Cassie hadn't exactly been lost, but like plenty of other children after the Dusting, she had been left on her own. Apparently, she had been in her own house when she had lost her mother and stepfather, and then of course, Scott is gone too.
She probably would have been in more trouble if the teenage girl next-door hadn't taken her in during the immediate chaotic aftermath of the Dusting. The girl had lost her parents too, but she was old enough and level-headed enough to keep the two of them alive for a while.
Eventually though, she had taken Cassie to an emergency relief shelter when they had begun to run out of food, and that is where they had stayed for the last few weeks, sitting on a waiting list as volunteers slowly tried to attend to everyone's needs.
Eventually their case had been looked at, and San Francisco's version of Clint's orphan organisation had begun trying to find family to place them with and get them out of the shelter. There is enough infrastructure in place now that the volunteer had been able to find a cousin for the neighbour to stay with—and while Cassie had been welcomed too, they had still wanted to do an independent search for her as well.
Apparently, the worker had been able to find Cassie's school records in the system, and there—listed under emergency contacts—had been the compound's number.
To be honest, Tony had completely forgotten Scott had even done that. At the time, back before all this, it had been more amusing than anything else—considering how Cassie lives across the entire country—but now, he and the others sit wide-eyed around the table as they listen to the worker talk to them over speakerphone, the woman sounding harried but kind as she explains the situation.
"Cassie tells me she has a grandmother out of state as well," she says, the sound of dozens of muffled voices around her attesting to how busy she and her fellow volunteers must be right now. "We haven't been able to get in contact with her yet though, and we feel it would be safer to have her stay with you, if you are able to support her."
It isn't even a question at all.
"Of course we will take her," Steve says immediately, speaking for them all as he looks down at the phone. "We'll come get her right away."
The fact that Cassie is coming to the compound seems to breathe life into all of them, the knowledge that she is alive and more or less safe seems to spark something deep and needed in them as they rush to prepare the place for her.
Even Thor, who had only ever met Cassie once before, seems to brighten a little as they prepare a room for her. He recounts to Valkyrie every story he knows about her as Clint sets off in Quill's— now Rocket's—spaceship to pick her up.
Of course, none of them are naïve enough to believe that Cassie will be fine when she comes to them. The poor girl has lost pretty much all her family, and she has been living more or less as a refugee for over a month. She is bound to be traumatised by it.
But that just makes them all the more insistent on getting her as fast as possible. They may not be her family, but they do know her, and they are at least familiar, safe faces.
Once the initial preparations are done, all that remains is to wait for her, and they end up milling around in awkward impatience in the living room as they wait for Clint to come back. Tony finds his leg bouncing incessantly as he sits next to Pepper on the couch, his eyes flicking over the others in the room as he waits and mentally ticks off everything they had gotten ready for her.
They had not put her in any of the Dusted Avengers rooms. Thankfully, when he had built the compound, he had had the foresight to add in several guest rooms. At the time he had half been planning for any additional team members, but over the years, the rooms had been used by various friends and family of the Avengers during their visits here.
Cassie had even stayed in the compound a few times, during playdates with either them or Clint's family, and while the room isn't very personalised, it will at least be familiar to her.
To be honest, he would have liked to have gone out and bought a few things for her, just to make the place more welcoming but… well, Thanos had kind of messed up supply-and-demand chains, so there isn't a lot available to buy right now.
Despite that, he is certain the room will be better than what Cassie has been living with in the shelter. Next to him, Pepper nudges his bouncing knee slightly, giving him a small smile as she reaches up to clasp his hand while they try to wait as patiently as they can.
Thankfully, it doesn't take much longer for JARVIS to announce Clint's return to the compound, and soon the man is stepping into the room, a small bag in his hand as Cassie trails along next to him. Her face is pale and her hand clasped tightly in his.
Tony's heart clenches at the sight of her. Before, in all her visits, Cassie had been a bouncing ray of sunshine, the girl bright, and happy, with immeasurable curiosity and excitement. Now she looks small, her skin pale and her hair ragged. It isn't exactly a rat's nest, but it is clear that times have been difficult, and she has been on her own more than before.
