Converto - Marvel Studios [8]

twenty-four.

I sat on a stool at the kitchen island, my mug held up under my nose as I blew on the steam emitting from the hot coffee that was warming my hands. The sun was rising through the large windows as the warm hues cast away the cold of the night, the light spilling through the glass and warming one side of my face. It was deadly quiet in the compound, so quiet that I doubt Rocket would be able to sneak past without me catching him. I had one of Steve's hoodies pulled on, the sleeves covering half of my hands so just my fingers were poking out. The fabric gathered around my neck as I leaned my cheek against the material, taking in the scene of him.

I had tried to sleep last night, even went to bed exceptionally early knowing that I needed all the rest I could get for today. Even with Steve sleeping soundly pressed against my back with an arm around my waist, I couldn't even get a minute of sleep. Charlie had curled up at my feet like he would back home in Brooklyn, his weight on top of the sheets consoling me in my anxious state. I had completed millions of missions on no sleep before, but for this one it just seemed like a discomfort I really couldn't afford. There was no room for mistakes here.

There was a sound of a door opening from behind me, followed by the smack of feet along the hardwood floors. I didn't turn have to turn around to know that it was Natasha, the speed she always walked at having a mixture of calmness and alertness no matter where she was. She made her way up the stairs, a robe on as she pulled it closer to her, a smile on her face as she saw me. "Morning" Natasha said to me as she made her way around the island, her hair neatly twisted into a braid that ran down the back of her red roots to the blonde ends. I smiled at her, looking up from the mug I was clutching as I rolled my shoulders back a little bit. "Hi" I said to her, her arms leaning against the cold countertop across from me as she clasped her hands together.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked me, her eyebrow raised as I shook my head in reply, making her smile at me as she straightened up, tightening her robe belt. "You?" I asked her, Natasha crossing her arms over her chest as she turned around towards the coffee pot. "I got like an hour" she replied, reaching up the cabinet and pulling out a mug, the same yellow ceramic that matched my one. "Coffee is in the pot" I told her, the room falling silent from our conversation as she poured the coffee into her mug. "How are you feeling?" I asked as she turned around, leaning against the counter as she let out a heavy sigh, lifting the mug up to her mouth. "I don't think the word nervous covers how I feel" I said to her, a small smirk on my lips, having no idea what else to do.

"It's weird, this is out of our skill set" Natasha replied, taking a sit from her mug as I nodded my head in agreement, everyone on the team knowing that this was not what any of us were trained for. "I was born in 1919, this is miles out of my skill set" I said, Natasha letting out a small laugh as I looked down at my mug, running my fingertip around the rim lazily. Silence fell between the pair of us once again, the sound of a door opening ringing through the halls behind us as we rested in the quiet. There was always these small quiet moments between Nat and I when we could be in the presence of one another but not say a single world. We had known one another for so long I could tell how she was feeling just from her breathing.