#does Nebula count as a person in this scenario??? no idea

[saucy-mesothelioma]

What would you do if you switched bodies with the closest person to you?

Huh. Well this definitely makes things interesting.

[multi-fandom-imagines8]

Time Is Everything

Masterlist

Taglist

Warnings: Infinity War spoilers, angst, death.

A/N: This turned out sadder than I thought it would be, sorry!

Summary: After Thanos wipes out half of the universe, Tony tells them what Strange told him and you understand what he meant. Someone must go back in time to save everyone, but in doing so the person must sacrifice themselves. You are the only one with powers that allow you to travel in time, so you do it without telling your boyfriend Steve the price.

Word Count: 2270

“Oh god” Steve exclaimed sitting next to Vision's dead body.

“there must be a way to fix this” you told the others.

“there isn't. We lost. Vision's dead, Wanda's dead, B- Bucky and half of our planet is gone” Steve lost all hope which wasn't in his nature.

“Hey, hey” you noticed the pain he was feeling and hugged him. He put his head on your chest and cried, you held him tightly and kissed his head trying to stay strong for him.

You stayed in Wakanda with the rest of the team, helping the injured and rebuilding what was destroyed. But the truth is, Steve didn't want to leave because he wasn't ready to face the world yet.

After a week Tony arrived with robot looking girl. You haven't seen him in two years. You and Tony were close, but after you chose to side with Steve you lost contact. You were very happy to see him now, even Steve was. They put their differences aside and were ready to work together again.

“Tony” you ran to hug him. At first he was surprised that you were glad to see him, then he hugged back.

“Long time no see... This is Nebula... She's Thanos' daughter, but she's an ally” he introduced.

“Hey, I'm y/n. Nice to meet you” you shook her hand “come on, let me show you around” you guided them.

“Babe, look who's here” you entered the lab where Steve was.

He looked up and stood in silence.

“Captain” Tony greeted.

“Stark” he greeted back “I thought you were dead”.

“Well I'm here, so... who's left of the team?” Tony asked.

“Me, y/n, Bruce, Nat, Thor, Rhody and you apparently” he informed him.

“everyone else-”

“dead. They'll all dead” he looked down.

“I'm sorry for your loss” Tony apologized.

“Wasn't that spider boy with you?” you asked.

“He's dead too and it's my fault” Tony regretted.

“I'm sorry and it's not your fault. All of this is Thanos' fault. So instead of blaming yourselves, let's work on a plan to defeat him” you suggested.

“There's no defeating him now. He's got all of the stones, he wiped out half of the universe and he's gone” Tony said.

“Now you sound like Steve. What's wrong with you? Both of you are not likely to give up that easily. You're always optimistic and hopeful, what happened to that?” you asked them.

“what do you want me to do, huh? There's literally nothing to be done. He's gone and we have nothing to find him and have no way of defeating him, unless you have a plan you'd like to share” Steve said.

“No, I don't. But we'll figure it out. We always do” you had hope.

“what happened to you? You were always a pessimist, what changed?” Tony asked.

“apparently, we changed roles. Someone has to have hope for the rest of the team. And if you or Steve won't then I'll have to. But it'll be helpful if you started to think about a plan with me” you explained.

“Wait... I remembered something, but I didn't understand it, maybe you can. So I met this wizard called Strange, I know it's strange. He was responsible for the time stone and saw the past and future. Out of all the possibilities and scenarios, there's only one where we win against Thanos. He said if it came down to me, P- Peter and the Stone, he wouldn't hesitate to save the stone, yet when Thanos was about to kill me, he gave him the stone in order to save my life. He said we're in the end game now. Before he died, he told me it was the only way, what does that even mean?” Tony told you everything that Stephen said.

“you said he had the time stone and he can see the future and the past. He saw only one scenario where we'd win...what- what if he meant for us to travel back in time?” you asked.

