never leaving your side || romanogers

Chapter 22

Natasha laughed as waves lapped over her ankles.

Yesterday hadn't exactly been the best day, so everyone was glad to keep it away from the kids and start their beach vacation strong again. Late that morning, as everyone had gone to sleep late after watching an awful movie, they had gotten some breakfast at the fantastic breakfast bar on the 3rd floor, and afterward left almost immediately for the beach. 

"Romanoff, you coming in or what?" Tony yelled. He was waist-deep in water, donning a pair of expensive-looking sunglasses, as usual. 

Natasha looked past him, watching the horizon. Greenish blue water blended into a darker teal, and puffy white clouds scattered across the light blue sky. It almost looked like a dream. She poked herself just to make sure. Reality, definitely.

A young girl's excited shriek pierced the air, pulling Natasha from her thoughts. Lila had wrapped her arms around her Aunt Nat's neck, jumping onto her back. Natasha laughed, and charged into the water, dancing in the foamy waves while Lila hung onto her neck. Finally, she crouched down, letting Lila get down. Lila, however, did not want to remover herself from her auntie's back, and clung on furiously. Clint, seeing this, peeled her off Natasha and carried her back to shore. 

"Let's go bury Cooper, ok?" He pulled Lila onto his shoulders, and the daddy-daughter duo walked back to shore.

Natasha started to walk back to the shore as well, but Pepper ran over, beckoning her to follow. Sighing, Natasha trudged deeper into the ocean, to where Tony, Steve, Thor, Jane, and Bruce were gathered in a tight circle. 

Pepper sprinted ahead, squeezing her way into the circle. What they were doing, Natasha had no idea. Probably some stupid prank on Clint or something. 

Pushing her way through the waves, which were now high enough she could lift her feet and swim, she chased after the team, which ran as they saw her coming. "Ughhhhhh!" Natasha pushed off the little sand she could feel under her feet, and swam furiously after them. "What. Are. You. DOING?" Natasha huffed between strokes. She was considerably shorter than most of the other guys, only 5' 3, same as Jane. The rest of them, even Bruce, were in the 5' 7 to 6' 3 range. So the fact that even they had started swimming meant that the water had just gotten a lot deeper. And colder. Not that she couldn't handle it, of course. She was the Black Widow.

"Ok, stop. Tell me what's going on now?" Natasha grabbed hold of Steve's arm as she caught up at a shallower spot. Steve turned, those adorable baby blue eyes widening in innocence. 

"Nothing!" He chirped, his voice going up several octaves. Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Fine, you'll see." His voice lowered back to its normal pitch. "In the meantime, do you want a ride?"

"Like, on your back?"

"Yeah, if you want..." Steve trailed off, scratching his neck. He didn't know how Natasha would respond, if the defensive Tasha would come out or the relaxed one.

Natasha thought for a minute, playing with the green strap of her bikini top. "Yeah, why not?" She tried jumping up, but the water wasn't exactly shallow. After a few failed attempts, Steve had to turn around. 

"Nat? Put your arms around my neck, yeah like that, and let me bend down a little," he crouched down a little. "And then hop up. There."

Natasha pushed onto Steve's muscular back, suddenly feeling like Lila. "Hey, Rogers, doesn't this remind you of Lila? Like when she randomly launches onto people and demands for a piggyback ride?"

Steve chuckled, wading through the water, which only came up to his midback. "Sort of, like when I was a kid and really scrawny and my Dad would pick me up and carry me around the house. Childhood things."

Natasha stiffened slightly. A vision of blood red targets and dark bags and sleek, shiny pistols appeared in her head. No, she thought. Go away. She shook her head violently, as if she could shake the thoughts out and away. There. Gone for the moment. Natasha sat back, looking at the view. "You know, the weather up here is really different up her than down there." She jerked her head at Jane, who was bobbing in the water as Thor walked beside her.

"Hey!" Jane poked at Thor, who picked her up obediently, before tossing her over his shoulder. Jane yelped, her head a few centimeters from the water. "Don't drown me!"

Thor quickly put her in the same position as Natasha, hanging onto his back. "Sorry, is this better?"

Jane smiles. "Sure." She rested her head on top of Thor's as they walked in the ocean.

"So, Jane, what's up with all of this?" Natasha pried. "Where are we going?"

Jane shrugged innocently. "No idea," she stated simply. She switched her gaze to look into thee horizon.

So she wouldn't tell me. Well, two can play at that game. Natasha thought. She turned her nose up and stared into the distance as well, very aware of Thor and Steve's eyes anxiously flicking between each other and the girls on their backs.

"Ok, Tasha, I'm dropping you now." Steve abruptly drops her into the cool water, no warning save his quick statement.

"Asshole," Natasha mumbled under her breath. Then, she looked up, and her jaw dropped in awe.