Life can Change: What a Marvel Part 3 (25k -> 36k) (Patreon)

The doctor chuckled softly, adjusting her glasses. "I wouldn't really call it a problem."

Natasha's brow furrowed, her patience thinning. "What's going on? Spell it out."

The doctor's smile faded, replaced by a slight frown. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Natasha asked a little angrily.

The doctor met her eyes. "Miss Romanoff, you're pregnant."

...

...

...

"Miss Romanoff?"

...

...

...

"Miss Romanoff?"

Natasha blinked, the doctor's voice pulling her back from the fog that had settled over her mind. She stared at the woman in the white coat, her thoughts scrambling as the words echoed in her head. "...I'm sorry... could you repeat what you said..." she asked, her voice quieter than she intended.

The doctor gave her a sympathetic smile and brought her clipboard up again, glancing at the notes before meeting Natasha's eyes. "You're pregnant, Miss Romanoff. You're going to have a baby, and from what I can see, everything is going well so far. All the symptoms you've been experiencing are perfectly normal in the first trimester."

Natasha sat there on the medical bed unable process the information she'd just heard. None of what the doctor said made sense; it felt like she was speaking a language Natasha had never heard before. Pregnant? A baby? She stared at the doctor's face, waiting for some sign that this was a mistake or a joke, but the woman just waited patiently. 

Natasha's hand moved unconsciously to her stomach, pressing lightly against the fabric, as if she could feel something there that would confirm or deny it. Impossible. She could not have children, the Red Room procedures stripped away any chance of a normal life. 

They had made sure of that.

"This is impossible," Natasha said finally. "I can't have children. There were... procedures. They made it so I couldn't."

The doctor tapped her fingers on the clipboard for a moment, then set it down on a nearby tray and gestured gently. "I understand this is a shock, but lie back for me, please. We'll confirm it properly."

Natasha complied slowly, reclining on the bed as the doctor wheeled over the ultrasound machine, adjusting the screen and applying gel to the wand. "I redid the tests a few times myself," the doctor explained while she worked, "so I don't think there's a mistake. Sometimes the old procedures aren't as final as they seem, especially with everything that's been happening lately, It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen."

The wand glided over Natasha's abdomen, the gel spreading over her stomach as the screen flickered to life with grainy black-and-white images. The doctor angled it carefully, pointing to a small cluster on the display. "There see that? That's the embryo, about eight weeks along. Looks perfectly healthy."

Natasha turned her head toward the screen, her breath catching as she stared at the tiny shape, the faint flutter that the doctor identified as a heartbeat. 

It was real... a life growing inside her.  

Tears welled in her eyes without warning, blurring the image as she reached out instinctively, her fingers hovering near the screen but not touching it. "A miracle," she whispered to herself, the word slipping out as emotion crashed over her in waves she could not hold back. After everything she'd been through and done, this tiny existence felt like something pure, something hers that no one could take away. She lay there entranced as she burned what was perhaps the most amazing moment in her life into memory. 

The trance broke when the doctor stepped away, reaching for the phone on the wall. Natasha sat up abruptly, a flicker of panic cutting through the awe. "What are you doing!?"

The doctor paused with the receiver in hand. "It's standard protocol to report any pregnancies to HR, proper forms need to be filled out for medical leave and adjustments."

Natasha swung her legs off the bed, her voice firm despite the lingering dizziness. "Don't! I want to keep this a secret. At least for now..."

The doctor hesitated, her hand still on the phone, then smiled softly and nodded after a moment. "Alright if that's what you want."

Natasha exhaled in relief, wiping the gel from her belly with a towel the doctor handed her. "Thank you." She dressed quickly, pulling on her clothes that had been layed out on a table. However as she walked toward the door, she caught a glimpse in the small mirror on a side table; the doctor's qas now on her phone typing rapidly. Natasha lunged back without thinking, her leg snapping up in a back kick that struck the phone from the doctor's grasp, sending it flying into her waiting hand as she caught it mid-air.

Unknown: Black Widow has been impregnated by subject Grayson.

A cold look settled on Natasha's face, completely blank and devoid of emotion, her training kicking in as she pocketed the phone and turned to the doctor. "I'm sorry Agent Widow, but I have a job to do and protocol is protocol."

The doctor's hand moved toward her holster for the stun gun, but Natasha was faster, stepping in close to grab the wrist and twist it outward, forcing the arm up while her other hand struck the elbow joint. She swept the legs next, dropping the doctor to the floor, then followed with a chokehold from behind, applying pressure to the carotid until the struggles ceased and the body went limp.

Natasha released her, standing over the fallen doctor as panic surged through her like ice water. The worst thoughts flooded her mind on what would SHIELD do if they knew. Experiment on the child, turn it into a weapon, raise it in a program like the Red Room? She trusted Nick Fury to an extent, but she also knew the things he had done, the lines he had crossed to keep the world safe, he was not above sacrificing individuals for the greater good. 

Her baby would not become that.

She wouldn't let anything happen to it.

