ANT-MAN

“I suppose not,” she muses, eyebrows moving up as she considers the question. “But perhaps it is due to our closeness. You must feel the same way about the captain Steve Rogers, since you two are so familiar with one another, yes?”

His welcome does not go unnoticed, and Sif laughs, still amused at the odd situation. “Thank you. It’s not exactly quite as I remember it, but the essentials are the same. Loud, metallic,” her eyes search the population around her, cafe patrons sitting at tables near hers on the balcony. “And chaotic, but that’s not too surprising now that I see your problem.”

Sif’s brow pulls into a frown as he recounts a quick synopsis of the main conflict, and she does her best to wrap her head around the concept of Earth’s protectors pushing away Earth’s other protectors. “I see. I…apologize, I was not aware. I suppose Thor must not know about this. I doubt he is here. The Allfather sent me to collect him, there are diplomatic matters he must attend to.”

Sif tsks, letting out a frustrated sigh. “With any hope, he’ll return to Midgard soon. Especially after hearing what a state your realm has been in.”

Sif glances to the small figures in her palm, noticing ANT-on’s pushing. She reaches down and collects a crumb on her plate, left over from her croissant. With it stuck to the pad of her index, she drops it in front of the ant with a distant smile. “It seems my mission here is not quite done. I must ask, Ant-Man, I may need some assistance…navigating your planet. Could you offer me that? As a favour to another hero.”

Scott could only imagine what Thor would say if he arrived on Earth, only to find that the Avengers had broken up. He winced behind the safety of his helmet, trying to picture the way a thunderous God would react- it wasn’t a pretty picture. He sighed heavily and propped his hands on his hips, listening to Sif continue. “Yeah. Yeah, Cap and I are practically buds.” Not really, but she didn’t need to know that part, either.

ANT-on gave a few clicks of his mandibles, moving forward on her palm, legs wiggling as he moved. Ants were restless and they rarely stayed still for very long, despite all of their training and the neuro-control. “Oh, uh, your home in trouble or something,” he asked, looking up at the woman, searching her expression for any signs of trouble or unease. “I mean, I’d tell you if I’ve seen him, but I’ve never met him. So...”

Brows rose as he rocked back on his heels, watching the woman gather a crumb for ANT-on to snack on. “Yeah, well, it’s only getting worse.” Which was the least problematic way to explain the state of the world. He watched his innocent ant companion chip away at the crumb, savoring its flavor. He lifted a hand, patting the bug’s head before directing his small gaze back towards the goddess- was she a goddess even on Earth? He supposed so. A warrior at the very least- that was enough.

         She cut him off, eyes finding his as she stood in front of him. “ Scott, “ she started. “ Shut up. “ It’s light, meant to be caring. “ NOTHING is going to happen to you in there. “ She’s promising him that, and she’d be damned if she let him slip through her fingers this time. “ I’m going to bring you back out. “

         Even if Cassie isn’t her kid and Scott strays around in a gray zone between friend and something more     she doesn’t want the little girl to face a similar demise she had three decades prior     doesn’t want Scott to be left behind like her mom. It’s a silent vow of defiance that if something goes wrongs on this new trial run of retrieving the healing particles they need, she’d go in after him.

         That’s what partners ARE, right? Those that sacrifice for other   the ones they care about.

         She offered him a small device then, fingers gripping it in soft protest to see him off as her wild heart beats. It’s just a reminder that science is never concrete upon new discoveries. Every leap of faith into star dust and the spaces between their cells showed evolution and change     sacrifice would always be a risk as a byproduct. “ To set off the quantum unit, you’re going to decuple it. That should activate it to start absorbing quantum healing particles, “ she explained, pushing it into his hands. “ Ready? “

         There’s no reason to want to kiss him goodbye   no prolonged handshakes or moments shared between them. He’d come home and that’s enough for her. They’d work to smooth out the edges of the undefined and working relationship later.

"Yeah. Shutting up.” He didn’t expect Hope to leave him in the Quantum Realm. Angry as she may have been, and rightfully so, Scott knew she would never damn anyone to a life of spiraling into an endless nothing. Nothing is going to happen to you in there. Maybe it was because she had never seen it, but Hope had more faith in science than he did- not that he didn’t trust Pym’s technology, but he didn’t trust that realm. It was almost alive on its own.

Cassie was his lingering thought, mind grasping at her funny smile and her affinity to wear pink tutus with jeans. He almost laughed aloud, thinking of her adorable little face asking to be his partner. It was almost too cute. “I got this.”

Gloved hands carefully took the quantum unit, turning it over in his grasp. “Right. Right, I just gotta sit in there, open this up and absorb the particles.” He nodded, reassuring himself of his own words. “Yeah, that’s easy. Yeah.” Muttered mantra of I’m a boss , I’m a boss were muffled beneath his helmet. It was a trial run and, for all he knew, he wouldn’t even make it to the Quantum Realm. Even so, he was tense and tried to loosen up by shaking out his arms and rolling his head side to side.

