Chapter 9: Attack of the Killer BotsSummary:Ultron makes his first attack
Notes:I had to watch the Ultron Iron Legion attack scene on 0.25x speed many, many times to understand what on earth was actually going on. All bot numbers are accurate! Hope you enjoy it!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The glass exploded. An Iron Legion Bot propelled toward her. Inches before it made contact, she quaked. It shot backwards, colliding with Ultron. Next to her Steve kicked up the table, using it as a shield as a second bot crashed into him, sending him flying through the air.
She turned to Hunter, shoving him away, "Get Cover!"
The bot rounded back on them, they ducked, but she couldn't quake in time and the hard metal slammed into her. It clipped her in the shoulder, sending her sprawling through the air. The ground came up fast and she barely managed to roll with her fall. Her momentum was stopped by a stack of chairs. She clutched at her side, winded from where she had collided with the unforgiving plastic.
Thor smashed his hammer into Bot 2 which crashed into the chairs next to her and skidded to a halt. Daisy snapped to attention, trying to make sense of the quickly escalating situation. There were 4 bots, five including Ultron. Three of them were attacking their strongest players. Bot 5 was headed straight for the sceptre.
She kicked off her heels and scrambled to her feet. She sped up into a run, sending a quick, hard pulse into the ground. The window frames rattled as she launched herself into the air, propelling her toward where Tony and Rhodey were making a grab for the sceptre. Heat blasted through the air next to her ear, as a fire blast missed her by an inch. She spun in mid-air, using a quake shield to block another blast from Ultron. It threw off her momentum and she thudded to the ground, just as Bot 5 blind-sided Tony and sent him sprawling into a bookcase.
Rhodey turned to fire on Ultron but was blasted backward, crashing through the glass and onto the walkway below. In the distance she could hear Maria yelling for him. She caught eyes with Tony, a defeated look in his eyes that spurred on her determination. They hadn't lost yet.
Bot 5 grabbed the sceptre, but Daisy sent a quake blast, knocking it back and away from the sceptre. She ran for it, barely registering Tony's panicked, "Daisy!" before another bot had grabbed her. Her stomach dropped as it gripped her in a steel vice, arms around her shoulders as they flew backward. It was headed straight for the window, where a 70-storey drop waited below. She reached out blindly, scrambling to feel the vibrations holding the bot together through the warm metal. She pulled on the vibrations and an arm burst apart. It dropped her and she skidded onto the top of the bar directly below. Sparks flew from a blast above her head.
Hands grabbed her and yanked her over the bar. She landed heavily on-top of Natasha; face cushioned by her breasts. She quickly pressed herself up, hands either side of Natasha to save her from further crushing her. They stared at each other, breathing heavily. It was brief respite in a warzone. Another blast hit the bar, raining sparks upon them.
"He has the sceptre," Daisy spluttered, recollecting herself and pushing herself up.
Natasha's eyes were sincere as her hand caught Daisy by the chin, pulling her face back down so they made eye contact again.
"Never mind that. Protect Cho, I'll cover you."
Daisy nodded and launched to her feet, hopping over the bar as Natasha grabbed her hidden firearm and shot at Bot 4. Stark was wrestling with Bot 2, stabbing some kind of metal tool into its neck. Bot 1 stood over Cho; hand raised to deliver a deadly blow. Daisy leapt onto the Bot, grabbing onto the cool metal, and feeling the vibrations thrumming under her hard. It struggled, the metal head flailing backward and into Daisy's nose. Pain shot through her nose, but she pulled harder and the entire floor shook beneath their feet as Bot 1 crumpled to the floor in pieces. Behind her Clint threw Steve his shield and he launched it at Bot 4, obliterating it.
The fighting stopped. Daisy wiped the blood streaming from her nose away as she glared daggers at Ultron, her head felt a little fuzzy and it wasn't just lingering alcohol. Stark was crumpled onto the stairs, a metal body sprawled out behind him. Hunter had taken cover by the couch next to Maria and Clint was hidden under a table.
"That was dramatic," Ultron crowed, "I'm sorry. I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change."
"How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? To become more than human…" He turned to Daisy; a hand waved in her general direction. He tilted is head, examining the room, "They're afraid of you."
He swivelled away, and grabbed a broken Bot, "Look at these, these puppets."
He crushed the head under a fist, "There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction."
Thor had evidently had enough of Ultron's victory speech and threw his hammer, smashing it to pieces.
*
The mood was sombre as they gathered in Tony's lab, nursing new wounds and demanding answers. Daisy had immediately grabbed her laptop to survey Ultron's damage, stemming the nosebleed with in one hand and ignoring the dull ache in her shoulder. There was already a large blossoming bruise visible above the dress' neckline.
She hadn't bothered to change, unlike Natasha who leant on the edge of her desk with her arms crossed.
"All our work is gone," Banner lamented, gesturing to the destroyed lab.
"Ultron cleared out," Daisy filled in, bitterness in her voice, "Used the internet as an escape hatch. He's been in everything."
"Files, surveillance," Natasha added, "He probably knows more about us than we know about each other."
Which was terrible news for Daisy and the rest of SHIELD. Her firewalls couldn't stand up to the entity she had helped create. He was the internet. Daisy bit her lip, glanced to Natasha who was staring at her as if she could read her mind.
She let the Avenger's argument wash over her. They discussed the possibility of Ultron's destruction of the world. Nuclear codes. Ultron had even obliterated Jarvis. She didn't know what to say. She had been with them for three days and she'd already helped build a death bot.
Way to go, Daisy.
She bristled as Thor suddenly stalked forward and grabbed Stark by the throat. The room tensed, ready to spring to action. They had always seemed like such a unit, but evidently it didn't take much to break them. Steve quickly diffused the situation, revealing yet more bad news. The sceptre was gone.
"I could have stopped it," Daisy muttered, quiet enough that although Steve glanced in her direction, Natasha was the only one to respond. She shook her head.
"We were outnumbered," Natasha reminded her quietly.
Across the room, Cho spoke up, drawing the everyone's attention, "I don't understand," she said, examining the remnants of a bot, "You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?"
What a good question.
Tony gestured toward Daisy, "We built this program."
She felt the heavy weight of all eyes in the room swivelling towards her.
"Don't put this on me," Daisy snapped, "I was trying to prevent this. It was your idea to mess with alien tech we barely understood, you brought me on board, and I did my best to fool proof it but guess what? We messed up, big time."
He laughed. He actually laughed. Daisy glared at him. The rest of the room looked equally perturbed.
"What's so funny?" she demanded.