Natasha bolted from the room, she had to get out of there now. No doubt when the person on the other end of the phone realised the doctor wasn't replying they'd put the base into lockdown. She wouldn't be surprised if they already had agents coming for her. 

She stepped out of the medical room and walked down the hallway with a casual walk. Her training had already kicked in and guided her movements while she kept her expression neutral. She smiled at a passing technician who nodded in greeting and continued on his way. Inwardly she planned her escape and mapped the facility's layout in her mind. The power room sat two levels down near the maintenance sector, so she could overload the generators there which would trigger a cascade failure in the electrical systems. 

That would knock out lights, cameras, and automated locks for at least ten minutes and give her a window to slip out. She passed another agent who she recognized from ops and exchanged a quick hello while she quickened her stride. If the alarms triggered early she would have to divert to the armoury and fight her way out, which hopefully wouldn't happen. 

She reached the stairwell and descended making sure to not look like she was in a hurry or in any kin of panic. An analyst coming up the stairs smiled at her, she returned it with her own smile that faded away the instance she was out of view. Once on the lower level she turned left toward the power room and scanned the corridor for patrols. Two guards stood at the far end but they faced away while they chatted about their shift. 

She walked past a junction where a maintenance worker pushed a cart and she stepped aside politely. Her plan solidified as she approached the door. She would enter under the pretense of checking a report if questioned and then tamper with the primary relay which would cause a surge in the backup generators.

She swiped her access card at the power room door and it beeped open. Inside technicians monitored consoles but they barely glanced up when she entered. She moved to a side panel and pretended to inspect a readout while she waited for one to step away. When the nearest tech turned to grab a tool she quickly input an override code that bypassed the safety locks and initiated a gradual overload sequence on all generators. 

The system accepted it without immediate alarm and she closed the panel before slipping out unnoticed.

She left the power room and headed toward her quarters to grab essentials like her go-bag with cash IDs and a burner phone. Agents passed her in the hall and she maintained her calm demeanor while she nodded to them. Hopefully she'd have enough time to get to the garage and get out of here. 

She turned a corner and planned to take the east corridor to avoid the main security hub but to her surprise a familiar appeared ahead of her.

"Nat!" Clint said as he jogged up to her. "What happened? I heard you passed out in the briefing room are you okay? Fury said it was nothing but you looked rough last time I saw you and then you ended up in medical, what did the doctor say? Is it stress or something else? You've been off lately and I'm worried—"

"I need to go Clint," Natasha said as she tried to step past him but he moved with her.

"Wait hold on, what's the rush? Talk to me if it's serious we can figure it out together like always—"

BOOM

The generators went off and a massive explosion rocked the building from below. Lights flickered and alarms wailed as the floor trembled. Natasha cut past him in the confusion and sprinted down the hall while Clint stumbled and shouted after her. "Nat what the hell wait!"

However a number of Security guards turned the corner ahead with stun guns drawn which they levelled on her the moment she came into view "Agent Romanoff! Stop right there!" They shouted. 

She accelerated into a run while the guards fired stun darts that whistled past her ear, she slid under the barrage on her knees avoiding most of them and continuing to run. 

"What's going on!? Hey stand down she's one of ours!" Clint's voice echoed behind her. 

The guards didn't listen and continued to reload their stun guns, Clint pulled his bow out and fired three stun arrows in quick succession. The first hit a guard in the shoulder who dropped twitching. The second embedded in another's thigh and sent him crumpling. The third struck the last in the chest who collapsed with a grunt. 

"Nat stop! What are is going on!?" Clint called after her again.

Natasha did not look back as she vaulted over a fallen guard and turned into a side corridor where more security waited. Two agents blocked her path with batons raised but she leaped forward and drove her knee into the first one's gut which doubled him over. She used his shoulder as leverage to flip over the second who swung at empty air. Landing behind him she delivered a kick to his neck that dropped him. 

A third came from a doorway with a pistol but she disarmed him with a twist of his wrist and followed with an elbow to his jaw that knocked him out cold. She grabbed his weapon mid-fall and fired at a fourth agent rounding the corner. The shot hit his vest but staggered him long enough for her to close the distance and sweep his legs out from under him before stomping on his radio to crush it.

She sprinted onward through the shaking halls, explosions from secondary systems rippled through the building. She dodged into a service tunnel that led to the garage level. A team of four blocked the exit with rifles trained but she hurled a flash grenade she had snatched from the disarmed agent's belt which detonated in a blinding burst. They fired blindly while she rolled and took them down one by one, delivering a kick to the knee of the first, then a punch to his jaw. A punch to the throat of the second who choked and fell. She grabbed the third's rifle strap and yanked him into the wall face-first, she then spun and kicked his head smashing it even more against the wall. The fourth recovered his sight too late as she swept his feet and finished with a strike to the temple that left him unconscious.

She ran passed them and into the garage and straight towards one of the SUV's. After removing the trackers on it she hotwired  it seconds and drove it toward a side maintenance door that was still ajar. Guards poured in from the stairs but she accelerated through them scattering bodies like pins before crashing the door open in a shower of sparks. The SUV barreled up a service tunnel that twisted toward the surface. 

