The Man My Father Always Talked About • A CAPTAIN AMERICA STORY

51

~51~

The next morning, Clara shifted awake in her bed with Steve's arm still around her waist. Though it was already nine in the morning, the sun still hadn't decided to shine. It felt like ever since the snap, even the sky was grieving. She gently got up, placing Steve's arm on the bed as softly as she could so she wouldn't wake him. Before leaving her room, she slipped on an old sweatshirt. She waked silently down the halls of the compound, her bare feet tapping on the wooden floor as she entered the kitchen. She yawned as she reached for a coffee cup and filled it. As she turned around, she was met by Natasha. Clara almost dropped her cup due to shock. "Where'd you come from?" Clara asked, trying to calm herself from her little scare.

"The living room. I was trying to find Steve, but he wasn't in his room." She said with a smirk as she raised her eyebrow. Clara looked down as the color in her cheeks flushed, knowing Nat knew where Steve was. Clara poured her friend a cup of coffee before sitting across from her. "Spending nights with Rogers again are we?" Natasha smirked before taking a sip of her coffee and making Clara blush.

"It's not like we haven't done it before," Clara chuckled. "And we don't do anything."

"That's what you want us to believe," Natasha mumbled, making Clara playfully kick her under the table. They both giggled silently before the room filled with its usual sorrow. "How are you holding up?"  She asked, gently resting her hand over her friend's.

"I'm fine." She answer, but Natasha knew she was lying. "It's worse not knowing what happened to him than waiting for an answer."

Natasha nodded her head. "He'll come back."

"I hope you're right." Clara sighed. She met Nat's eyes and saw the same pain she had seen in her own reflection. "Have you heard anything about Clint? Was he..."

"I want to say I hope he's still out there," Natasha said. "But I've seen the monitors."

"You don't mean..." Clara started and Natasha nodded.

"All of them," she said solemnly. Natasha had loved Clint's family like her own. She couldn't imagine what she was going through. It was Clara's turn to comfort her friend.

"What about Carol? Have you heard from her?" Clara asked. She had been too consumed in her grief that she hadn't paid much attention to anything else going on around the compound.

"Not yet. All I know is that she's tracking down a ship the raccoon described to her." Natasha replied. She was about to say something else before a familiar fur ball walked into the kitchen. He jumped up on the counter and pulled out a coffee mug before filling it up. Natasha and Clara gave each other a look before Clara cleared her throat.

"Sleep well?"

"Like a baby." Rocket answered sarcastically as he took a sip of his coffee. "I don't really like this earth place, but this stuff is freaking delicious." Rocket took his coffee and left, the two women looking at each other in confusion.

"I've seen aliens, robots, gods, and an angry green scientist, but that is still the craziest thing I have ever seen." Clara said, taking a sip of the warm liquid.

"At least I'm not the only one." Natasha said before sipping on her coffee as well.

"Every time the world seems to get a little less crazy, something even crazier shows up." Clara said.

"We'd be out of a job without crazy." Natasha added. The floor creaked, causing the two to turn to see who it was now. Clara smiled softly as she saw Steve's hair sticking out everywhere as he rubbed his beard. He wore a white t-shirt along with a pair of navy blue sweatpants. He looked...normal, something the Avengers never looked as they were usually in their Avenging super suits.