- Hey, friends. Here's hoping you're all doing well. The Uncharted movie comes out in about two weeks. There's been a lot of misgivings about it but I personally can't wait to see the film. I'm the kind of person who gives things a fair chance before passing judgement on it.
- I know the writing in this probably isn't as good as the previous story. I apologize for that. Finding time to work on these chapters isn't easy nowadays. There's a lot of ideas I have floating around in my head but it's tough sometimes to write them out in a decent manner.
Take your time reading and enjoy.
...
"Honey, we're home!"
Alexei walked into the house and removed his gloves. Antonia stepped through the front door a second later. They've returned from the small town just a few moments ago. The two of them have already unloaded the fresh supply of lumber and new tools that were bought in town into the barn. The old super soldier would resume the task of repairing the hole in the barn wall soon. He just wanted to see his beautiful wife first.
A smile graced his bearded face when Melina walked out of the living room and headed his way. He closed the distance before they shared a gentle kiss. Behind them, the former Taskmaster just rolled her eyes at their display of affection...albeit with her lips twitching up a little.
"Welcome back. Did you get everything you needed?" Melina asked.
Alexei nodded. "We got the lumber for a very good price. Antin gave us a discount at the store."
"That's kind of him. Did he say why?"
"Something about rewarding us for being such loyal customers. I noticed a silver car parked in our driveway. Do we have visitors?"
She smirked. "Yelena came back while you two were gone. Not only did she bring Natasha with her...but also the two guests that they invited."
Antonia blinked twice upon hearing what her surrogate mother just said. The woman who freed her mind from her bastard father's sick control was here? Her heart may have forgiven Natasha for almost ending her life so many years ago but Antonia wasn't sure how she'd feel about seeing her again in person.
Alexei on the other hand couldn't hide his growing joy and excitement. "My two daughters are home? Wait, I thought Yelena wouldn't be back for another week though. How did they return so quickly?'
His wife remembered the explanation that Yelena gave her while they were preparing food for their guests. Apparently, Peter has the ability to conjure up magical portals that would allow him to travel anywhere in an instant. Melina's never seen him use these portals firsthand but she had little doubts about it...considering they were able to arrive all the way here from the Avengers Compound in the span of a few minutes.
"I'll explain later...though it will be hard to believe. Yelena took Fanny outside for a walk but Natasha's upstairs with our guests if you want to see her."
Alexei headed up the stairs immediately, eager to see his eldest daughter again after all this time. Melina followed her husband to make sure their reunion wouldn't be an overdramatic one. Antonia thought for a moment before she decided to go with them. She was curious about the two guests that came along anyways...especially Natasha's mysterious boyfriend. He must be quite the extraordinary man to have earned the love of the Black Widow.
The Red Guardian arrived on the second floor and walked down to the other end of the hall. Stopping in front of the guestroom on the right, he knocked on the closed wooden door with his fist.
"Natasha? It's me, Alexei."
There was no reply from her or anyone within the room. He turned to his wife with a look of confusion. "I thought you said she was here?"
"Natasha should be. She and her friends haven't left the house."
Alexei knocked again and waited for a response but there was none. After a few seconds, he finally decided to open the door...and his jaw almost dropped at what he saw inside. Melina seemed just as surprised, muttering a quiet "oh my" as she covered her mouth with her hand. Antonia was the only one who hid her shock well but she still widened her eyes at the sight before her.
Laying in the bed together was Natasha and Peter, with her body resting on top of his. The two Spiders were in the middle of sharing a deep passionate kiss. They've been making out for a while now and had no intentions of stopping anytime soon. Fortunately, both of them were still wearing clothes...or this would've been more awkward for Melina and her husband than it already was.
"Who is that?" The Russian super soldier pointed at Spider-Man. His old protective instincts as a father were beginning to kick in.
Melina cocked her head quizzically to the side. "Her boyfriend. Yelena already told us about him, remember?"
"Oh...right. Natasha?"
The Black Widow ignored Alexei's attempt to get her attention. She just wanted to enjoy this romantic moment with her boyfriend in peace. Cupping Peter's face with both of her hands, Natasha pushed her tongue past his lips and wrestled it around with his. Muffled groans escaped both of their mouths as they grinded their hips against each other's.
