Codename: Angelus

She should have known. She really should have, that he wouldn’t let her have the last word; especially when it was something like this ( something so trivial in the grand scheme of things ). A roll of her eyes followed before she leaned back, arching a brow some and meeting his eyes once more. ❝ I guess we’ll just have to have a rematch when I get back, hmm? ❞

A corner of her mouth lifted just some.  ❝ But I won’t go easy on you, love. ❞ A pat of his cheek followed along with a wrinkle of her nose.  ❝ You just had to go and give me another reason to come back, didn’t you? ❞

Despite the reminder that she was leaving, he could not stop his smile from growing. No, he couldn’t let her have the last word... even though he knew Natasha won all of her fights fair and square. She had been kicking his ass since he was sixteen years-old. That was when he knew. That first time she pinned him to the mat. That’s when he knew she was perfect for him. She was the one.

She wanted to believe that nothing would happen, that this would be just another routine mission with the team and she would be back home with her family soon enough but … there were doubts, and she hadn’t necessarily voiced those to him. Their lived were far from normal but this? She wasn’t sure what to think of it now. ❝ I want to come back, you know that. As long as I’m capable, I’m going to be here. ❞ There was nothing that would keep her from her son, from him. 

A corner of her mouth lifted. ❝ When are you going to admit that you don’t let me win? I beat your fair and square … ❞ Her voice caught and she moved back to him, reaching up to take his face between her hands so that she could pull him down some while rising up on her toes to meet him halfway. It wasn’t a goodbye kiss, she told herself. It was just a reminder of what she had to come home to. ❝ я люблю тебя … ❞

“That’s not true. I absolutely let you win,” Angel retorted, drawling out the last sentence. They both knew that wasn’t true. Natasha had been kicking his ass since he was fifteen years-old. That wasn’t going to change any time soon. Still, it got them to laugh. It got them to smile for a brief moment. It was always hard to smile when she was leaving, but he had to do his best for Max’s sake.

She kissed him and he returned it tenderly. His hands fell to her waist, drawing her closer. This wasn’t goodbye. She was coming back. She had to come back. For him and Max. Angel needed her. If he were honest, he would probably snap without her. She made him a better person.

She WANTED to argue with him … and yet she realized she had no right to. He wasn’t wrong, unfortunately. Someone called and she would go running, because she felt as though she OWED them something for everything they had already been through together. It hadn’t been a difficult choice in the beginning, but obviously things were different now … she was different. 

Biting the inside of her cheek, she wondered if lying to him would work in her favor before mentally scolding herself for even thinking such a thing. ❝ This isn’t something that we’ve faced before … this isn’t even monsters and magic. I – I don’t know exactly what it is but according to Steve … it’s BAD. ❞

Her gaze falls.  ❝ I spoke with Fury. If anything happens, he’ll be here to help. And Clint has offered too … I needed someone that I could trust to make sure that you’ll BOTH be taken care of. ❞

He didn’t like that answer. Not monsters. Not magic. Then what the hell was it that was so bad, she needed to leave. What did Rogers say to her? And why wasn’t the rest of the world talking about it, yet? How did he know what was coming? He sighed. He wanted to go with her. He wanted to watch her back.  It had been a while since they’d done that. He’d definitely never done it while she was with her team. But they had Max now. He had to stay.

He opened his mouth to argue when she mentioned speaking to Nick Fury. Angel had met the man once before when Max was born. While Angel liked him, the assassin didn’t want to accept help from anyone, including Clint Barton. However, he didn’t want to argue any further. Natasha wanted to make sure they were looked after. He would put aside his pride and allow it. Only for her.

The young hero dropped to the ground, suit eyes narrowing at the other. “You know-” He sighed. “That’s not even a good pun” He shot a web at the man’s hand with the suitcase, hoping to make it harder to open it. “I’m not letting you leave with that”

Angel felt his hand stick to the case. He pressed his lips together, clearly annoyed. He took a deep breath, turning his head to look back at the hero accosting him.

It  wasn’t  something  she  played  lightly  with,  leaving  her  family  behind  to  go  and  fight.  Was  it  something  she  necessarily  wanted  to  do?  No,  but  it  was  something  that  she  had  to  do.  She  had  a  responsibility,  and  while  she  had  one  to  her  family  as  well;  she  was  doing  this  for  them.  That’s  what  she  had  to  keep  telling  herself.

