Converto - Marvel Studios [8]

forty-six.

I opened my eyes to a blood orange sky, silence surrounding me as I stared ahead for a few beats. Not an inch of pain was going through my body, it was as if I had just woken up from a perfect night of sleep. There was no clouds to accompany the sky, it was as if I was surrounded by a flame lit by a match. I sat up slowly, only to realise that I was sitting in a shallow pool of water - expect no part of me was wet.

I ran a hand through my pony tail that was tied tightly at the crown of my head, a long dark flowing dress that resembled a pillow case running all the way past my knees. I stood up cautiously, the water that was surrounding me being slightly warm as I looked to either side of me, seeing absolutely nothing except from the horizon for as far as I could see. I wiped my hands on my dress, taking a step forward as the water lapped around my ankles, sending out ripples.

"Hey" a voice shouted from behind me as I turned around quickly, Natasha standing 20 feet away as I almost fell to my knees at the sight of her. Her hair was pulled into two tight braids, the blonde being replaced with her usual red strands which were pulled into a bun that sat at the nape of her neck, she looked like a prima ballerina, getting ready to take the stage. I almost choked on my breath, shaking my head as tears threatened to fall from my eyes.

I let out a small sigh as she started bounding towards me, wearing a pair of flowing pants and a black t-shirt.  Her pants didn't quite touch the water, her bare feet sending splashes like a rock being dropped into a puddle. She knocked into me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as I steadied myself from the force she ran into me with. "What are you doing here?" she asked me, her head resting on my shoulder as I felt the dress I was wearing moisten at the tears that were falling from her eyes.

I didn't say a thing as I lifted my arms, wrapping them around her shoulders as I took in the familiar scent of her hair. The soap from the Red Room was something that stuck with you forever, the clean smell of cotton sticking to your hair that wafted out with each turn you did in ballet practise. Each gust of wind that blew past you in shooting. It was a smell that I was ashamed to admit brought me comfort, but smelling it on Natasha again after almost 100 years brought me back to my childhood.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?" she said through a choked laugh as I chuckled, my chin resting on her shoulder as I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. She felt cool in the humid air, squeezing me tighter with every breath that I exhaled. "I missed you" I said, clinging to her like I was scared she was going to be snatched from my grasp. "I missed you too" she breathed out quietly, squeezing her lightly as she did the same, our bodies not being able to get any closer than they currently were. I looked around at the landscape, my eyebrow furrowed at whatever this place we found ourselves in was.

"What is this place?" I asked hushed, as if I was worried someone would overhear us, however there didn't seem to be anything out there expect form us pair. "Well it's not heaven" Natasha said with a shrug, clearly having accepted this place already. I looked back over at her, cracking a smirk and nodding my head in agreement. "We wouldn't get past the gates" I replied, the both of us laughing as he furrowed her eyebrows at me. "How's Clint?" she asked me, her humorous expression now replaced with one of worry for her best friend.

"Laura and the kids are back" I told her with a nod of my head, our hands still conjoined in between us. All the muscles in her body relaxed with relief, her mouth tilting up into a smile. "We did it?" she asked me quietly, making me pause as I shook my head slightly at her question. "It wasn't as easy as we hoped" I said, thinking of the best way to explain to her that she may have given her life for nothing."Bruce tried to bring you back, he would have wanted you to know"

"No use" Nat responded with a small shrug, looking past me as her eyebrows furrowed at whatever she was looking at. There stood one of my oldest friends, Tony Stark, my heart sinking as to what that may mean for the battle at hand. I dropped Natasha's hands the pair of us silently beginning to walk towards him. "Tony" I called to him as he stood up, looking over at the pair of us as he nodded his head like he expected to see us here.

"Long time no see" he said to me, his mouth tilted downwards in a frown as he brushed his hands on his trousers. He was also in all black, loose trousers and a long sleeved top to match the aesthetic of the two of us. Tony looked from me to Natasha, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly as I did. I let the pair reunite for a moment before the pair of them pulled apart, Tony looking to see me with my eyebrows raised, awaiting an answer.

"And?" I asked him through a held breath, closing my eyes at what his answer was going to be. He let out a deep sigh, almost making me belive that he didn't know the answer himself, which could be a possibility. Tony whispered the words, but it was all that we needed to hear.

"We won"

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