A/N: I apologize for the update taking so long. I had a really tough class that took up all of my time. The class I'm taking now is pretty laid back so updates will get better soon. Also, I've been re-watching Grey's Anatomy. Sorry about that, though I'm considering throwing in a 'dance party' for Nat, Darcy, Jane, Sif, and whoever else wants to join. I hope everyone enjoys this update, it's a pretty long chapter.
I found myself dreaming, in silver and gold,
Like a scene from a movie that every broken heart knows,
We were walking on moonlight, and you pulled me close,
Split second and you disappeared, and then I was all alone,
I woke up in tears, with you by my side,
A breath of relief, and I realized,
No, we're not promised tomorrow,
So I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna hold you, like I'm saying goodbye,
Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted, 'cause we'll never know when,
When we'll run out of time,
So, I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
In the blink of an eye, just a whisper of smoke,
You could lose everything, the truth is you never know,
So, I'll kiss you longer, baby, any chance that I get,
I'll make the most of the minutes and love with no regrets,
Let's take our time, to say what we want,
Use what we got, before it's all gone,
'Cause no, we're not promised tomorrow,
So, I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna hold you, like I'm saying goodbye,
Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted, 'cause we'll never know when,
When we'll run out of time,
So, I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna hold you, like I'm saying goodbye,
Wherever we're standing, I won't take you for granted, 'cause we'll never know when,
When we'll run out of time,
So, I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you,
I'm gonna love you, like I'm gonna lose you
Like I'm Gonna Lose You-Meghan Trainor ft. John Legend
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With a start, Tony wakes up, breathing hard, with wet eyes. He can't quite remember the nightmare but he can remember the cold and vast emptiness of space. He can remember broken bodies and stars and knowing that everything was gone. Knowing that everything was gone because he wasn't prepared, he didn't do enough.
He doesn't realize he's sat up until he feels a warm hand touch his bare back. He barely glances over his shoulder as Natasha maneuvers herself to sit behind him, her legs on either side of him and her forehead pressing into the space right between his shoulder blades. Her small, soft hands slide over his ribs and around to his chest.
Natasha doesn't speak as she lifts her head and presses her bare upper body to his back. After their first date and the following activities, she's taken to sleeping in panties and nothing else. Despite their mutual lack of clothing, there's nothing sexual in her touch as she presses as close as she can, her breasts flattening against his back.
Her skin is warm, almost overly so, and it comforts him. Reminds him that he's not trapped in that beautiful, terrible, isolated nothingness. He reaches back with one hand, gripping her thigh tightly. His other hand moves to cover her hands on his chest and he just breathes. He breathes and lets her scent, her warmth, seep into his body. She stays still against him as he breathes.
After a while, he feels his muscles relax, Natasha's following. He wishes he had better words, any words really, for how she helped him and the way she made him feel. But he doesn't, so he says anything and neither does she, as they both sit on the edge of the bed and just breathe.
It's not long before he thinks he may be able to sleep again, and isn't that a wonderful feeling. So, he urges her to slide back on the bed, him following and stretching out on his back. Instead of moving to her own side, Natasha lays half on top of him, matching her breathing to his as their heart rates synchronize. It's a comforting feeling, a good feeling, and before long, he's drifting off again.
Waking up for the second time, he immediately notices that Natasha is no longer in bed. He feels well rested and relaxed.
"Boss, it is ten fifteen in the morning. Spider-kid will be here in an hour and the press briefing with New Shield will be in four hours." Friday announces to him and he just nods as he continues to lay in bed. He knows he needs to get up and take a shower, eat, get ready, but he doesn't want to. He hates all this press stuff but with the in-fighting that happened between members of his new team and the former Avengers, it's a necessity. People want to know they can trust those that have more power than them.
With a sigh, he heaves himself to his feet and takes a hurried shower before pulling on a t-shirt and some lounge pants. He doesn't want to put on a suit until he has to.
Making his way to the kitchen area, he sees Natasha sitting at the island, a plate of toast in front of her with a bowl of peach jam and a small mug of coffee. Her hair is brushed straight back from her face and she's wearing black cotton shorts, a loose, pink t-shirt, and white ankle socks. She smiles at him absently and goes back to looking at her tablet.
Tony pours himself a mug of coffee, nodding at Rhodey as he wheels himself into the kitchen, Vision and Darcy right behind him. Darcy was entirely too happy in the mornings, he's learned over the past week. And he's noticed that she gets happier with every day that passes. He's positive it has something to do with Sif's imminent arrival.
