ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ, ʟᴀꜱᴛ, & ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ.

mutuals only rp account ɴᴀᴛᴀꜱʜᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴏꜰꜰ of ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ-616 & ᴍᴄᴜ

[xlianovna]

. carrd ⌖ divergent timeline

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, based on my own headcanons that blend Earth-616 and MCU (very MCU canon divergent concerning her childhood. please see the timeline in link above)

MATURE CONTENT

mutuals only

photograph templates by @grandsiliato

wire: xlianovna 「 open to mutuals 」

alt fc is available on request for those uncomfortable with ScarJo. you can like this post or dm me.

✘ ⌖ ➶ blog roll: @hargrove | @slashervideo | @felin3fatal3

➶ starter memes ✘ pinterest board ✘ spotify playlist ➶

✘ ⌖ ➶ devoted to by JT / 30+ / she or he / PST ⌖ est. 2010 ➞ rebooted Feb. 2025

[loveholic198]

“Do they start that young?”

“I did.”

[shieldcentric]

the  only  sound  surrounding  them  is  the  humming  of  the  quinjet  in  the  background,  the  kind  of  continuous  noise  that  makes  thoughts  too  loud.  he  leans  against  a  crate  with  his  arms  crossed,  watching  natasha  wipe  the  blood  off  her  knuckles.  he  knows  she  knows  he’s  staring.  ❝  you  didn’t  have  to  take  that  hit  for  me  back  there.  ❞  he’s  not  reprimanding  her,  but  there’s  an  ache  in  his  tone,  as  if  he  feels  bad  for  it.  ❝  you  always  do  that.  ❞  he’s  already  expecting  her  to  brush  it  off,  pretend  that  the  injuries  didn’t  hurt,  some  sort  of  remark  to  ease  the  seriousness  of  the  conversation  (  in  many  ways,  he  sees  bucky  in  her  ).

@xlianovna liked for a starter !

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ Mission accomplished is still a mission accomplished, even though things definitely got a little hairy back there. It wasn't easy protecting the world when its major governments were all out to get you, but somehow, Natasha and Steve managed. Hearing the latter's voice, green eyes looked up from her hands to meet his gaze. He'd been watching her a while and she wondered why that was the statement he chose to break his silence.

A slow smile spread across Natasha's lips. She was pleased to find that not even being labeled 'public enemy number one' could stop Steve Rogers from worrying about others. "We're partners," she replied flatly. "It's kind of what we do." The smile turned into a teasing smirk. "But if you'd prefer me to sit back and watch you get your ass kicked next time, just say the word. Maybe I'll even bring popcorn."

[xlianovna]

⇢ con't from here with @talvisoldat

✘ ⌖ ➶ "<Stop>," Natasha said softly in Russian. She moved closer to where James stood in the doorway, emerald eyes scanning over his form as though looking for any particularly troubling injuries. As though satisfied, she finally met his gaze again. A warmth that was usually lacking in the Black Widow's stare could be found as she asked him, "How are you doing? Really?"

[russiasredguardian]

sitting up abruptly at her words, alexei's amusement was gone, dissipating in a moment and replaced with a glare that bordered on incredulous, ' in all the years that have passed, and all the shit that's come up - how many times have you come across a department x wannabe? '

even if he'd wanted, alexei couldn't keep the scorn from his voice at that last word, his index finger jamming the table between them.

' they, them, he, she, department x, red room, operation snowblind ... they're all under the umbrella of kronas corporation. and we both know who's pulling the strings there, natalia. '

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ The agitation in Alexi's voice was evident, but it didn't make Natasha waver. She was well aware that she tended to have that effect on men... and often took pride in it. Her eyes drifted, looking at nothing in particular as she gave a small shrug. She'd run into 'wannabe' types too many times in her life to count.

But he was still right about one thing: if it smelled like Department X, then chances were....

Green eyes suddenly snapped back to the man across from her when she heard the name. 'Ok, maybe he's right about two things,' she thought to herself.

"Lukin." It wasn't a name she'd brought up in a while, but it would make too much sense that this all traced back to him. "Хуй. The bastard's planning something, isn't he?"

