Draw Me Your Worries | S. Rogers x Reader

Ch. 21 - Endgame

When Carol Danvers showed up and took them to a planet where Thanos was hiding, Steve thought that they actually stood a chance at getting the stones and bringing everyone back. Only to discover that Thanos had gone to detrimental lengths to destroy the stones, to the point where he almost killed himself. Any chance the Avengers had at snapping everyone back was gone. Thor was the one who ended Thanos' life that day.

Everyone lost hope after that.

Banner had gone to Mexico to regroup after spending so long in space. He also wanted to try and find out what was happening with him and the Hulk.

Thor disappeared, Steve could only assume he was in Norway with his people in New Asgard.

Natasha stayed at the Avengers Compound, trying to locate Barton. They found out his family had been blipped– that was what people were calling the Snap now– and he had taken to the mass murdering of criminals as, "Ronan". Steve visited her sometimes.

Tony... Tony hadn't spoken to Steve after he yelled at him at the Compound. Though he heard that he had brought Pepper to a remote cabin in Georgia.

And Steve? Well a few years after the Blip, he had started running group therapy sessions. It helped him as much as it helped other people with grief. It also reminded him of Sam and what he used to do. They talked about the people they lost, offered advice to one another, and did therapeutic exercises together. It made the constant feeling of loss feel just a bit easier, though it never went away.

In total, 5 years passed since the Blip. Almost every second had been absolutely awful. It was much, much worse than the 4 years Steve had spent without y/n because he knew that she was safe then. He was also busy. Avengers' business was grueling and time-consuming work. But these past 5 years, he had nothing to do but mourn. Steve blamed himself for all that was lost. He blamed himself for losing her.

On one of his visits to see Natasha, he found her ending a call with Rhodey as she asked about Clint once more. She was crying as she ate a peanut butter sandwich, her hands covering her face.

He leaned against a shelf, watching her. "You know, I'd offer to cook you dinner but... you seem pretty miserable already."

Nat put her hands down. "You here to do your laundry?"

"And to see a friend."

"Clearly, your friend is fine." Clearly, she wasn't.

He nodded and there was a pause before he changed the subject. "You know, I saw a pod of whales when I was coming over the bridge."

"In the Hudson?" she asked, surprised.

"There's fewer ships, cleaner water."

"You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side, umm... I'm about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich." She smirked at him.

"Hmm." He took a breath and pushed himself off of the shelf. "Sorry. Force of habit."

He put his jacket on a chair and his car keys on the table before sitting down across from Nat. She put her plate forward, but he crossed his arms and leaned back, looking at her.

"You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and grow. Some do. But not us."

"If I move on, who does this?"

"Maybe it doesn't need to be done."

She shook her head, her eyes tearing up again. "I used to have nothing. And then I got this, this job, this family. And I was... I was better because of it. And even though they're gone, I'm still trying to be better."