scott x hope oneshots

i'm with you

"Hope's my...uh, she was my, uh, she was supposed to pull me out," There's a slight break in Scott's voice at the end of the sentence. Saying her name hurt, and then thinking about how she's his partner, or was (is it even appropriate to use past tense because it felt like he saw her five hours ago, and then suddenly it's five years in the future) is making him tongue-tied, the word 'partner' hanging on the tip of his tongue but he can't say it out loud because his chest is constricting, he can't breath, and he'd rather have his heart ripped out than bear the agony of losing Hope.

"She's gone Scott. Everybody's gone. We can't get them back. It's over," Steve Rogers is looking at him straight in the eyes, and there's a mixture of sympathy, sadness and a flicker of weariness even, but that's not what Scott wants to see, he wants to see hope, because Captain America is that beacon of hope.

"What?" Frown lines appear in between Scott's eyebrows, the words 'it's over' swimming in his ears. He stares at Steve in disbelief. "You're not supposed to say that," he inhales sharply, and that annoying lump returns in the back of his throat. "You're Captain America! You're not supposed to give up! No no no, this is not how it turned out," Scott holds his hand up, and he clenches his jaw tight, his other hand forming into a fist.

"We're supposed to get everyone back."

And then he's drowning, he's drowning in an array of bright, colourful lights and then into an unending vastness of the Quantum Realm. No! He can't be back! Scott glances around, his eyes darting to and fro nervously, searching for an exit, but there was never one to began with, never will be. It's just him, the psychedelic lights and the deafening silence. He should have known before going back in for the second time.

It was a mistake.

Scott gets sucked into a time vortex and before he even realises it, a bloody battlefield materialises before him. He watches as the swarm of aliens, the intergalactic beasts and Thanos disappear into dust and his heart leaps with happiness because they're victorious but then it all crashes the minute he sees Tony Stark's lifeless eyes, drifting into space.

No!

Fearful, he runs and searches frantically for Hope. "Please be okay, please be okay," he mutters under his breath like a madman, coming to a halt when he catches sight of the dark blue glint of her suit, except that she's lying motionless on the ground, one of her legs splayed in an acute angle.

"Hope?" He freezes, blood turning cold.

And then he wakes up in bed, drenched in sweat, clutching too hard on the edges of the comforter. It takes him a few seconds to orientate himself, still discombobulated from the nightmare, taking in the surroundings of his bedroom, and then Hope.

She's alive!

Scott heaves a sigh of relief, and flips over to his side to face her, who's unstirred. He steadies his breathing and focuses on her. There's a calming effect when he's in the presence of Hope because the wild thumping of his heart slows down, the images of the dream fades away and the peace and quiet of the early morning returns.

They had found each other in the midst of the superheroes, warriors, wizards, the Dora Milaje and The Ravagers. Scott, spotting Hope first, having to blink twice to make sure she's really standing right in front of him, that she's not going to disappear from existence, that moments ago, she was with him, trying to save the world. And then he's cupping her face, the curve of her cheekbones feeling just right in his palms, his gaze cruising all over her, double checking that she's as solid as he is, and he bites his inner cheek just to make sure it's not a dream.

"You're here. You're really here," Scott lets out a strangled laugh. He's brushing her hair back with trembling hands, ignoring the physical exhaustion taking its toll on him, and for the longest time, he can finally breath, even if the air is dusty and filled with a deathly stench.