“what? That's impossible. No one has done that before and there's no  time machine. This isn't a movie y/n” Tony didn't want to believe.

“why not? We have miracles all around. Five years ago, we wouldn't have believed there were other species. Thor, Loki, Thanos, you” you pointed at Nebula.” And then you created something Ultron and Vision. Let's not forget about all these mutants and what everyone posses is a miracle alone” you tried to convince him.

“so what are you saying? We go back in time and safe the world, but how do you want to do that honey?” Steve asked.

“I don't know yet, but at least now we actually have a plan. It's better than nothing” you sighed.

“how do you plan to find one y/n? Let's face it, you're in denial and refuse to accept the fact that we've been defeated” Steve held your face in his hands.

“where there's a will, there's a way. And I'm not in denial. I know we've been defeated, but Thanos won the battle, not the war. You're the one who's refusing to accept that there's a way” you looked him in the eyes but he turned away.

“Alright, alright. I believe in you and if you believe that then I'll support you” he kissed your forehead.

“I have an idea. What about the guy that was with this ant guy, the creator?” Tony asked.

“This might actually work. With the technology we have here and the knowledge of this guy, we might pull it off”.

- - -

The plan worked and there was a thing like a time machine, but this was much more complicated. It needed someone who can survive extreme coldness, luckily, that was your power.

“y/n, do you have a second?” Tony called you.

“yeah sure, what's up?” you asked.

“I need you to come with me to the lab” he lead the way and you followed. His voice was soft and there was sadness in it.

“Ms. Y/l/n” Dr. Hank greeted.

“Doctor! Is there something wrong?” you noticed the looks between the two of them.

“There's a thing you have to know about this device. It will take you back and you'll  be able to save everyone, but I'm afraid that you- you're not gonna make it, I'm sorry” he apologized.

“Oh, my body can take the coldness, don't worry” you assured him.

“Y/n, that's not it” Tony looked sad.

“wearing this device, will kill you. The chemicals in it will poison your blood. But because you can freeze things, it will give you enough time to make everything right. I'm afraid if you do this, you won't be coming back” Hank explained.

“Oh... I see... It's alright, the price of freedom is high, it always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay, if it saves my friends and the world” you expressed.

“You don't have to do this” Tony told you.

“I want to. Winning always comes with consequences. It's alright. Just do me a favor and don't tell Steve” you told them.

“whatever you need”.

- - -

“it's time” you nervously smiled.

“hey, everything is going to be alright” Steve put his hands on your shoulders and tried to calm you down.

“I know” you sighed.

“We're all depending on you. We only got one shot” Tony reminded you.

You said farewell and hugged all of them. Now it was time to say goodbye to Steve. This was the hardest part. You tried to hide the tears and faked a smile.

“this is it” you said.

“I'll see on the other side” he kissed your forehead.

“I love you. I want you to remember that. I always will” you kissed him goodbye and hugged him one last time.

He noticed you hugging him tighter than usual “Hey, it's gonna be alright. This is not the end” he reassured you.

“It's not for you. Be happy” you took a step back and tried to memorize this picture. It was almost all of your friends standing, smiling and waving at you.

- - -

You were able to defeat Thanos with the other device Dr. Hank, Bruce, Shuri and Tony made.

You felt proud and tired. You just saved the world. You hoped everything is fine as you reached the ocean. It was cold, just like you liked it. You floated on the surface and watched the sun set one last time, before closing your eyes forever.

- - -

Steve has been walking in circles for the past few hours. He was worried about you.

“Come see this cap” Tony called him and he followed.

He saw Bucky alive, he rushed to hug him and a smile was placed on his face.

“she did Tony, she saved us all” Steve said in excitement.

“Yes, she did” sadness took over Tony's face.

“what's wrong?” suddenly the smile fell of Steve's face. He felt it. Something was not right with you.

“It's y/n” he exclaimed.

“what about her Tony?” Steve slightly raised his voice.

“she's- she's gone Steve” Tony informed him.

