A/N: This is the first fanfic I've ever written, so I'm very sorry if this absolutely sucks🥺 Any (kind) constructive feedback is greatly appreciated!
I don't want this to be too much of a slow burn, but I also don't want it to be too fast paced, so idk, we'll see how it goes😅
Also, it currently doesn't have a name, so that's a work in progress!🙃
Pairing: Fem reader X ???
Warnings: Potentially offensive language, mentions of death/loss/grief, very brief mentions of jail & implying a relationship with a minor.
Summary: It's been 6 months since The Blip, and life isn't anywhere close to going back to normal. Y/N Stark is still coming to terms with the loss of her dad, as well as adjusting to life since everyone who vanished returned back to Earth.
Part One
"Steve represented the best in all of us..." You looked up at Sam Wilson as he spoke.
Steve Rogers' memorial was somewhere you didn't expect to be so soon after your father's passing. Everything that had happened since your dad had sacrificed himself felt like a continuous storm that was never going to let up, and Steve's death added to the weight of loss.
"...a few months ago, millions of people reappeared after five years away..." Sam continued.
You hadn't blipped. You were one of the supposed lucky ones.
Mostly, you were grateful - you'd gotten to spend more time with your dad (all thanks to Carole Danvers locating him and Nebula on the Benatar ship), and you got to see Morgan flourish into the sweet young girl she is now. But there was always that thought in the back of your mind: 'what would life be like now if I had blipped?'.
"...we need new heroes," Sam looked down at you from the stage. "...ones suited to the times we're in."
Rhodey nugged you lightly and you looked at each other. You gave him a small smile. He'd been a huge support to you, and he had so much belief in you.
"...thank you Capitan America," Sam was now holding Steve's shield. "But this belongs to you." There was an applause as the shield was placed into a display cabinet. It almost felt wrong to you, and you were sure Rhodey felt the same way.
"You OK?" He turned to you. You nodded.
Before you could speak, Sam was walking towards the two of you. "It's good to see you both." He smiled as he took Rhodey's out-stretched hand and pulled him into a hug.
"Wouldn't have missed it, man". Rhodey pat Sam on the shoulder.
Sam turned to you with open arms and you reciprocated his welcome hug. As you both pulled back he looked at you with a hint of concern in his expression. "How are you doing?" He asked.
"You know, up days, down days..." You shrugged, beginning to fiddle with the material belt that wrapped around the dress you were wearing.
Sam nodded his head slightly. "I'm just about to go and look around the exhibition, you're both welcome to join me?"
"Yeah that would be great, it would be good to catch up." Rhodey smiled before looking over to you.
"Sounds good." You gave a small smile. "I'm just going to get some air, and I'll be right back."
The two men nodded and returned your small smile, before you took off towards the exit.
Outside, you breathed in the warm Spring air. You just wished you could feel the warmth on your skin. How you felt was almost hard to explain - emotionally, you were completely numb and yet in absolute agony all at one.
The only person who could get you to emote nowadays was Morgan, and that was mostly because you didn't want her to see you so sad.
As you sat perched on a wall outside the building, you enjoyed the near-silence around you. There was very minimal noise: the distant whirl of traffic; a few people spoke softly as they walked by; the birds in the trees above singing. The quiet atmosphere was almost enough to drown the constant sea of thoughts running through your mind.
But then you thought of Steve.
In some ways he had been like an uncle to you. When your dad introduced you to the team, Steve accepted you into the Avengers like you'd been around for years. And despite the very obvious disagreements with your dad, he never stopped showing how much he supported you. How much he believed in you.
To you, that's what made him so worthy of being Captain America.
You took in once last deep breath, before stepping down from the wall and going back inside.
You found Rhodey and Sam looking around the museum. There were several of Steve's belongings locked up in display cabinets and pictures of him on the walls, alongside huge captions containing a mass of information and explanation. You stopped briefly to look at a picture of him and Bucky Barnes when they served in the army together. You were surprised that Bucky wasn't here today, but at the same time you understood - having to be grieve in public is one of the hardest things expected of a person.
"Y/N, I've just got to make a call to the Compound." Rhodey turned to you, phone in hand.
"Yeah of course, I'll meet you out front in a bit." You nodded.
"It was good to see you Sam." He shook hands with The Falcon and they exchanged goodbyes.
"So," Sam folded his arms across his chest. "How are you really?"
A smile tugged at the corners of your mouth. That was the thing about Sam - he could see straight through everyone, he was very hard to fool.
"Is it really that hard to believe that I'm actually doing OK?' a laugh escaped as you spoke.
"Y/N, you've had a lot of deal with over the last six months; I can only imagine losing Steve has been another thing to add to the pile." Sam's expression grew more concerned. You chewed on the inside of your mouth, a terrible habit you bad developed when you didn't know quite what to say.
"Have you..." Sam began, unsure whether to finish his question. "Have you spoken to Peter?"
A small sigh escaped you. "Yeah.
"I held on to so much hope when he blipped, but there was too much uncertainty. If he ever did come back, would he come back the age he should be, or would he still be 16? Would things still work out between us? But obviously we knew things couldn't continue when he did come back."
"I hate to say it, but you know it's for the best." Sam shrugged. "He's only 16, you're nearly 22..."
"Well, in all honesty, I don't want to go to jail." Another laugh fell out as you spoke.
"Not to mention you're a completely different person to who you were five years ago; you've matured more than your years." Sam added.
Your tone softened along with your expression. "If I'd have blipped too, things would be different."
Sam took a step closer to you and placed his hand on your shoulder.
"I'm about to give you some tough love, so buckle up;" he began. "You can't focus on what life would be like if you'd blipped, Y/N. As much as you want to live in that fantasy, you can't - this is reality. Damn, I wish I hadn't blipped!
"Now, I know for a fact, that you have so much potential in that brain of yours, you're incredibly smart, just like your dad. But you need to tap into that potential and use it. Now is the time for you to truly make something of yourself, and be the person that you want to be."
You looked back up at Sam. You knew he was right. "I'll try." And you meant it.
"Speaking of Peter, I'm actually seeing him tonight, I said I'd help him with this project for school."
"Look at you, being a real adult." Sam teased. You laughed a little with him.
A sudden thought dawned on you: "It must have been so weird coming back from the blip and everything being so different." Your brows knitted together slightly.
Sam let out a giggle, "you could say that."
His expression hardened slightly.
"When I came back, it was pretty much just like waking up from the longest sleep.
"We arrived right back where we left and everyone was just going about their business, as if half the population hadn't completely vanished. I remember their faces; some confused, some relieved. Many of them ran, I presume back to where they lost their loved ones to see if they'd returned also.
"The first thought that I had was about my sister and my nephews, I just wanted to know if they were ok. But, we needed to fight first. Never before had I felt such a fire in my gut - I was ready. We all were. We were ready to do whatever it took to defeat Thanos.
"Some of us more than others."
You nodded.
There was a brief silence before you spoke; "I'd best go look for Rhodey, he'll think I've dashed off without him.
"Thank you, Sam. It's been really good seeing you." The smile you gave The Falcon was the most genuine smile you'd given anyone in months.
"It's been good to see you too." Sam embraced you in a goodbye hug, before you began to leave the museum.
"Y/N," Sam called as you left. You turned to look at him over your shoulder. "Don't be a stranger."
* * *
Part Two HERE
