Natasha Romanoff

((This is meant to be set after the Nexus Crossings post. Because of that there are small spoilers for where everyones' characters is beginning to drift to post this movie leading into the very beginning of Endgame. Consider this your warning.))


When they regroup at the Avengers complex in what's left of New York (what's left of the United States, what's left of their world) there's too few of them there to do it. Natasha can hardly stand thinking about all the faces she knows are gone, having to tell Pepper Potts that she truthfully doesn't know if Tony is among those gone or if he's still just missing somewhere off in space. Nick Fury and Maria Hill are both gone--there's no way they'd be failing to get in touch if they were still around.

Barton hasn't answered any of Natasha's calls. He's likely gone as well.

Too few of them sit in the complex's kitchen with no appetite between them while they quietly discuss what to do next. It's not long before the calls start trickling in from what's left of governments. Forget The Accords. Forget everything that happened up until now. Everyone is going to need to work together to get through this. Those who are left, at any rate.

It's Natasha--Not Steve--who first puts forward the idea that they help whoever's left running things and work together with what powers remain to help out wherever, however they can. Okoye of Wakanda will vouch for her and the Avengers even though she herself is still in mourning over the loss of the royal family. It helps. And it's not much, but it's the start of a plan. Too many of them are gone. Natasha tries not to cry when she gives Rocket the key to what was once Vision's room to use as his own.

Rhodey's reaching out to his contacts in the...what was the military to try and see if they can track down anyone else like them. Thor's barely coming out of his room to eat and won't talk to hardly any of them. Steve's not much better but he'll come around first. It's only a couple of days before he's at Natasha's side working. Bruce is as withdrawn as ever, but he actually seems to be handling it better than most of them. His usual coping mechanisms seem to be working better than theirs. He's often the one cooking meals or prompting them to get out of bed. Find someone to talk to if they need it. Eat and take care of themselves.

The routine all of them are making is nothing like the ones any of them used to hold. But it's something.

It's a start.