"Okay." The younger woman says and he automatically looks over at her, noticing Natasha and Rhodey do the same. Vision was already looking at her. "What's something you've always wanted to do but never gotten to?"
The question comes from nowhere, the way most of her questions seem to, but Tony figures it's her way to get to know them.
"A tattoo." Natasha replies.
"Get married in Vegas." Is Rhodey's answer.
"Spend a night being completely anonymous." Tony tells her.
"I'm afraid it's a very long list, Darcy." Vision says with a small smile.
"Okay, that's fine." Darcy answers as she heads for the fridge. "Working with Jane, I've seen a lot of crazy things. I very quickly realized that you shouldn't wait for the right time to do something, or you'll end up missing out. So, we're all going to make a list of every single thing we want to do and start checking things off."
Tony can't help but smile as he sees his friends, his family, look surprised and a little happy.
"Have you guys heard anything from Thor or Sif?" He asks the younger woman.
"Heimdall dropped a note on the roof a couple days ago. He says things are taking a little longer than expected but Thor and Sif should still arrive on schedule."
"Doesn't it get weird, sometimes?" He can't help but ask her as he takes a sip of his coffee. "Passing notes like you're in high school?"
"I know, right?" Darcy agrees with him with a smile. "Jane always tries to make it sound all technical with big words and stuff, but really, we're passing notes."
"We're not passing notes!" Jane half-shouts as she steps into the room. "It's intergalactic communication, Darcy."
Tony laughs lightly at Darcy's smirk and raised eyebrow as Jane glares at her friend. He finishes his coffee before pressing a kiss to Natasha's temple, his hand squeezing her upper arm, and mumbles that he's going to his workshop to study Darcy's extra set of gear, an old set that she mainly used for practice. She'd mentioned getting Thor and Sif to bring some bolts of material with them when they came to visit and he wanted to know what it could and couldn't do.
He isn't in his workshop for long when he hears the doors whoosh open quietly and he turns to see Peter looking around the open space as he walks towards him.
"Hey, kid, you got your gear for the press briefing?" He asks him when Peter's halfway across the room.
"Yes, Mr. Stark." Peter replies easily as he watches Tony press a rod to the fabric on the table. Electricity sparks through the tool and touches the fabric but it doesn't burn or singe it. The fabric seems to absorb and redirect the energy. "What's that?"
"It's Darcy's battle gear." Tony tells him, only sparing a glance before looking back at the material. "She can manipulate electric currents. Come on."
Standing up, he heads for the elevator that will take him to the training room, Peter following closely behind him. They're quiet on the ride, but as soon as the doors open, Peter's off the elevator as quickly as possible and staring in awe.
Tony can admit, even to himself, that it's an impressive sight. Darcy and Jane are about twenty feet apart, facing each other. Darcy is wearing the gear that she'd wear if she was in the field and her eyes are a shining blue that reminds Tony of the arc reactors glow. Her hair crackles with energy and blue lines run across her arms and face, tiny lightning strikes underneath her skin.
Dr. Foster is also in her battle gear and she looks like she's lit from within. Her eyes have gone all black and Tony knows from previous testing that you can see what looks like the galaxies in them.
A bright ball of light is in Jane's hands whereas Darcy has a ball of sparking electricity.
Suddenly, both women move and the orbs meet in the middle. Just as they hit, an invisible barrier is thrown up around them. The orbs burst into a shower of sparks and light and the barrier almost shatters, but holds.
"Good, Daisy, hold it." Natasha says and Tony glances at the other side of the room to see her behind a shimmering barrier, obviously placed there by Vision. Agents May and Coulson stand beside her. He can tell that they've been working with the powered people by their tired and disheveled appearance.
His attention turns back to the inhuman trio and he watches as Daisy, with Jane's and Darcy's help, starts to compress the orbs. When it's about the size of a baseball, she releases the barrier and all three absorb the impact of the small explosion.
"Alright, let's take a break. We have a press conference in a couple hours and we all need to be well rested and ready." Natasha announces as Vision drops the barrier.
Vision heads towards the inhumans, Peter following, as Natasha heads towards Tony. May and Coulson stay across the room, talking.
"Let's go grab lunch." She tells him as she grabs his hand, interlacing their fingers as they head out.