"There," Clint tells her quietly as they stop in the threshold of the living room. "Those are the new people I told you about." He nods towards Nebula, Valkyrie, and Rocket, and Cassie's eyes flick to them for a moment, her hand tightening slightly on Clint's as she takes in the new, alien visitors.
"Hi," she whispers, pressing into Clint's side as she glances over the trio. "Clint says that you're from space."
Her words spark a softening of expressions from all three of the newcomers, even Nebula seeming to watch the girl with something quiet and unreadable in her eyes, her usual hard expression replaced with something more saddened.
"We sure are, kiddo," Rocket tells her, and Cassie's gaze jumps to him, her eyes a little wide. It is obvious that she is startled by the presence of a talking raccoon, but she doesn't burst into a chatter of excited questions, like she would have a few months ago. Instead, she simply gives him a small nod and ducks her head slightly as she flicks her eyes around the rest of the living room, her eyes glancing off all of them in turn as she scans them.
"Is this–" she glances up at Clint and shakes his hand slightly, her voice no more than a whisper, but completely audible in the quiet room. "Is this every—" she swallows and blinks heavily. "Everyone?"
She takes in a quick breath at the end of the question, her eyes glassy and fixed on Clint's as he nods. "Yes," he says softly, crouching down slightly as he talks to her, her bag still clutched tightly in his hand. "Everyone is here right now."
In front of him, Cassie's throat flexes as she swallows and he answers her unspoken question. Back on the couch, Tony's heart squeezes in his chest as he watches her. Is this everyone? she asks, and in between the lines she asks if everyone missing from the living room right now is dead.
And they are.
Next to Clint, Cassie lets out a quiet gasp as her eyes brim over and tears slip down her face. Her hand shakes as she raises it to her cheek, unable to wipe away the tears fast enough as muffled sobs burst out of her mouth and her shoulders begin to heave.
Tony's hand tightens on Pepper's as Cassie's tears send a rush of unease through him. His eyes widen and his mind spins as he is suddenly forced to try to figure out what to do with a grieving child. For a lingering second, the entire living room seems to freeze, everyone paralysed in painful indecision as they are faced with an open expression of the tragedy they are living in.
And then Clint moves, the man setting down Cassie's bag and turning to her with the well-practiced manner of a father. He doesn't hesitate as he reaches for her and pulls her into his arms, picking her up as she continues to cry into his shoulder, his hand rubbing along her back.
"I know," he says quietly, his own sadness reflecting in his eyes as he whispers to her. "I know." His voice is rough, and he doesn't tell her it will be okay, he doesn't try to say that, because it isn't really true—not yet, at least—but he keeps Cassie close to him as he steps farther into the living room.
There is a stir as everyone shuffles around to make space, their worry and concern reflecting in their eyes as Clint sits down on one of the couches, Cassie's sobs continuing to echo mournfully in the quiet room.
One wave from Clint has Bruce reaching for the throw blanket, and he drapes it over Cassie, cocooning her into a bundle of safety as he continues to rub her back and murmur to her. Most of what he says, Tony can't hear, but he watches silently, swallowing heavily as Clint runs a hand over the shaking blanket, the vision of what he must have been like as a father to his young children rising clearly in his mind's eye.
His chest squeezes at the thought of the man's lost family, and he almost misses Natasha getting up and heading off towards the kitchen. She comes back a moment later with a plastic cup of water, and once Cassie seems to be calming down a little, she hands it to Clint.
He nods his thanks to her and then offers it to Cassie. "There," he says as she accepts it with trembling hands. Her breath shudder slightly with lingering sobs as she sucks in a breath and tries to settle down enough to drink, her eyes wide and wet as she holds onto the cup with two hands.
Clint watches her drink, and Tony can see there is a shadow of sadness in his eyes, but it is buried somewhat as he focuses down on the girl in his arms. "I know its hard," he says softly, rubbing her back as she sips, the entire room silent as they listen to him comfort her, his words and Cassie's sadness reflecting there feelings exactly. "You've been so brave," Clint continues. "I bet it was scary, not knowing what was happening."
