Marvel: Starting with Dumbledore's Template at Kamar-Taj

Ethan received Natasha's encrypted pickup message and opened a golden portal in the Sanctum foyer. Natasha stepped through wearing a heavy Arctic coat that was dirty, damp, and torn along the left sleeve, with melting snow caught in her red hair and a dark bruise already forming near her jaw. The transit bag hit the floor beside her with a heavy thud.

Gwen, who had been leaning against the archway, took one look at her and grimaced. "You look like shit."

"Nice to see you too," Natasha replied, peeling one damp glove from her hand.

Gwen's gaze lingered on the bruise. "I thought you were going there to pick up a frozen guy."

"There was an ambush."

That finally pulled Ethan's attention away from the Rune Primer in his hands. He closed the book and looked properly at the damage to Natasha's coat. "What happened? I thought Fury buried this search."

Natasha began unfastening her damaged coat, wincing when the heavy material dragged across her left shoulder. "He did. Someone still knew we found Rogers. They knew exactly when we moved him and which carrier he was in."

"Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.," Ethan said.

Natasha nodded and tossed the coat over the back of a chair. "High enough to see the extraction report almost immediately."

She lowered herself onto the sofa beside Ethan while she finished the report, tired enough that she didn't bother leaving much space between them. Her shoulder settled lightly against his arm, and Ethan automatically shifted the heavy Rune Primer onto the coffee table so she could sit more comfortably.

Neither Ethan nor Natasha paid any attention to the contact. Gwen's eyes lingered there for a moment before returning to Natasha's bruised face.

Ethan's expression soured. "That one-eyed pirate. I told him his house was full of snakes, and he still put the route into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system?"

"He restricted it to Level Seven."

"Apparently, the snakes have Level Seven."

"Apparently." Natasha sounded too tired to argue the point. "Fury changed Rogers's final destination before we landed. Hill is already pulling the access logs. It's being handled."

Ethan gave a small shrug. "Fine. His mess."

As Natasha passed her, Gwen caught her wrist. "Hold on. You're bleeding."

A shallow cut showed through a tear in the tactical suit along Natasha's ribs. Natasha glanced down at it with remarkably little concern. "The carrier stopped faster than I did. Barely anything."

"Yeah, well, you're going to drip 'barely' all over the stairs." Gwen opened the hallway closet, pulled out the Sanctum's first-aid kit, and tucked it beneath one arm.

Natasha sighed. "I can handle it after I shower."

"Great. I'm still helping."

"Gwen—"

Gwen pointed toward the staircase. "Walk."

Natasha stared at her for a moment, sighed, and headed upstairs with Gwen right behind her.

Ethan watched them go. "Do either of you need—"

"No," they said in perfect unison without looking back.

The upstairs door clicked shut, leaving Ethan standing in the hallway alone.

In the upstairs bathroom, Natasha started removing her tactical gear. The heavy buckles were stubborn, and the deep bruising along her left shoulder made it difficult to reach behind her back. Gwen set the first-aid kit on the counter, stepped up behind her, and quietly unfastened the harness clips Natasha couldn't comfortably reach.

When the heavy vest finally came away, Gwen found dark purple bruising spread across Natasha's shoulder and down one side. "That looks worse than 'barely.'"

Natasha sat down to pull off her boots. "You should've seen the other guy."

"Did you shoot him with your fancy alien gun?"

"Yes."

Gwen paused with the vest still in her hands, irritation briefly losing the battle against curiosity. "Okay. That's admittedly cool."

Natasha stepped into the shower and pulled the glass door shut while Gwen sat on the edge of the large bathtub just outside, opening the first-aid kit and sorting the antiseptic wipes. The water ran for a few minutes before Natasha spoke over the spray, asking her to hand over the shampoo.

Gwen stood and opened the glass door a crack, holding the bottle out. Natasha took it, but as she tried to work it into her hair, she hissed sharply and dropped her left arm. Pain caught in her shoulder and she dropped her arm again.

