She's not sure what to tell him. She doesn't know if she should just say it outright or if she should stay quiet and let him find out on his own.
"I thought it was gonna be worse." He joked, raising his braced arm.
She doesn't meet his eyes. "Yeah. Me too."
Just like that, he knows something is wrong. "What?" She shakes her head. "What?" He asks more insistently. She averts her gaze. "Pep, tell me."
"Nat's dead." A voice from behind her says. Cursing the intruder silently, she knows Clint, of all people, would've been the one to tell Tony.
"What?" Tony's voice, so disbelieving, sounding as if Clint suggested the mechanic should blow up the arc reactor. "That can't be right."
The archer's face grows hard. "It is. I watched it."
She knows how hard it must've been for Clint to watch the assassin's fall. The two had been so close, so in tune. She couldn't imagine losing Tony like that. It was like losing your other half.
Clint buries his hands in his face. "I knew something was off. I should've been there. It's my fault." His voice breaks. "I could've stopped it."
"You couldn't have." She tries to tell him, but they all know he won't listen. Sparing a look at Tony, she realizes he hasn't moved since he found out. "Tony?"
"She can't be dead, Pepper." She knows how affected he is when he uses her full name. His relationship with the redhead was something she couldn't explain.
It wasn't like the way it was with Clint's, she knew for sure. But they had a sense of comfort with the other. Tony opened up to Natasha in a way she couldn't understand. Maybe it was because they shared a similar history was the reason they bonded so well.
She says nothing.
She knows Steve entered the room as soon as she feels a gloved hand on her shoulders. Without her common sense's consent, she turns around and starts to sob on his uniform. If he's surprised, he doesn't say anything. All he does is pull her closer and stroke her hair. She's grateful.
She can't remember anything after. All she remembers is how Natasha was her first female friend. Nat was the one she could vent to, the one she felt was a sister. But most importantly, Natasha was her best friend. And her best friend was gone.