It's only after they've eaten and freshened up, that they meet with everyone again to go over what to say.
"So far, we've had Ross tied up in the formation of our team, the revision of the Accords, and the impending rise of New Shield." Tony says as he looks around the conference table. "He hasn't had much time to plan and go after the Barton family or Lang's family. Two of my AIs, Eris and Enyo, have been monitoring them in case something happened before we could reach them. I've talked to both families and tomorrow we'll be deploying teams to two different locations to pick them up."
"That seems like an awful lot of movement." Agent Johnson speaks up and Tony nods at her as he pulls his tablet closer, clicking to the program that will run the hologram on the table.
"It seems like it, but it won't be. We don't want anyone knowing what the family is doing. I've discussed it with the families and over the past week, they've managed to move anything of sentiment. They've gotten it all packed away and ready to be transported here."
"Why do we need so many people on the teams for seven people, four of which are children?" Agent May asks.
"Because, for every person of theirs, I want two or more of ours on them. We're splitting it by skill, experience, and abilities, so that way, everything balances. One powered person to every civilian."
"So, six people to Lang's and eight to Barton's?" Dr. Foster is looking around the room like she's trying to put everyone into a slot.
"Almost. Agent Mackenzie, Agent Johnson is your partner, right? So, you're comfortable working with powered people for the most part?" At the man's nod Tony continued. "Okay, my whole team is powered mostly. I have a strain of the super soldier serum that makes me slightly more durable and faster. Natasha is even faster and more durable. Coulson, May and Mackenzie are the most human. So, team one is Eris, May, Vision, Mackenzie, Friday, Lewis, Romanov, and Johnson. Team two is Enyo, Rhodes, Foster, Rodriguez, Coulson, and myself."
"Wait, we're getting split up?" Foster asks as she reaches over to grab Darcy's hand in a tight grip.
"It's the best way to do it." Tony answers her. "That way, we've spread out the heavy-hitters, the fastest, the fliers, all of that."
"And, when we get everyone? How do we need to split up?" Coulson is the one to speak up this time.
"Good question. Mackenzie and Vison will get Nathaniel Barton, Johnson and Romanov will get Lila, Friday and Lewis will get Cooper, and Eris and May will get Laura. Foster and Rhodes will get Maggie, Enyo and Rodriguez will get Cassie Lang, and Coulson and I will get Paxton. The farm will be a little easier because it's isolated, but with a baby involved I feel more comfortable using Vision as he's indestructible and basically all powerful."
"Okay." Natasha says after he's laid out the plan. "We'll need to do a few run-throughs but as we've all been training together this past week it shouldn't be too hard to compensate. Plus, most of us have worked together at some point or at least have similar enough training."
"What about Spider-Man?" May asks.
"He has prior commitments." Tony tells her.
There is a knock at the door before anyone else can speak up and a tall woman with black hair and olive skin steps into the room.
"Ms. Ribeiro, how may I help you?" Tony stands up to greet Pepper's assistant.
"I've told you to call me Teresita. I'm here to escort all of you to Stark Civic Center for the press conference. Miss Potts has asked that I go over the talking points with each of you."
"You must've brought Sylvia and Sonia, then." He replies as two more women come into view.
"Of course she brought us." Sonia says with a grin showing sparkling white teeth. The twins had the same complexion as their older sister, along with the same black hair. The top half of Teresita's hair is pulled back into a long braid while the bottom half hangs free, the ends falling between her shoulder blades as straight as a pencil. Sonia's hair is a wild mane of curls that she's told him is nearly impossible to tame and it falls to just past her shoulders. Sylvia has wavy hair that she keeps cut in a short bob.
"We should get going." Teresita says as everyone stands up around the table. "I'll be in car one, Sonia is in car two, and Sylvia is in car three. We'll go over the talking points on the way."
Meanwhile in the Middle of Nowhere
Sam is sitting on one of the beds in their hotel room, watching Stark's press conference with Clint, Steve, and Wanda. There's been no word on if Lang's been captured or turned himself in so this is the only way they can find out if he went to the other side.
His eyes widen and he sneaks a glance at Clint to see if the man is going to blow a gasket as thirteen individuals walk onto the platform in a single file line, moving behind the table that's set up and taking their seats. At least one of them is supposed to be dead, from what Sam has heard.