"Natasha? Your father and Antonia are here."
Spidey didn't want to stop either but they couldn't ignore their visitors any longer. He slowly pulled his lips back, much to her disappointment. "I'm sorry. It was starting to get awkward though with your family watching us."
Letting out a growl of frustration, Natasha quickly kissed Peter again before she climbed off of him. She stood up from the bed and glared at her parents. "...Did it not occur to any of you that we wanted to be alone?"
Melina offered an apologetic smile. "We're sorry for disturbing you two. Your father was just eager to come see you after I told him you were here."
She shifted her annoyed gaze over to Alexei. Despite her understandable irritation, it was good to see him again. He looked more cleaner and well groomed than the last time they met.
The beard around his jaw wasn't a scraggly mess anymore and his hair was cut down to a respectable length. Melina had been right when she said he lost some weight too. Though Alexei was still fat, his belly was noticeably less rounder than before. Now he could probably squeeze into his old Red Guardian suit without too much of a struggle...if Melina actually kept that old thing.
Her expression softened a bit when she spotted Antonia standing beside her mother. Most of the younger woman's old facial scars had faded away and her light brown hair was now tied back in a simple ponytail. Natasha was a little surprised when the former Taskmaster met her gaze and offered a small smile in greeting.
"Hello, Antonia. Hello to you too, old timer." She braced herself for the hug that was about to come.
Just as she predicted, the Red Guardian pulled her into his arms for a strong embrace. Natasha mentally winced from the slight pain in her bones as she was lifted off her feet. "Добро пожаловать домой, Наташа. We've missed you so much."
"I missed you too, big guy. Could you let me down now? My ribs are starting to hurt."
Alexei obliged and carefully put Natasha on the ground feet first. His eyes then narrowed a bit at the sight of her boyfriend. Peter gave him a polite nod, which he promptly returned in kind.
"So this is your lover...he's younger than I expected."
Spider-Man let out a nervous chuckle. "I get that a lot. It's good to finally meet you, sir. I'm Peter Parker."
The adoptive father of his girlfriend smirked as he shook his hand. "Call me Alexei. Yelena told us she'd be bringing over two guests. Is that other person not here?"
"Wanda's reading one of her books in the other guest room." Natasha explained. "She was kind enough to give Peter and I some time alone. We were enjoying ourselves for a while...until you all came along to ruin the moment."
Alexei almost flinched at the intense glare his eldest daughter was giving him and meekly uttered out an apology. The Black Widow kept glaring at the only father both her and Yelena has ever known before she finally looked away with a sigh.
"Forget it. What's done is done. I'm actually glad you're here, Antonia. Is it okay if we talk in private?"
The younger woman raised a curious eyebrow. "...Sure. Alexei, I'll come help you with the repairs in the barn after we're done."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Take your time. There's no hurry. Besides, this will be a good chance for Peter and I to get to know each other."
"You two can have the room to yourselves. We'll go downstairs to talk." Melina suggested.
Natasha nodded to her mother in thanks. She then pointed a warning finger at Alexei. "Don't hurt Peter or I will tear you apart."
"Don't worry, I'll be there to make sure your father doesn't do anything stupid."
Melina pulled her husband along by the arm as they walked out the door. Peter gave Natasha one more gentle kiss on the lips before he followed her parents down to the first floor. The Black Widow and former Taskmaster were left alone in the room, staring at each other in silence.
...
Neither of them said anything for a few minutes until Antonia finally broke the silence. "Sorry for ruining your moment with Peter."
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." Natasha said, closing the door behind her.
"Is he really your boyfriend?"
"Yes...why? Do you have a problem with him?"
She shook her head. "No, of course not. Peter seems like a nice guy. I just thought he'd be a little older."
The Black Widow raised an eyebrow. "How old do you think he is?"
"...Eighteen?"
An amused smirk graced Natasha's face. Her rough estimate seemed reasonable nor was it too far off the mark. "You're pretty close. Peter is twenty three years old. His birthday was just a couple of months ago."
Antonia grew a little surprised. "Huh...so I was off by five years. How did you two first meet?"
"It's kind of a long story. Maybe I'll tell you about it later."
