⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

❝ you're dead ❞
❝ well, technically so are you ❞

⊱ ━━━━.⋅ εïз ⋅.━━━━ ⊰

THE AVENGERS came back to 2023 through their Quantum tunnel, and everyone seemed to be intact. They looked around, glancing at each other briefly and not noticing a missing member just yet.

"Did we get it all?" Bruce asked, looking around. "You telling me this all worked?" Rhodes asked as he walked over since he stayed back in the compound.

But then their eyes landed on Bucky who looked down to his feet, seemingly still shaken over something. There was a pause, a long one, as everyone realised there was someone missing.

"Bucky?" Steve called out.

"Where's Nova?" Wanda asked, taking closer steps towards the soldier.

He stayed silent, not even meeting their eyes as he stepped out of the machine. His silence was enough, as everyone began to realise that their mission was completed and successful but at a dire cost. There was a heavy wave of silence that seemed to weigh on everyone, silently mourning the loss of a fellow avenger.

━━━━

BUCKY STARED off into the distance as Steve leaned onto the pillar next to him, arms crossed over his chest. "It should've been me," Bucky said softly, and for the first time they heard his vulnerability.

"No, it shouldn't even have to be any of you," Steve responded.

"We can bring her back. Right? We have the stones, we just do the snap and then we'll have her and the rest of the world back," Natasha said, looking around in an attempt to find some sort of confirmation from anyone.

"We can't bring her back," Bucky stated.

"What do you mean, we can't?" Wanda asked the man. "There has to be a way—"

"It can't be undone. There's nothing we can do," he shook his head, still not even sparing a glance at the team. "An everlasting exchange. That's what the Red Skull said."

Silence fell over them once again as sadness washed over each and everyone of them. Sure, they haven't known her for long. Hell they barely knew her for two weeks. But the queen gave them hope the day she showed up through the portal. She was the one who managed to lift their spirits and make them want to go back and fix things again.

"We're talking about space magic. 'Can't' seems very definitive," Tony stated.

"Well then you go up and talk to him!" Bucky's soft voice turned into a yell as he turned to face Stark. But his anger turned back to grief as his eyes glossed over once again.

"It was supposed to be me," he looked at them all as they each had a look of sorrow on their faces, "but she just had to fight me on it. She just had to tie me up and let go."

"Isn't she immortal?" Natasha piped up as she remembered a small detail from the time Wanda showed everyone Nova's memories.

For a moment everyone thought it over, their thoughtful looks then morphed into confusion.

"I saw her. She was just lying there. Dead," Bucky muttered.

"It doesn't matter," Bruce stated, "at least not anymore. She's gone. She sacrificed herself for the stone so we could fix the universe. We don't know why she was sent to us but if this is all she was meant to do, then we have to make it worth it."

"We will," Steve nodded.

━━━━

A BRIGHT light nearly blinded her as she felt the warm sun hit her skin. She looked around her and realized she was in the middle of what seemed to be garden.

"Sleeping beauty finally awakes," a voice with a thick yet familiar accent could be heard behind her, causing her to snap her head in the direction with her guards up.

She had to say, he looked familiar. His hair was silver with dark brown roots and his eyes vaguely reminded her of one she'd usually feel safe with.

"Nova? Right?" he asked again and she tilted her head at him. "Congrats, you found your way to— I have no idea what this place is either but it is where lost souls go."

"Who the hell are you?" Nova asked him as she slowly stood up.

"Pietro Maximoff," he held a hand up for her to shake and she hesitantly did so.

Then it hit her, the familiarity was from the pictures Wanda had in the compound. Pietro, her twin brother.

Her dead twin brother.

She yanked her hand away with a soft gasp as Pietro furrowed his eyebrows at her. "You're dead!"

"Well, technically so are you," he shrugged, "as of right now."

Nova's face of confusion seemed to get more confused, if that was even possible. As of right now? What the hell is that?

"I have a lot to tell you," Pietro said. "So come, we will go on a walk and I will tell you everything you need to know. And you can go home."

"Home?" she asked. "I died, how the hell will that work?"

"You seem to forget something, and yet it is what always seem to keep you alive. You're immortal, princessa," Pietro laughed slightly.

"The everlasting exchange? It worked but it was never meant to last on your end," he added.

Nova thought about it for a moment. He was right. She is immortal, but it somehow never struck her in Vormir. She sacrificed herself willingly, knowing how much they needed the stone.

"The stone," she muttered. Nova looked up to meet Pietro's eyes again, "the stone. Did it work? I mean if it's not meant to last and I'm not entirely dead—"

"It worked," he cut her off with a nod. "It did because you did die. But just, not forever."

i know the stone doesn't work that way I KNOW SO DON'T COME AT ME WITH THAT like i've said before, it doesn't work that way in the real mcu but it will work however the hell i want it to in mine 😭✋

i just didn't want any deaths okay so atm i am trying very desperately to avoid them

anyway y'all want a seb stan fic where the actress who plays nova is the love interest? idk i kinda want to, what do ya say?

don't be a ghost reader! vote and comment <3