This is not the Endgame

What am I supposed to do, sit around and wait for you

Thor was intrigued by the thought of Thanksgiving, which he'd never celebrated before, and made arrangements to stay. Sam and Wanda regretfully bowed out; they were committed to the official Avenger's celebration, which included appearing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the dinner later on. Steve was glad to be spared that part. Bucky was pretty sure she didn't want him there and had invited him because it would be awkward not to, but accepted nonetheless. With Steve and Thor going and Sam and Wanda elsewhere, he'd be spending it alone if he didn't. And she'd invited Matt and Gina, too, mentioned that she'd invited her sister, who couldn't get the time off so soon after taking up her position at the hospital.

They'd been given a half-day on Wednesday; Ava was off like a shot afterward, but Bucky went to lunch with some coworkers, and was thus a little later coming home. He wanted to change and go for a run, ending up at the gym for some time with the heavy bag. He only trusted himself to box with Steve now; Thor didn't know how or he'd have roped him in. When he got home, he noted someone in a hoodie, examining the intercom system. There were no names on the buttons, just the apartment numbers, for safety and security. He ghosted closer.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

The figure whipped around so fast that the hood fell off, exposing red hair and familiar features he'd never thought he'd see again.

"James?"

Bucky actually staggered a step. "Natalia?" he whispered in disbelief, then they were hugging and speaking Russian. Natasha said that he should have gotten a text--there was going to be a get-together at the Avengers complex. He checked; it was there. They went to the garage where she laughed over his retro-inflected motorcycle, and they drove out to the complex. Steve, just getting out of class, wasn't far behind them, and they ended up staying overnight.

Barton and Professor Hulk had somehow talked Quill and Rocket--who had gone to Missouri to see Quill's family-- into borrowing the Benetar and going to Vormir. Barton had stopped to banter with the bitter guy with the gaunt red head but Professor Hulk had blown right past them and off the cliff. Shocked, Barton had leaned over and seen the Hulk at the bottom of the cliff, a dainty trickle of blood running away from the body. But just as the sacrifice had registered, he saw something stirring--and he woke up in the water with the Soul stone and Hulk, de-Bannered. Permanently, apparently. Banner had sacrificed himself, a life for a life. And Barton had given the stone to Hulk, who used it to bring back Natasha. Because of the nature of her sacrifice, she couldn't be UnSnapped; another life was needed to balance the scales. They left the stone on Vormir and came home. The Hulk was somewhat problematic, but as on Sakkar, had his own personality back and a much better range of self-control.

While the active Avengers left early the next morning in their costumes for the parade, the others, including Nick Fury and Maria Hill, woke to a late breakfast and caught up on their own stories. Barton was off active duty due to the investigation of his activities during the Hiatus and his wife had left him, so he was there too. When the others got back, they had a decent Thanksgiving dinner and watched the football games, chatting and enjoying the reunion. "I gotta go," Bucky said around eight. "I have work tomorrow--" and his words hung, like the WiFi had just gone out.

"Buck?" Steve asked, yawning.

"We were supposed to have Thanksgiving dinner at Ava's today."

"Oh, shit," Steve said, sitting up straight.

"Language!" most of the people in the room chorused sternly.

"No, this friend in our building invited us to dinner," Steve said, horrified. Thor frowned.