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“Do I really have to do this?” Peter groaned as he complained.
“The avatar is the bridge between the spirit world and our world,” Sam answered with an exasperation sigh. “You have a good handle on the physical bending part of being the avatar but you need to work on your spiritual side.”
“And talking to my past selves is the first step?” Peter asked with a raised eyebrow. He was sitting cross-legged across from Sam with his cheek propped up on a closed fist. The airbending master was sitting straight backed with his hands clasped in his lap.
“It will be important for you to be able to connect with them at some point,” Sam answered. “All of your past lives and their experiences are available to you when you need their advice. There are going to be plenty of things that none of your teachers or friends will be able to answer but only the past avatars will be able to.”
“So, I can talk to avatar Steve and those who came before him?” Peter asked.
“Exactly,” Sam nodded with a grin.
“Make sure to tell Stevie how much of a punk he is!”
“Do they have to watch though?” Peter grumbled as he jerked his free hand’s thumb over his shoulder at the spectators.
Bucky was sitting on the sidelines with his metal hand holding a bag of fireflakes in his flesh hand kept digging into to throw into his mouth. Tony was texting away at his phone, his brow furrowed as he concentrated. Natasha was filing her nails and taking a moment to inspect how sharp each one was before moving onto the next. Clint was polishing his bow with a quiver next to him. Bruce was humming happily as he turned the page in a book he had been meaning to read.
“They are here as insurance that nothing will happen to you the first time you – hopefully – connect with your past life,” Sam answered. “If someone comes and steals your body, your spirit could become lost.”
“And we really don’t want have to go start a second hunt for you,” Tony chuckled as continued to type on his phone.
“I didn’t ask you to go on the first one,” Peter grumbled. “…but I’m glad you did.”
“Aww, the kid loves us,” Clint teased.
Peter rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Sam. “So, what do I have to do to go into the avatar state?”
“You need to meditate and focus on wanting to connect within your spiritual self,” Sam explained as best as he could. There wasn’t too much he could say without ever actually going into an avatar state himself but since he had helped Steve enter it successfully under his teaching, he would say he was the most qualified to help. “Clear your mind of everything else and think of your past selves.”
“This is dumb,” Peter murmured.
“Less lip and more mind emptying!” Tony called over.
The airbender snickered as the grumbles from Peter. Sam closed his eyes as he mediated to show Peter an example of how to be. He loved to meditate nearly as much as he loved to fly on his glider. The feeling of freedom as he let his worries go and focused on the moment.
He must have gotten sidetracked in his own meditating as he forgot he was supposed to be helping Peter. Hearing a gasp, he opened his eyes to see Peter across from him – completely still and a glow peeking out of the tiny space between his eyelids.
Peter had entered the avatar state.
“Well, looks like the kid is a natural,” Sam grinned as he leaned back on his hands.
Peter opened his eyes when he felt a shift around him. He gasped when he saw he was in a dark space that echoed where he had been before. Sam was gone and instead Peter had barely kept his mouth from dropping open in shock when he saw his previous life sitting across from him – Avatar Steve.
“Hello, avatar Peter,” Steve smiled and inclined his head towards Peter. “I am avatar Steve.” The previous avatar was siting with his legs crossed and dressed in the short-sleeve version of his blue water tribe outfit. His iconic metal shield that used to swish through the air on the battlefield was strapped onto his back and it was weird to see the item that was displayed in the memorial room at home with its original owner.
Peter was frozen for a moment before he shook himself out of his awe. He bowed his hand and held his hands up knuckled pressed together in show of respect. “Avatar Steve – I have heard so much about you.”
“Probably not all good things,” Steve laughed. His lips were pulled up in a lazy smile and he tilted his head to the side. “Especially with punks like Bucky and Tony.”
“Funny you say that – Master Bucky just told me to tell you how much of a punk you are,” Peter teased.
“And tell him there is so bigger punk than him – it’s so weird hearing him be someone’s bending master,” Steve retorted with a smirk that wrinkled his nose. The two avatars laughed for a moment before it petered off. “I’ve been wondering when I would get the pleasure of meeting you.”
“Meeting me?” Peter gasped. “It’s an honor meeting you! I have heard so much about you growing up! Even before knowing that I was the avatar, your name has been ingrained into my head since forever!”
“I see my reputation proceeds me,” Steve said with a slightly strained smile.
“Do you know how many stories I’ve heard of you?!” Peter continued with a huge grin. “Like, it’s one thing with the stories the public know – but hearing the behind-the-scenes adventures from your team avatar is another! Like the time you all took down Master Loki back when he was still evil or the siege of Sokovia back from the equalists control! Awesome! I can’t wait to be just like you!”
Peter was about to go on when he saw the way Steve had his lips pressed together in a hard time at his last statement. Licking his lips, Peter tapped his fingers together. “Is…something wrong?”
“Not wrong per say,” Steve started. He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. “I believe this is going to be my first piece of advice to you as the previous avatar.”
Peter sat up in delight and excitement. “What is it?”