Pursuit vehicles screeched behind her with sirens wailing but she timed a turn that sent one crashing into the wall. Another pulled alongside and rammed her side which dented the door but she countered by barging them into a barrier that flipped their car. The tunnel narrowed ahead with a security gate dropping but she floored the accelerator and smashed through it.

She burst out onto the surface under the night sky where perimeter guards opened fire from towers. Bullets pinged off the armored glass while she veered toward the fence line and plowed through the chain link in a screech of tearing metal. Alarms faded behind her as she raced across the ground toward the highway. 

The facility's lights shrank in the rearview until they vanished, and Natasha allowed herself a single breath of relief before focusing on the road.

She needed to get somewhere safe for now... then she needed to find Mark. 

_____________________________________

"Tell me that wasn't clean!" Dwayne shouted from the backseat. He held up the open duffel bag and flashed the bundles of cash inside while he grinned wide enough to show his gold teeth. "I told y'all this one was gonna be smooth. We're eating good tonight!"

Vince, sitting in the passenger seat, gripped the rifle with the drum magazine across his lap and snapped back without turning around. "You call that smooth? You left your damn fingerprints all over that vault door, genius. I watched you lean on it like you were posing for a photo. Cops are gonna lift prints and have your name in ten minutes."

"Man, shut up!" Dwayne barked back and leaned forward so his face was close to Vince's headrest. "Like you was thinking when you smacked that teller for no reason. I seen you, bro. She was like eighty! You hit her so hard her dentures flew out. That's gonna be on the news, old lady getting clocked by a clown in a ski mask."

Vince laughed and turned halfway in his seat so he could look at Dwayne. "That old lady had it coming. She reached for that panic button under the counter. I saw her hand move. I smacked the dentures right out her mouth, man. Kept her quiet, didn't it? You're welcome."

Ray, driving with both hands tight on the wheel, kept his eyes on the road while he spoke through gritted teeth. "Y'all clowns. Focus. We still got eyes on us. Don't start celebrating till we hit the tunnels. Cops are right behind us and they ain't playing."

The rearview mirror showed two squad cars gaining fast, lights flashing and sirens cutting through the night. Vince twisted around in his seat, leaned out the passenger window, and opened fire with the rifle. Bullets sparked off the lead cruiser's hood and shattered its windshield. The squad car swerved but kept coming. Vince laughed and kept shooting until the magazine clicked empty. He dropped back inside and started reloading while he talked over the wind noise. "They're still coming! These pigs don't quit."

Dwayne leaned out his window on the other side with a shotgun and pumped a round into the chamber. "Watch this." He aimed at the second cruiser's front tire and fired. The shotgun boomed and the tire exploded in a puff of rubber. The squad car fishtailed, spun sideways, and flipped end over end down the highway. Metal screeched and glass shattered while the car rolled three times before coming to rest on its roof in a cloud of smoke.

Dwayne whooped and slapped the seat. "That's what I'm talking about! One down!"

Vince finished loading the drum and leaned out again. He emptied half the magazine into the other cruiser's grille. The engine coughed black smoke and the car slowed. He kept firing until the front tire shredded and the cruiser veered hard, flipped onto its side, and skidded across lanes in a shower of sparks.

Ray glanced in the mirror and laughed. "Nice shooting. Now we're clear. Tunnels are two miles ahead. We ditch the car there and switch to the second ride."

Dwayne leaned back and opened the duffel wider so he could shove his face inside and breathe in the smell of money. "We're rich, boys. Rich! I'm buying a house with a pool and a garage full of cars. No more corner hustling for me."

Vince slapped the dashboard and laughed. "I'm getting a boat. Big one. Take it out on the lake every weekend. Girls in bikinis, drinks on ice. Living the dream."

Ray kept his eyes on the road and smirked. "Y'all better not blow it all in a week. We still gotta lay low. Cops are gonna have every highway locked down by morning."

Before anyone could answer, the car lurched forward as something massive slammed into the rear. The impact spun them sideways and Ray fought the wheel to keep control. "What the hell—"

"I'm gone for five minutes and you stooges rob a bank?" Mark appeared above them in his blue and white suit. He dropped onto the roof with a thud that dented the metal and grabbed the rear bumper with one hand. The car fishtailed again but he held it steady, lifting the back end off the ground so the rear wheels spun uselessly in the air.

Dwayne twisted around and stared up through the shattered rear window. "Yo, that's Invincible! He's on the roof!"

"Yeah no shit Sherlock! How about you fuckin kill him!" Vince leaned out and fired the rifle upward. Bullets pinged off Mark's chest and sparked harmlessly into the ground. Mark didn't flinch. He squeezed the bumper until the metal crumpled in his grip, then yanked the entire car off the road and held it suspended above the road with one hand. 

The robbers inside shouted and scrambled. Ray slammed the gas pedal but the wheels spun in empty air. Vince kept firing until the magazine ran dry. Dwayne tried to climb out the window but Mark tilted the car sideways and shook it, hard enough to bounce them back into their seats.

