𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 — pessimistic truths

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 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 that surrounded Emilia gave her little comfort. The sterile smell that wafted with each jostling breeze made her gut tighten and threaten to spill what little contents it still held. The smell reminded her of the hospital in which she'd watched her mentor succumb to her wounds and leave behind a protege that was hopeless and lost beyond all measure.

 Emilia often wondered what the Ancient One would have thought about everything that had come to pass since her death; the power Emilia had gathered, the flourishing of Stephen's gifts... Thanos. She would have known what to do, she would have known how to carry on. But she wasn't here.

 Bruce remained by her bedside and shifted silently on the steel chair he'd taken residence on. His eyes would flicker from the bed he faced, to the one that was settled behind him. Bruce had brought Emilia into the very room Tony had been placed within; he had seen the way their eyes would find each other; they were two people who shouldered so much and had been there when everything else had faded into nothingness.

 Tony had a knack for taking people under his wing and helping them in any way he could; perhaps that was because nobody had ever done the same for him. 

 Howard Stark had been nothing more than a dead-beat father that placed the stress and legacy of a corporation onto his son's shoulders. Obadiah Stain had betrayed him even after years of working side-by-side. After everything, Bruce truly believed Tony was merely helping people in a way he hadn't been helped. Tony Stark wanted to leave people stronger and happier, when his father and mentor had done nothing but the opposite.

 As for Emilia, it was only natural to stick like glue to the person who had been there to watch as the person she cared for most faded into ashes. Tony had experienced their loss and felt it just as deeply as she... And he reminded her of Stephen; it hurt to hear his sarcasm that could have so easily slipped from her lover's lips, to watch a grin curl beneath a goatee that she had once carved upon Stephen's face... But it was also a comfort.

 Unlike Tony who had surrendered to his weakened state, Emilia remained awake with eyes locked onto the ceiling. She listened to Pepper's whispers as the woman trailed a finger over her fiance's cheek. She clutched onto Rhodey's worried mutterings, and she hung on tight to the sparse words that Bruce would utter.

 "I'm sorry." Emilia said suddenly, and her hoarse voice echoed through the room. She swallowed heavily, flinching at the pain nestled within her throat, "For leaving without a word, all those years ago. You deserved better, Bruce."

 "You don't have to apologise." The man returned weakly, his fingers wiping away the sleep in his eyes. He had worried relentlessly when he'd found her empty home and his phone bare of any updates even after weeks and months had passed. But, in a way, he understood; he too had run away from the person that he was and the power that resided within him.

 "I do," Emilia twisted in the bed, sliding to her side and almost wanted to scream as the blankets covering her tangled around her ankles. Bruce plucked them away and she sighed, "I made you worry, I made you think something terrible had happened."

 "Something terrible did happen. You had every right to take some time —"

 "— Stop! Stop being so..." A breath escaped her. He was being too damn nice and it made her heart ache and throb even more than it already was. She wanted him to yell at her, to make her feel like an awful person... She wanted everyone to push her away all because she was too weak to do it herself. 

 "I know how you feel." Bruce reminded her and she could have sobbed from the guilt and sadness that flashed in his doe-like eyes, "I hurt people too, and then I ran away. I wanted to stay away, to put a bullet —" He shook his head, "But that didn't work and now I'd like to think that I'm doing something good with the... power... I have. So are you."

 Rhodey and Pepper had bent their ears to the conversation; Pepper's breath had hitched when Bruce had mentioned the attempt on his life, and Emilia had to reign the tears back in.

 "It wasn't just you who failed, you know," Rhodey spoke, and somehow his voice sounded far more tired than he looked. He rubbed a hand over his face, a stray glance tossed towards his sleeping friend who looked as though he was made of nothing but bones, "We all did. We all lost, and we all lost somebody."

 "I could have done more." She weakly responded and much to her irritation, a tear slid down the slope of her cheek; it burned when the salted water collided with charred flesh, "I could have done so much more."

 Pepper twisted in her seat; there was a soft look in her eyes, almost pitying. She'd heard it all before, from Tony and his teammates that would curl up in the compound after battles that should never have been started. "You can't think that way."

 "What I can do..." Emilia lifted her hands. Pearly scars glinted beneath the pale light above her and her veins flexed beneath her thin skin. It was gruesome to watch as her boney fingers wriggled and stretched her weak flesh, "Is far beyond what I did do. I pulled back. I let my fear consume me, again —" She almost hiccuped, "— And now everybody is gone."

 "We'll get them back." Rhodey had spoken with such conviction that Emilia almost believed him. There was something comforting about the man with machinery clutching at his legs.

 But how could she possibly believe a word he'd spoken, when she'd felt that second snap of Thanos' fingers? There was no other explanation as to why the Titan had used the power of the Infinity Stones even after completing his life-long mission; it was security and Emilia was beyond sure of that.

 Thanos was not a being that would leave loose ends open, he'd never leave behind a means of undoing what had been done. He knew how determined the Avengers and their new allies were; Thanos would simply never allow them a chance of turning the tides.

