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It was a mess. As usual, as with everything in her life, it was a mess.
There were so many people running around, Daisy almost lost the overview. She didn’t even realise there were still this many people loyal to Hydra. The running around was more expected, since the Avengers were present and shutting the base down. Even with heavy hitters Thor and Hulk absent, they were efficient and quick. Daisy hardly had time to download some files and kick some squids for her own fun before they cornered her.
She felt a presence enter the control room, and whirled around, gun at the ready. She saw a flash of red and then her mind felt like it was tearing itself apart. She screamed, quaked, and got blown into a wall, her powers lashing out to protect her from the attack and the wall itself.
The breath was forced from her lungs as her back hit the wall, but she quickly sucked in some gulps, grateful for the mask that had largely protected her face. The ringing in her head had severely lessened, and she managed to blink away the haziness as well. She’d dropped her gun, and suddenly found herself opposite the Scarlet Witch, red tendrils surrounding the young Avenger. Daisy raised one hand, pulling down the hood of her hoodie. Her eyes were cold as she gazed at the Sokovian witch. “Stay out of my mind. I’m not asking," she said, her voice distorted through the mask
The witch flicked her wrist, the tendrils dwelling closer to Daisy. “You’re the first to stop it. What are you?” Daisy raised her other hand, starting to push the tendrils back with her vibrations, while simultaneously edging closer to the door. “I’m an ally. I don’t want to hurt you, and you don’t want to make me,” she said simply.
She noticed more heartbeats approaching, and quickly glanced at the door. “We’re getting company. In three, two, one…”
Four Hydra soldiers burst through the door, and the Avenger and Daisy quickly levelled their powers at them. Daisy’s vibrations threw one against the wall, while red magic rendered another unconscious. The two remaining guards hesitated, and Daisy took the opportunity to tackle one to the ground and hit him, taking his gun and shooting the other unceremoniously in the head.
The bang resonated through the room, and the witch flinched heavily, the tendrils shaking. Daisy raised both hands. “Easy there. It’s done. The shooting is done, sorry for that.” The Avenger’s eyes snapped to hers. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity, but also something akin to fear. Daisy gave her half a smile, pulling the hood back over her head so the only thing visible was the glint of her eyes. “You can call me Quake.” And then she bolted.
Daisy was trying to get out. Most Hydra soldiers and guards were down, and the rest shouldn’t be too hard for the Avengers. She figured she’d better get out before another one of them saw her and decided to be less nice than Scarlet Witch had been. She knew very well the rest wouldn’t let a powered individual like her go so easily, even if said individual was helping them.
She’d just quaked the chest of a guard that was running away inwards, and slipped out of the building, careful not to be spotted by Captain America or Iron Man. She didn’t care much for questioning; she was on the run for a reason thank you very much. Not necessarily that reason, but still.
She had just made it past the ruined quinjets and was nearing the edge of the complex when the hairs in the back of her neck rose and she shivered. She stopped and let her vibrations wander, taking in the base and its solid vibrations, the different heartbeats and a foreign vibration that might be the witch's magic. Just as she decided it was nothing, she registered a different vibration.
A heartbeat. Vaguely familiar, which was weird because she shouldn’t know anyone here, and too fast to be good. She turned around and looked to the top floor where the heartbeat should be located, just in time to see the wall of glass shatter, and a figure crash through, descending quickly. Without thinking Daisy launched herself forward, only halfway vaguely recognising that it was the Black Widow falling from the top floor.
She increased her vibrations, shooting forward even harder, and only barely managed to catch the woman out of the sky before she could hit the ground. Daisy wrapped her arms tightly around her and twisted her body, taking the blunt of the force when they crashed into the ground.
Her vibrations softened the blow only a little bit, and she groaned when they skidded to a halt, her whole body sore. The woman in her arms was limp, but tensed when she sat up. Daisy reached a hand to her face, wiping the blood off her forehead and marvelling at the strength of her mask, before gently rolling away from the Avenger, who was beginning to sit up.
Daisy looked as the Avenger gained her bearings, looking at the top of the building and shivering ever so slightly. She could see in her eyes the realisation that she could have died. That she, by all means, should be dead. The woman looked at Daisy. “You saved me.”
