Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen. Return Of The Nat

Natasha got back to the warehouse and found everyone sitting in a half-circle, with strange looks on their faces. It had been a rough time away. While the work was satisfying and the death count for scumbags was higher than they had expected, it was still good to be home.

"So what stupid thing's he done this time?" and it was MJ that shrugged,

"Dunno, they won't tell me, not until you got here."

As she dropped her duffle bag on the floor she sighed, "pop me one of those and then get to it. If it's bad news I'm not unpacking," but Felicia shook her head,

"Pete got engaged," and as Nat took a swig, she choked and coughed,

"He what?" she sputtered as she wiped the beer from her face.

"Princess Shuri of Wakanda had been taking up his time, and she asked for an official engagement."

Felicia slid over a tablet form of the scrolls they had all been given and MJ's face fell and rose as she read, but Nats remained fixed in a frown.

MJ was glowing, "Dibs," she yelled and everyone looked at her,

"Uh, what? Aren't you mad, I mean," but MJ waved a hand at her.

"Ssssh. Mad? Oh yeah cause actually getting to marry Peter is sooo terrible." and she waved her hand at her dismissively. "You're all just mad cause he," and she stopped and stared at the group. "Actually, why are you mad? I mean, what did you think was going to happen?"

"Uh, not marriage, we're twenty-three." and MJ shrugged,

"So, you never thought about it, never once wrote Felicia Parker in that secret little notebook of yours, or hid a wedding magazine in your desk at work." and Felicia went bright red,

Through gritted teeth, "how the fuck do you know about that?" and MJ just laughed and pointed at her, smiling,

"Cause we all have, dummy. I'm not ashamed to admit it though, and dibs, dibby dibby dib dibs," and Felicia shook her head,

"Why are you calling dibs, it's years away and it's not like you'll be first." and MJ stopped and stared at her,

"Really? So you didn't read the whole thing. The clause that says that while Shuri is first, the rest of us can get our own ceremony. Not a group, not at the same time, Our. Own. Ceremony. Consorts of the Wakandan Royal Court with full regalia and everything. So dibs and no takebacks. I'm second and you're all last." MJ started to laugh again, twirling around the warehouse floor.

One thing MJ knew, and that was how to read something and take in the bigger picture. She knew from experience that while the director might say it was a family movie, it didn't stop them from adding in a gratuitous bikini shot or lingering shower scene. Something innocent enough to pass filming but indecent enough to end up on the cutting room floor, or more likely, a private collector's hands. Reading a script in a few minutes was a must in the film industry.

"I think she's finally lost it," Gwen said but Felicia shrugged.

"She is right though," she said reluctantly, "and I guess, dibs, HA, third."

"Hey" and the group devolved into a heated but silly argument. While each ceremony would be the same, with the same level of detail paid to each, it was a given that after the first two or three the shine would wear off and the world would stop watching as closely. MJ had begun to love the spotlight and had no issue sharing it with a co-star, but she still wanted that bright light to shine on her and her alone, and this was one time she was going to actually fight. She had prepared to never get married and suspected they all had and now it was on the table, she would make sure that nothing ruined her big day.

The official engagement would last at least five years, as Peter had to make a name for himself in more ways than one but the girls all agreed that this was probably their only chance to actually legally get married, and they had all chosen Peter, not just for the symbiotes but as he genuinely cared for each of them and they cared just as much for him.

It was Nat that eventually cleared her throat, "But uh, okay, so we do. But what about the lives we've built? I mean, I doubt Wakanda is going to let us keep our team, or you keep the Black Cats."

Felicia laughed, "really? Cause I already had Shuri approach me about that, and as long as we stay off the radar, she's fine, and as for the team." Felicia slid over a tablet and Nat raised an eyebrow as she looked at it.

'Wakandan Midnight Angels' was titled and as Nat read, she raised an eyebrow.

"Shuri wants me to head a new organisation within the Wakanda military? Full leadership and responsibilities." and Gwen nodded and handed her another bottle,

"She's got us all. She went right after Peter and then stuck a knife in each of us. I mean, labs for Parker Inc, as long as we're married, Midnight Angels for you, Alpha Flight space program for Carol, Augmented Rights Movement for Wanda to handle, the only one she didn't prepare anything for was Laura, and well."

Laura perked up, "Fixing my dad." and Nat frowned,

"Seems Shaw had him poisoned. The metal on his bones is toxic and it's only his healing factor that's keeping him alive. Shuri is going to fix it and heal him."

"Me too," Laura added, and her tablet had a medical procedure to coat her bones in an alloy of vibranium. Harder than the adamantium, but completely non-toxic.

Nat leaned back "and let me guess, it's only something she or Wakanda can do?" and Gwen nodded.

"Either she's the best mastermind on the planet, and prepared the perfect traps for all of us," and as Nat took a swig of her beer, "or she actually cares and is being nice so we don't refuse and throw her to the wolves, or well, gorillas."

"You know, I get why Pete thinks the whole gruff tough girl thing is sexy," and she winked at Felicia as she went bright red.

