𝗕𝟮 | There are only bad decisions beyond us. With the vulture gone, it was time to work on bonding. However, a threat out of their hands attacks once again, causing their actions to have until the last consequence of their will.
(𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻�...
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Bruce's movements were slow, hindered by his bandaged arm encased in a layer of plaster. Carefully, he placed the final patch on the boy lying still on the bed, the device monitoring the faint rhythms of his heart. Nikolas' chest rose and fell in a steady, rhythmic pattern. The air bubbles that had once filled his lungs were gone, replaced by the steady thump of his heart that Bruce listened to through his stethoscope.
"Everything seems in order," Bruce said, he moved to the side, his eyes scanning Nikolas' vitals on the screen. A strange, shifting spot around the boy's ribcage caught his attention. "See this? He has a very unique system. I want to believe that's his blood flowing."
Bruce gently brushed aside the hair that had fallen over Nikolas' forehead, his casted fingers lingering for a moment as if trying to reassure himself that the boy was still there, still alive. His forehead was now untouched—All clean, as if his body had never set foot on Wakanda's battlefield. Bruce was astonished by the boy's extraordinary metabolism.
"Did you really have to suffocate him?" The question was almost an accusation.
"It was the only way," Steve replied, his tone burdened with regret. "He was going out of control after—"
Steve's words trailed off, the silence filling that needed no explanation.
After Thanos snapped his fingers.
After half the people they knew and loved were reduced to dust.
After Nikolas had been lost in a grief that threatened to destroy everything in its path when he couldn't feel Peter anymore.
"Steve, he's so young," Bruce said softly, a note of desperation in his voice.
"Someone very young who could have jeopardized the few of us left," Steve said, the burden of his decision clear in his eyes as he crossed his arms. "I only used enough strength to knock him out." He hesitated, his voice softening. "I'm sorry too. I feel it every moment."
The Avengers Compound stood desolate, an echo of the facility that once was. Even the machines, once bustling with activity, were silent, as if mourning alongside them. When they had returned to Earth, they had found a world that looked like it had given up—deserted streets littered with abandoned cars, smoke still rising from crumbling buildings, a city left in ruins.
Emptiness echoed in their hearts, the weight of their failure along the cost of their fight. And as Bruce stood by Nikolas' side, the boy's fragile pulse barely discernible beneath his fingertips, the reality of their loss settled in—a tragedy that no amount of heroism could ever undo.
"Maybe you're right," Bruce conceded as he joined Steve. They walked side by side into the hallway, where a glass window offered a somber view of the lake outside, its still waters reflecting the desolation around. "After what Thanos said... it might be wise to keep a close watch on him. I guess we still don't know what he's capable of. Was Tony aware of all this?"
