Venomous

32. Come to Blows

"What are we doing?" I hissed lowly as we began moving forward.

"Put your arm around me," Natasha elbowed me in the side when I didn't immediately comply. My arm wrapped around her securely like a reflex. It felt entirely too familiar, and I flinched slightly at the feel of her so close to me.

"Excuse me?" Wanda's voice crackled in our earpieces again. I inhaled, maneuvering Natasha easily from the two posted in front of us, leaning in and laughing at something she pretended to say. Natasha ignored Wanda entirely.

"Head towards the escalators," She pointed lightly. I nodded and began directing her in that direction, my arm still securely wrapped around her shoulders. I tensed again as I felt her hands lightly resting on my stomach as she looked up at me, an adoring smile on her face. "Play along," she mouthed. I nodded, still reeling from the familiar yet unfamiliar sensation.

Another pair of guards was coming up the escalators as we were headed down. I tensed ready to have to fight, and Natasha felt my muscles tense under her hand. "Kiss me," she ordered. I looked down at her, eyes wide in shock.

"You're fucking kidding me!" Wanda screeched in the earpiece as Natasha cupped my face in her palms, leaning forward and melding her lips against mine. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms securely around her waist, my hat largely covering the majority of my face. The guards passed by us without a second look. At the bottom of the escalator, Natasha let go of me with ease, moving forward without a second glance. I nearly tripped, not realizing when the escalator was going to suddenly end.

I followed her regardless as she maneuvered easily through the crowd in the main lobby, and we made our way towards the exits. She stopped glancing over her shoulder every thirty seconds when we are about five blocks away from the building, and I was definitely not used to power-walking for this long at a time. Mercifully, she slowed a few blocks later, allowing both of us to catch our breath. I panted heavily and Natasha simply laced her fingers up behind her head, stretching out and inhaling slowly once or twice. Her hands will still up, making her completely and utterly defenseless as we rounded the corner towards where the rest of the team as was waiting.

"What the fuck!" Wanda's voice rang out clearly, and I dashed around the corner, only to watch in horror as Natasha was flung across the alley, slamming entirely too hard into the bricks behind her.

"Wanda, what the fuck did you do?" I hissed, moving towards Natasha, only to find myself caught in Wanda's magic.

"You stay away from her," the witch hissed. I frowned, glancing over at Natasha. She was still breathing, but barely so.

"Do you really want to kill her, Wanda? For getting us away?" Wanda's eyes glowed menacingly, but she hesitated, her fists glowing brightly. She sighed, allowing me the freedom to move again. I ran towards Natasha, checking her over and feeling her vitals.

I can heal her. I hesitated in shock.

"We can?" I felt AV's familiar presence rumbling inside of me.

Not we. Me. I glanced down at Natasha. Her eyes were open, and she seemed to be looking at me.

"Tasha, AV can heal you. Just him. Do you understand?" Her green eyes widened slightly, but she winced in pain. To my surprised she barely hesitated for a moment before nodding.

I hated the feeling of AV leaving my body, the few times they had. It left me feeling weaker and more vulnerable, even though I was hardly defenseless on my own. Still, the bond that AV and I had formed together had made an impression on me that I didn't want to shake. I couldn't look away as the white, gooey substance began oozing from ever place where my body made contact with hers.

Natasha's eyes went wide, and she gasped as she realized what was happening. Her bones began to crack back into place, and she gripped me by the arms tightly. I refused to look away. "I know it hurts, but it's going to be better soon." I smiled, gritting my teeth as she squeezed my arms tighter.

...

Too many things happened at once.

Sam dropped down into the space behind where Wanda was standing.

His sudden presence startled the witch, whose hands were already glowing balls of barely restrained energy.

She fired blasts out of both hands in Sam's direction. His wings automatically formed a shield, deflecting the energy. The energy that was now headed straight towards us. I grunted in effort as I grabbed Natasha, flinging her away from the blast of red magic. It hit me full force in the middle, blasting me into the building behind me. I looked down in shock as Wanda's hands flew to her mouth in horror. I slid to the ground, and everything became darkness.