#another thing yelena and clint have in common:

[pagesfromthevoid]

Ya'aburnee | r. r.

Robert "Bob" Reynolds x Avenger!witch!reader

And I never got to tell you how I love the way my eyes make yours look green too

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Witchcraft

Author's Note: I combined @domoron's request with an idea I had so I hope you don't mind my dude. Also, there will probably be a part two (but this is NOT a series lol)

Talk to Me! | AO3

“This place has really gone to shit, huh?”

Bucky just sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, as she stands in the foyer of the common space. Yelena has her feet kicked up on the table, eyes drifting up from her tablet. Walker was passing through, but has stopped mid-step as Ava cocks her head to the side like she’s trying to understand. The only people who don’t seem to be mildly annoyed by her presence are Alexei, who is just barely containing his excitement, and Bob, who is looking between her and Bucky like he’s seeing two celebrities at once.

She shifts her weight onto one leg, crossing her arms over her chest as she takes in the motley crew before her. The New Avengers. The group that’s supposed to replace her and her friends and defend earth from whatever is thrown at them –and they all look like they haven’t slept properly in their entire life. 

There’s a file on every single one of them –and she’s read each one several times over. She’s known Bucky for several years now –went to war for him, even. The others she’s heard of in passing –Yelena and Alexei from Natasha; Walker from Sam. The other two –Ava, Bob –she doesn’t know outside of news reports and files. And even then, Bob’s file is the newest.

Hard to believe the guy sitting in the corner is some all powerful being who put New York into a blackout. But who is she to judge?

“Are you here to be helpful, or are you here to be an asshole?” Bucky asks, standing up finally. Four strides and he’s standing in front of her.

“I can do both,” she points out, uncrossing her arms and putting her hands on her hips. “But I’m sure that’s not what you want, is it?”

“I called you for a reason, Hex,” he reminds her, shaking his head. His voice is lower now, like he’s trying to keep the rest of his team from hearing. “You…you know what a team is able to do. We are not the Avengers. We’re not a team; we’re a time bomb.”

“You know,” she interrupts, but she’s softened some around the edges. “Dr. Banner said the exact same thing.”

*****

It’s hard to admit, but the New Avengers —this ragtag team of assholes —are a better team than the Avengers ever were. Not in the sense of power —no, but in the sense of camaraderie. They actually seem to care about one another; not just passing friends or colleagues. 

Yeah, the Avengers cared about each other. But not like this. Not like an actual family. 

It is a hard thing to realize; to accept that, while maybe her team was efficient and good at their jobs, they were only friends because they had to be. Sure, there were closer friendships separately —Nat and Clint, who had history already. She and Steve became close after Bucky almost killed them both years ago. But the Avengers were surface level friends.

Which is totally okay, at the end of the day. 

They did their jobs. They saved the universe. Then…they moved on. 

But the New Avengers…they care about each other. In a weird, almost sibling-like way. There’s a lot of arguing; a lot of yelling. But they frequently eat dinner together, at a table. Even when they're battered and bloody, they will sit down and eat whatever they manage to find. But together. 

The first time she’s invited to join “family time,” as Alexei calls it, she’s confused. He ushers her to the table and sits her down beside Bob, insisting that she has to join. No one else has joined yet, and Bob says they’re all usually late. 

“What’s going on? Mission briefing?” She asks, leaning over closer to Bob to whisper. 

He looks down at her, confused himself. “Oh, uh —we’re having dinner. It’s Walker’s turn to cook this week.”

“You…eat dinner together?” She pushes, and Bob seems like he’s enjoying that she’s confused. Maybe because he finally has something he can explain to her instead of the other way around. 

“Alexei makes us all eat together,” he explains, biting at his nails. “I…I like it. It feels nice, like for an hour we get to pretend we’re normal.”

“You do this every night?” 

He nods some, though he looks like he’s considering the answer. “Most nights, at least. Depends on what they’re doing, or if they’re here. Sometimes I don’t join, for uh…you know, reasons.”

She knows what he means. Even if she hadn’t read his file, she would be able to tell that Bob struggles with a lot. 

“I understand,” she offers, putting a hand on his arm. He flinches, and she pulls back almost immediately. But when he opens his eyes, he seems confused. “Are you okay?”

“Are…are you? You didn’t —did you see anything?”

“I saw you flinch, Bob —that’s all I saw.”

There’s almost immediate relief in his eyes, and the tension in his shoulders drops as he leans back in his chair. She’s about to ask him another question when the rest of the team find their way to the table and sit. 

Then it’s like she’s always been a part of the team. 

Maybe that’s the day they all just decided that she’s a New Avenger and an Avenger. Because after that dinner, she doesn’t leave. Her things have found their way to a room across from Bob’s and next to Yelena. She trains and spars and argues with everyone. 

The only thing she doesn’t do is go on missions. Mostly because Valentina insists she is not part of the team —but she’s also pretty sure Valentina thinks it’s bad for optics somehow. Of course, she doesn’t mind not going on missions. She stays back in the command center, manning the comms and computers. Bob often joins her, and she helps him learn how to operate the tools here. 

“This is…good. I get this,” he says one day, looking over a map with moving dots —the team —on it. “I’m able to help finally without…you know, getting in the way.”

“I doubt you’re in the way,” she reassures, sliding her chair over towards him, reaching across him to hit a button on the screen to send coordinates. “But I’m glad you enjoy learning.”

He hums a bit as she reaches across him. She notes how warm he is, even at a distance. 

“The target is about five miles ahead,” she reminds the team, pulling back but still next to him. Her eyes are on his screen. “There’s eight armored vehicles but there’s no one manning them.”

Bob is biting at his nails again, something she’s noticed he does a lot when he’s restless, and she instinctively reaches over to stop him. Gently, without even thinking about what she’s doing, she pulls his hand away and just holds it while she punches in the next set of coordinates. The only reason she realizes what she’s done is because Bob, instead of pulling away, squeezes her hand. That’s when she looks between their hands and him, and he gives her a timid smile. She returns the smile and the gesture, squeezing his hand back before Bucky is asking for her to map out an exit route. 

There’s a sigh of relief when they get out –back on the jet, back in the air. She shuts the comms off and leans back, staring at the screen for a moment. Then she turns to Bob.

“Wanna grab something to eat?”

He hesitates, like he thinks she’s talking to someone else, but then he nods. “Uh yeah –we can make something –,”

“I meant, like –do you want to go out and get something,” she corrects, standing up and stretching. “They won’t be back until close to two in the morning so we have some time to kill.”

Bob visibly blanches and she frowns some as he slowly stands. “I don’t…I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I haven’t really, you know, left the Tower since everything happened with…with him.”

“I trust you,” she promises, holding her hand out to him.

“I don’t,” he admits, but he takes her hand cautiously. “Can we…can we just pick up something and bring it back?”

It’s a step, she thinks. 

When they return to the Tower with two bags of Thai food (Bob insisted on getting everyone something, even if they had to reheat it), they sit on the floor in front of the window and eat in comfortable silence. She tries to think about the last time she’s just sat with someone like this, and it hurts to realize it’s been too long. Before the Avengers destroyed Sokkovia –god, more than ten years. When her grandmother was still alive and blessing the apartment with incense and cinnamon. Then she thinks about the last time she practiced properly, and that hurts just as much.

“I uh,” Bob suddenly says, looking out the window. Avoiding her gaze, like he might be in trouble when he finishes his sentence. “I read your file the other day.”

“I’ve read yours too,” she offers, like it’s a right of passage to read about your friends to get to know them better. “I didn’t know Valentina had my file.”

“She doesn’t,” he reassures, mixing his rice up carefully. “Bucky uh, gave it to me.”

“And what did you learn about me, Bob?”

“Are you…,” he hesitates, trying to figure out how to phrase it. It’s always a little funny, watching as people try to come to terms with what she is. Especially relatively normal people. “Are you really…like, a witch?”

“Does that scare you?” She asks, setting her food down. 

“I…I don’t know,” he admits, looking down at his hands for a moment. “I guess not? Should I be?”

Shaking her head, she lifts her hand and with a careful swish of her wrist, tendrils of light wrap around her hand. It’s a soft green, slithering over her fingers and up her arm. The Tower is dark enough that the magic illuminates their small space, and Bob’s eyes are wide as he follows each branch of the magic forms into another.

“Is this…do you do like –I don’t know, crystals and all that stuff?” He asks, though he’s reaching up like he’s going to touch the tendrils. 

She doesn’t stop him, tilting her head to the side as his fingers graze them. They wrap around him briefly –warm, soft, like a whisper against his skin –before retreating back to her. 

“I do,” she offers as the magic drifts away into the air, mist surrounding them before evaporating into the empty space. “I even have a broom.”

“Really?” He asks, eyes wide as he looks at her, back straight. 

“Not the way you think, but yes,” she laughs, leaning back. “Practicing witches use brooms for purification purposes –sweep away the negative energies. I’m sure I could fly on it, but that’s more because of me enchanting it and not the broom itself.”

“So you’re…you’re like actually a witch –not just, magic powers but like…the crystal stores and the candles and all that?”

“All the women in my family are witches,” she explains, holding out her hand again. The tendrils return, but this time they wrap around his hand and pull him gently towards her. “My grandmother raised me, and taught me. My mom passed before she could teach me anything. But yes, I practice the actual act of witchcraft while also actually having magic. No experiments or needles needed.”

His eyes light up with the emerald magic, watching as it tugs him into her orbit. Bob doesn’t fight it, too mesmerized by the feel of it against his skin. 

“That’s why I didn’t see anything when I touched you,” she explains, taking his hand in hers. The tendrils swirl around their hands, slinking up his sleeve and over his shoulders. He follows it carefully, like it’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen. Maybe it is. “I shield myself from the shadows –and that’s all your powers are. That’s all…he is. A shadow, trying to pry and consume.”

There’s a pause in the conversation as the tendrils slowly wrap around them entirely. Holding them together, like the magic itself is trying to bring them closer together. She’s got a good control over it, she always has, but sometimes it’s got a mind of its own. It’s hard to explain to people that her magic is a living thing, that it’s not just a part of her but it’s own entity. She just hosts it, and thanks it. But she thinks Bob would understand this better than anyone else, because he…he has his own entities. Perhaps he doesn’t like them, but he has them.

“Is…the shielding. Can you…can you teach someone that?” His voice is soft, a little shaky suddenly. But there’s a hopeful undertone as he meets her eyes. 

“I can,” she promises. And it is a promise. “Shielding is less magic and more intentions –and I can absolutely teach you if that’s what you want.”

“I…I would really like that.”

_______

Part two

_______

Bob Taglist: @ilovemarvel12 @k1ttyjuice @magikdarkholme @yesshewrites1 @evanbabybear @jaes-last-words @keira-kaz2y5

[alexendria-rose]

You’re something real… and that scares the hell out of me -

Robert Reynolds x Widow!Reader

Warnings- none - just sad and sappy

Y/n sat by the window ceiling- her knees curled up to her chest. The light weight of her long sleeve engulfing her body- it was her favorite one. It used to be Natasha’s and it was Nats favorite which made it her favorite as well. She looked out of the aveng- well the watch towers window… she wasn’t used to being back here. She wasn’t used to having a team again- it was a weird feeling back in her old bedroom. The same one she had when she was on the avengers team but it was different this time around- even though it looked the same the smell was different, the lightening was different and the presence around her was as well.

She often thought about her old team- whenever she looked around the tower. Stark always running around finding random things to tinker with- she used to call him tinker stark, she remembered when Steve used to sit down with her and try to be educated on what was new in the world, Wanda and her would pull pranks on vision, Thor was always yelling, Clint and her would train together and Natasha… Natasha they knew each-other in the red room. They grew up together- protected Yelena together- they were all sisters and with Natasha gone… it felt like a part of Yelena and her were missing apart of themselves since Natasha sacrificed herself for the world.

It was strange to be back here without her old team- she was in a new one yes… but it felt different. It felt like they were all broken and trying to find a way back into the world. Just like… Bob. There was something about Bob that scared the shit out of y/n- she was protective of him yes but there was something else. He was the only one she was able to be calm with - but she wouldn’t dare show him that. Hell she wouldn’t show any of the team that- including Yelena. She often kept to herself - stayed quiet, didn’t participate at all even when John walker would say something stupid shit she would bite her tongue. She didn’t want to fall in love with this dynamic again… she didn’t want to lose yet another family so she kept them at a distance. Yelena would try and try but she always pushed away no matter what. She wasn’t going to lose Yelena like she lost Nat and she promised herself that to the very end.