Stark, of course, was the first to walk out so he's sitting at the very end of the table. He's wearing a dark gray suit with a black shirt and a black tie. Natasha sits next to him. She's wearing a red, high-waisted pencil skirt with a gray t-shirt. Vision sits down next to her in a black-on-black suit. Rhodes is next, wearing his Air Force uniform, thin braces on his legs to help him walk.
A young woman follows next and she wears an outfit similar to Natasha's except her skirt is black and her shirt is sky blue. Sam can't help but notice that she's quite pretty. The placard in front of her says her name is Darcy Lewis, Ph.D. Another woman sits next to her, a little shorter and a lot skinnier, wearing dark brown dress pants and a crème colored blouse. She's as beautiful as Natasha and Darcy Lewis. Her placard says her name is Dr. Jane Foster, Ph.D.
The next person to walk onto the stage sits next to Dr. Foster. He's an attractive, extremely tall, well-muscled black man. Black dress pants and light gray button down is his choice of outfits. The shirt's top two buttons are undone and the sleeves are rolled back over his forearms. Agent A. Mackenzie. A beautiful Hispanic woman wearing a fitted, red dress that covered her from shoulders to calves. Agent E. Rodriguez. A short, pretty woman in blue dress pants and a white shirt sits next to her. Agent D. Johnson. An even shorter, Asian woman sits next to her in dark purple pants and a pastel purple shirt, her no-nonsense expression doesn't hide how pretty she is. Agent M. May. An average, yet handsome looking man sits next to Agent May, his blue suit, white shirt, and black tie almost forgettable for how plain he looks. Director P. Coulson.
Progeny walks out next, her armor looking graceful as she walks across the stage to stand behind the center of the group, Spider-Man beside her. They are the only two wearing any kind of gear and he figures it's probably because Stark doesn't want anyone to know who they are. That can't be a good thing.
"This has to be a joke." He hears Clint whisper. "Since when is a scientist and her assistant superheroes? Since when is Coulson alive?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce the New Avengers and Shield." A Hispanic woman holding a microphone says to deafening applause. "I know that everyone is anxious to get to the questions but first, Director Coulson would like to say a few words."
The woman motions to Coulson and he nods at her before beginning.
"I would like to start by saying that I know Shield has lost a lot of trust in the world. But, I'm here to gain it back, however long that takes. One of our first steps was to work with the Accords committee to come up with some guidelines, much like the New Avengers are facing. Some of our own agents have also signed the Accords. We're aiming for more transparency in the way we work and among our agents. I, personally, will be working closely with the New Avengers, Dr. Tony Stark, and Natasha Romanov to ensure a level of trust and transparency at all times."
"What?" Steve asks in a whisper as if he's scared to speak too loud. "Why would he do that?"
Clint shakes his head before throwing himself against the back of the sofa and crossing his arms. The man honestly reminded Sam of a teenager in that moment. A sullen, pouting teenager, at that.
"We will be working closely with the New Avengers with Ms. Romanov as our liaison." Coulson continues. "Now, we've called everyone here today because we would like to give the world this opportunity to get to know us. We would like to answer as many questions as possible, as long as they do not compromise global security or the livelihood of anyone in this room, us and you alike. At the moment, we are working on setting up pages on multiple social media platforms and as soon as they are up and running, I encourage everyone to take a look. We will try to post messages daily, and a video at least once every two weeks. It will feature a different hero every time and will be called 'A Day in the Life'."
Sam tilts his head at the screen because it's an interesting tactic, opening up to the world. Making people feel like they know you so that they can relate easier and are more likely to let you help them.
"Yeah, right." Wanda says and Sam has to actively work at not rolling his eyes. "They will feed them nothing but lies and falsehoods. They manipulate and control. That is all they do."
"Dr. Stark," a blonde reporter calls out as she stands up. "Is it true that you and Colonel Rhodes have been developing braces and prosthetics specially designed for people that have been injured in the line of duty such as military personnel, law enforcement officers, state, federal, and international, and rescue workers such as firefighters and EMTs?"
Sam leans forward in his seat at those words. He'd figured Stark had built the leg braces for Rhodes but he didn't know the man was involved in work like that. He thought Stark Industries was mostly involved in electronics and tech now, since they didn't work on weapons anymore.
"Yes, Ms. Everhart, that is, in fact, true." Stark answers her after glancing at Rhodes. "Colonel Rhodes and I have been working on the technology. When Rhodey got hurt, it made me wonder, I make body armor for the military. I supply them with gadgets and technology, stuff designed to keep them from getting hurt. But, I'd never designed anything to help the soldiers and civilians after they'd been hurt. And, I decided to change that."
