𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓 ✘ 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐀 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐅𝐅

{4⁸} {VIENNA}

"Well, I'm not." Natasha replied smoothly, her eyes routinely flickering to Roxi every few minutes to check if the ice-eyed woman was handling all this - which, put together, was dauntingly overwhelming - or if she needed to link their hands for the smallest amount of extra support. While that and hugging could still be seen as platonic, not much else that they usually comforted each other with could, and Roxi definitely didn't need a bigger section of the world searching  for the idea of a possible relationship between the two women. They already had enough issues with privacy due to the government, and they certainly didn't need  anymore.

"That alone makes me glad you're here. Both you and Miss Ryder," T'Challa responded, his warm brown eyes flicking to the woman who seemed to be lost in her mind as she gazed at a set of politicians conversing in one corner of the room, the faintest smile that he had ever seen twisting her lips. It was incredibly hard to see, and once you'd seen it, it seemed to vanish, and you'd begin to wonder if it had ever been there at all.

"Why? You don't approve of all this?" Natasha spoke up a little louder, gesturing around the room in an attempt to both capture Roxi's attention and keep anyone else's scrutinising gaze off the woman. It seemed to work, because Roxi shifted on he feet ever so slightly and turned her head back towards the pair, her fingers flexing loosely as if she longing to curl them into a fist.

"The Accords, yes. The politics, not really. Two people in a room can get more done than 100-"

"Unless you need to move a piano." A kind, elderly, more weathered voice joined in with the end of T'Challa's sentence, an Roxi found herself standing just a little straighter as the King of Wakanda joined their small group.

"Father."

"Son. Miss Romanoff, Miss Ryder." Roxi had never been in the presence of royalty before. Thor had been Prince of Asgard when she met him, but Asgard was an entirely different realm. Wakanda was a country, and a powerful one at that. Besides, the presence that the pair held together felt more powerful than anything Roxi had ever seen, even when she was standing directly beside Natasha, who was quite literally one of the strongest people she'd ever known. It would've been daunting, if Roxi hadn't known better than to be afraid of a person because of the significance and power that they held.

"King T'Chaka, please allow me to apologise for what happened in Nigeria," Natasha started, her voice smooth and strong as she attempted to repair what could've been a very dangerous broken bond.

"You have our condolences," Roxi added in a similar tone, trying not to come off as patronising or as one of those people at a funeral who's not really sorry, and is only there because it's an obligation.

"Thank you," King T'Chaka acknowledged sincerely, his eyes going to Roxi from Natasha in much the way his son's had, "Thank you for agreeing to all this. I'm sad to hear that Captain Rogers will not be joining us today." Steve had been firmly set on not signing the Accords, and Roxi had hoped briefly in the car that that was just because he wanted to clear things up, make the world a better place, without abiding by the government as he always had done up to this point. She had discarded that thought as quickly as it came, knowing that Steve valued the ability to save other's lives over everything to the point where he would die to save people he'd never known, and he'd lose everything about him at all that he'd ever known, to save those who he considered family. Roxi didn't know Steve Rogers well, but it was enough.

"Yes, so am I."

"If everyone could please be seated, the assembly is in session." A voice crackled through the loud speakers, and Roxi discreetly drew in a long breath. This was where it started. This was where the differences came in, where the dynamic of almost the whole team would be likely change forever.

"That is the future calling. Such a pleasure," King T'Chaka dismissed than, and they thanked him in quiet unison before Natasha made her way over to where there were hundreds of seats, each in arced rows that faced the proud podium that stood alone at the front of the room, a lighthouse in the darkest, most dangerous waters almost anyone had ever seen. The room settled into a tense silence as T'Chaka made his way to the podium, his figure demanding respect as he began to speak, his voice wavering here and there.

"When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria, were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative. Wakanda is proud to extend his hand in peace." Roxi had been focused on the King's words, her mind picking them apart and exploring them for hidden messages of distrust, of malintent, even when she knew she wouldn't find any. She had been so concentrated on that, in fact that she hadn't notice the way that T'Challa had looked out of the window, at something on the street with a fearful, panicked expression. Any other time, she would've immediately picked up on the fact; she'd have acted sooner, more efficiently, more effectively. But yet, she didn't notice until T'Challa turned around and started running towards his father, his frantic yell of

"Everybody get down!" Barely carrying through the air when the explosion went off. Roxi had immediately turned away from the window, and Natasha had grabbed her arm and pulled her arm as it had gone off, and she was glad she had, because a small cloud of flame ravaged the air where her head had been only seconds before. She couldn't hear much. Her ears were ringing from the sound of the blow, so deafeningly that she was convinced it was slowing down her reaction time, making her move slower as she did, shooting up to standing as quickly as she could once the shattered glass and flame had disappeared from the vicinity, putting out her arms and concentrating as hard as she could on simply keeping the building standing. She found every single piece of metal she could, and tried to prevent them from buckling, from falling on more innocent people, from claiming more lives. Most of the girders and pieces of rebar were screaming at her in protest, begging her to drop them, to let them collapse to the ground so that they, so that she could rest. She couldn't hear the screams of the people around her, but she could see their mouths opened wide with the sound, their faces filled with panic, and the frantic way they scrabbled for safety. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Natasha getting as many people as she could out, clearly taking advantage of Roxi's help. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the way that everything in her body screamed with an agony she'd never felt before, setting her jaw as she felt blood run over her lips, instead pushing even more power out into the world around her, determined to keep the building standing as long as she could.

Roxi couldn't save everyone, but she was definitely going to try.

{A/N:} Again, I realise that this is a pretty shitty chapter so I'm sorry about that. Though, the idea for her to try and keep the building up just occurred to me while I was writing so I chucked it in there anyway. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite the fact that it's pretty bad, and that you have a great weekend. Thanks :)

Pls vote, comment, let me know what you think, etc.,

2815 Words

Written: 23 / 04 / 2021

Published: 22 / 05 / 2021

JABBERJAY_011