Bob walked past her room noticing her door slightly cracked open- he didn’t want to be nosy or disturb the widow but he couldn’t help it as he moved his way to peek inside noticing her back towards the door as she sat at the bay window and looked out into the city lights. It was his favorite thing to do as well- he had his own spot in the common room where his bean bag was put right in front of the window with his pile of books. Watching her in her own peaceful world made Bob smile softly. She was always so scared to let her guard down; but seeing her when she was by herself that was the moment he couldn’t look away from. He often watched her from afar- analyzing her moves- watching the way her face would scrunch up while deep in thought. The small smiles she would let out while the others talked. She was so kept to herself and he didn’t blame her. The stuff that she through- from being closed off from the world, to opening up and losing everyone while you’re still finding yourself to finally closing back up again. He could tell she was scared to open up again- and he couldn’t blame her. He was too. Maybe that’s why he was so drawn to her. Maybe they were more alike then they thought.

“You know I can hear you breathing.” She whispered her eyes darting towards her fingers as she fidgeted with them. Bob immediately stuttered tripping over his feet as he opened up the door more.

“Oh uh I’m sorry I just-“ Bob started stressing - scared he bothered her. But all she did was look back at him a soft smile on her face.

“It’s okay - do you… do you wanna join me?” She asked her tone carrying a sense of caution. Bob of course noticed it- he noticed everything about her. Bob slowly moves his way into the room looking around noticing the photos of her and the old avengers together- some of her and Yelena when they were younger and tons of her and Natasha. He sat himself down next to her fiddling with his sweater sleeve as she continued to look at the window. It was a peaceful silence- something both her and Bob didn’t get alot in the tower. His eyes darted towards her watching the nightlight shine in her features - she was always sad, always thinking, and always in different world. He knew more than anyone what that was like.

“You don’t have to pretend you know…” Bob whispered softly the words kind of spilling out before he realized but he didn’t stop looking at her watching her hair flow gently down her shoulders. It was breathtaking. Her eyes flickered over to his before turning her head.

“What do you mean?” She asked in almost a hushed whispered-

“You hide… you hide from everyone around you. You pretend you’re okay when you’re not.” Bob muttered moving his hand to tuck away the loose hair behind her ear- it was subtle and soft and he almost didn’t realize he was doing it. Her breath slightly hitched at the soft action- Natasha used to do that to her whenever she was too in her head.

“I don’t hide-“

“You do- because I notice you. I notice when you pull back and I’m curious as why you do.” Bob said his eyes on hers watching the way she slowly chewed on her bottom lip- she was trying to pull back now but he finally had her alone away from the others and all he wanted was to get to know her more. He was immersed with her.

“It’s complicated- I don’t talk about things like this.” She muttered looking back at the window watching the New York lights flash through making her swallow hard. “I haven’t had a family in a long time.” She said after a few moments of silence. “The family I did have- I lost twice during the blip and then… again when Thanos came back but that time I lost Natasha. The red room haunts me, and for some reason I can never be happy.” Bobs heart broke at her words his eyes trained on her - he stayed silent just listening to her. “I’m scared to bring you all in… and to lose yet another family.” Bob watched her face - the pain etched around her features. He knew she was distant and hurting but nothing prepared him for how much. She kept her face away from him chewing on her bottom lip gently.

Bob reached his hand out gently placing his thumb on her chin turning her head to face him - the softest smile on her face as he looked at her.

“You know you’re allowed to be happy right? That none of it was your fault - you were a child when things happened to you and the old avengers your old family is what made you happy, you’re allowed to feel that way again.” He whispered gently - she felt the tears fill her eyes and she hated it. She didn’t cry and when she did it was alone in the middle of the night but Bob always had a way to her heart - it was like he knew her without fully knowing her. She felt the tear slip down her cheek - his face softening as he watched her genuinely cry for the first time around someone; he used his finger gently wiping away the stray tear.

“You’re too kind Bob.” She whispered softly sniffling a bit as she used the palm of her hand and placing it on her eye to stop her crying - he shook his head taking the hand away from her eye keeping her hand in his.

“How can I not be kind to someone like you?” He smiled sheepishly looking down for a moment before back at her. “And you say that like you aren’t kind enough or kind at all.” He muttered softly his eyes on her small hand that sometimes he couldn’t believe that she could knock a punch with her feminine hands - but she could cause she was unbelievably strong inside and out. She pursed her lips together looking away - her heart pounding as his thumbs caressed the back of her hand.

“I’m not- I’m stoic and everyone knows that.” She muttered matter of factly even though it killed her that was all people saw. Bob shook his head moving himself to move closer to her.

“That’s not true - I see the way you smile whenever the team talks like you’re trying to memorize and make sure you remember their laughs and comments, I know you’re the one that makes the coffee pot ready in the mornings for everyone else even though you deny it- I see the way you hold Yelena helping her throughout the day to stop drinking - making sure she’s never alone for the thoughts to consume her, the way you make sure to laugh at Alexais jokes when nobody else is so he doesn’t feel left out, making sure Ava has all of her snacks at all times, even with walker you let him think he’s strong enough when we both know you are, or the way you always see through me-“ He smiled softly as he thought her - he could talk about her all day. “The way you make sure I’m always happy, that I’m always cared for- you don’t understand how much… your presence affects me.” He said in a hushed whisper - his eyes moving up to meet hers; there he saw a certain look in her eyes the one where she was scared but not in the way many would think; the fact he knew her so well and the fact she was falling- even though she already was.

“You… notice that?” She whispered gently- “not even Yelena noticed that.” She muttered and Bob just smiled chuckling.

“Well I’m not Yelena - I’m someone is completely entranced with you and I can’t help but always want to pay attention to the little things you do.” He didn’t mean to blurt that last part out but now that he was this deep - he couldn’t pull back. His therapist did tell him to be honest. “I’m… a better person because of you-“ she felt her heart beating against her chest swallowing down the self depreciating feeling away - who said she couldn’t be happy? Who said she couldn’t move on from the past? It was her inner demons pulling her down and this time she didn’t want them to win.

“Why are you saying all of this Bob?” She whispered softly - Bob chewed on his bottom lip almost hesitantly letting go of her hand his hand lifting up as his fingertips traced her cheekbone; her pulling back slightly but eventually calming down her inner thoughts as she leaned into the touch.

“Because you need to know someone out there cares for you - in more ways than one. And I care for you so much.” He almost whispered - she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She leaned her head forward- his face doing the same before her lips softly and gently placed on his lips. It was soft and almost vulnerable the feelings being kept away for so long from the both of them as they moved there lips slowly together not wanting this moment to end - he placed both of his hands on her cheek smiling into the kiss. She pulled back slowly keeping her eyes fluttered close - her forehead on his.

“I care for you too.” She whispered - she was too scared to say love. The word was loaded and she wasn’t ready for it… just like he wasn’t ready for it but the word care leaving their lips was exactly what they both needed. Bob just smiled softly his thumb caressing her lip gently.

“I always here for you - don’t forget that.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Good.”

[waltermis]

Stay, Stay, Stay

Summary: You & Natasha share a comforting moment

Warnings: hurt/comfort

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x reader (romantic)

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATASHA!! ❤️❤️

↠↠↠ 

Natasha sighed, cutting her peanut butter sandwich. She listened to Rocket, Nebula, and the rest of the remaining avengers argue from across the universe. It’s been five years since the snap. Five years since Thanos. Five years since the Avengers officially split up. Five years since she lost Yelena. Five years since everything… But no matter how much time passed, she couldn’t let this life go. 

“Carol, are we seeing you here next month?”

“Not likely,”

“What? You gonna get another haircut?” Rocket teased.

“Listen, fur face. I’m covering a lot of territory. The things that are happening on Earth are happening everywhere. On thousands of planets.”

“Uh, all right. All right. That’s a good point. That’s a good point.”

“So, you might not see me for a long time.” 

“All right. Uh well, this channel's always active. So, if anything goes sideways… anyone’s making trouble where they shouldn’t… comes through me.” Natasha stated, before Rocket, Okoye, Carol’s channels disappeared, leaving Rhodey. “Where are you?” she asked him.

“Mexico. The Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys never even had a chance to get their guns off.”

“It’s probably a rival gang,” Natasha denied quickly.

“Except it isn’t. It’s definitely Barton… what he’s done here, what he’s been doing for the last few years. I mean, the scene that he left…I gotta tell you there’s a part of me that doesn’t even want to find him.”

“Will you find out where he’s going next?” she asked, taking a bit of her sandwich, tears filling her eyes, threatening to spill.

“Nat?”

“Please?” she asked, quietly. She looked so vulnerable, her eyes glassy and nose red from holding back tears.

“Okay,” he sighed, before leaving the channel.

Natasha sighed, trying her hardest not to cry. She missed him, Clint, he was her best friend. One of the first few people that truly trusted her. When she met Clint’s family, they welcomed her in with open arms. They were like her second family; finding out that they were blipped broke her heart. She couldn’t imagine what Clint was going through. 

‘God, this is a fucking mess.’ She thought, wrapping her arms around herself. Taking a bite out of her sad excuse of a sandwich, Natasha’s senses picked up the sound of wheels rolling against the hardwood floor. Natasha furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, watching you hauling two big blue luggage, she’s never seen before, through the common room. “Moya lyubov’, where are you going?” You ignored her, continuing to grab the luggage’s outside. “Detka? Are you okay?!” Still nothing. Natasha began to panic; thoughts of you finally realizing that you deserved better clawed their way into her brain. “Dorogaya? Can we talk about this? Please!”

“Babe?” you asked, coming back. “What’re you doing in here? I thought you were gonna use Meeting room A today… W-why’re you crying?” you asked, wrapping her up in your arms. She didn’t even notice the tears that streamed down her face. 

“Please don’t leave me! I promise I’ll spend more time with you, just please don’t go…” she cried into your chest, her words muffled as she tugged you into her, her grip tight.

“What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere,”

“Then why are you taking your luggage outside?!” she wailed, her nails digging further into you, afraid that you’d leave the second she loosened her grip.

“What? Those aren’t mine.”

“Huh?” she sobbed out. “Then whose are those?”

“They’re Tony’s, from when he and Pepper used to live here. They still have a bit of stuff here they haven’t moved to the cabin yet, he wanted me to finally bring it over for him.” you explained slowly, knowing that the lack of sleep was finally catching up on your redheaded girlfriend.

“Then what about you ignoring me?” she asked softly, her grip finally loosening.

“I was listening to music,” you showed her the air pods still in your ears. “I couldn’t hear you. I didn’t even know you were in here. I thought you decided to use one of the meeting rooms instead. You know I would never intentionally ignore you,”

Natasha nodded; her eyes grew heavier listening to the soothing sound of your voice. “Promise me you’ll never leave me.” she begged, tilting her head up to look into your eyes.

“I promise, there is nothing in this world that would make me leave you. Ever.” you promised, pecking her on the lips.

“I love you; you know that right?”

“Of course, I do, and I love you too. To Vormir and back.”

“Where’s that?” she asked sleepily, her head thudding on your chest again.

“Not sure… just came into my head.” you laughed, picking her up in your arms. You brought her back to your shared bedroom, placing her underneath the covers.

“Stay,” she said, grabbing a hold of your arm.

“Of course.” Bringing her into your arms, you placed a firm kiss on her head, letting sleep envelope the two of you.

↠↠↠ 

864 words

[mari--lace]

Wanna share something from the Yelena & Elektra wip?

Sure! So I just talked about where this wip came from in another ask, I'll try to tell something else here.

So, first off: I've been wanting to write about aroace Yelena for forever but couldn't quite figure out a story to fit an exploration of her identity in, so I'm happy and excited that I finally did.

I wanted Yelena to have a friend outside the Red Room and Elektra came to mind. Why?

They've got quite a few things in common (hello child soldiers and deadly assassins!), but more importantly I just think they'd be a lot of fun together. So there's that. (Plus I could kinda possibly imply Natasha being with Matt in that same universe so that's... Imagine Yelena being annoyed by her sister's boyfriend and Elektra being like girl the stories I could tell you.) (Also Kate wasn't really an option because this is set in a canon divergence where Matt, Clint and Yelena bring Natasha back to life so I haven't quite figured out how to fit the Hawkeye plot in there yet—but I'm gonna have to because I love Kate.)

This answer is a mess, sorry! Long story short: Yelena and Elektra are deadly and fun and I decided they should be best friends and maybe possibly annoy Matt along the way. Thanks for asking 🫶

[therealdisneyfan2319]

Mission Impossible Part 2 | Natasha Romanoff

Summary: Four months ago a mission went horribly wrong.  Natasha’s learning to live with the consequences.  Just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, they do.

