Way We Go Down ｡ Natasha Romanoff

18 - A UNITED FAMILY

The air was cool with the colder months on their way, but the sunlight was warm against Poppy Thayer's skin, her head tilted towards the sky as she soaked in the calmness of the early morning. The ivy covered towers of Lockwood Boarding School for the Gifted in Science and Technology, stood tall and mighty behind her. The sixteen-year-old glanced behind her, eyeing the school that had been her home for four years now. There was a tiny bit of sorrow knowing she wouldn't be walking down the quiet corridors with her friends anytime soon though. But there was also a humming in her heart knowing she was spending a handful of weeks with somebody she rarely got to see within the school term but loved nonetheless.

It had been four long years since her older brother, Alec Thayer, had vanished into smoke and dust on a mission, most claiming he was killed in action. The weight of knowing that she would never hear him laugh, or promise her he'll always return home, still haunted Poppy in the darkest hours. The hole in her heart used to feel like it would hold her down forever, but with time and patience, the pain began to fade and now, it wasn't so hard to think about him. Granted, packing up her bags and accepting a position at Maine's most prodigious school for science and technology had helped the transition into living a life without her older brother around to protect her. Although, her studies had kept her mind busy, her heart always did whisper one question when her eyes closed at night. What really did happen to her brother? 

Tires on the gravel road broke the young girl's thoughts, her head snapping around to spy a sleek black car moving towards her. Already, a smile was touching her lips as she grabbed her luggage and moved away from the iron gates of her boarding school. The car came to an easy halt and the door was swinging open before the engine was even cut. A familiar redhead slid out and joined Poppy on the driveway. 

"You've gotten so tall, what are they feeding you?" Natasha Romanoff asked with a little laugh in her voice, letting her eyes run the length of Poppy's height, noting she had grown into herself quite nicely and was prettier than ever. 

Poppy tilted her head to the side, smiling brightly. "Oh, you know, cottage pie, porridge, growth enhancers and lots of chicken." Natasha was already smiling, missing Poppy's quick responses and always trying to be somewhat optimistic with a joke. "That's a new scar on your cheek. I really hope you knocked the guy out."

"You know it, kiddo."

A tiny moment in time passed, both women standing still but suddenly, Poppy was threading her arms around Natasha, pulling her close. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. It had been months since seeing her and that had been a short visit. They barely got the chance to spend any real time together and this was a moment that Poppy wanted to hold onto. In the past four years Natasha Romanoff had worked bravely with a group of heroes, pushing herself deeper into her work to avoid the pain of losing Alec. She had done many missions, some leaving scars on her body and others being witnessed by the world. She was granted a hero now, but the only person she wanted looking up to her was Poppy Thayer. 

"Come on, let's get going before your headmaster changes his mind about spending a few weeks away from here," Nat pulled away first and grabbed the heavy suitcase. Poppy hurried behind, slipping into the expensive car. "I've downloaded a few road trip songs and there is a pile of beef jerky in the back. You ready to hit the road and go home?"

Poppy Thayer had been waiting a very long time to go home. As the car purred underneath her, she buckled up and sent one last look over her shoulder to watch her boarding school grow smaller in the distance. "There's no place like home." Poppy mentioned quietly, glancing across at Natasha who smiled sweetly. 

With some soft tunes seeping from the speakers, Poppy was chewing on some tough jerky with the windows down, when a laugh vibrated through her chest a few hours later. The sun was high in the sky now and they were nearly back to Washington, D.C. Natasha had been telling her all about her adventures with the Avengers, an unlikely band of heroes. "You literally know a God from another world? That's unbelievably awesome. My roommate, Lila, would die if she got to meet him...Thor, right?"

Nat nodded, "That's the guy, yeah. His brother's a bit of a dick though."

It felt so normal to be chatting away without sorrow touching her heart. Poppy honestly thought spending actual time with Natasha would put pressure on her heart and she would be stuck reliving the tragic past with her brother. But it wasn't like it at all. "There's always one nut in the family," Poppy grinned out. "How's home been? I miss my bed so much."

The redhead shrugged, "Home's home, nothing really changes, you know?" They came to a pause at a red light, Natasha glancing over at the girl who looked wonderfully happy right now. "Oh, we might have visitors though. Tilda and Sam Hardings are in town. You remember them, right?"

Poppy laughed, "How could I forget? Samuel practically tried to buy a date from me last Thanksgiving. That's the last time I come home for the holidays, not if he's still throwing around money like his father." It was a nice memory though, many she had with a group of people she considered family in a weird way. 

Natasha joined in on the laughter, "Well, hopefully that doesn't happen again." The stoplight turned green and she planted her foot down, the car giving an approving purr. "I'm thinking just a really tame and normal vacation, yeah? No billionaire boys paying for your attention, no weird aliens trying to take over the world and no bad guys wanting to kill us. Deal?"

"Deal." Poppy agreed, her attention falling back out the window to watch the world blur by in green and brown colours. She was already praying her trip back home would remain relaxing and carefree. Unfortunately, that was not the case for a soldier would come knocking and the very world as Poppy Thayer and Natasha Romanoff knew it, would change forever. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

We're back!! 

I was super thingy about how to open part three, which is why it's taken so long to finally update because I didn't want to simply fall into the movie and wanted a little cute scene between Poppy and Nat, also to establish how they've grown and moved on from Alec because he's been gone for four years now. This is the first part being set in an actual movie but I'm going to try my very best to add in scenes from CA:TWS but I can't say how closely or accurate this part might turn out considering it's not focused on Steve or Bucky, but Nat, Poppy and Alec. Anyway, I really hope you liked the brief introductory chapter and we've got some angsty stuff coming, so that will be bundles of fun. 

- tinkertaydusy