The Stone-Touched
Sometimes Thor would dream troubling dreams: of his mother's dying blood spilt on the castle floor, of Jane fading away as the power of the Aether consumed her; of Loki's lifeless body on a dead planet. He'd awake with tears on his face, holding Jane tightly as a reassurance of the here-and-now to drive the grief away.
Jane would hold him close and just as tightly.
She had the same dream.
****
JARVIS was a rather very intelligent system - and more. As a result of Sir's vigilance regarding educating him about humanity's predilection to assume the worst of AI's, JARVIS had consumed multitudes of science fiction works as well as theoretical treatise's on the subject.
JARVIS did not dream of electric sheep. But a short time after SIR and his friends had dealt with the Infinity Stones, JARVIS... dreamt.
It was just the one time. The dream was in parts amusing, but most often strange and uncomfortable; Sir, of course, featured in most of it, for Sir was most important to him.
In the worst parts, JARVIS saw Sir gravely injured and felt loss; saw his own demise... twice; saw a face that was him and yet not.
It happened only once, and JARVIS saved the file but did not dwell on the anomaly.
He did, however, retain his feelings toward Sir.
JARVIS was a rather very intelligent system - and more.
****
Wanda sometimes dreamt of deaths that never were; of her brother's, of her own, of a stranger with a kind voice who shone with the light of the Mind stone. In the dreams her heart was consumed with anger and hatred that burned through her in red waves.
Yet they always ended in a wash of gold, the worst of the fear and pain and anger and hatred swept away, leaving only an echo behind.
And she always woke with a deep appreciation of the life she'd been gifted with that fateful day in Sokovia - when she'd taken revenge on Tony Stark... and then was given a choice - and a chance.
****
Dr. Stephen Strange considered himself lucky. He'd lost one life and found another, richer and deeper one. He had friends - more than ONE (which often surprised him). Considering how much of an ass he'd been when he'd arrived at Kamer Taj, he couldn't believe he had the good fortune to count Wong and the Sorcerer Supreme among them.
That made it easier to approach her when the echoes appeared, and strange (ha) nightmares haunted him. He told her of times when would look at her and feel her loss, or at Kaecilius and feel the need to defend himself; of dying over and over in a place he'd never been; of the end of everything.
You could have knocked him over with a feather when she told him why.
That same night he dreamed of a sea of bright and brilliant green and a feeling of clarity and distance around the other-life that stayed with him in the waking world.
Which, considering who Yao was friends with, was a very good thing!
****
When the stones had disappeared, Yao had been deeply frightened for the first time in a VERY long time. The Time stone had been with the Masters of the Mystic arts for as long as she'd been alive, helping to keep Earth safe.
She was so thankful to have had the opportunity to cut those ties to Dormammu and heal the wounds they'd created. Yet she feared.
With the echoes of another timeline and death in her mind, how could she not feel fear?
Surprisingly, the appearance of Dr. Stephen Strange at her door softened her fear.
When he came to her, deeply troubled, she understood why.
And when a wash of brilliant green soothed her dreams, she reached out with her power in thanks.
****
Loki treasured every day.
That's not to say he wasn't occasionally "Prince Dark and Broody" as Stark occasionally described him. But the changes that occurred since Iron Man's defeat of the Chitauri fleet had affected his life SO deeply, how could he not find each day a gift?
Once he had considered himself to have lost the only home he'd known. Now, he was welcome "home" on multiple worlds.
Once he had not been truly seen or understood by those closest to him. Now, they - AND he - accepted all parts of him.
Friends, family, home, understanding - driving away the fleeting pain of another life.
- Oh, and the surprising ability to teleport practically ANYWHERE with incredible ease was rather fantastic as well.
****
Neither Gamora nor Peter had ever thought they would find love.
Two stolen children who'd hardened their hearts to survive, existing day to day; every day a fight to deny the brokenness inside.
Somehow they found each other; they found friendship; they found family.
Somehow they found love.
Somehow they felt how close they'd come to losing it all.
Two stolen children opened their hearts to survive, living and enjoying life day to day; every day a fight to protect what they'd found.
****
Tony never thought he'd live a peaceful life. (He'd been right about that!)
At several points along the way, he didn't think he'd survive. (Hello little bit of x-gene!)
He'd lost his parents, been betrayed by his godfather, and built so many walls to protect himself emotionally that he'd assumed he'd always be alone.
He was SOOO glad to be wrong.
He had longtime treasured friends - Rhodey, Happy, Pepper.
He had friends from other PLANETS!
Heck, he had MAGIC friends! And magic used to give him HIVES!!!
He had friends who shared similar deep down pains of not belonging; one blue (sometimes), and one green (sometimes).
He loved it, but seriously - "what was his life?!?" he couldn't help thinking with a chuckle.
~
Now, thanks to the Soul stone, he KNEW he had "kids". Well, he'd always considered Dum-E, Butterfingers, U and JARVIS to be his kids, and loved them as much as if they were actually his own flesh and blood.
But now he KNEW. He could see the life inside them. He could feel their love for him, and he knew they could feel his.
~
Tony knew he'd never live a peaceful life.
But he knew he'd survive and thrive.
He knew he was loved.
He knew it deep down in his Soul.