Black Widow

"You know, admittedly I didn't know I was, but I'm glad you think so. I always want you too, so saying no isn't exactly in my vocabulary. Not to you," he admitted quietly.

When she pulled him to his feet, he followed willingly, his hand slipping into hers, fingers laced. He wasn't sure if the others were up, or if they'd be seen. He knew if they were, they'd never live it down, but in that moment it absolutely didn't matter to him. He would take the teasing and the snide comments that he was sure would follow if anyone knew. He was sure they would all tell her she could do better.

Leading her down the hall, they slipped, thankfully unnoticed (this time) into his room, and he locked the door behind him. His heart was still pounding in his ears, but right now, he didn't hesitate. He didn't even think too hard on it. Afraid that if he did, it would unravel.

Instead, he pulled her to him, pushing her back flush against the door before he captured her lips in a heated kiss. Far more aggressive than he'd been before. Not out of anger. Not out of a need for dominance. Purely out of the desire welling in his chest. The heat in his veins that he suddenly couldn't extinguish. When he finally pulled back a bit to let her breathe, he was grinning. "Like I said, you call the shots. You just tell me what you're okay with. If anything is off limits, it stays off the table."

When he pulled back, grinning, she matched it with a quieter smile, her breathing slightly unsteady but her gaze steady on his. There was a spark there, sure, but there was more behind her eyes than heat. Trust. Thoughtfulness. The kind of care that said she wasn’t going to let either of them lose themselves in this without meaning.

“You’re sweet when you try to act like you’re dangerous,” she teased softly, brushing a strand of hair off his forehead with one hand, the other still resting against his arm. “And believe me—I’ve got a pretty good sense of where my limits are.”

She let that hang in the air for a beat, her voice softer next time she spoke.

“But I’m not here because I need a distraction, John. I’m here because you don’t scare me. Because I’ve seen what you carry, and I still want to be close to you. That means we go slow. We don’t rush to prove something to each other that we already know.”

Natasha leaned in, her forehead resting gently against his for a moment, anchoring them both. When she finally pulled away just enough to meet his eyes again, there was a glimmer of warmth and certainty in her voice.

“Now... if you still want me to stay, I will. But I’m not going anywhere just for one good night. You’re not a quick fix to me, Walker. I don’t do flings with people I care about.”

Her lips curled faintly into a half-smile.

A kiss on the forehead

A kiss on the cheek

A kiss on the lips

A kiss on the fingers

A kiss on the neck

A kiss on the head

A kiss on the hand

A kiss on the eye

A kiss on a scar

A kiss to say “Good-bye”

A kiss to say “Hello”

A kiss to say “I love you”

A kiss to say “Good morning”

A kiss to say “Good night”

A kiss to say “It’s okay”

A kiss to show possession

A kiss to show affection

A kiss to show appreciation

A kiss to show reassurance

A kiss to show lust

A kiss to show silliness

A kiss to show confidence

A kiss to show vulnerability

A kiss to show loyalty

He'd been expecting her to DENY IT, to make some sort of claim that he wasn't being treated as someone who needed to be monitored. So imagine his surprise when she actually admitted to it instead of spewing some bullshit he was supposed to believe. Far too often Marc had been GASLIT, told he was imagining things or simply just crazy. And even if he was being told the truth, it was rare someone was actually straight with him and didn't handle him with kid gloves, worried that if they said something in the wrong way, he'd shatter like a fragile vase. ❝ Well...at least you ain't denying it. ❞

Marc wasn't sure how much he believed the second part, but he supposed with people like the Hulk on the team, the whole curse being a calling was pretty common. Still, he couldn't see it in the same way. Khonshu had saved his life, Marc would be DEAD without him, he had been dead and whilst he didn't always agree with Khonshu, he owed the god his life. Serving him as his fist was the least he could do, and though for a time Marc had wanted nothing more than to get away from the god, he had done some good as his fist. He'd been angry at first when he learned he was still tied to the god, but he'd come to EMBRACE IT. As Marc, he was nothing more than a killer with no purpose, but as Moon Knight? He had a purpose, he had worth. So he could put up with the nagging, the thinly veiled insults and put downs if it meant he got to do some good in the world.

Marc listened to her little pep talk, holding his tongue from any retort. Whilst he didn't doubt Natasha's skills in obtaining information, there was no way she could possibly know the things he'd been through. Not all of it. Learning about his time in the MARINES, being dishonorably discharged , being in a mental institution, his mercenary days, some of his work as Moon Knight had probably come easy to Natasha. But she couldn't know about the things his mother did to him...did to them. Marc had never told anyone, not even Layla. He'd HINTED at some things, but otherwise he'd kept it to himself. The only reason Steven even knew about it was because of that whole weird Duat experience they'd been through, and he didn't even know all of it.

