Venomous

31. Safety

Or so I thought. I was jolted awake by a bloodcurdling screech that shocked me so badly I fell out of bed before even AV had a chance to catch me. "Oof" I murmured into the hard-wood floor, my palms pressing against the cool surface as I rested my forehead on it as well. Not the best way to start a morning. But then the screaming was back. I felt a pit in my stomach growing. I knew that scream. I didn't bother to look down at what I was wearing – or more appropriately not wearing – before I was blasting through the door with such force it slammed against the wall behind it.

White tendrils shot out of everywhere, grabbing the wall and propelling me forward at a pace that no amount of sprinting could possibly match. I heard other doors along the hallway opening as sleepy and startled Avengers who were in the compound emerged to see what all the fuss was about. Steve started jogging towards me to try and help, no doubt familiar with the sound himself. AV's full form twisted in midair, hissing something that could not be doubted was a command. "Stay back." To your surprise, and you had to admit that you were impressed, Steve slowed almost immediately, his eyes locking on your face. He nodded that he understood, then slowed to a walk to let Sam and a few others to catch up.

We turned forward again, resuming our frantic pace as the screams continued. As you continued, you tried to remember the last time you had heard one as bad as this one seemed to be, and it propelled you forward even more urgently. We didn't waste time with the door, barging in full force. Natasha was so out of it that the sound didn't even startle her remotely as she continued to twist and turn inside her sheets. AV retreated immediately and the cold floor of her room shocked my feet as I rushed towards her. I had to time this perfectly.

I watched her movements carefully for a couple minutes, studying and finding what I could of a rhythm. She turned away from me, her arm thrashing around slightly and I slid in behind her, wrapping both arms around her waist, pulling her tight against my front. She jerked temporarily in my arms, but the movements grew smaller until they stilled entirely. Five. Four. Three. Two. Natasha jerked awake abruptly in your arms, immediately trying to pull herself away before you could begin moving.

I let her go immediately, and she spun around, her fist immediately circling around one of your hands, clenching tightly. You waited patiently while her brain caught up to her natural instincts. Her breathing slowed, and her eyes opened wide when she realized who you were. "Parker?" She rasped, her throat swollen and raw from screaming. A white tendril shot out immediately, careening around the corner of the bathroom and grabbing a glass of water that I reached for as it approached. To my surprise, Natasha slapped my hand away, reaching for the tendril holding the glass, instead.

"Thank you, AV." She smirked up at me as she sipped her water, and my eyes narrowed. So, this was how it was going to be. I moved to get up and give her back her bed, but her eyes opened wide again and she clutched at my shirt before I think she fully realized what she was doing. "Parker, please." I frowned slightly. It almost looked like she was trying not to cry. I nodded, glancing back over my shoulder, where Steve stood waiting. We exchanged nods of understanding, and I think respect, and he backed out of the room silently, no-doubt herding the others back down the hall. I settled onto my back, and Natasha curled against me tightly. She went to wrap an arm around my waist, but visibly hesitated.

"Whatever you need, Natasha." She looked up at me silently, trying to tell if you were serious. I was, dead so. I nodded at her, and she lowered her head against my chest, her hand wrapping finally around me so she could pull me closer. She tensed initially when my arm went around her shoulders to secure her, but she almost immediately melted into it. Slowly, her shakes subsided and her breathing deepened. She was asleep. I shifted slightly, careful not to disturb her and closed my eyes, settling in for sleep.

Howeverthefuck many hours later, I once again woke to the sensation of falling out of bed. This was apparently becoming a habit. I glanced up as I rolled over, red hair poking out haphazardly from the side of the bed as Natasha glanced down at me, a bemused smirk on her face. A frown almost immediately replaced it. "What the fuck are you wearing?" I glanced down, triggering a blush immediately. Shit. My cut-off, old band t-shirt wasn't hiding a lot, and neither were my shorts. Natasha rolled over, almost immediately poking back over the side of the bed, offering me a hoodie. I accepted, pulling it over my head as quickly as possible.

Once I was quite sure my legs would hold me despite the embarrassment, I jumped to my feet, nearly colliding with the nightstand in the process. Great job, Parker.

You're embarrassing us. I rolled my eyes and Natasha smirked at me, her eyes twinkling playfully.

"Not you too," I huffed at her, tugging the hoodie down lower over my legs. I turned to go, but Natasha cleared her throat behind me, and I turned around slightly.

"Thank you, Parker." I shrugged.

"I just wanted to help." A smile tugged at the corner of Natasha's lips but didn't fully form.

"And thank you, AV." Much to my chagrin, a small tendril shot out of my hand and did something that – to my horror – resembled a small wave. Also, to my horror, Natasha giggled in response. What the hell was happening right now?

For the next two weeks, Natasha and I spent more time together. We fell into comfortable rhythms with only the slightest hints of tension once in a while. The dynamic was a strange one. In one sense, Natasha and I were more comfortable with each other than to anyone – or almost anyone – else. On the other, there was history between us and lingering tension and unsaid things. We'd laugh it off and resumed whatever we had been doing. Food fights in the kitchen at 2 am when neither of us could sleep. Late nights with a movie on, muted in the background as we sat in silence, just not wanting to be alone.

The tension increased slightly a few days before Wanda's scheduled return. Natasha noticed the tension in my shoulders, my muscles rippling as I clenched and unclenched my fists subconsciously. We were sitting on opposite ends of one of the lounge couches, feet intertangled in the middle, randomly throwing popcorn or candy at the other. "Maybe it won't be that bad," she offered slightly, shrugging her shoulders. I sighed. The woman always knew how to read me, or maybe I had just become that obvious.

"It's going to be awkward, no matter what." I mumbled, not looking forward to it. She chuckled, triggering an instant frown on my face.

"You pull off awkward very well, Brock," she teased, making me blush instantly. I was spared from having to respond by Friday's voice echoing through the compound communication system.

"Tony has requested the team to come to the conference room. Something's happening." Natasha and I glanced at each other for a split second before jumping to our feet simultaneously, popcorn long forgotten. She pushed past me, causing me to smash my shins into the coffee table, making me hiss in pain.

"Last one there's a loser," the redhead called playfully over her shoulder, already rounding the first corner." I smirked.

"How long should we give her, buddy?" I muttered under my breath. I felt the silky, smooth, liquid texture as my chuckle melded seamlessly into ours. "Another minute," we grunted. After the agreed time, we bounded after Natasha, catching up to her easily tossing a teasing smile over our shoulder as she glared up at us.

"Cheater." She hissed. I laughed, landing back on my actual feet, AV's features almost completely gone by the time she caught up.

"Loser," I countered. Natasha's smirk made me feel something that I didn't want to feel or admit, and something must have shown on my face.

"You okay, Brock?" I looked up at her immediately, clearing my throat.

"I'm good. Let's go see what all the fuss is about."