DYER | STEVE ROGERS

𝐕𝐈.𝐗

〚 GROUP 〛

Darla passed Steve a coffee as she sat down beside him. He gave her a thankful smile. Every week the couple met with a small group that they had formed in order to help others process what had happened.

"So I, uh," Joe spoke up. "Went on a date the other day. It's the first time in five years, you know? I'm sitting there at dinner. I didn't even know what to talk about." He looked across to Steve.

"What did you talk about?" Steve questioned curiously, as he rested his arm behind Darla's chair. She looked across at him and softly smile.

"Same old crap, you know? How things have changed, and my job, his job. How much we miss the Mets." Joe explained, causing a few smiles to form on the others faces. "And then things got quiet. He cried as they were serving the salads."

"What about you?" Jim questioned.

"I cried, just before dessert." Joe responded honestly. "But I'm seeing him again tomorrow, so?"

Joe looked across to Steve and Darla, both of them offered him a supportive smile.

"That's great. You did the hardest part. You took the jump, you didn't know where you were gonna come down. And that's it. That's those little brave baby steps we gotta take." Steve spoke up as he looked around at the group. "To try and become whole again, try and find purpose. I went in the ice in '45 right after I thought that I met the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later and met the actual love of my life."

Darla linked her hand with Steve's and rested her head on his shoulder. She knew that part of him still cared for Peggy, so she understood how hard it must have been for him to talk about her.

"We've all lost a lot of people. Our friends, our family. But, you gotta move on. Gotta to move on. The world is in our hands. It's left to us guys, and we got to do something with it. Otherwise, Thanos should have killed all of us."

Darla let out a deep sigh as she thought about her siblings and parents. Five years. It had been five years since the snap and nothing felt the same.

"As hard as it is, moving on is the best thing for us." Darla spoke up, looking around at the group. "You have to put yourself out there, you have to take that leap." She paused. "But don't feel rushed to do it, do it in your own time. When you feel ready."

~

Darla held Steve's hand as they walked into the main room of the Avengers compound. The blonde let out a defeated sigh as she watched Natasha cry into her hands.

"You know I'd offer to cook you dinner but you seem pretty miserable already." Steve spoke up, announcing his and Darla's presence to the girl.

Natasha wiped the tears off her face and tried to hold back a laugh.

"You here to do your laundry?" Natasha questioned curiously.

She and Briar barely saw the newly engaged couple anymore. They always tried to busy themselves with group therapy or the planning of their wedding.

Darla disappeared for a few days at a time each month, but nobody questioned it. Nobody asked her why because she would never say.

"And to see a friend." Darla announced as Steve wrapped his arm around the girls waist.

"Clearly, your friend is fine." Natasha responded as she plastered a smile onto her face.

"You know we saw a pod of whales when we were coming up the bridge." Steve explained as he fiddled with the keys for his motorcycle.

"In Hudson?" Natasha questioned curiously.

"There's fewer ships, cleaner water." Steve summed up, a small smile forming on his face.

"You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side. Um, I'm about you to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich." Natasha sarcastically smiled towards the man.

Darla chuckled and looked up to Steve, who had a smile on his face too. It was no secret that things had been different for the past five years, no matter how much they tried to make it work, things were just harder.

"Sorry. Force of habit." Steve responded, playing down his jacket and keys before taking a seat.

Darla's eyes scanned the room for Briar, but he was no where to be seen. She shook her head and tried to ignore the fact that he wasn't there. She took a seat beside Steve, his hand instinctively resting on her thigh.

Natasha leant forward and placed half of a peanut butter sandwich in front of them. Steve let out a defeated sigh. His face falling. Darla grabbed his hand and began to trace patterns on his palm. He always got upset after group.

"You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and grow. Some do. But not us." Steve looked directly at Natasha as he spoke.

"If I move on, who does this?" Natasha questioned, for the past five years, she had been searching for Clint and a way to get the others back. She didn't even know if it was possible, but she wanted to try.

"Maybe it doesn't need to be done." Darla whispered softly.

She hated to admit it, but five years was a long time. If they were going to have a break through, they would have had it by now.

"I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job, this family." Natasha smiled as Briar walked in. He sat down beside the girl and pressed his lips against her forehead. "And I was, I was better because of it. And even though, they're gone. I'm still trying to be better."

Nobody missed the tears that rolled down Natasha's cheeks. It broke Darla's heart to see her best friend like that. Natasha was always so strong and independent. She never saw her cry. She never saw her break.

"I think we all need to get a life." Steve responded.

"You first." Natasha joked with a smile.

The four all sat and exchanged heartbroken smiles. It had been five years and they still couldn't move on. Because if they did, they were letting everyone else down.