THE DEATH SEASON ▹ final avengers ✓

24 | the final goodbye

chapter xxiv of the death season :

" I HAVE TO GO BACK . "

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" Say something.
If you don't, you'll regret it. "

" I love you, Dad, and I know
you did the best you could. "
╙─────────────────╜

january 24th, 2023
stark residence

FIVE YEARS LATER AND EVERYTHING STILL FEELS WRONG.

Some nights Lisa still can't sleep, thinking about those days in space, those days when she lost herself to the darkness. When she was rescued, everyone told her it was all over now - even if everything had gone wrong, at least it was over. Except it wasn't. Not yet. And she knew it. She knew it was just a matter of time.

And now it feels like it's creeping back up again.

But now she's not the only one who stays up in the middle of the night; the two Starks stand side-by-side, both really needing some rest.

"So, I'd like to run one last sim before we pack it in for the night." Tony claps his hands together, pacing around the table, "This time in the shape of a mobius strip, inverted. Please?"

"Keep in mind, FRIDAY," Lisa paces around the other side, blue eyes narrowed as she leans her thrusters on the surface, "We'll have to scale the eigenvector by one of the particles' corresponding eigenvalues."

"Uhh no." Tony squints and sharply shakes his head, "That could throw off the structural integrity of the strip-,"

"It won't."

Tony's chocolate eyes dart to meet hers. She sassily raises her eyebrows and sticks her tongue out at him, making a slow smirk curve his lips. She doesn't often take part in his inventions anymore, not like she used to. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss all the times she'd prove him wrong.

Beginning to run the simulation, FRIDAY hums back, "Processing..."

The father and daughter stand in silence for a long moment.

"This brings back memories." Lisa sighs finally, taking a bite of a plain glazed donut.

"Oh yeah, the good ol' days." Tony nods and his smirks widens a little, "All those all-nighters in the lab, not getting a wink of sleep, you ignoring your homework and us working on Mark II."

"So much caffeine." Lisa laughs before she frowns in deep thought, "So many safety hazards."

Tony chuckles and cocks his head lovingly towards her, "Couldn't have done without ya, Smalls."

Lisa just rolls her eyes, "Oh yeah, you could've."

"But I wouldn't have wanted to!" He tries to suck up, giving her a mischievous smile and a wink.

But when he sees her expression, Tony's teasing voice falls and he cautiously stares at the side of her face for a long silent moment. Lisa doesn't respond now, her gaze back on the simulation, a brief whisper of a vision passing before her vibrant eyes.

Her father gives a quiet subtly sigh, slipping his hands into his pockets. Neither of the Starks speak, both just staring at the equations with those same matching features.