Deadly Attachment

Chapter 5

- sometimes your heart needs time to accept what your mind already knows.

Natasha woke me up not much later, probably two hours, slightly longer than she had told me. I didn't mind, it was a very nice sleep that I got. But getting up was difficult, and trying to rub the sleep from my eyes even more so.

"Come on, little one." Natasha's voice is low and quiet, because of the pain in her skull, I imagine. "Peter's operations are done." Those words got me moving, and I followed her down the hallway.

She usually walked very light on her feet, but now she was slow and unsteady as she moved, and I was thinking about last night where she passed out. This is similar to how she was swaying, but less intense. I wanted to ask if she was alright, but I knew the answer. She would say she's perfectly fine, although she and I both knew that she very well wasn't.

It seemed like the entire team was assembled in the big room of the Tower, and I found Wanda's eyes quickly. Natasha wandered to Steve and Tony, and I drifted to Wanda. She gave a nervous smile, and looked to the door where Peter was supposed to come out of.

"Is he alright?" I asked quietly, because if I talked in a normal voice, I'd be the loudest one in the room. It seems like everyone was nervous, holding their breath for the youngest member of the team, praying to make sure he's alright.

"I think so. I hope so." She whispered back, and it seemed like the whole team, including myself, held their breath when the door opened. A doctor emerged first, and then Peter was being pushed out on a wheelchair.

As soon as the young boy smiled, everyone released the breath they were holding in. "Hey everyone." He lifts his only good arm up to wave, and I realize that even his good arm has been wrapped up to protect the stitches. I studied him more, and on top of his broken legs and stitched up side of his jaw, there were multiple ugly bruises on him almost each one dark and purple.

"You scared us real good, Peter." Steve spoke first, "we thought we were going to lose you."

Peter smiled and shook his head slowly, as if to not hurt himself, and the doctors wheeled him towards the couch. "I'm fine, I really am. I'll be back in a month. My cell regeneration is much faster than a normal human's, I'll be back real soon."

At his words, we all looked to the doctors. They nodded, saying that Peter was telling the truth. A month was all he needed to be healed, but he would need more time to regain use in his limbs. They'd be stiff after the month, and he needed to return to work slowly.

"Are you guys going back there?" He asked, curiosity and pain written on his face.

No one spoke at first, but Natasha nodded, saying that they'd return in two weeks, once everyone was healed and ready to go. Peter chewed on his lower lip, obviously wanting to say something but not knowing how to start.

"I nominate Katya to go in my place." He suddenly blurted. Everyone, including myself, was taken by surprise by his outburst. "You need an Avenger to go with you. I nominate Katya Volkov, the Black Mamba to go in my place." He seemed much more sure of himself the second time he said it.

Clint was already shaking his head no, saying, "We're not taking nominations-"

"I support Peter's nomination of Katya." Wanda was the one to cut him off, and everyone stared at her, surprised she was the first to speak and support Peter. "You need an Avenger. Katya is more than capable. I support her nomination."

Pietro, inspired by his sister, also supported my nomination to take Peter's place. "She's strong and ready. I agree with Peter and Wanda." Now we all just looked around, wondering who would be the first to disagree, or who would be the next one to support me.

"I support the nomination of Katya as well. We need her." Steve's words did not catch me off guard. I knew that given the chance, he would support me. He wanted me on the team, and was just waiting for the right moment to get me into a mission.

"Katya should come with us." Tony agreed with the majority, and now it was all down to Natasha and Clint, the only ones who haven't agreed or disagreed yet.

Natasha shifted her position, glancing from Peter, then staring at the ground. "I agree with Peter. Katya should come with us." Then her eyes flitted up to meet mine, and I tried not to look too grateful that she agreed. She gave me a small nod, then all eyes turned to Clint. "She's coming with us Clint, whether you agree or not." Natasha told the blond man.

He breathed heavily through his nose, and then spun to look at me. He took two steps, and walked right into my face. "You follow our lead. One wrong move, and you're back in the Tower. You train hard every day until the day before we leave. Got it?" I gave him a single nod, and he brushed past my shoulder, leaving the big room.

"I don't think he likes me very much," I mumbled to Wanda.

Wanda just waved it off, "Give him time," she assured me he would come around eventually. I wondered how long it would take him to realize that I wasn't some child that was going to get killed the second I step into war zone. I have lived through a war, and I have seen things others haven't seen.

"Thank you, Peter." I said, crouching by where the boy lay. "I appreciate it."

"Hey, no problem," He gave me a smile, "I know you've been itching to get out there and prove yourself. I'm giving you that chance to do it. Just be careful."

I smirked, and stood up. "I will. Rest up, Peter." I shook his hand, which was slightly prickly, and walked towards my room. Of course his hand would be like that, he was bitten by a spider and it altered him. He needed to be able to stick to surfaces, and those prickly hands and probably feet would do just the trick.

"Katya, hey." A female voice called, and I immediately recognized it to be Natasha's. Was her room down this way too? I couldn't remember. I stopped walking so she could catch up to me, and we walked slowly down the hall. "I wanted to thank you for keeping an eye on me, and I wanted to apologize for the threats I may have thrown at you." She kept looking from me to the ground, and I smiled to try and relax her.

"We're on the same team now, right?" I locked eyes with her. "We take care of each other."

"Is this your first time working with other people?" She questioned.

"More or less. Possibly." I didn't give her a straight answer, and I could tell it was really getting on her nerves. She was becoming frustrated with herself.

I stopped at my room, and she frowned at me. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She mumbled, searching my face for some sort of emotion.

"Enjoying what?" I played dumb.

"You know I'm having a hard time reading you. You know I can read everyone so well except you, and you're enjoying every second of watching me squirm." She licked her lower lip and shook her head at me.

"I won't lie to you, Natasha." I stepped towards her, a smirk playing on my lips. "I am enjoying this, and I'm enjoying this a lot."

There was a playful look in her eyes when she said, "You're terrible." She also took a step forward, and I can almost feel her warm breath on my face. I hoped she couldn't hear my heart pounding in my chest. "Be careful, krasivaya devushka, I'm very good at this little game you like to play." Blood was rushing to my ears, and I had to remember to breathe. Her compliment had almost caught me slacking.

"I've never lost." I baited. I admired my own voice, how it stayed solid and strong despite the very attractive tension that was happening between us.

"There's a first time for everything." She purred with a wink, then slowly backed away, strutting towards her room.