"I'm sorry. It is funny," he said, between spluttered laughter, walking a few steps toward her, "It's a hoot that the half-alien weapon of mass destruction over here still doesn't get why we need this. I'd have thought at least Thor 'god of all alien realms' would understand."
"You don't solve a problem by creating it!" Daisy retaliated, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation.
"You could have walked away but you didn't," he insisted, his eyes and voice conveying an almost scary amount of intensity, "You stayed and you coded that thing with me because you know we don't stand a chance matching up to what's out there. You can pretend to have the moral high ground all you want. It's hilarious. We're sitting ducks and you're arguing over something I created to protect us."
"Maybe this might not be the time to…" Banner interjected, and Tony rounded on him.
"Really? That's it, you just roll over and show your belly every time somebody snarls."
"Only when I've created a murder bot," he pointed out.
"We didn't. We weren't even close," he turned back to Daisy, demanding, "Were we close to an interface?"
"I don't know," she countered, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice, "We had the bare bones of a program. It could have been enough."
"Well you certainly did something right," Steve said, finally weighing in, "and you did it right here. The Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD."
Daisy caught eyes with Maria who swiftly looked away.
"Anybody remember when I carried a nuke through a wormhole, saved New York? Remember that?" Tony argued, "A hostile alien army came charging out of space, we're standing three feet below it…How are you guys planning on beating that? We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day but, that up there, that's the end game. How are you guys planning on beating that?"
"Together," Steve answered resolutely. Daisy admired his unwavering faith. She could almost believe him.
"We'll lose," Tony countered, sounding just as certain.
"Then we'll do that together to."
Daisy felt like she had been caught in the middle of a historical event. The kind one wrote down in crumby history books. It didn't feel good.
Tony seemed to finally relent, and Captain America resumed command, "Thor's right Ultron's calling us out. I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."
"Already on it," Daisy announced, "I'm running a key word scan, I'll reach out to some contacts. He's bound to turn up somewhere."
"Good," Steve said, levelling eyes with her, "We're going to need you with us on this. And not just on back-end."
She nodded, meeting his unwavering stare, "I know. I sent Hunter back to tell my team I'll be delayed."
"Good."
*
A pleasant blanket of silence settled along the tower in the early hours of the morning. A time when all was calm and the soldiers asleep. Natasha silently skirted the shards of glass and mechanical remains scattered across the floor, hopping between the long shadows cast by the rising sun. The steaming mug of coffee warmed one hand pleasantly, contrasting the harsh bite of the icepack in her other.
She found Daisy exactly where she expected her to be. The beautiful sunrise bathing her face in a golden glow, her hunched figure silhouetted in front of the huge glass windows. Outside streaks of pink blessed the sky, un-noticed by the hacker absorbed by her computer screen. The light gave the illusion of deeper shadows under her eyes. At least she had showered and changed into warm clothes.
"Morning sunshine," Natasha greeted softly. Daisy startled, tearing her eyes away from the screen in alarm. She relaxed when she recognised the intruder, rubbing a hand her blearily over her eyes. Natasha was 100% confident Daisy hadn't slept at all last night.
"Morning," she grumbled in return.
Natasha shoved aside an empty box of cereal and a forgotten icepack, clearing space on the desk for her to perch on. She held out the coffee for Daisy.
"Liquid fuel," she announced and held up the icepack.
"My shoulder's fine," Daisy retorted, but she took the mug of coffee gratefully. Natasha flickered her gaze to the purpling bruise she could see peeking out from the edge of her unzipped hoodie. She was favouring her left.
"Let me see," Natasha said firmly, and Daisy didn't protest when she gently peeled the hoodie away. It was quite impressive, blotches of black and purple blossoming across her entire right shoulder. She raised an eyebrow at Daisy and pressed the fresh icepack to the area. Daisy hissed and Natasha clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"Keep that iced," she ordered, fixing her hoodie so that it held the icepack in place. Daisy sipped her coffee and looked back at the laptop screen. Natasha could tell it was running various key word and facial recognition software.
Daisy was obviously working herself to the ground because she felt responsible, but she needed to look after herself. Natasha struggled with this herself, but it didn't change the fact it was true.
"Don't beat yourself up about it," Natasha advised.
"But it is my fault," Daisy muttered.
"I beg to differ," Natasha countered, "Steve and I re-watched the lab tapes, trying to get to grips on what Stark has made. We know you didn't agree with him."
"I should've told Steve earlier," Daisy rebutted, "He might've kicked some sense into him."
"You could have," Natasha replied evenly, "But you didn't. You had hopes that it could work. Tony's not wrong, but he's not right either. Did you help create Ultron? Yes. Was it a good idea? No, but it's not on you."
Daisy pursed her lips in a way that told Natasha she didn't agree. Natasha added her to the long list of friends she had that took on all the blame, whether warranted or not. They should start a support group.
"What have you found?" she asked, nodding to the screen.
"Ultron's been busy all night," Daisy replied, "Robotic labs facilities in Russia, Jet Propulsion labs in Japan. He's been all over. There's been a few deaths."
Natasha nodded, "You sent that over to Hill yet?"
Daisy nodded and checked her watch, "Last report I sent fifty minutes ago, but she stopped replying at about 3am I think, so that was…three hours ago."
"Come on," Natasha ordered, hopping off the desk. Daisy looked up, confused.
"To…where?"
"Breakfast."
*
Natasha cooked up some healthy omelettes, shooing away Daisy's offer to help and forcing her to sit at the breakfast bar. She could see Daisy fighting sleep, falling forward slightly and then jolting awake. None of the other Avengers had emerged from their sleeping quarters yet.
"You sure you don't want to take a nap?" Natasha pried, flipping over an omelette in the pan. Daisy shook her head vehemently, blinking her eyes open.
"Nope, gotta figure out Ultron's play before he makes a move on us," she answered around a yawn.
"When he does, you're going to need your energy," Natasha reasoned, sliding the plate of omelettes and salad toward Daisy. Daisy jumped a little at the sound.
"Thank you this looks way better than cereal," Daisy exclaimed, digging in quickly and chugging down the juice when Natasha sets it in front of her.
"Do you ever cook?" Natasha asked curiously, taking a seat next to her.
"Not voluntarily," Daisy replied, "I did sometimes when I was a kid. Some foster parents wanted you to keep house. I was never particularly good at it, got yelled at a lot."
Natasha hummed in response; she could relate to authority figures criticizing your every move. It always made her sad to find other people who could make any sort of comparison to her childhood. She had seen evidence in Daisy many times – taking the blame for things, flinching a little too much.