The room grew quiet again as Natasha tried to think of the best way to make her apology to the woman she almost killed twenty-five years ago. Antonia could see the Avenger was trying to get her thoughts together and so waited patiently on the side with her arms folded. It felt strangely normal to be in her presence again. The former Taskmaster could only assume it was because she already made peace with what happened back then, hence the lack of violent tension between them.
"...I'm glad to see you're doing well." The Black Widow eventually said.
"I have your parents and Yelena to thank for that. The minds of the other Widows and my own were a complete mess after you all destroyed the Red Room. They helped us a lot to recover from all that mental trauma. Were it not for them, I think we might've ended up going insane with guilt and madness."
"Good thing that didn't happen. I think it's great you've managed to build a new life for yourself here. The reason why I wished to speak in private...is because I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what happened twenty five years ago."
Antonia reached out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. I've already-"
"Forgiven me, I know. Yelena mentioned that while she was staying with us and I'm grateful beyond words for your forgiveness." Natasha interrupted. "It just doesn't feel right to not at least say a proper apology for nearly killing you as a child."
"...You saved me from being a mindless puppet of my asshole father for possibly the rest of my life. I'd say you've done more than enough to make up for it. In fact, the only thing I'm upset about is that those planted bombs of yours didn't kill him back then."
"But if the bombing attempt succeeded, you could've died too."
The former Taskmaster just shrugged nonchalantly. "So long as that bastard was dead, my life would've been a small price to pay. It might have saved us a lot of trouble in the long run."
Natasha let out a small chuckle before she smiled at her. "I guess I can't deny that...thank you, Antonia."
She took a step forward and offered her hand. Antonia grabbed Natasha by the wrist instead, pulling her in for a warm embrace. The Avenger was caught off guard but quickly recovered and held her close. She felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It did her heart good to bury the hatchet and finally let go of the regret that haunted her for so long.
A short moment passed before they let go of each other and pulled their arms back. The younger woman grew thoughtful as she looked at the closed door behind Natasha.
"Is something wrong?"
"Nah, I was just wondering if Alexei and Melina were still speaking with Peter."
"I think so. It's faint but I can hear Alexei talking. Knowing him, he's probably got a lot of questions for Peter." The Black Widow muttered. "Maybe I should go check on them...make sure the old bastard hasn't tried to hurt him."
Antonia shook her head. "I doubt he'd even make an attempt, considering Melina is there too. Let's give them another moment before we head downstairs. I'm sure they'll be done soon."
"...Guess there's no harm in that. What should we do in the meantime?"
"Maybe you could introduce me to your other friend. Her name is Wanda, right?"
Natasha answered with a simple nod before she turned around. Motioning for her to follow, she stepped out into the hall and headed down to the other guest room. The Black Widow raised her fist and gently knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Wanda asked from inside.
"It's me." Natasha said.
"Come in."
She opened the door and entered the room. The Scarlet Witch was sitting on the bed, reading one of her old novels. Wanda looked up from the page she was reading and greeted her with a warm smile.
"Hey, Natasha. What's up?"
"There's someone I'd like you to meet." Her old friend smiled back before she made some space by moving to the side. The former Taskmaster entered the room and cordially nodded at Wanda. "This is Antonia."
...
At the same time...
Peter stayed quiet as Melina told her husband about his intimate relationship with their daughter. He couldn't tell if Alexei was upset by it...the expression on his face was blank and unreadable. At the very least though, the old man wasn't glaring daggers his way. Spidey wondered about his girlfriend for a moment. He knew why Natasha wanted to speak with Antonia alone. Hopefully, the private conversation between her and the faintly scarred woman was going well. There weren't any sounds of yelling or fighting coming from upstairs so it seems things were okay so far.
"...So you're Spider-Man." Alexei finally said, bringing the web-slinger's mind back to the present. "I never would've expected that but it does explain how you and Natasha even crossed paths."
Peter didn't think that'd be the first thing he wanted to talk about but decided to just roll with it. "I've been Spider-Man since I was fifteen. I met your daughter for the first time when I joined the Avengers three years later."
"Fifteen...you became a superhero when you were that young?" Melina asked.
"Yeah. Admittedly, it wasn't the first thing I chose to do when I first got my powers. I learned in the hardest way possible that with great power comes great responsibility."