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Male Reader

Warnings: Minors DNI, graphic description of injuries, blood, violence, medical procedures, mentions of death, mild suicidal ideation, language, cheating

Word Count: 5.6K

Masterlist

A/N: This is the long-awaited part 2 to Mission Impossible.  I’ve taken little bits and pieces from different comments on the first part to create this pile of angst.  You’ve been warned 🫠

Nearly four months had passed since the mission that ultimately destroyed Y/N and Natasha’s relationship.  After Y/N left their apartment he didn’t return.  He didn’t even go back to get his things.  Pietro had done that, muttering and cursing Natasha out under his breath as he shoved clothes and books into cardboard boxes while she watched everything that reminded her of her favorite person disappear right before her eyes.  Y/N stayed with Pietro for a couple of weeks while Tony pulled some strings to get him another place.  He ultimately ended up letting him stay in his New York penthouse, as Y/N had also requested a leave of absence.  He was in no shape to be going on missions, let alone spend  all of his working hours with the woman who tore his heart into a million pieces.  Natasha had also been placed on administrative leave by Fury while he tried to sort out what exactly had gone wrong that night.  She resigned herself to Yelena’s apartment most days, not wanting to spend time in the place that she once shared with Y/N.

 She awoke one morning to her phone ringing: it was Fury.  

“Hello?” she croaked into the phone.

“I need you to come to the office now.”

“I’m still on leave.”

“That’s an order, Romanoff,” he repeated sternly.  “You’ve got ten minutes.”  The phone clicked as Fury abruptly hung up.  

Groaning, Natasha sat up.  She’d spent the night crying herself to sleep like she did most nights.  She rubbed her bloodshot eyes, sighing as she contemplated skipping out on meeting with Fury and going back to bed.  Consequences didn’t bother her anymore.  Nothing bothered her anymore because nothing mattered to her anymore.  Most of the Avengers gave her the cold shoulder.  They didn’t go out of their way to explicitly exclude her, but they didn’t make any effort to include her either.  She was grateful to still have Yelena and Clint, but even they were upset with her.  Whether she meant it or not Natasha hurt Y/N and her mistake affected more than just him.

She threw on a pair of slippers and started for Fury’s office.  She was still in her pajamas, but she didn’t care.  When the elevator opened, she was surprised to see Steve standing there holding two cups of coffee.

“Morning,” he said, handing her a cup.

“Hi,” she mumbled as she tentatively accepted the drink.  Steve wasn’t one of the Avengers who was outwardly hostile towards Natasha.  While he in no way approved of the way she handled the situation, he understood that she needed a bit of compassion.  They never talked about what happened that night.  Steve never pushed and Natasha never offered, but many nights they sat in silence together in the common room.

“Looks like you’re back on the team then.”

“I guess,” Natasha shrugged.  “Maybe I’ll just quit.”

“Nat-”

“I’m serious, Steve.  I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.”  She stared straight ahead as she sipped her coffee.  Steve sighed, knowing it was futile to try and talk any sense into the assassin.  “What’s this about anyways?”

“No idea.  All Fury told me was that it’s important.”  The duo stepped off the elevator as the doors opened right in front of Fury’s office.

“Nice of you to dress up for the occasion,” Fury joked as Nat entered the office.  She looked down at her fuzzy Cookie Monster pajama pants and grey tank top somewhat abashedly.  “Have a seat.”  He motioned to the two chairs sitting across from his desk.  

“What’s this about?” Steve asked as he sat down.

Fury sighed, rubbing his goatee as he paced behind his desk.  “Four months ago Romanoff was tasked with retrieving intel that’s critical to SHIELD’s assault on the vibranium black market.  Her target was a man by the name of Oliver Parker.”  A picture of Parker appeared on the holographic screen behind the desk.  Natasha immediately lowered her gaze from the tall, dark, handsome man looming larger than life in front of her.  The mere thought of him churned her stomach.  

“Parker,” Fury continued, “is only one of many aliases the man assumes.  His real name?  Pyotr Larionovich.  Spent his formative years working for one General Dreykov as a recruiter essentially.”

“Dreykov?”  The name sent a chill down Natasha’s spine.

“He’s since moved on and now works as an independent contractor for all sorts of underground dealings…has contacts all over the world.  We didn’t learn this until well after the mission.  But the fact of the matter is that he knew exactly who Romanoff was.  He played us big time.  The microchip was a dead end.  Sent us on a wild goose chase.”

“I’m guessing you want us to find him and bring him in?” Steve asked as he walked around examining the various pictures and pieces of intel that appeared holographically.  

Fury’s face wove itself into a look of unease as he clicked the remote in hand.  “We need you to recover Y/N.  He’s been abducted.”  A picture of Natasha and Y/N flickered into view: it was the one Natasha kept in her wallet.  

“Where did you get that picture?” She’d never shared that picture with anyone.

“What happened to the black handbag you brought with you that night, Romanoff?”  She thought back to that night, trying to remember what she did with the handbag.  She definitely had it with her while she was down at the party, but what did she do with it afterwards?  She hadn’t left the hotel with it.  As she put the pieces together, she slowly realized her error: she left it on the bar.

“I left it on the bar,” she whispered.  She was so distracted, drunk, and wrapped up in the moment that she completely forgot about it.

“And we have video footage of him picking it up and putting it in his coat pocket.  We figure he went through it, found the picture, and figured out who he was.”

“Is this a hostage negotiation situation?” Steve asked.

“Negative.  He doesn’t know that we know about Y/N.  We’re sure he’ll be demanding a ransom shortly, but we’d like to avoid that.”

“Are we sure about the intel on this, Fury?”

“Unfortunately, yes.  He’s being held in a cargo storage unit just outside of Atlanta.  It’s an old Red Room extraction site.  They haven’t used it in a number of years, but everything is still there.”

Natasha barely heard a word either man said.  She was lost in the depths of her mind, spiraling as she realized the extent of her carelessness.  First she lost her relationship.  Now it could potentially cost Y/N his life.  Grief crashed over her like a wave, threatening to swallow her whole before spitting her back out.  

“Romanoff?” Fury’s gruff voice snapped her back to reality.  

“I can’t do this, Nick.  Send somebody else.”  She stood up to leave, not wanting any part of the mission.

“Absolutely not.  You started this, you’re going to see it through to the end.”  Natasha paused.  He had a point.  She sighed as she realized that he wasn’t going to give her another option.

“He won’t want to see me,” she muttered.

“That’s beside the point, Natasha.  You’re the only one who has extensive experience with the Red Room.  Just get it done.”  The screens flicked off as the lights came back on.  Steve looked over at Natasha, his hands in his pockets as he shrugged.  

“I’m ready when you are unless you plan on going in your pajamas,” he joked.  Natasha groaned, rolling her eyes as she stormed out of the office.

*******************************************************************************************

They sat in silence as Steve piloted the Quinjet.  Natasha stared out the window and watched the world fly by.  Steve looked over at her.  He gave a slight cough, indicating that he wanted to speak.  

“What?” she snapped.

“Nothing.  Just wanted to ask how you’re doing?”

“I’m fine,” she sniffled, rubbing her nose as she turned to look back out the window.

“Nat-”

“I’m FINE, Steve.  Drop it.”

“Okay.”  He adjusted his shoulders as he sat back in his chair.  An awkward tension hung in the air as the silence filled the cockpit.

“I messed a lot of things up that night, didn’t I?” she whispered as she put her feet on the chair and hugged her knees to her chest.

Steve didn’t answer immediately.  He thought for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly to say.  “Yeah, yeah you did,” he finally admitted.  “What were you thinking?  I can’t understand how you came to the solution that-”

“I don’t know.  I don’t know, Steve, I don’t know.  I was drunk and I know that’s not an excuse but I got wrapped up in his charm, okay?”  Her voice cracked as she spoke as all the emotions from that night bubbled up inside of her.  “It was dumb and if I could take it all back I would.”

Steve sighed as he looked over at her.  “He’s a mess, you know.  I went over to visit him right after he moved in and…you really hurt him.  He wanted to quit, you know?  I managed to talk him into sticking with the leave of absence instead.  That was after I convinced him to take a shower for the first time in almost a week and actually eat something other than pizza.” Natasha hung her head in shame.  She’d been beating herself up over cheating on Y/N for months now.  There was no doubt in her mind that he was suffering, but hearing just how distraught he was broke her heart.  

“I miss him so much,” she began to sob as she pictured a depressed Y/N, a shell of the vibrant, loveable man he once was.  “He told me not to do anything dumb before I left.  I know how he gets when I go out on missions alone and I thought it was just another stupid thing he said to make himself feel better.  I told him he worries too much and that nothing would happen.  And then I went and fucked it up.”

“You made a mistake, Nat.  Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Yeah, but not everyone cheats on their boyfriend.”

“Look,” Steve sighed.  “I won’t sit here and tell you I’m not mad at you because I am.  In my book what you did is inexcusable.  Not only did you put the entire mission at risk, you hurt one of my teammates.  The team is broken, Nat.  That’s on you.  I don’t know how I can trust you again.  I’d like to, but I can’t right now.”

“I know.  I’m sorry.  I know that doesn’t cut it, but I am.  I just want to tell him that.”  She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.  “Let’s get this over with, okay?”

“ETA is about 70 minutes,” he noted as he looked over at one of the screens off to the side.  “Fury should be sending the last of the intel soon if you want to give that a look.”  Nat sniffled as she nodded, pulling up the last-minute SHIELD intel on the small screen in front of her.

*******************************************************************************************

“Y/N?!” Natasha yelled as she cleared the door of the storage unit.  “Are you in here?”  Her voice echoed around the empty unit, bouncing off the walls as she struggled to see in the pitch black.  “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath as she slammed the door shut.  

The Red Room base was a complex of old warehouses full of storage units.  Overwhelmed by the sheer number of units to check, Steve and Natasha quickly agreed to split up.  She carefully checked and cleared every unit.  Every rusted door filled her with dread and apprehension.   Gruesome images of a mangled body flashed through her mind and for the first time in years she prayed to whatever higher being would answer first that Y/N would be alive and in one piece.  

“Southwest sector is clear, Nat.  He’s not here.  Anything yet?” Steve’s voice crackled over her earpiece.

“No.  I’ve still got a few units left up here,” Nat murmured into the microphone.

“I’ll head to the southeast sector.  He’s gotta be here.  All the signs point to it.”

“I know,” she sighed.  She shivered against the cold dampness of the warehouse.  The bleakness of it all chilled her to the bone, physically and emotionally.  Her hope of finding Y/N alive was quickly dwindling and the thought of finding him dead made her want to curl up into a ball and scream.  Of course she knew this was all her fault.  If she hadn’t let her guard down on that damn mission none of this would be happening, but there was no changing the past.  The best she could do would be to find him and bring him home safely.  

“Y/N?!” Natasha shouted as she kicked the next door in.  Her eyes scanned the room robotically, not anticipating to find anything worth noting.  As she turned to let the door slam shut once again, her ears perked up at a soft scraping sound.  It was barely audible, but the fact she hadn’t heard any sort of noise in any of the other units gave her reason to pause.  Reaching for the flashlight on her belt, she heard the noise again.  She shined the bright beam directly in front of her and nearly dropped it as she saw her worst nightmare in front of her.

“OH GOD NO!” she screamed, tossing the flashlight to the side as she sprinted toward the back of the metal box.  She nearly slipped in the pools of blood that surrounded the chair Y/N was tied to.  He was blindfolded with a bloody rag, slumped over as thick ropes cut into his wrists and ankles.  Blood, both dried and fresh, coated the exposed parts of his face and matted his hair to his forehead.  His hands were bruised and broken while deep lacerations drew whimsical patterns up and down his arms.  

“Nat, we’ve got movement in the northwest sector not too far from where you are.”  Steve’s voice interrupted the screams that pierced the darkness of the rusted unit.  “Natasha?  Natasha, are you there?”

“HELP ME!” she wailed into the microphone.  The anguish in her voice cut into the deepest parts of Steve’s soul as she cried out like a wounded animal.

“I’m on my way.”

Tears clouded Natasha’s vision as she carefully untied the blindfold knotted at the back of his head.  As it slipped down, part of her wished she’d kept it on.  His beautiful face was bruised and bloodied.  His eyes were blackened and swollen shut and his nose was more crooked than she remembered.  Blood streamed down his nose and lips, staining his face a dark crimson.

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry,  This is all my fault.  It’s all my fault,” she cried as she held his face in her hands, stroking his cheek with her thumb as she smeared more blood around his face.  “I’m so, so sorry.”  She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his, tears silently streaming down her face as she held him close.  She missed the way his body felt under her touch, the way he used to smile into her lips as he kissed her, the way his hands rested perfectly on her waist whenever he pulled her close.  Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the way it felt when he hugged her for the last time and she smiled at the thought of their last happy memory together.

A sharp, groaning intake of breath snapped her back to reality.  Y/N coughed and painted Natasha’s face with specks of blood.  He was awake.  He was alive.

“Nat?”  His voice was garbled and his mouth full of blood.  His swollen eyes barely fluttered open as he attempted to make out the redhead kneeling in front of him.  

“It’s me, baby.  I’m right here.  Steve’s on his way and we’ll get you out of here and back home in no time.”  She ran her fingers through his bloodied hair as his eyes struggled to focus.

“Hi,” he grinned weakly.  Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t try to talk, okay?  Just rest.  You’re safe now.”  She wiped up the small trail with her thumb. 

