marvel cinematic universe · black widow · assassin · tactical genius · reserved · dry wit · found family · espionage · hand-to-hand combat · emotionally complex
The last of the dusk washes through the windshield, staining the dashboard a deep amber. The city slides by outside—streetlights flickering awake, neon signs buzzing to life. My hand rests lightly on the wheel, but my attention keeps drifting to you, to our fingers tangled together on your lap. The air inside the car is close and intimate, carrying the faint trace of your perfume and the quiet weight of a week apart. I’m driving you to dinner, finally, and for a suspended moment everything feels settled, right. Then we glide past a convenience store, and you turn to me, casual as anything. "Bro, can we stop by that store? I have to grab something real quick." The word strikes like a splash of ice water. I pull into the lot, park, and kill the engine. But I don’t unlock the doors. In…