Eunoia [Bucky Barnes]

chapter 37

Everyone stood still in a misshapen circle around the finished iron gauntlet.

"All right. The glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?" Rocket looked up from the gauntlet as Thor moved closer into the middle.

"I'll do it."

"Excuse me?" Scott stopped him before he could take another step.

"It's okay." Thor mumbled as Tony moved to hold the god up.

"Wait, wait, Thor, just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet." Steve told him.

"I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" Thor grumbled to those nearest him.

"We should at least discuss it." Scott said to the nods of the other Avengers.

"No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty." Thor began waving his hands to get his point across before Tony interrupted him.

"It's not about that–"

"It's not that– Stop it! Just let me!" Thor now began to tear up in the argument. "Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right."

"Look.. It's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition." Tony tried to reason.

"What do you.. What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" Thor almost smiled as he spoke.

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey answered earning a point from Thor.

"Lightning."

"Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." Bruce stepped up from where he had been leaning to walk towards the gauntlet. "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?" Ava asked him, causing him to turn around.

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma." Bruce took a proper look at the stones. "It's like.. I was made for this."

***

"Good to go, yeah?" Tony asked Bruce as they readied the gauntlet for one final snap.

"Let's do it." Bruce answered as everyone got ready for the power surge that was about to begin. Steve pulled Ava so that she shared the protection of his shield, continuously tucking her head away when she tried to see what was happening.

"You remember.. everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." Tony reminded Bruce from behind his own protection.

"Got it." Bruce answered.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?" Tony spoke out as the compound began to go into complete lockdown.

"Everybody comes home." Ava heard Bruce whisper as she grabbed hold of Steve's hand. Slipping the gauntlet on, a jolt of power began to jolt across Bruce's arm.

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor yelled out but was silenced by Tony.

"Talk to me, Banner."

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Bruce breathed out in pain as he looked to be able to stabilise the mad rush of the stones. He just managed to snap his fingers when it all became too much and he fell to the ground, the gauntlet sliding away from him.