 Emilia hated the thought, her stomach twisted and turned as she slipped her eyes shut, she knew with every ounce of her being that Thanos had destroyed the stones. What else could it have possibly been? Back when she'd been floating away in space with no promise of return, Emilia had given it all a damn good thought. She had wondered time and time again of how she'd bring Stephen, Peter and everybody else back home.

 If the stones had plucked them away, then it had to be the power of the stone that brought them home again... Only, if the stones no longer existed.... if one or all had been reduced to a smattering of atoms... There would be no return at all.

 It would have been the only way for Thanos to ensure that his actions, that his decree, was final. No undoing, no saving, no avenging.

 Instead of speaking again, Emilia pushed the blankets from her body.

 "What are you —" Bruce began as he hopped from his seat, cringing at the sound of the metal scraping against the linoleum floor, "— Em, please — Just — Would you — Okay..." He sighed in disbelief as her feet touched the ground. There was no getting her to listen to his pleas, and he certainly wasn't wrangling her back into the bed.

 Instead, he rushed around her bedside and hastily gripped her arms before she could teeter and fall.

 Emilia heaved as her chest ached and throbbed, as her knees shook beneath her weight; she hated feeling so damn weak. Every movement made her muscles pulse with pain, and every word made her jaw hurt; but she knew the others would be gathered together somewhere in the compound, discussing their futile plans to bring back those they had lost.

 She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but they needed to know that whatever attempts they would make to avenge the fallen were likely to end in failure once more.

 Pessimistic truths were far easier to shoulder than whimsical hopes of saving the unattainable.

 They were all gathered around a table when Emilia slowly crept forth with Bruce's hands on the handles of her wheelchair; even after a rest and a hearty meal that she had to force down her throat, she felt as though she'd never walk again. Her arms and legs were stiff and refused to follow her wishes and every time she made to stand, her knees would buckle beneath her weight.

 Half of her face was obscured now, after Bruce and Rhodey had wrestled her into a chair so that they could at least clean the blistering burn on her face and cover it with a stark white bandage. Bruce had promised to contact an old friend of his; Doctor Helen Cho, apparently she was rather skilled and helping the Avengers with wounds they wished to forget.

 For now, however, Emilia sulked in the uncomfortable wheelchair and winced with every slight bump that jolted her aching bones.

 "... His answer was always the same." A husky voice that Emilia had grown rather acquainted with trailed off.

 Nebula's sentence came to a steady halt as she caught sight of Emilia; the woman made from an abundance of metal simply dipped her head in greeting, yet that was enough for Emilia to finally smile, even if it was strained.

 "He said he'd go to The Garden." Nebula continued as she inched to the side, making room for Emilia who bristled under the heavy and burning eyes of the Avengers.

 She didn't want their pity-filled gazes as they scanned her bandages and recalled the horrific patches of skin that had been burnt away.

 Rhodey, as ever, seemed to have saved Emilia from the stares she received as he cleared his throat, brows suddenly at his hairline, "That's cute, Thanos has a retirement plan."

 Had the ache in her heart not appeared at the mere mention of the Titan's name, Emilia might have laughed at his quip, but that dull ache that clawed at her chest made her fall further into her chair.

 Bruce laid a hand on her shoulder, and she curled her fingers around it.

 "So where is he?" Steve questioned, his eyes swiftly moving from Rhodey to Nebula as though the Luphomoid held all answers within the palm of her robotic hand.

 Her answer didn't come and the soldier clicked his tongue, fingers flicking the switch that brought a hologram to life.

 Emilia, despite the magic that she could conjure and the abilities that she possessed, could never quite fathom how Tony had managed to do the things he did. He created technology that was leaps and bounds beyond what anybody should have been able to create. The hologram before them showed a detailed image of the earth as it spun to show them every angle of the planet.

 "When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions," Rocket, the talking rodent that Emilia had still yet to become used to, climbed upon the table and the hologram displayed the very event he spoke of... The very event that had caused Emilia's hair to stand on end as her stomach dropped, "No one's ever seen anything like it until —"

 "— Two days ago." Emilia's voice was hoarse as she spoke, filled with a rasp that would have better suited an old smoker who pinched cigars between his yellowing fingertips. Each word crackled like static and the group of heroes had to strain to catch exactly what she'd uttered.

 Bruce, however, had caught her words clearly, "What?"

 "How do you know?" Rocket asked her with a jagged nail from his paw pointed in her direction.

 "Felt it." She shrugged as though the statement was nothing more than a passing conversation with little meaning, only for her eye to meet with Steve's. His lips which were already set in a firm line seemed to dip further, "That surge of power two days ago was exactly the same as the surge from the snap."

 "So what are you saying?" The soldier asked with more hesitance than he'd have liked. A spare and fleeting look at his team was more than enough to see that they were all on edge, waiting for her words with trepidation and caution.

 "What I'm saying is," Emilia wheeled her chair forth, the muscles in her arms trembling as she did so and though Bruce made to help her, he caught himself and remained where he was — something she was thankful for. The hologram had changed to display the very place in which the second blast had radiated from; The Garden, and Emilia pointed a shaking finger towards it, "Thanos is... He's not an idiot, he wouldn't take the chance and allow an opening for anyone to fight back, would he?"

