No Tears | NR

Chapter 68

Avengers Compound, USA

"So that was you in Moscow," Yara spoke up and looked up from her computer. She had been sitting around all day long, looking up all the locations that the six infinity stones had been at in the past. Her mind was spinning, and she felt the early beginnings of a painful headache throbbing in her head. It had been a while since she had sat this long in front of a screen without any breaks whatsoever. She was glad that she had taken a few days off from her job to be able to put all of her energy into this mission.

Clint looked up from the tablet in front of him. He was trying to single out the best potential moments to get each one of the stones, just like the rest of them. Yara and Clint were sitting a little ways away from the others in a separate room, quietly working by themselves. Yara hadn't been able to focus with the others talking around her all the time. Somehow, Clint had ended up in the same room with her.

"Yeah. Right. Moscow. I remember that," Clint responded. He didn't seem like he wanted to remember Moscow, though. "Didn't realize you know Natasha."

Yara smiled, trying to loosen the tension. "Didn't realize you know Natasha." She stressed the 'you'.

Clint smiled weakly. "True, I guess. How long have you known her?"

Yara thought back to Norway and had to fight a smile at the memory. "It's been a few years now. Seven, I think." She was quiet for a moment, before she spoke again. "You know, she talked about you a lot before..."

"Thanos?" Clint finished her sentence knowingly.

"Yeah. She missed you and never stopped looking for you."

Clint looked down at his hands with guilt written all over his face. "I know. But I..."

Yara stopped him from saying more. "No need to explain. I get it. Just... talk to her."

Clint looked up at Yara and smiled sadly. "You're good for her, you know? I've known Nat for a long time, and even with everything that happened and all those people that are gone, she has never been like this."

Yara raised her eyebrow, not being certain what he meant. "You mean..." She waited for Clint to finish her sentence.

"... she has never let herself just - be herself around people before. Not like she does now."

Yara was surprised. Had Natasha truly changed that much. But then she thought back to the cold, emotionless woman she had met all those years ago. She was definitely different now, less stoic and cold and more human and open. Yara would never take the credit for that, though.

That night, unease wouldn't let Yara fall asleep. She couldn't shake the distinct feeling that something would go terribly wrong. When she finally did manage to fall asleep, nightmares plagued her dreams. She tossed and turned, waking up Natasha on several occasions. It was the last nightmare, however, that had Yara shoot up in bed all of a sudden, waking up Natasha once more. She had had this nightmare before. The first time she had dreamed it had been in Wakanda.

"Everything okay?" Natasha asked with a raspy voice.

Yara was panting and didn't answer. Sweat was running down her face and her shirt stuck to her wet body. She couldn't stop shivering.

"Nightmare?"

Yara still didn't answer. Natasha sat up next to Yara and turned her body to face her. "Yara."

The brunette finally turned her head to meet Natasha's eyes and blinked.

"Are you okay?" Natasha asked once again.