In his lap, Cassie sucks in a breath and nods. Her hand comes up to scrub at her face, and her cheeks are red and splotchy from crying. "I couldn't find anyone," she says quietly, her lower lip trembling slightly as she breathes in a few more times, trying not to burst into tears again. "Everything was so loud. And broken. An' Rosie came an' found me, but we couldn't find her parents either."
Her voice wavers slightly on the last word, and Clint rubs her back again. "You did really good, staying with Rosie," he says, and Tony is once again grateful that Cassie's neighbour had been able to take care of her until they had been able to find her. "I'm glad she found you," Clint says, the man echoing his own thoughts as he looks down at Cassie. "That way we were able to find you too. We were very excited to know you were okay."
Cassie gives him a shaky nod and finishes the rest of her water. A tired breath leaves her as she slumps and leans heavily against his chest, her breath still hitching every once and a while as she recovers from her crying spell. "I thought I was gonna have to wait until they found Grandma Lang," she admits, her voice muffled slightly as she curls up and presses her face into his chest. "Except— I didn't know— maybe she was gone too."
She sucks in a shaky breath and Clint's lips press together at the amount of stress Cassie must have been living under for the past month. Around him, Tony can see the other Avengers react similarly, and he watches as Clint pulls Cassie closer, rubbing her back again in an effort to comfort and reassure her. "That must have been scary," he says quietly, and Cassie only nods into his chest.
Tony flicks his eyes over the two, and he breathes in, releasing some of his pent-up emotions as he squeezes Pepper's hand. He cannot imagine the amount of fear and pain Cassie has been through since the Dusting. Even just thinking about what it must have been like makes him ache for her, and he wishes that Scott were at least alive, so that she could have somebody left, besides a grandma that may or may not be Dusted as well.
He is glad they found her though, and he is glad that there had at least been a system in place that had managed to get her to them.
"Are you hungry?" Clint asks, and he finds his attention getting pulled back to the two as Cassie nods again against his chest.
"A little," she says, and Clint offers her a small smile as he stands up, his hand on her back and the edges of the blanket trailing along with him as he takes her over to the kitchen.
"I think we still have some Jell-O," Tony hears him say, and the room around him seems to let out a collective breath as they successfully navigate the first big hurtle of having Cassie with them. Of course, he knows this will not be the last difficulty, but the atmosphere in the room seems to brighten just a little as Cassie's immediate grief gets smoothed over and redirected.
Next to him, Pepper lets out a small breath, her eyes sad as she looks towards the kitchen. He is certain none of them are finished processing what had happen—Cassie probably least of all—but as he squeezes Pepper's hand, he is at least glad that the girl seems able to calm down again and focus on something else too.
It's a good thing Clint is here, he thinks, as he listens to the man continue to chat lightly from the kitchen. No doubt, having Cassie over reminds him of his own children, but it is clear that Cassie needs them, and Clint has already proven that he is adept at helping her, his own grief not eclipsing his parenting skills.
He probably needs her too, he thinks, relaxing back into the couch as Pepper runs a thumb over the back of his hand. He can't ignore the fact that Clint has become more animated and engaged with the world since they had found Cassie. As much as he helps Cassie, he thinks she will help him too.
Before, he had mostly been working on automatic, like the rest of them. And while Natasha had kept a concerned eye on him, it had been clear to them that he was functioning and working mostly because he had found a project to keep himself occupied with after the death of his entire family.
And now here Cassie is. Not only did she know his family too, but she has lost virtually everyone as well.
Of course, neither of their problems will go away, they will still be grieving this for a long time. But, at least now Cassie can have some support, and familiar faces, and safety as she tries to cope with her loss. And now Clint can have something concrete and close by to take care of.
Yes, he thinks. It is a good thing they had found Cassie.
Out from the kitchen, he can hear Clint making something for her, his voice warmer and more relaxed than it had been since before the Dusting. "After this, I think Bruce wants to give you a doctor check-up," he tells her. "How's that?"
Cassie must nod, because the next thing Tony hears is, "He's green now."