Alexei and his wife widened their eyes a bit. What Peter said at the end caught them by surprise. Simple words but powerful nevertheless. For a brief moment, it made them reflect on what they've done with the skills and powers at their disposal. Not the murderous acts they committed when the two of them were younger per se...but the help and support they were able to provide for the other Black Widows after the Red Room was destroyed.
"That's quite a profound quote. Whoever said it must've been very wise."
His lips curved into a sad yet fond smile. "He was indeed."
The Red Guardian bowed his head a little, realizing right away the individual Peter spoke of was no longer in this world. "You have our respects. If you were part of the Avengers, you must've worked with Captain America too then."
"A few times, yeah."
"Did he ever talk to you about me and the battles we've fought?"
Peter thought back to all the conversations he shared with the legendary Steve Rogers. Tried as he did, he couldn't really remember a moment where Cap spoke about fighting Natasha's adoptive father even once. Melina must've thought her husband had asked a stupid question because she suddenly drove a hard elbow into his ribs.
"Oof!" Alexei winced as a sharp stab of pain shot through his abdomen. "Sorry, honey."
Spidey couldn't help but chuckle at what just happened. It seems Melina was also getting tired of having to hear Alexei's stories about his alleged battles against Captain America. "...I don't think so. If he did, I wasn't there for it."
"Ah, I see. Forget I asked then."
The Russian super soldier took a moment to recollect himself. His face soon grew more serious. "Now about you dating my daughter...Melina has faith that you'll take good care of her and I'm inclined to agree."
"Really?"
"My wife is an excellent judge of character. Her intuition has never been wrong before and I'd be a fool to argue against it."
Melina's mouth curved into an amused smirk. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."
"I have my moments." Her husband joked before he stood up and extended his hand. "All we ask is that you keep Natasha safe and happy. If you break her heart, I'll break your legs."
Peter didn't even flinch at the threat as he shook hands with the older man. "That sounds fair...but I promise you'll never have a reason to do so."
"We'll hold you to that. Welcome to the family, Peter."
Spider-Man was caught off guard for a moment but he slowly nodded with a warm smile on his face. Alexei and Melina smiled back at the young man, trusting their daughter would indeed be in good hands. As the Russian super soldier pulled his arm back, he suddenly came up with an idea...an idea that would allow him to get a measure of the web-slinger's strength.
"What do you say you and I go spar a few rounds outside?" He suggested.
Peter blinked twice, not certain he heard right. "Right now? I thought you had to go fix a hole in the wall of your barn."
"Ah, that can be done later. I'm curious about how strong you actually are. Besides, nothing strengthens the bonds of men like a good old fashioned bare fisted fight.
The young Spider looked at Melina, who just shrugged her shoulders. She could tell her husband was excited about the idea and there was nothing that could be done to dissuade him from it. "I admit I've also been wondering about your fighting ability. It will be interesting to see how you fare against him."
"...Okay. I guess it couldn't hurt."
Alexei pumped his fist into the air. "That's the spirit! There's an empty paddock next to the barn outside. That's where we'll fight."
"I'll meet you out there." Peter said before he stood up from the couch. He just needed to let Natasha and Wanda know about this first.
As he was about to turn around, the front door to the house suddenly opened. Yelena walked through the doorway with her dog in tow. She instructed Fanny to remain still and knelt down to remove the leash from her collar. The golden Akita licked her owner's face a couple of times before she charged into the living room and approached Spider-Man. Wagging her tail out of excitement, she leapt up on her hind legs and jammed her front paws into his abdomen.
He happily scratched the dog behind her ears. "Hey, Fanny. Did you enjoy your walk?"
She answered in the form of a cheerful bark. The beautiful Russian blonde stepped into the room after putting away her dog's leash. Greeting her parents with a nod, she stopped next to Fanny and petted her on the head. "Eh, it was okay. She ran off to chase a few birds but that's normal for her. So what did I miss here? Did the old man just finish giving you the shovel talk?"
"Yeah...and now he's challenged me to a fight outside. Want to come watch?"
...
- I'm still not good at writing out fight scenes but I'll do my best. Just don't expect anything grand or exciting...about the most I can muster is a simple telling of an action sequence.
- The support that's been shown so far is greatly appreciated and I humbly thank you all. Till next time, friends.