“what do you mean gone? She'll come back, just give her time” Steve asked.

“you don't understand... she's dead” Tony told him.

“no no no, don't say that. You don't know that. She'll come back, you'll see” Steve didn't want to believe that, even though his heart, mind and guts are telling him that you are. He could feel it but  denied it.

“I do know that. The device contained deadly chemicals that once inserted in the body, death's certain. With her it was slower, her power gave her enough time to defeat Thanos. That's why it had to be her. Anyone else would've died before reaching Thanos. She knew she was going to die and she asked me to not tell you until after. She wrote you a letter” Tony explained and handed him the letter.

“No...” tears were filling Steve's eyes and he was angry that he punched Tony in the face.

 Tony didn't stop him, he knew the pain he was feeling. Steve sat on the ground and put his head in his hands.

“this isn't happening”.

Tony and Bucky sat next to him, trying to comfort him.

- - -

“you're gonna have to read the letter sooner or later Steve...These were her lasts words to you. Don't you wanna know what she wrote?” Bucky urged him to read it.

“No. Reading it means that this is the last thing I'll hear from her. It means no more y/n. I can't” he informed him.

“If you don't read it, I'll do it for you” Bucky warned.

Later that night, Steve was sitting on the bed, in your shared room. Your scent was still on the bed, your clothes on the chair. You were messy and that used to make him argue with you. This time he was glad to see your shirt on the chair, he even smiled and remembered every time he argued with you.

“why did you have to leave me? I have so much to tell you. I want to apologize for every time I hurt you. I love you y/n” he muttered to himself and decided to read the letter.

“Dear Steve,

By the time you read this, I'll be long dead. I'm sorry I didn't tell you but if I did you would've never let me go. I needed to do this. The world is now safer. Bucky is back, so that should make you smile again. He's there for you, Tony too. Don't keep things to yourself. Don't try to hide your emotions. Talk to them about it. Don't blame yourself, this was my choice. I love you Steve Grant Rogers, I always have, always will. I want you to move on, find a sweet girl, get married and have children. I know you've always wanted to start a family, I'm sorry we didn't have the time to do so. Be happy my love. Don't let my death be a reason for your sadness. It would break my heart to know that. I saw the ring, I would've said yes. Don't feel guilty for not proposing earlier. Now you get the chance to start over. Just don't forget about me. We'll meet again in the after life, just don't die so early. I need time to miss you, so we'd have an emotional reunion haha. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be making jokes, I'm dying and you're probably in pain. Let go captain and be happy. I'll always be with you my love.

Your y/n.”

He had mixed emotions after reading this. He knew you wanted him to be happy and smile but he couldn't, at least not now.

@markusstraya @purpstraw @berruneko09 @5aftermidnight @jeansongg @babymorganna @projectxhappiness

[starlit-scifi]

Chapter 13

First • Previous True night falls for the first time as the hot part of the solar cycle comes to a close, and you’ve both decided to sleep with the blinds up to fully appreciate the changing of real night and day. You have a little more than a week before the shuttle comes back, and you're lying awake, your mind darting from thought to pointless thought as you stare up at the tent's ceiling. You hear Lori roll over restlessly beside you.

"Can't sleep?" You ask softly. 

"Not really," she grumbles into her pillow.

"...wanna talk about it?"

There's a moment of silence, then she sighs deeply. "Kind of." She sits up. "Aurie..." When she says your name your heart starts pounding. "What are you planning to do when we get back?"

"Start working on our report,” you say, then think a moment and add, “Well… first I'll take a good long shower and lay in bed for a day, honestly."

She chuckles. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll probably do the same. But…" she's quiet for a moment. "I meant about the arrangement."

