#personally I find both peter and kamala endearing

[productofmtwundagore]

🫢

[littlemsstark3000]

In Love Again

Can we forget all the lies that we've led

Take us so far away from the truth

Can we erase all the tears and regrets

Fear hiding in the pain, the shadows of yesterday

- lyrics from "In Love Again" by Colbie Caillat

*****

A few notes before you keep on reading:

- Prompt is from @natashastarkotp 's unpopular opinion: Tony and Natasha falling in love after Civil War and raising the new breed of Avengers without the rest of OG6

- Song fic idea is from @autumnwoodsdreamer, listen to the song and agree that it screams TonyNat

- The identified young Avengers here are not canon compliant; I actually don't know Riri and Kamala except from what I read from other fics, too

- I dedicate this to my IronWidow / TonyNat fam, you included @philosophical-army @queeenpersephone ❤️

*****

"Natasha, Mr. Stark's car has just entered the compound through Gate 2."

Natasha lifted her head from the book that she was reading at the dining area while having coffee. Her eyebrows furrowed upon that notification by AARON (Analytics, Automation, Response and Operations Nanny), the Avengers Compound's AI.

She stood up to meet Tony. He definitely can find his way in and override all access requirement, which he himself created, but he might have something urgent for him to come over in the middle of the night.

When she unlocked the door after security confirmation, he also just got there.

"Hey," she managed to say, hiding a tug on her chest.

"Hi," Tony smiled a little, both hands in his pockets on either sides. He was still wearing a white long sleeved shirt sans its pair coat. "Let me in?"

She motioned her head and went ahead, both to give way and to hide whatever her expression might give away.

"Thanks," Tony said, following her when she decided to go back to the dining table.

"What's with the surprise visit?"

"You were surprised."

It was more of a statement than a question to her ear.

Natasha shrugged as she tried to look at him again. "Because we were just together two hours ago."

A corner of his lips lifted and his gaze locked with hers. "You probably mean we were in the same event, at the same place, two hours ago."

It was valid. They were technically not together. The gala which happened earlier that night was hosted by an NGO advocating Women and Children's Rights, and both the Avengers and Stark Industries were invited among others. She was there representing the new Avengers - Peter Parker aka Spider-man, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel and Riri Williams aka Iron Heart all had prior and more important stuff to attend to. Tony was there representing his company.

That morning, he offered to pick her up and bring her back to the compound, but she declined and brought her own ride, one of the team's service vehicles but would also pass as a luxury car - thanks again to SI. The whole night, they barely stood within each other's arm reach except when they greeted upon arrival and said goodbye.

During her short stay at the venue, she also caught him tied up with different groups and personalities. She mentally applaud how he has improved his interaction skills in times like that through the years, while she also mentally cursed herself for wanting to glance his way from time to time.

So yes, they were far from being together two hours ago.

"Right."

Tony sat on the table instead of the chairs. "How are you?"

"Fine," she leaned back on the marble counter, still standing, and replied without much thought.

"The kids?"

"In their rooms. And stop calling them kids; you've actually recruited them so they have to be called grown-ups helping to save the world," she quipped.

He chuckled bluntly. "Compared to us, they are babies."

"Way to acknowledge that we aren't any younger."

"Acceptance is key to a certain level of peace."

She rolled her eyes as she turned to the nearby coffeemaker, which contained what was left of her brew. "Coffee?"

"Our usual."

The response was short, instant, and it hit her like a bullet.

Our. Their brew. The only thing they wanted around every waking day back at the penthouse... aside from each other.

Natasha discreetly breathed heavily, her back still on him.

"Seriously - why are you here, Tony? Do you really just want to check on Peter, Kamala and Riri?" her tone was flat, going for emotionless response contrary to her heartbeat that she could almost hear now.

"I asked how you are first."

She sensed Tony's pitch lowered, too.

"It's not as if you don't have at least an eye on us here in the compound. AARON reports everything to your AI."

He sighed, seemingly intentional for her to catch. "Then maybe I just want to talk."

"At 11 in the evening, yeah?" she retorted as she placed a cup of coffee before him on the table.

"I've been thinking of coming over since 9."

She could feel heat rising to her face, and her jaw clenched  a little. The next thing she knew, she had let out words which she hoped she could take back.

"And, of all the days, you decided that you want to talk today."

Silence followed.

Natasha could not believe that her brain-to-mouth filter just disabled.

Probably, Tony could not either.

"You remember," his voice hinted amazement.

