Smart Hulk tried.
"I don't want a picture with them." Scott said.
"He's gonna feel bad." Smart Hulk looked at the kids.
"Sorry." Scott apologized.
"They're happy to do it. They said they'll do it." Smart Hulk told him.
"I don't want to do it." Scott kept trying to hand back the phone.
"We can do it." The older boy said.
"No, you feel bad." Smart Hulk said.
"Take the goddamn phone." Scott spoke firmly and the girl took her phone back.
"Thank you, Mr. Hulk." The girl smiled.
"No, it was great, kids. Thank you very much." Smart Hulk told them.
"Hulk out!" They all said, and turned to leave.
"Bruce." Steve called to him.
"Listen to your Mom." Smart Hulk told the kids.
"Bruce." I say.
"She knows better." Smart Hulk told them.
"About what we were saying." Steve reminded him, pulling Smart Hulk back into the conversation.
YOU ARE READING
WHAT I HIDE // Bucky x Y/n
Fanfiction(Y/n) Barnes the Wife of Bucky Barns long ago in the 40's. Since childhood Bucky, Steve and (Y/n) were best friends doing everything together. When the war came (Y/n) went out to help. But the war wasn't her biggest problem after losing her husband...
