Phoenix

Home bound

"You shouldn't be training." Nat scolds me as she walks into the training room. I put down my staff and limp towards her and I stumble a little on my cast. She manages to catch me and she raises her eyebrow. "that's why."

"Nat it's been a week since Thanos, my body isn't healing as it should be and I have just about got my voice back I can't sit and do nothing," I explain and she sighs helping me back to my wheelchair.

"So you would rather injure yourself more than do what I tell you" She complains and I sigh.

"What do you want me to do then? Because you are the only thing I have left and I can't lose you too." I tell her and she moves closer and sits on my lap carefully placed so she doesn't hit my sling. Placing small light kisses on the cuts on my face and the bruising on my neck.

"I'm not going anywhere, your the reason my heart beats so let's do this together." She kisses my lips and I smile into the kiss the first bit of normal I have felt since this all started.

"I love you Natasha" I whisper against her lips and she moves her head away from me in shock and just searches my eyes for something.

"You mean it?"

"I mean it. I Love You."

"I- I love you too" She mumbles and flings herself around me making me wince as she hits my shoulder but I pull her in closer as she goes to move away.

"Are you telling me you both hadn't told each other you love the other before?" Rhodes asks from the doorway.

"Why are you creeping on us."

"No we hadn't" Nat answers his question and gets off me and before I can move she starts pushing me towards the doorway away from the training room.

"We just fought in like the biggest war of our lives and you too didn't think to say those three words?"

"I didn't want her to think I was saying it because it was the end of the world I wanted her to know I meant it."

"I thought the same thing," Nat tells me and I smile up at her.

"Okay, that's sickly sweet and also stupid but sure. We are waiting for you both in the briefing room."

As the three of us enter the room, and the others are around the table. "Carol has gone back up to space to see if she can find something or hopefully Tony," Steve tells me as he is stood with pepper who like all of us doesn't look like she has slept.

"So it's up to us to try and clean up the mess left behind and find a way to bring everyone home," I say and with Steve's help I stand up he hands me one of my crutches so he can move back to where he was and Nat smiles at me. "This is hard for all of us but I know everyone in this room refuses to give up, it's kind of in the name. We avenge those who we have lost and we owe it to all of them to find a way to bring them back."

"Couldn't have said it better Kiddo," Steve tells me

"So let's get to work."

We all start busing ourselves around the compound trying to get it up together and in better shape. I find Steve clearing up some things downstairs. "Hey Steve it is kind of late but I was thinking maybe you could give me a hand with something."

"Hey yeah sure. What's up? You aren't in any pain or anything do you want your wheelchair?"

"No I'm okay it's I want to shave... I know this is stupid but Dad never taught me because he said it made me look more like him but I think I need a change, and maybe you could help me cut my hair too. It's okay if you can't or don't want to." I ramble on and on and he just smiles at me.