He blinks in surprise and his eyes flick up towards the kitchen as Clint lets out a startled laugh, the first of its kind since the man had lost everything. "Yes," he says, as Tony drops his gaze down to see Bruce's own growing smile. "You'll have to ask him about that."
oOo
The compound feels… different, with Cassie in it. Probably part of it has to do with the fact that none of them are her actual parents. Clint takes on a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities of taking care of her, but in a sense they all seem to simultaneously adopt her into the compound, and it feels…important, knowing that she is there, and needs to be looked after.
It is easier to plan fun things to do, or to be motivated to practice healthy coping mechanisms with Cassie in the compound, and he can see the phenomenon working on everyone around him as they adapt to suddenly having to take care of a child.
Valkyrie picks up on it instantly, her eyes bright and calculating as she supervises Thor at breakfast a few days later, Cassie sitting next to Natasha with a bowl of cereal in front of her. "Thor," Valkyrie calls, snapping the man out of the semi-haze he had been sitting in for the last few minutes.
Tony glances over as Thor blinks, his mind still mostly sluggish as he sips at a mug of Bruce's tea (they had run out of coffee three days ago, and he is still struggling to cope with that, they need to get the global economy up and running now). Thor looks about as out of it as he feels when he looks up, but his own haze is more mental than coffee related.
Valkyrie is undeterred. "You should take Cassie down to the river," she tells him, and Thor blinks slowly at her, his brain taking a moment to catch up with her suggestion. In front of him, Valkyrie's expression softens slightly, and she leans forward. "I'm sure she would want to see the plaque we have there," she says quietly.
Thor's eyes widen in realisation, and Tony finds himself suddenly much more awake as he glances between him and Cassie. His mind spins as he wonders if anyone had told her about the grave they had made yet. Back by Natasha, Cassie flicks her eyes over them, able to understand that they are talking about something important, but obviously unsure what it is exactly.
On Thor's part, the man seems to freeze slightly at Valkyrie's suggestion, his eyes going distant for a second, the man no doubt swarmed by memories of what the plaque is for, and whose names it bears. In front of him, Valkyrie shifts forward and for a second Tony expects her to reach for Thor, or gently shake his shoulder or something to get him out of his funk.
Instead, she steals his glass of water, drawing back without a hint of remorse as Thor blinks back into reality in an instant. His eyes blink and his mouth falls half-open in startled shock, the man sitting silently as he struggles to settle into the present and figure out how to respond to Valkyries unexpected—although effective actions.
And then Cassie giggles, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as her eyes sparkle, the girl thoroughly amused by Valkyrie's theft. The noise seems to settle Thor even further, and his shoulders relax slightly as Valkyrie sends him her own grin over the edge of his glass. In front of her, he lets out a breath, and Tony watches in shock as his mouth twitches slightly. It isn't quite a smile, but it is the closest he has gotten to it since coming to Earth, and the man's face remains soft as he turns to Cassie.
"Would you…" he swallows. "Would you like to come to the river with me?" he asks gently, something rough in his body language melting away as he talks to the girl. "I think there is something there that you would like to see."
Cassie glances from him to Natasha for a moment before she hastily scoops a few more spoonful's of cereal into her mouth. "Okay," she says as she picks up the bowl to drink the last of the milk.
She wipes her mouth with her sleeve and Thor watches her with a gentle, slightly pained expression on his face. Tony doesn't blame him, since he has no doubt that the trip down to the river will be emotional for the two of them, and Cassie doesn't exactly know what she is getting into yet.
She leaves amiably with Thor though, hopping down from where she is sitting and reaching automatically for his large hand. "Where are we going?" he hears her ask as Thor begins to lead her out of the room. He lets out a quiet breath as they depart, his eyes dropping down to his tea-that-is-not-coffee for a moment, before he glances up at Valkyrie.
"You sure that's a good idea?" he asks her, watching as she continues to sip at Thor's water and stare out towards where the man had left. "The grave could be a shock to her."
By the counter, Valkyrie casts him a glance, before staring down at the glass in her hand, the look on her face giving him the impression that she wouldn't mind if it was holding something other than water. "She needs that place, just like the rest of us," she says quietly, not looking up from her glass. "And Thor…" her mouth presses together for a moment and she abruptly drains the rest of her water in one quick movement. "He needs someone to grieve with," she says as she finishes and sets the glass down with a definite click, her eyes not quite meeting his as she turns away. "I have a lot more practice avoiding that sort of thing."