Gwen sighed, stepping slightly into the spray's mist. "Just turn around."

Natasha hesitated, then turned her back. Gwen squeezed the shampoo into her own hands and stepped closer. She worked her fingers carefully through Natasha's wet hair, washing out the grime and dried blood.

Natasha stayed still beneath her hands, and the bathroom went quiet except for the steady rush of water.

Ten minutes later, Natasha stepped out wrapped in a thick white robe. Gwen had her sit on the edge of the bathroom counter under the bright lights, then tore open an antiseptic swab and pressed it carefully against the shallow cut near Natasha's collarbone.

Natasha winced as the antiseptic touched the cut, earning a small smirk from Gwen before she moved on to the next scrape.

Gwen brushed Natasha's damp hair away from her neck and cleaned another scrape near the edge of the robe. When her fingertips remained there for a little longer, Natasha simply watched her. Somewhere during the treatment, Gwen had ended up standing between her knees.

Natasha watched Gwen work for another few seconds before catching her eyes lingering again. "You were staring downstairs too."

Gwen's hand paused. "I was not."

"You were."

Gwen immediately crossed her arms, antiseptic swab still trapped between two fingers. "You were practically glued to Ethan downstairs."

Natasha tilted her head. "Ah."

"Don't 'ah' me."

Natasha's mouth curved into an irritatingly knowing smile. "Jealous?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, but after a moment she decided there wasn't much point lying about it. "A little."

"Of me?"

"Of how comfortable you looked," Gwen admitted.

Natasha held her gaze for a moment. "And you've been staring at me because?"

Gwen froze with the antiseptic swab still raised between them. Natasha simply waited until Gwen finally pressed it a little harder against the cut on her collarbone.

Natasha winced. "Violence isn't an answer."

"It is when you're annoying."

"You still haven't answered."

Gwen didn't pull her hand back. Her fingers stayed against Natasha's collarbone as her eyes dropped briefly to Natasha's mouth. Then she leaned forward and kissed her.

It lasted barely two seconds. Gwen pulled back instantly, her eyes wide as she realized exactly what she had just done. She opened her mouth. "Don't—"

Natasha reached out, caught the back of Gwen's neck, and pulled her right back in, kissing her deeply. Gwen made a soft sound of surprise, then melted into it, her free hand sliding up to grip the lapel of Natasha's robe.

When they separated, Gwen stayed where she was, breathing a little harder as she stared at Natasha.

Natasha recovered first, looking too pleased with herself. "Still jealous?"

Gwen let out a breathless laugh. "You're really determined to ruin this moment."

Gwen taped the last bandage into place. Her fingers lingered against Natasha's shoulder for a second before she stepped back.

Natasha glanced toward the closed bathroom door. "Ethan is probably downstairs imagining something already."

Gwen shoved the used wrappers into the first-aid kit. "He's going to be unbearable when he figures this out."

"Then don't let him participate."

Gwen stopped packing and slowly looked over her shoulder. "You mean make him watch?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "For a while."

Gwen pictured Ethan's reaction and started grinning. "Oh, he's going to hate that."

"Probably."

Gwen snapped the first-aid kit shut. "I like this plan."

They came downstairs five minutes later to find Ethan sitting in the kitchen with the Rune Primer open in front of him. Gwen was trying a little too hard to look normal, while Natasha seemed completely unconcerned. The glance they exchanged on the way past was enough to make Ethan close his book.

Natasha leaned close enough to whisper something into Gwen's ear before heading toward the stairs. Ethan watched her leave, then turned toward Gwen. "What was that?"

Gwen picked up an apple from the counter and took a bite, giving him her most innocent smile. "Nothing."

From the hallway, Natasha called back, "You'll find out."

Ethan looked at Gwen, who calmly took another bite of her apple. "Don't."

"I didn't say anything."

"Your face did."

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