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Arthur remained silent, leaning back in his chair, one hand resting on his forehead, his eyes closed.
"Are you scared?"
The Quinjet had already taken off. After setting the autopilot, Natasha stepped out of the cockpit.
"I've never been particularly brave."
Arthur opened his eyes and glanced at her.
"Don't worry," Natasha reassured him. "She won't be in danger. Many people may not understand her importance to you, but Fury does. So, there are countless protectors, both visible and hidden, around her."
A cold smile appeared on Arthur's lips. "Fury's kindness?"
"Just being cautious," Natasha laughed, but her expression turned serious again. "But by the same token, he also understands what it would mean to you if something were to happen to her. The danger you could unleash is something no alien species could match."
Arthur didn't respond, quietly gazing out the window.
Natasha smiled and sat down. "But for me, there's still some regret."
"…Regret about what?" Arthur asked, puzzled.
"My feelings; I thought they were already clear," Natasha said, her eyes calm and unwavering.
Arthur awkwardly turned his head away. "I'm sorry…"
"There's no need to apologize," Natasha replied. "And I won't accept any apologies. Some things, once they happen, are just that. If I can't ignore them, then I'll just have to go all the way. After all, for me, you are the best I can't have."
Her words couldn't have been more straightforward.
Arthur sighed. "You deserve better."
"I said, you are the best I can't have," Natasha smiled. "Actually, there were some things I couldn't understand before. But now I do."
"What?" Arthur was a bit confused.
"For example…" Natasha looked at him and smiled. "For example, why you're so concerned about certain aspects of intimacy. Oh, right, I heard you have some cultural reservations about this. So, I'll tell you in advance, I've never had any experience in that area. Pretty transparent, huh?"
"…That's not the point, is it?"
Arthur covered his face. "This topic is a bit weird. Can we change the subject?"
"But I still want to make my thoughts and stance clear," Natasha insisted. "Even you wouldn't want to keep working with a woman who's ambiguous and unclear, right?"
"…Then go ahead."
Arthur blinked, feeling like he had no choice but to listen.
"Before you and that girl at home got together, it was a big opportunity for me," Natasha said. "But now that you're together, I won't deliberately sabotage it. However, my feelings for you have already developed. I can't pretend they never happened… and I don't want to waste time, like people in stories, finding someone else and starting another relationship to cover it all up. That's a waste of time…"
"..."
Arthur felt that the phrase "waste of time" sounded a bit odd in this context. Moreover, after all that, what was she trying to say?
Although he hadn't heard the core of it yet, he had a feeling it was very dangerous.
"So, I still like you!"
Natasha looked at Arthur. "Therefore, I'll wait for you. And as long as my feelings for you don't change, I'll keep waiting for you to turn back to me. I don't mind continuing to show my charm in front of you. Maybe you'll suddenly change your mind? And when your feelings for her fade, I'll still be here. If I'm not here by then, it can only mean one thing… that I've stopped loving you."
"…Very realistic!"
Arthur nodded. "But isn't that too much of a waste?"
"I'm a spy," Natasha said, looking at her palm and gently squeezing her fingers. "And a member of the Avengers, part of your team. I live a thrilling life, carrying out missions where life and death are just moments apart. If one day I suddenly die, it wouldn't be strange. So, I'm willing to spend my limited time doing something I want to do."
Arthur didn't know what to say for a moment.
He could only say, "Don't think too tragically. At least in terms of safety, I can guarantee you'll die after me. That's my promise to every team member."
"You saying that just makes people like you even more," Natasha suddenly said. "How about we try something I've never done before? If I were to get killed on a mission tomorrow without ever having experienced it, wouldn't that be a shame? But I don't want to just find anyone; I only want to accept you..."
"…Girl, have some self-respect!"
Arthur quickly waved his hand. "I'm a man with a girlfriend."
"Alright," Natasha said, a bit regretfully, scrutinizing Arthur closely. "Forget it, I'll keep flying the plane."
Arthur was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he murmured, "Isn't this just like before?"
He was a man who could control his desires, and he was also a man capable of making choices. Since he had already made a choice, he wouldn't drag things out or play ambiguous games with others.
So, he directly told Natasha the fact that he already had a girlfriend.
But now it seemed that it didn't matter much.
This lady was still so headstrong...
In the end, Arthur could only shake his head. He had made his feelings clear, and what Natasha chose to do was her business. At least he could control himself.
He closed his eyes, and the rest of the journey was silent.
By the time they arrived in London, the sky was already brightening.
The Quinjet landed at the airport. It didn't take long before Arthur said goodbye to Natasha and called a taxi, preparing to head to his destination.
Arthur never expected that this process would waste him a lot of time.
In a new city, with unfamiliar roads, and with an Eastern face, he ended up being led astray by the driver...
By the time Arthur finally arrived, it was already around ten-thirty in the morning.
Frustrated, Arthur gave the driver a piece of his mind, and when the driver threatened to call the police, he simply activated the Disassemble feature on his suit.
"Do you really think I'm a hero? That's clearly not the case. Offending me... damn!"
Arthur's lips twitched. "Do you believe I'll use the Tesseract to launch you into space?"
I must apologize to everyone; I originally planned to update normally today.
However, the time spent going out greatly exceeded my expectations, and my level of exhaustion was proportional to the time spent... Therefore, today there's only one chapter...
Also, I want to let everyone know that recently I've been busy with the renovation of a new house. The wedding date is set for next May, and the house renovation is also on the agenda.
(End of this chapter)