He nods quietly at that, his hand tightening on his mug as he watches Valkyrie retreat out of the room, leaving him and Natasha alone to think over her words. They hit a little too close to home, but thankfully he doesn't have to think about them for long because Steve slips into the kitchen not long after Valkyrie leaves, the man's appearance drawing most of his attention.
He can't help watching him as Steve gives him a nod and makes his way to the fridge. Faint but noticeable bags sit under his eyes, and there is a slight tightness to his mouth as he opens the fridge and roots through it for a moment before pulling out a slightly wrinkled apple, probably one of the last they have before they contact some local growers again.
He moves on after that, seeming to operate on automatic as he makes himself some stovetop oatmeal, eating the apple almost absentmindedly as he waits for it to heat up. Tony swallows as he watches him, Valkyrie's words about avoiding grief echoing in his mind as he looks at him. Steve looks mostly okay. Beyond looking a little tired, he doesn't look that bad…except he already knows that that isn't really a good indicator of how the man is doing.
He can still remember the very first time Steve had had his birthday in the Tower. It had been pretty early on in their friendship, and he hadn't really known Steve that well yet, but he had still wanted to do something, and for the most part, things had seemed to be going fine. But then, Steve had simply vanished during the fireworks, and he had found him mid-breakdown in his room, because SHIELD/Hydra hadn't bothered to explain to him the new century's approach to PTSD.
At the time, when he had been busy trying to deal with the sudden crisis, he hadn't really known what to do, but the incident had made him open his eyes to the fact that things were definitely not as they seemed with Steve all the time. The man is good at putting on a front, which he supposes he must have learned to do as Captain America—if he hadn't already developed that trait before he got the serum. As they had grown closer, and as Steve had settled into the century, he had let down his shield more often but…
Well, old habits die hard, especially when you're busy trying to deal with the worst tragedy the planet has ever faced.
All of that simmers down to the fact that while he is aware that Steve is probably handling this just as well as the rest of them, he doesn't really know what to do about it. And, he doesn't have any convenient indicators to latch on to and try to pull Steve out of his shell, like Valkyrie is able to do with Thor, and like Natasha had been doing with Clint.
Instead, he is left to simply watch as Steve goes through the motions of making breakfast, his brow furling slightly as he opens the cupboard to get out the brown sugar for his oatmeal. "That's right," he says thoughtfully, throwing a glance at him and his mug. "We're out of coffee, aren't we?"
He lets out an automatic groan at that, and he catches sight of a flicker of a smile on Natasha's face, the woman seeming to find his pain amusing. He doesn't really mind though, because Steve's comment finally opens a line of dialogue between them, and while it may not be talking about anything important, it is at least talking, and he will take what he can get right now.
"Maybe the coffee shortage will get people to cooperate," he finds himself grumbling into his mug, his eyes on Steve as the man actually smiles too. It is a small, quick thing, but his eyes look a little brighter than they had been when he had first come in this morning, so he is counting that as a win.
"We'll see," he says, as he turns to grab his oatmeal. "I think I'm meeting with the President of Brazil today, and I know California and Hawaii have coffee beans too so…" he shrugs and sighs. "But of course then you have the logistics of processing and transport, and then we don't want to risk big corporations trying to exploit the situation and become any worse than they were before all this…"
His mouth twists and he sighs again, and Tony winces in sympathy, shifting slightly to salute him with his mug. In front of him, Steve reaches for a spoon and begins to eat his oatmeal straight from the pot, his eyes on the clock, and his mind probably already on his upcoming meetings.
Tony flicks his eyes over him. "Gotta say, I'm glad you're taking over most of the diplomatic talks," he tells him as he watches him speed-eat. "I doubt I would be patient enough for it."
By the stove, Steve snorts and shakes his head. "No kidding," he mumbles as he scoops up another mouthful. His eyes go a little distant for a moment as he stares at his spoon, and Tony watches as his lips purse. His eyes darken slightly as his hand tightens around his spoon, before he shakes his head again and heaves his shoulders, letting out an explosive sigh as he focuses back on eating.
