never kill the dream

     “I’m too smart for many things, you should know this by now.. “ jessica teased playfully before she continued “you should definitely make that deal with stark, or bet that you can do something faster than to what he can and really rile him up.” it really would rile him up and the duo would have a great time in doing so. as carol flew off, jessica couldn’t help but smirk with a roll of her eyes. that was her best friend. that was the best friend of hers that she loved with more than anything, and the person, she loved the most, after her son.

    letting out a soft sigh, jessica pulled herself up onto the bench as she allowed herself some time to gather her thoughts. carol was her family. she was there from beginning to end when she lost gerry, and she really wouldn’t have been alive now without her. she really was her best friend. and her son’s godmother. hearing carol returning, jessica looked up from her mug and offered the blonde a grin “yes of course. you better pair it with something healthy..like orange juice or something.”

“The smartest person I know,” Carol said fondly. Technically speaking, Jess wasn’t a genius, but she was the person Carol respected most in the world. That basically meant that in every department, Carol thought of her highly. “I’ll do both,” she suggested, waggling her eyebrows playfully. “The only thing he could kick my ass in is engineering.” Carol was cocky, but not unrealistic. There was no way in hell she could create a fucking time machine, even if she tried. Thank god there were heroes that could — Thanos would have won otherwise. Carol had other strengths, as she proved in the final battle.

The fight against the dinosaur wasn’t the most thrilling that she’d ever had, but it was entertaining to watch all the humans stare with wide eyes. They didn’t seem afraid thankfully, but they were still getting to know more about Captain Marvel which means there was some skepticism. At least no one doubted her and nothing was completely destroyed. New York had had enough of that. “You worried about my health, Jess?” Carol asked with a grin, leading her towards the food truck. “It’s definitely not because I gotta watch my figure. I look amazing,” she said lightly.

     It  was  inevitable,  at  least  while  in  New  York,  not  to  be  somehow  part  of  the  Ave`ngers  team.  Not  his  ideal  scenario,  as  Barnes  was  over  all  tired  &  lost,  all  at  once  ―  but  indisputably  better  than  staying  motionless,  as  another  burden  for  others  to  carry  around.  One  of  the  positive  parts  of  doing  such  thing,  however,  had  a  first  &  last  name,  an  amusing  sense  of  humor;  and,  above  all,  a  past  that  resembled  his  very  own.  Bucky  never  thought  he’d  find  a  friend  in  Carol  Danvers,  but  it  was  nearly  inevitable  once  he  met  her.  She  carried  a  different  kind  of  comprehension,  something  that  locked  him  by  her  side  in  the  most  instinctive  and  natural  way,  allowing  him  to  be  weirdly  comfortable  in  her  presence,  something  that  made  everything  a  bit  easier.

     And  something  that  would  allow  him  to  offer  a  little  smile  at  her  words.  Nothing  more  than  a  discreet  reaction  ―  but,  regardless,  a  smile.  Something  hard  to  happen  after  yet  another  false  report,  although  Bucky  couldn’t  guide  himself  into  blaming  someone  for  it;  not  after  everything.   ❝  I  still  wonder  how  you  failed  to  arrange  that  yet,  Danvers.  ❞   A  jest,  followed  by  another  smile  and  a  roll  of  his  eyes.   ❝  Oh,  so  reassuring.  Thank  you  for  your  kindness.  …  Chat  about  life.  Sure.  Because  that’s   what  we  are  missing,  right?!  Two  semi-stable  and  weird  Avengers  chatting  about  life  and  its  wonders,  while  around  New  York  City  after  defeating  a  dangerous  slime.  ❞  

After travelling the universe for a good thirty years, give or take, Carol had met a lot of characters. Some in good ways, others in bad, but Bucky fell into the former. Bucky hadn’t been the luckiest man around in history, but Carol respected the fact that he was trying to change. Plus, she couldn’t’ ignore the parallels in her own life. The Kree had successfully made her their soldier and it’d taken a long time for Carol to remember what her life had been like before, and to break free from their control. It wasn’t her proudest moment, but Carol, like Bucky, dedicated her life to doing the right thing now. That counted for a lot.

“Does that mean that you’re in?” Carol challenged, raising her eyebrows, a playful tone in her voice. Carrying Bucky around would be easy and entertaining, way better than aimlessly walking around, hoping to run into some villains. “I am very kind, you’re welcome,” she teased. As Bucky went on, Carol snorted. “Semi-stable? That’s a big exaggeration,” she said with a laugh. “So I recently found out about all the pop culture I’ve missed out on. Have you seen the new Star Wars? Terrible.” Star Wars had been amazing before! “How’s life for you?”