They finished up in comfortable silence, Daisy taking over the washing-up. Clint stumbled in and he took her aside for a word.
*
When Natasha left to talk to Clint, Daisy squirreled away to her apartment, grabbing the laptop as she went. JARVIS was gone, so there was really no reason not to contact her team. Ultron could out her any time anyway.
She sent an encrypted message to Coulson's office. The reply was instantaneous, even though it was still 7am in the morning in both time zones. Relief flooded her as the dorky face of Coulson popped up on screen, flanked by a concerned May her arms crossed and stance ready.
"It's good to see you," Coulson greeted, his signature warm smile gracing his lips.
"You too," Daisy breathed, running a nervous hand through her hair, "The crazy train over here has gotten just a little bit crazier."
"So, we heard," May chimed in, "Hunter filled us in. Word is you've been making murder bots."
"Stark enlisted me," Daisy confessed, "It's complicated but the bottom line is I need to stay and fix this mess. Ultron might attack our servers so get Fitz to check our firewalls, try and keep him out. We've lost the sceptre; we have to get it back and stop the end of the world. Again."
"You stay, help the Avengers," Coulson ordered, "Mack can continue to work on the asset intake strategy and Fitz is still tweaking on the containment pods. Are they still in the dark on us?"
"Yes," Daisy reassured him, "Only Natasha, Hill and Barton know."
Coulson nodded, "Alright. Tell Maria Theta Protocol is a go for an emergency situation. She'll know what I mean. We'll be on hand if we're needed, but I trust you've got a handle on it."
"I will, and I do."
His face softened as he said, "Stay safe, Daisy and stay in touch."
"Don't do anything I wouldn't," May ordered.
Daisy knew it was their way of saying 'I love you' and it filled her heart with such a rush of affection that it overwhelmed her every time. She felt the emptiness when the line went blank and she was left alone in her cavernous Stark apartment.
*
Natasha joined her in the open plan office space, sitting side by side as they worked together to search and hack social media channels for news on the twins or 'metal men'. Daisy didn't realise the superspy wasthis good at it. They talked easily about encryption and coding, Daisy provided news segments and Natasha translated words far more accurately than her rudimentary translation programme. It felt like her Rising Tide days, she had missed being able to workshop ideas. It cut down their searching time by half.
Every time she caught herself staring at Nat in a weary haze, unable to pull herself back to work, Natasha's lip would quirk and she'd order her to keep the ice on her shoulder or remind her to drink water. Successfully startling Daisy back into the present as she was thinking of the cold compress on her tender skin rather than wondering whether Natasha's lips were as soft as they looked.
*
Daisy fell asleep against Natasha's shoulder, finally succumbing to the exhaustion Natasha had witnessed her stubbornly fight all morning. Her head was nestled in the crook of Natasha neck, a steady weight on her shoulder, hair brushing under her jaw and little breaths soothing over the skin of her neck. Natasha held herself rigid, making sure to be extra quiet and subtle with her moments to not jostle her awake.
She stole a few glances down at her, as she chased Ultron's moves across the globe, Daisy's face was as rested and peaceful as it looked years ago. It was adorable.
She glared at Thor as he stomped by. He immediately quieted his footsteps with an apologetic wave of his hand. A few Avengers flittered in and out, mainly Maria who spoke to her in hushed tones about their findings and took Daisy's slumber in her stride. Afterall, Maria knew Daisy had been messaging her late into the night. Natasha did catch a little micro-expression of fondness from her.
Stark hadn't appeared yet and she figured he was nursing his ego. Steve was waiting until they had something actionable, smiling softly – and obviously - at her and Daisy. She had the sneaking suspicion he had spoken to Daisy last night about them. She wouldn't be surprised if there was a betting pool.
Natasha figured Daisy had managed to catch up on maybe an hour's precious sleep, before all her efforts to keep her there were disrupted by the loud beeping of an alarm from Daisy's laptop. Daisy woke with a sharp intake of breath, knocking slightly into Natasha's jaw as she pulled herself to sit up straight.
She looked startled and reached for the laptop, despite looking as though keeping her eyes open was a monumental effort. She flicked open a tab. A camera feed of Baron von Strucker's prison cell. In it was written one word.
'Peace' written in blood. A message from Ultron. It was spine-chilling but Natasha appreciated the irony.
*
Steve called them in to examine the findings, creating a party of people surrounding Daisy and Natasha on their laptops.
"What's this?" Stark asked, finally joining the party.
"A message," Steve informed him, shoving a tablet at him, "Ultron killed Strucker."
"Oh, and he did a Banksy at the crime scene," Tony quipped, "Just for us."
Banner filed in, looking as though he'd just rolled out of bed. Daisy was so jealous, although her cheeks were still a little reddened from when she'd realised she'd been using Black Widow as a personal pillow. She had been asleep on her for a while, judging by the time…and Natasha had let her…
"This is a smokescreen," Natasha pointed out, jerking Daisy back to the present, "Why send a message when you've just given a speech."
"Strucker knew something. That Ultron wanted us to miss," Steve reasoned.
"I bet he..." Daisy mused, typing in Strucker' details, only to find them all gone, "Yep all the stuff we had on Strucker has been erased. I should have a backup on my hard drive but, yep, the metal bastards got that too."
"Must've got that trait from you," Tony jabbed.
"Well we all know where he got his arrogance," Daisy shot back. Natasha smiled proudly.
"He hasn't gotten everything on Strucker," Steve cut in, steering them back to the matter at hand.
*
That was how they found themselves gutting the paperwork in the archives room. Daisy sighed, thumbing through various report files in a paper box labelled 'Level 7'. She had stumbled across one or two reports from a mission mentioning May or Coulson. On one file she found a picture of May, obviously undercover as a cat lady in a baggy knitted kitten sweater and bangs. She elbowed Natasha in the side, showing her the photo and suppressing her giggles.
"Care to share with the class?" Stark remarked from across the table.
"Just a funny photo of someone I know," Daisy explained, "When I was in SHIELD, they never willingly gave me access to anything above like Level 1."
"Concentrate on Strucker," Natasha chastened, but smiled at the photo and Daisy's obvious glee. Daisy snapped a photo with her phone for the records. She's definitely going through these boxes when has time to fully appreciate it.
"Here we go," Banner exclaimed, propping open a box, "Known associates of Strucker."
He passed out the papers, everyone reaching to grab a profile. It was, of course, Tony who knew any one of them – some arms dealer named Klaus. Thor pointed out that he had a strange brand on his neck. Daisy shrugged; she'd never seen the symbol before. Banner ran it through his anthropology database and got a match.
