a black widow

“Well I think that makes you a badass then, you did all of that on your own? Why weren’t you leading the avengers if you took on all of those by yourself.” Peter says in amazement, not hiding how cool he thought that she was.  “I think you have the best stories. What other cool things have you been through?”

“You wouldn’t dare. I’m injured. I’m here for your help.” Matt paused. He sucked in his cheeks slightly, trying to think about what she could mean by that, but—well, this was Nat. Did he ever really know what she meant if she wasn’t clear? She had become so good at hiding truths about herself for so long that even someone like Matt, who had known her for years, who had loved and still did love her, didn’t even know what she meant. She wasn’t going to tell him anything until she was good and ready, and not a moment sooner. “Well, it’s too late. You could have killed me so many times and you haven’t yet, so I think I’ll keep pushing my luck.” He grit his teeth hard through the pain, clenching his jaw as she finished pulling the edges of the wound together, leaving him with a burning sensation all across his back. It would subside as the wound healed, he knew that, but for now, it was a bitch. “Kingpin’s in town. I went after him alone.”

Clint watched her talk with a teasing grin, knowing full well that she was doing good for those girls. The grin faded a bit as she continued though. While he hadn’t expected her to love civilian life, he was a bit sad she still felt so distant from it. There wasn’t much he could do to help though, as they were both used to holding their secrets close to their chests. “I’m sure the kids are learning a lot from you,” he said. “What about the rest of your life? You hanging with anyone I know?”

“I’m stressed,” Loki said. “You know, the heaviest-smoking demographic in the country is doctors. Difficult lives lead to difficult habits.”

Loki looked her over.

“Someone’s all dressed up,” he said. “It really raises the question of how stealthy you can possibly be with everything… clung to like that. You’re putting in a good effort, I imagine?”

“Yes, obviously, you’re really fighting the good fight. That’s about as stressful as being a doctor.”

“You really did? I want to know everything!” Suddenly Peter was more interested in what this story was. He doesn’t want to see any here really, thinking that there was more than enough bad guys to handle. Zombies didn’t need to get added into the mix. “What island was it? How did you get there? Were you alone?”

“Ew-wee! Is it alive?” Harley wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue. “Seen the ones with the worms in ‘em, my old man used ta drink those.” That had been before he’d gone to prison, of course. Giggling, she nodded in agreement and did a little twirl once they hit the street. She waited until Natasha pointed the way before heading in that direction, walking partly ahead of her with an unshakeable confidence despite her recognizability. She didn’t care about the lackluster vigilantes (most who didn’t even do anything) or the SCPD. They weren’t even a blip on her radar. Only one other person passed them - and he made the mistake of staring intently at his phone until he was right next to them. When he instinctively glanced up he almost tripped over himself to get off the sidewalk, giving them a wide berth. “Here, sweetums!” Harley sang out, fishing out a tiny bottle she’d snagged by the cash register. She turned and walked backwards a few feet as she tossed it in his direction. 

“Not after fermenting in tequila.” She said, a teasing smile pulling at her lips. “Worms, really? Why’d he like those?” The balance between interested and noncommittal seemed to usually pull more information out of people, and though she wasn’t sure if it would work with Harley, it was worth a shot. “I saw a jug once in Belize with an entire snake inside. I had to use it to bludgeon someone and it got everywhere.” Her clothes had stunk until she’d ditched them and burnt them to hide evidence. At leas the tequila had helped that along. Natasha sauntered without any rush, subtly guiding them down quieter streets as they headed towards her old apartment, but they encountered someone anyways. She tipped her head down, letting Harley’s natural drama steal all the attention from her, and not flinching when the man failed to catch the bottle in his surprise and the glass shattered on the ground. Rolling her eyes, she strode up to Harley. “That was a waste. You can’t expect that much from most people. Then again, if anywhere, here would be the place to find someone actually competent nowadays.“

“Wow really?” Linda asked, her eyes going wide a little. She couldn’t help but be a little jealous since this woman was so inherently cool and collected and dangerous while she was a short blonde who even in heels was towered over by most others… “Well you’re not wrong there.” Linda had dealt with the minds of some people that would send most normal folks in society running but more often than not the ‘normal folks’ had some very bad tendencies of their own which reared their head when the right situation arose; like seeing a woman presenting at a conference.

