Cosmically Natural Noir (For Juggernaut)

[The Juggernaut, Bitch]

You had never seen a more surprised flower shop owner in your life when the human Juggernaut walked in and asked for a small bouquet. Cain knew little about flowers. In fact he had never actually never bought any and the last time he had seen some was at his step-brothers funeral. Luckily the shop keeper had been gracious and probably a little scared of the giant but nonetheless assisted him in buying a small assortment of lilacs and a few lilies.

He left with his small garden in tow and began the long walk to Natasha's apartment. Yea it may have been in one of the Big Apple's seedier neighborhoods but that hardly discouraged Mr. Marko. He had been in far worse. Hell, he had lived in worse. The scent of bad alcohol and god knows what else hit him as he rounded a corner and spotted the stoop of her dwelling.

The door handle looked smaller than he had remembered and very slowly it hit him. He was nervous. Oh sweet and fluffy Lord. I've faced down Omega Red on a really bad day and I'm nervous about having coffee with a chick? Cain paused before knocking on the door. Perhaps it was because he knew Daredevil. Sure the two had had a thing going but it wasn't like Cain was really good friends with the guy or something. And besides, they had been split for years. He let out a confident breath and knocked.

She answered and Cain was pleasantly surprised. Dressed down wasn't the word for it. She looked like an old land lady that he had once lived near. Yet, there was something terribly sultry about her and he stammered for a sec.

"Ummm...hey babe." He looked lost then remembered the flowers and extended them to her.
"Just alittle somethin'. Thought you could use 'em."

[Black Widow]

It took Natalia a very long moment to figure out exactly what he was doing here and when she remembered she swore, "Chyort voz'mi! I completely forgot." She pulled the cigarette and opened the door all the way, revealing the apartment in its state of half-cleaned disarray. A wooden box, more a chest filled with what looked to be a lifetime's worth of souvenirs, sat half open on the coffee table, boxes of photographs and cleaning products lay around. A small grey cat was sitting on top of the television disturbed by the sudden entrance.

"Come in, come in, just give me a second." She accpted the flowers, "They're pretty, hold on." She put the cigarette back in her mouth and tried to think if she owned a vase, she did not. She set them on the kitchen counter and pulled her hair out of its messy bun, glancing around the room. She caught sight of the open chest and, in a movement that might have been completely random she knocked the lid down, hiding away a pair of old ballet shoes and a downturned photograph of her dead husband.

She snuffed the cigarette out in an ashtray nearby and loosened her hair out of its messy bun to fall free around her face. "Let me go get changed, I'm so sorry about making you wait, it slipped my mind completely, I've been so busy." She stepped into a room off the living room and closed the door, digging through her drawers until she came up with a wrinkled blue blouse and a pair of jeans that weren't particularly damaged. They were also a tad small in the hips.

Natalia squeezed in anyway, brushed her hair, and was out in five minutes, looking a good deal more clean (Not to mention feminine) than she had a moment before. She smoothed some of the wrinkles from her blouse and looked around in the partially cleaned house for shoes. "So, where did you have in mind, Cain?"

[The Juggernaut, Bitch]

While Natasha had been preparing herself, Cain stood off to the side and did his best to look comfortable in the cramped conditions. He was amused as she briefly tossed odds and ends around to try to make the place look somewhat decent, then she gave up and retreated to another room to clean up. Cain was fairly impressed that he could make her look so flustered and ill prepared.

When she came out she looked damn good in a wrinkled blouse and some really tight jeans that caused Cain to raise an eyebrow beneath his helm.

"I was thinking someplace outdoors." He took a coat off of the rack next to him and passed it to her. "I don't usually eat but its the most normal thing I could think of. By the way, you look great. You'll have to pardon my choice of clothes." A great hand swept up and down his frame. "They don't make suits in my size."

[Black Widow]

She grabbed a wallet off of the counter, checked it quickly, and shoved it into her back pocket. When he ahnded her the coat she accepted it but tossed it aside onto the back of the sofa. She normally forwent such foul-weather gear until early December. Having spent the better part of her childhood in the icy conditions of Soviet poverty she was well built for cold temperatures and ran very warm. She tended to steam in cold rain.

When he stepped out she locked the doors, tucking the keys into a front pocket, and brushing her hair roughly from her face, "Don't worry about the clothes, I've had worse dressers." She teased, crossing her arms over her chest as they walked, tapping broken nails against her forearms. It was more habit than anything.

"There's a pretty good place a block over unless you want to drive somewhere. In which case I've got one of the SHIELD issue convertibles. Very cute." She smiled brightly, her hair a little too poufy on one side giving her the unfortunate appearance of a very mild psychosis. Luckily she smoothed it, but the effect remained if one looked very closely into her eyes.

[The Juggernaut, Bitch]

Cain snorted at the word convertible and crossed his arms. "Did you forget who you were going with? I havn't ridden in something that small since before Vietnam." He uncrossed his arms and opened the door. "We walk".