 She directed the question towards Nebula who shook her head mutely.

 "A blast of that magnitude, a blast that was in every way the same as the first one... I hate to be the pessimist, the bearer of bad news, but the only conclusion I can come to is... Is that he used the stones to destroy the stones."

 Everyone was silent.

 "Think about it, really, why would he keep them? Why would Thanos let them exist if they could be the only possible way to undo the very thing he's craved for years? The Infinity stones are just that — infinite. Their power is immeasurable and you've all seen it first-hand. If there were any possible way to get rid of the Stones, I think he would have taken that chance. He'd wipe all possibility of failure away; even if it meant relinquishing that power." She had fallen into her words and her eyes remained fixated on the hologram that replayed the blast over and over again. She could almost feel her skin numbing, a crawling sensation covering her flesh as though she was experiencing it for the third time.

 But then she blinked and all heartache faded into something cold and numb; the tone of her voice changed to something dull as she regarded the only person who could ever answer their questions, "Nebula, would you agree?"

 The ticking of the clock was insufferable as they all waited for the woman to either confirm or deny Emilia's speculation. They all wanted nothing more than for Nebula to banish the theory aside, to say that Thanos would never do such a thing... But they all knew, deep down, that she wouldn't.

 Emilia might have been nothing more than skin and bones, she might have spoken as though she was nothing but a hollow shell; but her words held conviction. She knew she was right, no matter how much it hurt, and they were all now very aware that she had the grounds to speak such words.

 Bruce had told them everything whilst she rested.

 "She's right." Nebula whispered, "My father — Thanos wouldn't risk any of you coming back for him, for the stones. If the energy signature is the same, then he used all of the stones for whatever he did. Energy of that magnitude doesn't go unnoticed, it's on a universal scale..."

 Thor's head dipped; he'd been silent the entire time. Steve slacked against the table and Natasha let out a heavy breath as she ran a trembling hand through her cropped hair.

 It felt as though a stack of cards had tumbled, all hope keeping them upright had been torn away and Emilia hated that she'd been the one to accomplish such a feat. But how could she have kept her thoughts to herself? How could she have stayed back and waved them all off as they chased after what could have been a non-existent cause?

 "I'm not saying you shouldn't do anything." Emilia muttered once more as she finally released the wheels of her chair and darted her eyes between Steve Rogers and Carol Danvers, "Go there, find him and make sure. There's always a possibility that I'm wrong... I really hope that I am." Her voice shattered like fragile glass, "But I had to warn you that you might not find what you're looking for."

 Emilia broke her stare with Carol and tossed a look over her shoulder. She gave the barest of nods to Bruce and the man stepped forward without a word. She hated that she'd been the one to cause that line between his brow to deepen, to be the one that prompted his lips to downturn... But false hope was crippling.

 The room was cold, and the only solace to calm the chill that would have wracked Emilia's bones was the heavy blanket Pepper had suddenly appeared with. Tony's fiance had stayed by his side from the moment he'd been forced to rest, but that hadn't meant that Pepper turned a blind eye to Emilia.

 She had left countless times to bring water, snacks and anything else the poor woman could think of that would make Emilia's stay somewhat comfortable. Pepper Potts knew the look in the young doctor's eyes because she saw it, she felt it whenever the call would come to say that Tony was leaving to put his life on the line once more.

 Emilia could have sobbed for hours when the CEO of Stark Industries had curled a hand around her own and smiled as she thanked Emilia for bringing Tony back to her. Emilia could have crumbled and disappeared under her covers when Pepper Potts had tightened her hold and promised that if Emilia ever needed somewhere to stay, she would always be welcome with them.

 It hadn't taken long for Bruce to announce that he was planning to join his fellow Avengers in their impossible, hopeless mission to The Garden. The lines on his forehead seemed deeper, his eyes seemed ready to slip shut as he patted her arm and turned on his heels.

 "Please come back." Emilia had called with a voice no louder than a whisper, and the sound had caused cracks to permeate the hearts of those that had heard her.

 Bruce had faltered, wondering if he should stay with her, Rhodey had dipped his head and Pepper's eyes had welled with unshed tears. But Bruce had to go, he had to take the chance even if he believed Emilia's theory without a doubt. It was the only way they could bring everybody back and repent for their failures.

 Emilia watched him leave upon hesitant toes, knowing he'd return with far more weight on his shoulders than what he'd left with.

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DATE: 22/12/2022

:·ﾟ★ hi besties; just to let you know, the next few chapters will be shorter than most as I've decided to do a small collection of one-shot esc chapters to depict what emilia has done and gone through during the five-year time skip! i thought it'd be better this way, rather than info-dumping throughout the normal story; i hope you all enjoy the little look into the time skip <3

please remember to leave feedback & comments. i require a certain number of comments before i publish the next update. please give me a follow to keep updated and receive sneak peeks! do not leave 'update' comments, you will be muted.