The Black Widow tried to stand up, but had yet to find her footing, and toppled over. Daisy shot forward and caught her, yet again. She just opened her mouth to say so, when their hands touched, and a feeling like being burnt went up her arm, momentarily holding their hands together. Then it faded, and she almost dropped the Avenger out of pure shock, but instead managed to gently lower them both to the ground. “Easy there.”
Daisy pulled down her hood and took off her mask, revealing her face to her apparent soulmate, who was still just looking at her, the same shock in her eyes that Daisy felt. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Daisy.” She offered her hand, not caring if this was maybe not her best idea, and her soulmate shook it. A pleasant warmth rose from her fingers through her body, and Daisy swore she could feel the humming of the bond. Maybe this was a good idea?
“Natasha,” came the slow response. Daisy smiled encouragingly. “Nice to meet you, Natasha. Heard about you, of course, but it's nice to meet you in person. Now, do you want to try standing up again?”
Natasha nodded, physically shaking herself and giving a small smile in return. Daisy stood up, a bit wobbly herself due to the pounding in her head and forming bruises everywhere, and offered her hand again. Natasha pulled herself up and suddenly they were standing very close. Daisy took a small step back, and Natasha grinned, her senses returning to her a bit. Then she frowned.
“You’re hurt,” she said, reaching up to brush away new blood from her forehead. Daisy chuckled gently. “You fell out of a building,” Daisy deadpanned. “You’ve got three maybe broken ribs and there’s a bone in your finger that’s not quite in the right place.” Natasha’s eyes widened, and Daisy took her hand in her own. She didnt hesitate. She closed her eyes and let her powers gently roll through her soulmate, hearing a soft gasp of surprise.
She opened her eyes again, half expecting to see fear, but she was met with wonder instead. She couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face. A great idea.
Something exploded in the building behind them, and they both winced at the sudden noise. Daisy put her mask back on with a sigh, but left the hood off for now. “Want to go punch some more bastards?” she asked. Natasha nodded, her face settling into a scowl as she focussed back on the mission. “Let’s do this.”
They fought well together. Freakishly well, if the amount of knocked out and fleeing soldiers were anything to go by. Natasha watched Daisy make another move, raising an eyebrow when she recognised it. “You’ve been trained by May,” she said, pausing her fighting and pointing an accusatory finger in her soulmate’s direction. Daisy picked up a random gun, loaded it, and shot another guy behind Natasha in the chest. “Is this really the time?”
Natasha ducked for a guy's punch and flipped him over her shoulder, before spinning and tackling another. “Why not? She never taught you how to multitask?” Daisy gave her a blank look before continuing beating up bad guys.
Suddenly, a red, white and blue shield hit one of the remaining Hydra soldiers in the chest, and the poor guy was thrown five meters back. Steve came running in after his shield, and the guys that remained quickly surrendered. The captain gave Natasha a condescending look. “Why didn’t you answer me on comms, Nat?”
Natasha's brow furrowed. “I don’t know." She shrugged. "The thing must have broken when I got blown out of the building,” she continued wryly. Steve stared, and Daisy decided this was the moment to speak up. “Yeah, about that. You should really take better care of your teammates.”
Steve's stare moved to her. “Who are you?” he asked confusedly. She opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly he raised his hand to his earpiece, and his eyes widened. “The place is rigged. We need to move now!”
He took off, Natasha quickly following him, and after a quick feel with her powers Daisy ran after them. Steve led them through a hall until they rounded a corner, and the hallway in front of them had glass on the far wall, giving a view on the outside, and no other doors. Daisy stopped running. "That's a dead end!" she called. Natasha skidded to a halt, but Steve kept running, brought his shield up in front of him, and burst straight through the glass, the stuff raining down on him. Daisy blinked. She... could have done that herself.
She turned to Natash, only to try and suppress a smile as the redhead grimaced. “Don’t tell me I have to do that again.”
In response, Daisy sent a wave of vibrations towards the remnants of the glass, making the opening wider. She looked back at Natasha. “It’s either that or get blown up. It’s only one floor this time, we’ll be fine. Do you trust me?”
