aredpoison-blog

[aredpoison-blog]

"It's safer to assume someone is unfriendly. It's an old thought pattern I haven't been able to shake." Natasha shrugged a little. It was less likely that assuming someone was friendly was going to get her killed in SHIELD, but she could never really shake that paranoia.

"I can be friendly, too. But I've never seen you be friendly."

“You of all people should know better than to make assumptions.” He didn’t hate her, even if he’d done his best to avoid her over his years of service to SHIELD. She was, inescapably, a reminder of the Red Room. Not her fault, but he couldn’t look at her and not remember. 

“I can be friendly.”

[aredpoison-blog]

“And you’re sure you want this?” Natasha broke the kiss again, wanting to make sure she wasn’t taking advantage of Emma. If Emma didn’t understand yet, Natasha didn’t want to go any further. “You want me?” That was something Natasha found a little hard to believe.

Near Miss - Emma and Natasha

[aredpoison-blog]

“That’s true.” Natasha tried to clear the rest of those thoughts out of her head, but she still looked far away. “I wish they were all like him. I wasn’t made to deal with that sort of thing.”

Emma shook her head, shaking her own thoughts out of her head. “I’m sure they’re not all like that. Look at Thor. He’s basically an alien, right?” she teased gently. 

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha considered this, watching Emma. She had never really thought about it before, but she could use an apprentice. And it looked like this woman could use an adventure. She was probably thinking this because she was drunk, but it fell out of her mouth anyway.

“I could take you away, you know. If you wanted. Most people know not to mess with me.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Emma mumbled before shaking her head. “I’m… away but not free. It’s complicated, sorry,” she offered with a half smile. There was no way to phrase it in a way that didn’t sound completely insane or painfully truthful and she couldn’t risk the truth. Not yet, anyways. For all she knew, this knight would drag her back to her parents for the nice, fat reward being offered for her safe return. 

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha felt her hackles raise a little at his question, but she hoped he wasn't trying to incite a conflict. She thought she had seen a flash of guilt on his face.

"I'm not that fond of you, no. Partly because I assume you hated me by default. We've never been friendly."

“That’s what they say.” He’d always thought of the soulmate thing as a self-fulfilling prophecy, but he wasn’t going to argue that with Natasha. This was amusing, for a moment, but now he just felt the rise of guilt. She’d been waiting for someone to love, and she’d ended up with him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to not sound accusatory when he said, “Do you really hate me that much?”

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha raised an eyebrow at the use of the regular phone, but maybe Gina only used it for mundane things. Then again, if Gina was less smart than her, Natasha definitely had the advantage here. Gina spoke again, mentioning her cell phone this time, and she nodded. Darn. Smarter than she had thought.

“All right. I’ll be here.” For once, she was telling the truth. Something about Gina piqued her interest, and she told herself it was because she wanted to suss out this possible ally. Either that, or she wanted to get some details on a possible enemy. Either way, she needed to stay.

Intersect - Natasha and Regina

“Indian it is.” Regina return Nat’s smile with one a few degrees higher. “Take your time and see if anything else catches your eye.” She added with a nod towards the menu before she made her way to the phone hanging on the wall. She had burners, of course, but anyone that made a habit of listening in to her order moo-shu pork every other Thursday clearly wasn’t going to be breaking her door down anytime soon.

Then again… They might not be looking for her.

Regina gave the phone a pat before flashing Natasha another grin. “Let me go grab my cell. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Assuming you’re still here when I get back.

And Regina found herself hoping that Natasha would be. 

[aredpoison-blog]

“No problem.” Things still felt unstable between them, but Natasha was willing to do anything to help solidify things a little. She knew they wouldn’t get back to normal right away, but she didn’t want their tiny foundation to crumble. “Let me know what you want help with.”

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha had been on edge ever since she had noticed the three operatives moving in the shadows, and she had been ready to run. Bizarrely, however, once they saw their target, it wasn’t her. She followed them through the crowd, trying to get a glimpse of who they were following. They looked like HYDRA, so whoever they were chasing was someone Natasha could probably use as an ally.