But he had SURVIVED. He got knocked down and got back up again, he died and was resurrected. That's just how it worked with Khonshu. ❝ I appreciate the concern, but I can't really die. I've had a spear thrust through my heart...several in fact and I was still able to keep on FIGHTING. Khonshu isn't about to let me get killed and have to find someone else to serve him. ❞ Despite all of Khonshu's threats to find a 'better' replacement, Marc had come to understand (mostly thanks to Jake) that Khonshu didn't actually want anyone else. ❝ Y'know, for a while I was tired of being a weapon. But it's WHO I AM, it's what I've been trained to be. ❞ There wasn't really any other work he could do, and he had tried. It's why he'd accepted the mercenary gig, because he couldn't do anything else. ❝ As for being alone? Well I have LAYLA and DuChamp... ❞ Sure, he could do with more people in his corner, but making friends had never really been his strong suit. ❝ I don't trust easily, so if I push people away, it's only because I have to protect myself— ❞ And Steven— ❝ From getting hurt. ❞

He didn't worry as much when it came to Jake, the man had proven he could handle himself—'so can I mate'—Marc let out a huff at Steven's commentary. It was true. Steven was the more GENTLE one out of all of them, but he had shown that he was good in a fight and could be just as brutal as the rest of them if necessary. He just preferred to try and talk things out first, find a more PEACEFUL resolution where as Marc and Jake had been trained to deal with the threat quickly and efficiently. He'd never had entire governments label him as a threat like Natasha had, but plenty of people in New York were starting to realize that he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Hell, not even TASKMASTER wanted to go toe to toe with him.

Marc didn't know if he could ever fully trust the Avengers, but he was willing to give Natasha, and the rest of them the benefit of the doubt if they could offer him the same COURTSEY ❝ If I accept that you give a damn will you stop with the lecture? ❞ Stretching his limbs out he went over to one of the bodies and knelt beside them. ❝ Khonshu is saying to just leave them, a WARNING to those who wish harm on those that travel under the moon's gaze. ❞ Given that Natasha couldn't see Khonshu, not unless the bird decided he wanted to be perceived, Marc was stuck having to relay what the god was saying. ❝ Normally I would leave them, but I'm trying to be less... ❞ Brutal? Monstrous? Heartless? Marc wasn't sure what word to slot in there. ❝ I don't want any of this leading back to me, but at the same time, none of these guys really deserve any MERCY. ❞ He stood up and dusted off his trousers. ❝ You can decide. ❞ He gathered that Natasha wanted him to make that choice, but he was throwing the ball back into her court. He just wanted to get home and sleep.

"You’re not wrong, Marc. They don’t deserve mercy—not really. But you do. That’s the difference." Natasha’s voice was even, calm, but there was a steel edge under it, the kind that came from living through things that could never be written down in a file. She stepped closer, her gaze on the bodies sprawled out around them, though most of her attention remained fixed on him.

"You think I don’t know what it means to be a weapon? You think I haven’t had to reconcile that version of myself with the person I’m trying to be now? I’ve been someone’s monster too. I know what it’s like to believe that’s all you’ll ever be." She crouched down beside one of the men, examining the still chest, the slack mouth, the life that had so clearly and brutally ended. She didn’t flinch—God knew she’d seen and done worse. But she wasn’t judging him. If anything, she understood.

"But here’s the thing no one ever told us when they trained us to kill—we get to decide what kind of weapon we are. Who we fight for. Who we protect. You say this is who you are, and maybe that’s true. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get to shape it, sharpen it into something that fits your own hands." Her eyes flicked to his again, sharp but not unkind. "And don’t give me that bullshit about not dying. I’ve died too, more than once. I’ve also watched people die who thought they were invincible. Doesn’t mean you’re not worth saving. Doesn’t mean the people who care about you stop worrying just because you’ll get back up again."

She straightened, brushing the dirt from her palms. Her tone softened slightly. "You have Layla, and DuChamp, and yeah, maybe you don’t trust easily—but neither do I. Doesn’t mean we don’t want to. Doesn’t mean we don’t need someone in our corner when the moon disappears and all we’ve got left is darkness." She gave him a look, one eyebrow lifting in something between challenge and quiet understanding.