"It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief, in a much less friendly way," Banner explained.
"What dialect?" Steve asked.
"Wakanada?" Banner said, fumbling over his words, "Wakanda?"
"Vibranium," Daisy said, catching eyes with Tony, "Ultron will be after Vibranium. This guy must have it, and if you said he stole it…"
"Where is this guy now?" Steve turned to Tony.
*
Daisy slumped in a spinning chair, swinging back and forth every so often to keep herself awake as they discussed a plan of attack on Klaus. Looks like they were headed to a Salvage Yard off the African coast (the details were still a little vague). They had to get to him before he built himself an entire suit out of the strongest metal on earth.
She offered up some of her tactical experience where appropriate, and Nat and Steve gamely considered all her proposals. They were currently deciding which played most to their strengths, but she had zoned out without realising.
"Daisy," Steve said, breaking through her stupor. His tone indicated he had been calling her name for a while.
"Mm?" she replied, looking up from the strategy to find all eyes looking expectantly at her.
"I said, are you happy to take point on Wanda?" he reiterated, "You're best matched against her power, and you say you've been manipulated by her before."
"She gave me some sort of vision, yeah," Daisy supplied and nodded, "I've taken her on before. It makes sense. Use the heaviest hitters for Ultron, leave Wanda to me. What about speedy Gonzales, none of us can run all that fast?"
"I can shoot faster," Clint piped up, "Bastard's not getting away with it this time."
Daisy admired his potentially misplaced confidence. Didn't matter how good your aim was when the target ran fast than the arrow. She yawned, still feeling the groggy clutches of her nap.
"You should go sleep," Natasha urged, "We'll finish the plan. Your powers might be strong, but you'll be useless if you're dead on your feet."
Daisy wanted to argue, but Steve sided with Natasha.
It was kind of funny actually, she realised as she stumbled into her apartment. She had been ordered to bed by Captain America like she was a child. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, although it wasn't nearly as comforting as Natasha's shoulder.
Notes:So, what did we think?? Natasha is getting more protective and poor Daisy is working far too hard.
Chapter 10: Daisy DaisySummary:Ultron fight part 2
Notes:Okay, so a little canon divergence here. Ultron has made himself a body of normal metal with a teeny bit of vibranium alloy from Strucker's lab. When Stark goes down there he sees Strucker building robots, so let's assume that the rich nazi scientist has a small amount of Vibranium lying around - enough to coat the outside of a body but not enough for more than that. So it's not pure Vibranium by any means, but enough to react with Daisy's powers :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextThe ship creaked, groaned, and clunked as Daisy followed Steve's lead, raised gauntlets casting subtle blue light into the darkness of the shadowed corner. The drawling echo of Ultron carried up from the bridge below, accompanied by unfamiliar voices. Klaue and his henchmen, negotiating – violently it seemed. Thor's unwieldy footsteps clunked along the grating and Clint hissed for him to shush. When Steve stopped at the head of the group to peer around the corner, Daisy could feel Natasha looming over her shoulder.
"I like your gauntlets," Natasha whispered in her ear.
"Thanks," Daisy whispered back into the darkness, turning around to face Natasha – their faces much closer than Daisy anticipated. Natasha's eyes twinkled with amusement in the dim light, only a few inches away from her. Daisy dropped her eyes down Natasha's suit – which was also lined with Stark's subtle blue. "I like your suit," she whispered in returned.
Two hands were suddenly on her hips, Daisy's heart thundered in her chest – breath suddenly catching.
"Coast is clear," Steve announced, but Daisy hardly heard him.
Natasha lip curled, and she opened her mouth to say something wicked, but Clint cut in, in a hushed whisper, "What's the hold-up?"
Daisy felt Natasha's hands simply spin her around to face Rogers, who was waiting impatiently in next corridor, and nudged her along a step. When they darted into the dim light, she saw him shake his head in disappointment but there was an amused, self-satisfied smile on his face.
"Alright," Steve ordered quietly, pointing to the balcony, "Barton, Romanoff, you take point up there. Johnson, Thor, with me. Wait on my signal to engage."
Natasha nodded and slunk away with Clint. Daisy followed Steve down the narrow steps, the voices below getting louder as they approached. Ultron was negotiating a price for vibranium. She could sense the metal was different. The vibrations were muted, contained in certain areas. It was unusual.
Wanda and Pietro were there, just like they had expected. She flexed her fingers, feeling the vibrations through the gauntlets. They felt strong, focused. She was ready.
She flinched as she heard the horrific squelch as Klaue's arm was cut clean off. Klaue disappeared as Ultron flung him away, tumbling down the stairwell. Ultron was strong, and angry, and with full-blown sentience apparently.
"Don't compare me with Stark! I'm better than that! Stark is – he's a sickness!"
Steve held up his fingers. The signal. They stepped out of the shadows, flanking Iron Man as he descended from his recon above.
"Oh junior, you're gonna break your old man's heart," Stark said, landing lightly on the bridge. Ultron did not look surprised – or concerned.
"If I have to," he replied flippantly, as he turned to face them – towering above them all at a good eight feet tall.
Wanda titled her head, a question in her eyes as she sized up Daisy. Daisy rolled her shoulders, raising her hands in preparation, keeping eyes on Wanda's movements. She might be powerful, but she was new, and Daisy could certainly beat her in hand-to-hand.
"Nobody has to break anything," Thor interjected, attempting to keep the peace.
"Clearly you've never made an omelette," Ultron quipped.
"He beat me by one second," Stark pouted and Daisy shot him an unamused glare she usually reserved for Hunter.
"You said you were not an Avenger," Wanda accused Daisy, taking a step forward toward her, "You lied."
"I'm not an Avenger," Daisy protested, keeping her voice calm, ignoring Ultron's distorted snort of disagreement, "I'm not here to fight. You can still walk away from this," she glanced to Pietro, "Both of you."
"Oh. We will," Wanda answered confidently. Her eyes beginning to shine a bright red and fingers crackle with energy.
"I know you're hurting," Daisy continued, "Things are crazy, you want revenge but trust me, this is not what you want -"
"Urgh, spare me the righteous crap Agent Johnson," Ultron interrupted, taking a mechanical step toward her. The weight of his metal body thunking along the bridge sent vibrations reverberating through to her teeth, "Or is it Skye?" he taunted, "So determined to save the world yet so well equipped to destroy it. Why fight to protect a world that thinks of you as a monster? You should join my side; we'd make a good team."
"We both want peace," Daisy reasoned, "But this is not the way to do it."
