Ever since that "late-night heart-to-heart" where Cloud had forcefully "collected payment" with a domineering yet tender kiss, Natasha Romanoff had become somewhat... different.
She was still the efficient, professional Black Widow that made all enemies tremble.
But everyone in Stark Tower had keenly noticed a change in her.
For instance, the way she looked at Cloud was no longer purely surveillance and vigilance, but had gained something else... how to describe it? Like a cat looking at a ball of yarn it could never tire of playing with—a complex light mixing curiosity, helplessness, and a hint of indulgence.
Also, the breakfasts she prepared for Cloud, while still "dark cuisine" capable of causing simultaneous physical and psychological distress, now had increasingly elaborate presentation.
Once, Tony Stark was shocked to discover that Natasha had actually tried to use ketchup to draw a heart on a piece of toast burned to a crisp.
Regarding this change, Cloud simply smiled without comment.
He knew he had already pried open a crack in that heart that had been frozen for too long.
The rest could be left to time and the ever-present catalyst of "heartbeats."
And while things were "quietly surging" on Natasha's end, another young woman who needed his guidance finally mustered the courage to seek him out.
This day, Cloud was lying in the hot spring pool of the rooftop courtyard, enjoying the "aromatherapy massage" service provided by his "personal lifestyle assistant" Miss Natasha.
"Mm... not bad, your technique is getting better. Just that pressure—could go a bit lower... yes, right there."
Eyes closed in contentment, Cloud issued various instructions that only a "shameless boss" would give.
Meanwhile, Natasha—wearing a rather revealing bikini with her face flushed crimson—gritted her teeth while mentally cursing this shameless bastard a thousand times over.
Yet somehow, beyond her control, she followed his instructions, gliding her oil-covered slender fingers across his well-defined back muscles.
It was amid this scene of rosy ambiguity that a timid, somewhat uneasy voice spoke up.
"Um... Mr. Cloud... may I come in?"
It was Wanda.
She wore a somewhat oversized white T-shirt and jeans, standing at the courtyard entrance, hands nervously wringing her hem, like a frightened deer too afraid to look directly at this "stimulating" scene.
Natasha leaped off Cloud like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, frantically grabbing a nearby towel to try covering her curves—which were almost completely exposed to the air.
"Ahem!" Cloud, on the other hand, remained utterly composed. He sat up from the pool, water droplets tracing down his chest that could rival a Greek sculpture.
He turned to Wanda with a warm smile.
"Wanda! Come on in. Want to join us in the hot spring? It's great for relieving mental stress."
"No... no thank you!" Wanda's face instantly flushed scarlet, her head shaking like a rattle drum.
"Natasha, get our student a chilled juice." Cloud naturally issued an order to his "lifestyle assistant."
Natasha shot him a glare but obediently wrapped herself in the towel and swayed her graceful hips toward the refrigerator. That retreating figure somehow carried the air of a "first wife" asserting her dominance.
Wanda sat stiffly on a stone bench as far from the hot spring pool as possible, hands placed on her knees like a student waiting to be lectured by a teacher.
"What brings you here?" Cloud leaned against the pool's edge, asking a question to which he already knew the answer.
"I..." Wanda took a deep breath, as if steeling herself with great determination. She raised her head, those beautiful melancholic eyes meeting Cloud's directly. "I want to... ask you to teach me how to control my power."
Ever since Cloud had "pulled her out" of those uncontrolled nightmares, she had been thinking about what he'd said—"You're a genius, but your teacher is terrible."
She understood that everyone in the Avengers were good people.
But they didn't understand her power. They only feared it, trying to "restrain" it through various physical or scientific means.
Only Cloud, that mysterious and powerful man, had seen through the true nature of her power.
And only he could give her real guidance.
"Oh? You want to learn?" Cloud smiled but didn't immediately agree. Instead, he asked, "Then what do you think your power is?"
"It..." Wanda hesitated, then her eyes revealed a flash of fear and disgust. "It's a curse. It's brought endless pain and disaster to me and everyone around me. It's a monster."
"A monster?" Cloud shook his head. He stepped out of the hot spring pool, grabbed a towel to dry off, then walked over to Wanda.
He crouched down to meet her eyes where she sat.
"No, you're wrong."
His voice carried an undeniable magic.
"It's not a monster. It's just a lost child. A child desperately wanting to be understood by you, to be embraced by you."
He extended his hand toward Wanda.
"Come. The first lesson begins now. I'll take you somewhere special."
...
Stark Tower, rooftop terrace.
This was one of the highest points in all of New York City. Standing here, one could take in most of Manhattan's scenery at a glance.
The evening breeze tousled Wanda's brown hair and lifted the hem of her oversized T-shirt.
Her heart was still full of unease and confusion.
She didn't understand why Cloud had brought her here.
Shouldn't learning to control power happen in some sealed, safe laboratory?
"Mr. Cloud, what are we... going to do?"
"Nothing." Cloud leaned against the terrace railing, eyes closed, enjoying the high-altitude breeze. "Just... feel."
"Feel?"
"Yes, feel." Cloud opened his eyes and pointed to the streets below, crisscrossing like a chessboard. "Feel the wind flowing past your fingertips. It's telling you that this city is breathing."
He pointed to the distant sky, about to be dyed red by the evening clouds.
"Feel the light falling on your cheeks. It's telling you that no matter how long the night, the sun will always rise."
He pressed his hand against the cold ground of the terrace.
"Feel this city's heartbeat. Countless vehicles, countless pedestrians, countless joys and sorrows converging into its unique, vibrant pulse."
Wanda, half-understanding, closed her eyes as he did.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"