“Okay. I got it. I got this.” Yet, despite his shaking confidence and Hope’s resolve, Scott felt as if there was something between them unsaid- something that needed to be done before he left. There was no reason to act as though it was their last moment together, but he still felt a form of longing and worry. “Hope,” he started, hesitating just slightly. His grip on the quantum unit tightened slightly, nerves catching his words in his throat.

Sif suppresses a smile at the use of the word cool to describe her friend. Though she doesn’t have a thorough grasp on its use as a colloquialism, what little she knows is enough to amuse. Leaning her head down, she rests her chin in the palm of her other hand as she studies the two figures, walking around on her skin.

“You make a fair point. I suppose Midgard sees him a little differently than I do,” she chuckles. “I am a friend of his. And seeing as you are acquainted with Steve Rogers, you are not a threat.” Sif offers a friendly smile. “I am an Asgardian, like Thor. Not quite of this realm, I’m afraid.”

His fumbling would make her laugh if it hadn’t been for the particularly worrying statement he had just made. “The…no heroes business?” Sif echoed dumbly. “No, I…I only came down from the Bifrost two days ago, searching for Thor. What exactly has happened? Can you tell me?” She is worried now, brow pulled together in the vagueness of the situation.

"You don’t think he’s cool?” Scott had yet to meet the legendary Thor, but he had heard about him from his fellow Avengers ( was he even an avenger? He wasn’t sure), and had been entertained by many stories. He tilted his head, watching Sif closely as she leveled her eyeline to their, well, standing line. “Well, if you’re from the same place Thor is, I guess I should welcome you to Earth, right? It’s a mess, but we’re still here!”

He nervously laughed, stumbling as ANT-on nudged his back. “Yeah, well, Cap and I go way back.” Not that far back, but since she was new, how was she supposed to know? “Fought the system together and everything. You know, that guy is actually huge in person. I’ve never seen arms like that- he’s massive.” Clearly, someone had quite the experience. Scott waved his gloved hands, small as they were, and inched closer to the edge of the woman’s palm.

“The whole Accords thing kind of makes heroes like me, and the others ones who sided with Cap, illegal. We kinda broke the law, you know? On the run, livin’ that life- you know all that business, don’t you? Maybe?” He shrugged.

Peter nodded in acknowledgment. He really had to stop spending so much time with Ned. The story sounded almost like his CAPTAIN AMERICA story. The bubble of excitement was evident and it made the teen ripple with his own. ❛ Falcon ? I mean —— ❜ Peter’s voice carries off, shrugging off the man’s story a bit as he leaned against the nearest wall.

❛ Did you know I stole Captain America’s shield? ❜ His words came out faster than he could’ve remembered how the other man was THERE. The wave of confidence disperses a bit, until something else comes to mind, ❛ Like the time I made this dude who could get REALLY big trip over his own two feet. He fell for the oldest trick in the book. ❜ The jab was left, Peter snicked lightly behind the mask, eyebrow cocking underneath the fabric, ❛ Sound familiar? ❜

The kid was amusing, that much was clear. Now that they had time to do more than fight, Scott found that he was younger than he thought, though not a child exactly. He crossed his arms over his chest, listening to the teen try and pull his story together. Just as he was about to exclaim I was there !, he heard the following statement. “Nope, doesn’t sound familiar at all.”

He grumbled something, a defensive comment lost within the echo of his helmet. He rolled his eyes and immediately swung a hand up, waving the joke aside as he recovered himself. “Sounds like you just had beginner’s luck. I heard that guy didn’t grow that big very often- still working things out, you know?” After a moment of pausing, he huffed and motioned toward the other. “Have you ever stretched your molecular make-up that far apart? It’s not as easy as I made it look.”

“You have never heard of Asgard? You have surely heard of Thor. The crown prince, son of Odin!” She pressed. “If you are a hero as you so valiantly proclaim, then you must have heard of him at least.” Sif wasn’t exactly offended to hear that her home was unknown to the little man. Perhaps it was better if she keep her true identity under wraps. But then again, she was a firm believer in the value of truth.

Sif had been planning to keep the cap in her grasp for fear of crushing her newfound acquaintance, but it seemed she had dearly underestimated his strength. His motion shocked her, but she said nothing of it. A moment of surprise was a moment of unguardedness.

“Ant…Man?” She repeated, skeptical, an eyebrow raised in response. “An odd name, but fitting, given your size.” His profession likely made it necessary for him to keep his identity secret, and Sif was not so crass as to push the issue. “Hello, ANT-on,” she pauses, a small smile creeping up on her mouth. “Well then, Ant-Man, I am the Lady Sif of Asgard.”

There was no point in keeping her true nationality from him. What damage could it do, especially since Thor was so favoured by the people of Midgard? If anything, it would gain her some favour too. “So, this suit you are wearing, it…is the reason for your size?” Sif questioned, cocking her head as she leaned forward to look closer. “Are you…stuck in it? And therefore unable to return to your normal capacity?”