Her  hands  drifted  down,  settling  at  his  chest  as  she  shrugged  her  shoulders.  ❝  They’re  not  always  easy  to  handle,  but  I  manage.  It’s  what  makes  me  so  good  at  my  job,  remember?  ❞  Their  upbringing  had  taught  them  to  keep  everything  bottled  up,  to  never  show  their  cards  but  that  was  in  the  past.  They  were  able  to  express  themselves  freely,  though  it  was  obvious  that  he  still  had  problems  in  doing  so.  Her  fingers  curled  into  the  fabric  of  his  shirt  and  her  expression  changed.  ❝  This  is  going  to  be  the  last  time  that  I  go.  Once  this  is  over,  and  everything  is  said  and  done,  I’m  coming  back  home.  No  more  leaving,  no  more  fighting  …  all  of  that  will  be  behind  us.  I  promise. ❞  

Angel looked down at her as she spoke. The two had come a long way since they’d been reunited. Back then, as obsessed as he’d been with her, he hadn’t trusted her. Now, he did trust her. More than he usually would trust anyone. But he didn’t trust her when she said this. Or maybe it wasn’t that he didn’t trust her. He didn’t believe her. That was different.

“Ugh” Spidey groaned, rolling his eyes. “Not a kid, thank you” He watched the man’s hands working on the gun closely. “Yeah see, I don’t know if you noticed but you are holding a gun, which in my book can be used to do some nasty things. I hate to judge a book by it’s cover but you look pretty shifty, thought I would keep an eye on you”

“Uh, Sorry man, This was kind of genetic, didn’t really choose the spider life” He titled a head. “Never heard of wolf spider but black widow is a hero. Sounds like you are a little behind on the times”

❝  I  am  NOT  the  possessive  fiancee  …  ❞  She  didn’t  know  why  her  jealousy  seemed  to  spike  so  much  when  it  came  to  being  around  others,  but  it  did  and  today  was  no  different.  Something  always  seemed  to  get  under  her  skin,  seeing  the  other  women  casting  a  glance  in  Angel’s  direction  –  it  wasn’t  something  that  would  be  changing  any  time  soon  (  and  that  bothered  her  more  than  she  cared  to  admit  ).  

Before  he  could  step  completely  out  of  her  reach,  she  was  stepping  back  toward  him  and  reaching  out  with  a  free  hand  that  wasn’t  occupied  by  holding  their  son.  ❝  You  know  that  I  belong  to  you  as  well  …  ❞  A  corner  of  her  mouth  lifted  and  she  rose  up  just  enough  to  press  a  kiss  to  his  mouth,  unable  to  help  herself.  ❝  I’ll  make  friends  and  play  nice,  but  only  because  this  seems  important  to  you.  ❞

Angel chuckled softly as she denied being the possessive fiancée. Sure, whatever she said. He would just nod and go with it even if it wasn’t true. They both knew that Natasha could get possessive. She knew he only had eyes for her, but it didn’t mean she wanted any other woman’s eyes on him. The thing was he absolutely loved when she got jealous and possessive. It meant she truly wanted him only for her.

Before he could get too far from her, she was pulling him in for a kiss. He kissed her back, not only for his own pleasure, but because he knew that others were watching. He was fine with other men looking at her; it boosted his ego. But they would know very clearly that they could not touch, that she was his.

❝  Is  that  what  you  really  think  of  them?  ❞  She  knew  that  he  had  his  own  personal  opinions  about  her  teammates,  especially  when  it  came  to  Steve  but  she  had  been  able  to  put  that  aside.  Trust  wasn’t  something  that  had  been  taught  to  either  of  them  thanks  to  their  upbringing  and  yet  somehow  she  had  managed  to  let  a  select  few  slip  past  her  walls  while  he  was  still  working  on  the  issue.  Though  before  she’s  able  to  voice  the  matter  further,  her  brow  furrows  and  she  can  feel  her  own  heart  break  at  his  words.  Of  course.  Why  hadn’t  she  seen  that  from  the  beginning? 

His  words  have  her  moving  then,  stepping  into  his  space  and  bringing  her  hands  up  so  that  her  palms  are  framing  either  side  of  his  face;  bringing  his  eyes  to  meet  her  own. ❝  I  am  ALWAYS  going  to  come  back  to  Max  …  to  YOU.  You  NEVER  have  to  doubt  that  …  ❞  Her  thumb  brushes  against  his  skin,  just  a  gentle  motion  that  she  hopes  will  somehow  soothe  him  and  offer  a  comfort  that  perhaps  her  words  won’t.  ❝  There  is  NOTHING  that  will  keep  me  from  coming  HOME  to  you  both.  ❞

“And I hear you. I hear you say that, but I just-“ He stopped, letting out a sigh. He didn’t know how to explain. He had never had to deal with this until now. To lose her? It would devastate him. And while he would have been heartbroken before Max’s birth, his presence in their life just seemed to add to that potential pain. He wouldn’t be able to handle it. It would be too much to bear.