We're in the Endgame Now | Endgame [2]

Chapter 8

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      End of Winter 2017

  "What is that? Is that .  .  ." Alexei came closer, "No .  .  . you—you really—"

"Shh," Irina snapped, under her breath. "You're going to ruin the surprise." She looked over her shoulder at the front door of the Saint Petersburg homestead, as she came further into the home. "Is she back yet?"

"Yes. She's uh . . ." Alexei swallowed the little bit of food in his mouth, " . . . she's tending to pigs with Melina."

"Great." She approached Alexei and smiled, "Wanna help?" And he returned the smile much wider, and more excited.

"Ahh . . ." Alexei slammed both hands on the table, silverware and glasses clanking together softly, and stood. He approached Irina, "Can I hold?"

In half an hour, the door creaked opened. Irina was in the middle of the living room, a big smile on her face as Yelena entered, Melina behind. "Welcome home, love. And surprise!" She held up a tan, white-faced pup with dark ears and mixed-matched eyes.

  Yelena smiled in shock and happiness as she quickly approached, dropping the black duffel bag on the floor. "Oh, my god." The pup's tail wagged. "Awww .  .  ." Lane took the pup from Irina's arms and held it. "What is this? It's not our anniversary, is it?"

  "No," Irina chuckled. "It's February, not August. She is an American Akita." Irene ran a hand down the backside of the pup's head and neck, "According to the family I got her from."

  Yelena met her gaze and smiled wider. "Is she really ours?"

  The dark-haired woman smiled, came to the side the pup wasn't on, and wrapped an arm around Lane's mid-section. "Yes."

  Yelena wrapped an arm around Irene, and Irene looked up. Their lips met in a sweet, loving kiss. "I love you, lyubimaya."

  Irina's heart fluttered, and her smile widened. "I love you." She pecked Lane's lips.

  The blonde-haired woman hummed, while their lips were locked longer than intended. "Fanny," she mumbled, against the other woman's lips.

  Irina pulled back, forehead creased, "What?"

  "Fanny." Yelena looked at the pup in her arm. "You like 'Fanny', Fanny?" The pup perked up, ears pricked and head tilted slightly.

  Chuckling, Irina held onto Lane a little tighter, shook her head, and petted Fanny. "Nat is not going to be happy. You know that right?"

  "I know." Yelena smirked, playfully, "I plan on it." With pressed lips —to keep from smiling—, Irina lightly smacked Lane's side and part of her stomach, and the Widow laughed.

  "Yelena Belova."

  "Alright . . . everyone know the plan?" Steve asked, as the Milano broke through the clouds and the ground came into view.

Under different circumstances, the planet would have been beautiful. And Irina would've admired it a bit more. "Yep," she said, as she helped Rocket pilot the Milano. "Don't kill him until everyone is snapped back." She shrugged and said an "easy" with a shrug of her shoulders.

Soon, they landed in an opened field, and they all exited. What sounded like cicadas and birds on Earth chirped and sang, filling the silence of the surprisingly warm planet. Strange, tall plants and grasses of all lengths stuck out of the ground that brushed against each other in the soft blown wind.