Scott listened to the woman speak while he tended to his ant’s needs. “Thor?” He knew of the man, but he’d never had the pleasure of meeting him personally. “Never met him, but I hear he’s cool.” Giving ANT-on a pat on his mandibles, Scott brushed his hands against his pants and walked the length of the woman’s palm, insect-sized gaze focusing on her. “He’s one of the Avengers- who hasn’t heard of him?”

He lifted a hand, wagging his index finger in the air. “Exactly. Works ‘cause of the whole ant thing, too.” ANT-on clicked his mandibles together in response to the greeting, snapping at the back of Scott’s suit. He jumped, pushing the head away. “Easy easy. We’ll fly later.” He rolled his eyes, masked by his helmet, before turning his attention to Sif. “Sif ? I’ve never heard of you. You’re a friend of Thor’s, then?”

        She knows he felt he HAD something to prove   she could see it in his eyes. It made her think about them and the foundation of their partnership. As much as he infuriated her, doing the most daring and dangerous things on some whim, she wasn’t mad at him anymore.  She wasn’t MAD to begin with. She was in a place of hurt, the agony that he betrayed them when he stepped up to bat with the rogue Avengers.

        The spiral continued, not even just concerning him. The fact of the matter was, he never told her so she could support him. It was a secondhand source   the media ringing with his antics in New York. It wasn’t like she could just SAVE him either, especially when Hank and her were flagged on a no-fly list and being hunting.

         He’s changed her mind, though. Stalling like a beat up car with no gas, she doesn’t want it to be the end of their partnership.

         “ You’re not expendable, Scott, “ she admits then as an after thought. She just needed him to hear it because if their last kiss was any clue left behind, she never STOPPED caring for him. She wanted him to have an out   to stay safe. “ I promise I’ll do my job here and get you out. “ It’s the most she can offer up, trying to assure his obviously nervous thoughts.

Gaps of silence seemed to get shorter and shorter, the more they spoke to one another. Though he was childish in many ways, he was always prepared to do the right thing- especially for those who were close to him. His daughter had expressed such faith in him, urging him to continue on his illegal journey as Ant-Man; she spoke with pride, knowing that her father was the hero on television. Her admiration meant the world to him- a true admiration, not one for a false character on the screens. Cassie. Hank. Hope. They were all so important.

“You said you didn’t want an apology, but I'm sorry. I should have said something.”

Betraying Hope and Hank had been a mistake, but the constant downward spiral he seemed to fall into was constantly pulling Cassie in. He felt obligated, though not in a bitter way. He needed to do what they needed of him because he had failed them so many times before. How could he tear away a chance at their happiness- even if it was only a moment? How could he continue to disappoint?

“Sure,” he replied, keeping his gaze focused on equipment he continued to check over, “I know, but- I’d rather it be me.” Their kiss had been enjoyable, warm and reminiscent for him- surprising, as well. He hadn’t expected Hope and him to reconnect over their travels together, especially since he had burned her so badly.

“The goal is to get what we need and get out, right? I can do that.” He shuffled on his feet, eyes flicking to the buttons along the curves of his hands.

         It did make sense. Perhaps not in the way he’d talked about it, but she knew the lingering feeling. They barely had success, this wasn’t something she’d considered to take lightly either. Just to ease him, her hand was cautious to reach out and touch his shoulder.

         “ Scott, “ she started. “ I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you. “ She knows it’s not what he means. She’d never set foot in the Quantum Realm. He’d commented before how it melted his mind. If that doesn’t scare, the thought he’d end up stuck THERE because of her did. It’s on her tongue, the words to tell him he didn’t have to. She can’t consider what she’s even saying as it slips out.

         “ I can do it. “ The words hung bold and brazen, thick in the atmosphere.

         It’s insanity. She can’t help but think it’s fitting to some degree     that going back in was stemmed from something closer to her than him. If Hank had been in there      hell     if Hank had even heard her entertain the idea, she knew he’d disagree, but this was never supposed to be Scott’s battle.

"Better not let Hank hear that one.”

The amusement in his tone did little to mask the unease. He trusted Hope- trusted Hank. The two of them, together, were brighter than anyone he knew. From the beginning, Scott had known he was someone expendable and had even told Hope that it was true. Hope was all Hank had left of his family, even if she was being kept in the dark to develop bitterness. Had it been Cassie- absolutely not. He wouldn’t let her be her partner - couldn’t support such an idea, even if it was the most heartwarming thing he’d heard.

He’d done enough to them, put them through enough- it wasn’t fair to pull away now. Not when they had a chance to accomplish something they had tried so hard for. Gloved hands idly fiddled with their sleeves, a nervous action that seemed to cause a shuffling in his feet, before hand settled on hers, squeezing fingers curled on his shoulder.

“No, I got this.” A firm nod of his head and he glanced up, pushing through his nerves with a gentle smile; the quirk of lips that often meant he had a joke brewing in his mind, but it wasn’t quite ready yet. Lighten the mood.