You pull the gloves tight over your hands, fingertips trembling slightly, though not from fear. Nerves, maybe. The kind that live deep in your stomach, the kind you’ve learned to suppress with quiet breathwork and practiced focus. Trained composure. BIack Widow poise.

Across the room, Steve stands by the window, head bowed. He holds the compass again.

You’ve seen it before, the worn silver case, the photo inside — Peggy, smiling in black and white, preserved like some artifact from another life. His life, but not the one you’ve been part of.

The ache creeps up quietly. You breathe through it. Smile through it. You are used to being the one who smiles.

“Still looking back?” you ask softly, walking over, your gloves half-done.

Steve startles slightly, then offers a tight smile. “It helps. Sometimes.”

“She meant a lot to you,” you say, folding your arms. You don’t look at the photo. You don’t need to.

He nods. “She was everything. At one point.”

“And now?”

He looks at you, really looks at you, and there’s a brief moment where his eyes flicker. Like there’s something there. A pause. But it disappears just as fast.

“Now,” he says quietly, “I’m trying to do the right thing. For everyone.”

You nod, forcing another smile. “You always do. That’s why we follow you.”

Your voice doesn’t break, but it’s close. You don’t let him see the way your hand curls into your palm when you turn away.

Later, in the chaos of battle, grief is the only thing that burns hotter than rage.

Nat is gone.

You feel it like a hole in your chest, a silent absence that screams louder than any war cry. You fight without hesitation, blades slicing, feet grounded, fury pulsing with every strike. Thanos’s army swarms, but you only think of your sister. And of the ones still standing.

You see Steve go down.

Thrown hard. His shield skids across broken stone. You don’t hesitate. You run to him, sliding down beside him, blood on your cheek, hair stuck to your face.

“Steve,” you say, hand on his chest. “Okay?”

He breathes hard, nods once. “Yeah. You?”