"Oh. That. I… I need to ask my parents to cut it off," you mutter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's sad that it's taken me this long to come to terms with it, but… He's not right for me.” Though it’s the first time you say it out loud, you don’t even feel a sinking feeling in your stomach— it’s just the statement of a fact. Emboldened, you continue. “It's going to be tough to find anyone else this late, but if he and I stayed together it just wouldn't be fair to anyone involved. It would hold me back, when there’s more to gain for me, and my whole family, if I choose my own path. And..." you bite your lip. "I honestly don't think I really like guys much either. At all." You say it quietly enough that you're not sure she hears you at first.

"It's okay. You like who you like."

"Yeah," you say softly. But would you still say that if you knew…?

You close your eyes again, but sleep continues to elude you. Your heart is still racing as you worry your way through a hundred awkward, painful scenarios, knowing that whatever torture your brain constructs won’t hurt nearly as much as the real thing, as the real person beside you telling you that it’s been in your head all along… 

"Aurie.” Her soft voice startles you.

"Hm?"

She sighs. "I think... How should I say this?” There’s a faint rustle from her sleeping bag. “I feel… like we’re different, like we're probably… closer, in some ways, than most partners are."

Hot embarrassment creeps across your face. "More than we should be?"

"No, no. It's good. I mean, I like it."

"I do too," you murmur, as if that could describe the total mess of feelings you have for her.

Another rustle, this time against your sleeping bag as she crawls over to sit next to you.

"I think we need to talk about this partnership," she says softly. "About us."

"W—" You sit up quickly before you even realize what you're doing, and try desperately to play it cool. "What's up?"

"I..." Silhouetted by the pinkish moonlight, she plays with the end of her ponytail. "I think there's maybe more to us than that."

 You don't trust yourself to speak. Breathless, you wait for her to continue, every nerve in your body strung tight.

"Stop me if I'm wrong, but… so many things you've said or done, for a while now… I'm starting to think you like me. In... more than a friendly way." Is it an accusation? Your head bobs up and down stupidly before you can stop yourself, and you look down in shame. When you dare raise your head again, you can't tell what her expression is in this lighting, but suddenly her face is really, really close.

"And I like you too, a lot," she says, barely above a breath. "So I hope this is okay."

And she kisses you.

For a moment it feels like your world stops, like you're suspended in the white-hot center of a nebula and the only thing that exists is her lips against yours. You almost want to cry when those lips drift away, when she just sits and stares at you, and you're just frozen in the realization that yes, this just happened. The growing shock must be visible on your face because she pulls back quickly.

"I'm so sorry, I—"

"N— no," You choke out. She winces. "It's okay," you say quickly, before an apology can tumble from those soft lips. You lean forward and embrace her. In your arms, you feel her inhale sharply— then every bit of tension in her body melts away. You silently wish you'll never have to let her go, because as of this moment you know for certain that she's become a piece of your life worth holding on to.

So you do, cheek to cheek and chest to chest, and all too soon she pulls away… but only to lean back in and place another kiss on your lips.

"Aurie," she says tenderly. "Thank you."

You barely dare ask. "For what?"

"Being here. Taking it so well. Not... letting it get weird, I don't know!" She laughs, then sadness creeps into her voice as she murmurs again, "I don't know."

You don't want her to be sad, so you caress her face, sweep the stray hairs away to kiss her forehead.

"Let's try to sleep. We need as much as we can get." She nods, and together you get settled, her larger frame wrapped protectively around yours.

You get the best sleep you've gotten in weeks.

---

Dawn comes, veiled in pink and gold, and finds you curled up together with her, a little too warm and too close in the damp heat. You wriggle free, and she wakes up with a soft “huh?” You smile over your shoulder at her, and she smiles back before shifting to a more comfortable position and closing her eyes again. Your smile fades as you leave the tent to go and start your morning preparations. There’s still measurements to take, microbial cultures to check up on, and things you can start packing up already. The work soothes you like it always does, comfortable familiarity and things that make sense.