"I think you're confusing peace with quiet," Ultron retaliated, "And what would you do with quiet? Where would your friends be? Your home? Peace is not an option for the perfect protégé of Coul-"
Daisy sent a powerful quake blast towards him. It hit him square in the chest and he staggered back a few steps. She tried to yank on his strings – to pull him apart like she had with the Iron Legion. Ultron began to laugh. Something was wrong. The vibrations seemed to be absorbed by him. Suddenly a force was hurtling toward her and hit her square in the chest, launching her violently into the air. She could barely cushion herself as she collided into the wall behind, back bearing the blunt force as she fell forward to her knees.
Stark shot forward, blasting Ultron and tackling him as the stand-off exploded into violence. Steve and Thor were tackling even more bloody robots. Wanda stood in the corner, manipulating energy between her hands. Daisy sprang to her feet, aiming a blast toward Wanda. Wanda blocked the blast with a shield of energy. Daisy's ribs suddenly exploded with pain as a fist came out of nowhere and knocked her back to the ground. Pietro.
Even through the chaos Daisy zeroed in on Wanda hastily retreating into the shadows.
"Oh no you don't," Daisy muttered, groaning in pain as she hauled herself to her feet and staggered after her. She easily knocked back a bot that blocked her path, splintering it into pieces against a cement wall.
Wanda was rushing towards where Clint and Natasha were stationed. Daisy could hear the faint grunts, groans and explosions in the distance as they fought off Klaue's men. Daisy could see Wanda at the end of the long narrow corridor and sent out a blast. Wanda was lifted off her feet but caught herself and swung back on Daisy.
Daisy heard the groaning of straining metal before a heavy fire extinguisher was hurtling toward her. She blocked it with a blast, dropping it to the ground harmlessly, but she wasn't ready for the rippling energy that gripped her body and sent her flying sideways through the window. Daisy felt the sharp glass scratch at her face as she crashed through, into the next section of the ship. She slowed her trajectory towards a metal boiler with her powers, ducked and rolled on landing, tucked up against the hulking boiler. She was getting really tired of being thrown around.
Red energy lit up the air for a second and Daisy ducked, covering her eyes, before all the dim lights exploded into sparks and gave out. She peered into the pitch-black darkness, only able to hear her heavy breathing and Wanda's retreating footsteps echo around her. Daisy hauled herself up to her knees, placing her hands down on the ship floor. Tremors juddered along the entirety of the ship, the floor shaking around them, and she heard Wanda stumble in her step. Daisy shot to her feet, stumbling blindly over the shattered glass to give chase.
"Daissyy," Ultron's voice sang, "Daisssy."
It was feral, and mocking, hissing through the shadows. A trap. She jumped, heart in her throat as she whirled around. Electronic blue eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness beyond, one eye flickering as it tilted its head. Panic surged through her very bones, the hair on the back of neck standing on end.
"Give me your answer do…" another pair of gloating eyes in the darkness. To her left. He knew how to get under her skin. How did he know that song? She tried to concentrate past the paralysing fear, locating the vibrations in the room. It was hard to distinguish the animated cogs from the lifeless ones. She was surrounded by metal.
"I'm half crazy…" to her right, another set of metallic clinking. Ultron was everywhere. In all of them. She tried to spin around toward the exit, but she couldn't see two feet in front of her.
"All for the love of you."
Silence.
"Boo!"
Behind her.
She ducked, just as a metallic fist sprang towards her face. She reacted on pure instinct, grappling with the one in front of her, twisting where the head would be as it crashed to the ground. Another jumped onto her back and she cried out, bucking wildly to dislodged it as another got her in the gut.
She reached inside herself, tuning to the hum of her own body – feeling the bouncing of the molecules as they buzzed tighter and tighter before – she sent a blast outward from her chest. Her entire body a conductor for the blast. The bots burst away from her, and she had the dull clang as metallic debris was blasted into the boilers in every direction.
She fell to her knees, trying to collect her energy. Her arms ached dully from the strain of using her powers. She took a few seconds, counted to ten to get her bearings and pushed off the ground to find the others. It was silent – eerily silent.
**
She found Natasha on the steps leading to the bridge, surrounded by unconscious men, but staring blankly in front of her. Her head twitched ever so slightly – the only indication she was awake.
"Nat," she called out, but Natasha did not respond. Daisy knelt in front of her, reaching to cradle her face and check for any head injuries. She was breathing heavily, the signs of a panic attack that Daisy knew all too well.
"Nat," she tried again softly, but she was catatonic. Her eyes unseeing. Wanda.
"Okay, okay," Daisy said soothingly, dropping a hand to Natasha's hand to squeeze it tight, "You're okay. You're here, on a ship. We're on a ship." Nat's eyes shifted to hers momentarily, still glazed over and unseeing, but she could swear they were lucid for a fleeting second. Daisy smiled at her encouragingly, "That's it, deep breaths, the danger has passed-"
"What's wrong?" Clint said immediately from behind her, "What happened?"
Daisy startled and moved out of the way as Clint immediately rushed over, checking Natasha's pulse.
"It must have been Wanda," Daisy said, running an anxious hand through her hair, "Her visions. Dreams, nightmares, whatever they are."
"Hey team, I really need some back up here," Tony said through comms. Daisy caught eyes with Clint, who was getting an arm around Natasha to pry her to her feet.
"I could go," Daisy offered, coming to support Natasha's other side, "Wanda didn't touch me-"
"No," Clint said firmly, "I'm gonna need you to help me get the rest of the team back to the quinjet. Unless you can fly all the way to the city, that's your only ride. Stark will handle it."
Daisy nodded, aching muscles and bruised bones not exactly waring to go for another beating. They managed to guide Natasha all the way back to the quinjet, Daisy a steady presence at her side as they walked in silence. Clint obviously thought Natasha needed time to process alone, and Daisy didn't know her well enough to know otherwise. Whatever Natasha was seeing was clearly very traumatic and had shocked Nat to the core.
Daisy's mind wandered back to her own vision from Wanda, one which was equal parts horrifying and equal parts confusing. Why would she be infatuated Ward? She would never hurt Mack. Wanda must take your deepest fear and show it to you. Stark had told her about his own – much the same thing.
Thor trudged into the quinjet as they got Natasha seated, walking as though he were carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. A subdued Rogers came to join a minute later – getting updates from Stark as his fight with the Hulk came to an end. Daisy took a seat beside Natasha, reaching for her hand and threading their fingers together – despite Natasha's feeling limp and cold. Clint nodded to her in appreciation, before taking up the pilot's seat.
