Chapter 18 - Blonde Bimbo

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Azara's pov

1 year later

"Az, Cap phoned! He wants to meet at the Avengers base!" Tasha calls through the house.

"Ok, be safe, darling!" I reply, not really paying attention.

"No, Az-" she abruptly opens my bedroom door where I am neatly folding some clothes, "-he wants to see us both," she finishes.

"Oh... uh, really? Can I call a rain check on that?" I fiddle with the hem of the shirt I just picked up.

"You can't hide forever; you know that. Cap asked specifically that you come as well an-"

"It's not Steve, Tasha! And you know that," I screw up the shirt and toss it at the cupboard shelf, ruining the neat stack.

She sighs and walks over to the cupboard, picking out the top, folding it and straightening out the other in the pile.

"I've been ok for the first time in... well, since London," I admit.

"You were alone in London. You were running from us; from what happened in New York. You weren't ok," she faces me as I plonk myself down on the edge of my bed, head in my hands.

"So I haven't been ok in what, just over 7 years now? Woopie! Great for me!" I deadpan.

"None of us have been. I haven't been ok since the Red Room first took me in. But you don't see me afraid to face the people who may hate me; who I've hurt," she leans against the side of the cupboard and crosses her arms, assessing me closely.

"We've already established that you're better than me, ok Natasha? We know that you're mentally stronger and don't have a breakdown nearly every time you relapse a little or have a nightmare. We know that you can face people who you've hurt and put up a successful facade and pretend that it doesn't hurt to see them. But I'm not you, so..." I look up at her now.

"I'm not better than you; I'm different. And different isn't better nor worse," she sits down next to me, leaving good foot of space between us.

"'Death is a pleasant gift to those whose lives are etched by the pain they've inflicted on others'," I quote myself from one of my first relapses.

A contemplative silence falls over the warmly sunlit room.

"We leave tonight, Az. Pack well: we may not come back here," she stands and walks to the door.

"For how long?" I ask quietly.

"Ever," and she leaves the room without another word.

~~~~~~

"The quinjet will be here in 10. It's on autopilot so you won't have to see anyone just yet," plopping the bags on the porch outside, she sits on one of the cushioned deck chairs.

"I'll miss this place; I'll miss this," her head nods slightly in the direction of the near-ethereal sunset which is casting a golden glow over the peaceful surroundings.

"Maybe you'll come back, after... after the last battle is won," I try to sound optimistic concerning a return but I'm at a bit of a loss.

"Maybe we'll come back. Az, the only reason I stayed is because you were here," she admits, not taking her eyes off the setting sun, soaking up the last of it she'll get for a while.

"This place is safe, that's why you said you stayed," I give her a quizzical look, sitting down softly on the other deck chair.

"Yes, this place is safe, but I can find other places that are just as safe. Or I could've gone out and done more missions. Either way, this place was never the only option for me. Yes, it's probably the nicest but it's not the only option," her gaze still doesn't waver from the picturesque landscape.

"Why didn't you tell me that? Why didn't you say there were other options?"

"Did you want something else. Was this not enough?" She doesn't sound offended nor accusing but she seems a little confused.

"Hell no, this place is... this place is. It's it. This is that small dream that sleeps calmly and undisturbed, lies unwavering in your subconscious but never fights to be heard. It just is," I look out, seeing a small speck growing above the tree line.

"It's been nice," she states, also seeing the approaching quinjet.

"Yeah, it has been," as if on queue, we both look over at each other, sharing a silent - but fully heard and understood - exchange.

"You've been nice," she seems to say.

"So have you," I reply through and empathetic look.

There was never a house key: there was no need. So, when the quiet 'whooshing' of the quinjet finally fades to a slow and steady stop - indicating its landing - we simply stand, gather our bags in our arms and wander out towards the jet.

"Thank you," Tasha says out of the blue. We stand at the base of ramp leading up to the interior of the horizontally positioned jet. The sun streaks between us as the last smells of this chapter fill the air.

"Pardon?"

"Thank you for everything here. You even painted the fence; I don't even want to say how suburban that makes us. You kept me company, even when I wanted to kill something, anything. You helped me through the days when I didn't want to be here; the days when I wanted to leave all of this and run back to what I know best. You were here when I know no one else would've been. 1 year, and you stayed. 1 year, and you stayed for every second of it," she carefully places both her and my bags on the ramps before facing me fully.

"Thank you, as well. I'm not just saying that for the sake of saying that, Tasha. Christ, I-I don't even know where to start. You stayed with me, for every second too. Even I would've given up on me. I gave up on me. Every day for the first I don't even know how many months, I would wake up and want to..." I swallow hard and glance down at the floor dejectedly, "...yeah. But you stayed with me. For every second."

I look back up at her - large, green eyes staring back.

"I- yeah," I say in a small voice, "thank y-"

I'm cut off my her capturing me in a soft kiss. The sun's calming rays and the warm summer's breeze couldn't compare to the peace that it brought. A moment in time, frozen.

And it was over. She pulls away ever so slightly and looks at me, a small, innocent-like smile creeping onto her lips.

"I should've done that a while ago," she states matter of factly.

"Yeah, you should've," I whisper back, breathlessly.

She turns and grabs our bag, bringing them further into the quinjet.

"You coming?" She call back to me.

"Uh, yeah," I reply back, shaken enough out of my daze to amble into the jet, feeling as if I'm walking on pillow-clouds.

"You seemed to look a little lost there, Az," Tasha smirks, flicking a few switches from her seat by the main controls.

"Uh, yeah," I repeat, softly plonking myself in the seat not an inch apart from hers. My gaze never falters from absently looking out over the landscape.

"Well, you've got a few hours to find your vocabulary again, but I'm going to have a nap," she says, finally feeling the quinjet lift gently off the ground.

"Uh, yeah, I'll do that."

"See, you're improving already," she says playfully, no malice in her tone.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I reply, finally pulling my eyes away from the quickly shrinking place I'd called home for the past year.

She smiles lightly before curling up into my side, face buried deep into my neck.

It doesn't take long before her breathing evens out into a soft, rhythmic hum in my chest.

I don't want fall asleep, instead wanting to live in this moment forever, but - as my eyelids slowly flutter shut - I let it take me.

