Y/N WONDERED IF it was really possible to move on. For him it was hard, but he thought about the other half of the universe that was dealing with the same thing. There were kids without parents...parents without their kids...people without their partners. Other folks probably had it worse and he couldn't keep dwelling on his grief.

It had been a couple weeks since Thor murdered Thanos. The Asgardian hadn't been at the compound since then, and the last they heard was that he settled in Norway with a few of his surviving people.

Tony hadn't been back either, but Y/N didn't blame him. After almost dying in space he preferred to spend all his time with Pepper. A part of him also figured Stark still had a grudge against Steve from what happened in Siberia and the whole two-year split up.

Carol Danvers bid them well and went back into space. But she said she'd keep in contact with them if they ever needed anything. Same went for Nebula and Rocket, who left in the Benatar. Banner also moved out, wanting to isolate himself for a while to figure out his situation with the Hulk.

The people who stayed at the compound were Y/N, Natasha, Steve, Pietro, and Rhodey. It felt a bit lonely, since most of the staff that was once there had gone. Helen Cho, who fortunately survived the snap, reunited with them and said she'd stop by time to time.

But there was one person Natasha thought about during the two weeks...Yelena.

She hadn't been able to contact her and feared that her sister had perished. Y/N hoped that wasn't the case and comforted Natasha. But they ended up getting the answer to their question not long afterwards...

"We have a guest at the door, Lieutenant." FRIDAY informed the soldier in the lounge. Natasha had entered the room right when the A.I spoke.

"Do you know who it is?" Y/N asked FRIDAY.

"I have no records of her. Would you like to see the feed?"

"Please."

A projection came out of the counter they stood by and displayed the feed outside the door. It was a short blonde-haired female, waiting with hands in her coat pockets. Immediately, Natasha's eyes widened as she looked at the screen.

"Oh, my God."

She ran out of the lounge and through the hall. Y/N followed close behind and the two made it to the door. Natasha quickly opened it and looked into the eyes of her sister.

"Natasha." Yelena said with a surprised look.

The older blonde lunged at Yelena and hugged her. She reciprocated the embrace and nestled her face against her shoulder.

"Thank God, your okay." Natasha said with her voice breaking.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you." Yelena replied amidst the hug.

Natasha pulled away and wiped away a tear that stuck to her cheek. Yelena looked at Y/N standing beside her.

"The love bear." She greeted.

Y/N lightly chuckled. "It's great to see you again, Yelena."

The younger sister smiled and pulled him in for a hug as well. Afterward, they invited her into the compound.

"We were in Europe when it happened." Yelena started to explain. They sat at the dining table as the younger blonde drank a beer. "It was so surreal. Seeing some of the girls vanishing before my very eyes. I didn't know how to react."

Natasha sat beside her sister and rubbed Yelena's back. Y/N sat across from them with his own drink in hand.

"Pa's gone." Yelena looked at Natasha. "Mom too."

The older sister exhaled and pulled her in close. They pressed their foreheads against each other as Natasha tried to hold back her tears.

"But at least we have each other." She told Yelena, in which she nodded. "That's what they would've wanted."

Y/N looked down at his hands holding the bottle on the table and sighed. The newfound fact that Natasha and Yelena lost their parents pained him as well. Nobody should have to experience that.

"Are you guys doing all right?" Yelena asked them. "I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one dealing with this."

"We're...all right." Natasha replied and looked at her boyfriend. He didn't look back, his eyes still glued to his hands.

Yelena noticed his mood. "Are you all right?"

Y/N finally looked up to her question. He gave a slow nod. "Yeah."

There was a moment of silence afterward, and the soldier figured the younger blonde didn't believe his answer. He let out a sigh.

"You make bonds with people...friendships...throughout the years. I wake up in this new world not knowing anybody or anything...and along the way I met special people." Y/N said. "Now some of those people are gone...and I'll never see them again. All because I didn't try hard enough."

Natasha shot a look at him. "What did I say about—"

"Blaming myself? I know. I know." He interjected. "I shouldn't do that but...but I do."

"Listen to my sister." Yelena said sincerely. "You can't keep bottling up that guilt. It's not healthy."

He nodded and gave a soft smile before looking back down at his hands. "Yeah, you're right."

As they continued speaking, Pietro walked into the lounge and was on his way to the kitchen. He looked to his right and saw the three at the dining table.

"Hey." He greeted but stopped in his tracks after seeing the younger blonde. Pietro crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Who's this?"

"My sister, Yelena." Natasha introduced. "Yelena, this is Pietro."

Yelena smiled and gave a nod. Pietro smiled back and looked at Natasha. "You have a sister?"

His tone of voice immediately alerted the older sister and she rolled her eyes. "Okay. Bye, Pietro."

• • •

THE QUINJET LANDED on the field in front of the farmhouse. Y/N and Natasha exited the aircraft and looked upon Barton's property. The soldier put his hands into his sweater pockets and sighed.

"Do you think he's here?" He asked.

Natasha didn't know. Seeing the farm alone along with the outgrown crops gave her an ominous feeling.

