scott x hope oneshots

you are the reason

It's absurd.

But nothing is absurd when Scott Lang has managed to escape the Quantum Realm twice. First, by sheer will power, the second, by pure luck. Maybe it was the universe's way of telling him he was meant for something more, like bringing half of the population back, saving the world. Pitching the idea of time travel sounds crazy, even for him, despite having been in the subatomic level, and is grateful when Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff seems unfazed by the whole idea.

Though, he restrains himself from nearly striking Tony Stark in the face when he ridicules his idea of a time heist. Still, within days, he figures out the mechanics of the time machine, and Scott becomes part of the team, helping to build the Quantum Gate, and designing the Quantum suit. Hope would be so proud of him.

Hope. He thinks of Hope every so often that he's been having nightmares. She was the best thing that had happened to him, after Cassie. It's difficult to wrap around his head, that within five hours of being trapped in the boundless, infinitesimal world, she was gone with the snap of a finger.

A painful, strangled laugh escapes from his lips. In a few minutes, he would be seeing her. It was the sole reason he had volunteered to test run for the newly built Quantum Gate, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Hope, again.

Remembering almost breaking down saying her name a few days ago, he realises he hasn't had a proper time to grief, and it hits him hard. A wave of inevitable sadness looms over him. And then his heart squeezes in his chest, a lump forms in the back of his throat and tears start to well up in his eyes.

He sinks down onto the floor and draws his knees up to his chest, feeling the ground beneath it, the only stability, clutching to it. He cards his fingers through his hair and buries his face deep into his arms, and slips into the dark recesses of his mind.

Beneath the bright, cheerful disposition, there's an undeniable darkness that lurks within. Maybe it has something to do with his incarceration, the long, isolated nights, (before Luis came along), the dark, narrow corridors, away from his family, contributing to his insecurity and anxiousness. Often, those thoughts are kept in a small part of his mind, sealed away. But now it's back, haunting him.

Maybe this is retribution for the things he had fucked up in the past, that karma is hurting not only him, but hurting the people he loves, like Cassie, like Hope. Honestly, he'd rather bear the brunt of it.

"You're ready?" Scott jumps at Steve's voice, and sees his head poking out through the door. "If you need a minute, we can wait," Steve offers considerately. There's an understanding in his eyes, after all, he's lost almost everything.

"No, no, no, I'm fine," Scott flashes the widest grin he can muster, locks away the dark thoughts and pushes himself off the floor. "Let's do this." And the fierce determination burns in him again.

He shakes away the grief, because he's going to bring her back.

Without a doubt.

...

Standing on the Quantum Gate, Scott snaps his helmet into place, not paying attention to Bruce Banner's countdown cue. And then he's shrinking, his heart lurches and his stomach turns inside out as he travels through time, everything expanding at a dizzying speed.

Within moments, Scott feels himself being thrown onto steady ground. He lands on all fours, groaning, and it takes him a moment to feel like his organs are in place, before he glances around, surveying the familiar narrow hallway.

Hope's apartment.

A flurry of footsteps and whispers echoes down the corridor, causing him to scramble off the ground hastily, and he shrinks with the push of the button by his thumb. It isn't exaggerating when his heart almost leaps out from the confines of his ribcage when he catches sight of Hope's silhouette, hand-in-hand, with himself.