Mark lowered the car gently onto the shoulder and set it down without a scratch on the undercarriage. He floated down to the driver's side window and looked inside at the four men who stared back with wide eyes.

"Everyone okay?" Mark asked. 

Ray swallowed and nodded. "Yeah... we're good."

Mark floated down to the ground beside the driver's side window. He looked inside the SUV at the four men who had gone from wild, gun-toting maniacs to wide-eyed passengers frozen in place like they'd just been caught stealing cookies.

"Everyone okay?" Mark asked.

Ray gave a slow nod, swallowing hard. "Yeah... we're good."

Mark crossed his arms. "Really? Robbing a bank in the middle of the day? Downtown? With traffic cameras, eyewitnesses, and the same getaway plan every other idiot tries?"

Nobody spoke.

Mark tilted his head. "What were you expecting? A parade? A high-five? 'Congratulations, Dwayne, you managed to get yourself on every news channel in the city before lunch, hell I know all your names already!'"

Dwayne's bottom lip wobbled. He looked down at the floor of the SUV, where the duffel bag had burst open and cash was scattered everywhere. "I just... I just wanted the Charger," he mumbled. "Been savin' pictures of it for months. Muscle car, matte black, racing stripes. Had the dealership all picked out..."

He sniffled.

Vince blinked and stared at him. "Yo, are you crying?"

Dwayne sniffed harder. "Man, shut up! You don't know what that car meant to me!"

Mark looked at him for a second, then softened a little. He reached through the open window and gave Dwayne's shoulder a light pat. "Maybe if you stay out of trouble, do your time right, you'll get that car when you're out. One day. But not with stolen money, alright?"

Dwayne nodded, wiping his face with both sleeves.

Mark looked around the interior again, then narrowed his eyes. "Now... which one of you hit the old lady?"

There was a long pause.

Vince slowly raised his hand like a kid in detention. "That was me..."

Mark sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Alright. I'm gonna have to give you a little slap for that."

Vince's head shot up. "Wait, what?! No, no, man, c'mon, I'm sorry. I really am. She reached for the—"

Mark raised a hand to cut him off. "You don't hit old women, man. What if someone smacked your mom like that?"

Vince looked like a kicked dog. "I wouldn't want that..."

Dwayne piped up from the back. "I told him not to. I said, 'She's just an old lady, Vince.' Ain't that right, Ray?"

Ray nodded fast. "He did. We both told him. Dude just went rogue."

Mark gave them all a long look, then pointed at Vince. "Out. Now."

Vince opened the door slowly and stepped out, hands up like he was walking into traffic. "You really gonna hit me?"

"I said a slap, calm down," Mark replied. "But you get to choose. Face or bottom."

Vince looked like he was about to cry himself. "You serious?"

"Very."

He paced in a small circle, muttering to himself. "Okay, okay, face heals faster... maybe... but bottom... that might be humiliating..."

Mark waited.

After a full minute of agonizing indecision, Vince turned to him. "Alright, man. Face."

CRACK.

Mark didn't even wait. His open hand lashed out instantly. The sound echoed down the highway. Vince flew backward like a lawn chair caught in a tormado. He hit the ground about ten feet away, rolled twice, and landed on his back with two teeth missing and a new understanding of respecting the elderly. Mark walked over and helped him up, grabbing his arm and slinging it over his shoulder. "You'll be fine," Mark said, steadying him as he walked Vince back to the car. "That was a bit of tough love, you'll shake it off in a couple hours."

Vince nodded slowly, feeling very dizzy. "Y-yeah. I can tell..."

Just as they reached the side of the SUV, flashing lights filled the air. Three squad cars pulled up with sirens still going. Officers poured out, weapons raised, but lowered them fast when they saw the suspects lined up and Mark standing with one of them.

"They're all yours," Mark said, handing Vince over.

The lead officer looked around at the scene, the unharmed civilians, the dazed but alive suspects, the SUV parked neatly on the shoulder and shook his head in disbelief.

"You're a damn lifesaver invincible."

Mark just gave a nod. "No problem fellas, let's just hope this was the highlight of the day." Then, without another word, he shot upward into the air and blasted off into the sky, vanishing into the New York skyline like a streak of blue and white. Below, the officers cuffed the robbers one by one. 

Dwayne sighed as he was led to the cruiser. "Man... I really wanted that Charger..."

...

Mark blasted through the sky above New York, the wind rushing past him as he pushed his speed higher, the city lights blurring into streaks far below while he cut across the city. He had been going on four days without sleep now, and the exhaustion started to creep in despite his enhanced body, his eyelids feeling heavier with each mile and his reactions lagging just a fraction. He had been so busy that rest had taken a back seat to everything else piling up.

He banked toward a familiar high-rise, landing on the edge of the roof with a soft thud, his boots scraping the concrete as he collapsed lazily onto the ledge, letting out a loud yawn. He sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes while he stared out at the skyline, the lack of progress on tracking down someone who could explain the mutants gnawing at him. More powered people kept appearing, attacks like Juggernaut's felt targeted, and his board back home was filling with names and question marks, but no real answers surfaced no matter how deep he dug.