~~~~~~

"Hey... Az, it's time to wake up," a soft voice whispers in my ear.

"W-wha?" I say, rubbing my eyes and lifting my head.

"We're at the base," she says, standing up from the chair next to me.

"How long have you been up?" I say sleepily, stretching with a big yawn.

Giggling slightly, she hands me a bag, "Not long, but long enough to appreciate how cute you are when you sleep," she says, as if it's something she would say everyday.

"You think I'm cute when I sleep?" I question as I heave myself up and off the co-pilot's seat.

"Yeah, but I think you're cute either way, awake or asleep," she hits a button which begins to lower the ramp.

"We should really go, Az. You can't stand there forever," she raises and eyebrow at me, crossing her arms as if to make herself seem imposing or annoyed.

"You never know unless you try," I reason weakly.

"Come on, Steve will be waiting and has probably already seen us land. He'll have even more questions if we take half an hour to get off the jet," she begins to amble down towards the now fully open ramp.

"Yeah, yeah, ok. You win," I trudge out and follow her.

Before I can ask her where we should go, she pulls me down into an unexpected, sweet kiss.

"What was that for?" I ask.

"Does there have to be a reason?" She questions back.

"Well, no bu-"

"Then it's not a problem then, is is?" She raises a playful eyebrow at me before heading off in the direction of the large double doors.

"I never said it was a problem, I was just asking," I grumble under my breath.

"You didn't have to ask me why, Az, but you did," she calls over her shoulder, 20 meters ahead of me.

"What? How the hell could you hear me?" I walk swiftly to keep up with her.

"I lived with you for a year; I know how to hear and understand your muttering," she responds.

"I don't mutter," I grumble, not even trying to do it quietly this time.

"Mhmm, yeah you keep telling yourself that," she keeps walking at an unwaveringly quick pace as I finally catch up with her.

"Well..." I trail off, wanting to ask something but not knowing if I should or not.

"Well... what, Az?" She questions curiously.

"Do we uh..." I'm still struggling to form the question.

"Do we do this?" She leans over and kisses me again lightly.

"Yeah, do we do that?" I see her smirk slightly at my surprised reaction at her actions.

"I don't mind. It's been a year; things have changed. There's sure to be other things going on that we don't know about either," she smile at me, sympathetic of my worry.

"Whatever you want, darling," I smile back, happier than I ever imagined I'd be when returning to this place.

"I still like how you say that."

"Well, darling," I put emphasis on my still slightly prevalent English accent, "I will call you darling whenever you wish, darling."

She shoves me lightly and laughs just as we get to the double doors.

"After you, darling," opening the door overly-extravagantly, I smirk as she sticks her tongue out at me playfully at my actions.

"It's good to see you, Nat," a deep and familiar male voice greets us. Turning to face to super-soldier, I try to smile a little.

"Hiya, Steve," Tasha pulls him into a brief hug.

Making eye contact, Steve clears his throat, "Azara, it been a while. It's good to see you too. Nat says you're fully healed after," he gestures vaguely in the direction of where Vision hit me, "and that you escaped one of the highest-security prisons in the world."

"When you put it like that, it makes me sound badass but - in reality - I was temporarily paralysed and Tasha came to visit a few times. But it's good to see you to, Cap," I smile a little at the man who returns one.

