#viiduae

                                                           shit   !!!

language   !!!   jarvis   ,    what's the view from upstairs   ???

                   the central building is protected by some kind of energy shield.   strucker's technology is well beyond any other hydra base we've taken.

                                       loki's scepter must be here.   strucker couldn't mount this defense without it.   at long last.

                                                           at long last is lasting a little long  ,   boys.

                   yeah.   i think we lost the element of surprise.

                                                           wait a second.   no one else is going to deal with the fact that cap just said language   ???

i know   ——————   it just slipped out.

THE AVENGERS™️

—          nat and wanda lying in bed; sometimes nat is the little spoon, sometimes wanda is, sometimes they just lie in each other’s arms looking at each other, their foreheads together.  them in one of those big baths, surrounded by candles, washing each other’s hair.  natasha’s head in wanda’s lap while they sit on the couch, nat watching tv, wanda reading.  wanda massaging nat’s shoulders after a hard mission.  wanda kissing between nat’s shoulder blades. comforting each other after nightmares.  staying up together because neither can sleep.  stealing each other’s clothes.  wanda sitting on nat’s lap and pressing her face into nat’s neck.

~   s o f t    w i v e s   ~

One of them might not survive the day. Natasha had to remind herself of that as she watched Steve from across the room. Less than twelve hours till they were scheduled to leave, till the Quinjet would be available and they would be making their way onto the battlefield not just for the sake of themselves, but for the sake of everyone. She stood slowly, crossing the room in as few steps as she could manage before she slid her arms around his neck and settled against him, closing her eyes and locking the feeling to memory. If she died on the field, she wanted it to be the last thing she thought about. His arms around her, the safety of the one person who’d made her feel alive again after too long feeling lost.

She didn’t even think about it, the way her lips sought his. It was a natural impulse and her arms tightened as she stretched onto her toes to close the distance, tugging him down just enough. It was only when they made contact that she noticed what she was doing and pulled away in a hurry, breath caught in her throat and a look of apology in her eyes. ❝ Steve- ❞ She paused, taking a breath, ❝ If I don’t make it back, I can’t have not told you what you mean to me. I don’t know who’s going to make it through this one but if it’s not me… You know you’ve been my home for years now. My best friend. Thank you, for everything. ❞

Steve had mostly been concentrating on the assignment ahead - they had a plan, they had a small idea of what they were getting into. They'd worked with less though never with so much at stake. The blond was trying not to stress it, especially so early on, before they were even loaded on the jet. Which was why he welcomed Nat's presence so quickly (not that he ever didn't welcome it, but she was always a voice of reason, a calming aura) when she approached him. Her hug hadn't been expected, of course, but it wasn't so much unusual, either. Of course they were both starved for the touch of each other: the reassurance that they were together again, the knowledge that they were going to be there no matter what. Steve's arms had wrapped naturally around her petite figure and he'd held on like they might depend on it for the next few moments.

Her lips on his were an even greater surprise. Not like the last time, when they'd both been in a hurry and desperate, when their lives and mission had been more important than the lingering tingle of her soft skin against his. No, this time... This time Steve could feel the emotion in her gesture, the desperation in the taughtness of each of her muscles. He found himself kissing back, equally hungry for the affection his heart and body had craved for he didn't know how long, but she was already pulling away.

❝ Nat, I... ❞ Steve answered automatically in reply. Her confession.. How long had the two of them felt the same way? How long had they been dancing around the issue, afraid of pushing the other too far and losing everything? Too long, Steve realized, and upon her confession he tugged her back in so that he could bury his nose against the line of her jaw and hold her in determined desperation to himself. ❝ I don't know what to say. I feel the same way. After everything, after what we've been through... ❞

     It took some planning ahead. A bit of guilt tripping, a hint of manipulating, playing into the give and take game. But she was able to score a well deserved long weekend away from missions for themselves. God knows Natasha needed it. Leaving a little before dawn, she let the redhead nap in the car while she drove them out of town and to the remote hunting cabin she’d bought.

While he was a little bias towards her red hair, he had to admit that the platinum look suited her. Most people in this kind of situation would say something along the lines of ‘I almost didn’t recognise you’ after not seeing someone in months. But Bruce couldn’t use that excuse, he knew her better than to not recognise her because of a new hairstyle. There was the sound of her voice and the way she smelled, the way she walked, and her butt... that was a dead giveaway, whether her hair was bright red or platinum blonde.