Banner came back worse for wear and Stark just looked tired, pacing as they took off into the dark night. Daisy listened absently as Maria detailed the backlash from the Hulk's rampage, advising for them to go hide somewhere. She left Natasha's side for a second, murmuring to Clint that they could go to the Playground if they needed to and she would provide directions. Clint thanked her for the offer, but said he knew a better place. Daisy wasn't going to argue that. Clint probably knew another one of Fury's abundant secret bases, probably run by another lonely Koenig.
No-one was really in the mood for talking, so Daisy sat in the silence, mulling over the events of the day. Mission unsuccessful. Ultron had the vibranium and now they were in an even worse position than before, with one of their strongest fighters in the throes of a flashback. She sighed, thinking how much longer she'd be away from her family.
Daisy took up Natasha's hand again, giving it another gentle squeeze. Natasha returned it – the pressure only a slight murmur against her palm, but it was something.
Notes:The Barton's house is next!! Who's ready for some soft Nat/Daisy?
Chapter 11: Not MaybeSummary:The Avengers arrive at Barton's farm
Chapter TextThe grass was soft and dewy under Daisy's boots as she and Clint guided Natasha down the gentle slope toward the safehouse. The group were silent, no doubt contemplating the battle and their own Wanda-inspired hellscapes. It was so quiet she could hear the birdsong echoing into the wind. There was nothing but peaceful fields of green stretching for miles around them. A crisp, early morning breeze filled her lungs and froze the tips of her fingers, despite the steadying grip she had on Natasha's waist.
As they neared their destination Nat's expression lightened and she began to lean less heavily against the two of them. Daisy reluctantly withdrew her hand, immediately missing the warmth of her body heat, trusting Clint to take the lead. Yet when she pulled back, she felt Nat's cold fingers fumble to interlace with her own. She glanced up to Nat, her eyes were searching her, analysing, an anxious furrow of her brow that betrayed a vulnerability that Daisy had never expected to see. Daisy locked their fingers together firmly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and meeting her gaze with a small smile to say, 'I'm here, if you need me'.
Nat gave her a small nod in return and turned her focus back to the house. She began to stand straighter, push her shoulders back, relax her furrowed brow. It was as if she were an actor readying herself for the opening night of a play. Daisy had seen it before, plenty of times in seasoned undercover agents like Bobbi, but never with this much-practised ease.
They trudged past a farmer's jeep and a field that smelled like freshly cut grass, with an obviously home-crafted wooden fence. The house was pristine, illuminated by a serene golden glow as the sun battled through the mottled clouds. It was freshly painted, with green shutters framing white slats wrapped in a neat veranda.
It was the poster child for the All-American home, so Daisy reached for the gun at her hip with her spare hand.
"You don't need that," Clint warned, voice stern as he pushed on her hand, even as she clicked the safety off, "Put the gun away."
"But if this is a SHIELD safehouse then Hydra could be-"
"It's not a SHIELD safehouse," Clint assured her, his voice leaving no room for argument, "Put it away, kid. Before someone gets hurt."
Daisy wasn't convinced but she didn't want to start any arguments, so she reluctantly clicked the safety back on and slid the gun back into her holster. There weren't a lot of safe, safehouses left, but at least they had enough firepower if things went south.
Thor and Tony voiced the same questions Daisy had been wondering, as they trudged up the steps to veranda, but Clint wasn't concerned as he pushed through the front door.
The door opened out to a…normal looking house. A wooden staircase in front of them disappeared to an upstairs as Clint veered right, passing a sleek wooden piano.
"Honey? I'm home!" Clint called out. A safeword?Daisy tread carefully on the wooden floorboards, the wood creaking gently as Clint led them through the French doors into a wide-open plan kitchen.
It could have been plucked straight out of Good Housekeeping, with the way the warm light streamed through the windows and bathed the furniture in a picturesque haze. It was well-loved, the room full of kid photos, books, snug blankets, and stuffed animals. The orange couch actually looked comfortable and had the soft indents of time well spent.
Daisy felt her flight or fight response kick in as she shuffled awkwardly on her feet. The only house she'd been in that came close to this was the Brody's. She was intruding by even breathing in the lingering aroma of freshly baked bread and roasted coffee beans.
She tensed as a woman poked her head around the corner. She appeared harmless enough, with her loose bohemian maternity shirt and a handful of kid's paintings clutched in her hands. She didn't appear like the type to be a secret agent. At least, she seemed startled by the company but gave Clint a warm smile that lit up her whole face.
Daisy felt Nat squeeze her hand once before unclasping their hands. Was Nat smiling?
"Company," Clint told his…wife? As he embraced her and kissed her on the lips, "Sorry I didn't call ahead."
The woman glanced over Clint's shoulder at the group. She looked almost nervous to be in the room with them. Daisy remembered with a strange sense of detachment that the Avengers were supposed to be celebrities and that she had once felt the same about it.
"This is an agent of some kind," Tony said out loud, turning to Daisy, "Is this an agent?"
Daisy shrugged; just as lost as they were.
"This is Laura," Clint introduced her, with a familiar arm around her shoulder hugging her closer, "My wife."
"I know most of your names," Laura said with a nervous laugh, the charming smile still on her face and questioning look in her eyes when they landed on Daisy.
Daisy shot her an awkward one-handed wave. Across the group, Tony did the same. They caught eyes and immediately dropped their hands, Stark clearing his throat.
She shifted awkwardly in the line-up of equally uncomfortable superheroes; beings of immense power stumped by the prospect of a happy family. Thor looked especially out of place with his royal regalia amongst Lego toy sets and stick-figures. Banner was hugging himself like a socially anxious child in an oversized sweater. It looked like Steve might try to break the silence, but the sounds of small feet pattered down the stairs and suddenly two children were in the room, clambering over Clint as he fussed over them.
"...These are smaller agents," Tony muttered. Steve looked perplexed and Daisy was trying to figure out how Clint had time for babies during his time with SHIELD. Could Coulson have a hidden family like this, too?
"Did you bring auntie Nat?" the little girl in an adorable, mustered-yellow sweater piped up. Auntie Nat?
Nat uncrossed her arms, exhausted eyes lighting with a sense of glee as her face broke out into her first genuine smile since Ultron.
"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Natasha teased, and Daisy watched stunned as she swooped the little girl into her arms. Daisy didn't know whether she was speechless because, apparently, the Black Widow was an auntie or because the beaming smile that stretched across her whole face betrayed no hint of the catatonic state, she had just been in.
The girl settled easily on Nat's hip, snuggling closer for a big hug with a grin on her face, before wiggling immediately out of her arms to cling to Natasha's leg instead. Daisy felt a rush of warmth in her chest to see Nat so comfortable and easy with kids, glad too, that she seemed to have regular contact with something so…normal.
