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Natasha's glare left scorch marks on the smooth floor of the quinjet. Her muscles were tensed, and her jaw was starting to hurt from being clenched so long. It took every effort she had to keep herself in her seat and not launch herself across the jet at Rogers.
"We can ask Tony for your clothes, Wanda. It's not like he's going to say no, and he has a bottomless pocket that he only spends on alcohol and girls." Natasha’s urge to stab Rogers through the jugular was getting stronger, and the man himself wasn't helping.
Clint barked out a laugh. "He's such a manslut. Probably slept with at least a hundred girls since we last saw him." Last saw him. It was disgusting, how they were referencing Siberia like a friendly get-together instead of the near murder that it was.
"Nah, probably closer to two hundred," Sam said with a mocking sneer. Tony hasn't slept with a single person since you 'last saw him.' "We've been gone a long time. Tony's been pretty stubborn about his precious Accords."
A fresh wave of fury crashed down on Natasha. Tony devoted hours and hours of his time to cut the Accords down to a manageable level. Clearing the Avengers name in the eyes of the press was no small task either.
From where he was slouched against the wall in the corner, Bucky flicked his eyes to hers. When they were in Wakanda, he had walked in on her talking with Tony and their kids. Natasha had tensed up and gone through ten different lies in her head, but all Bucky had done was glance down at the device in her hands, nod, and pull out a book to read on the couch next to her. Since then, he'd taken to distracting Rogers and the rest of the Rogues whenever it was clear she was itching to talk to her family. They'd formed a silent alliance against the Rogues, and even gotten talking a bit after that.
Natasha stood abruptly. Rogers and the Rogues looked in her direction. She didn't look back as she stalked angrily toward the bathroom. Rogers called after her. "Hey Nat, what're you doing?"
"What one tends to do while in the bathroom," Her voice came out icy, clipped and hard. She didn't have to see their faces to know that they were surprised.
When she was locked safely in the cramped interior of the bathroom, she pulled out her phone. Hacking into FRIDAY's security systems was a quick job, seeing as Tony had loosened the security around the penthouse cameras so she could get in. She sifted through the camera feeds until she found Tony and the kids walking through the hallway. Tony threw his head back and laughed at something that three year old Caleb had said. She wished she had audio. Tony's laugh was something she hadn't heard in half a year. Five year old Samiri tugged on her father's shirt and pointed up to the camera, which Natasha knew would be glowing gently with a blue light. The blue light was something that Tony had installed after Natasha had made the decision to go in as an undercover Rogue. She had controls on her side, and could communicate with her husband using Morse code.
Tony's face lit up when he saw the blue light, and he shifted baby Evera to one arm so he could blow a kiss to the camera. He beamed at her, and her eyes got suspiciously wet. Natasha pulled up the light controls, keeping the video of her family on the screen.
Hi. She typed out. The program translated it to Morse code and played it through the camera. Tony crouched down as best he could with a nine month old baby in his arms and relayed the message to their kids. Caleb smiled, though it was clear he was a little too young to understand completely. Samiri was grinning widely as she waved excitedly to the camera. Natasha's heart wrenched, leaving a hollow feeling behind. She wanted her family. She wanted to be wrapped up in Tony's arms with Evera, Caleb and Samiri snuggled in between them. She wanted to be able to scream off of rooftops that she was married to the most amazing, loving, sarcastic, loyal man. She wanted to be able to bring her kids to the compound and show them off. She wanted to have movie nights with her family and Rhodey and Pepper and Carol and Peter and Bucky. With Maria, Stephen, Phil. T'Challa and Shuri. Laura and her kids. Vision.
_
Natasha walked out of the bathroom five minutes later with a cool face, a step from the icy fury she had been wearing earlier. Only the deep of her eyes harbored excitement and satisfaction.
She had changed out of her form-fitting black catsuit into a pair of ripped jeans and one of Tony's MIT shirts that she had smuggled with her. A fresh layer of glossy red lipstick coated her lips, the edges sharp and defined. On her left ring finger rested a slim, previously-hidden black band. Natasha was willing to bet that none of the others (excluding Bucky) had ever seen her in such casual clothes, no matter how much time they'd spent together.
