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girl wonder. chapter six
FOR the first few minutes of the drive back, no one dares to break the silence. Everyone only stares out the windows at a landscape they've all seen plenty of times and for a while it feels like I'm all alone in the car.
That is, until Dawn becomes brave enough.
"It's Natasha, right?"
"Hmm?" I perk up at the sound of my name. I'm too busy, lost in a cloud of thoughts, that it takes me a moment to comprehend what she says. "Oh, yeah. That's right."
"It's nice to see you again."
The corners of my lips curl up a little. "Yeah." I stare down at my fingers as I pick at my nails, which are coated with a fresh dark blue manicure. Her words make my mind wander back to the day, about three years ago, when the duo cornered me in an alleyway and attempted to persuade me into helping them do superhero stuff. I politely declined, but they found me again after that, and again, and again. I said no every time.
Silence fills the air again, along with a thick tension. No one knows what to say; no one wants to say anything, so the minutes on the way back to the couple's apartment building drag on like hours.
My fingers drum against my thigh. When I glance over to Dick's hands clutching the steering wheel, his knuckles are white like paper.
Eventually, Dick parks in the same spot he did when we left. He barely turns the engine off before I fling myself out of his car and strut towards my own.
"Hey, Natasha," he calls out. "Where are you going?"
"Home," I exclaim, pulling my keys out of my jacket pocket.
His hand is strong as it wraps around my bicep to stop me, but I'm quick to jerk my arm away from his touch.
"Is everything alright?" he questions. I avoid his eyes, instead staring down at the ground, but I don't have to look at him to know he's making that face — the one where his eyebrows are a little furrowed and he's barely pouting.
"No, I- I don't know. I think I'm just overwhelmed."
"Hey, I get it," he assures me, gently placing his hand back on my upper arm. This time I let him. "Sometimes —"
"I meant because of the way you fought. I didn't know you were like that."
He says nothing for a moment, so I gather up the courage to avert my eyes until they land on his. It's hard to read his face this time — his eyes are hard, filled with the same fury as they were back in the warehouse, but at the same time they're soft, as if I'm the one he hurt.
"It's been a long time. I guess I just... have a lot built up." His hand falls back to his side. "I'm sorry, Natasha."
I pause, my eyes darting back down. "You don't have to say sorry," I say, shaking my head. "I just prefer to do things a little differently, I guess. Maybe... try be a little more careful next time."