He considered SHIELD for a moment... they were super spies with resources everywhere, so they had to know something about the mutants. But the thought soured quickly; Fury and shield had their own agendas, and trusting them felt like handing over control, plus he still hadn't quite gotten over his last interaction with shield. No, he would do it himself, or at worst ask Tony for help, though that would be a last last last resort since Stark's ego and sarcasm would turn it into a lecture on how Mark should have just asked him in the first place.

Mark stood up after a minute, shaking off the fatigue as best he could, and decided to head home for at least a few hours of rest before the next call came in. He launched from the roof, flying straight to his building in Harlem, the familiar streets coming into view as he slowed and slipped through the open bedroom window he always left cracked for quick entries. He reached up, peeled the mask off, and tossed it onto the bed. He then ran a hand through his hair, shaking it out, and took one step toward the bathroom before he heard movement in the living room.

"Jess, if you drank the last of the orange juice again I swear to God I'm hiding the whiskey next time you come here," he called out, already walking toward the doorway. "You're turning into a professional couch squatter. Get a day job, woman. Or at least pay rent."

He rounded the corner and froze.

Darcy stood in the middle of his living room next to the open fridge, a half-empty bottle of soda in one hand, the other holding the freezer door wide. She wore ripped jeans and a faded band tee that hugged her chest in a way that made his brain short-circuit for half a second. When she saw him her whole face lit up. She threw both arms out wide, soda sloshing dangerously close to the rim.

"Surprise!"

Mark's eyes went wide. "Darcy?"

"Yep. In the flesh." She gave a little shimmy. "Miss me, space boy?"

He blinked twice, still processing. "What the hell are you doing here? You were in New Mexico a few days ago."

"I was." She shut the freezer with her hip, set the soda on the counter and walked over to him. "Decided to change that and move up here. Wanted to surprise you, but you're making it really hard to look cool when you're calling out another girl's name the second you walk in."

Mark opened his mouth, closed it, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay, hold on. Back up. You're moving to New York? Like, actually moving here?"

"Yep." She leaned one hip against the counter and crossed her arms under her chest, which only made the shirt pull tighter. "Saw a couple job postings that didn't suck. Sent in applications. Got a couple callbacks already. Figured why not? New Mexico's great for stargazing and alien shenanigans, but the entertainment is almost drier than the desert down there."

Mark stared at her. "What about Jane? Doesn't she need you in the lab?"

Darcy waved a hand like she was shooing a fly. "Jane's fine. Ever since she nailed the Einstein-Rosen bridge proof she's been happy. Lab's calm for once. She's mostly geeking out over that little side project you two have been emailing about. Something about dimensional shear and energy bleed-off?"

"Oh," Mark said. He felt a little dumb just standing there repeating himself. "Right. That."

Darcy's face fell into an exaggerated pout. "Wow. Real enthusiastic welcome, Grayson. I haul my ass across the country, pack up my entire life, and you hit me with 'oh.' I'm wounded. Deeply wounded."

Mark panicked. "No, no, wait, that came out wrong. I'm happy you're here. Really happy. Like, stupid happy. I just.... My brain's running on fumes right now. I haven't actually slept since I saw you last so I'm not firing on all cylinders."

She kept the pout for another second, then cracked, giving him a grin. "I know. I'm fucking with you. But seriously, you were calling for Jessica the second you walked in. What's she got that I don't, huh? Better tits? Better blowjobs? Does she do that thing with her tongue where—"

Mark groaned and dragged both hands down his face. "Darcy."

She smirked, clearly enjoying herself. "What? I'm just asking. Girl's gotta know her competition."

He dropped his hands and sighed knowing she was playing with him. "Yeah yeah you got me. You win. Happy now?"

Darcy giggled then launched herself forward. She crashed into him chest-first, her breasts pressing firmly against his ribs as she wrapped both arms around his neck and squeezed. "Don't worry, big guy. I'm not the jealous type. We're still casual. No strings, no drama. Just good vibes and great sex. Right?"

Mark let out a long breath, tension bleeding out of his shoulders. "Right. And yeah, I'm relieved. You have no idea."

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, still grinning. "Good. Because I'm not here to lock you down. I just want to be in the same zip code so we can fuck whenever we feel like it instead of waiting three weeks for you to fly out."

Before he could answer the doorbell rang.

Darcy's eyes lit up. "Oh shit, that's the pizza! I ordered while I was waiting for you to show up." She spun away from him, practically skipping to the door. "Hold that thought, hero. Dinner's here."

Mark watched her go, then ducked back into the bedroom while she was busy with the delivery guy. He stripped out of the suit in about two seconds flat then yanked on gray sweatpants and a plain black tee. By the time he walked back out she was shutting the door with a large pizza box balanced on one hand and a stack of napkins in the other.

He leaned against the doorway. "How the hell did you even get in here?"

Darcy set the box on the coffee table, flipped it open and shrugged. "Wasn't hard. Your building security is trash. The super let me in after I told him I was your cousin dropping off a care package. Gave him twenty bucks and a sob story about surprising my favorite family member after a long flight. Dude practically carried my suitcase up the stairs."

