The sun had barely begun to rise as the trio descended from the top floor of SHIELD's headquarters, the air around them thick with tension. Pierce was taken into custody, though Metis knew the real battle was far from over. Hydra's influence was deeply entrenched, and Pierce was only one head of the many-headed serpent. But for now, they had won a small victory.
Rumlow stayed silent, still processing the enormity of what they had just pulled off, but Metis's mind was elsewhere, calculating the next moves, working through strategies for what was to come. The Chitauri invasion was on the horizon, and he had to stay focused.
Yet despite everything happening around him, his thoughts kept drifting to Natasha.
They regrouped outside the building in a quiet alley, far from SHIELD's bustling cleanup operation. Natasha stood apart from the others, leaning against a wall, her arms crossed, deep in thought. Metis noticed the way her brow furrowed, the slight downturn of her lips—small signs of weariness that most wouldn't catch.
He approached her, the weight of the past few hours still heavy on his shoulders. They'd made it out, but barely.
"Rough night," he said softly, his voice cutting through the stillness. His tone was light, but there was an undertone of something more—something unspoken.
Natasha glanced at him, her sharp green eyes meeting his. "You could say that," she replied, though there was a faint smirk tugging at her lips. It was subtle, but Metis didn't miss it.
For a moment, there was silence between them. Not the awkward kind, but the kind where words weren't necessary. They had survived a harrowing mission, and each of them was lost in their own thoughts. Yet Metis could feel the connection between them, an unspoken understanding that had been forged through shared danger and trust. It was strange—he'd known Natasha for only a short time, but it felt like they had already developed a bond, something deeper than just being allies.
"About earlier," Natasha began, her voice quiet but firm, "you took some big risks."
Metis shrugged, leaning against the wall beside her, close but not too close. "Calculated risks," he said. "But I trusted you would have my back."
Her lips twitched, a small, almost imperceptible smile. "And you trusted Rumlow?"
"That's still up for debate," Metis admitted, chuckling softly. "But we had to make it work."
Natasha let out a breath, her expression softening just slightly. "You've got a way of making things work. It's... impressive." She didn't often give compliments, especially to people she had only just started trusting, but something about Metis had caught her attention.
Metis turned to look at her fully now, his eyes meeting hers. "You're not so bad yourself. I couldn't have done any of this without you."
For a moment, the air between them shifted, the casual banter fading as something more serious settled in its place. Metis could feel it—the pull of something growing between them, subtle but undeniable. He hadn't anticipated it, but here it was, lingering in the space between words and glances.
Natasha, ever perceptive, seemed to notice the shift too. She straightened slightly, her gaze flickering away for a second before returning to him. "Just don't get used to it," she teased, though her voice was softer now, almost... warmer.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Metis replied, his smile more genuine this time.
They eventually fell into a more comfortable silence, watching as SHIELD agents swarmed around the headquarters in the distance, cleaning up the mess that Pierce and Hydra had left behind. The weight of everything that was still to come hung over them both, but for this brief moment, the world seemed quieter.
"What's next?" Natasha asked after a while, her voice thoughtful.
Metis sighed, his strategic mind already mapping out the next series of moves. "The invasion is coming," he said, his tone more serious now. "We need to be ready."
Natasha nodded, though her expression darkened slightly at the mention of the Chitauri. "And after that?"
"After that," Metis said, "we rebuild. SHIELD, Hydra, all of it. And we figure out who we can trust."
Natasha's eyes met his again, something unspoken passing between them. Trust. It was a rare commodity in their world, and yet... there it was, fragile but growing.
"Trust is a dangerous thing," she said quietly.
"I know," Metis replied. "But I trust you."
Natasha didn't say anything at first, but the faintest smile ghosted across her lips. It wasn't something she was used to hearing—not in her line of work, not from anyone who really knew her past. But coming from him, it felt different. It felt real.
"You shouldn't," she said, though there was no bite to her words, only a quiet warning.
Metis smiled, leaning in just slightly, his voice lowering. "Maybe. But I'm going to anyway."
The moment lingered, a subtle shift in their dynamic. Something had changed between them, a connection that had grown through shared danger and trust. Neither of them said anything more, but the silence spoke volumes.
Time Remaining: 2 hours.
As they stood there, the weight of the impending invasion still looming over them, Metis realized that while he had spent so much time focused on his strategy, his plans, and his power, he hadn't accounted for this—this unexpected connection with Natasha.
It wasn't part of his original calculations, but now that it was here, he couldn't ignore it.
He glanced at her one last time, her figure bathed in the early morning light, her expression calm but thoughtful. There was something between them now—something that could grow, if they let it.
But first, they had to survive.
"Come on," Metis said finally, pushing off the wall. "We've got work to do."
Natasha followed, falling into step beside him. "Always."
And as they walked together, side by side, toward the next battle, Metis couldn't shake the feeling that whatever came next, he wasn't facing it alone.