Natasha looked at her, really looked at her. Her soulmate, short black hair, hard brown eyes, but with an underlying kindness. A woman who’d seen too much but still tried her best every day. Her soulmate. “Yeah,” she said, almost surprised there was no doubt or hesitation in her voice. She meant it.
Daisy’s eyes lit up for a moment, before the colour drained from her face, and she quickly pulled Natasha towards her and launched them out of the building. The ground was indeed much closer this time, and Daisy had once again twisted them around so Natasha landed on top of her. The building exploded behind them, fire bursting out of the openings, shattering the windows. The walls cracked dangerously and started collapsing. Daisy rolled them over, covering Natasha’s body with her own as glass and dust rained down on them. She forced her powers out, creating a - somewhat sloppy - shield of vibrations around them. When she noticed the dust clearing, she dropped it and rolled away.
Everything hurt. She couldn't suppress a groan as she sat up. Natasha followed her example, wincing slightly as she did so, and looked at the girl who had now caught her falling out of a window twice. Dust covered Daisy’s leather jacket, which by the way, looked very good on her, and Natasha’sbrain short-circuited for just a second. “I'm still not sure if you're a top or a bottom, cause you seem fine with both," she blurted out. Daisy’s eyes darkened before lighting up. “I think you have a concussion, babe,” she chuckled gently, turning and pulling Natasha closer to check her over. Natasha leaned into her slightly, the pounding in her head and the fuzzy vision telling her that Daisy might be right. “Yeah,” she mumbled, suddenly very tired.
Daisy wrapped her arms around her, an d managed to get them upright, probably with a bit of help from her powers. “Come, let’s find your teammates.” She wrapped an around Natasha’s waist, ignoring her own screaming muscles and the shard of glass in her other arm, and started guiding them to where she could feel the other Avengers. At least, she guessed they were the Avengers, because she felt four heartbeats, one dampened by metal, and one surrounded by a vibration that Daisy could only describe as magic.
Natasha had taken quite the hit, and the concussion wasn’t helping her coordination, so Daisy ended up practically dragging her.
She checked if her mask was still properly in place and rounded the corner of the half intact building, spotting the rest of the Avengers yelling at each other. “Your team yells more than mine,” Daisy joked. Natasha hummed. “They’re all idiots.”
“I can see that,” she replied cheerily. She called out to them, and four heads turned her way. Falcon raised a gun, and Iron Man took up a fighting stance, but Steve stayed put. Natasha waved at them, promptly tripping over her own feet. Daisy kept her upright, sighing. “How about you just focus on walking until you feel better, yeah?” she proposed. Natasha hummed again. Steve stepped forward. "I thought you were right behind me?!" His voice sounded rightly panicked.
Daisy halted in front of the group, waving at Scarlet Witch. “Yeah, hi, about that. We don’t have a shield to catch us woth Mr Supersolider. I had to bloody act like one. But hey, glad to see you all got out okay.” Iron Man opened his visor. “Who are you?” Daisy cocked her head. “The woman that caught the Black Widow when she fell from the fifth floor,” she said, the cheer in her voice fading a bit. "And then again from the first floor." Iron Man’s eyes widened quite comically, as his head swivelled towards Natasha. “What?!”
Natasha subtly leaned into Daisy, who tightened her hold in response. “Got blown out of a window,” she muttered, barely keeping her eyes open. Daisy ignored the incredulous looks from the rest and gently steered Natasha towards the Avengers’ quinjet. “Come on, let’s get you to medical.” Natasha shook her head, and planted her heels into the ground, stopping their pace. “No medical,” she said, her voice unyielding. Daisy rolled her eyes, and gently pulled her forth. “I meant, let’s get you inside so I can do medical.”
“Oh,” the spy just said, a bit dumbfounded. “I can do that.” And she let Daisy pull her up the ramp, the other Avengers following shortly. Natasha groaned softly when Daisy put her down in one of the seats. “My hip feels like it’s burning,” she gritted out. Daisy hummed, her backside feeling quite the same. “I think that’s the marks forming," she responded softly so the others couldn't hear.
The captain walked up to them, while Tony Stark got out of his suit and walked to the cockpit, mumbling something about trusting random strangers with paintball masks. “Ignore Tony, please. Can I help you with anything?”