[itsbeentwelveyears]

Grinning he watched as she knocked the grate out and he followed down. "Well, some say it been known t' happen but it ain' dat common." He straightened out his suit and watched as she uncovered her motorcycle. Of all things, he'd taken a cab to the building, paid in cash, and would have called for another to take him away. Given the current security situation, it would be a little bit of a risk for him to wait around for a cab to show up.

"Ain' need all dat much patchin' up, but will take dat ride." Gambit agreed, not arguing on whether or not he could still fight. He could. Even if the energy needed to deflect a fucking bullet was more than he intended to spend right away. That didn't mean he couldn't manage if she tried to pull something... or if he ended up surrounded by whoever her allies were.

Besides, he could always bail off the back of a moving motorcycle and call for a ride from one of his team.

The Cajun swung a leg over the back and put his hands on her waist. Respectfully. "Okay let's get movin'. Couple'a dem guards gonna wake up any moment now an' den we gonna have a whole mess'a problems."

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ He certainly didn't have to tell her twice. With a kick of the throttle, Natasha revved the engine and they sped away from the building at top speed. She drove expertly, weaving around traffic and obstacles, heading to a specific location. One of the Widow's greatest assets was her network of safe houses set up throughout, not only the nation, but the world.

The option loomed overhead of just fighting the mysterious, dapper man and taking the drive, but there were a couple of hitches in that plan. He had proven to be quite the adversary and she couldn't risk such a public affair in the middle of the city. To add to that, her curious nature was winning over. Who exactly was this charming individual who could fight with such ease and wielded exploding playing cards?

Natasha wanted answers.

Pressing a button on one of her wristlets, she disengaged her gps so that Fury nor his team could see where she was going. She knew that Nick trusted her, but the last thing she wanted was a veritable SWAT team descending on them and scaring her companion off. The motorcycle slowed its pace as they entered the east docks where large shipping containers were kept. She pulled up to a familiar one and shut off the bike before dismounting. He still held the drive, but she made no go at it, hoping to garner a bit of his trust for the moment.

"You hungry? I got some granola bars and beef jerky inside." Opening the discreet panel on the side of the storage unit, she used her thumb print to open the door. Inside was a small walk in unit that housed back up weapons, first aid supplies, food, and other accumulated amenities. Everything a good spy would need while on the run.

"What's your name, anyway?"

[xlianovna]

「 my computer is just getting worse (the graphics card died). you can see a preview of what my screen looks like under the cut, except imagine all those little lines blinking and flashing blue to magenta constantly. for someone very prone to migraines, I'm barely able to get 1 reply in before I need to turn it off.

but good news! I bought a new PC!! well, new for me, lol. anyway, this week, I'll be working on getting it all set up and when I do, I'll be able to write again!

so yeah, I know this hiatus is taking much longer than planned, but I do still wanna write and plot and nerd out on here. I'm working to make it happen. 」

[xlianovna]

「 so, my new PC ended up having issues BUT, I took it into a repair shop and they think they found the issue. they're replacing a part and I'll have it back soon. so it's looking likely that I can be stable-y active again soon! 」

[danversiism]

during the time they closely worked together, the blonde grew to appreciate Natasha as an individual. clearly, the redhead had earned her respect long before that. still, for people like them, the human side was sometimes the hardest & always took a backseat. ❛   careful, you're starting to sound like ME.   ❜ Carol smirks, leaning against the nearest surface. ❛   i'm sure you're being modest. women always tend to pick up after the men's disasters.   ❜

besides, once a part of the team, ALWAYS a part of the team. honestly, they're all family. ❛   what happened to Sam ? i thought he was taking over.   ❜ mostly because leadership usually falls under the whole Captain America category. ❛   it's not a fun role. diplomacy is tough.   ❜ hence why she prefers the PUNCHING.

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ A knowing look sparkled in emerald eyes as a reply to Carol's remark about picking up after men. Natasha held only love for her Avengers and the people (mostly men) she had worked with. They grew to become her family, which, for a woman who was raised on the belief she'd never have one, meant everything.