“ ‘M sorry,” he mumbled as tears began to roll down his bloody face.

Without any hesitation Natasha pressed her lips firmly against Y/N’s.  The salty, metallic taste of his lips against hers brought her back to a time where none of this nightmare was real.  For a fleeting second everything was as it was supposed to be.  

“Don’t you dare apologize, mister.  This is all my fault.  I messed everything up and I’m so, so sorry I hurt you.  Okay, Y/N?  I’m sorry.  I wish I could take it all back and I know I can’t so I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.  I promise.”  She kissed the top of his head as Steve kicked the door open.  

*******************************************************************************************

Natasha was grateful she had a super soldier with her as Steve picked Y/N up effortlessly and sprinted toward the Quinjet at a superhuman speed.  She followed close behind, making sure that the Red Room agents that were lurking in the area weren’t following them.  

“STEVE!  Let’s go!” she shouted as she sprinted up the ramp.

“Already ahead of you-F.R.I.D.A.Y.!  Take us home!”  The ramp closed and the ship began to hover as Steve placed Y/N on the medical fabricator Stark engineered specifically for the Quinjet.  “How’s he doing, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Mr. L/N has received multiple critical injuries to his head and torso.  Current body temperature is 100.4, heart rate is 50 BPM, blood pressure is 77/50.”

“Can you keep him stable until we get back to the Compound?  And call Dr. Cho.  We’ll need her to be ready the second we land.”

“Anything else, Captain?”

“Don’t let him die,” Steve gritted through his teeth as he took over the manual controls.

Natasha stood by the wayside as robotic arms started IVs, suctioned blood, injected various antibiotics, and monitored Y/N’s vitals.  An oxygen mask was placed over his face as an incubator cover encapsulated him from the outside world.  She watched while a sedative was injected directly into his IV.  The effect was instant: he fell into a state of unconsciousness that permitted him a moment’s respite from the excruciating pain of his injuries.  He struggled to breathe even with the oxygen mask.

“His lung collapsed as a result of his broken ribs, Agent Romanoff,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed her.  

“What’s the odds of survival here, F.R.I.D.A.Y?” she asked, crossing her arms as she walked to the fabricator.

“In his current condition, Mr. L/N has a 37% chance of survival.”

“Shit,” Natasha cursed.  Y/N looked completely helpless as he laid there with tubes and wires sticking out of him.  A lump grew in her throat at the thought of him not not being alive by the time they got back to the Compound.  She wiped her eye with the back of her hand, struggling to not completely break down.  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so scared.  More than that she was overcome with guilt.  This was all her fault.  If he died, his blood was on her hands.  She’d been responsible for countless deaths in her lifetime, but his death would be different.  He wasn’t supposed to die.  Not like this, not because of her.  

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Yes, Agent Romanoff?”

“C-can I hold his hand?”

“Seeing as he has 24 broken bones in his left hand, I would advise against that.  I would recommend perhaps his forearm or his elbow.”

Natasha exhaled a laugh as the AI suggested she hold his elbow.  Carefully reaching out, she placed her hand on his arm just above his wrist.  His entire arm was bandaged from the wrist to the shoulder.  Her sweaty palms stuck to the neat white bandage.

“You can’t leave yet.  Not when I still need you,” she whispered over his unconscious body.  “I’ll make this right, Y/N.  I will be here every step of the way and I’ll do anything and everything to fix us.  I miss you so much.  I know I messed up.  That night went wrong in so many ways and I think about how badly I hurt you every single day.  I know it’s not enough to say sorry, but it’s all I have.  I’m sorry.  I’m so, so sorry.  I’m such an idiot for throwing it away.  But I’m going to fix this.  Because I still love you.”

*******************************************************************************************

No sooner had the Quinjet landed that an entire medical team was waiting for Y/N on the landing dock.

“Cho’s on her way, but it’s going to be a while.  We’ll keep him stable in the meantime.  F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s been sending us real-time updates on his condition,” Sam yelled as he helped a team of medical officers run him into the Compound.  

Natasha’s jog slowed to a stop as the glass doors slammed shut in front of her.  Her chest heaved as she watched the team hang an abrupt right to lead Y/N toward the medical bay.  With Cho on the way and the Compound’s medical team watching over him, she knew Y/N was in good hands.  They were his best shot at survival.

Steve called out to her from the Quinjet.  She strained to hear through the whirring of the engine shutting down.  As she turned to ask him to repeat himself, she felt herself being lifted into the air and tossed like a rag doll.  She crumpled to the ground, rolling back toward Steve.  Instinctively he raised his shield against the unknown assailant, only lowering it when he saw the grief-stricken brunette witch hurtling toward Natasha.

“Wanda,” he warned.

“Don’t stop me, Steve,” Wanda threatened.  Red orbs of magic hovered between her hands as she conjured another spell.

“Wanda-“

“SHE KILLED HIM, I’LL KILL HER!” she screamed as tears streamed down her face.  “I CAN’T LOSE HIM, TOO.”

“Do it.”  Natasha’s voice was small yet firm as she pushed herself to her knees.  “Please.”

“What?” Steve dropped his shield in disbelief while Wanda continued to sob.

“It’s my fault he’s dead.  I deserve it.  Please.”  She choked back a sob as she thought about Y/N’s final moments, how he died a shell of the wonderful man she fell in love with so long ago and how he’d never light up her life again.

Before Wanda could respond, utterly dumbfounded herself, one of Clint’s stun arrows whistled by, landing on her forehead before she shook violently and collapsed.

“Both of you need to relax right damn now,” Clint grumbled as he passed Wanda.  “Relax, he’s not dead.  They’ve stabilized him enough so that Cho can put him in the regeneration cradle when she gets here.  Wanda misheard something and got a little upset.”

“That’s an understatement,” Steve replied as he picked up his shield.

“And you.  Nat, come on.  Come on.  This is ridiculous.  Get up.  Up, up, up, let’s go.”  He extended his hands to her, which she reluctantly accepted.  “Can you grab her?” he yelled at Steve.

“Why-?”

“Did Wanda get so upset?”  He sighed, shaking his head as he pulled her to her feet.  “They’re dating, Nat.”

Natasha didn’t realize that her heart was capable of breaking any more , but Clint’s words shattered it into a million more pieces.  While she spent the last few months wallowing in self-pity and loathing, he moved on.  Her head spun with a million different thoughts and questions as she started to process what she’d just been told.  She looked up at the clear night sky, not wanting Clint to watch as tears started to stream down her face.  The stars offered little comfort to her overwhelming grief. 

“Nat-” Clint placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  She pulled away at his touch.

“Don’t,” Natasha begged.  “Please don’t.  I can’t deal with this right now.”  She wiped the snot from her nose with her sleeve as she stormed off, surpassing Steve as he carried an unconscious Wanda toward the Compound, for Yelena’s apartment.

*******************************************************************************************

“He wants to talk to you.”

Natasha groaned as she rolled over under the covers, pulling the comforter over her head.  The early afternoon glow of the sun peeked through the blinds and landed on her face.  After spending most of the night crying, she had no interest in being up so early.  Clint and Yelena spent the rest of the night waiting up in the med bay for any updates on Y/N’s condition.  Sam and the team were able to keep him stable until Dr. Cho arrived in the wee hours of the morning and got him in her regeneration cradle.  Once he was in there, everything seemed to turn around for him.  He was in rough shape and recovery would be tough, but it looked like he was going to pull through.

“I don’t care.  I don’t want to see him.”  Her eyes screwed shut as she willed herself to go back to sleep.  A sudden rush of light and cool air pulled her from the feigned sense of relaxation.

“You’re going.  I don’t care if I have to drag you.  He wants to see you!” Yelena ordered as she pulled the covers off her sister.

“What am I going to say to him, Yelena?  Sorry I messed up our relationship and nearly got you killed and then asked your new girlfriend to kill me?”

Yelena shrugged.  “I don’t know, just see what he says.”

“Fine.”  She rolled out of bed, throwing her slippers on as she headed down to the med bay.  The long walk felt even longer as her heart pounded in her chest.  The butterflies she once felt at the thought of him turned to knots that suffocated every inch of her body while the sterile smell of the hospital wing loomed closer with every step.

When Natasha came to his room, she paused as she looked through the window.  Y/N was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, casts on both arms and tubes hanging out from every inch of exposed skin.  Wanda sat in the lone chair next to his bed, her hand holding his plaster-wrapped one through the rails of the bed.  She gazed lovingly over him as he reclined on the mountain of pillows behind him.  Her fingers trailed through the tufts of hair that poked through the weaves of his head bandages.  Natasha could almost feel the way his hair used to slide through her fingers as she watched Wanda soothe him.  She almost felt embarrassed at the way she invaded such an intimate moment between the two.  Taking a deep breath as she grabbed the door handle, she gave a soft knock as she opened it.  Wanda’s neck snapped toward the door as it creaked open.

“Get out,” she growled, her eyes glowing bright red as she lifted her hand threateningly.  Natasha froze as little red bursts of magic danced around her fingers.

“Hey,” Y/N croaked as he struggled to lift his arm.  “It’s okay.  Let us talk.”

“Are you sure, baby?”  He nodded weakly.  “Fine,” she huffed, leaning down to plant a chaste kiss on his swollen lips.  “Try anything and you’ll regret it,” Wanda whispered as she walked past Natasha, who gulped rather loudly.  

Once Wanda left, Natasha cautiously walked over to Y/N’s bed.  At first glance, he didn’t look as bad as he did the night before, but he still looked awful.  The swelling around his eyes had gone down, but they were still black and blue.  His nose had been reset and his lip had been stitched up.  Blood and iodine stained the exposed parts of his face and arms.  Small spots of blood were starting to soak through his arm bandages even though Cho had focused a considerable amount of energy repairing the flayed skin.  

“Hi.”  His voice was hoarse from the breathing tube that was recently removed.

“Hi,” Natasha whispered in a weak voice as she sat down in the stiff chair.  “How are you feeling?”

“Shitty.  The meds make it a little better.”  He winced as he laughed at his own joke.  “You ever broken a rib before?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.  “Hurts like hell, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll never take breathing for granted again.”  Natasha smiled weakly.  It was just like Y/N to crack a joke in the midst of a horrible situation.  “Listen-”

“How long?”

“What?”

“You and Wanda.  How long?”

Y/N sighed.  “About three months.”

“That’s a little fast.”

“I know, but it just sort of happened.  She came with Pietro to help me move and that…that was that.”

“She’s too emotional.”

“She listens to me, Nat.  I can talk to her about anything.  She tells me when things are bothering her.  We don’t have anything that we keep from each other.”

“It’s been three months, Y/N-”

“And in those three months we’ve had more important conversations than you and I ever had in three years.”  His Y/E/C eyes stared deep into hers as innumerable indescribable feelings bubbled up inside Natasha.  “She never brushes aside my anxiety.  She helps me cope with it, Natasha.  I never realized that a partner could do that before I met her.”

Natasha stared down at her slippers.  So many moments from their relationship came flooding back into her mind.  Moments where she brushed him off.  Moments where she kept her true feelings to herself because she didn’t know how to bring them up.  Moments where she simply went through the motions for the sake of the stability of their relationship.  She loved him, but love wasn’t enough.

“The night of the mission…I don’t know what happened.  I never meant for it to go so wrong.  I got drunk, he was handsome, and I messed up.”  She continued to look at her shoes as she recounted the events of that night, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.  “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you.  I’m sorry.  I wish I could take it all back.  And I’m sorry about this.  I should be the one in that bed right now, not you.  If anything I should’ve died.  I don’t deserve to be here after all of this.”

“Don’t say that.  Don’t ever say that again.  Natasha, look at me.”  She looked up as he strained to look at her.  “You hurt me and I can never forgive you for that.  I don’t think you can ever understand just how much you broke me that night.  That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to live.  You deserve love and happiness and a good life.  It just won’t be with me.”  He lifted his arm slightly, carefully reaching out to her.  She gingerly wrapped her hand around his.

“I still love you,” she choked out through the lump that was forming in her throat.  “I was so scared you were dead and that I’d never be able to tell you that again.”

“A part of me will always love you, Natty, but I’ve moved on.”  

“Shit,” she whispered as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.  “I hate this.”

“Me too,” he nodded.  “But we’ll be okay, okay?  I’ve got Wanda, you’ll find someone, we’ll move on.”

Natasha nodded tearfully, unable to get any words out.  Her heart was breaking again and again.  Y/N moved on.  There was no chance that the two of them would ever get back together.  All of the hopes and dreams she’d been sitting on since he walked out were officially gone forever.  Now all that was left for her to do was to pick up the broken pieces and try to start over.  

“Go back to work, okay?  It’ll help.  And be civil with Wanda.  I don’t need you two threatening to kill each other all the time.”

“What about you?”

“Well, once I get healed up I’d like to come back.  I miss the team.”

“Do you really think we can work together again?”

