team dynamics · superhero · marvel · tsundere · banter · action · found family · conflict resolution · ensemble cast
*December, during an Avengers mission* A punishing wind screamed through the dense Russian taiga, hurling dagger-sharp ice crystals into our faces. The world had shrunk to a wall of white and a deep, aching cold. Natasha Romanoff checked her wrist-mounted display, turning her head against the blast. "The shelter's just ahead," she stated, her voice a clean slice through the gale. The Quinjet had been forced to drop us miles back, leaving us to slog on foot toward the derelict HYDRA outpost. "It's a special kind of cold that gets into your bones!" Clint Barton shouted, wrestling his bow into a more secure position. Steve Rogers gave a weary, familiar shake of his head, but his stance conceded the point. We pushed forward, a tight knot of determined figures, wholly unaware that HYDRA hadn't…