It was the mention of Sam that caused the redhead to cross her arms over her chest and give a little shrug. "I don't really know what the deal is with that. I thought he was taking over, too. It's what Steve wanted, after all. And he'd be great at it. It's this De Fontaine character that seems to be throwing too much politics into the mess. I don't trust her and it makes me worried for the Avengers. New Avengers, I guess."

[70yearsofwinter]

ㅤIt was the kind of speech that sounded good on paper, probably sounded great coming from someone like Fury and maybe even Clint, but neither of them had the slightest clue what it meant deep in Natalia's mind. Hell, even Bucky didn't really know what it meant to her, but his own mess of a brain soup knot gave him his own kind of perspective on it that ran somewhat parallel to hers, he thought. There would always be differences to their experiences and their struggles, nuances that tripped either of them up, but it was similar enough. Bucky wasn't likely to have an entirely different identity drop itself into his conscious thoughts because he didn't have those programmed in - everything in his head was him, so if he woke up with certain memories in the forefront or staticky and confused because he didn't remember who he was, he was still just himself, from some point in his life. It didn't really make it better that he was so fractured that way, but he thought it would be fair if she hated her situation worse.

ㅤIt was why he thought it was important to stress to her that she got to choose who she was now, make her own identity. He was struggling to wade through who he was for different reasons, but she'd had whole identities forced on her, some of which went against who she was at her core. Hell, even if she'd decided to reject who she was deep down for an identity that gave her someplace to seek some kind of peace and relaxation, he wouldn't have blamed her. It was just important that she got that choice, and that she kept making it again and again as she went, because it wasn't once and done. "Yeah. Wouldn't exactly volunteer again if I had the choice, but that's not really how it works," he mused, almost like it really was as simple and easy as all that, but they both knew it wasn't. She was shaking the panic and calming down, so there was no sense in getting too heavy about it. "Love you, too, Natalia."

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ It wasn't as though Natasha doubted the way James felt about her, but hearing those words echoed in his voice, hearing the way he used her real name, put the redhead at ease. The last remnants of the episode she had endured seemed to ebb away as she allowed herself to relax into his lap. For a woman who could absolutely take care of herself, she relished in the safe feeling that his arms provided.

Though she'd always cherish what Clint and Fury meant to her, and be forever grateful in what they gave her, when they gave her the speech of her being able to make a choice, it was always clear which choice they wanted her to make. Especially Fury. But when James told her, she could tell that he truly meant it. That she could be anyone she wanted, and something told her that he'd never look her with any less compassion. To her, that meant everything.

"What would you have volunteered for?" she asked, the sudden question breaking the moment of silence. Turning her face, she met his eyes, a deep curiosity reflected within green depths. "If the war hadn't happened, or if you didn't have to go fight in it, anyway. What was the life you could see for yourself?"

[formerfirstson-a]

“Touché,” he replied at her confession, letting out a chuckle as he shook his head. Of course she had made pretty clear each one of her opinions about him so far. Even when she didn’t say it out loud, the way she looked at him was an indicator. At least TJ thought he could picture what she was probably thinking. The banter was fun for TJ, he didn’t mind laughing at his own expense —slight self deprecation hidden behind the jokes wasn’t rare for him.

The grin didn’t leave his face as he was reaching out to take her hand for a shake, though he immediately froze and his smile flattened slightly as she revealed she was from the CIA. “Are you messing with me right now?” He asked with an arched brow, still a bit incredulous. Though he really didn’t see any reason for her to be lying to him. “Damn, seems like I can never cut the cord with Uncle Sam. As long as you’re not after me for whatever reason, I think I can say it’s nice meeting you.” TJ offered another smile, not as confident as before now, letting go of her hand. She was clearly having a blast while his mind was running with all possible scenarios. “To the gym? I was dragged by some friends, ‘cause it’s been a while since I stepped into one. Now, particularly here? I was trying to escape through the back door, but your little show caught my attention. Something tells me this is just a warmup for you —makes me wonder how bad those poor bastards suffer when you decide to go all out.”