Steve sat up straight and cleared his throat. “Don’t be me.”
Peter blinked in confusion and hunched down. “What do you mean? You’re the best.”
“I was not the best – not by a long shot,” Steve snorted. “I just did what I thought was right and happened to have some great friends that prevented me from doing stupid things.”
“But, what about how the people regaled you as a saint,” Peter argued.
“And there are those who curse me as a demon,” Steve countered. He picked up his hands and started to move them around. From nowhere, water drew up from the ground between the two of them and moved along to Steve’s bending.
Peter looked down at his legs, his hands bunching up his pant legs as he gripped at them. “My whole life, I have been told that I was the second coming of you. That I will continue on your will and keep the world’s peace for another generation.”
“We may have the same spirit but we are two different people,” Steve went on to explain gently. “I don’t want you wasting your life forcing yourself to be like me when you are enough.” The water moved peacefully through the air as Steve controlled, a patient smile on his face.
“But…you were avatar Steve, the people’s avatar,” Peter whispered.
“And you are avatar Peter, who still has time to make a name for himself that is his own,” Steve smiled gently. Raising his hands, he moved the water into the air above them and clapped his hands together. Before Peter’s eyes, soft flakes started to float down on the two of them. A smile of awe bloomed on Peter’s face at the snow. “I can see you are going to do great things but you need to step out of my shadow.”
Peter gulped past the lump in his throat and nodded shakily. “My time is over, Peter,” Steve whispered with a soft smile. “The era of avatar Steve is over. It is time for the era of avatar Peter to begin.”
Sniffing, Peter wiped his eyes and nodded. Looking up, he bowed towards his previous life. “Thank you, Avatar Steve.”
“Heed my words, young avatar, and bring balance to the world,” Steve said as his voice took an echoy tone to it. The edges of Steve became blurry as his spirit went back into its dormant state.
Peter closed his eyes as he focused on returning to his body.
“-ter? Peter? If you can hear me, say something,” Tony said from above Peter.
Groaning, Peter raised a hand to push away Tony’s face as he cracked his eyes open. “Ugh, why are you so close? Haven’t you heard of personal space?”
“Says the same teenager that like to cuddle like a koala-turtle when we’re watching Stella Battles,” Tony rolled his eyes and he sat back on his heels.
“He’s fine,” Natasha snickered and backed away from the group around Peter.
Rubbing his face, Peter started to sit up from the ground he was apparently laying on. Bruce’s hand on his back helped him up and Peter rested an elbow on his bent knees as he ran a hand through his hair. “What happened?”
“Your eyes stopped doing the avatar state glowy thing and you flopped right over,” Bucky explained. His breathing revealed that he had just came running from the kitchen to get some water – to either splash on Peter’s face or for him to drink, he wouldn’t know.
“Really scared the crap out of us, kid,” Tony said.
“Sorry,” Peter grimaced. Interlocking his fingers, he raised them above his head in a big stretch. “Wow, I feel stiff.”
“Well, you were in the avatar state for a few hours,” Sam commented.
Peter’s eyes widened and turned his eyes to look out the window of the tower. Before the sun had been high in the sky, but now it was casting beautiful orange hues as it started to set on the horizon. “Wow, it did not feel like I was in there that long at all.”
“Speaking of,” Bucky cleared his throat as he passed over the bottle of water to Peter who took with a nod of gratitude. With his hands fidgeting, he looked out the window as Peter opened the bottle and took a sip. “Did you…see Steve?”
Everyone went deathly quiet as they waited for the answer. It had been so long for all of them since Steve died and they all wanted some type of hint of his presence still amongst them.
Gulping the bottle, Peter left a small amount of water. Holding his hand in front of him, he moved his hand in a flowing pattern and drew out the leftover water. Dropping the now empty bottle, Peter used both hands to move bend the water. Everyone didn’t say anything as Peter moved his hands up to force the water into the air above them. Clapping his hands together, Peter turned the water into fluffy snowflakes that danced down towards them.
“He said that you are the biggest punk of them all,” Peter answered cheekily.
Tony barked a laugh. It had been so long since he had been snowed on from inside. It had been a trick of Steve’s to cheer them all up when things were tough. The reasoning behind it was that whenever Steve was feeling down as a child after they moved from their tribe in the South Pole, his mother used to make it snow inside to cheer him up.
Bucky knew this well as he remembered the long-since gone woman doing it herself. Sniffingly, Bucky turned away from the group. “I’m sorry – I have to go.”
No one stopped Bucky as he dashed out of the room. Sam inclined his head towards Peter and trotted out of the room after his friend to comfort him. Peter understood that his actions brought up memories that might have hurt him but it was also proof that Steve was still somewhat with them.
“So,” Tony started. “What did Steve have to say?”
Peter grinned as he pushed himself off the ground, ignoring the hand held out to support him by Bruce and Tony. He walked over to the window and pressed a hand on it.
“That it’s time for me to be me and no one else,” Peter grinned as he looked at the cityscape before him.
Avatar Steve was right – it was time for the era of Avatar Peter to begin.