No, I don’t want to get into this again. I’m under an alias. 

Something in her couldn’t just let that woman run away without any help, though. Natasha knew she was capable, and maybe today, she could save a life. As long as it was in a dark alley and there was no press. She quickened her pace into a run, darting through alleyways and taking out each operative one by one. She didn’t kill them, but they were left unconscious in the street, so she and their target would need to leave the city quickly.

It took her longer to find their target. Whoever she was, she was good at hiding. She cornered her in an alley, and then raised her hands up, showing she was unarmed.

“It’s okay. I knocked them all out. Are you hurt?”

After You

@aredpoison

Regina never thought that she would have come to think of that cold metal place as home. When she had been discovered to be inhuman, her powers manifesting as her emotions ebbed and flowed, she had been terrified of just what it meant for her until a government agency with a ridiculous name had come to take her away. 

Every movie, every horror sci-fi binge had her believing that she was doomed to a life of experimentation and painful testing but she had found herself among peers. There were others like her who were just as terrified of the consequences of supposedly winning the genetic lottery. 

For a few years there had been a sense of normalcy. She trained and studied her powers and learned to control them with more confidence. Of course she didn’t trust the organization entirely but she did come to trust some of the people she had begun to call friends. It wasn’t until HYDRA had infiltrated the top tier of shield did she realize that they were indeed her friends. 

SHIELD splintered into pieces and she found herself alone and without a safe place to stay. Regina began to move constantly, searching for the people she had come to count on during her time at SHIELD. It was how she found herself in France, following the closest lead that she had gotten in months. Never did she think it might be a trap to lure her out until she had to run through the cramped streets, trying to escape the three operatives that seemed intent on her capture. 

[aredpoison-blog]

“Should I be afraid you’re going to leave me to start an affair with pancakes?” Natasha teased, holding Jane’s hand until they reached the kitchen. She let go so Jane could start cooking, but she hovered around in the same space. “That’s really sweet of you, though. Thank you.”

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha’s expression softened, and things defrosted a little between them. She gave Jane’s hand a squeeze, slipping a little closer. 

“You don’t have to do that. But thank you.” She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Jane’s cheek once they reached the kitchen.

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha nodded, sitting up a little. “I should probably eat. I can’t remember the last time I had anything. And if I did have something, it was probably ramen. Or crackers.” She slipped her hand into Jane’s. “Come with me to the kitchen?”

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

“A little. I’m more awake now, I think. Didn’t have nightmares.” Thank god. Natasha stretched a little against Jane, still dozy. “Thanks for staying.” She felt like things were still fragile between them. Jane didn’t have to stay, but she did, and Natasha was grateful.

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

“I don’t think I have much of a choice.” Natasha yawned, settling against Jane. Within a few moments, she was completely out, catching up on the sleep she had missed so much during those past few months. When she awoke again, she lifted her head blearily, looking around. For once, she hadn’t had a nightmare, and Jane’s steady breathing had lulled her into calm.

“How long was I out?”

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

When Jane said that, Natasha’s arms tightened around her, holding her close. She pressed a shaky kiss to her cheek, lingering. “I love you too. I can’t say that enough, nowadays.” She had half a mind to get some food, but she didn’t want to get up. Jane was comfortable, and she felt like her knees might give out if she stood up. The exhaustion she had put off for months was finally hitting her.

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

Natasha settled against Jane’s chest again, the dullness still not gone from her eyes. She was exhausted, but she didn’t want to sleep. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll get you to okay. But you don’t have to worry about me.”

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

“You don’t need to worry. I’m fine.” It wasn’t true at all, but Natasha hated when people worried over her, even Jane. She didn’t feel like it was worth the effort. She had survived every problem so far, and she would survive this one.

[ Thaw || Closed ]

[aredpoison-blog]

“That’s fine. I haven’t told him, but I think he picked up on it. I was upset for months.” Natasha shrugged a little, embarrassed. She leaned into Jane’s touch, trying to let it soothe her. “He won’t have a problem with it, though. It’ll probably explain a lot.”

[ Thaw || Closed ]