Daisy threw a look over her shoulder while helping Natasha take off the upper part of her suit. “Yeah, you got a med kit or something?” He nodded and turned around to retrieve it, but the witch already stood next to him, holding the kit in her hands. Daisy gave her a nod. “Thanks,” she said.
Natasha tapped her shoulder and gently tugged on the mask. “Take this off?” she mumbled. Daisy complied without a second thought, placing the mask on the ground before smiling at Natasha. “Good?” Natasha nodded. “I like your smile,” she admitted softly, an in Daisy’s opinion adorable lopsided smile on her own face. Daisy chuckled. “Why thank you.”
She worked quickly and efficiently, aware of the prodding eyes behind her as she felt with her hands and powers for fractures, dislocations, and torn muscles. She only found one broken finger and one dislocated, and made quick work of binding them together. Her ribs didnt seem broken, though they were probably going to be sore for a while. Then she reached for a bottle of disinfector and some butterfly stitches and got to work getting the glass out of her arms. There was a cut on her cheek that got the same treatment, and the bruises received a cream.
All this time, Natasha hung back in her chair, her eyes following Daisy, but the rest of her body was limp. Now, Daisy couldn’t just let her soulmate sit in a sports bra, but pulling the suit back on might not be comfortable. She took off her leather jacket and put it over Natasha’s torso. Natasha slowly reached up to her face, wiping at the cut on her eyebrow again. “Lemme help you,” she said. But she could barely keep her eyes open, so Daisy just smiled and squeezed her hand. “I’ll be fine. You just sleep. I’ll wake you in two hours.”
Natasha nodded, already half asleep. “My hip stopped burning,” she mumbled, and then she was out. Daisy stepped back and turned to meet the captain’s eyes. “Shouldn’t you look at her hip?” he asked. Daisy shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. “Her hip’s fine. I need to clean this cut, though. Do you have a mirror?”
He looked around him, exchanging a helpless look with Wanda, and shook his head. Daisy eyed his shield a few seats to her right and walked over. “May I?” she asked, pointing to it. Steve frowned but nodded. She took the shield, used her sleeve to polish it a bit and checked her reflection. “This will do,” she muttered to herself. She took the butterfly stitches and closed the cut. Her arms got the same treatment after she pulled out a few shards. The rest of her body just consisted of bruises, but they would heal themselves. After she’d cleaned up, she sat down next to Natasha, fighting a smile when the spy’s head rolled onto her shoulder. She just shifted a bit to get more comfortable. Who knew the Black Widow could be so adorable?
The Captain and Wanda had taken seats opposite from her, Stark and Falcon still in the cockpit. Steve suddenly smiled at her. “We haven’t even introduced ourselves yet. I’m Steve Rogers, this is Wanda Maximoff.” Daisy smiled. “We’ve met.”
Steve raised an eyebrow, but didn’t react on it. Instead he pointed to the cockpit. “And those are Tony Stark and Sam Wilson.”
“Well met!” Sam called from the cockpit. Daisy saw him wave. “Right back at ya!” She turned back to Steve and Wanda. “I’m Daisy Johnson, also known as Quake. Ex-SHIELD, and that’s all you need to know for now.”
Steve nodded. “Well met indeed.” He remained silent for the rest of ride, and Daisy was content to keep that silence.
Roughly one and a half hours later, they arrive at the Avengers Compound. Daisy gently shook Natasha, who immediately opened her eyes, muscles tensed and on full alert. “Easy there,” Daisy said gently. “We’re here. And you needed to wake up anyway.” The spy nodded and stood up, shakily but on her own. Daisy’s jacket slid onto the ground, so she picked it up, along with her mask and got up as well, her muscles screaming in protest. She groaned softly, and Natasha’s head swivelled towards her. “Are you okay?”
The concern in her voice was touching. “I’m fine. Just a walking bruise, that’s all.” Natasha put an arm around her, warm skin pressing against Daisy’s back through her shirt. Where her new mark was.
She inhaled sharply, and Natasha quickly retrieved her arm. Daisy immediately mourned the loss.
They descended the ramp in silence, suddenly tense and awkward. Daisy suddenly realised she had no idea where she was or where she was supposed to go, or if she was even allowed to be here, but Natasha took her hand and dragged her along, so she followed. Over her shoulder she saw Tony’s frown and Wanda’s wave before they disappeared around a corner. Natasha turned left and opened the second door in the hall, gently tugging Daisy in after her.