"I'm somehow not as bad as you are with dates," she pivoted again to walk to the sink, placing her used mug there and also putting more distance between them.

"Luckily, FRIDAY isn't, too. She prompted me this morning, about our anniversary."

Unfortunately for her, Tony stood from the table and started closing that distance.

"Guess it's time to update programming." The line behind her own words tasted like bitterpill.

He stopped a couple of feet away from her. His straight look on her suddenly grew tender.

"I'm sorry, Tash."

Hearing the nickname, his former term of endearment for her, constricted her throat.

Their unexpectedly beautiful relationship that came after the falling out of the former Avengers and after some compromises along the way; the love and respect built on the friendship that blossomed out of their hardwork on Accords... ruined by one thing:

Not telling him earlier on that she actually knew about Howard and Maria Stark's death in the hands of the Winter Soldier.

She swallowed the invisible lump.

"Tony, I am sorry. You snapped on me because I was at fault, and believe me, I completely understand. I would've reacted the same way if I were you."

"I lied, too." Tony stepped nearer to her. "It wasn't true that I wanted you out."

Tears brimmed through her eyes so she looked down, hiding them from him. She bit her lips to stop them from trembling. "I deserve it."

"It wasn't what I felt, Tash. I was mad, and hurt, and they slipped out before I could think about them. You don't deserve any of that."

His words that night when he learned - figured out rather - that she might knew something about his parents' murder replayed in her mind.

"You just broke my trust again, Natasha. I don't know what else I have left for you."

Tony was just standing across her that time, same as their present distance, but she felt him so far away; giant walls in between them.

How she wanted to protect him from feeling his pain.

How she wanted to shield him from the nightmares that would surely follow in the coming nights.

How she wanted to say that, apart from keeping what she knew, everything else between them was true.

How she wanted to just feel him physically, touch him at the very least.

But he would not let her. So instead, she said:

"Maybe I should leave -"

She meant to say temporarily or in the meantime while they think through the situation, until he responded with cold, piercing stare and colder tone.

"Maybe you should."

That actually hurt more. Less words, no shouting, but a whole lot of indifference.

It took more than a month before she saw him again, and they were back to the professional, teammates-only interaction they used to have before the original Avengers blew off. She stayed at the compound which housed the new breed of Earth defenders and stood as their guardian.

When Tony arrived with a date in one of their event engagements three months later, she then killed all of her remaining hopes that they can still be fixed... that she can be fixed.

Indeed, everything that I touch breaks. It's too much to wish for something normal, something more human.

She drove around the city one night. Tears just continually rolled down her cheeks but she never made a sound. No stopovers, she went on for hours until nothing comes out of her eyes anymore. The following day, back was the Agent Romanoff - strategic, analytical and distant.

"I shouldn't have -" Tony started but was cut off immediately.

"Stop. Just... don't." It was too weak for an order. Almost a plea.

Instead of talking back, he gently gathered her in his arms.

Natasha could definitely let herself go in multiple ways, but her arms were stuck, crossed on her chest, unwilling to move. Tony pulled away and held her face gently, his brown eyes soft on her green ones, conveying more than words, giving her hope again.

"By now, you should know that I tend to do the exact opposite what I'm told to do."

Despite his quip, fear ran through her nerves; because right there, she wanted to gamble one more time - history and logic be damned. He was and will always be worth it.

And Natasha recognized that Tony, at that very moment, was taking the risks for her, too.

She tugged on his shirt to kiss him hard, demanding an unfiltered response. He willingly obliged. Each touch, each movement, communicated what they needed, what they missed, what they almost completely let go.

When they finally pulled apart, they ended up snuggled on a couch at the common area, and just spent the whole night talking - with confessions, apologies, a bit more tears and new unspoken promises.

*****

Comments are welcome. Just be gentle. 😉

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 14 May 2018

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #1 is largely atmosphere and introduction, as we’re dropped into the lives of a couple of FBI agents, a strange mass shooting at a mall, and the subsequent disappearance of two of their colleagues in a warehouse. Garth Ennis giving us some straight up horror again is very welcome and the tease of what occurs with an entire SWAT unit is enticing for what’s to come. Also, the art from Goran Sudžuka and Ive Svorcina is perfect.

