chapter xxxv of the death season :
" I'M GONNA MAKE IT OKAY "
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" It's not about me. It's not about you.
It's not even about us.
It's about legacy, it's about what we choose
to leave behind for future generations. "
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february 8th, 2023
avengers compound, new york
THE WORLD HASN ' T ENDED .
The earth still turns and the night still fades away and the sun still rises.
It's a cool morning, blue skies and chilled air that's turned Svetlana's cheeks pinks and her lips chapped. The river bubbles nearby and the forest is alive with new life, and an early spring looks on its way.
Nearby, construction for the new Avengers Compound has begun, and the first phase of rebuilding is charging onward full-force.
Most everywhere has gone their own ways for now. The Starks are trying to process their grief while King T'Challa has taken his children to visit Wakanda. Laurie Lang, Gordo Makina, and their whole gang have returned to San Francisco to pick up the pieces. Her uncle Clint has returned home with her new Aunt Laura and cousins. Loki has very recently absconded and Mr. Thor has irritatedly gone off with the Guardians of the Galaxy to find him, leaving the kingdom of New Asgard in the safe and capable hands of King Valkyrie. Her aunt Carol has gone back to outer space while Doctor Strange and Wong have returned to their Sanctum. And her Peter Parker has gone back to finish school before summer starts.
But they'll all return when they're needed.
They always do.
For now, their future is wide open, and for the first time in their lives, Bucky and Svetlana have no reason to run or to hide. It's as exciting as it is daunting. Suddenly they have choices, and it's strange not knowing what to do with them.
"One step at a time," Bucky is always saying that.
It's a hard life, and what's happened is hard to live with, but it's still worth living. They'll take it one day at a time, knowing that each new day will be better than the last.
As Svetlana stands with what little remains of her family, Bruce is busy making any last minute adjustments to the new quantum tunnel they had built after Thanos destroyed their last one.
A familiar feeling of unease splinters through her small sense of contentment the moment Bruce displays a briefcase containing all six of the glowing Infinity Stones.
"Remember..." Bruce is saying to her uncle Steve, "You have to return the Stones at the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities."
"Don't worry, Bruce." Steve reassures, closing and safely locks the large metal case, "Clip all the branches."
Bruce sighs quietly to himself, rubbing at his mouth with a pained grim expression.
"You know, I tried." His green eyes flicker, "When I had the gauntlet, the Stones, I really tried to bring them back... I miss them, man."
The cool wind shifts and the sun sparkles through the leaves overhead.
Steve's blue eyes are both so sad and so assured when he murmurs, "Me, too."
There's nothing more to say.
YOU ARE READING
THE DEATH SEASON ▹ final avengers ✓
FanfictionEvery demon must have their pound of flesh. The Avengers have fallen. The unity that once protected the Earth no longer remains. Fathers and daughters have been torn apart, families are no longer aligned, and darkness looms upon the horizon. For...