It was obviously Natasha’s room. It was organised, if a bit messier than Daisy would expect. A book lay on the coffee table, and there were glasses in the sink of the tiny kitchen waiting to be washed. But the bed was neatly made and there were no clothes on the floor. Daisy did suspect a worrying amount of knives and guns throughout the room, but she could deal with that. She gently placed her jacket and mask on the couch.
Natasha turned around, facing Daisy. Her suit was still bunched up around her waist, and with only a sports bra on she gave Daisy quite the view of her toned stomach and defined arms. And Daisy could safely say she wasn’t immune to her soulmate’s abs. Natasha seemed to ignore her momentary gay crisis. “Did you tell them?”
Daisy shook her head, and Natasha breathed out in relief. “Thank god.” Daisy raised an eyebrow. “Ouch?” she joked, trying to ignore the actual pang of hurt. Natasha quickly took her hands. “Not what I meant!” she hastened to clarify. “It’s just… I’m not… I can’t… Fuck,” she sighed.
Daisy squeezed her hands and the spy looked up at her. "It’s okay. Deep breaths. You almost died today. Twice. You still have a concussion; we don’t need to figure it out right now. I don’t know what happens now either, but we can figure it out together, tomorrow.”
Her words seemed enough to calm Natasha down, so Daisy decided to try something. “Can I hug you?” Natasha hesitated for just a moment, but then she nodded, a nervous smile on her face. Daisy released Natasha’s hands in favour of wrapping her arms around her. She was ever so slightly taller and almost chuckled. Natasha was surprisingly small.
Natasha on her part, relaxed in her arms, leaning into Daisy and tightening her arms around Daisy’s waist, hands on the flat of her back. Daisy shivered, and Natasha hummed. “It’s on your back, isn’t it? Can I… Could I maybe see it?”
“Of course.”
Daisy stepped back and pulled her shirt over her head before turning around. Natasha was quiet as she studied her soul mark on Daisy’s back. Daisy inhaled sharply when nimble fingers stroke the lines of the drawing on her back, her skin sensitive due to the bruises and the new mark. Natasha’s fingers traced the shape, and Daisy realised what it was. “It’s your hourglass symbol, isn’t it?”
Her only response was gentle hum. Natasha placed her hand flat on Daisy’s back, and she shivered, her entire body humming due to the contact and the bond. She swore she could feel the tension vibrating in the room, and she closed her eyes against the overwhelming sensation.
She could feel Natasha step closer, and a warm breath hit the mark. Before her legs could give out, she stepped away and turned around, meeting Natasha’s confused eyes. “Did I do something wrong?” the Avenger asked, a bit worried. Daisy quickly shook her head, blinking quickly to get her mind back in order.
“You didn’t. But it is very sensitive, and I don’t know if you feel the humming of the bond, but for me it feels like the thousand bees that are usually trapped under my skin are working extra hours,” she explained with a small smile. Natasha frowned. “Because of your powers?”
Daisy nodded. “Yeah. I can control vibrations. And right now, everything is vibrating really loudly for me, and it’s a bit overwhelming. Sorry.”
Natasha gave her an easy smile. “Don’t apologise.” She stepped closer, reaching for her hand. Daisy let her, and intertwined their fingers, squeezing softly. “How is your head feeling?” she asked, subtly changing the subject.
Natasha shrugged. “Still a bit heavy. But much better.” Daisy narrowed her eyes. She could feel how irregular the spy’s breathing was, and she saw her eyes blink just a few times too many. So she tugged on her hand, taking her to the direction of the bed. She deposited Natasha on it, much to the woman’s chagrin. She ignored it, and turned around to the closet to search for some comfy clothes.
She pulled out a pair sweatpants and a soft looking t-shirt and dumped them next to Natasha, who raised an eyebrow at her. Daisy nodded towards the clothes. “Change. Sleep. Tomorrow we’ll talk?” She knew she sounded a bit nervous, but Natasha just gave her a slow nod, and then a small smile. “Want to help me change?” she asked, her tone teasing. Daisy spluttered and blushed.