The walk to the restaurant was a short one as Natasha had said. It just happened to be an outdoor cafe. Cain chose a small table and decided it was best if he pushed the small, un-structurally sound, wire chair aside and sat on the sidewalk. He was still well above the table and could eat properly.

A waiter approached and took their order. Cain ordered slightly less than the average supermodel. Except for the large draft of beer and the orders to 'keep it coming'.

They sat in silence for a bit when Cain broke the silence. "So what do you like to do for fun."

[Black Widow]

Natalia sat down, raising an eyebrow when he sat on the floor and laughing, giving a slight shake of her head. It wasn’t as if she had expected this little afternoon to be quiet, and when the waiter appeared she gave him her best smile. Poor boy, he’d have his hands full today, she glanced through the menu very briefly, “Yes, you serve vodka? I want a glass.” The boy looked at her strangely; she held her hand about six inches off the table, the height of a water glass, “I mean, a glass, like a water glass. And no ice, please. And the cheeseburger, with everything, a large salad with ranch dressing, and what comes as a side with the burger? Fries? Oh, good, double whatever you usually put on the plate.” She smiled and handed him the menu, her eyes glittering, and he was staring at her, probably wondering where she would keep it all.

She leaned an elbow on the metal table, it still smelled like bleach from scrubbing the bathroom down, she likely reeked of the chemicals. “For fun?” She mused, her chin on her flat, raised palm. She shrugged slightly, “I work. I mean, the last day I had off I cleaned my weapons and then went skulking in Hell’s Kitchen. That’s fun.” She didn’t have much time to slow down, when she did she didn’t use it. When it came to a line of work where you were likely to be killed every day, taking a break would only make it harder to get back in that mind-set. Not that she didn’t take time off occasionally, but usually that was done on trips with friends. Face it, the Widow had very few hobbies.

“What about you Cain? Knit in your spare time?”

[The Juggernaut, Bitch]

After witnessing BW's massive order of food and drink, Cain felt slightly impressed. Though it was slightly expected from a woman such as her. He felt somewhat at a loss. You see, Cain had no need to eat, sleep, sometimes even breathe. This show he put on was merely a socially expected normal thing. The only reason he had selected the type of beer that he was now chugging was that he liked the taste.

He had just taken a long pull from the mug when Natasha made the knitting comment. It jostled him so much that the frosty concoction sprayed out onto the pavement and some other patrons shoes.

"Pffft, knitting?" He wiped the base of his helm. "Nah, usually we just picked out some poor bastard in a crowded area and roughed him up. Of course we had to stop doing that 'cause one time Tom took it to far." He waved the waiter over and whispered something in his ear. A few minutes passed and a man carrying a violin approached and began playing.

[Black Widow]

Natalia frowned slightly when he sprayed beer out onto the ground, her frown got deeper when the violin player appeared. Natalia loathed the violin, it reminded her of when she had done ballet, and been married, and been marginally happy. She would, by and large, prefer not to remember those days. It had been all very well and good before her husband had faked his own death and tried to kill her years later, but since then it had put something of a damper on her younger days. She reached back, pulled out her wallet, and withdrew a fity dollar bill. She folded it in half and showed it to the man. "Avoid me like the plague." She tucked it into his pocket and he sauntered away. She slipped her wallet back into the pocket of her jeans and raised an eyebrow at Cain.

"Sorry, I can't listen to that drivvle." She swallowed a mouthful of vodka like it was coke and tapped a finger on the glass, "How are the Avengers doing, Cain?"

[The Juggernaut, Bitch]

Alright thats it Cain downed the rest of his beer and finished his meager meal. He slammed the glass tankard on the table and it shattered, as did part of the table when his hand went through it. He stood up and leaned into look at Natasha.

"This is stupid." He bristled with frustration. "This ain't me and it sure as hell ain't you. Lets get out of here and find someone to either hurt, maim, or just flat out cause a ruckuss."

[Black Widow]

Natalia shook her head slightly, rather sadly, and knocked the glass of vodka back in two long gulps. She dropped a few crumpled bills on the table and stood. "Look, Cain, this was a sweet idea, really..." She straightened her shirt very slightly, brushing her hair back and pushing in the chair. It had been very sweet, but there was far too much going on, she just couldn't deal with this right now, not with so much work right around the corner, not with so much to think about.

"I start a new assignment next week, I'll be gone for a while, maybe a few months when I get back-" If I get back "-maybe we can talk then." She checked her pockets briefly and closed her eyes, giving him that sad look once more, "But not now, not today. It was a nice thought though." She started away, back to her own apartment, back to finish her cleaning.

[The Juggernaut, Bitch]

"Meh, dames."

Cain grumbled as Natasha walked off. There was no way he fell for that sad, puppy-dog face of hers. But no matter. This had learned him one thing. No woman like that will ever be truly happy. Cain had seen himself like that once and promised that he would turn from that.

He adjusted his coat then waved the waiter over. He produced a small debit card from underneath his left forearm bracer. The waiter used it to pay for their meal and the damage to the table. Cain shrugged at the guy when he brought back the card.

"Sorry bro. Never happen again." He reholstered the card and walked away.


Thread done.