#rot3rstern

❛     i'm  ----     ❜        confused  ?         that's  not  a  strong  enough  word.     overwhelmed  ?       definitely.        his  shield  feels  more  like  a  comfort  item  clasped  close  to  chest  instead  of  an  actual  means  of  protection  at  the  moment.        two  very  large  concerns  have  been  presented  :   firstly  –  bucky  is  alive  ,  but  this  isn't  his  bucky  ;  secondly  –  an  alien  is  coming  to  take  over  the  world.        asking  steve  to  take  in  losing  seventy  years  of  his  life  as  he  woke  up  in  the  twenty  first  century  not  that  long  ago  had  been  taxing  on  his  brain  ––  this  ,  though  ?          the  ice  nap  felt  like  a  walk  in  the  park  instead.      his  brains  enhanced  processing  speeds  feel  like  mush.       try to explain any of this to him pre-serum &* he'd have had an aneurism.

his  arm  goes  slack  ,  shield  held  at  his  side  now.        one  step  at  a  time.     he manages to wipe the look of lost hope for his bucky's life from his face &* replaces it instead with the abject confusion he feels as he looks at @rot3rstern.   ❛    you're  from  a  different  dimension  ?        what  does  that  even  mean  ?     ❜       suddenly  stark's  suit  feels  like  a  child's  toy.       

   The spider huffed heavily when she threw her hands up in playful frustration. Truck engines two blocks away roared down the empty morning streets. Four heavily armed trucks, packed with illegal contraband made it's way into their view. Right on time.

   ❝ Ugh, I totally would've won the next round! You're lucky those guys are interrupting the beginning of my underdog story. ❞

   The tip of her boots inch closer to the edge of the rooftop. The beautiful metropolitan canvas before her brought a faint smile to her lips. A helping hand was always appreciated in this line of work. Especially when it came from someone who was heavily trained in combat like James. This was a learning experience and Cass found herself excited to see him in action. Without an ounce of fear, she leapt from the edge to plummet downwards to the vacant street. A web extended from her wrist to slingshot her closer to the trucks. The gained momentum her granted her the speed needed to soar high above the armored vehicles. Two fingers tap the communicator by her ear while she was mid-air.

   ❝ Hey, You got eyes on the trucks? See if you can spot the head honcho or any explosives. I really don't wanna blow myself up today.  ❞  

city lights look like tiniest blurry dots from the balcony of her apartment, car speeding in the streets as traffic lessens in the later hours of the night. natasha's head rests against red brick pillar, cigarette balanced between index and middle finger. james' henley shirt hangs a little wider on shoulders, already rolled sleeves pushed up some more despite gentle breeze coming her way.

there's something nice about pure quiet so up above sleepless new york, alpine and liho's occasional meowing reminding natasha that she's not alone - a kind of private comfort she never takes for granted, always stays cherished in her heart and the farthest part of her mind she won't allow for anything to touch, change or erase anymore. "you two should be in bed," she says then, breaking the quiet to put out a vaguely threatening warning for the pets that very obviously have taken on her and james when it comes to sleeping patterns.

come back to bed. sleepy, in need of her presence.

"did i wake you, love?" she counters instead, always worried more about him than herself. metal and flesh a grounding weight on her shoulders, fingers gently working their way up along her neck. the softeness of a kiss pressed on top of her head is not lost on natasha - if anything it's an anticipation for what will happen once they're safely tucked underneath blankets again. one long hit from cigarette, skyline offering a somewhat starry view of which she highly suspects might be helicopters.

❝  no, i don't have a library card. how old do you think i am? actually - don't answer that. ❞ pressing his fingers to his temple, the last thing that he had expected from the super soldier was a trip to the library of all places. the two of them had stuck out like sore thumbs in the center of the shelves. she could feel the pressure building behind her browbone, unsure of just what the other could consider useful in a place so boring.