sunset. [wanda maximoff] ✔

3.7

Tony Stark didn't know what to do with himself.

The billionaire had walked out to the dock that rested on the side of the lake, the bench that Scottie was often see sitting on now occupying the man. Steve trailed softly behind as he came to stand on the dock, watching as Tony stared out across the water. There was a tough silence between them as Tony seemed to stare out across the lake at nothing. Steve knew he was picturing the amount of times they used to find the girl swimming in the lake or out on a paddle boat with Wanda.

"She was my everything, Cap. I have Pepper and I have Morgan, but Scottie was the first person that really fully brought me back to being just me. I said I'd always protect her, and I've failed her."

Steve shook his head, placing a firm hand on Tony's shoulder as he heard a few more sets of footprints approach them. They didn't know for sure that Scottie was dead the way Clint knew Natasha was, but they were pretty sure they would never be seeing her again. She had made the fact she might not return very clear.

"She'd never believe that, Tony. She knew the sacrifices that we might need to make and she wouldn't want you crying over her decision. Whatever reason she did what she did, she thought it was right. And she's a better person because of the lessons you taught her."

There was a deep silence as the rest of the original team joined them. Clint stood closest to the water as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact he had just lost two of the closest friends he ever had.

"Do we know if she had family?" Tony asked, his question directed towards Clint as it was obvious who he was asking about. He was Scottie's family obviously, but he never knew if Natasha had family.

"Yeah, us."

Clint knew Natasha had biological family. He didn't know if they were still alive or not but he knew she had them. But this was her real family, the people sitting on the patio overlooking the lake. No one had ever loved and supported Natasha the way the Avengers had - even if Bruce and Natasha had an awkward failed romance in the mix too.

Thor grunted behind them in a heavy frustration as he stared at the four other men standing on the dock with him.

"Why are we acting like they're dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring Nat back, isn't that right? We can bring them both back! So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together!" Thor yelled at them, his gut swinging slightly as he exclaimed with force. He knew what had happened, but he just couldn't let himself believe he had just lost more people.

Clint rested on the ground as he didn't look up. "We can't get them back. It can't be undone. It can't."

Thor dryly laughed, Tony's head snapping to face him at the noise. "I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definitive don't you think?"

Clint rose to his feet, his chest heaving slightly as he got angry at Thor's misplaced optimism and condescending words. No-one else had been there - they didn't understand that Natasha had truly made the biggest sacrifice yet.

"Look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she? It can't... be undone. Or that's at least what the, great floating guy had to say!" His voice rose to a shout as he got more emotional at the fact Natasha, his partner in crime, was gone. "Maybe you wanna go talk to him? Okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him!"

Everyone fell silent as the man's angry face fell into one of a deep grief that they all understood. Tony wanted nothing more than to get up and tell the man that he understood what he was feeling, but they were different people and they grieved much differently.