As Clint and Wanda muttered under their breath, Sam could only look at the floor. He'd lost friends overseas. Not all had died, but they never really came back. That's what got him into counseling in the first place. He wanted to help people injured by the war. Now, here was Stark helping them to regain most, if not full, use of their own bodies. Sam knows that it will reduce depression, anxiety, and many other illnesses that come with war.
"Dr. Foster," another reporter yells as he stands up. "Three years ago, you were captured on video, along with Ms. Lewis, helping Prince Thor when the Dark Elves attacked. The world speculated about you then, but now you're a part of the New Avengers. Is that a result of the Greenwich incident?"
"Um, no. No, it's not a result of the Greenwich incident." She answers, biting her lip and fiddling with her placard as if she's nervous. "Joining the New Avengers is a recent turn of events. Three years ago, I was studying anomalies in London, as I'm an astrophysicist. My paper on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, and the subsequent paper on the Foster-Lewis Portal, explains the work I was doing. Two of my friends were working with me on establishing a way to bridge the gap between Asgard and Midgard, while simultaneously working towards opening intergalactic communications."
"Great, now Stark has two more scientists to corrupt." Clint grumbles. "Evil robots, space monsters, now we're sending invitations. He's going to get us all killed."
He's trying to give the archer some leeway, since he just saw a ghost on television, but Sam's patience is wearing thin quickly. He's loyal to Steve, partially because they were both army, partially because of the Captain America thing, and partially because the man's like a golden retriever. But, sometimes, he wonders if Scott had the right idea.
"Director Coulson, the former Avenger known as Hawkeye was once a member of Shield. How do you feel about him being on the side of the rogue Avengers and not signing the Accords? It's my understanding that you and Ms. Romanov worked closely with him for a long time. Why didn't he side with you?"
"Well, I really can't speak for my former colleague. I would also like to know the answer to that question. But, going on what I know of him, I feel okay in assuming that he thought he was doing the right thing. He's a good man. He's done a lot of good for the world. Circumstances just landed him on the wrong side of the fence without all of the information."
Sam can't help but look at Clint as Coulson finishes speaking and the archer has his head down, staring at the floor. He doesn't look quite so angry, though. He looks more like he's thinking things over.
"Ms. Romanov, when you and Rogers dumped all of Shield's files online the whole world was able to access your personality assessment on Dr. Stark. I, personally, have read over your original report, and as someone who has done hundreds of interviews with Dr. Stark over the past decade alone, I have to strongly disagree with what you wrote. Do you also disagree with your original assessment or do you stand-by it?"
Sam winces at that and Steve makes an indignant noise. That is a brave reporter and he knows it has to sting Natasha. She isn't as cold or indifferent as she likes people to think but she prides herself on her ability to see what others don't. For someone to tell her that she was completely wrong couldn't feel good.
"The original assessment was done under circumstances that I was not fully aware of. My superiors had not seen fit to make all of the information known and the assessment was rushed. However, I will say, the assessment was wrong and that was partially intentional." Natasha glances at Stark and the man nods slightly, as if giving her permission to proceed. "Dr. Stark is an extremely valuable asset. I would go as far as to say that he was Shield's most valuable asset. Former director, Nick Fury, was aware that there was something wrong inside of Shield, but he didn't know who to trust, or what was wrong. He asked me to observe Dr. Stark over a period of 72 hours and write a quick assessment. I did as he asked, not knowing that he was worried about an internal threat. However, I learned, after 80 hours of observation that Dr. Stark was ill and the illness was causing his erratic behavior. He was reverting back to the behavior he'd displayed in his early-twenties in an effort to save those close to him from the pain of possibly losing him. After learning of this, I went to Fury with the information and we had a private meeting with Dr. Stark. After learning that we knew of his illness and were willing to help in any way possible, he began to work on getting himself better. The assessment he read after that time was my original assessment, and the only assessment that was ever recorded. Fury and Director Coulson, who was my handler at the time, decided it was best if we kept Dr. Stark apart from Shield and letting him read that report helped to keep him away. I did not question my superior's decision. I feel confident that it was the right move to make, but no, I do not agree with the original 72 hour assessment."
"Dammit." Steve hisses between his teeth, clenching his fists. "She never told me any of that."
