Steve walked into the Living area of the Upstate Avengers HQ to find it empty. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass and filled it with tap water. As he shut off the faucet, he saw red flash in his peripheral vision. He turned to see Natasha glide into the room dressed in her black, leather uniform.
"Hey. Where is everyone?"
"Fury put Tony on clean up duty. The trainees got the day off. They're pretty beat up. Besides, you and I have prior engagements." He swallowed the rest of the water.
"Does that have something to do with your outfit?" She smiled stiffly. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, but he knew her well enough to know that it had been genuine.
"Suit up." It had been about a week since the battle with Ultron in Sokovia. His side wound was long healed, and all bruises and cuts had disappeared without any trace. Even the cut on Natasha's head had healed leaving nothing but a small white scar thinner than dental floss, due to her own Red Room serum.
During the events of Ultron, Natasha had opened up to him about her life in the Red Room and one of the horrors she had endured.
He didn't pity her. He knew Natasha didn't like pity, and she was more than strong enough to handle herself, but it hurt him to know that she had been treated unjustly, bullied in more ways than he had ever been.
Natasha would always put duty first, something he admired about her, but he had learned that the thing she desired more than anything, family, was impossible for her, and he wished that she could have that. She deserved it.
As he joined her in the quinjet, clad in his suit, helmet and shield by his side, she handed him the file as she prepped the cockpit. "It's an in and out mission. Somebody's experimenting with illegal tech. The energy signatures are a high level threat. We just have to find out who they're working for, what they're trying to do, and confiscate the battery for experimentation."
"Location?"
She turned her head to look at him. "Germany."
His head shot up as things started to click. He sighed. "They think it's Hydra."
"We took care of Hydra," she said nonchalantly, as she started up the engines. "They could have sent Rhodes for this. Anyone could have done this, unless…" He trailed off, knowing his point had already been made.
Natasha smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you’re upset about having to work with me."
"Nat." She just smiled as they took off.
"Don't worry so much. It will be in and out. I know how it looks, and I'm sure it isn't Hydra, but it's good to be cautious. What's that saying Zola said?"
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place."
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The Irony of it All
FanfictionLove is for children. At least that's what Natasha had been taught in the Red Room. At the age of just twelve years old, she made her first kill. They made her into a monster. Her body was trained and pushed to the limits, surgically altered to take...