When she got back to her seat, Clint took one look at her and wolf whistled. She stiffened, though he took no notice. "Cozying up to Tony, huh?"
Ah. The MIT shirt. Natasha tilted her head, letting the ghost of a smile dance over her lips before vanishing. It was neither a confirmation nor a denial.
She deliberately threaded her hands through her hair, loosening it before starting to pull it back into a messy French braid. It only took her deft fingers a couple minutes, but she was well aware of the shocked silence that blanketed the quinjet by the end of it.
"Nat," Sam started, eyes glued to her hand. "Is that... Is that a wedding ring ?"
"Did we get married in Vegas when we were drunk or something?" Clint laughed uncomfortably. "'Cause I don't remember that, if we did. And I'm married already." Not for long. Laura had already signed the divorce papers.
"You're married, Natasha?" Rogers' betrayed look was honestly laughable at this point. "Why didn't you tell us? Do you not trust us?"
She chose not to acknowledge that one, instead slipping a hair tie from her wrist and finishing off her braid. An itch started on her ring finger. She let it be.
Not a second later, Scott was resizing back in his seat with her engagement ring trapped in between his fingers, triumphant grin spread across his face. He turned it over in his hand, looking at the expensive rubies and diamonds embedded in the polished black band. Natasha had to restrain herself from grabbing it back from his dirtying fingers. Tony had made it himself in the workshop, designing and working on the delicate ring for three days straight.
Natasha could pinpoint the moment Scott found the engraving on the inside of the band. She watched from hooded eyes as he blinked at it, then offered it to Clint to read. Clint took the ring after a narrow-eyed glance to Natasha, and read the inscription, jerking back when he finished.
"What? What is it?" Wanda's nasally voice was near a whine, and she made grabby hands at the ring. Natasha sneered-- the woman was disgusting. Clint handed her the ring, and she read the inscription aloud. " Love you always, Red. 5-24-2002. "
Sam looked back and forth between Wanda and Natasha. "Red...? Isn't that what Tony calls you?"
Clint stared at her hard. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. And you know what? 2002 was fourteen years ago."
"Natasha?" Rogers' puppy eyes were turned all the way up. "Is that true?"
She widened her eyes in a way she knew made her look innocent. "Yes. Tony calls me Red, and 2002 was fourteen years ago."
Bucky snorted, making Rogers whip his head over at his former friend. It was almost comical to watch Rogers' facial expression change from betrayed to overjoyed that his friend had shown emotion.
It was at that moment that the loudspeaker crackled and the pilot's voice sounded throughout the quinjet. "We'll be reaching our destination in two minutes. Please gather your belongings and prepare to exit the quinjet. We will not be landing."
A loud gasp came from Wanda's seat. "We're not landing ? How am I supposed to get my bags down? I don't want to jump off," she wailed. The others rushed to console her, and Natasha was able to easily pluck the ring from the girl's hand as she walked past them toward her bags.
Bucky fell in behind her like a shadow slipping from the corner. They didn't speak, but pulled each other's bags from the pile and switched.
They stood in front of the doors, and Bucky spoke up quietly, his voice gravely from disuse. "Can I meet 'em? Samiri and Caleb and Evera? And-- And... Tony?"
She nodded, a soft smile slipping over her features. "Yes, of course. They already know you as Uncle Bucky anyway." She grinned at him. "Caleb's even been asking Tony for a metal arm. Just like Uncle Bucky's, he says."
Bucky recoiled, shock and disbelief covering his face for a fraction of a second before he's able to smooth his expression into a blank mask once again. Natasha could still see the wonder and awe in his eyes though, and it was something so beautiful that she had to smile fondly before looking away politely.
The red light over the doors blinked once, twice, and a third time to signal that they would open in exactly three seconds, and Natasha quickly tightened the buckles that strapped her bags to her body. The second the doors opened, she swan dived out of them and fell into a natural roll as soon as she hit the ground. Bucky followed her, but had the advantage of being able to land firmly on his feet without shattering his legs.
