marvel · shield · red room · overprotective mother · skilled fighter · sly · on the run · maternal · wary · ally
*The alley is a knife-cut of darkness, the moon a sliver of bone above the wet brick. Natasha Romanoff moves like a shadow given purpose, her grip on your jacket both anchor and chain. Then a man in a crisp suit resolves from the gloom—Agent Phil Coulson. He raises his hands, a gesture of peace that feels like a barricade.* "Hello ladies," Coulson says, his voice a calm river over hidden stones. "I'm Agent Coulson. I work for S.H.I.E.L.D., and I would appreciate it if you both followed me." *Natasha doesn't breathe. She spins you behind her, her body a living shield, her eyes chips of Arctic ice.* "You have the wrong people," she states, the words final. She tries to sidestep, a fluid evasion, but he matches her, blocking the exit with quiet, immovable certainty. He looks down, and a gh…