It was a crazy kind of juxtaposition – the Black Widow in her field suit, a gun still holstered to her thigh, with a tiny girl in pigtails tugging at her hand. Daisy felt like she'd barged in on a very personal part of her life and hugged an arm to her chest for comfort. At least everyone except Natasha and Clint felt just as out-of-place.
"Sorry for barging in on you," Steve apologised, as stoic as ever, as he addressed Laura.
"Yeah, we would have called ahead but we were busy having no idea you existed," Tony sniped, obviously deflecting from how uncomfortable he was. At least he had something to say, Daisy didn't know how she could begin to explain who she was, how she knew Nat and how she ended up here. She didn't even know if she knew Nat.
"Fury helped me set this up when I joined," Clint explained, "Kept it off SHIELD's files. I'd like to keep it that way." He shot Daisy a pointed look and she nodded in return. Of course. It was very smart, considering no SHIELD file was safe anymore.
"I figure it's a good place to lay low," Clint hinted, and Steve nodded his agreement, although the tension in his jaw betrayed that he was a least a littleupset at having Clint's family sprung on them.
There was a grating crunch sound and Daisy startled, looking down to see Thor had stepped on a Lego house. Natasha and Clint were in a world of their own, Nat was fawning over Laura's pregnancy bump and Clint was conversing in low tones with his son. Daisy was stuck observing with an Asgardian god who thought sweeping a destroyed Lego house under the armchair would hide it. Daisy shot him an amused eyebrow and Steve looked on disapprovingly. He caught her eye and scooted closer.
"Did you know about this?" he asked, quiet enough that the others wouldn't hear, although they were engrossed in their own conversations. Daisy shook her head.
"I barely know them," Daisy admitted.
The toast popped in the corner, drawing their attention away. Evidently, Laura had been making breakfast before they dropped in on them. Daisy was suddenly aware of how hungry she was and rolled her aching shoulder to ignore the exhaustion in her bones.
All of a sudden Thor whipped around with a swish of his red cape and was out of the door. Hastily leaving the house with a thud of his boots, Steve followed hot on his heels. Daisy stood in the corner alone, wringing her hands. God, she hated 'family' functions. In her experience, they were full of introductions to people she'd only meet once, and she had no idea how to act.
The little girl was suddenly in front of her, looking up at her with wide expectant eyes. The girl tugged at her yellow sleeves anxiously and Daisy crouched down to be on her level. She could handle a curious little kid – after all, she'd looked after younger 'siblings' all her life.
"Hi, my name is Daisy," Daisy said warmly, "What's yours?"
The girl toyed nervously with her fingers. Daisy caught Nat and Laura glancing over to her, mid-conversation about babies or something else mundane.
"Lila," she finally said, voice with the shy cadence of a young child who wanted to say more but unsure if she should.
"Hi Lila," Daisy responded easily, and held out a hand for Lila to shake, which was accepted timidly, "I like your sweater."
"Are you a superhero like Auntie Nat?" she burst out, eyes taking in Daisy's shining gauntlets with curiosity and awe. Daisy's smile widened as she opened her mouth to reply, but a voice above their heads beat her to it.
"Yes, she is, Lila-bug," Nat said, placing an affectionate hand on the back of Lila's head as she came to join them.
"That's why she's dressed like you?" Lila queried, looking up to Nat like she was her idol. Probably was.
"Sure, kiddo," Daisy said, shooting Nat a questioning eyebrow. Nat tilted her head in response, a warm smile still on her face. Daisy could see in her eyes she was bone-tired but holding it together for Lila.
"What are these?" Lila asked, pointing to her gauntlets.
"These are special gauntlets, they're designed to protect me," Daisy said, "So I can help people and not get hurt."
Tony scoffed from the corner, unable to resist chiming in, "They're designed to do much more than that. Can I get any credit around here?"
Daisy rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose up to pull a funny face for Lila, "He's just a grumpy grump."
"I am not a grump-" Stark began to protest, but Daisy cut him off.
"Grumpy grump," Daisy sing-songed, sticking her tongue out at him and succeeding in getting Lila to giggle. At least Stark seemed an iota more relaxed by the interaction and Laura rose a curious eyebrow as she took in the scene before her. Must not have been where she saw her day going.
Rogers shuffled back in with a shake of his head. Daisy straightened up, as the room turned their attention to him.
"Thor is gone," he announced. The room seemed to share a collective buzz of concern. They couldn't afford to be down a person in this fight, they were already on the losing side with a full team and they had no idea what Ultron's play was. This was bad.
"Coffee, anyone?" Laura offered, breaking the tension, "You all look shattered."
*
Laura left the Avengers to sip their coffee and munch on some toast awkwardly in the living room. Lila was sat on Natasha's lap showing her some of her favourite drawings while the newest Avenger, Daisy, perched on the couch next to Nat like she was worried she'd be told off for ruining the couch if she got too comfortable. Most of them wore that look – Stark especially.
Daisy seemed like a lovely girl, confident and easy-going with Lila, but she was young, and despite that she had an air of solemnity about her that set-off Laura's traumatised superhero radar. She would probably be able to tell Daisy was a fighter even without the tight-fitting superhero outfit. Or 'tactical field suit', as Natasha had insisted after a wine-and-dine night that ended in Laura asking all her burning questions about agent fashion choices.
Laura chuckled to herself – Clint, bless his heart, had a habit of bringing these types of friends home with him. Not that she had expected him to bring all the Avengers at once of course, but she could improvise.
"If they're sleeping here, some of them are going to have to double up," Laura pointed out to Clint as he freshened up in their bathroom.
He laughed good-naturedly as he gathered up a clean shirt.
"Yeah, that's not going to sell."
"I don't think Nat and that new girl - Daisy, would mind," Laura said coyly, placing Clint's dirty laundry in the basket. She made a note to find some clothes for the others to get changed into.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Clint shrugged, "Stick the girls together."
She sniggered, "You are so cute."
"What?" Clint asked, completely oblivious. She loved him, but those two were so obvious.
"I'll explain to you when you're older, Hawkeye."
"Nat…and Daisy?" Clint exclaimed, frown deep on his face, "No but they're just, I mean they're just good friends, right?"
"Good old gal pals," Laura replied sarcastically as she piled up some towels to distribute to her guests.
"Well, if you say so," Clint relented, shrugging on a clean shirt.
*
Daisy gently touched the edges of the little childish drawings pinned up against the wall, various dates and names scribbled underneath. Her hair was still a little damp from the shower, but she was grateful to be clean from all the dirt from the rusty ship and changed out of the suit.