Mark snorted and dropped onto the couch next to her. "I'm sure it was the sorry that did the trick and not any other factors," he said while glancing at her chest. 

"Hey! I'll have you know that I have far better qualities than these," she said while grabbing her boobs and jiggling them, giving Mark a chuckle. She then grabbed a slice folded it in half and took a huge bite. Cheese stretched in a long string before she bit through it. "Mmm. New York pizza hits different. Anyway, real talk. I haven't found an apartment yet. Everything's either a shoebox for three grand a month or way the hell out in Queens. So I was wondering..."

Mark didn't even let her finish. "Stay here. As long as you need. Couch is yours, bed's yours if I'm out, whatever. Mi casa es su casa."

Darcy's face split into a huge grin. She leaned over, pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and pulled back. "You're the best. Swear I'll be the best bang maid you've ever had. I'll cook, I'll clean, I'll walk around in your shirts and nothing else. Full service."

Mark rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he grabbed a slice. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love it." She took another bite, talking around the food. "So what's the plan tonight? You look dead on your feet. We eating, crashing, or are you gonna rally for a round or two in the bedroom?"

Mark sighed as he sank into the edge of the couch. "I've got work to do."

Darcy made a loud snort and leaned back with both arms draped over the backrest. "Work? Dude, you've been up for four days. Four. I haven't pulled that kind of stretch since college."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Didn't know you were such a dedicated student."

Darcy shrugged and smirked. "Who said anything about studying?"

"Of course," Mark said with a laugh under his breath. He stood up and stretched, rotating his shoulder a little before walking toward the hallway. "Unfortunately, I can't afford not to stay awake."

Darcy got up too and followed behind him as he moved into his workshop. As soon as the door opened, she stopped and blinked. "Whoa," she said, stepping inside. "Okay. This is... serial killer level obsessive."

Mark didn't argue. The walls were covered with a massive information board. There were printouts, maps, newspaper clippings, and several photos pinned to corkboards with red string connecting some of them. One large picture at the center caught her eye. A man with a metal helmet, thick neck, and biceps the size of tree trunks.

Darcy pointed. "Isn't that the roid rage freak who tried to stomp you after that hangout we had?"

Mark followed her gaze. "Yeah," he said. "That's him. Juggernaut."

"Right. That guy threw you like a football," she muttered. "So he's a mutant?"

Mark nodded and stepped over to the board. He grabbed a marker and tapped it against one section. "He's one of a bunch that's shown up lately. It's been happening for months now. Isolated at first. Random. But now I'm starting to think it's not. At the Marriott Samir mentioned something about a Brotherhood, I'm starting to think that a few of the mutants I've encountered are connected to them, I'm guessing the Marriott was their doing to and the reason the Juggernaut was sent after me."

Darcy walked closer to the board, scanning the photos. "So you're building your own conspiracy web?"

Mark shrugged. "More like a puzzle. And so far, I'm missing most of the pieces."

She gave a thoughtful hum as she crossed her arms and leaned forward a bit. "So wait... are you a mutant?"

Mark turned toward her with a raised brow. "What?"

She looked at him with a straight face. "Come on. Flying, strength, durability, doesn't exactly sound like a normal person."

"I'm not a mutant," Mark said with a chuckle. "Let's just say my father was... a little special."

Darcy's expression changed immediately. "Oooh. Papa Grayson. What was he like? Was he a hottie like his son? Do you think he'd approve of the type of girl you're seeing?"

Mark hesitated for just a second. Then he laughed. But it was a nervous laugh. His eyes glanced away.

*******************(FlashBack)*******************   

"I didn't raise you to act like one of these things, Mark."

"They're barely sentient. On Viltrum their IQ would be negative."

"They took 10,000 years just to fly to the moon!"

"You're above them. You're born above them."

"Honestly, their only real use is for reproduction."

"Let's kill the males. Keep the women and breed a more advanced race for this planet."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm trying to work with what I've got."

"What you think I'm happy I got sent here to play with a bunch of Primates?"

"I'm sorry son but your mother is literally a Monkey..."

"You're lucky I'm your father otherwise you'd be slinging shit at the walls with the rest of them."

"Son, stop crying."

***************(FlashBack End)*******************

Mark rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the floor. "Yeah.... He would've loved you."

Darcy blinked, picked up on the tone, and spoke a little softer. "Where is he now?"

Mark answered without flinching. "Dead."

"Oh," she said. "I didn't know. Sorry."

Mark waved it off and dropped into the rolling chair by the desk. "It's fine. I'm over it." He leaned back, yawned, and let his arms hang down for a second. Darcy wandered over, letting her eyes scan the desk this time. She noticed a thick paperback book near the edge and picked it up.

"What's this?" she asked, turning it around.

Mark looked at it and said, "Mutants: The Next Step in Human Evolution. It's an interesting book about mutants. The author argues that mutations are the next evolutionary leap for humanity. He talks about how powers manifest in adolescence and how mutants could solve problems humans can't if they were integrated. It's by a guy called Professor Charles Xavier."

