"I'm pregnant!" Natasha declared, strutting into the kitchen of Avengers Tower.
Tony gagged on the coffee he was drinking and coughed up. "W-what?" He stuttered, fumbling around for a towel.
Bruce dropped his novel into his lap and lowered his reading glasses. "Excuse me?"
Clint didn't seem affected by this, and Thor seemed quizzical at most.
Steve, however, threw down his sketchbook and tossed the pencil behind him, marching up to meet her. "What the hell are you talking about?" He didn't see any sign of a joke in her eyes. She had pride in them, yes, secrets, yes, but no humor.
"You got new highlights." Clint noticed, gesturing to Natasha's hair.
She smiled in response, then slid down into a seat by Tony, tossing him a rag. "I. Became. President." She replied, tossing her hair back.
Thor tilted his head, taking the last two seats at the table for himself and leaving Steve to sit on the counter beside them. "I do not understand. You said you were-"
"Shot! I- I got shot..." Sorrow swallowed Natasha's playful expression, and she gripped her hip-bone and shouted in pain.
Steve scowled, seeming to catch on, and placed his hand on her shoulder from behind her. "Nat, are you feeling okay? That was ages ag-"
"Help." She turned and looked Steve in the eyes, clenching his arm tightly, and mouthing three words before releasing her grip and collapsing on the floor.
"Natasha!" Steve shouted and lifted her up into his arms, shooting off the counter and sprinting into a nearby elevator. "JARVIS, we need to get to the infirmary, she-"
His eyes widened with horror as he began to see her belt smoke, ripping it off her jumpsuit and zipping down to the area where the burning was. His breathing started faltering, and the feeling he had was almost familiar. He had asthma attacks pre-serum, but this was worse. He had stomach ulcers pre-serum, but this was worse. He had scarlet fever pre-serum, but this was terrifying. This was the worst pain he'd ever felt. Worse than the needles and metal and steam during his injection.
Natasha's body was burning, steaming, with a large circular contraption fixed into the center of her chest. Like a bomb. Wires intertwined with her skin and muscles and seemed to professionally fit into her body. "TONY!" He voiced at the top of his lungs, holding the elevator open with his elbow as he hopelessly grasped her shape, desperately wanting her to hang on.
Tony stopped in the doorway, terror destroying any hope he could give to anyone. Despite the precise intertwining of the bomb, it was deathly familiar, and Tony knew exactly where he had seen this before.
"JARVIS, activate safety protocol Afghanistan Nightmare immediately. Put the tower on lock-down. And get us to floor 45." His voice was grave, aggression teasing the ends of his words.
"Yes, sir." The elevator closed and Steve lifted Natasha up to her feet. "Anthony?" He used Tony's full name, trying to sound understanding of the situation.
He got no reaction.
"Tony, what's happening to her?"
The scientist masked his remorse and turned to Steve, looking down sorrowfully at the contraption flickering inside her chest. "Something terrible."
"You've seen it before?"
A slight, terrified nod.
Steve brushed back a lock of red hair mournfully. "Where?"
Tony swallowed, his heart drumming in his ears as he replied, "In my chest."
Well that was long. Kind of. The word count is short, but it felt long. Anyyhow, if you liked this a little, let me know. *points below* Dooo it.