When Carol had first made an appearance she had brought Tony back and the Avengers and the entire world in fact, couldn’t have been more grateful. She had brought a lot to the team including aiding them in the fight against Thanos. She had powers unlike anyone else on the team and Steve admired her for how well she used them in their hour of need. To say they would’ve been fighting a losing battle without her was an understatement.

He was somewhat relieved she had decided to stay on Earth a little longer and he stopped to watch her punch the life out of the bag, as he walked in. “Captain,” He nodded, fully acknowledging the salute which could only bring back memories of his time during the War. “I get the impression training isn’t really what you want to do right now, so for the sake of the people, let’s grab pizza,” He answered, shaking his head with a hint of a smile on his face, “I’ve heard better excuses, I’ll admit,” He teased. 

Thanos may have split the entire universe into two, but he hadn’t lasted. He was easily one of the hardest battles Carol had ever fought, but the Avengers had made it happen. The galaxy, even with his cruelty, had persevered. There was something beautiful and infuriating about that, Carol decided. Beautiful that people could come together, infuriating that for a brief while, Thanos had won. At least it hadn’t lasted.

With people like herself and Steve around, Carol knew assholes like Thanos would never last. It wasn’t a matter of strength or power either, it was a matter of stubbornness, of a sense of righteousness in Steve’s case and a deep desire to prove herself in Carol’s. What a beautiful team. “You ever miss your military days?” Carol asked as she removed the boxing gloves. They weren’t necessary, but it was habit from her days of training in the Air Force. “Just between you and me, training’s definitely not what I wanna be doing right now,” she agreed with a snort. No shame in that! “Do you like the place on the corner? I think it’s called ‘Slice Haven,’” Carol said. The name was lame, but the pizza was great! “I’ll try to come up with a better one next time, Rogers. How’re you? Doing okay after everything went back to… kind of normal?”

    Carol Danvers. she was her best friend in all of the universes, she really wouldn’t be here without her. she honestly wouldn’t be. she had her son because of carol..and despite the happenings that happened, she really wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. cradling her coffee mug in hand, jessica leaned against the bench as she moved her mug to her lips and smirked in the blonde’s direction, raising her eyebrows in her direction “do you honestly think I’m stupid and am going to fall for that bet?”.

  with a snort, jessica rolled her eyebrows playfully in response before speaking “you know I’m not going to take that bet because the last time we made such a bet, I had to eat my words and I paid for breakfast so I’m just going to lean against this here bench, drink my coffee and wait for you to return because I’m sure I’ll be paying for your breakfast sandwich..I’ll even pay for the hasbrown and bacon on the side.”

No one in the universe knew Carol the way that Jessica did. It was something that Carol was grateful for. She’d always struggled to make good friendships — kind of inevitable when you were moving from planet to planet — but with Jessica, things had just felt natural. It was strange, but nothing Carol had ever minded. Not only did she have wicked backup in a fight, but Carol also had someone that could kick her ass when she needed it, especially in the emotional sense. Without Jess, Carol probably would have taken off to Knowhere again. “Nah, you’re too smart for that,” she agreed with a grin. “But it was a fun idea! I’ll make Stark take that bet and bring me to the fanciest place in town.” Carol would actually probably be kicked out of the fanciest place in town.

“Take a video so you can replay it every time you miss me,” Carol said with a wink. After that, she flew off at light speed, glowing with the power of her psionic blasts. Thanks to her time off planet, fighting dinosaurs just like this, Carol knew the easiest way to take them down was to go for the eye socket. A few blasts and a few punches later, the dinosaur was crashing to the ground, and Carol was shoving it out of the way of buildings. Four minutes later, Carol was back in front of Jessica, smirking. “C’mon, how awesome was that?” She asked before walking towards a food truck. “Now it’s time for hash browns, bacon and the breakfast sandwich. I’m spoiled these days.”

Being back on Earth wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. Not only did it force Carol to have a somewhat normal life, but it also forced her to stay in one place for an extended period of time. If members of the A-Force weren’t still in the galaxy, watching out for all of its inhabitants, the guilt would have eaten her alive. Sure, sometimes Carol still flew off, checking to ensure that everyone was doing fine, but for the most part, she was sedimentary. As she took a sip of her beer, Carol reminded herself that it was good for her in the long run. It’d been thirty years straight of traveling, protecting, and she had nothing to show for it. Few friends, no family, but the Avengers… they were good. This was for the best.

