Separate Universe (HP/MCU)

Chapter Seventy Three

Day one after losing Bucky and Henry was one of the worst days of Nanala's life. She hadn't slept the entire night before, meaning she was running low on energy. She hadn't allowed anyone to check out the cut on her arm, but her lack of sleep made her magic weak—too weak to heal her wounds. Her head still hurt, and her entire body was tired and in pain. Steve tried to get her checked out, but she refused it completely.

That morning she laid in bed in the Avengers facility, replaying the memory of Bucky turning to dust over and over again. Nothing was going to distract her, and she knew she'd never be able to change what was on her mind. As she laid their, wallowing in pain and sorrow, she heard her phone start ringing. At first she was going to ignore it, but for some reason, her gut was telling her she needed to turn over and answer the phone.

"Hello?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"Nala? Thank god!" Clint cried, causing Nanala to sit up.

"Clint? Are you okay?" She asked, forgetting her sorrow for a moment.

"They're gone, Nala, all of them. I don't know what happened, they just disappeared and--" He began, but Nanala cut him off.

"Thanos happened, Clint. H-he took everything from us. I lost, we lost." She said, making his heart feel like it stopped.

"Come home, we, I don't know what we can do—I just need to know you're safe." He croaked, causing Nanala to frown.

"I—they're trying to find Thanos, Clint. I'm going to stay and see if I can help, but if they don't..." She trailed off, and he sighed.

"You'll be able to find me. You have six weeks, then I'm not so sure." He answered, making her try to hold in a cry.

"I will find you, and we will stay together." She murmured, knowing he'd be the only one to hold her together, keeping her from completely falling apart.

The moment their call ended, Nanala threw herself back on the bed and let out a sob. Not only had she lost Bucky and Henry, but she lost the woman that was like a mother to her, and the kids she loved as her brothers and sister. She lost most of her family, and it was all in a snap. She doubted they'd ever find Thanos, and she really doubted they'd ever be able to fight him again and win.

"Nala?" She heard, but she didn't react,"You need to eat something. You've lost a lot of blood, and the trauma to your head and body needs food to heal." Steve said, but Nanala didn't turn to grab the food.

Steve sighed and sat the food on the bedside table, before he sat down on the bed next to Nanala. He listened to her sniffles, as she tried to keep herself from crying more.

"I know you're hurting, but Henry and Bucky wouldn't want you destroying yourself more. You need to eat and drink. You need sleep," He said,"I let you go without seeing a doctor for your injuries, but I need you to work with me, otherwise you'll end up in the medbay." He added, but she acted as though she didn't care.

Steve sighed, but he didn't know what else he could do. She needed time to heal and grieve—they all did. She had lost a lot more than most people. Honestly, Clint was the only other person that could understand the amount of pain and grief she was feeling.

"What can I do to help you?" Steve asked, his voice low and pleading.

"Why do you keep trying, Steve?" She asked, finally talking to him,"I lost everything. The only person in my family that is left is Clint, his wife and kids are gone. I seriously don't think a sandwich and a bottle of water is going to fix that." She snipped, causing Steve's heart to hammer in his chest.

He hadn't known about Clint's wife and kids, but now that he knew, he felt even worse. Nanala had lost almost everything, and she felt alone.

"We're your family too, Nala," Steve said,"Nat, Rhodey, Thor, Pepper, and I. You're not alone. You still have us." He added, but Nanala simply shook her head.

How could he say that? Yes, she considered them kind of like family, but none of them were as close to her as Clint, his family, Bucky, and Henry. She loved the Avengers, yes, but it wasn't the same. Life was feeling like it was crumbling around her. She felt like she was under water, and she couldn't pull herself up as she drowned.

"I'm still not eating. I'm not hungry, I'm not thirsty. I just want to rest." She replied, making him sigh.

"But you're not, Nala. I can see the bags under your eyes. You didn't sleep at all last night. Your magic requires rest, and we both know you're not getting any." Steve commented, causing Nanala to sigh shakily.

"What do you want from me, Steve?" She questioned,"What do you want me to say? Do you want me say that I'm sad? That I'm hurting more than I can deal with? That I'm lost, and I don't care about my health?" She snipped,"What do you want me to say, Steve? Wha-what do you want?" Her voice began to crack,"They're gone. My family is gone. I lost everything." She said, as tears began to swell in her eyes.

"Nala--" Steve tried, but she didn't let him speak.

"THEY'RE GONE! I LOST EVERYTHING!" She screamed, as tears started cascading down her already rosy cheeks.

Steve slowly walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She cried into his chest, as he tried to calm her down.

"I can't do this. It hurts too much. Make it stop hurting, please." She sobbed, as Steve had to hold in his own tears.

Hearing her heartbroken voice made him want to cry. He had to be there for her, try to pick up the pieces as best as he could. The problem was, how was he supposed to help her, when he was also broken and falling apart?