"Why should she have?" Clint asks, speaking up again. "She's my best friend, or she was, and she never told me. Why would she have told you?"
"Because I'm the leader. I need to know these things." Steve says as he glares at the television screen. "Everything could have been different if she would have just told me."
"Not really." Clint says with a scoff. "I made some stupid ass remarks on the raft, but even I knew that report was bullshit. But, I didn't think Nat was wrong. I just thought Stark changed."
"People don't change like that." Wanda spits as she glares around the room.
"People change all the damn time." Sam adds with a sigh, shaking his head as he tries to focus back on the press conference. "They have to, or the world wouldn't make any progress."
"Ms. Lewis," an eager young reporter calls out as they stand quickly. "You and Dr. Foster disappeared from the public eye for a year, leaving word with the scientific community that you were going to study the Einstein-Rosen Bridge from the Asgardian side. What was that like and is that where you and Dr. Foster gained your powers?"
Sam perks up because he wasn't aware that the women had powers, he just thought they were working with Stark or something.
"No, actually." Lewis says with a smile. "As I'm sure most of you are aware, there has been a rise in people with powers that call themselves Inhumans. Dr. Foster and I are both Inhumans. We didn't learn of this until just over a year ago, when our powers manifested. Prince Thor was in Asgard, visiting family, when he heard of what happened. Since we didn't want to alarm anyone, or accidentally cause harm, he offered to take us to Asgard where we could learn about our new abilities and how to control them in a safe environment. Studying the Bridge was just a very big bonus. For a year, we trained with Prince Thor and Lady Sif. It was a very educational and awe-inspiring experience. Not to mention, I would've never met the love of my life if I didn't go."
"Ms. Lewis," another reporter jumps in and Sam knows the question they're going to ask. The media loves a good love story. "Who's the lucky man?"
"Oh, no. There's no lucky man." Lewis says and Sam's confusion is mirrored on the faces of everyone in the room and a good bit of people on screen. "Definitely a lucky lady, though. Or well, goddess, I should say. After all, Sif is best known on Midgard as the goddess of war."
Sam can't help but smirk at her deadpan delivery and the room full of reporters all start yelling questions. So, the world has just been introduced to their first openly gay superhero. He's honestly looking forward to what he'll see online and other news networks. He may not like being replaced by the New Avengers and he may not like being on the run, but he can admit to feeling a certain amount of glee and pride at such a public display.
"Settle down, please." Stark says, getting all of the reporters to quiet down. "Now, I know that Darcy will get some backlash, along with the New Avengers. But what I want to tell you, here and now, is that she has our full support. Darcy Lewis is one of us, that's all there is to it. And we stand by our own."
The reporters 'awe' and cheer as Lewis gets up and makes Stark stand before wrapping him in a tight hug that he easily returns. Tears are sparkling in her eyes as she beckons Natasha forward. To Sam's surprise, Natasha gets up and gives Darcy a hug from the side. Dr. Foster soon joins in, standing directly behind Lewis and wrapping her arms around the other woman's waist.
Slowly, Rhodes gets up, at Stark's urging, and joins the hug. Spider-Man is next, then Johnson and Rodriguez. Progeny joins quickly, then Vision. Mackenzie, Coulson, and May all hang back but their expressions show different degrees of amusement and fondness.
As the hug starts to break up, Lewis slips from the center and rushes Coulson, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as his eyes widen and he pats her back uncertainly before whispering something that's blocked from their view. Lewis laughs before leaning back and saying something to May who nods and rolls her eyes before stepping slightly closer to Coulson.
Johnson makes her way over as Lewis steps away, and they turn to face the reporters. The three of them look like a unit, a family. Rodriguez breaks away from the group hug and puts an arm around Mackenzie as they face the crowd, leaning into him in a way that shows a long-standing comfort between them.
Natasha stays beside Stark and they also turn to face the reporters. Rhodes is one the other side of Stark as Vision stands behind Natasha and Progeny stands behind Stark and Rhodes. Since she's almost a foot taller than them, she's not blocked from sight. They, too, look like a family unit. Sam thinks about mentioning it, but decides against it.
His eyes are drawn back to Lewis, who now has one of her arms linked with one of Foster's as they lean their heads together. They look close. Looking at the stage, it's like looking at individual family units within one big family unit and he knows that the former team looked nothing like that. They were never close enough for hugs and leaning on each other. They were never close enough for unconditional support.