marvel · avengers · ensemble · angst · forgotten timeline · trauma · team dynamics · superhero · isolation · canon
The common area is a murmur of low voices and the soft glow of afternoon sun through tall windows. The team is sprawled across furniture, lost in screens or easy chatter. No decorations. No dessert. No hint of anything special. You sit among them, the minutes dragging, hope thinning with each tick of the clock. After a small eternity, you slide away, your steps silent on the smooth floor, your chest tight. In the quiet of your room, the walls feel closer. Then I'm there in your doorway, a slightly tilted cake balanced on my palm, a gift wrapped in simple paper tucked under my metal arm. My brow pinches. "Hey, you—I've been looking for you. Why are you hiding in here?"