"You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you. They will stumble. They will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders."
(Y/N) (L/N) is a young man...
He had been climbing for almost an hour now, and the cold was beginning to set in. Bruce could now see his breath before him, but only just. The snow was hitting him dead in the eyes, and at this height, it would only get worse. The summit - and who he was looking for - was not far. He could barely feel his legs. But he had to keep going, to find (Y/N).
It had been five years since Thanos decimated the universe and the stones were destroyed. In that time, many of the Avengers had gone to try and live semi-normal lives, Bruce returning to his mansion in Gotham.
That was, until the Avengers called him back with some important news. He could still remember that exact moment.
Natasha Romanoff had called Bruce on his mobile phone, saying there was something going on that he needed to see. So, Bruce had arrived at the Avengers' compound, and there were only three people there: Natasha, Steve, and someone who seemed vaguely familiar to Bruce.
"Bruce Wayne, this is Scott Lang," Natasha said, jogging Bruce's memory. He was the guy that changed his size rapidly.
"Nice to meet you," Scott said.
"We've met before."
"Tell him what you told us, Scott," Steve said.
"Alright, so, I went into a place called the quantum realm. To get there you have to be infinitely small. So, while I was in there, Thanos happened, and he killed the people who were meant to pull me out of the quantum realm. But, now, I've come out of there, as you can see."
"That must have been a rough five years," Bruce said.
"It wasn't. It felt like a few hours. So, obviously, time works differently in the quantum realm. So what if we were able to navigate it, what if we could enter the quantum realm at one point in time and exit in another?"
"This guy is nuts."
"The stones are in the past, Bruce. We can go back, we can get them," Steve said.
"What if something goes wrong? I know Stark has a family now. I mean, we've all adapted. How are we supposed to go about this?"
"We're still working on that. But we're going to get Tony and Banner to help us out."
"Tell (Y/N) about this," Natasha said. "He needs to hear it."
"Where is he?" Bruce asked.
"He's likely still at his fortress in the alps."
"Then that's where I'm going."
Now, not six feet above Bruce, was the summit of the mountain, and the entrance to the fortress. With one final push, he heaved himself up onto the flat ground. In front of him stood a doorway that he knew, without a doubt, was the entrance to (Y/N)'s fortress.
He stepped inside slowly, removing the hood and goggles of his mountain-climbing gear.
"What are you doing here, Bruce?" Came (Y/N)'s voice from the other side of the room.
The last five years had not worn well on him. He was wearing old, raggedy clothes, and he had definitely lost some weight. But that wasn't why Bruce was here.
"Go away. I don't want to talk to you," (Y/N) said, turning his back on Bruce.
"(Y/N)... I'm so, so sorry. And I know that no amount of apologizing can ever make up the promise I broke. But don't let me speak with my words, but with my actions. We think we've found a way. A way that we can bring them all back. But we'll need your help," Bruce said, tracing out (Y/N)'s symbol in the snow. "The world needs Superman."
That was all Bruce said before leaving (Y/N).
-----
(Y/N) pondered on Bruce's words for a while. A second chance?
The world needs Superman.
(Y/N) didn't know how or why, but Bruce's words sparked him into something. He went back into the room where he found his old, red-and-blue suit, a room he hadn't been to in six years.
What he found inside amazed him.
The second pod had been opened. How? Why? Then it struck him.
Wanda.
It's always been her.
Inside of the pod was another suit, this time all black, with the symbol traced in silver. And that was when he knew this plan would work. He walked out the door of the fortress, donning the suit, crouching down, ready to fly for the first time in five years.
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As he prepared to fly, he could hear the voices of his fathers, Jor-El and (F/F/N), as though they were speaking to him from beyond the grave.
"The symbol of the house of El means hope. Embodied within that hope is the fundamental belief in the potential of every person to be a force for good. That's what you can bring them."
"You were sent here for a reason. And even if it takes you the rest of your life, you owe it to yourself to find out what that reason is. You're gonna have to make a choice."
"You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will stumble, they will fall. They will join you in the sun, Kal."
"A choice of whether to stand proud in front of the human race or not."
"You will help them accomplish wonders."
"I'm so proud of you, son."
"All the hopes and dreams of Krypton live in you now. Your mother and I loved you."
"Your mother and I knew you would change the world."
"Love them, Kal. The way we loved you."
"I know it's been hard, (Y/N)."
"But you gave hope to their world."
"You need to show them who you are."
"Fly, son. It's time."
(Y/N) rocketed off the mountain, flying into the sky, breaking the speed of sound. It was like his first time again. He flew up, up, up, until the world curved below him and the sun shined in front of him. He opened his arms, taking in the energy from the sun.