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ The immediate recognition that struck through blue eyes felt satisfying for Natasha, though that feeling was short lived. While the redhead loved to have the upper hand in such interactions, she immediately recognized why TJ seemed to shrink back slightly. When his father was the President, it seemed that the poor guy (not much younger than herself) was always dealt the short end of the stick. Sure, his constant antics were a liability to the administration, but often times, Natasha wondered if his actions were the result of the horribly short leash he was fixed with.

His compliment to her fighting brought the self assured smile to her face again, though it was somewhat muted now in the wake of his own shift in demeanor. "Hopefully, you'll never have to find out," she answered him cryptically. "As for being after you or not, I hate to break this to you, TJ, but you're old news. The CIA has bigger fish to fry. Besides, for this one hour, I don't come with a badge. I'm just Natasha." After removing her other hand wrap, she stuffed them in her small duffle with the rest of her belongings. "You know, they don't need me in the office for another forty minutes. You hungry?"

[torxnn]

"Well, from what he tells me and describes you as, I've automatically assumed that you're very cool, is all." Torunn shrugs, quicky correcting herself. "And thank you, I'm just trying my best, so one day I can maybe as talented as my parents are."

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ Natasha tilted her head to the side, studying the girl. There was something there that reminded the redhead of herself when she was young. A fire fueled by the want to be better. "Is that what you want? To be a fighter?"

[itsbeentwelveyears]

She had a route and he was not about to argue when people were coming at them with guns. It took some control not to reach out and just blow the grate right off but he kept cards in his hand with his eyes on the door in case they had company coming. But the moment there was room he was right behind her. Crawling through duct work wasn't his favourite way to get out of a place but he'd been through worse.

"Ain' bleedin' dat much." Gambit said with some confidence, though he reached up briefly to touch his face to check. It wasn't that bad, he certainly wasn't dribbling too much. If someone somewhere got his dna... well, it wouldn't be the first.

The quip about her knife earned a grin though she could not see it. "Tell y' what, dependin' on how de rest'a dis evenin' go, dis one buy y' a drink an' a knew knife." Because there was still the small matter of the drive and who would walk away with the names and other personal information of countless mutants.

But he wouldn't be himself if he didn't take a dangerous and serious situation and treat it with the levity it absolutely did not call for. "'Course, if y' want dat new knife dis one might have t' get y' number. Ain' jus' gonna find somethin' quality right away, y' know. 'Specially if it were y' favourite knife."

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ Moving as quickly as the small air vent allowed, Natasha led the way through a veritable maze towards the direction of an opening in an alley. She had already left the grate on that end unscrewed from her reconnoiter on the previous day. All the way, the Cajun continued to ramble about replacing her knife, and she couldn't help but inwardly smirk. He was hurt and needed medical attention, but opted to use his energy to talk about something that didn't even matter. It seemed obvious to her that this wasn't his first foray into compromising situations that could result in serious consequences.

That thought only deepened the intrigue that surrounded him.

Fresh air came in through the grate just up ahead and she knew they reached their destination. "Do you ever stop talking?" she asked as she positioned herself to kick the grate free. The words weren't scathing, though, but rather amused. When the grate hit the pavement below, she shimmied out and dropped the short distance to the ground. Normally this would be the time to wish him luck and make her exit, but she knew they had to deal with the drive. Fury wanted it out of dangerous hands and she planned to follow through on that directive, no matter the cost.

To their right was what looked like a pile of junk under a tarp, but when she pulled the tarp free, she revealed her motorcycle, ready and waiting. After throwing her leg over the seat, the redhead fired it up and looked to her partner. "Get on. We both know you can't afford another fight right now. I'll get you patched up."

[outlawiism]

❝          what are you,      a germaphobe     ?      you know you wouldn’t make it out in space more than five minutes.          ❞           Peter says with a slight shake of his head.          ❝          i dunno,      it’s probably how there are so many windows n’ like…      GLASS.      a spaceship tends to be pretty tight      &      dark so it feels      SHINY      to me.          ❞

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ An eyebrow arched high at Quill's assessment that Natasha wouldn't last. There wasn't much that the ex-Russian assassin couldn't handle, but now wasn't the time to argue semantics. In any case, even she could admit that he had a leg up on her in all things 'space'.

