The dust still hadn't settled, carried through the air between the tall skyscrapers by a distant wind. The sirens had mostly stopped but their flashing lights still ghosted across the glass strewn about the streets, blown apart by the explosion. Black Widow just lowered her phone and pursed her lips.
„Stupid, Rogers," she cursed silently. The Accords were needed but she was afraid they might tear the Avengers apart. They were a team and yet they could not manage to agree on their joined way forwards.
People were still being taken care of, Natasha noticed as she took out her sunglasses, looking around as she did so. She felt someone watching her, had felt it for the entire conversation she had just had with Steve. An old man, blond hair, streaked with grey, sitting on a bench nearby. Unlike herself and those who had been close to the explosion, he was not covered in a thin layer of dust so he must have been on the street. Standing and striding over to the other side of the road, taking one of the coffees that were being handed out for free by one of the cafés, Natasha Romanoff kept an eye on the old man. He was holding a walking stick in his clasped hands and there was a drawing booklet on the bench next to him. He was still watching her. The sun shone in his face and for one split second, Black Widow froze. Then she proceeded to lift her coffee to lips and take a sip, leaving a slight lipstick stain on the plastic, before she walked over to the bench. The man quickly turned away, finding a new interest in the destroyed facade of the steel and glass building over the coffee shop.
„Do you mind if I join you?" Natasha Romanoff asked politely. Blue eyes looked up and a quick smile graced the man's lips.
„Not at all," he replied and took his booklet. Glancing at her while she pretended to be scanning the people around them, he said: „Were you in the explosion? I hope you are alright."
„Thank you, I am fine", she replied with a smile. Turning back, she continued to look straight ahead.
„Do you really believe me that stupid, Steve?" She asked, raising her cup against her lips to hide them before taking a sip. She could feel the man stiffen beside her and smirked. „Come on, Rogers, I am a spy. You might be old, but I can still recognize you and you have been watching me for over half an hour."
„Nat," the old man said, and tears glistened in his blue eyes, his smile becoming shaky.
„We won, Natasha. We won," Steve continued to say.
„We always win, Steve. Eventually. We are the Avengers," she replied, uncomfortable with the pure emotions that shone in those familiar if clouded eyes. He took a deep breath and continued to stare at her.
A siren started screaming once more and another ambulance took off into the traffic jam.
„You are not the Steve I just talked to a few minutes ago," she stated, taking another sip.
„I was, once."
Natasha Romanoff raised her brow, not looking sideways and instead still watching the people bustling about. Her fingers were cold and though she made sure to not show it, inside, her emotions were raging like a storm. Questions demanded to be asked and yet she shut them all down.
Next to her, Steve Rogers opened his sketchbook. Glancing sideways, Black Widow smirked when she saw the drawing of a monkey riding a unicycle. Crinkled old fingers turned the page and on the next page, there was a picture of herself and Tony. It was well crafted. She was leaning against a wall, one foot braced against it, holding a beer bottle and laughing, her hair braided at the side and the back. Tony stood next to her, dressed in one of his band shirts, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other holding a screwdriver which with he seemed to be gesturing.
„It's nice," she said.
Steve nodded, closing the book. For a few minutes, they sat together, then Steve Rogers stood.
„Take care, Nat. It was good to see you again," he said, tears in his eyes. For one moment, he placed a hand on her shoulder, then he turned and left. Natasha Romanoff remained seated on the bench, knowing she would die. Taking another sip of coffee, she wondered just what the future might hold for them.
„Nat." Steve had turned, and his jaw was squared, the determination making him appear younger, more like the soldier and friend she knew. „He goes to the Garden. You will be able to undo it all. Have faith and go to the Garden! Whatever happens, do not let him destroy the Soul Stone. You can retrieve the others later. Or shall I say, earlier." With that, Steve Rogers turned, and the glass crunched underneath his feet. Meanwhile, the Black Widow lowered her cup, watching him go. Taking off her sunglasses, she looked up into the sky.
„The Garden," she murmured. „The Garden."
Standing, she finished her coffee and cast it into a rubbish bin. Repeating Steve's words over and over in her head, she texted Tony and minutes later climbed into a car which would bring her back to the Avengers Compound.
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