AVENGE THE FALLEN | AN ENDGAME READER INSERT STORY

part eighteen

All you could see for a long moment was the deep, rich emerald green of the stone. Then, as your eyes fluttered open, you were blinded by the bright sunlight.

And you gasped.

There was no film of dust hanging onto the skyline. There wasn't a dimness that made the world look grey. It was bright, it was sunny-

And you had gone back several months in time.

You were standing on a bridge, looking around. Rocket was still on your shoulder, everyone else standing around you.

Tires squealed. Behind the group, a school bus slammed its brakes. The old man driving it shook his fist at the group of heroes blocking his way.

You kept looking around, ignoring the situation. Suddenly, something caught your eye.

"Thor! Carol! There." You pointed to a spaceship that was coming out of the sky.

"On it," she said, and she flew off, Thor right behind her.

The bus doors opened up.

"___?!"

You whipped around. "Peter?"

Your heart shot up to your throat as you saw him step off the bus, wearing a blue flannel and a goofy t-shirt. He was there, right in front of you. Healthy and alive.

"What are you doing here? Holy crap, is that Thor?"

Rocket hopped off of your shoulder as you sprinted towards him. Your chest collided with his, nearly knocking him over.

Your arms went around his neck, pulling him closer and closer to you. You were sobbing and shaking.

"Uh... hey, hey. What is it? What's wrong?" He wrapped his arms around you. "You hurt or something? What's going on?"

And you cried harder, because this boy had no idea that you had mourned his death.

"I... I-I missed you s-so much," you whispered, lips trembling through your hiccuped cries.

"I-I missed you, too. What happened? I know something happened, I can feel it. But I don't know what..."

There were so many things you would have to explain to him. There were so many things you'd have to say to him. Your father was gone, and Peter would have no idea how it happened.

"And is that a raccoon?"

You moved your head to look at your friend, who was smiling, arms crossed. He seemed genuinely happy that you had your best friend back.

You looked back to Peter and put your hand on the back of his neck. You felt your face actually light up and the corners of your mouth turn upward.

You closed your eyes and touched your forehead to his. His hands grabbed your waist in surprise, but he didn't push you away. He held you there, letting you cry all over him.

***

"Are you okay, Peter?"

Peter, leaning against the window, nodded. His jaw was set and his eyes were sad.

You had told him everything. And he believed it. He believed all of it.

"I just wish I had been there so I could have done something. Or... been there for you."

"Peter-" you started.

"Can I have a minute?" he asked. "Alone?" His hands moved, and you saw in them a framed picture-

One of him and your dad.

"Yeah," you whispered. You paused on your way out. "I'm glad you're back. I... I've lost a lot, but losing you was one of the worst things I've ever been through."

You went into the living room.

"Wanda and Vision are still in Scotland. Alive." Nat tossed her phone on the sofa and plopped down.

You dropped your head and beamed as you sat down next to her. "Thank God," you whispered. "And someone contacted Bucky in Wakanda?"

"Yes. Sam and Bruce are on their way now." Rhodes nodded.

"And my people are on their way here," Rocket said. He leaned against the sofa, standing right beside where you were sitting. "They're all alive. All of them."

Then he looked at you, almost looking guilty. Your eyes were teary but not out of jealousy. You were happy for him.

"I'm glad you have your family back," you said, reaching up and scratching him between the ears.

He flinched (barely). "Yeah," he mumbled. "But I already had a family here, anyway. And in case my sudden softness isn't being obvious enough, I mean you, kid."

You leaned forward and kissed the top of his head. Smiling fondly at him, you scratched his ears one more time. "I love you."

"Yeah, I know," he said. He pushed your hand away from his head gently. "I, uh. I love ya too, Stark."

You moved from the couch to the floor so you were almost at his eye level. "Rocket, I can't go with you when they come."

He nodded and shrugged. "I figured."

"It's just... my dad's company is mine now. The Avengers are my responsibility now. And I can't... I can't leave them behind, no matter how badly I want to." You pressed your lips together in a tight line and started to wring your hands. "Plus there's Peter here now... and Pep - uh, m-my mom..."

"Hey, I ain't mad at ya. We all got people we need to take care of."

"But what about you?" you asked.

"I got this far, didn't I? Plus I still got that gun full of whose powers again? Oh, that's right. Yours. And I totally didn't use you and our friendship to steal your power."

You laughed, but tears also slipped out of your eyes.

"Oh... hey, I really didn't-" he said, reaching out for you.

"No, no," you said. "It's not... they're good tears." You nodded reassuringly. "They're good."

Peter walked into the living room. He sat down on the floor next to you.

"Hi," he breathed, giving a careful and hesitant smile.

"Hey." You returned the grin and put your hand in his, squeezing tight.

He looked at Rocket. "Oh. Uh, hey. I'm Peter Parker. Spider-Man." He nodded and held out his other hand.

Rocket looked at his hand and took it. He shook it once, smirking. "Yeah, I know who you are, kid. Name's Rocket."

Peter nodded again, cleared his throat, and then swallowed thickly. "Awesome name. Awesome... everything."

You rolled your eyes at your awkward best friend.

"So. Can one of you just tell me where you came from? And whether or not that's a suit or if you're really a raccoon? And why do you talk? And why do you sound like Bradley Cooper?"

"What the heck is a Bradley Cooper?" Rocket mumbled to you.

"Are you really speaking English, or are you speaking raccoon and we're just somehow translating it in our heads?"

Rocket's face was frozen in a look of confusion and distaste. "If you weren't gonna kick my face in for beatin' this kid, I would be tearing him a new one right now."

You laughed.