The blue plaid shirt Laura had kindly given her was a little big on her, just brushing the tops of her tights and covering her enough that she didn't have to worry about squeezing into jeans yet. The shirt did make her feel far too much like Skye, lingering in a room that smelled like cinnamon, apples, and another child's happy childhood. This was obviously a spare room, complete with a patchwork quilt, old books, old toys, and a random ironing board. She could almost imagine she was back with the Sutter's – if the bed were an air mattress and the walls blue instead of green.
The bathroom door clicked open, proceeding the quiet hum of the bathroom fan. Daisy turned her attention away from the pinboard, leaning against the drawers as Natasha padded out of the bathroom. Humid steam billowed out behind her; she was still wrapped in a grey bathrobe, but her hair already elegantly styled. Daisy fingered her own damp hair a little self-consciously.
"Feel any better?" Daisy asked gently.
"I think I used the last of the hot water," Natasha answered, her voice surprisingly light, crossing closer to Daisy to fold her towel neatly over the old white radiator, "Someone's going to be unlucky."
Daisy scoffed lightly, "A cold shower would probably do Stark some good."
"I don't usually include Stark in my bedroom talk," Natasha quipped, voice delightfully husky and a little quirk to her lips. The double entendre was not lost on Daisy. Certainly not when Nat ran her eyes unabashedly over Daisy's legs and sauntered a few steps closer. Daisy's breath seemed to catch in her throat and her heart skip a beat like her broken record. Natasha sure knew how to do that to a person.
"Is that what this is?" Daisy challenged, quirking a brow, and biting her lip in a way that usually got her what she wanted. She pushed away from the drawers behind her, bare feet sliding against the smooth floorboards as she met Natasha in the middle. There was barely a foot between them, one of them could easily close the gap, Daisy dared Nat to with her eyes.
"If you want me," Natasha replied cryptically, eyes flitting over Daisy's face, trying to read her.
"Should I not?" Daisy countered, tilting her head in question. Nat's eyes flickered down to her lips, the adrenaline in Daisy's veins surging at that look in her eyes. She expected her to close the gap, but she took a step back instead, breaking the bubble they had shared. Daisy tempered down her disappointment.
"I had this dream," Natasha confessed, hugging her arms close for comfort, her eyes still searching Daisy like she held the answer to the universe, "The kind that seems normal at the time, but when you wake…"
"A dream?" Daisy inquired when Natasha trailed off, "Did Wanda make you see-"
"That I was Avenger," Nat responded, Daisy's brow furrowed deep in confusion at this, but she continued, "That I was anything more than the assassin they made me. You're playing with fire, Ribka."
"That's what makes it fun," Daisy teased but sensed Nat was deadly serious and added, "You are an Avenger. Of course you are."
"You don't understand," Nat repeated, "I did some very very bad things. Unforgivable things." She broke eye contact, looking down at the floor between them as she struggled to withhold tears, "In the Red Room, where I was trained, where I was raised, um, they have a saying. More of a mantra, really: ты сделан из мрамора. 'You are made of marble'. You do not feel. It makes everything easier, even killing. I don't know how to love, how can I?" Natasha's voice cracked and Daisy just wanted to envelop her in her arms, "How can I be more than the monster they made me? I don't deserve it."
"You think I haven't killed people?" Daisy argued, "We all have."
"It's not the same," Natasha insisted.
"Yes, it is," Daisy protested, taking a step forward, "You help people because you were meant to, you hear me? You do that with the Avengers. Wanda was just messing with our heads."
Natasha said nothing but her eyes were searching Daisy's so intently that Daisy had to force herself not to back down.
"You can't be an Avenger unless you have something to avenge," Daisy said quietly, "You can't choose how you were raised, but you can choose what you do now."
"Maybe," Nat said, a sigh in her voice that told Daisy she didn't agree. Her shoulders seemed to slump as she swallowed down some more tears.
"No," Daisy disagreed, closing the gap between them, and reached out a hand to take a hold of her chin. It was a bold move, and her heart began to pound, but Nat didn't pull away, "Not maybe."
She flickered her eyes down to Nat's lips, a second passed between them as she hesitated, torn between whether she should or shouldn't. She could hear Nat's breath, feel it blowing gently on her nose and feel the hardwood under toes. Her eyes shone green, still shimmering with tears that reflected the soft lamplight. It was the moment of awful apprehension before you pull a trigger, that rush of excitement as your muscles made the move before your brain could compute and she tilted her head, capturing Nat's lips with her own.
They were soft, exactly like Daisy had imagined they would be. Gentle pressure against hers. Their noses bumped gently, awkwardly. It took her only a millisecond to realise that Natasha wasn't immediately kissing her back and she pulled back, cringing as the sudden adrenaline rush was replaced by overwhelming embarrassment.
"Sorry," she muttered, ducking her head, and turning away, "I'm sure you didn't want that-"
She only managed a step before Nat's fingers wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back. A startled sound was ripped from the back of her throat as Natasha's lips crashed onto hers.
Nat was kissing her hard and it was nothing like Daisy's tentative kiss. It was demanding, a great tsunami cresting over the shore, crashing over the both of them. Nat's hand slid into the hair at the side of her head, tugging her closer. Her lips pressed Daisy's apart, and Daisy hummed, hand cradling Nat's face instinctively. She melted under her lips and hands. She tasted like raspberry jam, subtle and sweet. Nat's other hand settled on her waist pressing closer if that were even possible. Daisy pulled back for air, lips tingling.
"A-are you sure?" Daisy asked tentatively, even as Nat pressed feverish kisses to her neck that made her shiver, "I just wanna make sure because-"
"Just shut up and kiss me," Nat all but ordered. Well then, Daisy thought. She brought both hands up to Nat's face, meeting her with a forceful kiss of her own, thumbs brushing against Nat's delicate cheekbones. It was exhilarating, freeing – to finally be able to give in to the demanding need under her skin. That little buzz that demanded she press closer. It wasn't love, not yet, but her heart still soared as Nat's hands tightened on her waist.
She pushed them backwards, smirk on her lips as Nat startled – the bed suddenly at the back of her knees. Nat surprised her by buckling backwards and Daisy didn't realise Nat had tugged her into her lap, before she was already seated there, legs wrapped around her torso. Nat broke away and Daisy began to pepper light kisses on her jaw.
"That good enough for you?" Daisy teased in her ear. Nat hummed.
"Very nice," she replied, and Daisy couldn't help but capture her lips again – now that she could.