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Today felt like a bad dream. My thoughts drifted as I stared blankly at the opposite wall of the Quinjet. The hum of the engines was a constant, an almost soothing background noise as Rhodey flew Bruce and me into Wakanda. Everything about this day felt surreal, like I was watching someone else's life unravel.
"Are you sure these are the right coordinates?" Rhodey's voice broke through the fog in my mind. He turned his head slightly, glancing back at Bruce and me.
I didn't respond right away, still lost in my thoughts until Bruce nudged my arm.
"You good?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
I nodded quickly, snapping out of it. "These are the right ones," I said, standing up to peer out the window. My eyes scanned the approaching mountain, the coordinates matching perfectly with the ones Shuri had sent us.
"You sure? Because we're about to go through a mountain," Rhodey's voice held a note of alarm, and I couldn't help but smirk.
"I'm sure," I said, patting his shoulder before taking my seat next to Bruce again.
Bruce leaned in, his voice lower now. "And they know we're coming?"
"They know," I reassured him.
I watched from the corner of my eye as we propelled through the mountain, a hidden passage revealing itself just in time. Bruce fidgeted with his seatbelt for a moment, the movement catching my attention.
"So, it's been a while. How have you been?" he asked, his tone casual but his eyes revealing a deeper concern.
I glanced at him, crossing my arms as I leaned back in my seat. "My dad just got sucked up into space by some aliens. I've been better. What about you?"
"It's been a weird couple of years," he admitted, his gaze distant.
"Where were you?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Off-world," he said, almost too casually.
I studied his face as he rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. "You didn't come back," I said, referring to Sokovia, the unspoken tension between us thickening the air.
"The other guy didn't want to," Bruce replied, his head leaning back against the headrest as we began our descent. "I guess I was tired of fighting."
"I get it," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Still sucked not having you around."
"Did the Avengers really break up?" he asked, his tone almost hesitant.
"You ask me like I was part of it and would know," I responded with a half-smile.
He smiled back, a genuine one this time. "Still selling yourself short, huh?"
I shrugged, trying to play it off. "I guess not everything changed over the last couple of years."