"So yeah, I give a damn. And no, I’m not gonna stop just because you asked nicely. But I’ll drop the lecture." Natasha turned to glance over the bodies again, then let out a quiet sigh. "If you want this to be a warning, fine. But let’s make sure it reads that way. No innocents caught in the crossfire. No mess that’ll draw the kind of attention that forces you underground again."

She paused, then added, more gently this time, "You said you were tired of being a weapon. Maybe you still are. But the difference is now you get to choose what you fight for. That’s a hell of a lot more than most people get." She looked back at him, holding his gaze. "So let’s clean this up, and then you get some rest. I’ll walk you back. You don’t have to be alone tonight. Not unless you want to be."

"I don't think of you as worse... not in a million years," He promised, kissing her back with all he could muster in that moment. His mind reeled, guilt wanting to bubble up. A little voice in the back of his mind was making alarm bells go off. Ones that he knew he needed to work past. Ones he knew he needed to silence that told him this wasn't Olivia.

He and his ex wife had been together since highschool, up until she filed for divorce. What he'd quickly been learning, even more so in this moment, was that would could love someone with all you had, and still not be in love with them. He loved her ...but Olivia had never in their entire relationship elicited the emotions that were running through him within just a few hours of finding himself really and truly grounded in Natasha's presence.

It was amazing what a little clarity would do.

"You know," he spoke against her lips, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. So loud he swore she'd be able to hear it.

"I would still be very open to the idea of going to my room. Long as you agree this isn't the only time."

She didn’t need him to explain. She already understood. Natasha’s hands moved slowly, deliberately, smoothing over the tense line of his shoulders before sliding down to rest just above his heart. She could feel how fast it was beating—hard, steady, like it was fighting to leap straight out of his chest. And maybe it was. Maybe he was. But he wasn’t doing it alone anymore.

She pressed her forehead to his, letting her fingers hook gently into the collar of his shirt as her body stayed pressed close to his in his lap, not breaking the moment, not rushing it. Just... breathing with him.

“John,” she said, voice low and sure, almost like a vow. “You’re not a placeholder. You’re not a mistake. And you’re sure as hell not temporary.” Her gaze didn’t leave his, didn’t waver even once.

“You think I don’t know what it looks like to carry around guilt like a second skin? To feel like you’ve got blood on your hands even when you’re trying to be better? I see you. I see the man you are, not just the one the world thinks you are.” Her thumb traced slowly along his jaw as she leaned in again, brushing another kiss to the corner of his lips—tender, reassuring.

“You don’t have to question why I want you. I already made my choice. I’m here with you. And I’m not going anywhere.”She shifted then, her voice dropping just slightly, teasing but sincere, her lips hovering over his again.

“And yes... I want to go to your room. I want you. All of you. Tonight. Tomorrow. As long as you’ll let me.” Her fingers curled lightly into his shirt, pulling him with her as she leaned back, just enough to stand.

ₓ ˚ .   ୭   ˚ ○ ◦ ˚     as always, some triggering content may be present! change any pronouns to better suit your muse(s) needs!     ˚ ◦ ○ ˚   ୧   . ˚ ₓ

PLACES TO KISS .. ( send "reverse" to switch the sender + receiver roles )

sender kisses receiver's knuckles.

sender kisses receiver's cheek.

sender kisses receiver's lips.

sender kisses receiver's palm.

sender kisses receiver's temple.

sender kisses receiver's inner thighs.

sender kisses receiver's hair.

sender kisses receiver's shoulder.

sender kisses receiver's neck.

sender kisses receiver's knees.

sender kisses receiver's stomach.

sender kisses receiver's top of head.

sender kisses receiver's chest.

sender kisses receiver's upper back.

sender kisses receiver's foot.

sender kisses receiver's inner wrists.

sender kisses receiver's nose.

sender kisses receiver's forehead.

sender kisses receiver's fingertips.

sender kisses receiver's shoulder blade.

sender kisses receiver's lower back.

sender kisses receiver's outer thighs.

sender kisses receiver's sternum.

sender kisses receiver's collarbone.

sender kisses receiver's earlobe.

sender kisses receiver's forearm.

sender kisses receiver's chin.