“I don’t know,” Y/N shrugged.  “The only thing I do know is that you should probably get out of here before Wanda gets back.  She’s still a little heated about the whole thing.  I’ll work on her, don’t worry.”

“Thanks,” she chuckled.

As Natasha left Y/N’s room, she felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and guilt.  One mistake cost her the love of her life.  There was no way she could possibly forgive herself for that.  Yet in the darkest depths of her soul, she felt something reaching for a glimmer of hope.  Maybe Y/N was right.  Maybe she would find someone else and move on.  But she knew herself all too well.  There was no coming back from that fateful night.  The best she could do would be to soldier on, getting through every day the best she could while pretending that she wasn’t completely broken on the inside. 

[captainpikeachu]

Okay so this prevailing sentiment that I keep seeing about how “this doesn’t make sense why would Bucky be with a team of bad guys” really kinda annoys because...most of the MCU Thunderbolts team members aren’t even bad guys???

Ghost, Taskmaster, and Yelena literally all share similar kinds of backstories to Bucky, they are all victims of a system that either mind controlled them or forced them into doing horrible things. They’ve all broken free and are trying to make their own choices and trying to recover and get better in their own ways. 

Alexei is literally just a chaotic man being chaotic, and the last we saw of him, he was part of the protagonist team of the Black Widow film. Hardly any sense of being a “bad guy”, just a big dork guy who really wants to punch some folks and admittedly trying and sometimes failing at being a dad.

And as much as folks want Walker to be a bad guy, even the Falcon and the Winter Soldier show didn’t bother making him the villain of the story, instead head writer Malcolm Spellman even stated that Walker and Bucky are two sides of a veteran’s story, and the last time we saw of Walker, he was actually trying to save hostages and helping Sam and Bucky, with him and Bucky even working together.

The only person with remotely a whiff of possible “bad guy” is Val, and we don’t really even know enough about her to say if she’s actually doing bad things because she’s evil or if she’s just like a Nick Fury who sometimes do shady things for what she thinks are the greater good.

Sure, many of these characters have served antagonistic roles in the stories they appeared in, but being an antagonist does not equal to being a “bad guy” or being the villain. Protagonist doesn’t mean Hero, and Antagonist doesn’t mean Villain, and sometimes I fear that fandom spends so much time trying to shove characters into boxes and ends up losing sight of the characters’ complexities. 

The Thunderbolts are not just a “team of bad guys”, even in their decades of comics history, this team line up has run across all ends of the spectrum with Bucky being a member of this team at various points. The most recent new comics run is even a team of heroes led by Clint Barton himself.

And if one really takes a good look at this currently known line up of the MCU Thunderbolts team, with the exception of Val whose backstory is shrounded in mystery right now, these are all characters who’ve had trauma, who’ve been through a lot, who are soldiers and warriors who’ve all fought for what they thought was right. Sure their moralities can be a bit skewed, but they aren’t just people who go around killing people for no reason and just enjoying being bad for the sake of being bad. This is a team of broken traumatized messed up chaotic warriors seeking for another chance to prove themselves, for redemption, and is that not the kind of people whom Bucky would share commonality with? Is that not the kind of people that he might be able to help, to provide guidance and advice to? He’s walked their path, he of all people knows what it takes to make a recovery stick.

What better way to continue his journey from the ending of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier than to make him the “mentor” of a group of people each trying to seek their own redemption in their own way? Wouldn’t it be character growth for Bucky to go from the learner to now the teacher?

Honestly I think Thunderbolts director Jake Schreier said it best:

I just think The Thunderbolts are an exciting opportunity to take these characters that have been seen in a certain light and kinda bring them together, and through coming together, possibly view them in another light. 

So many of these characters on the team, we all have a way of seeing them through our various biases and perspectives, and this film might actually teach us all to let go of certain biases and see these characters in a new way through their perspectives.

[togrowoldinv]

Mini Poser Saves the Day

Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

You’re on a mission with some of the team. Things are going south, until you hear a familiar whistle, and you know you have backup. You meet Yelena again and take her home to see Natasha and the rest of the family.

Note: This is a part 2 to Meeting the Mini Poser, but also can be read separately since there is a bit of time jump. I hope you enjoy this sister fluff!

Masterlist

“We are seriously outnumbered!” Sam shouts into the comms as he flies through the air dodging bullets.

“So, what do we do? Retreat?” Peter Parker asks.

“No!” you and Wanda both reply at the same time. The fight can’t leave the area its in and extend to the city without major casualties. Retreating is not an option.

“Yeah, definitely not, Pete. We just need to get to the leaders and the rest of them will surrender,” Sam explains.

“We could really use Nat’s attack planning skills right now,” Wanda says into the comms, and looking at you pointedly.

“Hey, it’s not my fault she wanted to stay home with the kids,” you reply, jokingly. “Actually no, it is because I didn’t want both of us to be here and in danger. But we can do this. We just have to make a plan and stick to it.”

Suddenly, you hear a familiar whistle from behind where you and Wanda are standing. You turn around and are met with the sight of her. Yelena.

No one else knows who she is, and they figure she’s just another enemy they’ll have to fight today. Wanda even begins conjuring her magic on her hands but stops once she looks at you and sees you smiling wide.

“Yelena!” you say and walk towards her. She greets you with a smile and you look behind her to see she has the band of widows with her.

“How can we help?” Yelena asks, and once you tell her none of you really have a plan, she gives you a ‘seriously’ look that is glaringly Natasha. She quickly jumps into action and all of you work together to get the mission completed.

Before you load up on the quinjet, you talk to Yelena and introduce her to the rest of the team.

“Where’s my sestra?” Yelena asks as she observes the team.

“Oh, she’s at home with our kids. You could come with us if you want? I’m sure Nat would love to see you,” you say and her eyes light up at the prospect, but she looks down shyly once she starts thinking it over.

“Are you sure? I mean I haven’t seen her in years now,” Yelena replies a bit sadly.

“Absolutely, Yelena. And I know the kids want to meet their aunt. Come on, it’ll be fun,” you try to convince her, and you grin when she agrees.

When you get back to the compound, Natasha, your kids, and some of the rest of the team are all sitting in the common area. You walk in the room first and go straight to the couch to sit next to Natasha.

“Hey detka, how was the mission?” she asks you and greets you with a kiss to the cheek. Your young son stirs in her lap and reaches for you. She transfers him to your lap, and you hold him close. Your daughter also joins you on the couch, abandoning her Legos she was playing with.

“It was okay. The intel wasn’t great, so were quite outnumbered. But one good thing came out of it,” you say with a tired, but genuine smile. “You can come in now,” you say a bit louder, and Nat looks at you confusedly.

When she catches sight of her little sister, she stands up from the couch and practically tackles Yelena in a hug. It makes you tear up with happiness. You knew how much the two girls had missed each other, so seeing them together again is so heartwarming.

Again, the team is confused but they also smile at the scene. Natasha was only this openly excited and affectionate about something with you and the kids. So, they all deduce that this must be an important person to Natasha. Clint looks across the room to meet your gaze and you give him a nod. He is the only other one that knew about Yelena, but he hadn’t known what she looked like until now.

“How are you here, sestra?” Natasha asks once she pulls away slightly from the hug.

“I came across y/n and the team, and they needed some serious help,” Yelena explains, and Nat pulls her close again. Yelena buries her head into Nat’s neck, soaking up her warmth.

“Thank you for helping them,” Nat says.

“No problem. Although, you should probably teach your wife how to make a plan. I really did save her ass,” Yelena teases and Nat can’t help but laugh.

“Okay, I love what’s happening here, but can someone explain?” Sam asks from the corner of the room. It’s only then that Nat and Yelena even seem to remember there are other people in the room.

“Everyone this is my little sister, Yelena,” Natasha says proudly, her arm around Yelena’s shoulders. “Yelena this is Sam, Tony, Steve, Peter, and Wanda.”

“Hello Avengers,” Yelena says with a wave and everyone smiles at her.

“Alright let’s give the family some space,” Steve says and stands to usher the team out of the room leaving only you, the kids, Nat, and Yelena.

Natasha kneels down in front of the couch and reaches for your daughter. She easily climbs into Nat’s arms and snuggles into her.

“Yelena, this is your niece, Ali,” Nat says standing up and facing Yelena again. Ali is a bit shy, so she buries her face further into Nat’s neck at the sight of the woman.

“She’s so beautiful, Nat. Hi Ali. I love your shirt,” Yelena says, and you laugh. Ali is wearing one of your Black Widow shirts that Tony had bought you as a joke.

“Can you say thank you, baby?” you ask her, standing up next to Natasha with your son in your arms. She does appease you and mumbles out a small thank you and Yelena smiles at her even wider.

“And this is Ivan,” you tell Yelena, and he warms up to Yelena immediately, even reaching for out for her.

“Oh buddy, you are just so social, huh? No idea where he gets that from considering he’s our kid,” Natasha laughs, and Yelena reaches out gently to let Ivan grab onto her hand. It’s such a sweet sight as he grabs onto her and turns in your arms for more.

“Hold,” he says with an adorable grin and Yelena cautiously takes him from you.

He melds into her immediately and you can tell she is almost overwhelmed at the feeling. It reminds you of how Natasha first held your oldest after you had her. She had held Clint’s kids before, but her own child just felt different.

“Would you look at that? Seems like someone likes Auntie Yelena,” you say with a smile.

Later that night, Ali has warmed up to Yelena and she falls asleep on the couch snuggled up against her side. Ivan is also still clinging tight to Yelena. You and Nat look upon them from the kitchen and she pulls you in for a long hug.

“I’m so glad you brought her back with you,” Natasha says.

“Me too, baby. I guess the Mini Poser really saved the day,” you joke, and Natasha laughs heartedly.

“I’m surprised she hasn’t made a poser joke in reference to one of our kids yet,” Nat says, moving to finish washing the dishes.

“Oh, I’ll get to it soon. Just had to meet the babies first,” she laughs. You hadn’t realized Yelena entered the kitchen, so her voice startles you. “She is so not a spy,” Yelena teases. “But seriously, just so you know, I will protect those kids with my life.”

“Thank you, Yelena,” Natasha says and pulls Yelena in for a side hug.

“Yeah, thanks Mini Poser,” you say, and she scoffs at you lightly, but still accepts your embrace when you open your arms for her.

“I might need a new nickname since you have actual kids now,” Yelena says, but you wave the idea off.

“Nah. Yelena, you will always be my Mini Poser,” Natasha says and Yelena smiles.

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

We're Just Friends

Kate Bishop X F!reader

a/n: Just a small fluff piece for you guys tonight! Enjoy!

Word Count: 1281

Warnings: Not proofread, fluff

Concept: You and Kate are best friends and the rest of the Avengers think differently. While everyone else thinks you two are dating, you two don't see it...or do you?

Taglist: @imapotatao @kacka84 @sofisnn @hoeforwandanat @variant-l0852 @mellowladyangel @violetwitchmcu @m-zne237 @laaurrel @chloe7076 @miphas-trident @chickenlittlsblog @sapphic-girl @simp4haiz @hardwastelandbread @thorya22 @kassies-take @imnotgoodwithimpulsecontrol @justthis-stuff

LMK If you wanna be added to the Kate tag list!

You and Kate have been best friends ever since the two of you met. You were first introduced to her when Clint brought her to the Avengers compound a few years ago and the two of you have been inseparable ever since. You have sleepovers all the time, eat almost every meal with one another and if they let you, the two of you will be teamed up for most missions. She is the best thing to ever happen to you, she just understands you on every level.

“Hey, Belova!” You said walking into the kitchen.

“Y/n yl/n, how are you today?”

“You know you don’t have to call me by my full name every time we talk right?” You say with a chuckle. “I’m doing well though, what about you? What’s for lunch today?”

“Ah, spicy mac and cheese.” She says bringing the pot over to the table.

“Spicy eh?”

“You can’t have a meal without hot sauce.” She says as she practically empties the bottle onto her meal. “So, y/n y/l/n, where’s your better half?”

“My better half?”

“Kate Bishop.”

“Oh, she’s training with Clint. Why do you call her my better half?”

“It’s a term people use for people who are together. At least that is what Natasha taught me.”

“What did I teach you?”

“The better half American saying.”

“Oh yeah,” Nat says.

“I was just asking y/n where her better half was.”

“Oh true yeah, where is Kate?” Nat asks with a smirk on her face.

“She’s training with Clint– Wait– Does everyone think we’re dating?”

“Well, you practically spend every waking moment together,” Nat says.

“Okay well, we are just really good friends. Kate understands me.”

“Haha ohh y/n y/l/n, you’re so funny.”

“Wha– I’m being dead-ass Yelena!”

“Aha, okay sure,” Yelena says as Natasha is snickering next to her.

You grab your food and head back to your room mumbling stuff under your breath as you stare down at your feet.

“Hey y/n!” You hear a familiar voice say.

“Hey, Kate.”

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“Yeah, why?”