"Azara? Natasha?" A slightly less Sokivian-sounding voice surprises me, coming from the doorway off to my right.

"Wanda," I say, pulling her into a tight hug. She clings to me for a quick minute before pulling away slightly, glancing over her shoulder towards an awkward-looking Vision stood behind her.

"Hey, Vision. How you doing?" I smile at his.

"I am well, Miss Alarie, thank you for asking. But it's I who should be asking that. I am terribly sorry for what happened. It makes me tremendously glad to see you well again but I will forever be guilted by wh-"

"Vision, it's ok. What happened was a genuine mistake; accidents happen," I shuffle around Wanda and approach Vision, raising my right hand for him to shake.

"Bygones, Vision," he hesitates before accepting my outstretched hand.

"Thank you, Miss Alarie," he seems to want to apologise more but senses that it isn't at all necessary.

"Call me Azara, please," I smile again and he simply nod graciously in understanding.

I turn again to see Wanda smiling rather widely at the exchange, before covering it up as she sees I've noticed.

"Wanda, darling, Rhodey has just arrived. I will head out to great him," he steps around me and heads out in the direction of the door.

I don't say anything, but I just raise a teasing eyebrow at a now quite furiously blushing Wanda.

"We were in Scotland and, after us being together in the house Tony kept me in, we just sort of... happened," she shifts nervously, as if expecting me to be annoyed.

"Are you happy?" I know it's a clichéd question, but I ask it anyway.

"Yes," she nods.

"Then that's all that matter, Little Witch," I pull her into another hug.

"I'm not little anymore, Azara, don't call me that," she huffs in a terrible attempt to seem intimidating.

"Well you're still ginger, so Ginger Witch works fine then," I smirk as she sighs, realising there's no getting around some form of a nickname.

"Well, we can't say the same for Nat: she's had a bit of a switch up," Steve inputs, motioning to Tasha's dyed hair.

"Yes, I like it," Wanda compliments.

"Thanks Wanda, I like I too. But a certain brunette over here has a tendency to call me a 'blonde bimbo'," she gives me an accusing glare.

"I mean it in the nicest possible way, darling," I smile at her and her failing attempt to keep a humorous grin off her face.

"Oh, shut up," she quips, finally breaking and grinning a little.

I pretend to zip my mouth shut and toss away the key before noticing a questioning-looking Wanda and Steve.

I vaguely fish around on the floor for the imaginary key, pick it up, unlock the zip and pull open before speaking, "What?"

"You two seem..." Steve trails off, not looking entirely sure of what to say.

"We seem what?" Tasha challenges more defensively than in thought she would.

"Close," Wanda picks up on the fact that there's something that we both don't know whether we want to say or not.

"Yeah, we, uh, just got pretty close over this past year," I send the ginger woman a thankful look for changing the subject a little.

"Cap, Nat, Wanda, Azara..." Rhodey enters the room we're all in, closely followed by Vision. Despite coming in full of gusto, he quickly deflates when he sees me.

"Azara, I'm- thank you, for pushing me out of the way. I would be... well, I wouldn't be in a good place physically if you hadn't," his smile is so thankful that I'm sure there's enough thanks to last everyone in the room a lifetime.

"You're good, Rhodey. I'm happy to see you safe."

~~~~~~

"Tasha? Are you ok?" I ask, concerned.

"What? Yeah, I'm ok," she doesn't look me in the eye and the slight offness in her voice doesn't convince me at all.

"What's wrong?" Over the past year, we'd learnt not to fight each other when we could tell that the other wasn't ok.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I got so defensive, I just..." she huffs, putting her head in her hands.

The now empty room fell silent for a moment before a stifled, and obviously quietened, sniff breaks it.

"Don't cry, darling. This is nothing to cry over," I spring from my seat on the sofa and hug her into my side as I sit down next to her on the other settee.

"I was the one who said we should be open but, I just, I just don't know," she mumble into my shirt.

"Shhh, it's ok. Whatever you want, it's ok?" I reassure her quietly.

Just like on the quinjet, she quickly falls asleep and so do I, repositioning the both of us so we're laying back comfortably.

~~~~~~

"'We just got pretty close' my ass, Azara," I'm woken by a smirking Wanda.

"Piss off, Ginger Witch," I snuggle back into Nat's side, unsuccessfully trying to block Wanda out.

"When you finally bother to get up, you're telling your best friend everything," she teases.

"Remind me, who's my best friend again?" I reply playfully.

"Don't try that with me, 'Az'," she smirks before walking off without another word.


Hey guys, how you doing? This chapter, for the overall plot, is quite plain but Natara has finally sailed.

Also, I thank you all for 4k reads as of the publish of this chapter. Thank you guys for all the support and even just reading my book.

Thanks again,

Much love, Shrimpward xx

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