| Published by AfterShock

All-New Wolverine #35 brings the series to an end. Over the thirty-five issues, plus an annual and a Generations special, Tom Taylor has delivered one of the most consistently excellent series from Marvel in recent years. The stories have been entertaining, the characters interesting, and contained a nice mix of action, humour, and a real sense of family between Laura, Gabby, and the real wolverine, Jonathan. It’s sad to see it end. But at least it goes out on a high note. This final chapter of “Old Woman Laura”, with wonderful art from Ramon Rosanas and Nolan Woodard, has encapsulated a large part of the fun of this series.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers #2 continues the over the top bombast and destruction of the first issue, actually raising it a bit higher as Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Jay Leisten, and David Curiel break out even more action. There is a bit of confusion in regards to Jennifer Walters’ current state, apparently she’s a dumb Hulk again, is built like her angry grey version, but green. It’s like she’s regressed, but there’s no explanation here. Other than that, Jason Aaron progresses the arrival of the Final Host nicely, with an interesting narration from one of the reasons why the Avengers originally came together in the first place.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: Back to Basics #6 concludes this digital original series. It’s been fun. Peter David’s story has been highly entertaining, with two-issue sub-stories fitting into one over-arcing story involving Ms. Marvel. These past two issues dealing with that mostly head on as Kamala’s dealt with Kang. Also, the art has been great. The first two issues and these last two issues have had the art chores handles by Brian Level and Jordan Boyd, with some very nice page layouts and interesting decisions for panel composition.

| Published by Marvel

Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #18 has some really nice art from André Lima Araújo. I love his style, basically a mix between someone like Martín Morazzo and Katsuhiro Otomo.

| Published by Marvel

Bloodshot Salvation #9 has Ray Fawkes join in on the writing duties for an excellent standalone story detailing the origin of Bloodhound deep in the trench warfare of World War I. Along with Renato Guedes wonderful art, this is a good story even if you’re not regularly a reader.

| Published by Valiant

Cable #157 continues to play with Cable’s history, past and future, as Nate Grey and a group of alterNates from various timelines are brought together at the end of time to face Metus. It’s interesting how Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson are mining Cable’s continuity, while still building new encounters and characters to fill in some of the holes.

| Published by Marvel

Cold War #4 peels back the curtain just a little bit, to give more hints as to what’s going on truly with the war and its pieces. We get some more insight into LQ, as well as mainly following Sath and Tikk this issue, bringing about some interesting control issues for Vinh. Christopher Sebela and Hayden Sherman have some interesting characters here and the overall future plot just more interesting.

| Published by AfterShock

Crude #1 jumps headfirst into the seedy, unsavoury, and harsh life of working in Blackstone. Interesting to see the rival “gangs” vying for control over the land and the people, as well as giving an insight into what it might have been like for Kiril here before his death. Gerry Brown’s artwork is perfect for this, dark, gritty, and feeling like the characters have walked for ages through mud and worse.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Daredevil #602 gives a good argument for why Mike Henderson is one of the best artists at Marvel right now. He’s great with action and talking pieces, making the various moments of horror, heroism, and humour in Charles Soule’s script shine.

| Published by Marvel

The Dead Hand #2...hoo boy, damn this is a good comic. Kyle Higgins, Stephen Mooney, and Jordie Bellaire are producing a taut thriller and mystery, tapping into Cold War era paranoia and espionage epics and creating something amazing here. The characters are great, fitting perfectly into the spy mould, but the revelations each issue as to what’s going on raise the stakes and storytelling to a higher bar. Also, the art is incredible. This is some great stuff.

| Published by Image

Death of Love #4 gives us a pretty epic confrontation between Philo & Friends and the army of Cupidae. There’s some humour as they work out who the players were in the first issue and set up for the final conclusion next issue. The art from Donal DeLay and Omar Estévez really shines this issue.

| Published by Image

Dry County #3 comes up with some interesting avenues for investigation as Lou continues to try to find out what happened to Janet. Rich Tommaso is mining the trappings of Miami Noir so perfectly, but what I absolutely love is how he’s incorporated even the comic strip into the narrative. It’s not just work, it’s also another tool in Lou’s arsenal as an amateur detective. Brilliant storytelling.

| Published by Image

Ether: The Copper Golems #1 is a very welcome return to the world of Ether from Matt Kindt and David Rubín. I’ve said before that Rubín’s art deserves many accolades and the original Ether series was one of the many reasons why, but one of the first in the North American market. It’s just wonderful. A mix of whimsy and detail, with amazing character designs and interesting page layouts, I just love the art. It also helps that Kindt more than pulls his own weight, adding more interesting wrinkles to Boone Dias’ personal life on Earth that makes his departures into the fantasy realm deeper. Also, there’s something sad and somewhat sinister when someone introduces themselves as “Lost”.