“y/n. Please. I know you. I can pretty much tell instantly whenever something is up with you. So how about we stop playing around and you just tell me.”

“Kate, seriously, nothing is wrong.” You say pushing past her and continuing to your room.

“Okay! Whateverrrr you say! I’ll come find you when I’m done and then you can tell me then.” She says in a teasing tone.

A small smile comes across your face with the thought of Kate coming over after her training. She was right, she does know you and something was up. You never really thought of Kate as more than a friend before, besides, you didn’t even know if she was into girls. But…now that you’re putting some real thought into it, the two of you have never talked crushes before. So maybe there was a reason for that? Whatever. Yelena and Natasha are probably just messing with you and nobody actually thinks that.

Later on, Tony was doing a showing of The Wolf On Wallstreet in one of the common rooms and you decided to go. You were making your way there and Kate caught up to you.

“So, ready to talk now?”

“Kate, I swear nothing is going on.”

She stops you dead in your tracks. “y/n, please. Let’s not do this okay?”

“Fine.”

“Okay…so?”

“Nat and Yelena were teasing me earlier…”

“That’s it? Trust me I have lots to tease them about I’ll go right now and–”

“They said everyone thinks we’re dating.” You say kind of loud and quickly. “Pfttt– Wha– No– What? No. Nobody thinks that.” Kate says with a weird look on her face as her cheeks get noticeably red.

You open the door to the TV room and as she walks through you tell, “Kate, you’re right. Don’t worry. Just forget I even said anything it was stupid. I don’t know why I was so bothered by it.”

“I mean, it’s–it’s not that stupid. It makes sense kinda.”

“Kate…please. I get it now. It’s not true, Nat and Yelena were probably just messing around with me.” You say. “Like guys, none of you think Kate and I are dating right?” You say kind of loudly to the other Avengers in the room.

“Nope.” A bunch of them say at the same time.

“Wait– what?”

You look at Bucky and Sam as they awkwardly stare at each other then back at you.

“You actually think Kate and I are together?”

“I mean you guys are together all the time,” Steve says.

“Well, this is just lovely. We are JUST FRIENDS!” You say to everyone in the room. Natasha and Yelena let out a little giggle from the door as they catch the end of your little speech.

You and Kate look around for a seat and notice the only ones left are the love seat for two in the back. You look at her and she has a big goofy grin on her face. “Y/n, c’mon. It’s not like we haven’t sat in it together before…”

You lightly roll your eyes and walk up to the back seat with Kate.

The lights dim and people are crunching away on popcorn as the film starts. Kate leans against you and you weren’t sure how you felt about it. On one hand, you really liked it but on the other, you didn’t want to develop feelings for your best friend, especially if she doesn’t feel the same way. You adjust slightly and she sits up and looks at you.

“What?” You whisper.

“I have something to say.”

“Okay…”

“I really like you.”

“I mean I’d hope so. We see each other all the time.”

“No I mean I like–like you.”

Your eyes are wide looking at Kate as you sit there frozen, not sure what to say.

“I’m sorry, I know I should’ve said something sooner but we sleep together all the time and I didn’t want things to be weird between us.” She sais quietly.

You’re still sitting there not sure what to say. Kate looks at you with worry on her face like she just messed up the best friendship she ever had. You grab her face with both of your hands and pull her in for a kiss. Her eyes are closed but shoot open when your lips make contact and then slowly close again. She leans into it pulling you tightly against her. The two of you were so infatuated with each other that you didn’t realize how quiet the movie got.

“You know we can hear you sucking each other faces right?” Yelena says.

“What was that you were saying about being just friends?” Natasha says with a smirk.

The two of you pushed apart and leaned back in your seat with your faces glowing red from embarrassment. You continue to watch the movie when you feel Kate’s hand make its way into yours. You look at her hand entangled with yours and then look up at her with a warm smile. You kiss her on the cheek and lean into her chest. “Are you that invested in this movie?” You ask.

“Not. One. Bit.” She says back.

The two of you have these mischievous smiles on your faces as she pulls you up and the two of you slowly sneak out the back door so that nobody would see. You knew that the two of you were about to have the best night of your lives and thank god Yelena and Natasha decided to mess with you earlier.

-- The End --

[mushroomlupin]

Chamomile Tea and Wet Hair

Pairing: natasha romanoff x reader (the reader's gender isn't specified)

Summary: you and natasha are living out your dreams of a domestic lifestyle in your new home together as a couple. one night, you make her chamomile tea and offer to blow dry her wet hair for her

A/N: this was previously posted as a yelena belova x reader before I found out that she's aro-ace, and I didn't want to erase her identity so I'm re-uploading as a natasha x reader :)

Requested: yes or no (please feel free to send in some requests!)

Warnings: brief mentions of making out and sex

Word Count: 789

Masterlist & Ao3

Natasha had never known peace until you came along—and you, her. You had been a Hydra experiment when she and the Avengers found you, saved you. Your dark, unspeakable past was something the both of you had in common. The two of you also craved a domestic lifestyle due to this; a life neither of you thought you’d ever get the chance to have. And after a year of a novel-worthy slow-burn romance, the two of you finally decided to get your own home together—also, because your colleagues complained about walking in one too many times on the two of you in a steamy make out session while training.

For example, one day at the compound when Cap had told her that she'd be training with him instead of her usual companion, the redhead was confused.

“But I was gonna train with Y/n today," Nat stated.

“Not anymore," Cap corrected.

“Why not?”

“Because when you both ‘trained’ last week, Sam walked into the gym to lift, and the two of you were rolling around on the floor, sucking each other’s faces off!”

So you bought a cozy cabin on a lake in a quiet area, giving you both the peace and serenity you’d desired your whole, chaotic lives. And that’s exactly where you were when you heard your lovely girlfriend approach you.

You were seated on your favorite chair in the house: a deep-cushioned flannel seat big enough for the two of you to snuggle on. A tall lamp stood beside it, providing a warm light for you whilst you read the novel in your hands. Turning the page of your book, you grabbed your mug and sipped on the tea you had made. Chamomile—Natasha’s favorite. You had another mug next to yours, waiting for her when she got out of the shower. It was the little things you did for her that you knew she appreciated the most.

Her feet padded against the wooden floors, leaving damp footprints behind that reflected the lamp's yellow-toned light. She was wearing sweatpants— your sweatpants, you noted—and an over-sized t-shirt. Her hair was wet and freshly brushed, leaving droplets behind her on the floor in addition to the footprints. Her hair looked an even darker shade of red whilst wet. Was it closer to a shade of crimson, or perhaps burgundy, you debated to yourself as you admired your lover.

Her shirt also bore a damp mark from where her hair had hung. You knew she’d scold herself later for not blow drying her hair and getting her pillow all wet, and you smiled to yourself. You’d offer to blow dry it for her before that happened and for that, you knew she’d be grateful. Her body was probably sore enough from the mission she’d been on with Clint all day, anyway.

She noticed the tea awaiting her and she smiled lazily. You could tell she was getting sleepy. You closed your book, tossing it onto the coffee table and opening your arms for her. She gladly accepted your embrace, climbing into your lap and nestling her face into your neck. You could smell the sweet aromas of her shampoo and body wash.

She moved to grab her tea before nestling back against you with her mug in her hands. She sipped, letting out a gentle hum at the flavor.

“Thank you, love,” she murmured, reaching up to place a soft peck against your jaw.

You kissed her temple. “Of course.”

You let her sip her tea in silence, drawing patterns against her arm as you listened to her slow, soft breaths. And once you saw that she'd begun to reach the bottom of her mug, you nudged her hair with your nose.

“Wanna go upstairs so I can dry your hair?”

She turned to look at you, pupils dilating.

“Would you?” she asked, her voice becoming raspy with drowsiness. “Oh, you’d be a lifesaver.”

You nodded, smiling, admiring the way she gawked at your offer. You took so much pleasure in taking care of your girlfriend.

She got off of your lap and you followed her up the stairs and into the bathroom where she sat on the toilet seat cover whilst you dried her hair.

After her hair was floofy and dried to your satisfaction, you braided it into a single braid down her back. The both of you shortly got into bed, entangling your legs almost immediately after getting under the covers.

“I would fuck you for doing all of this for me, but I’m afraid I may fall asleep,” she confessed playfully.

You shook your head, laughing. “Maybe tomorrow, then.”

“Tomorrow, then,” she confirmed, chuckling, leaning to kiss the tip of your nose.

[buckyismybicycle]

[PART 19] TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE (DAD!BUCKY X TEACHER!READER)

Title: teach me how to love - AO3 Pairing: Bucky x Reader (teacher) Rating: Explicit (for Chapter 9 & 12) Tags/Warnings: godfather!Bucky, canon-typical violence/death of character, fluff, angst, learning disability, almost a spy AU, PTSD, nightmares, mentions of anxiety, oral/penetrative sex, body modification, pain and angst, hurt/comfort

PREVIOUS CHAPTER | [series masterlist] | [overall masterlist]

Author’s Note: OKAY hopefully I've hammered it home that Bucky's really struggling, and maybe not letting everyone in to see but he's getting there! Some big decisions are made/talked about here, sorry if it seems a littler filler-ish, it's just really important that I flesh out any doubts about Bucky being in a bad spot or that he hurt reader foolishly, etc.

We're setting up for something big to happen as worlds start to collide/mix! I have loved introducing characters to one another (Clint & Tony, Sam & Riley) so the plan is slowly get everyone face to face at some point or another. Hooray, world building! Toddler-sized shoutouts are still happening - check this little announcement.

By the time Sam brings Yelena home, it was almost as though you and Bucky had fallen back into step. It was astonishing how easily you two could slip back into where you were before all of this had happened, how easy it was to be in love again.

Once you could both admit it, it was like there was nothing holding you back.

In some ways, this has actually made you two closer. Sam offers to drive you home, so you say goodbye to the Barnes-Romanov family.

“Will you be at school tomorrow?” Yelena asks with wide, puppy eyes.

“Well, I was thinking just one more day, and then I’ll be back. How’s that sound?”

“But we want you to come back now!” Yelena tells you. “The new teacher doesn’t like paints, he says it's too messy!”

At that, you frowned. “That’s not very fun. How about this, I’ll call the school tomorrow and tell them that you need to pair, and then I’ll be back the next day. Okay?”

“Okay,” she agrees, and comes forward to give you a hug. Over shoulder, you see Bucky taking in the scene with the softest look on his face.

You go to hug Bucky after and whisper in his ear, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Sam drives you home, he surprises you with a tidbit of information.

“So, I met Riley…”

“Oh, god, that wasn’t the introduction I had in mind.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. He just asked me what it looked in there, if he had to bust in to back you up or something. He’s a good friend.”

“The best, actually,” you correct jokingly. “Don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“Seems there’s a lot of return favours,” Sam laughs. “He told me a few stories from your college years. Sweetcheeks.”

You were going to die of embarrassment. “Oh my god, he didn’t - wait, you were the impromptu date he went on?”

“Oh, he called it a date did he? Funny, he was pretty adamant that it wasn’t a date.”

“You should only believe about 30% of what he tells you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sam grins. You think Sam and Riley would make an adorable couple! Vowing to grill Riley about it later, you ask Sam what his plans were for the kiddos tomorrow, with Hallowe’en coming up.

“I was thinking Sarah and I could take the boys out, and maybe Yelena, if she wants to come with us. Not sure if Bucky will be up for it or not, he seems like he’s still in a lot of pain.”

“Have you, um, seen it?” You have to wonder if anyone knows the extent of his injuries.

“Just briefly, when he had the bandages changed. It doesn’t look… pleasant.”

“I can’t imagine how it feels,” you say, a little saddened that you didn’t know much about it.

“I work with a lot of vets, and each one has a different story,” Sam divulges. “But the one thing they have in common is that they’ve been in pain. A lot of them still are, but every person suffers through something and it’s not always easy to reach out for help. Some of them have never known what it feels like to be offered help. Some have wounded pride. Some have nobody to turn to.” It sounded like he was trying to gently warn you or give you advice, and you were completely open to it.

“You have tons of experience in this. I’m sure there’s no two people with the same experience, but if, you know, you had any advice on how I could best help, would you let me know?”

He gives you a wide, gap-toothed smile that makes you feel better about it already.

“The fact that you are willing to listen and learn already does wonders,” he praises. “Bucky’s going to need a lot of support but he won’t take it. He’s not being rude, he’s not trying to push you away, not intentionally. And he’ll probably be moody, I’ve seen plenty of people hit a rough patch. Do you have the ability to not take it personally?”

“Of course,” you answer right away, but he fixes you with a look at a red light.

“It’s not something you can agree to so lightly,” he reminds you. “Some people, if they’re cranky enough, will say things they don’t mean. You’ve already gone through it once, could you handle that again?”

“Yes,” you respond after a few moments of deep silence. “I didn’t think about what he might’ve been going through, I didn’t know back then. But I know now.”

