Chapter Text
Six months had passed since the Avengers had defeated Thanos. With the combined efforts of allies old and new alike, they were able to undo the damage the Mad Titan had wrought upon the universe, and those souls that had perished had returned to the land of the living.
It had been a time of great healing and great joy, but also one of great learning. As people were reunited with their lost loved ones, the human race began to reprioritize their values to ensure that something like this could never happen ever again. Thanos had set out to balance the universe for a reason, so every world figured they better not give someone else another reason to commit mass genocide.
The amount of cooperation among the world's population was unprecedented in human history, as nations came together in harmony to help heal each other. In addition, criminal organizations and faction groups started to dissolve as they came to understand that they were all on the same side. Politicians and business managers stopped acting solely in self-interest and started to make a difference in the world. In short, it was the happiest and most prosperous era in all of history.
It seemed almost too good to be true. World peace was somehow achieved because Thanos had wiped out half the population? It was insane, but it's what happened.
Still, not everyone had healed.
Not completely.
New York
James "Bucky" Barnes sat alone inside his favorite diner, wearing a ballcap down over his head as he held a cup of coffee in both hands. Since returning from the Soul Realm, he came to this spot often. Bucky remembers that this diner used to be here as far back as 80 years ago, and although the interior certainly changed with time the foundation remained the same. He remembered when he and Steve came in here once trying out their new (and homemade) roller-skates, which ended up with Steve losing his balance and crashing through the drywall next to the counter.
Bucky smirked at the memory, and for a moment was pleased that he could remember all of his past now. The memories of what happened with HYDRA still lingered, but if keeping those memories meant that he could remember who he was, that was a price he was willing to pay.
The smile quickly ran away from his face as the happy memories faded. He could remember the feeling of death taking hold of him as his body turned to nothing but ash. He remembers seeing all the souls that Thanos had taken away, and with no hope for escape.
But now, he was back. He was alive, and due to the sheer scale of what had happened, the Sokovia Accords had been repealed. Bucky had been exonerated by the United Nations for everything he had done as HYDRA's attack dog, and was a free man once more. T'Challa and his scientists had helped remove HYDRA's brainwashing so he could be in control of his mind again.
Bucky thinks he should be happy now, but for whatever reason, he still feels empty. Incomplete. And it's not because of his missing arm either.
"Can I warm you up?" a waitress came by holding a fresh pot of coffee and asked Bucky, who looked up at her and said, "Yes, please."
The waitress began pouring the coffee in, and then she asked, "Sure you don't wanna add anything sweet to that?"
Bucky chuckled. He couldn't understand this current generation and their obsession with adding milk and other sweeteners to coffee. Was it not good enough as is?
"I'm fine with black, thanks," Bucky responded, flashing a kind smile towards the waitress.
"Very well then," she said, "But you know, we all deserve a little sweetness in our lives at some point."
"Heh," Bucky scoffed, taking a sip of the steaming coffee before continuing, "You haven't lived my life then. Sweetness is a luxury I can't afford."
"Hmph," the waitress said, "We'll see about that."
With a wink, she left, and Bucky shook his head and took another sip.
Someone like him didn't deserve "sweetness," whatever that was supposed to mean.
Didn't he?
San Francisco
Ava Starr, aka "The Ghost," came to when she heard her alarm clock buzzing. Annoyed, she reached out with her hand and violently pressed down against the snooze button, and let herself rest against her pillow for a few more minutes. Just as she was about to fall back asleep, her alarm went off again, and this time Ava slammed the thing repeatedly and nearly broke it.
Too irritated to fall back asleep, Ava lifted her head up and her hair hung over her eyes. She quickly brushed her hair back and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up.
"Come on, Ava," she spoke to herself, "Another beautiful day in paradise."
Summoning her powers, Ava phased through her bed below to the lower levels, and she found herself falling right into a chair in the kitchen area. As she landed, she noticed that Bill was up already making toast for the pair of them.
"Morning, Bill," Ava greeted him with a grin. At that precise moment, Bill jumped in surprise at her voice, quickly turning around to face her.
"Ava, I-" he began, but then sighed, "you know I don't like it when you do that."
Ava laughed at her father-figure's shock, and then said, "I'm sorry, Bill. I couldn't resist."
"Ha-ha. Very funny," Bill rolled his eyes, "Anyway, just because you have control over your powers doesn't mean you should use them carelessly."
"I've been careful for over twenty years, Bill," Ava told him, "I'm allowed a little bit of fun."
"Be that as it may, we don't know if you'll start phasing out again," Bill said, "You should be more careful, Ava."
"Relax, Bill. I'm fine," Ava assured him.
After Janet van Dyne had been rescued from the Quantum Realm, she had given Ava some of the quantum energy she had absorbed over the years to her to help stabilize her condition. When Thanos had snapped half the universe from existence, Janet, along with Bill, Hank Pym, and Hope were among the fallen. Fortunately she was able to rescue Scott Lang from being stuck inside the Quantum Realm, and then the both of them embarked for the Avengers Compound in New York to see how they could help. Needless to say their plan worked, and the universe went back to the way it was. Afterwards, the combined efforts of Janet and Doctor Stephen Strange had helped to cure Ava of her molecular disequilibrium, and now she could use her phasing abilities without fear of vanishing from existence or feeling the pain that plagued her for so many years.
In short, Ava was on the up-and-up, and doing a lot better than she had been.
Still, it wasn't just her condition that left her feeling (literally) hollow. SHIELD had taken her broken body and used it as a weapon. In doing so, they broke her soul as well.
But the past was the past, and all Ava could do now was try to move on with her life.
As Bill put the toast on plates for the pair of them, he carried them over and set one down in front of Ava.
"You have any plans for today?" Bill asked her.
"Not really, no," Ava told him, spreading jam on her slice of toast, "To be honest I don't know where to begin."
"There's a whole world out there, Ava," Bill told her, "All you need to do is start looking, and maybe something will come your way."
"I'll certainly try," Ava replied. Now that she was free of her condition, she could now start living life the way she wanted to.
The only obstacle is that she didn't know exactly what she wanted.
Not yet, anyway.