Naviadna Mingle

[thespaceopera]

Who: Everyone
Broadcast: If you want!
Action: Anywhere on the fleet or in the system
When: The month of June



Welcome to Naviadna! Enjoy the beautiful sights, amazing technology, and all the other wonderful things this system has to offer! Where will you go? What sort of shenanigans will you get up to? How are you dealing with the planet's insistent singing at you?

Have fun!

(( System Info here ))

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

[The silence that follows is probably enough of an answer. But she owes Steve an answer.

She'd rather he hear it from her.]

The Soul Stone requires a sacrifice. The only way to get it was for one of us to die.

[She knows he won't want to hear it, but he would do the same in her place.]

We disagreed over who it would be. I won that fight.

[brooklyn_boy]

No...

[Steve knows. He knows the minute her face sets and silence spreads out between them. He holds up his hands as though he can push away her words before they get to him and become real. It doesn't work.

Steve's eyes clench shut]

Even when we win we lose. God...

[He turns on his heel and smacks a fist hard into the side of the building.]

Damn it.

[outstandingbalance]

Steve—[She cuts off short. Steve is entitled to his feelings. To his anger. It's not fair, not what she would have picked if she could. She shouldn't try to undermine it.

But his anger makes it more real. And there's something unnerving about it. There's something somehow dizzying about wanting to comfort her friends over her own death.]

It's okay. I know... I know it's not easy. Or right. But someone had to do it, and I could.

[She puts her hand on his shoulder lightly, urging him to face her.]

I don't like it either, but it's done. It's the only way to get James back, and Same, and Wanda. There are so many people... I'm okay with that.

[brooklyn_boy]

[He turns and immediately pulls her into a hug.]

It's wrong. It's wrong to trade lives like this.

[And him of all people saying that is the height of irony and he knows it. Steve just shakes his head and pulls back to look at an older, wearier Nat. The last one he will ever get to see no matter what happens next.]

It shouldn't have happened like this. I'm sorry, Nat. I'm so sorry...

[outstandingbalance]

[Her arms snake over his shoulders, returning the hug, rubbing his back while he holds onto her. As long as he needs it.

Even when he backs off, she doesn't try to pull away, staying closer, staying in contact.]

Hey, Rogers. I'm still right here.

[There's a shine on her eyes, but she holds back any tears that might be threatening.]

No need to get all maudlin on me.

[brooklyn_boy]

[Steve rubs a thumb under one of those bright eyes. His own are a matching set, shiny but staying dry for now. Gently he leans in to press a kiss onto her forehead and squeeze his arm around her shoulders once more.]

Have you told Winter?

[outstandingbalance]

[She winces at that.]

Not yet. I needed a little time first.

[Because she has an idea how he'll respond.]

He might be able to go home now, though. He could have a life there...

If it worked out.

[brooklyn_boy]

Nat.

[He takes a step back and crosses his arms over his chest. Okay. This he could deal with. This was at least familiar ground.]

So what is your plan, then? Staying here, alone, knowing for damn sure he'll never come back?

[outstandingbalance]

My plan went off the rails when I jumped off a cliff. I'm not working with a script here.

[She wasn't supposed to have to deal with consequences.]

But I can't ask him to give up everything for whatever happens to me now. If we even have a choice.

[brooklyn_boy]

He loves you. You can't honestly believe he wouldn't want to take that risk. You're his 'everything' now.

You gotta at least let him make the call.

[outstandingbalance]

I'm not his everything. He's got you. He's got—he has a future.

[She rubs her face. It would be better if Bucky got used to the idea she doesn't have one of those now.]

There's work to do.

[brooklyn_boy]

[Steve has to flinch at that because of course Nat knows him well enough to know that he's planning on going home. It's not something he's talking about, yet. God knows this is the hardest decision he'll likely ever make but Nat sussed him out in five seconds.]

You ever think that you might be his future? Nat...I have seen him date all sorts of girls. He glows whenever he talks about you.

[He grips her shoulder tight.]

Let him make the call. You're worth it.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha knows what he's planning because she knows what she was planning to do before it stopped being an option. There was never a real chance Natasha would give up the mission.]

I'm not going to make the choice for him, but I know him. He'll stay for me, even if it's not what's best for him.

[brooklyn_boy]

Him staying and what's good for him isn't mutually exclusive.

[Steve nudges her before letting out a long sigh.]

This whole thing is a mess. Staying and going. I think part of me liked it better when the choice was out of our hands.

[outstandingbalance]

We don't have a choice yet. Could be we're getting ahead of ourselves.

[brooklyn_boy]

It's not wrong to come up with a plan. Who knows how much time we'll have to decide?

[outstandingbalance]

And there's no way of knowing what we won't have accounted for when we were planning. Life has a way of throwing curve balls.

[brooklyn_boy]

[Too soon. Steve winces but nods his acceptance of that.

He exhales then and avoids her eyes.]

I think Bucky is planning on staying. My Bucky...

[outstandingbalance]

[She's not entirely surprised but that, but it raise some questions.]

But you're not?

[brooklyn_boy]

[Steve looks up, face pained.]

We don't know what happened, Nat. Your sacrifice can't be in vain...

[outstandingbalance]

I'm not judging, Steve. I'd do the same. I'd do the same now, if I could.

[But she's not coming back. She knows that. It was made very clear.]

[brooklyn_boy]

[Steve rubs his hand over his face.]

God. This is all such a mess. [He looks at Nat with a small, sad smile.]

Just had to be the hero, huh?

[outstandingbalance]

You going to tell me you'd have done anything different?

[Really, Steve. Really?]

It was me or Clint.

[Or let billions stay dead.]

[brooklyn_boy]

No. No, I would have done the same.

[He's half surprised he didn't.]

If it was me or Buck up there. Or me and you. Yeah, I would have done the same thing.

[outstandingbalance]

Bold of you to assume you'd have done any better stopping me than Clint did.

[Giving a little smile herself, weak but with a hint of cocky humor.]