Scott chimed in from the side, "Hey, don't forget I actually survived that place. Just... don't forget snacks. You'd be surprised how hungry you get in a time vortex."
Bruce rolled his eyes in response, then looked at Max. "Your confidence… it's either reassuring or terrifying. Can you actually manipulate time yourself?"
Max raised a brow. "Not in the way you're doing it. I could, but that might tear the timeline apart like wet paper. You, however, can build something that leaves fewer scars."
Bruce sighed, rubbing his forehead. "No pressure, right?"
Just then, Steve walked in with Natasha. "We just got word from Tony. He's thinking about it. No promises."
"Thinking is better than refusing," Bruce said. "I'll keep pushing on the prototype until he decides."
"Good," Steve nodded. "Let's be ready in case he says yes."
Max turned to the team, his tone casual. "Let's get to work then. The longer we wait, the deeper this timeline decays."
Back in the lab, the air was filled with a low hum of machinery and the sharp beeping of diagnostic monitors. Bruce worked tirelessly, occasionally glancing at notes scribbled hastily on a transparent panel beside him. Scott assisted where he could, offering his insight into the strange physics of the Quantum Realm.
Max sat nearby, fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest of his chair. Despite his casual posture, his eyes were sharp, constantly scanning the screens.
"Stabilizing the tunnel isn't the hardest part," Bruce muttered. "It's making sure the user doesn't get ripped apart at the molecular level or get scattered across a thousand alternate dimensions."
"Comforting," Scott said, sipping from a paper cup. "You really know how to inspire confidence."
Max chuckled. "Just don't forget to breathe when the time comes. Fear tends to scramble intentions in dimensional pathways."
Bruce looked at him, raising a brow. "That… actually makes sense. Have you traveled through time before?"
Max leaned back slightly. "Not exactly. But I've seen enough futures collapse to recognize what not to do."
Just then, the door slid open with a soft hiss. Steve stepped in, followed by Natasha.
"He's coming," Steve said simply.
Max raised an eyebrow. "Tony?"
Natasha nodded. "He didn't say much. But he packed tools and told Pepper he 'had to fix something that's been bothering him.'"
Bruce let out a long breath of relief. "That's the best news I've heard all day."
"Let's get the garage ready," Max said, already standing. "Tony's the kind of guy who'll start working before he even takes off his coat."
Minutes later, a sleek black Audi pulled into the hangar-like lab bay. Tony Stark stepped out, sunglasses still on, a toolkit in one hand.
"Well," he said, scanning the room, "either you guys built a Quantum Rollercoaster, or you actually tried something useful without me."
He spotted Max and narrowed his eyes slightly. "And who's the leather-jacket anime protagonist?"
"Max Ryder," Max said, extending a hand.
Tony ignored it and walked past. "You better not be a Skrull."
Bruce smiled faintly. "Good to have you back, Tony."
"Yeah yeah," Tony muttered. "Let's build a time machine—crazy and science fiction as it sounds."
Bruce nodded, while Natasha and Steve exchanged a glance.
"You two work on the machine," Steve said, "while we head out to gather the others."
Tony nodded as he looked over the files Bruce had handed him.
"Yeah, we're going to need the whole team for this."
"I was ignored..." Max muttered to himself, glancing down at his still-outstretched hand.
"Don't worry, you get used to it," Scott said, patting Max on the back as he passed by.
Max raised an eyebrow, watching him go.
"Anyway, let's go—I know a good taco place," Scott added, heading for the exit.
Max looked back at Tony and Bruce deep in thought, then at Natasha and Steve walking toward the Quinjet.
"Food is important," he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets as he followed after Scott.
As Scott led the way down the cracked pavement outside the Avengers facility, Max followed at a steady pace, hands in his pockets and eyes scanning the horizon.
"Food is important," Max repeated under his breath, almost like a mantra. "Power without fuel is just rust waiting to happen."
Scott glanced back with a grin. "Exactly! See, you get it. Most people think it's just a craving. Nah, it's survival. Tacos are balance."
The two made their way toward an old food truck that had somehow survived the post-Snap chaos, half-buried under vines and dust but still operating thanks to a stubborn, mustached old man who believed in feeding what was left of the world.
"I come here every week," Scott said, waving at the vendor. "One of the few things that hasn't changed. Try the spicy carnitas."
Max tilted his head. "I don't think my body reacts to spice the same way yours does."
"Exactly why you should try it," Scott replied, handing him a taco.
Max took it, eyeing it like an alien artifact before taking a slow bite. A moment of silence passed.
"…Not bad," Max said finally, chewing thoughtfully. "I can taste—Mustard, honey, and… paprika."
Scott burst out laughing. "That's the taco truck energy for you."
Back at the compound, Tony and Bruce were deep into calculations, papers strewn everywhere, the beginnings of a Quantum Tunnel rig forming in the center of the lab.
Steve and Natasha, meanwhile, were already preparing for their next moves—checking up on where to find Thor and Clint. The team was beginning to reform, piece by piece.
And while the geniuses handled time itself, somewhere on the edge of a half-broken city, a superpowered anomaly and an ex-con turned superhero shared greasy food and quiet laughs.
The sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting an orange hue over the half-cracked streets as Max and Scott finished the last of their tacos. The vendor gave a gruff nod of approval—payment wasn't always necessary in this world, especially when it came from people who might just save it.
"Alright," Scott said, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Guess it's time we head back before they break reality without us."
***
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