"Let's hope." She replied.

They walked up to the house. Natasha knocked but there was no answer. After trying again, Y/N turned the doorknob and realized it was unlocked. The soldier entered the house first, but upon turning to his left, he reacted by leaning backward and kept Natasha back. An arrow flew by his face and hit the wall nearby.

Clint sat at the dining table across the room, his bow on the table along with several beer cans. He looked at the two before dropping his head back down.

"Clint?" Natasha called out and eased her way toward him. Y/N wanted to pull her back as he wasn't sure how Barton's mental state was, but ultimately let her go.

"I didn't hear the knock." Clint said dejectedly. "Sorry."

The two stood beside the table with Natasha placing a hand on his shoulder. Y/N looked around the room, seeing it being messier than it should with items scattered everywhere. He didn't even need to wonder where Laura and the kids were...it hit him immediately as well as Natasha.

"We're here for you. Come back with us." She said.

"I left everything behind for them." Clint spoke abruptly. "I settled down. We were happy. I was finally there...as a father and husband." He paused for a second before slamming his fist down at the table. "Was I not allowed to have that? Is this what was meant for me?"

"Clint—" Y/N tried to speak.

"Now they're gone! They were ripped away from me before my very eyes! I didn't even get to think before realizing my whole family vanished!"

He got up from the table and went over to the window. Clint leaned against the wall and looked out of it as he continued.

"Why couldn't it have been me?" Clint tried to calm himself. "Why couldn't I have gone with them?"

Natasha walked up to him. "Clint, we're all hurting. We need to be there for each other more than ever now. Please. Let us help."

Clint shook his head. "You two will never experience the feeling of losing a family. Losing your children. And you should thank God for that."

The blonde didn't know if that was a direct reference to her inability to have kids of her own. She didn't want to think so, but with his current emotional state, she wouldn't have taken it to heart.

"Please go." He said. "Leave me alone."

Y/N went up to Natasha and placed his hands on her shoulders. He caressed them and she nodded, understanding that their friend wanted time to himself.

"If you need anything, Barton, you know where we are." Y/N said. "You're our family, too."

Clint didn't reply and kept looking out the window. The couple gave a somber look at each other before leaving the household.

• • •

OKOYE STOOD IN hologram form within the office Y/N and Natasha were in. They sat at a table while the Dora Milaje general spoke to them.

"Queen Mother is keeping everything in check here. And she's staying strong."

With both T'Challa and Shuri gone, Queen Ramonda was alone. She now had to rule Wakanda without her son, daughter, and husband...and that saddened Y/N.

"Tell her if she needs anything I'm here." Y/N glanced at Natasha beside him. "We're here."

"Thank you. I'll make sure to tell her that." Okoye replied with a nod. She then bid farewell. "Good night."

The call ended and her hologram dissipated. Y/N and Natasha still sat at the table with the blonde having her feet up while the soldier leaned back against the seat.

He looked up at the ceiling and after a moment of silence began to speak. "A trip to Wakanda sounds nice."

"What?" She asked.

"We could go visit just to visit. No hero shit or anything."

"It might be a little too soon."

Y/N sighed. "Yeah."

Natasha looked at him, her feet still kicked up. "How about Paris?"

"But you're okay with Paris?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I mean, we didn't just fight a war there."

"Rogers did." The man said recalling its liberation in World War II.

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't think we'd be inviting him. "

He laughed and looked at his girlfriend with a smile. "Paris sounds nice. I've never been there."

"You'll love it."

This had been their first normal conversation in the last two weeks. It was as if they were attempting to move on...leaving their initial grief and sadness behind for at least a moment.

Y/N got up from his seat and looked at Natasha. "It's getting pretty late. Wanna watch a movie or something before we go to bed?"

"Depends what movie." She replied.

"That's what the catalog is for. Who knows? Maybe we'll fall asleep scrolling through it." He said. "Come on."

Natasha kept sitting down and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Too lazy."

"You're not serious."

"I'm not moving from this seat."

"Really?"

"You know what you have to do."

He chuckled. "You're something else."

Y/N lifted Natasha from the chair and held her bridal style. She let out a laugh before looking into the soldier's eyes.

At the moment they both felt happy, which was a rare feeling to have in the last month. The two of them sharing a laugh and having childish fun brought back the warmth within.

"Okay, princess." He started to walk while carrying her. "Do you want me to gather snacks as well?"

"No." She replied. "I don't want crumbs on the bed."

He let out a chuckle and continued down the corridor.

These moments were something they were going to have to cherish. With the vanishing of half the universe, it felt like anything could go wrong. You could be with someone one day...and then lose them the next. Y/N wanted to keep the people he had close. He didn't want to lose them...he couldn't lose them.

He had to live with what he had now. Fully moving on could be a task, but he knew he had to one day. Being with Natasha could make it easier, as she needed to do so as well. Along with Steve, Pietro, and Rhodey in the compound...they had to support one another during this emotional time.

They were survivors.

They were friends.

They were family.

END OF: INFINITY WAR