"Stop," he says as he sees Clint and Nat fighting near the age of a cliff.
"Steve, son of Joseph...." Announces a voice which is quickly dismissed.
"what are you doing here?" Natasha asks, "did your mission go well?" Tears have fully gathered in his eyes, he is seeing one of his best friends again. She is alive.
He draws closer.
"Steve?" Clint asks as he sees his teary friend.
Steve suddenly launches himself at Natasha Romanoff, hugging her almost to death.
"Steve?" she asks as she tries to hug him back.
Both she and Clint a bit confused.
"Did you come to help us?" Clint asks and suddenly Steve breaks down, still holding Tasha tightly in his arms.
"what's wrong? What happened? Did someone die?" Nat asks. He lets go of her but his tears don't stop.
"I'm from the future and, and" Steve is chocking up, "I'm here to return the stone." He finally manages to speak. He was supposed to wait for her to die and Clint to return before he showed himself and returned the Stone but then he saw her sited on the log, he saw her struggle with Clint and couldn't just wait there. He had to do something or at least say bye to her.
Understanding dawns on Clint, "She's the one that dies, isn't she?"
He nods confirming the statement.
Natasha doesn't even bat an eye, she asks, "well does it work? Does everyone come back? Is every one okay?"
"Nat," his voice is very emotional, more emotional than it's ever been.
"Well, does it Steve?"
"it does, everyone is back and okay but,"
"then its settled, I'll just have to jump." She is on her way back to the cliff.
Steve reacts first, "wait"
"what Steve we are just delaying the inevitable. Let's just get this over with."
He holds her hand as she turns again. She looks back at him.
"Nat I miss you so much already and I know you need to do this, so I, I just want to say, I will miss you a lot and that you are a hero and that if I could I would jump instead but I think that will disturb the time line and won't help us at all." His rumbling, the Captain never rumbles.
"don't worry, you will have everyone else back, Bucky, Sam, tony, even if you guys aren't the best of friends, you won't be alone." At the mention of Tony, Steve's face falls impossibly even more. Nat notices.
"Tony is gone." He simply says
Clint "what!"
Steve turns to Clint and nods, "I don't think you are supposed to know that. It happened when Thanos followed us through one of the time lines to our time line and Tony had no choice but to snap him out of existence. The stones' radiation killed him."
"so his gone?" Nat asks. Emotions are getting higher.
"he is and he saved us all, he is in a good place."
A tear drops down Tasha's eyes "I guess I will be seeing him soon."
Steve is super sad, Clint is deep in thought, behind Steve.
"I think it's time I go, so everything can be normal then."
She walks over to Clint to hug him and say goodbye, before she does he says stops her, and asks "what happens if I die instead, will that change anything?" she says "Clint I don't think it works like that, my fate is already written and he," pointing at the keeper (red skull) "said it can't be reversed."
"but it hasn't yet happened,"
"I know, your family is back and I am sure they will be happy to see you."
"Nat I don't want to lose you, you have been my best friend, saved my ass plenty of times. You have done so much good lately, it isn't fair that you die, I on the other hand have done terrible things, which I know can be forgiven."
"Clint stop; your family needs you."
"the world needs you too. You deserve it more than I do." he replies.
She shakes her head. "no, it doesn't, this is my gift to the world. This is me giving the world what it needs. You have to see your kids grow, you have so much to live for." She looks down "and I don't, I can't have children Clint but you have and they need their father." They were both crying.
"they will be ashamed of me; of what I have done." She shakes her head again.
"you may have made bad choices but you did it to criminals, who don't deserve to live, you killed people who were killing the few that remained. You are a hero; your family will see that."
"you trying to justify me? Well it isn't working."
"I did a lot worse and you know that and I need to do this." She finally hugs him and he doesn't argue. He just hugs her back. "I love you Clint, you have been my oldest friend and appreciate all you did for me, you helped me change the world and for that, you deserve the world. So bye and enjoy your life." She let go of him.
"I love you too, Nat." he says finally accepting her fate. She smiles.
She looks back at Steve he is just there waiting, dreading every minute of this but it has to go through.
She looks at him and smiles a sad smile. "Steve, I have an idea for you. You deserve happiness more than everybody I know so I need you to do me a favour. I want you to go back in time, find Peggy and be happy, she is the love of your life and you deserve to be happy" He kisses her immediately she stops talking, Shocking all, but Clint most of all.
Natasha kisses him back instantly. This is a very different kiss from what they have been used to for the past 7 years. This one feels different, it feels more real than the other, it is the final one, it's a good buy kiss. Sure they had done this many a time with the intent for sex and it never ruined their friendship. They were friends with benefits and both were fine with it. But for her it was the perfect way to go, she thought. When they finally pulled away from each other. He said "I love you so much Nat. this is so hard." He was crying again. She reached up to wipe a tear away.
"I know it is, but I promise you Steve you will be happy with Peggy, and you need it. I love you so much, you have no idea. You showed me what it felt like to have a family, I am grateful and nothing will make me happier than you being the happiest." She hugs him tighter than anything. This is where their story ends. Two people from different worlds with different backgrounds, thrown together by hush reality. They were both lonely but became lonely together, or so they thought, with each other they were never lonely, even as avengers came and went they stuck together like a cemented house. They were the best for the world together, even as the world fell to shits and depressed them.
The hug ended and they just smiled at each other sadly. Clint joined them.
"I was not expecting that,"
"it's complicated." Steve stated, Natasha argued, saying
"it's not, we were fuck buddies and you don't need to know the details."
"hmmm, it certainly feels like,"
"Clint!" Natasha warned him.
All was quiet and it was time for it to happen.
"I love you guys and I need you to live your best lives. No being depressed over this okay," they didn't answer. "okay?" she repeated. Clint said, okay and Steve just nodded.
She walked to the cliff and none of them said anything. She looked back one last time, smiled then turned to her death.
She jumped into a free fall, feeling more peaceful than she ever did.