"It's a mixed bag," he says after a moment, not looking up as he eats. "Some of the remaining or new world leaders aren't so bad."
Of course, some of them are, and his eyes say what he thinks about that, even if he doesn't elaborate as he finishes off his oatmeal and sets his pot in the sink. His face settles into a look of calm professionalism as he sets his shoulders, suddenly shifting away from the brief glimpse of openness as he mentally prepares himself for his virtual meetings of the day.
Tony finds his stomach twisting uncomfortably as he watches Steve turn to leave, the man's shoulders squared as though heading off for a mission. He finds he feels…empty, despite his conversation with him. It is clear to him that Steve is mostly coping like the rest of them, focusing on missions instead of himself…but because of that it still feels like there is a sort of wall between them. He doesn't think it is personal, but it is still there, and he doesn't think it will leave until Steve actually deals with what had happened.
He doesn't really know how to get him to do that. Not to mention the fact that he isn't exactly good at doing that sort of thing himself.
Across from him, Natasha shifts slightly, and he glances at her, noticing how her gaze lingers on the door Steve had left through, a slight crease between her eyebrows as she too picks up on the man's unspoken problems.
It is a relief to know that he isn't the only one who notices, and he lets out a quiet sigh over his unfortunately-it's-not-coffee. Natasha's gaze flick to him at the sound. "Has he talked to you about it at all?" he asks, darting his eyes up to meet hers for a moment, wondering if maybe she or any of the others had had any luck in the month that he had been trapped in space.
But she shakes her head, her mouth pressing together as her hands clasp tightly in front of her. "Not really," she says quietly, her eyes jumping back to where Steve had left, before they come back to meet his again. "He is doing a little better now that you're back though," she tells him, and he blinks a little in surprise.
"Really?" he says, and she nods, her mouth flicking up at him, even though her eyes stay sad as she watches him.
"It's good we didn't lose you too," she says, her throat flexing as she looks down at her hands. "I was really worried for a while. If we lost you, and Sam, and Bucky…" She shakes her head, and he finds his lips pressing together at the thought, his hands tightening on his mug as he looks at her.
"Well, when you put it that way…" he offers her a lame smile and shrugs as he glances away. When she puts it that way, it is hard to fault Strange too badly for giving up the Time Stone in exchange for his life—even if he still can't help believing that maybe none of this would have happened if Strange had just run with the stone when he had the chance.
Oblivious to his new, more morbid train of thought, Natasha lets out a breath and sits back, her white hair flipping away from her face as she looks at him. "He's like when Bucky was still the Asset," she says, dragging his thoughts away from Strange as he looks at her. "Do you remember? He was getting better, but Steve would just have…quiet days, when he was just… slightly stiff." She waves a hand. "I don't know how to explain it, but you could usually tell when something was happening with Bucky, and that Steve was busy trying to handle it."
His mouth quirks up at her assertion and he sips at his forgotten tea for a moment. His gaze goes distant as he stares down at Natasha's elbow, thinking back to times before all of this had happened.
"The problem is a bit more obvious this time though," he says at last, looking up at her.
Across from him, Natasha's mouth presses up into something that isn't really a smile and she sighs. "Yeah," she agrees quietly.
oOo
His conversation with Natasha weighs heavily on his mind, but he doesn't think there is a lot he can actually do about it now, except continue to try to at least leave an open door for Steve. That is more or less what he had had to do back when he was awkwardly trying to introduce Steve into the modern world of mental health and therapists, and he has known Steve long enough to know that pushing too hard with him won't get him anywhere.
And besides, he is still…he is still dealing with his own stuff too. They all are, the entire planet, mass-grieving at the same time. It is only natural that it will take them all a while to get a grip on things.
He is busy sitting in the kitchen at lunchtime, another mug of not-coffee in his hands and a plate of mostly neglected sandwiches at his elbow, his mind distant and far away as he contemplates collective trauma and how thoroughly Thanos has screwed them all over— when Cassie comes into the kitchen again, Clint following along as she chats about the available lunch options.