Natasha’s smile widened into a grin. “I just meant some help with my shirt. Don't think i can lift my arms that high. And also maybe you want to see my mark?” Daisy quickly nodded and moved closer. First she helped Nat undo her bra and put on a shirt. Shw was proud of herself for not looking and galling into another gay panic - cause let's be real, Natasha was very hot, and she just turned out to be her soulmate.
After they fixed that, Daisy stepped back and watched as her soulmate got up and undid her pants, before sitting down again. Daisy’s eyes roamed over her legs, not able to help herself and lingered on the soul mark painted on Natasha’s thigh. Daisies. Beautiful daisies, growing from Natasha’s thigh all the way to her hip, where they bloomed agaisnt her skin.
She involuntarily moved towards her soulmate again, fingers reaching out to touch it. She felt like she was drawn towards it, like every vibration in her body was directed at the mark.
She heard Natasha’s breath hitch when her fingers touched warm skin. She quickly pulled away, her eyes flitting towards Natasha’s face. “Was that too much?”
“No,” Natasha whispered, wonder in her voice as she took Daisy’s hand and placed it back on the mark. Daisy felt her shiver underneath the touch. She was so absorbed in the feeling that she didn’t notice Natasha’s hand moving until her fingers ghosted over Daisy’s backside, and she was abruptly reminded that she hadn’t put her shirt back on. She gasped for breath and stumbled forward, her whole body humming in that wonderful frequency.
Natasha caught her before she could fall to her knees and pulled her close, one hand flat on her back and the other one pushing her chin to face her. Daisy looked down, moving the hand that was not on Natasha’s thigh to cradle her cheek. Natasha’s eyes searched hers. “Is this okay?” she whispered.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Daisy replied softly. “It’s settling a bit. Are you okay?”
Natasha hummed, and Daisy gently poked her cheek. “Words please.”
“I’m perfectly fine,” Natasha said with a wide smile. She pulled Daisy closer, and Daisy leaned down, their foreheads touching as the space between them disappeared. Daisy closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, she was met by her soulmate’s green ones staring intently at her, a small smile still on her lips. Screw it.
Daisy closed the last bit of distance between them, pressing her lips against Natasha’s, and almost startled back at the rush of vibrations that went through them. Natasha looked like she really wanted to chase her lips, but she refrained from doing so, giving her a few seconds to adjust. Daisy cleared her throat.
“I think I’ll be a bit oversensitive until the bond is fully settled,” she said apologetically. “But eh, after that my powers can be a lot of fun.” She wiggled her eyebrows, and Natasha chuckled, before pressing another short kiss to her lips. “That’s okay, dorogaya, but I suggest we actually go to sleep then, because otherwise I won’t be able to keep my hands off you. The bond will settle faster if you sleep next to me though, if that's okay?"
Daisy nodded. "That's fine," she replied, and then she pulled her hands away, immediately feeling the emptiness when she lost the touch with Nat’s mark. She took a deep breath and stepped further back, Nat’s hand falling from her back, before she turned around to find something more suitable as sleeping clothes. She quickly got changed, her back towards Nat as she felt her look.
She knew if she turned around she would do something stupid. And the forming bond set aside, Natasha was still nursing a concussion and bruised ribs, and she felt her whole body ache herself.
When she was done she turned around to find Natasha waiting for her in the bed, sheets open as a silent invite. Thank god she’d at least put on the sweatpants. Daisy smiled and stepped into the bed, the emptiness filling up as Natasha threw the sheets around them and cuddled into her.
Daisy wrapped an arm around her, mindful of her injuries and pulled her closer. Natasha relaxed in her embrace. “Thank you,” her soulmate whispered. “For saving my life. And not running away. And staying, even now.”
Daisy pressed her lips on the top of Nat’s hair. “Of course. And thank you for eh, taking it easy, so to say.”
“Of course,” Natasha echoed.
Daisy felt as Natasha’s body stilled, and her heartbeat and breathing slowed to let her know she was asleep. Daisy smiled and closed her eyes. Who would have thought that bumping into the Avengers would turn into this? She thought that she couldn’t have done better, as she fell asleep with Natasha in her arms. The best idea she's ever had.