In Your Eyes // Steve Rogers

Far Beyond Earth

SPOILERS FOR CAPTAIN MARVEL & AVENGERS: ENDGAME

I zipped back to the current place in time. The pager, still flashing the blue, red, and yellow symbol proudly, sat on the pavement. The street around it had looked the same as the day the Snap occurred: quiet, desolate, destructed.

I scooped the pager carefully into my hands, then stepped through a portal to the Compound. I walked throughout the front corridor, calling softly out for my fellow teammates. My voice echoed along the silent halls.

Footsteps responded to my echoing voice. I raised my head to the balcony. Natasha stepped into my eyesight, placing her hands on the railing. She offered a small smile.

"Back so soon?" she called down.

"How soon is 'so soon'?" I questioned, stepping through a portal to meet her on the balcony.

"It's been two days," she said, nodding softly. I watched the tears well in her eyes, but she swallowed, ridding them.

We embraced. Her eyes fell to my hands, squinting at the sight of the pager. Grief in her eyes switched quickly to purpose, a light, and she hurried off to call over the sound system
for everyone to gather in the Briefing Room.

I set the pager in the center of the table. Natasha and I found ourselves leaning on separate chairs, across the table from each other.

"Has he been okay?" I asked softly. I shook my head. "You've been with him more than I have lately, I just..."

"He understands. It's been hard not having you here to lean on, but he knows you are better off up there. And I know a little about dealing with a flame leaving," said Natasha, smirking in reminisce.

Quick footsteps had our heads turn to the door. Bruce stepped through, his eyes wide with worry. They softened when he saw it was just me. Natasha and I shared a soft laugh as he came forward to hug me.

"Clara, hi," he said. He pulled away from me and examined my face, my being. "You were stabbed by him, you're healed? Are you okay?"

I chuckled and patted his hands. "It's okay, Bruce. Not much can do true damage, so long as I make it home."

"And where do you consider home these days?" wondered Rhodey, as he joined the conversation. He shot me a smile. "Up in the stars?"

"Somewhat up there," I agreed. I twiddled my thumbs nervously. I found it odd, how, even after all these years, just the thought of Steve was still able to make me nervous.

"Somewhat right there," muttered Natasha, raising her eyebrow.

I followed her eye line to the door, where, again, my breath hitched when I saw him. Steve stepped through the door, standing tall, his eyes, his entire face— stoic, hard. He thought the call for a meeting meant poor news, so he had stitched himself together to be the leader he always was, to show little weakness. But I knew him. I knew the toll the fight on Thanos had taken on him. I knew the toll my immediate leaving had taken on him. It was clear he hadn't expected me back for a long while, so when his eyes met me, he stopped in his tracks. His face softened entirely. His lips moved to say my name, but nothing came out.

I blinked slowly at him, my face forming into a sad smile. "Hello, Steve."

He faltered for a moment, unsure of my true presence. "You're here," he said, although it exited like a question.

"What is this?" interrupted Bruce, entirely missing the moment between Steve and I. Since he left my embrace, the monotonous beeping of the pager had caught and held his attention. "A pager? I haven't seen one of these since... God, what, the 90s?"