The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 64

As soon as Natasha released Teresa and lunged at Bucky, Peter immediately knelt beside his sister and placed a palm on her chest. He felt her beating heart under his fingers and breathed a sigh of relief. He was so shocked by Natasha's sudden behavior. Yes, he knew that as Black Widow, she was an amazing warrior who didn't hesitate to do anything, and she would really kill for her loved ones, but he really didn't expect anything like that. It frightened and surprised him so that at first he could not intervene, he could not stop her and prevent her from harming his sister. Only when the conflict really intensified and the worst was approaching, could he get up from a trance and at least speak.

"Teresa," he said in a desperate voice to a nurse who didn't react. At least she was breathing. Because if she didn't, Peter didn't know what would he do. He promised no one would hurt her. That he would protect her from being killed. Where did it come from in Nat? Was it just all the accumulated rage lately? She couldn't stand the onslaught anymore and it exploded in her? Was Nat afraid she would kill Peter? Was she worried about Bruce? Of course yes. Peter, too, was terrified when Teresa wanted to shoot Bruce, but thanks to Bucky, it didn't happen. For a moment, he shot a frightened look at the door, behind which Bucky and Nat had disappeared. Perhaps both of them will be fine...

He didn't even realize that Bruce had sat down next to Teresa on the other side, quickly checking her pulse and assessing the situation. "She is unconscious, she will probably have a few bruises and the bruises on her neck will remain for a few days. But she'll be fine, don't worry," he told Peter calmly, looking at him a little carefully. Peter was grateful for his words. Not only for providing information about her condition but also for how he had given it, that he knew how important it was for him to be reassured.

Then Pepper threw herself around his neck. "Peter, are you all right?" She exhaled immediately, looking at him with a critical eye, though she knew Teresa hadn't attacked him at all.

"I am, and you?" He muttered in response, looking over her shoulder at Tony, who was frowning at his helpless sister. Peter vaguely registered Pepper's words.

"Okay, Natasha managed to neutralize her. At least someone was able to do that," Stark growled grumpily." But what do we do with her now? How long before she wakes up again?"

"Ross should be here any minute, so once he arrives, it'll be up to him. I assume they will have strong resources to keep her from escaping. Then there will probably be a series of interrogations before he closes her to Raft," Steve said in an authoritative voice, looking at Peter as if speaking only to him at the last words. Pepper quietly urged his son to walk away form his sister as Sam began to search Teresa for any other weapons, and the Captain went to see Tony so he could make sure he was okay, and then searched the premises woth Loki.

Although Peter didn't want to watch his sister be treated, somehow he couldn't look away from her. He watched desperately as Sam searched her as if she were just a rag doll. He was terrified by her pale face, which was absolutely expressionless. Without her devilish grin and often arrogant self-confidence, she just looked normal. As a good, pleasant, and loving sister. This made her seemed much younger and calmer.

They'll lock her up in Raft. His sister. He buried his face in Pepper's shoulder and felt tears streaming down his cheeks because he couldn't save Teresa.

•••

When Natasha woke up, she was surprised that she was lying in bed and her body was a little stiff. She didn't recognize the ceiling she was staring at, so it was no wonder that she immediately jumped into sitting position and spun her head.

"Calm down. You're at the compound, in your old room," came a familiar male voice coming from the window, and Nat looked in that direction. Bucky stood there, looking out. But then he rested his gaze on her. "How are you feeling?"

"Why am I here? Where are the others?" she asked him, completely ignoring his question.

"We thought it would be best if we took you here. The Starks are home, they're all fine, just a little shaken. Bruce is probably with them, and the rest of the team is here. Nobody got hurt."

"And her?" she said carefully. Images of memories of what Black Widow had done to her flashed before her eyes. What she was doing to her. She put her face in her hands. "I didn't control myself, did I? I let her out with everything. As she really is." Then she raised her head and smiled a little at Bucky. "Thanks for stopping me. I don't know what would happen if you weren't there. I would smash her devil's face. I would destroy her. Peter would hate me. Everyone would hate me because I'm a monster."

"I'm sorry I didn't make it sooner," Bucky said quietly. "I don't know why I waited. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You stopped me. That is the only thing that matters," she assured him with a sigh. Her stomach twisted with nervousness. Her family had finally witnessed who she really was. Will they still care about her? Won't they be afraid of her? What about Bruce? Won't he break up with her? She had to go talk to everyone, and she didn't want to do it at all. "I guess it was supposed to be that way," she said after a moment's silence. "I promised myself that I would not run away from my past. Now I can't run from it anymore. Once you have blood on your hands, you will never wash it again."

James exhaled heavily and agreed silently. He toyed with his identification marks, which he received in the army and which he was used to wearing again when he returned. They reassured him strangely. Of course, Natasha didn't miss it, and she grinned. "Isn't it a bit of an irony, how much do we all rely on our certain material things to remind us who we are without them?"

"Maybe," Bucky shrugged. "But that's normal, isn't it? You don't even realize how much things are changing. And when they make him an improved super soldier and brainwash him so many times..." he looked at her. "I guess it's nice to have an anchor, some certainty that won't tell us who we are," he looked at his identification marks, which contained information about him, "but he can remind us who we were."

"I... I'm not sure I have an anchor like that," Natasha replied.

"Well, it probably wouldn't be out of the question to get it," he said. Then he walked slowly to her and sat on the edge of the bed. He handed her a piece of paper with a drawing of two people on it. She raised an eyebrow in surprise but then gasped as she realized who was in the drawing. She and Bruce cling to each other and smile happily. "From Steve. He wanted to give it to you before, but somehow... there was no time for that," he explained.

Natasha looked at the perfect drawing, which captured them in the perfect moment. She felt tears in her eyes, but she forbade them. She won't cry in front of anyone. It just made her sad, looking at their satisfied faces. She had a hunch that things would never be the way they used to be.

"You should go see him," Bucky told her quietly.

Natasha swallowed. "I know. I know I should. But I'm scared, you know?" She looked at him, then chuckled. "If I stay here, I can still stand in the naive notion that everything is fine. But as soon as I come to see him, the idea fades. But I have to go work it out and try to save it at least somehow. I don't want to lose him, but I'm afraid it won't turn out otherwise," she smiled sadly and looked again at the drawing, at the gift from Steve, at her anchor. If Bruce ends it with her, this will be all she has left.

"Well, you can always come to see me," Bucky suggested innocently, trying to lighten the atmosphere. He laughed as she gave him a disbelieving look. "That was a joke. Don't worry, Natasha. He loves you. He couldn't live without you."

Natasha nodded gratefully at him and stood up. "Thanks, Bucky," she told him honestly, then ruffled his hair.

He grunted and dodged her. She really didn't make it easy for him. "I'm not going to knock you to the ground just because you're so miserable. But remember one thing: I'm not Peter, so never do this again."

"I know, you're a hundred-year-old old man," she winked at him and headed for the door. She had to muster the courage to face it.

"Nat?" He called after her when she was in the doorway. She looked back. "Will you be okay?"

She raised the left corner of her lips to a smile. Then she nodded. "I suppose so." What's to come will come, and she'll fight. "I'm home."