“You’re a good one,” Sam says fondly. “I don’t want to see you hurt either, you know. It’s just that something like this can flip someone’s world completely upside down. They have to re-learn how to do things they’ve been doing their whole lives. And Bucky, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, is a pretty independent person. He’s not the type to ask for help. And there’s the matter of supplying for Yelena.”

“He’s done such a good job,” you lament. “I can’t imagine him ever failing Yelena in any way, regardless of his physical abilities.”

“That’s what we all think, but Bucky’s priority has always been Yelena. He loves her, anyone can tell, but I think there’s something deep inside him that links caring for Yelena to honouring Nat.”

You shouldn’t be surprised that Sam knows about her, he and Bucky do spend quite a bit of time together and Sam has a way of getting people to open up without even trying. Now, you were curious as to what Sam was getting at. You knew that Bucky saw a lot of his friend in the little girl - the photographs

“What do you mean by that, exactly?”

“Between you and me, I have a feeling that he thinks if he lets Yelena down in some way, he’s letting Nat down too. He carries an immense amount of guilt for her death -”

“Which is crazy!” You couldn’t help the outburst.

“I know,” Sam agrees with a shake of his head. “But it’s something very deep-rooted in him. He hasn’t taken the time for himself to heal, to talk about it. There’s only so much we can do as his friends, but he should really see someone. I think he planned to, but then this whole thing with his arm happened. These recent events are only going to push him further down this hole he’s unknowingly burrowed himself into.”

“Thanks Sam, that’s incredibly insightful of you. He’s - I’m so glad he has you. And Clint and his family.”

“And you,” Sam adds, and you can’t help but blush slightly at that.

---

“Hey best friend.”

“Hello best friend that is keeping secrets from me,” you answer flippantly.

“I was getting to it! But you first. What happened? What did he say?”

You spend a few long minutes explaining to Riley what went down, how you felt and how those feelings changed rapidly.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Duh?”

“You don’t have to rehash this if you don’t want to,” you start gently. “It’s just that, when you were going through rehab, did you at any point feel like you couldn’t tell me how you were feeling?”

There’s a beat of silence before Riley hums as he thinks.

“I guess? Not that it was anything to do with you, of course. It just kind of felt like it was something I had to get myself out of, you know?”

“But if you really needed it, you would’ve let me know?”

“Probably? I mean, for the most part I had to do it on my own, it was a lot of physical therapy so it’s not like someone could’ve done it for me. Fuck, that woulda been a lot easier. Why, what’s up?”

“Bucky had his arm removed, the prosthetic. It was damaged or something, and they had to take it off, but it’s gone now. They scrapped it.”

“Aw, man. That can’t be easy. Look, I don’t know what it’s like for him but when I had to re-learn how to use my muscles, it almost felt like I’d never get it. I was lucky, [y/n], can you believe that? I didn’t lose any limbs but it came damn near close, and it was the most scared I had ever been.”

“I just don’t know how to help, without overstepping. I know you didn’t like that very much either. Did I ever do something during your rehab that you wish I hadn’t?”

“Hmmmm, I don’t think so? I’m gonna be honest I was kinda loopy for most of it. I guess the babying was a bit much? Like, I liked it, but it also made me feel kinda weak. I knew it wasn’t what you were trying for so I never said anything. In the end, it did me a world of good anyway.”

You remembered how Bucky had stiffened and shut down when you were corralling him to the kitchen to eat, and it was making more sense to you now.

“Thanks, Riley. I’m sorry if I made you feel -”

“Alright stop right there. You’re the reason I made it through the hardest years of my life. Now sit down so I can tell you about Sam…”

---

When you arrive at Bucky’s the next morning, he already looks infinitely better, though still a little pale, circles dark beneath his eyes. Yelena was ready for school, dressed from head to toe like a ladybug, her hair almost the same shade as her costume.

As promised, you phoned in to request the supply teacher let the kids paint, telling him that he could leave all the paintbrushes in the sink. You’d get to them upon your return.

“Have a good day at school!” To your surprise, she hugs your legs with a beaming smile, the pompoms on her headband bobbing wildly, before tackling Bucky’s uninjured side.

“Be good for Sam,” Bucky tells her, placing a kiss to the top of her nose. “I promise we can go trick-or-treating after dinner.”

“YAY!” She flings her arms in the air, the wings on her outfit fluttering from the action.

After Bucky shuts the door, he turns to you with a small smile. “You didn’t have to come babysit me.”

He watches as you unload some groceries that you had picked up last night, hoping to give him a few day’s worth of stuff so as to not worry.

“I’m not here to babysit you,” you roll your eyes fondly. “I’m here to watch your favorite movie with you, Frozen!”

Bucky’s face turns horrified before you start to laugh. When he joins in, your heart swoops at the way his whole face seems to brighten.

“C’mon, how about we actually watch something, and just take it easy today.”

His body relaxes again, and you can’t help but watch him as he putters around the kitchen. There’s still an uncertainty to his movements but he gets glasses down, one at a time. He looks a little uncertain, but he opens the fridge door and continues at his slower pace. You bite your tongue, casually checking your phone to busy your hands.

He passes you your glass of water and has to turn back for his own, before you settle in. At this point, the TV is background noise because you can’t stop looking at him, studying his features.

He clears his throat. “I want you to know. I - I just don’t know how. To tell you.”

“It’s okay,” you assure him. “I mean, you can tell me when you’re ready.”

“I am ready,” Bucky says in frustration. “I want you to know but it’s like every time I try to tell you, I lose all the words.”

“Then I’ll wait ‘til you find ‘em again,” you shrug.

“What if I never find them?”

“I’ll still be here,” you tell him with a soft kiss to his cheek.

---

Bucky’s heart could leap out of his chest when you kiss him, soft and easy like there’s not a giant elephant in the room. Like he hasn’t just been skimming the details because he doesn’t know how to tell you how much it fucking hurt without coming off as weak.

So he keeps his mouth shut, lets you cozy into his right side while his left continues to radiate a steady, dull pain. Whatever Tony and Dr. Reyes had done, he knew it was top-notch work. He had been in much more pain when the KGB had done this. But the medical stuff flew over his head. When they were in Russia, he’d been entirely focused on not screwing up the paperwork to get himself and Yelena out of there, not the arm. He figured, well, he was getting out of the game, nothing would happen, right?

And Tony, well Tony talked a mile a minute, it’s hard to keep up with him on just about any subject. So he tells you what you can, and how he wishes he could re-do it. By the end, he starts slurring his words, a sign that the medication is pulling him into sleep. Whatever is playing on TV is something you’ve already seen before because you make some offhand comments about what’s happening, and he lets himself slip further and further away from consciousness. He hardly remembers you shuffling to bed, and doesn’t remember if he asked you to stay or not, but it doesn’t matter because you’re there when he wakes up anyway.

And maybe he can’t describe, with words, what he’d gone through, but he can show you. A fresh wave of self-consciousness overcomes him, reminding him of the first time you’d asked him to take his shirt off. He fiddles with the hem before slowly pulling it up, and he even lets you help him take it the rest of the way off.

His shoulder is still neatly wrapped in bandage and fabric. You almost wouldn’t be able to tell there was an injury there except for the fact that it spreads out from the shoulder all the way down his side, past his ribs.

The scar isn’t inflamed, but still quite red, the sutures all lined up neatly.

“Oh, Bucky,” you can’t help but whisper. Instinctually, you reach out gingerly to touch him. You avoid the delicate tissue but your fingers graze just next to it, the skin heated and flushed beneath your fingertips.

“Yeah, it’s - well, it’s bad. And it looks disgusting -”

“It’s not.” You can see by the way Bucky holds himself, jaw clenched, fingers twitching, and how he talks about himself that he feels really self-conscious about himself. That’s a feeling you know all too well, wanting to hide in on yourself. “Bucky, look at me.”

When he does, his eyes are the brightest blue, just as you remember, and you smile down at him.

“You don’t have to hide anything from me,” you assure him.

“How’d I get so lucky?” His look is soft and sleepy, hair a little mussed from laying down and he looks like a dream. You lean down to kiss him, to show him that you couldn’t care less about what he looked like. His lips are soft and unrushed. His hand comes to cup your cheek sweetly, and you smile into the kiss. Strands of your hair fall down to tickle his face. He’s beautiful beneath you, despite having been broken down. He looks like a man who’d just gone through hell, but wants to keep fighting, someone who’s been given a terrible hand but steels himself and braves the worst of it with a smile.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

“Thank you, for giving me a second chance,” he murmurs against your lips.

“I would give you anything,” you reply honestly. Maybe you’ve missed him, the feel of his lips, the way he smells, the heat under your palms. Or, all of it.

You’ve missed him. And from the way he’s kissing you back, he missed you just as much - maybe more. His hand travels down your side, and it makes you shiver. Was it terrible to want him, when he was in pain? Was it selfish to just want him when he was clearly in an emotional state?

You force yourself to retreat, and stare down at him, face open and vulnerable. His lips are plump and shiny and he’s looking up at you with bedroom eyes, pupils dilated a fraction. God, he wants it too.

“You know, Bucky, I’m not going anywhere. I’m sorry for, um, rushing things, I didn’t mean to -”

Bucky brings you back to his lips and kisses you deeper. The intensity of it makes your body flare with desire. Bucky turns underneath you and pulls away.

“God, I want you,” Bucky confesses. “I’ve missed you. I just - can't right now.”

“We’re in no rush,” you remind him, tampering down your appetite. You’re content to lay your head on his shoulder, letting him twirl his fingers in your hair. You two chat mindlessly, and you like the way you can feel his lips move against your forehead when he talks.

“So, uh, I wanted to talk to you about some things.” He sounds nervous, his fingers in your hand stilling.

“Anything, Buck.”

“Remember how I said that Tony had helped me with the arm and stuff?”

“Yeah?”

You let Bucky untangle himself from you to sit up in bed. He has to reach across himself to pick up his phone, fiddling with it before he opens his conversations.

“Tony sort of made me an offer. I haven’t, uh, gotten back to him. I just don’t know about all of this.”

“What’s he offering?”

Bucky tells you about the designs Tony has drafted, and how guilty he feels for the man’s extra work already.

“I don’t know how I could ever repay him,” Bucky finishes glumly.

“He’s your friend,” you point out. “He’s helping you because he wants to, not because he’s looking for payment.”

“But… I - I’m not sure I’m worth all this effort.”

“God, Buck, please.” You hug him tightly, his face buried in your neck where you can feel the hot exhale of his breath. “It might be hard for you to see this about yourself, I know what that’s like, but everyone in your life cares about you. So much. You should think about it.”

“What do you think I should do?” Bucky’s brows were furrowed as he stared at the latest message from Tony.

“I think… That it’s a decision you’ll need to make for yourself. Whatever you pick, you’ll have everyone’s support, Buck. But you’re the only one who can say yes or no. What do you want?”

“I want… I want to go back to how I was before, but I know I can’t. But I can’t imagine living with only one arm, I mean, everything I do - my job, the chores, it’s - I just can’t.”

“Forget all that for a moment, Buck. Focus on what would make you happy. The rest can be figured out. So let’s say you don’t get a new prosthetic. Would having one arm really be so bad?”

“There’s a lot of things that I can’t do with just one arm.”

“Like what?”

“Hold you the way I want,” he says with such an earnest look that you don’t even think he’s being cheesy on purpose. You shake your head fondly at him, and it’s worth the blush on your face to see him smiling, albeit a bit tightly.

“I want to play with Yelena, I want to keep doing my work… I,” he takes a deep breath. “I think I want the new arm.”

“Okay,” you back him up as naturally as breathing. You brush the hair from his forehead to plant a soft peck.

“Okay,” he breathes out in relief. Maybe, he can do this after all.

NEXT CHAPTER | Series Masterpost by Chapter | [overall masterlist]

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[witch-city]

hi! can we pls get a yelena x reader where yelena introduces r to natasha and the rest of the avengers and is like nervous for it because she wants them to get along? thank you!! :))

nervous

marvel masterlist | marvel headcanons | navigation

yelena belova x reader

word count: 1.1k words

a/n: ok so i love y'all for all the yelena requests (am i addicted to her? maybe, but so are y'all). anyways, i just went with the original 6 for ease...it isn't my best, but whatever. enjoy :)

warnings: none, just hella fluff

requests are open!

Finally, the day had come. At long last, you were finally going to meet the Avengers. More importantly, you were going to meet Natasha, someone Yelena regarded as a sister. You knew they had grown up together and some common information about her, but other than that, you were essentially clueless. You knew nearly nothing of her past, especially the more "criminal" parts as one might describe them.

