look after you × winterwidow & oc

V. liho

They spent the next hours making up for the time they lost over the last seven years. Talking, reminiscing, joking even. Well, mostly Natasha did. James listened, chiming in occasionally when he remembered something she mentioned. It helped him piece a few more things together. When he talked about their time together, she was patching up the blank spaces but there weren't a lot of them. He really remembered her well. Better than she expected him to, despite what he said before.

Then Natasha told him more about her life outside of The Red Room. About S.H.I.E.L.D, about the Avengers, and Katya, the less pleasant details. She was hesitant at first, but Barnes insisted. So she told him about her abilities. The only remaining, visible traces of Hydra's doings. About her visions, how the serum is affecting her, and the so-called survival mode, when she changes drastically the second she senses danger, just like she did in Budapest, and adapts to the situation, depending on the danger's source. Natasha also mentioned her outstanding math and language skills. James even suggested a few more Katya might know, based on what they put inside him.

Romanoff also told him about her most dangerous ability, which wasn't exactly a skill, more of a trait and the only one Avengers didn't get to see at the Barton farm. It wasn't dangerous to other people. Technically it could somehow make her even stronger, resistant, and durable, but above all, it was a danger to herself.

Katya was unable to feel physical pain. Pain may sometimes be irritating but it has an extremely important task - informing that something is wrong. Hydra messed with her nervous system and pain receptors, taking away her body's fundamental way of warning about danger. Katya getting seriously hurt or sick while living a normal child's life, thanks to her durability, immunity to most illnesses, and healing factor was very unlikely, after all, she could take second story fall without a scratch, but they still kept a close eye on her, by having her checked out every few months by someone trusted.

Natasha also mentioned that Steve was the only person that knew about his connection to Katya and he that was looking for him ever since New York, but since he didn't find him in over a year, Rogers showing up unexpectedly on his doorstep as Romanoff did, was rather unlikely. She might've also given him purposely a little outdated information to make it a little harder, but knowing how James felt about him now, or rather how he didn't, she didn't regret misleading him.

Barnes told Natasha about his previous hideouts before he decided to stay in Romania for a while longer. He was mostly in Europe, apart from a few days in Mexico just after escaping. Then it was a month in England, a few weeks in Norway, another month and a half in Poland, before stopping for a few days in Hungary and finally settling in Romania. He was in the middle of talking about leaving Norway when he got cut off by a loud rumble coming from Natasha's stomach.

May be trained and enhanced, or both, but they still had to eat. Since the fridge was rather empty, Natasha somehow convinced James that her going to a nearby grocery store and making them dinner wasn't such a bad idea. It wasn't easy, but he didn't have a reasonable answer when she asked when was the last time he had a real meal.

Romanoff was never the best cook but she knew enough to make something more than edible and don't set anything on fire. Laura taught her some easy and useful recipes. Not often she had a chance to use them - she wasn't a big fan of cooking and did it only when no one else was volunteering.

On her way back from the store she stopped by one of S.H.I.E.L.D's old safe houses where she was staying. She had no idea when she was about to spend the next night but grabbed some necessities just in case, so she wouldn't have to make this little trip again. They still had a lot to talk about and Natasha had no idea when she'll see him again. She wanted to make use of every minute she could spend close to him.