Darcy flipped through a few pages. "Sounds like he knows his stuff. You gonna reach out to him?"

Mark nodded. "That's the plan. I need someone who understands this mutant phenomenon better than I do. If there's a group organizing attacks like Juggernaut's, Xavier might have intel or contacts that can point me in the right direction."

Darcy set the book down. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Mark looked at her. "Why not?"

"You don't know who this guy is," she said. "He could be a whack job."

Mark chuckled. "I'll be fine. I can handle myself."

Darcy insisted and stepped closer. "Seriously, don't go see him. It's likely a waste of time and you could walk into something sketchy."

Mark stood up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I appreciate the concern, but I need answers. I'll be safe."

"Fine," Darcy said with a smirk. "But you're not doing any more work today." She gave him a sultry smile and grabbed his hand. "I've been without for five days now and I'm practically in heat. Come here." She dragged him over to the couch in the living room. 

Mark laughed and let her pull him down while she climbed onto his lap. "You're relentless," he said.

"You love it," she replied as she kissed him hard and their mouths crashed together,lips parting so tongues could slide against each other. Darcy sucked on his bottom lip, then bit down before soothing it with a slow lick. Mark's hands slid up under her shirt, his palms flat against the warm skin of her back, his fingers spreading wide enough to feel every inch. She arched into the touch, pressing her breasts against his chest until the fabric of her tee stretched too tightly across her nipples. 

He broke the kiss long enough to yank the shirt over her head and toss it somewhere behind the couch. 

She had no bra underneath. 

Her massive breasts spilled free with her nipples already stiff and dark pink from the friction.

Darcy grabbed the hem of his black tee and peeled it off him in one rough tug. Skin met skin. She rocked forward, grinding her jean-covered crotch against the hard length trapped in his sweatpants. Mark groaned into her mouth and cupped both breasts, thumbs brushing over the tight peaks. He rolled each nipple between thumb and forefinger, tugging gently, then harder when she moaned and pushed her chest into his hands.

She reached down between them and slipped inside the waistband of his sweatpants. His cock sprang free the head already slick. Darcy wrapped her hand around the shaft and stroked from base to tip. Mark's hips jerked up into her grip. She kept the rhythm constanr while she kissed him again, tonguing his mouth in time with her strokes. Precum leaked over her knuckles. She smeared it down the length with her thumb, circling the sensitive ridge under the head until his breathing turned ragged.

Mark slid one hand down the front of her jeans, popped the button and dragged the zipper down. His fingers pushed past the elastic of her panties and found her soaked. Two fingers parted her folds and slid through the slick heat, then curled inside her. Darcy gasped against his lips and clenched around the intrusion. He pumped slowly at first, letting her adjust, then added a third finger and pressed his thumb against her clit. She rocked down onto his hand, riding the stretch while she jerked him faster.

"Get these off," she muttered against his mouth. She lifted her hips so he could shove her jeans and panties down her thighs. She kicked them off, then tugged his sweatpants the rest of the way down his legs. Naked now. She straddled him again, bare pussy sliding along the underside of his cock. The wet heat dragged over him from balls to tip. Mark gripped her hips and rocked her forward so the head bumped her clit with every pass.

Darcy leaned back, hands braced on his thighs behind her. Her breasts bounced up and down between them. She pushed them together with her upper arms, creating a deep valley of soft flesh. "Remember how much you liked this last time?" She got off his lap and lowered herself until his cock nestled between her tits, the slick shaft trapped in warm, pillowy skin. She squeezed them tighter around him and started sliding up and down. The head poked out the top of her cleavage with every upward stroke and precum smeared across her sternum.

"God, your cock feels so thick between my tits," she whispered. "Look how hard you are for them. Bet you want to paint them again, don't you? Cover me in it while I keep fucking you with them."

Mark's hands covered hers, helping her squeeze harder. He thrust up into the tight channel she made. "You love watching them bounce, don't you? Love seeing your dick disappear between them. Come on, give it to me. Shoot all over my tits, mark me."

The words pushed him over. His hips snapped up once, twice, then he groaned as he came. Thick ropes of cum erupted from the tip, splattering across the tops of her breasts, dripping down into the valley, coating her skin. Darcy kept sliding, milking every pulse until he shuddered and went still. She lifted her chest, let his softening cock slip free, then scooped a thick stripe of cum off one breast with two fingers and sucked them clean while holding eye contact. She leaned down and took the head into her mouth, her tongue swirling to collect the last drops before she swallowed with an audible gulp.

Mark exhaled hard through his nose. Before he could catch his breath she climbed off his lap, turned around, and knelt on the couch cushions with her knees spread wide. Her ass lifted toward him, back arched, pussy glistening between her thighs. "I'm all yours..." she said over her shoulder.