Gwen leaned over and kissed Felicia on the side of the cheek, "the whole tough gruff girl thing is very sexy"

Felicia huffed but kissed her back, "thing is, I don't care if it's a trap, no one makes a trap this big and then jumps out and shouts surprise. It's obvious it's a trap, and so what? What's her goal, a symbiote? Only Pete can give her one, or well, Octave I guess, but that's it. Shuri's dorky like Pete but cloning is not something she'd agree to, and MJ, I was mad as he didn't ask, but yeah, so I've got a diary and a journal and clippings, so what?" and MJ danced over and kissed the other side of her face

"I think it's cute," as she leaned over, kissed Felicia and then danced away, brimming with happiness.

Nat huffed, "nobody said I was cute," and Felicia stuck her tongue out at her,

"Actually, that was another reason we asked Peter to give us an evening before he spoke to you." Liv piped up, "as Gwen and I have a theory about the symbiote and it really only applies to us."

"To tell me I'm cute?" Nat asked, with a smirk but Liv nodded,

"In a way, yes. Tell me, Miss Romanov, normally you wouldn't be interested, but after Peters birthday, and the fact that you not only had sex with MJ but them myself and Gwen after, have you felt more inclined towards women?"

Nat tilted her head and frowned "I, don't know. I haven't really thought about it," but Liv nodded,

"But when we called Felicia cute, you felt a bit, left out, maybe a small hint of jealousy?" and Natasha frowned but nodded,

"We think the symbiotes are making us, well not some of us, but well, gay."

Natasha laughed "seriously?"

widow?

what? We are tired

Are you making me gay?

Gay? We do not understand, gay.

"Widow says no" and Liv shrugged,

"As do they all, but now ask her if she would like to mate with me, or Felicia."

Yes yes, do that, we like that

And Nat sighed, "They don't understand,"

Liv nodded, "Non-gendered lifeforms being attached to a gendered host will gravitate towards a suitable partner for hosting. Their non-sexual method of reproducing. Everything else is just a nice chemical cocktail to them. They don't see male and female, they just see suitable and not suitable."

"So why bring it up now?" and she took a swig,

"Well, because before it was just a nice house of very beautiful women, screwing the brains out of whoever took their fancy, but now its marriage, and while no one else has said it, that will probably lead to children, and I for one will not walk into something that serious blindly, or with anyone who doesn't understand that."

"So, we all accept that we're going to sleep together, even if right now we're straight?"

"We can always find another host if it's uncomfortable dear, I'm sure Wanda will happily take Widow or even Shuri, I think she's at least curious."

Nat frowned and tensed up and Liv raised her hands in surrender, "I was only making a suggestion, but from that reaction, I don't think you really mind?"

Nat shook her head, "No, I just realised I have to tell my dad, and it's uh, complicated." and Liv laughed,

"Oh, we are aware. We already had the lecture, and not just Peter. It has been pointed out that even the older ones here are acting like hormonal teens, and we were all suitably chastised." and it was Nat's turn to laugh,

"Yeah, still more of an east versus west thing really. Plus I kinda volunteered Parker Inc to help fix some of the Red Rooms more spectacular failures."

"That aside, as we'll involve Peter with that one, are you sure dear? Nobody wants to be pressured into something they'll regret."

"I wouldn't give this life up for the world, even if Peter wasn't here. I kinda like being a host, and I kinda like being part of a family again. Good enough?"

"So, the fact that we're all probably bi, or leaning that way is out of the way. No one needs to feel stupid about asking, or refusing, and I guess we know how MJ feels considering she's still dancing around the floor," and as she stopped as they all looked over at her,

"I'm good. My career might take a hit but really, I don't care. I got my movie, I'm sure Parker Inc needs a spokeswoman right?" MJ asked and Liv nodded, and then continued.

"Next thing, couples. I mean, the marriage is technically to Shuri, not Peter. Which is why we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Lastly, we need to elect a champion. Wakanda is pretty open, no one cares that Shuri will have male and female relationships but uh, they do care that we're capable of defending her, so Peter's gonna be our male representative and well, you, we want you to fight for us."

"Trial by Combat? Seems a bit old fashioned," and Gwen nodded,

"Wakanda is a strange mix of ultramodern and ultratraditional values. Multiple wives, trials by combat, but transgender rights, LGBT+ laws, and a whole bunch of medicine to make sure mental illness and disabilities are treated and taken care of," Gwen explained. "Say another man wanted to marry Shuri and she agreed, well Peter can disagree and fight them for her hand, so you're kinda the same but, Peter gets a trial by combat, you can choose a different method."

Nat shrugged, "but I can still choose combat, right?" and Gwen nodded,

"As the challenged, you always get to pick." as and Nat opened another bottle and took a swig,

"Then that's fine. So, we no longer tell him off, you just send me to beat them up, right?" and as she smiled and drank Gwen the rest laughed,

"I think that Pete's love life is at an end then," and the girls laughed more, knowing full well that they would rather not have to fight Nat for his hand.

"And that's our little chat over, although I will suggest that we make sure Peter holds up his end of the bargain."

As Peter failed to realise the trouble he was in, the girls planned his latest punishment.