"I hope Bruce's carrots are ready in the garden soon," she says, as Clint helps her up to sit at the counter and Tony flicks his eyes over her. He is relieved to see that—whatever her morning venture with Thor might have been like—she seems to be okay with it.
"You've been helping Bruce with his watering, right?" Clint says as he opens the fridge to look for something for her to eat. After a moment, he settles on making a sandwich as well, and Tony watches Cassie nod, her legs swinging in her chair as she tells Clint about Bruce's garden and the plants she had been helping with.
"I helped wind down the beans too," she says. "And tomorrow, Bruce says I can help him water the flowers by the river." She sobers slightly at that, and she takes in a quick breath as she swings her legs a little harder under the counter, her hands holding tight to the edge to balance herself.
He sees Clint throw a searching glance at her, before he goes back to his sandwich making. "That's nice," he says carefully, and Cassie nods, her eyes focused somewhere far off as she swings her legs.
"Yeah," she says quietly, before blinking and looking up at Clint. "He says the flowers should grow soon." Clint nods at that, but Cassie looks away from him, and Tony soon finds himself the focus of her gaze as she turns to look at him. Her legs slow as she glances over him, biting her lip and hunching her shoulders in sudden nervousness.
"Um," she says softly, her eyes flicking up to him before dropping down to the mug in his hand. "Um, Bruce also says that maybe… maybe you could help look for my grandma. He says JARVIS might be able to help."
He blinks and sits up slightly, Cassie's eyes flicking up to him as he smiles and lets out a breath. "Yeah," he says. "Yes, of course. I can have JARVIS help look for her. I'm sure she is worried about you."
If she is still alive. A fact which he does not mention.
In front of him, Cassie relaxes and nods, her eyes brightening slightly as her legs begin swinging again. "Yeah," she says simply. "I hope she's okay."
His stomach squirms a little at that, and he opens his mouth with the intention of trying to say something comforting, when he is cut off by Cassie looking at him again. Her gaze doesn't quite meet his eyes as she traces an anxious pattern on the countertop, her legs starting to kick a little erratically as she twists in her seat.
"Um," she says, much quieter this time, her gaze lowering. "Could you— could you tell JARVIS to look for my dad too?" Her voice is barely above a whisper by the end of the sentence. "He— I know he probably isn't—but— but—" her eyes jump up to him. "Maybe he got lost or— or maybe he can't find me now that I'm in New York, an'— and I know he was gonna do some experiments with his Ant-Man suit, and maybe he just got confused when the Dusting happened. He could still— maybe—"
She draws in a tight breath as she chokes off, her eyes wet as she pulls away. Her hands wrap around her middle as she breathes in and out carefully, her hair swinging down in front of her face.
Tony's mouth is dry by the end of her stuttered sentences, his stomach flipping unpleasantly as he stares at Cassie. In front of him, he knows Clint isn't much better, the man frozen as he watches the girl with wide eyes, the two of them realising once again how difficult this all must be for her.
It's just like Sam, he thinks, because they don't technically know with him. In reality, they know he is dead, but without seeing it, without knowing, there is always a very very small doubt in the back of their minds that maybe, maybe, he might still be out there, ready to show up again someday.
He looks at Cassie and his heart aches for her. Living like that—knowing her dad is dead, but still wondering, still hopelessly hoping—would be absolutely terrible, and he can hardly even imagine it.
His hand tightens on his mug and he clears his throat, trying to pull up the words he needs to respond. "Of course," he says finally, his voice rough in his throat. "I'll have JARVIS keep a look out for him. If he is still here, then we'll find him."
Next to him, Cassie nods and lets out a shuddery breath, bringing a hand up to wipe her eyes. "Thanks," she says quietly. He can only nod.
AN: So we brought Cassie into the compound. Poor girl. She has been through a lot. I don't think Marvel ever showed her parents in Endgame, so that leaves me free to do whatever I want with them. It is really sad that they're Dusted, but at least the Avengers were able to take her in.
Lots of feels in this chapter! It was interesting looking at the grieving process for a lot of them, and how Cassie fits into that.