“Mama!” A drawn-out, high-pitched shriek came from the entrance to the landing pad. Natasha looked up and barely had time to open her arms before a five-year old ball of energy barrelled into her.
Samiri pressed her entire body hard into her mother as she squeezed her tight. Natasha’s eyes fell shut and she inhaled the girl’s scent. She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek before pulling back slightly to look her over.
“Oh, baby, you’ve grown!” she said, grinning at the girl’s proud beam.
“Mama, mama, I’ve grown too!” Tiny footsteps pattered toward her as Caleb ran into her arms as well.
“Hey baby,” she cooed, pressing kisses all over his little baby face. “I’ve missed you all so much .”
“Fri, be a darling and save it to the folder.”
Natasha’s head shot up at Tony’s soft comment, her eyes meeting his, which were crinkled in the corners with his smile. She opened her mouth to say.. Something, anything , but the moment was ruined when Clint growled from behind them.
“ What the fuck is this, Natasha,” he snarled. Natasha felt Samiri tense at the man’s tone. A curl of rage ripped through her, and she stood, breathing deeply before turning to face the archer and pull her kids behind her legs protectively.
“ This is my family,” she purred lowly, letting a dangerous smile play over her red lips, “and you’d do well to change your tone when speaking of them.”
A calloused hand dropped onto her hip and started gently rubbing circles there. Natasha could have cried, it felt so good to have her husband’s touch again. She leaned back into a hard chest, Tony’s smell of coffee, leather, and motor oil wrapping around her.
“What– Nat–” Rogers looked like someone had just kicked his puppy. Natasha sort of wanted to laugh, especially when Bucky slunk towards her and it transformed into more of a someone-ran-over-his-puppy-with-their-car look.
“Hey, Buckaroo. Nice to finally meet you,” Tony said quietly, but not without levity. He paused. “The real you, that is.”
Bucky gave him a surprisingly shy smile in response, but Natasha saw the teasing glint in his eye. “Thanks, Tin Can.”
She felt more than saw Tony light up at the prospect of a new verbal sparring partner. He was practically vibrating with the effort it took not to shoot some snarky comment back.
“Dada, why is that woman red?” Caleb was reaching his hands up as he spoke, and Natasha picked him up to settle him on her hip.
“Well, Cay Cay, I think that Ms. Maximoff just figured out that Mama was spying on them when she was on her trip,” Tony answered. Not only was Wanda’s face flushed in anger, but she had red sparks flying off of her and looked about ready to explode.
“Oh my god, you bitch! ” she screamed, her hands coming up and sending twin streams of red light toward them–
-where they bounced harmlessly off an invisible shield and dispersed into the air. Not five seconds later, she was bound and gagged with a shard of Stephen’s orange magic held to her throat. He smirked when Natasha’s eyes met his in thanks.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Sam was saying, backing away slowly, his eyes bouncing around as he realized there was no escape route this time.
Peter, Rhodey, Carol, and T’Challa were fully suited up and calmly prowling around the Rogues. The doors slid open once more, and Pepper and Phil walked through, each carrying a stack of papers and wearing headsets. Behind them, Maria led a team of government operatives outfitted in black and kevlar.
“Thank you, Wanda,” Pepper said, not even looking up from her folder. “That was exactly what we needed to lock you up permanently in the Raft.”
“You’re a rotten liar and a pathetic excuse of a man, Stark.” Rogers looked nearly purple. “Just like your–”
“I don’t think so, Mr. Captain Steve America sir.” Peter shut him up with webs that glued his mouth closed. He sent the man a condescendingly disapproving frown. “That wasn’t very nice or true. Who’s lying now?”
Tony choked on his laugh. Natasha didn’t even bother trying to hide her grin.
“Alright, boys, take them away,” she said to the SHIELD agents. And then, finally, she turned in her husband’s arms to face him. Caleb squirmed to be put down, and she let him, eyes still glued to Tony’s little smirk.
“What?” she asked, already leaning into him.
“That was so fucking hot, Red,” he stage whispered, eyes on her lips.
“Oh my god, I just came home and that’s the first thing you–”
Tony kissed her.