The friendship that she had built with Tony Stark was proof of that which was precisely what lead her to his living room. She’d let herself in, but Carol doubted Tony would mind that. Weren’t all superheroes used to their friends visiting in weird ways that totally pushed boundaries? “Staying on Earth is a little boring sometimes so I let myself in,” Carol informed Tony, swivelling around on the couch to see him better. “I couldn’t just leave, you would miss me way too much, so I took the second best option which was visiting you. Don’t spread that around.” Carol cocked her head to the side before asking, “You all healed up yet?”

Jessica Drew was a lifesaver. Both in the literal sense and the metaphorical one. Carol had seen Spider-Woman do amazing things for years now, she never failed to kick ass and impress, but Jessica was also partially what was keeping Carol sane on Earth. For years, she’d been traveling the galaxy, ensuring every living being was safe, and now that she’d stopped, Carol was restless. Yeah, she was ready to make a life for herself beyond fighting, but it turned out nothing was that simple. She couldn’t help but feel like she wasn’t doing enough — like she’d never do enough. But at least Earth had Jessica Drew, she mused, and it wasn’t like Carol was entirely useless down here.

“I so need a breakfast sandwich,” Carol announced, yawning as she looked at Jess. Before her friend could reply, the screaming started. Scratch sometimes. Carol was in fact damn useful, especially when a dinosaur invaded New York… a real, living, breathing dinosaur. If Carol hadn’t been on a planet filled with T-Rexes in the past, she’d probably be pretty shocked by the sight. “Couldn’t the dino have waited ’til I was done eating?” Carol complained. “How quickly do you think I can take it out? Let’s bet on who buys breakfast.”

Despite the many years Carol had been saving the galaxy, no big deal, she had absolutely no money. There was definitely some irony in that, but she tried not to think about it too much. She’d gotten used to being underestimated and unappreciated while she still lived in Boston and was being taunted by her father. But that was besides the point. The whole issue was quite simple: New York was expensive as hell and she was living in a shit hole only slightly worse than her ship. The walls were even rotting, ugh. At least Chewie could live in the closet — Carol didn’t need much space at all.

Naturally, needing some serious help in the decoration department, Carol went to Pepper Potts. She was just about the only woman Carol knew with any taste whatsoever. “I need your help,” she announced, collapsing into the chair across from Pepper’s desk. “My apartment is hideous and I think I need some… like, furniture, I guess.” She had spent way too many years on ships. The idea of a frickin’ real kitchen was even crazy. “Also may need some recipe books,” Carol added. “Do you accept this mission?”

Steve was a respectable guy and a great leader, as far as Carol was concerned. He had worked hard in order to save the world from Thanos and she’d heard tales of him rising from the ground when everyone was certain he was beaten down. Those were all the traits that Carol looked for in a leader… assuming she wasn’t able to lead herself. Ultimately, Captain America was one of the reasons why Carol was happy to be serving on the Avengers to begin with.

In the training room, Carol was opting for something a little more traditional and was hitting the bag repeatedly, working on her form. Over the years, she thought she would have perfected it, but Thanos had been… almost humbling. Wrestling that glove off of his hand had damn near killed her. When she heard footsteps enter the room, she turned around and saw Steve walking in. “Hey Captain,” she greeted, saluting him like she would a commander back in her Air Force days. “You wanna come train with me or should we get pizza instead? It’ll be like recon, hanging out with the people.” She paused before saying, “That was a shoddy excuse for wanting pizza, huh?”

Obviously, working on a team was foreign to Carol. Not the easiest thing either, Carol had noticed the clashing ideas, differences in morals and personality. Technically speaking, she doubted that a team was even necessary for her. Leading the A-Force had been amazing, she’d had a strong team of women behind her, but the Avengers were a little less functional. Maybe it was the team makeup, maybe it was because Carol wasn’t leading it, but the point remained. On the bright side, Bucky Barnes, aka the White Wolf, was an Avenger, too. Somedays, Carol wasn’t sure if she could put up with some of the bullshit without him.

“Patrols would be a lot more fun if I flew us around, y’know,” Carol told Bucky as they strolled through New York City. Allegedly, a few New Yorkers had spotted a ‘giant blue monster’ in Times Square, but Carol had yet to see any proof of the alien. Until she saw slime, Carol figured it was just their paranoia. These days, after Thanos, there was a lot of false reports, but she couldn’t blame humanity. Everyone had suffered and Carol would always investigate if it meant keeping them safe. “I promise I would keep you so safe,” Carol added with a grin. “Or we could just chat about life, I guess.”

“ do you always make it a habit to steal someone’s sunlight? gotta find another spot , i was here first. “ there is a sarcastic drawl in her tone , but she was serious as death.