Mark didn't need to head anymore, he dropped to his knees behind her. Hands gripped her hips, thumbs spreading her open. He leaned in and dragged his tongue from clit to entrance in one long stroke. Darcy moaned and pushed back against his face. He circled her clit with the tip of his tongue, then sucked it between his lips and flicked rapidly. She shuddered and rocked against him. He pressed his tongue inside her, pushing as deep as he could, fucking her with it while his nose bumped her taint. Her inner walls fluttered around the intrusion.

"Right there," she gasped. "Your tongue feels so good inside me. Deeper. Push it deeper."

Mark obliged, curling his tongue and thrusting constantly while one hand slid up to pinch her nipple. Darcy moaned louder, hips grinding back to meet every stroke. Her thighs started to shake. He pulled back just long enough to suck hard on her clit again, then plunged his tongue back inside. This was enough to make her cum with a loud cry, her walls clamping down on his tongue as slick heat flooded his mouth. He kept licking through it until she whimpered and tried to pull away.

Mark straightened up, his cock already hard again. He lined himself up and pushed inside her in one strong thrust. Her pussy stretched around him and was ever bit hot and wet as it looked. Every inch disappeared until his hips met her ass. Darcy groaned loudly with her head dropping forward. He held still for a second, letting her adjust to the fullness, then pulled back almost all the way and sank in again. The drag of her walls along his shaft made his jaw clench.

She felt impossibly full, every ridge and vein of him pressed against her inner walls. He started a constant rhythm of deep strokes, his hips snapping forward each time he bottomed out. Darcy braced on her forearms, lifteing her ass higher as she took him deeper with every thrust. Her breasts swung beneath her, nipples brushing the couch fabric.

Mark fucked her hard and only went harder as the minutes went by, the pace building until the couch creaked under them. His balls tightened and he drove in hard one last time before he came, his semen pulsing deep inside her. Darcy clenched around him and followed, inner walls rippling as she orgasmed again and collapsed forward on the sofa breathing heavily.  

"I hope you're not finished yet..." Mark said as he spun her around onto her back and pushed her legs up until her feet rested above her head, her ankles crossed behind her ears. Her flexibility let her fold easily, letting her knees pressing down toward her shoulders and making her pussy lifted and exposed completely. He gripped his cock and thrust back inside her in one hard motion. The angle drove him deeper than before, bottoming out against her cervix with every snap of his hips. Darcy screamed a raw and high-pitched sound, her body arching up off the couch as much as the position allowed.

"Oh g-god, M-Mark, it's s-so deep, I c-can't—" she stuttered as he slammed into her again. "T-too much, y-your cock is s-splitting me, I-I—ahh!"

He pounded relentlessly, the tight channel gripping him like a vise, her walls fluttering wildly around his shaft with each brutal thrust. Drool leaked from the corner of her mouth while her eyes rolled back and her face went slack. Mark leaned down and mauled one breast with his hand, digging his gingers into the soft flesh while he sucked the nipple into his mouth. He switched to the other, biting down just enough to make her howl.

"P-please, d-don't stop, h-harder, I-I'm—" she howled, voice cracking into a stuttered mess. "F-feels so g-good, y-your mouth on my t-tits, s-slamming so d-deep, I c-can't think—"

She turned into a drooling wreck, saliva trailing down her chin, her eyes unfocused while he sucked harder on her nipple. The constant slamming turned her screams into broken gasps, while her body was shaking uncontrollably.

Mark felt the pressure build in his balls again and so he thrust even harder, burying himself to the hilt with each stroke. After a few moments he came with a grunt, shooting thick pulses deep inside her flooding her walls with his cum. Darcy screamed as she climaxed, her pussy clamping down on him like a fist, then squirting hot gushes of fluid that soaked his groin and the couch beneath them. Her body went limp, her legs slipping from behind her head, and her chest heaving as she lay there spent and twitching.

Mark pulled out slowly, cum and her fluids mixing in a sticky mess between her thighs. He then sat down on the sofa next to her taking a breath as he assumed Darcy was done for the night. 

However Darcy turned around still glassy eyed with pleasure. She crawled forward, grabbed his slick cock, and stroked it back to full hardness. "Not yet," she said. "I'm not done with you yet."

She climbed onto his lap again, positioned herself, and sank down onto him in one smooth drop. Her pussy swallowed him to the root and she started riding him immediately, hips rolling in tight circles before lifting and slamming back down. Mark gripped her ass with both hands, helping her bounce. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, her tongue sliding against his while she fucked herself on his cock.

They kept going like that for hours. 

She rode him until her thighs burned, then flipped around reverse-cowgirl so he could watch her ass bounce while she took him deep. Later he laid her on her back on the couch, hooked her legs over his shoulders, and pounded down into her until the cushions slid off the edge. She came again and again, nails raking his back. He flipped her onto her stomach, pulled her hips up, and took her from behind again, one hand wrapped in her hair while the other squeezed her breast. Cum leaked down her thighs from earlier loads, making every thrust slicker and louder.

By the time the city outside started to lighten they were both drenched in sweat. Darcy lay sprawled across his chest on the floor now, legs tangled with his, his cock still buried inside her. She clenched around him lazily, milking one last weak pulse from him before they both finally went still.