“And then the criminal elements seep into the politics to make a vicious cycle that could run a place into the ground in a matter of years.” Even more quickly when there were superpowers involved. Linda nodded, “And for the little it’s worth, I’m very happy that you were all there to do it.” Especially facing whatever pressures they’d had to in order to do that work. It had often been a thankless task. “I’m just waiting for the next alien invasion of the demons in hell to rebel.” She wondered what they were all doing down there while Lucifer was in LA with Maze…Linda couldn’t help but feel a little like she’d asked the cool girl in school if she wanted to eat lunch at her table, she let out a little sigh when she agreed and moved back towards the door, “Great! And, I’ve gotta ask,” now she had the chance, “That suit you used to wear, was it a bitch was to get on?” It looked like it must have been.  

“Yep.” She smirked, and let that be it. They hardly had time to get into all the gory details, though Nat was obviously proud about it. The men had all gotten less than they’d deserved, honestly. Her eyebrows quirked up and back down in implicit agreement, the sour expression on her face clear her thoughts hadn’t changed. It was men’s tendency towards entitlement that made them ridiculous, along with the frequency that they found themselves in places of power. Luckily, it could also blindside them, and make them easier for her to manipulate.

“I’ve watched the disintegration of certain cities. There’s always patterns. And the one we’re in does not look good.” She agreed, but despite having seen similar before- despite having caused similar before, she knew there wasn’t much she could do on her own. Natasha inclined her head in a nod, a quiet thanks. “So am I.” The thought of what would have happened if she hadn’t been there to what she had done... well. She arched her eyebrows. “We’ve had a streak of aliens. Maybe it will be the demons next.” Nat had seen some shit, and though she wasn’t quite sure if she believed in an actual hell, she was sure there must be some equally horrific analogue. With her things gathered and makeup acceptable, Nat followed along Linda, letting her lead the way. She tipped her head side to side, thinking before answering about what was and wasn’t currently classified. “Its not made of any fabric you’ve ever come across. A little stretchier than it looks, thinner. It wasn’t hard to get on, but getting it off after a battle was tedious.” 

“Why thank you, we Nelson’s have always been excellent company.” he told her with a big smile, “Safe though. Is safe too boring?” he asked her, wondering on some level is Matt did what he did for the excitement.

“It’s really good, the cashew chicken is flawless.” he said a sigh, just thinking about it made him hungry. Maybe he’d get takeaway tonight as well, have a night in with his case files like the high flying party boy he was. “Uhh, well there were the first five, then another one, a remake and the cross over… I think about nine?” he said with a small nod, “First one’s the best though, gave me nightmares even in college.” he chuckled, “Oh sweet. The guy could use some cheering up, he’s being broody, you know how he gets.” if she’d dated Matt she had to know how he could get in moods sometimes, granted he could hide them damn well but Foggy was like an emotional bloodhound. “I’ve gotta find a decent post-work bar around here though, I miss after trial drinks.” With Karen more than Matt nowadays…

“I can believe it.” She arched an eyebrow, and shrugged one shoulder. “Yes.” Came her simple answer. Her life had never been safe, not even now, though it was closer to it than ever.

Natasha hummed in acknowledgement, storing the thought for later. The most handy were places open late, and luckily the city provided. Her eyes gradually widened with something like mild horror as he listed off all the movies quantitatively. Americans. “Are they all worth it? Because I’ve seen all the Fast and Furious movies and...” The face she made was self-explanatory, and really, Clint was lucky he’d managed the first three, let alone the whole damn series. “I do.” Her eyebrows drew together a fraction, a perfect facsimile of barely-hidden concern. “Is there something in particular he’s brooding about this time?” She knew the Daredevil side, the drug rings and Kingpin, but they spoke of those in lieu of personal things. “Sonny’s, on Fifth, is good, or the Rocktop down the block if you prefer things less grimy.”

“She’s– you know– Hill. Surprisingly she’s left me alone since I hung up Cap.” Steve snorted. It was odd to not have Hill and Fury calling him constantly, but relaxing all the same. “You look good— been doing good?” He asked, scratching the back of his head.

She arched an eyebrow with surprise- Hill hadn’t even left her alone, and the offer was getting more and more tempting as time went on. “Lucky duck.” Nat said dryly, before shrugging one shoulder. “Alive and healthy. Teaching ballet with the city company. Trying to prevent from Clint from doing anything too dangerous.”