In a café in the morning, Leonardo and Gwen are hanging out.
"Leo, I'm really sorry."
Leo was surprised by Gwen's sudden apology, but she quickly explained.
"I've tried explaining to my parents so many times that we're not dating, but they don't believe me.
They're really insisting that I bring you over for Christmas dinner."
After she explained the situation, Leonardo felt a headache coming on just thinking about it. As he considered whether to go just to clear things up, he remembered his own situation.
"I'm sorry, Gwen, but that's impossible. I always spend Christmas with my parents."
His parents had come from Italy to pursue their dreams of becoming artists. The U.S. had more opportunities, and they decided to leave everything behind to chase those dreams including, of course, their families.
According to what they'd told him, they were childhood sweethearts, their families were close, and every Christmas they'd all gather for a huge dinner at one long table, that's how they met. That tradition was deeply rooted in them, and even now, far from Italy, they still held a Christmas dinner just for the three of them. Leonardo didn't want to be the one to break that.
Even though Leonardo had some memories from his past life — maybe even part of his personality — that didn't erase the life he had here. His parents had always loved and supported him. They were the first to call when rumors about his powers started spreading. But they didn't ask about that, they asked if he was okay. Apparently, they'd been watching superhero movies, and most heroes got their powers through accidents, so they were worried something bad had happened to him.
As Leonardo remembered that moment, a sincere smile appeared on his face.
Gwen, sitting across from him, couldn't help but smile too.
"You really love your parents"
She said.
Leonardo answered right away, smiling.
"Of course I do. I owe them everything I am."
Gwen then seemed to think of something and, uncharacteristically shy, asked:
"Then... what if we did a dinner for bot..."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to speak with Laplace."
Gwen didn't get to finish her sentence, interrupted by a woman. She looked confused, unsure who the woman was, but Leonardo smiled the moment he saw her.
"Natasha Romanoff. I didn't expect to see you in person so soon. If you managed to find me, then I'm guessing you're not here to investigate. How did you find me, by the way?"
The woman sat down beside them and answered with a smirk.
"I asked your fan club. They replied: 'Laplace and Ghost-Spider are currently at a café located at xxxxxx, having an intimate moment. Approaching or initiating contact is strictly forbidden.' Seems like they take your privacy seriously."
Leonardo coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject when he saw Gwen didn't quite follow what was happening.
"Sorry, I forgot the introductions:
Gwen, this is Natasha Romanoff, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, probably the best, alongside Clint Barton. They're only below Fury in rank. She had a rough past but turned her life around, and now she's a good person trying to atone for her sins — though, honestly, she already has. If she and her best friend were locked in a room where only one could make it out alive, they'd probably fight over who gets to sacrifice themselves while trying to stop the other from doing the same. That's how good a person she is. So, you can trust her."
Black Widow frowned at the way he explained her. She expected him to know a lot about her, but it still surprised her to hear him talk as if he knew her entire past.
Gwen, on the other hand, was curious upon learning her identity.
"S.H.I.E.L.D... that's that super-secret organization that protects us from weird stuff, right? So you're like a reformed villain? Were they chasing you and then gave you a second chance? And the one who gave you that chance — is he the friend you'd die for? That's such a cool story."
Leonardo quickly silenced her.
"Gwen, I didn't say all that."
Natasha, however, was surprised by how she pieced it all together before speaking to her.
"Everything you said is true. You've got good instincts. They'd be useful at S.H.I.E.L.D."
Hearing that, Gwen got a bit flustered.
"Oh, sorry, I... I've heard a lot about S.H.I.E.L.D., and I don't think I'd want to join. I respect what you do, and I know it's necessary, but I prefer doing my own thing."
She paused, then lit up as if remembering something and added:
"But if the Avengers want me, count me in! I'll keep working like usual, but if I get into something big, I can call for help and join the team when something like an alien invasion happens!"
"I don't even have to ask how you know about the Avengers"
Natasha said, glancing at Leonardo before continuing.
"You're already being considered for the team, it's practically confirmed, if you accept.
Although... you sound pretty sure about an alien invasion."
Leonardo, seeing where the conversation was headed, quickly stepped in.
"Let's not talk about that, Natasha. You came here for a reason, right? What do you need?"
Black Widow sensed he wasn't going to elaborate further, so she dropped the subject — though she definitely planned to report it later.
"We need help. Hydra is a massive organization, with spies everywhere. We need to wipe them out completely, and to do that, we need information."
"So you want me to tell you who the infiltrators are. I can't do that. There's no way I know all of them, I don't even know all the leaders."
Natasha's expression darkened at his response.
"So you can't help us?"
"It's not that I can't. Absolutely every Hydra member is brainwashed. While that usually helps them, it also means they share a mental link, even if it's minimal. Even between separate cells that don't communicate with each other. Even with the leader, who hasn't appeared in public since taking over from Red Skull."
"And what good does that do us?"
Natasha asked, confused.
"Come on, you're forgetting? There are people with powers in this world. If you find someone with mental abilities, they could follow that link."
Natasha shook her head quickly.
"That's impossible. We're the world's largest intelligence agency, and even we don't have anyone with powers like that. Even if we did, their mind would need to be incredibly strong to perceive such faint and distant links, especially across the entire world."
"Of course I know. It's impossible for a person to do that. Even if someone were strong enough to mentally cover the entire Earth, there are stranger things on this planet: magic, bizarre creatures, even hidden aliens. The mental strength needed to cover the whole planet and adapt to any non-human mind they accidentally or intentionally tap into... that's many times more than what it takes to just cover the Earth."
Leonardo responded, though he already knew how to make it work. He had a plan. One he'd been waiting to set in motion until S.H.I.E.L.D. came to him, because they were necessary for it.
"And you know where to find someone that strong? If someone like that exists, they could probably kill us all"
Natasha said, uneasy. The chance that such a person existed was slim — but even that slim chance was a serious threat.
Leonardo looked at her and smiled.
"Well, I know where someone like that is... and how to get them to help you.
But... you know, I don't exactly trust you yet."
"What do you want?"
Natasha immediately understood he was asking for something in return.
"It's simple. I know you care about others and would give your life for them... In the future. But I don't really know what your personality's like these days. So I'll give you a little test, to see if you deserve my trust."
Seeing her confused expression, Leonardo was secretly amused, and then smiled.
"Tell me, Natasha... have you ever babysat?"
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