| Published by Dark Horse

Flavor #1 is a fascinating creature. It reminds me a bit of the beginning of Joe Keatinge’s other fantasy series, Shutter, somewhat in tone, with beautiful bright art from Wook Jin Clark and Tamra Bonvillain, but also that there seems to be a lot more going on than just what we see at first. That undercurrent has me hooked, but the surface is also rather captivating. Xoo and her dog, Buster, are endearing and the world of fantastical culinary chefs is something different for comics (Moonstruck and Brave Chef Brianna notwithstanding).

| Published by Image

Gideon Falls #3 is another issue full of oblique messages and hints at something insidious as Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Dave Stewart continue to play the long game when it comes to the horror that’s lurking in Gideon Falls. So far it’s all about atmosphere and building up the characters, with some interesting bits of how Norton’s paranoia and obsessive compulsiveness can bring out some dangerous behaviour, regardless of whether or not he’s actually right.

| Published by Image

Hunt for Wolverine: The Claws of the Killer #1 is the third limited series, this one following Lady Deathstrike, Sabretooth, and Daken. This one also makes me question some of the status quo of the characters, what with Sabretooth acting more villainous (although there has been a darker turn in Weapon X of late) and Daken’s characterization currently being all over the map between this, Iceman, and X-Men Blue, but taken at face value, this story from Mariko Tamaki is one of the ones that makes the most amount of sense, and looks like it’s going to have an interesting plot on top of just the hunt for Wolverine angle. The art from Butch Guice, Cam Smith, and Dan Brown is really nice. It’s a bit scratchier than I’ve come to expect from Guice, but it suits the darker subject matter.

| Published by Marvel

Infidel #3 keeps the hits coming as Leslie’s dead, Kris is hurt but stable, and Aisha is randomly unconscious. Pornsak Pichetshote plays up the racist angle outright here, with Aisha’s friends and neighbours addressing it outright, and it looks like the anger, hate, fear, and division are feeding whatever’s going on. Plus, a notebook full of Goetic sigils and other stuff. Aaron Campbell and José Villarrubia again nail the creepy atmosphere. 

| Published by Image

Infinity 8 #3 marks the end of the first part of this series and the first recursion loop. Dominique Bertail’s art is stunning, the designs for the different Kornaliens and all of the dead creatures throughout the necropolis are amazing. It’s also interesting in Lewis Trondheim and Zep’s story how the mystery is going to progress as time resets and the crew tries to learn what’s going on. 

| Published by Lion Forge / Magnetic Collection

Infinity Countdown: Daredevil #1 is a one-shot detailing how the mind stone came into Turk Barrett’s possession. It’s the kind of fluffy thing that would usually be a couple of panels or a throwaway line in the main series of a crossover, but it’s not bad on its own. I kind of get the impression that all of Infinity Countdown will be better read as a whole, even if the event is just a primer for the forthcoming Infinity Wars. At the moments, it’s just a lot of little disparate pieces. Nice art, though.

| Published by Marvel

James Bond: The Body #5 is another great issue, working as both its own discrete story, with great art from Hayden Sherman and Valentina Pinto, and as part of the broader whole story that Aleš Kot has been serving up in this series. The approach of analyzing Bond from within, piece by piece, has been highly entertaining.

| Published by Dynamite

Kick-Ass #4 is a fairly explosive instalment of the series, with Patience essentially running into a brick wall and finally beginning to assess the ramifications of some of her actions. Still not the moral implications, but certainly the toll that her life of crime would have on her family.

| Published by Image

Lucy Dreaming #3 continues to be a fun read, as we find out a bit more about the world than Lucy dreams herself into and the science project that allows her and her friend Welsey access it. All while delivering a humorous take on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Max Bemis and Michael Dialynas are delivering something very imaginative with this series.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla #1 is a one shot that acts as a bridge between the latest volume with Jane Foster and the upcoming new series starring the original Thor Odinson. It features two somewhat connected stories by Jason Aaron, the first with art by Jen Bartel spotlighting the Goddesses of Thunder, Thor’s granddaughters from the future who were introduced early on in Aaron’s run, and a second illustrated by Ramón Pérez following Malekith’s plans for the War of the Realms, both nimbly coloured by Matthew Wilson.  

| Published by Marvel

Ninja-K #7 puts together a kind of Unity 2.0 in order to put down the Coalition in Mexico. I love that Christos Gage is playing with the wider Valiant universe for this arc. Often times the stories from Valiant stand on their own save for crossover periods these day, and, while that’s certainly a strength, it’s nice to see that shared universe utilized in entertaining ways. Especially when it means more Doctor Mirage and Punk Mambo. Also the art from Juan José Ryp and Jordie Bellaire is amazing.