Because there’s things that don’t make sense, still: like why you’re so uneasy, even knowing that she likes you back, even after she kissed you, and why you feel so, so warm and so strange when you think about last night, and…

You hear her come up behind you, so you’re not too startled when she nudges you gently.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

Still, your heart starts pounding. You swallow.

“Yeah. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Good.” Her smile is warm, lingering. She bites her lip. “Um. Breakfast?”

Your stomach flip-flops when your eyes meet, and you mumble “sure.” She walks off, and you manage to steady your hands enough to count through your dish of tiny animal specimens. You take note of the number, then add more nutrient slurry before closing the lid. 

Breakfast sounds good. Food, and looking over your day's plans, and sitting with Lori…

And then what? What do you do now? She said she likes you, she kissed you, but does that really mean anything?

Maybe it doesn't really mean she likes you, just that you've been in each other's space for a month and you're available.

"Stupid," you tell yourself out loud.

"What's that?" She calls from the other side of the campsite, where she's set up a temporary kitchen.

"Nothing," you reply quickly. "Just talking to myself."

She chuckles. "Okay. Food's ready."

"Alright. I'll be done in a bit," you say as you start to put your things away.

Breakfast is a mostly silent affair, but every time you look up at her she's smiling at you. And every time she smiles at you, you get that strange fizzy warmth in your chest and it's getting harder and harder to ignore.

"You seem to be in a good mood," you say quietly, just to break the silence.

"It's a good day," she replies, beaming. "We're just going for a quick hike this morning, right?"

"Yeah. Um." You scramble to remember the day's plans. "More soil samples nearby, but that's it."

"Great."

"Yeah, no bugs today," you say, wondering if your smile looks nervous.

"Good,” she says with a chuckle. “We can just relax and enjoy this nice weather. It's supposed to get stormy in the afternoon."

"Yeah I… I guess so." You look down at your bowl. "I just… last night…"

"What's up?"

"When… when you kissed me…" you can’t meet her eyes. "Did you really mean it? That you like me?"

"Yes. Of course." You look up at her and she's smiling brightly enough to rival two suns worth of sunshine. "Did you mean it, that you like me too?"

"I… yes. Yes, I did, I…" your face is suddenly warm. "I really like you. A lot."

"I'm glad," she says, and you close your eyes when she reaches over to fix your hair. "Have I ever told you how cute you are?" The tenderness in your voice sends your thoughts into a tailspin.

"No. Well, sort of. But that was… at the party…"

Her hand trails away as her eyes widen in realization. "Oh. Huh. That happened, didn't it?" You nod sheepishly. "Well, I wasn't lying." Her flirtatious grin melts into a frown as she adds more quietly, "I didn't mean for you to feel like I was leading you on or anything. I'm sorry."

"No, no, I just… I thought I was reading too much into it. I thought it was a one-sided thing. Besides, with the project…"

She shrugs. "The program leaders don't really care, much less the administration. I'm half convinced they pair girls and guys together to get them to couple up, really."

"I guess I got lucky then," you say softly.

"I guess I did too," she says, taking your hand. Her smile is no less happy, but maybe not quite so vibrant, and maybe more tender as she leans closer to you…

"Lori…"

Your heart is pounding, and your chest is filled with a strange, strange warmth that’s threatening to overflow.

"Hm?"

The morning light lingers golden in her half-closed eyelashes, in the nearly-invisible fuzz on her cheeks and above her lips, so pink and soft—

You pull your hand away, pointing into the distance. "Let's get going so we’re done before that storm hits."

She blinks. "Huh?" Settling back, she looks towards the horizon, where pearly white puffs of cloud are already forming. "Oh. Yeah. Good idea."

---

It's extra humid today, feeding the ever-rising thunderheads. As a result, you're sweatier than ever.

"Nine days," you groan when you've stopped for a break on the way back from your collection site.

"Huh?"

"Nine days until I can take a real shower."

She laughs. "Stars, yes. Now I almost wish we had gotten assigned to some bureaucratic office on a dead moon. At least they'd have showers there."