REASONS TO KISS .. ( send "reverse" to switch the sender + receiver roles )

sender kisses receiver to say goodbye.

sender kisses receiver to say hello.

sender kisses receiver to say goodnight.

sender kisses receiver to say good morning.

sender kisses receiver to distract them.

sender kisses receiver to reassure them.

sender kisses receiver to initiate something further.

sender kisses receiver to shut them up.

sender kisses receiver to comfort them.

sender kisses receiver to say i love you.

sender kisses receiver to tease them.

sender kisses receiver to fluster them.

sender kisses receiver to congratulate them.

sender kisses receiver to give into them.

sender kisses receiver to surprise them.

sender kisses receiver to pretend they're in a relationship.

sender kisses receiver to show off for someone else.

sender kisses receiver to wish them luck.

SETTINGS TO KISS .. ( send "reverse" to switch the sender + receiver roles )

sender kisses receiver at a restaurant.

sender kisses receiver in the kitchen.

sender kisses receiver in a pool.

sender kisses receiver at a cafe.

sender kisses receiver at a party.

sender kisses receiver in the bedroom.

sender kisses receiver in a movie theatre.

sender kisses receiver in a car.

sender kisses receiver at a park.

sender kisses receiver in a club.

sender kisses receiver in an alleyway.

sender kisses receiver on the bus or train.

sender kisses receiver in a closet.

sender kisses receiver in a store isle.

sender kisses receiver in a parking lot.

sender kisses receiver in the woods.

sender kisses receiver at school.

sender kisses receiver at the bar.

sender kisses receiver at the beach.

sender kisses receiver in the ocean.

sender kisses receiver in the garage.

sender kisses receiver at work.

sender kisses receiver on a boat.

sender kisses receiver in a theatre.

sender kisses receiver in a tent.

sender kisses receiver in the bathroom.

sender kisses receiver in a motel suite.

sender kisses receiver in a hotel suite.

sender kisses receiver at a cabin.

sender kisses receiver in an office.

sender kisses receiver in the backyard.

sender kisses receiver on the porch.

sender kisses receiver in a secret or hidden place.

𝐖𝐘𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐋 as 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐑 / 𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓

"Just for tonight? Are you kidding?" He scoffed, his voice soft, if not a little mockingly offended. "I dunno what kinda guy you take me for, but you're not getting rid of me so easily. Not after this... not after tonight."

His lips found hers again, his tongue begging for entrance as his thumbs brushed over her barely exposed skin of her abdomen. He wouldn't push, but damn if he wasn't going to make it painfully obvious what she did to him. He was only a man after all. "I'm all yours," He breathed against her lips.

Her fingers slid from his chest up to his jaw, thumbs brushing over the stubble as she held his face between her hands. The look in her eyes was steady, no teasing now—just heat and something dangerously close to affection.

"Good," she said, voice a whisper against his lips. "Because I don’t want just tonight, either."

She kissed him again, slower this time, deliberately deepening it as her body pressed closer to his. Every inch of contact between them felt electric—like the world could end and she’d still stay right here, grounded in him.

"I'm tired of running too," He admitted quietly, his gaze moving to her rather than the lights. When her eyes lingered on his lips, he wondered for a moment if she was going to kiss him. Keeping his hand in hers, he leaned over, resting his forehead against hers first, breathing in the same air from her lungs before he leaned in a little more, his lips softly catching hers in a kiss that seemed to grow in heat and intensity the longer he kissed her, though it was still far more gentle than what most would have imagined the super soldier capable of.

When he kissed her it was like his head was swimming and she'd stolen the breath from his lungs. When he pulled back to breathe, his gaze met hers and for the first time in as long as he could remember, he wasn't fighting a war. He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't Captain America. He wasn't US Agent. He was just John.

The way he kissed her, like she was something precious instead of a weapon, made something ache deep in her chest. Not a painful ache—just that sharp edge of real. The kind of connection she’d stopped letting herself believe she could have. Her breath caught against his when he pulled back, and for a moment she just stared at him, reading the soft edges of his expression, the raw honesty behind his eyes.

Then, without a word, she shifted.

Her legs moved fluidly as she rose just enough to swing one over his lap, settling into it like she belonged there—because in this moment, she did. Her knees on either side of him, hands braced lightly on his shoulders, fingers threading into the short hair at the back of his neck.

The cold around them didn’t matter. The night didn’t matter. The city below? Forgotten.

❝Then don’t be just John out here,❞ she said, voice a low murmur between them. ❝Be mine. Even if it’s just for tonight.❞

Her mouth brushed his again—softer this time, but deeper somehow. Like she was telling him things she hadn’t said out loud yet. Her hands moved down, steadying herself against his chest, feeling the thrum of his heart beneath her palms like an echo of her own.

❝I’m not going anywhere, John. Not unless you tell me to.❞