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One found it utterly fascinating to gaze at the sky. The intricate splatter of white across a dark purpleness would tell the stories of the joined fish and scorpions of Babylonian and Greek mythologies, and they fantasized of what might be beyond and inside.
It just so happened to be that the Avengers, the Earth’s mightiest heroes, had some time off. No more alien invasions and crazed masterminds and powerful gods and magicians, just some time to spend with one another, to catch up.
There was a perfect silence about it all, a comfortable quiet of the area, away from the bustle of New York, away from the annoyance that was work, and away from the pain in the time when they were lost. Tony Stark immersed himself in the thought. He leaned sideways onto Rhodey’s shoulder, sighing a little in the action.
Rhodey breathed a chuckle, slowly reaching to pat the engineer’s head, while barely rolling his eyes. Tony did nothing in retaliation. He remembered the serendipity of the fact that neither of his closest and oldest friends had gone in the original snap, and run through his head what might’ve been if he hadn’t lost Peter either. Would the rest of those that had left be here?
He closed his eyes, resting a hand on his constantly, but slow healing of his right arm. Rhodey mustered a small smile down at him, then continued to stare out at the vast panorama that was the night sky.
Pepper looked to him with a bright smile from the other side of Tony, a smile that basked in the life that they had for now, even if it were only temporary.
At some points Rhodey had to remind himself that she was also a superhero, and balancing these things was just as hard for her.
Pepper looked down at Steve, who sat in front of the leather couch that had been moved up to the roof for their convenience. Tony constantly resisted the urge to kick Rogers in the back of his head, though in the playful manner.
Steve Rogers was trying his best to meditate. He focused on his slow breathing while holding against the rather chilly air, gazing down the lake to the reflection of the sky.
He held his breath for a couple moments, patiently looking across the scene that had been obliterated, just a few months ago.
At the thought he leaned back, and threw his arms around Bucky and Sam. Sam nearly choked on the slice of pizza he was eating. Bucky flashed a tilted smile at his oldest friend.
Sam quietly noted this and while barely rolling his eyes, swatted a metal arm from taking a slice from his pizza. Natasha shook her head a little in a soft way, standing on the edge of the roof and counting the constellations she could see.
All her years alone in the previous building on this plot of land had freed her plenty of time. She was only glad that they were all back.
Earlier, Wanda had thanked her, for all the support she and Clint gave her even after both her brother and lover had departed. She’d only replied that they held each other up, and she’d seen the young woman smile for the first time in a while. She couldn’t help but find the same reaction lingering on her face.
Beside her, Clint didn’t comment. It was enough for him that he’d gotten to see Natasha again in Professor Hulk’s reverse-snap, but even after a month or so, he was still recovering from the further grief it caused him and how the fact was still trying to settle in.
Nevertheless, he mirrored her sign of bliss, and looked out to the southern sky at Orion, the famed archer. Nat was trying to teach him the constellations.
From aside, Bruce Banner had put on his glasses, and Thor entertained him with giving mythical history on all the constellations splattered across the canvas that was the sky. They’d grown so much closer after the episode that was the fall of Asgard, and even more still when Thor was recovering. After Thanos’s final defeat, they’d finally become less tense.
A few moments passed in their harmonious quiet, and suddenly all of them perked up to Natasha’s signal for the beginning.
If they’d thought the sky before was the most beautiful thing perceivable from the cosmos, they were wrong.
A sudden blast, and the first white streak lit the sky.
Gasps were heard around, and Sam put down his pizza. No phones were pulled out, just the sheer mesmerisation of it all prevents from doing so.
And suddenly, tens to hundreds of lights, flinging across the sky to the distance. From where they were, it was clear to see the white and translucent blue tails trailing like that of a jet plane’s tail against the dark purple sky.
Their heads all followed the lights as they soared in a clear arc.
It’s ethereal, and even the serious Bucky and Natasha couldn’t help mustering a silly little smile at the sight. Rhodey snuck a slice of pizza from Sam’s box, to no complaint from the latter.
Steve squeezed his friends a little tighter, and Bucky subconsciously softened, shifting so that he could hold the captain with his non-metal arm. Pepper smiled at the fact that the winter soldier was finally showing his soft side more clearly.
Aside from the low whistle of the night breeze and the low hiss of the rocks from afar entering the upper atmosphere, it was silent for an extra couple of minutes for the first Avengers.
The rooftop door clicked open, and Sam, Pepper, Bucky and Rhodey all turned in relative surprise, to see the rest of their team. Tony beamed at the sky at their planning. Steve returned his smile, but they didn’t need to see each other’s expressions to know.
Peter Parker led the crowd. Wearing a loose Nasa shirt and his signature Hello Kitty pants, he ran up to Tony and embraced him in a hug. Tony returned the action of affection and ruffled the boy’s curls.
He was shortly followed by T’Challa, Stephen Strange and Carol Danvers, who all, instead of their usual hero costumes were clad in casual jackets and t-shirts. Instead of using their advanced capabilities, they’d come with the least flair possible – all to fit with the mood. They were immediately captivated by the show.
After them, Shuri, Wanda Maximoff and Scott Lang came, following similar procedures to what their priors did. They found places to sit, and Sam Wilson was willing to share what was left of his pizza to those who had taken a long trip to get to the Compound.
There were hasty reunions, to be elaborated and extended upon when the spectacle was over, and people quickly embraced and broke apart and in the continued quiet returned to watch.
And the stars fell and fell, in the moments of glory that extended on itself in the spectators’ hopes for it to last forever.
But things do end. Everything does. Yet even after they end, they can be carried along through and by memories or in a false illusion in pretending to stay in a state of mind.
And so perhaps, in this world where to any amount of how much they needed to avenge the world it wouldn’t be enough, but having each other might make up for just that.