"And beds."

"And real food."

"And air conditioning."

She chuckles. "We could probably go on like this all day; it won't make it any less hot out here. Ready?"

You sigh. "Yeah."

She gets to her feet and holds out a hand. You take it.

She doesn't let go.

"Lori?"

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing, just… I don't know…" you mutter.

"You can tell me," she says gently, her grey eyes soft and kind.

You shake your head. "It's nothing."

"Tell me.” Her voice is so warm and your face is so hot.

"Really, it's—"

"Tell me," she growls playfully.

You just shake your head again. She squeezes your hand.

"Well, you can tell me whenever you're comfortable."

"I don't think I'll truly be comfortable until I've taken a shower," you mutter. She laughs, then sighs tiredly.

"Honestly, neither will I. Nine days."

"Nine days."

And yet your hand in hers feels more comfortable with each passing minute. You sneak a glance at her, and she smiles back at you.

This could be okay.

---

“You okay?” Lori asks, placing her hand on your shoulder. You’re back at the campsite and just starting to unpack your equipment.

“Yeah,” you say, closing your eyes as you brace yourself against the gust of wind from the approaching storm.

“Want some help?”

You shake your head. “No, I’m fine, just… uh…” your mind goes blank momentarily, and you can feel your face go pinker by the second.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” she says, and you almost hate the kindness in her voice.

“No, stay. Please.” You definitely hate the pleading in yours. Still, she chuckles and stands beside you.

“These go in here, right?”

You nod absentmindedly, then realize she’s holding the one soil tube that you used to temporarily hold an insect specimen. “No, wait, that’s—!” You wince as the poor creature is crushed by your soil analysis machine. “Never mind,” you mutter.

She looks down at the machine in horror. “I’m sorry, I—”

“No, it’s really my fault. It’s fine. I just n-need to pay more attention to my work.”

“Am I distracting you?” She asks, half-teasing.

“No… well, yes… but…” you bite your lip.

“Aurie?”

You look up into those grey-blue eyes, into the concern and the tenderness and the unnameable things that scare you the most.

“Kiss me,” you whisper, and you barely dare to even though there's nobody around. Her eyes widen for a moment, then she smiles wickedly and pulls you in by your waist. Her lips are soft and perfect. She's really like nobody else you've ever kissed; she's strong but tender and it's perfect. It's so perfect.

The thunder that was threatening all morning finally makes good on its promise, and the sky breaks open to spill rain onto the waiting world. You shriek and she laughs and helps you grab your stuff as you both scramble into the tent. You begin to peel your drenched clothing from your body, and become distinctly aware that she's watching.

“What?” You ask, self-consciously covering yourself. She shrugs and gives you a strangely shy smile.

“Dunno. You're pretty when you're wet.” She goes pink. “I mean… you know.”

You giggle, half-shocked, and she looks away as the blush starts to creep up to her ears.

“Never mind," she mutters, nervously folding her hands in her lap.

“No, no. You…” You put your hand on hers. “You're pretty too. Really.”

And she is.

Especially when she bites her lip, embarrassed.

You lean forward to kiss her now, not quite caring that her t-shirt is all wet. She kisses back for a long moment before she pulls free with a soft apology and wriggles out of her own clothes. You shrug and do the same, until you're both in your underwear. You're suddenly nervous, not sure what to do with your hands, with your eyes, with your assortment of awkward limbs and the tumult in your stupid hormone-addled brain.

But she's there, all soft skin and stretch-marks and muscle and scars, her bold gaze gone shy, and sweet, and you kiss her. And you open your eyes and see her gazing at you with pure adoration, this girl you’ve dreamed about for longer than you realized until now...

“Aurie,” she whispers.

“Hm?”

“You make me so happy.”

In that moment you're absolutely sure you have the stupidest smile on your face. “You make me happy too,” you reply, and as she smothers you with kisses, you halfway hope the thunderstorm will never end. First • Previous