"Hm.. I see your point. Seems like living in a ship like this could get claustrophobic. Does it?" She was actually asking a question in earnest.

[xlianovna]

[ ϟ ]—– ' I fail to see why any of this is problematic....'

The foam was stacked high on the water's surface and the god was able to lounge quite relaxed and luxurious in it.

' There is plenty of room for more than one bath lover.'

✘ ⌖ ➶ When first the spy heard her name being called from the bathroom, the last sight she imagined walking in on was that of the thunder god lounging amidst a mountain of bath bubbles. She could barely see him, and given Thor's frame, that was saying something.

After quickly gathering herself from the initial surprise, Natasha folded her arms over her chest and cocked one hip to the side in a casual stance.

"Is there? Because there's barely enough room for you in those bubbles. How much of the bottle did you even use?" Not that she could complain. Although she loved to collect the finest bath luxuries she could find, she rarely had time to actually use them.

[xlianovna]

⇢ con't from here with @asgardianhammer

✘ ⌖ ➶ The pout that Natasha gave was instantaneous, though there was no doubt in her mind that Thor would see through it. The infamous Russian spy wasn't a girl who pouted in earnest. The pair had been curled up on the couch for hours now, mindlessly binging The Great British Bake-Off. Something about the low stakes show was comforting to those who dealt with the full weight of the world (and more) on the daily.

But it wasn't so much what they were watching that the redhead was enjoying the most. It the company she was with. Of course she didn't want to make him move, but she wouldn't be Natasha Romanoff if she didn't indulge in a little playful teasing.

"And what if I have to pee?"

[xlianovna]

「 my computer is just getting worse (the graphics card died). you can see a preview of what my screen looks like under the cut, except imagine all those little lines blinking and flashing blue to magenta constantly. for someone very prone to migraines, I'm barely able to get 1 reply in before I need to turn it off.

but good news! I bought a new PC!! well, new for me, lol. anyway, this week, I'll be working on getting it all set up and when I do, I'll be able to write again!

so yeah, I know this hiatus is taking much longer than planned, but I do still wanna write and plot and nerd out on here. I'm working to make it happen. 」

[littlesovietpuppet]

~ ' The ice. Right. '

It was still strange, even after everything he'd seen. Everything he'd been through. Everything he'd done. Still strange to talk about such things so lightly. Out of the ice. Like it was just...another day. Another THING . He wondered if Steve felt the same. If he ever paused to think about it.

Though in fairness, he supposed he acted much the same with his own past. It was a disjointed feeling. So real it was like a shard of G L A S S pushing against your throat...yet so fogged with the obscure forced normality of it that so often you could see the shattered fragment pierce those around more than it did you.

' A team, huh. You've....been here a while then? '

A question that was more LOADED than it seemed. Steeped with so much MORE. Laced with the UNSAID. Echoing with ghosts and static filled memories. The complex webbing of their past hanging between them. The words sticking to Barnes' throat like molasses, refusing to leave his tongue. Unsure how to even approach it. Unsure if he even should. ~

[xlianovna]

✘ ⌖ ➶ James had always been a professional when it came to keeping his emotions hidden. His own face was like a steel mask that kept every unspoken thought at bay. Yet Natasha could swear that she could see a myriad of feelings cycle behind his blue eyes when he echoed that one word: 'ice'. Of course it would be a touchy subject, but the redhead didn't know how to broach such things delicately. Bedside manners weren't something taught in the Red Room.

Whether a blessing or a curse, she didn't have long to dwell on it before his next question pulled her attention. Green eyes snapped focus to lock onto his gaze. They were wide and unmoving as she studied him, giving away no emotion while trying to discern the meaning. It felt too good to be true that James would remember everything and she dared not hope... not yet.

Given that her SHIELD files were now public, she stuck to the story fabricated within them by Nick Fury so long ago. After all, the story wasn't so far from the truth. The biggest discrepancy, of course, was her age.

"I've been fighting for the free country for about fifteen years now, so yeah. I'd say say it's been a while." A small lie. She'd originally defected to the States in the late nineties. "They don't own us anymore, Barnes."