| Published by Valiant

The Punisher #224 brings Frank back stateside for the beginning of one hell of a reckoning in the wake of him donning the War Machine armour and the ramifications from Secret Empire. It does seem a bit hypocritical coming from the hands of Captain Marvel, though. There still really hasn’t been any concrete fallout on her own actions from Civil War II, which is somewhat disappointing. Still, Matthew Rosenberg gives us a good story here as Frank cuts an even more brutal swath through Marvel’s rogues gallery.

| Published by Marvel

Quicksilver: No Surrender #1 continues on from Quicksilver’s sacrifice run in the Avengers’ “No Surrender” arc with Pietro finding himself unstuck in time. Saladin Ahmed pens an intriguing script, but the real highlight here is Eric Nguyen and Rico Renzi’s art. Particularly Renzi’s colours. The stark contrast between Pietro, the colours of the energy demon thing(s), and the world devoid of colour is an impressive choice. It really makes the story come alive and hammers home the strangeness of the situation.

| Published by Marvel

Summit #5 begins the second arc with Federico Dallocchio taking over the art duties, while Amy Chu pens a story that more properly sets up Val’s current status quo and supporting cast at MIT. It’s an interesting approach, an astronaut celebrity professor superhero, and an decent set up.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #82 has more excellent art from Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison. The story also gets a bit more interesting as the various factions in New York begin to move on plans for something more, even as Baxter Stockman betrays what happened to the Triceratons. Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz also expand upon the Rat King, Toad Baron, and their family of immortals in interesting ways.

| Published by IDW

TMNT Universe #22 concludes the two-part story from Paul Allor, Mark Torres, and Ronda Pattison that puts the Utroms and Triceratons on a hard road to peace. It’s a good set-up, despite a foundation on lies, that makes me interested to see what happens next in this tenuous situation. There’s also a nice character piece back-up from Ross May, Chris Johnson, and Mark Englert with Leatherhead and his interpretation of freedom.

| Published by IDW

Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #3 has Usagi and Inspector Ishida inch closer to the truth as they continue to hunt the murderers of the two unknown ronin.

| Published by Dark Horse

Weapon H #3 is still much, much better than I ever would have expected a book about a Wolverine/Hulk mash-up character would be. Greg Pak, Cory Smith, Morry Hollowell, and Rachelle Rosenberg are doing an impeccable job here, as the over-the-top action continues with Clay facing an squad of Broodlings under the control of Roxxon, while his wife continues to investigate his “death”. There’s a kind of old school sensibility about this series and it’s being utilized to great effect.

| Published by Marvel

X-Men: The Wedding Special #1 gives us a trio of tales in advance of the wedding of Kitty Pryde and Colossus, including a retrospective of Kitty’s history, and one each for the bachelor and bachelorette parties. The retrospective is about what you’d expect from Chris Claremont, wordy and with a penchant to highlight some bits of his time with the character. Honestly, it’s good to see, with some nice art from Todd Nauck and Rachelle Rosenberg.

| Published by Marvel

X-Men Red #4 gives us a revelation of part of Cassandra Nova’s plan, weaponizing hate through a new form of nanite sentinel. Mahmud Asrar and Rain Beredo outdo themselves with depicting an impressive confrontation with Storm.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: The Archies #7, Assassinistas #5, The Ballad of Sang #3, Barrier #3, Captain America #702, Cinema Purgatorio #14, Curse Words #14, Encounter #3, Jimmy’s Bastards #8, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #27, Moonshine #10, The Originals: Essential Edition, Persephone, Riverdale #12, Ruin of Thieves #1, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Through the Mirror #3, Star Wars: Poe Dameron #27, The Wicked + The Divine #36, You Are Deadpool #3

Recommended Collections: The Ballad of Halo Jones - Colour Edition, Black Magick - Volume 2: Awakenings II, Black Science: Premiere Hardcover - Volume 1: Remastered Edition, Evolution - Volume 1, Hulk: Return to Planet Hulk, Infinite Loop - Volume 2, Mage - Volume 4: The Hero Defined - Book 2, Moon Knight - Volume 1: Crazy Runs in the Family, Paradiso - Volume 1: Essential Singularity, Rick & Morty - Volume 7, Star Wars: Poe Dameron - Volume 4: Legend Found, Summit - Volume 1, Turok - Volume 1, The Unsound

d. emerson eddy is not the one you know.