The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 26

Michelle sat at her desk in her room, holding a pencil in her hand and looking at the quick drawing she was embarking on. The drawing was always relaxing for her, often being able to turn off her brain and let her hand guide the pencil over the paper, leaving precise lines behind. Sometimes she didn't even know what she would draw, each time it somehow came out of the situation. But now it wasn't such a big surprise to her that she frowned at the drawing of laughing Peter. She liked him best that way. No wonder she drew him, she had been thinking about him all weekend. She glared at the phone, still naively hoping that her announcement would ring. When on earth did she become so dependent on Peter?

She was often critical of her creations. But now she didn't notice any imperfections, poor shading, and excessive pencil strokes. All she could feel was Peter's face. She missed him. She stroked his face with her finger. At least that's how she could have him with her. It would hurt too much to look at their photos on the phone.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to his faithful likeness, "I'm so sorry, Peter. I didn't want it to end like this, but as far as I could know... it doesn't matter. I just... I can't talk. Not now. And even if I could, I probably don't even know how. And I have no idea what to do now."

She sighed loudly and ran her hands through her curly hair. She was confused and scattered. She was afraid to go to school tomorrow, but at the same time she had to go there because she hoped that Peter would see their situation with different eyes after the weekend, they would not both be blinded by emotions and be able to talk about it. It would be great. But Michelle feared the reality would be a little different. He would probably ignore her and act as if she didn't exist. She had no idea what Peter would do in a situation like this, and she was quite afraid of it.

"I'm ridiculous and stupid, aren't I?" she said to Peter, who was smiling at her. Michelle sighed. Why can't things just be simple? she asked herself, wiping a tear from her face angrily.

•••

"You have really hard fist, Romanov," Bucky growled as he peered in the mirror. His face was swollen, monocle stained under his eye. Natasha stood in the bathroom door by the gym, looking a little guilty. He was surprised because he had never experienced her like that before. She was always exalted, confident, and biting.

"I did not want to hit you so hard. Maybe I overdid it a bit. I must have been too immersed," Nat said apologetically, folding her arms across her chest. "But you see. I said I'd kick your ass."

He chuckled. "You should repeat the basics of biology. Or can't you aim and hit the right place? Because you were a little wrong. But I'll tell you what exactly this is about," he smiled amusedly and wiped his wet face with a towel. "It's Brunnhilde and Banner, am I right? They have probably great time up there," he teased.

"If that's not enough for you, I'll be happy to add you another monocle so you don't look like a clown with just a one," she replied dryly, glaring at him with a murderous look that she could do perfectly. Bucky laughed. "You better take care of yourself, soldier. And go get some ice on it," she told him uncompromisingly, so he just saluted and trotted away. Natasha noticed that in her presence Bucky was getting a little more relaxed, joking, and not so closed. Of course - it hadn't worked so much for her, Nat wasn't sure if she was going to like James understanding her, but she was pleased when Steve came to see her recently and thanked her for it.

"Did you miss me, Agent?"

Natasha turned in surprise and raised an eyebrow when she saw Loki in his typical Asgard attire at the gym. He had the same grin on his face and watched her with a knowing gleam in his eye. "What are you saying about the dear Valkyrie? I was sure you would enjoy her presence. Another woman, and just as well trained like you. Bruce greeted her very friendly-"

"No, I didn't miss you, Rock of Ages," she said quickly, cursing in her mind as Loki's grin widened. That's exactly what he wanted. To lose control of herself, to betray herself, and he could tease her for it. Natasha tossed a box of soap in frustration at him, but it flew through him. "Great, so you're not really here," she growled, heading back to the gym angrily.

"You wanted to hug me?" The redhead, of course, didn't answer. "Are you jealous, Agent?"

"No," she said quietly, unsure of her words. "I'm not jealous." But was it true? After all, Valkyrie was a beautiful woman, and Bruce apparently spent some time with her on Sakaar. She tried to suppress the feeling, but she was possessive, and Bruce was hers. She certainly wasn't going to share it with anyone. She thought that when she dealt with Betty, no former Bruce girlfriend would get in her way. But what about Valkyrie? He never told her about Brunnhilde. Natasha was angry with herself. Why did she have to be jealous? She didn't want to cause another unnecessary argument because of it, but she was afraid she would just not hold on. She cared too much about Bruce.

"You used to be better in hiding your feelings, Natasha. You soften on us," Loki scolded her, and as the agent sat down on the bench with a sigh, he sat down next to her.

"You're right. What's wrong with me? I have taken your advice to heart, I have accepted my past, who I am, and I try to work with both Black Widow and Natasha at the same time. I thought I'd just find a balance between that, and instead... this. I'm becoming weak, addicted to others, and loving," she said desperately, shaking her head and shaking her head. "I want to turn those feelings off. I thought everything would be fine again. But now it's time for stupid feelings, and I'm afraid I'll ruin our relationship because of it."

"Well," Loki cleared his throat, "I'm not a relationship expert. You should go to Pepper with that," he advised, and when Natasha snorted, he smiled omnisciently. "But I know one thing for sure." She looked at him hopefully. "You're jealous of Valkyrie unnecessarily. Because Bruce has eyes only for you."