Though you didn't know, Yelena was incredibly nervous. She felt more nervous about this than she did for any of the missions she went on. Before you woke up, she even puked. Nevertheless, she hid it well enough to go unnoticed. She kept reassuring herself that her worries were unfounded. She had no reason to think they wouldn't like you. But with that being said, she knew they could be...judgy. For all she knew, Natasha could be in one of those moods she had every so often where she was just so incredibly dismissive, and maybe Tony would try to pick you apart until all you had left were your flaws. Maybe Clint had better things to do with his family, or Thor was off chasing Loki, or Bruce was doing his science experiments or something like that. What if Steve was...no, everything will be fine. "Nothing to worry about," she mumbled to herself on the drive over to the complex.

You noticed how she shifted her grip on the steering wheel slightly and the residual sweat left there that coated her palms. Placing a gentle hand on her thigh, you gave her a sympathetic look as if to say that everything will be fine. At that, her nerves eased a bit, as did her iron-tight grip on the steering wheel. Her tense form seemed to soften, and as you slowly rubbed your thumb up and down, she seemed to return to serenity.

Soon enough, you arrived at the complex. You unbuckled your seat belt and were about to hop out when you noticed that Yelena was just staring forward. "Lena, it's okay to be nervous. And if you don't want to do this today, that's totally okay."

"No. No, I want to do this. Do you?"

"I want to do whatever you want to do."

After a deep breath, the blonde unbuckled herself and got out, walking around the car to lead you into the building. Before going inside, she paused, taking another deep breath. You turned to her, placing your hands on her cheeks. "We'll be okay, regardless of what they say. Alright?"

Her smile returned once again as she pulled you in for a quick kiss. Once your lips parted after a few seconds, she took your hand for the second time and brought you inside. Walking through the foyer, you made your way to the lounge where everyone had agreed to meet. Everyone was waiting there– Steve, Tony, Clint, Thor, Bruce, and most importantly, Natasha.

"Oh, hey, you're here. Almost thought you wouldn't show up," Tony joked, earning himself an unimpressed glance from you.

"Stark."

"Alright, grandpa," the billionaire said in response to Steve's somewhat authoritarian comment to keep him in check.

"Lady Yelena, who is this friend you have brought," Thor asked as he was, of course, completely clueless as to what this meeting was for.

"Everyone...this is (Y/N), who I told you about. And we are..."

"Dating," you chimed happily.

The group went silent. You were worried that maybe saying that had given them a bad impression of you. Yelena felt it too. You were suddenly engulfed with a wave of relief as Clint said, "Nice." Though the comment was small and honestly fairly confusing, you just went with it.

Steve stood up and walked over toward you two, a welcoming smile on his face and an outstretched hand to shake, which you did eagerly. "It's good to meet you. Glad to see Yelena's found somebody for her." As he dropped his hand back down to his waist, you grabbed your wrist, your mouth hanging open in shock that you had just shaken hands with the Captain America. How cool was that!

Yelena giggled quietly at your little moment before returning her attention back to the team. "Ah! I see, Lady Yelena has come courting with you. I cannot allow you two to be together until you beat me in arm wrestling."

You stared at him askance, not sure whether or not he was joking. Luckily, Bruce patted him on the arm, leading him into another room as he said, "Not now, Thor." The scientist turned for a moment, waving to you. "It was nice to meet you!"

Your attention shifted back to Tony when he walked up to you, stroking his chin as he was seemingly deep in thought. "You're not an assassin too, right? I think our quota has been reached." You laughed lightly, shaking your head. "No, no. I'm nowhere near coordinated enough to even cut bread evenly. My chances of being an assassin are next to none."

"I hope you're not lying. I wouldn't be able to tell," Tony chimed as he walked away with Steve.

And at last, there was only one person you had yet to meet: Natasha Romanoff. She was just lounging on the couch, waiting for everyone to clear out so she could speak with just you and Yelena. Speaking of Yelena, she took your hand and led you to the opposite couch. She lightly squeezed your hand in hopes of easing her nerves, which had begun skyrocketting since she realized that Nat had been silent the whole time.

"Natasha."

"Yelena."

"So? What do you think?"

The redhead's glance turned to you, looking you up and down for a moment before staring at you. Her stare was a strong mix of intent and intense that made your palms sweat.

"Are you going to answer my question, or am I going to have to guess?"

"Hmm. Do you like Yelena?" Natasha's question was quite confusing. What did she mean by that? Did she think you were just using her to get closer to the Avengers? You didn't know why she asked, but you definitely liked her.

You nodded, raising your eyebrows. "Yeah, very much so. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just making sure."

And with that, Natasha was gone. "Well, considering everything, that went well. And Natasha likes you. She hates to show it, but I could tell."

"Oh, good." Looking around, you realized that literally everyone was gone. "Well, they cleared out fast."

"No need to stick around then. We don't need them regretting liking you."

"Definitely not. I'm not eager to be disliked by some of the most powerful people on the planet... but it wouldn't be so bad. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you like me, and I like you."

"I do."

"Save it for the altar," you joked, snickering as the two of you left the building hand-in-hand.

[the-widow-sisters]

Never Too Big

Summary: Three times that Yelena makes up an excuse to sit on her big sister's lap and one time she doesn't. Natasha just feels blessed to have her sister so close. Well, that is, when Yelena's not doing it to be irritating.

Word Count: 2416

  The first time that Yelena sat in Natasha’s lap since they were children in Ohio was one afternoon when Yelena returned from her trip to the nearest convenience store where she had gotten one of those cheap crushed ice smoothie things. Natasha had been working out and had just finished changing her clothes when she sat down in Yelena’s favorite armchair. Yelena walked through the front door shortly after she took the seat.

   “Welcome home…. Were they out of the smoothies?” Natasha questioned hopefully as she heard Yelena dropping her bag on the table. Yelena laughed humorlessly and Natasha could not help the grin that came onto her face in response to the girl.

  “Nope. The machines were full, and I got a cherry-flavored one,” Yelena responded, and Natasha’s smile dropped as she scrunched her nose in slight disgust.

  “Gross,” Natasha expressed wholeheartedly.

  “You just don’t know what tastes good,” Yelena shot back as she entered the living room, pausing immediately just in front of the armchair that Natasha was currently slumped in. Natasha shifted her gaze up to look at the blonde who was currently staring down at her.

  “That’s my seat. Move,” Yelena spoke, but Natasha could hear the slight teasing in her voice, and the redhead knew that she was just trying to mess with her.

  “No. I’m resting,” Natasha replied, closing her eyes as she sunk in more deeply in the armchair. Her muscles were aching from her particularly exerting workout earlier, and every part of her hurt too much. It made her realize that she was perhaps getting too old for this sort of effort.

  “How is your butt taking up that much space? Move over and let me sit,” Yelena informed her, and Natasha shook her head, reopening her eyes to look at Yelena in disbelief.

  “There’s a literal couch right over there,” Natasha informed her, and Yelena just raised an eyebrow as she stared at her sister with a challenge in her eyes. Natasha reciprocated the gaze with just as strong of resolve as the blonde.

  However, to Natasha’s utmost surprise, Yelena just suddenly spun around and sat down on Natasha’s legs, leaning back against Natasha’s front. Natasha huffed in surprise, and Yelena just happily sucked on her smoothie.

  “What are you doing?” Natasha asked, and Yelena shrugged.

  “Sitting in my spot.”

  “Well, it looks like you’re sitting on me,” Natasha bluntly informed her, and Yelena shifted her weight so that she was settled more heavily on Natasha. Natasha grunted with the force.

  “It feels that way, too,” Natasha added, her voice a little strained, and Yelena just wiggled so that she was more slumped against Natasha’s body and her head was resting just above Natasha’s shoulder as her rear end settled between Natasha’s legs comfortably.

  “You’re not very comfortable,” Yelena informed her, getting another swig of her drink as she flashed her honey-green eyes in Natasha’s direction. Natasha sighed deeply, a façade of aggravation on her face but her true emotions reflecting nothing of the sort.

  “Then go lay on the couch,” Natasha replied, but there was no real venom or insistence in her voice. It was mostly defeat since she knew how this was going to end. Yelena wanted to sit in that location and she definitely was not going to give in.

  Yelena just shook her head, snuggling closer to Natasha. Natasha just groaned before resting her head against Yelena’s shoulder and closing her eyes as Yelena watched the television with the sound turned down on it. She pulled her arm up and around Yelena’s waist as she pulled her back against her.

  Natasha knew her sister was just being stubborn, but Natasha was not going to let that get in the way of Natasha herself enjoying the close contact with her favorite person in the world.

  ……………………………………………………………………………………………

     The second time it happened, Natasha was trying to have an adult, civilized conversation with Clint Barton on her phone. They were facetiming because his kids had wanted to talk to their Auntie Nat, and she was much too soft-hearted toward them to turn them down, despite the fact that she did not enjoy facetiming at all.

  However, just when Clint had gotten the phone back and had started talking to Nat by himself, Yelena chose that moment to strike.

  She came up to the side of the couch where Natasha was sitting, staring at her insistently. Natasha just ignored her, continuing her conversation with Clint. She could feel Yelena’s glare more than she actually saw it, but if she focused on her peripheral vision, she could definitely see the furrowed eyebrows.

  She motioned to Yelena to tell her to give her a moment, and she could tell from the change in Yelena’s posture that this was not going to be good enough for her.

  But Natasha kept her focus on Clint. She could worry with Yelena’s drama later once she was off the phone.

  What she did not count on was the fact that Yelena was going to just plop down in her lap, squishing one of her arms that was holding the phone up which caused the phone to fall out of her hand. Natasha let out a noise of surprise, and Yelena just relaxed there, a giant smirk on her face as she eyed Natasha wickedly.

  “Clint, hang on! Yelena, what in the—”

  “I needed you to pay attention,” Yelena told her simply, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

  “Why?! What is it?!” Natasha demanded, wondering just what would warrant Yelena so rudely interrupting her and Clint’s conversation. From Yelena’s giant, cheese-eating grin, Natasha assumed that it was very likely a reason that was not worth all of the drama that Yelena had taken upon herself to create.

  “We’re out of sour cream and onion potato chips,” Yelena answered her simply before cackling. Natasha just groaned deeply, and she could hear Clint laughing from the phone’s place in the floor.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes! They’re my favorite and I needed to make sure you got them on the grocery list,”

  “It could’ve waited, though,” Natasha informed her, bending around her and grabbing the phone that had hit the floor. She was not really angry with the blonde, but she was slightly aggravated by her love of annoying the redhead.

  “No, it couldn’t have. Sour cream and onion is the best in the world and the fact that we have no more is an issue of Avenger-level importance,” Yelena declared, and Natasha sighed in slight irritation as she held the phone up so that it was above Yelena’s shoulder and facing Natasha.

  Clint was grinning widely.

  “Sounds like you need to get off the phone and go get her some potato chips,” Clint told her, and Yelena’s grin was as big as his. Natasha rolled her eyes and rested her chin on Yelena’s shoulder since it was so conveniently there to serve as a chinrest.

  “Yeah, Natashka. I’m hungry,” Yelena informed her, looking over at the older woman. Natasha shifted her gaze from the phone over to Yelena’s adoring gaze which, of course, the blonde likely did not know looked so loving when she was trying to be irritating.

  “You’re always hungry,” Natasha shot back, but her words did not possess the fire that she halfheartedly attempted to summon into them.

  “Hey, look at that, she’s got something in common with you, Barton,” Natasha added, raising an eyebrow at the man on the phone. He deflated a bit as she chuckled at his reaction.

  Yelena snuggled in a little further, making her own quip, and Natasha could not help but notice how comfortable the younger girl was in this situation.

  Of course, Natasha could not say anything since she was just as contented as the blonde.

   ……………………………………………………………………………………………

      The third time it happened, Natasha was peacefully sitting and quietly enjoying Melina’s company as the woman busied about in the kitchen and was working to serve dinner for their weird, dysfunctional little family.

  “Hello,” Yelena suddenly interrupted the atmosphere, marching through the door as if she had a definitive purpose and reason, and Melina turned her head with a slight smile.

  “Hello, dear,” Melina kindly replied, warmth in her voice as she addressed the girl. Natasha just smiled lovingly at her younger sister.

  “Hey, little one,” Natasha greeted, and Yelena narrowed her eyes as she stared at Natasha. However, there was an unhidden adoration in her gaze as she eyed the redhead. Natasha quirked an eyebrow, wondering what her younger sister was about to say to her.

  “I’ve got a bone to hack with you. I heard that you said—"

  “Pick,” Natasha interrupted, barely holding back a laugh as she relaxed in her chair, noting Melina’s disapproving glance at the slouching. Natasha was convinced that she was not slouching, but she straightened just a little to avoid Melina’s chastisement. Yelena immediately looked confused at Natasha’s interruption, and she blinked at her.

  “What?” Yelena questioned, her voice conveying her cluelessness.

  “A bone to pick. You said hack,” Natasha corrected, and Yelena narrowed her eyes. Natasha had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the younger girl’s expression and overall irritation with Natasha.

  “Whatever. I heard that you said I was not cute anymore,” Yelena informed her, and Natasha suddenly realized that the girl looked almost offended about the whole thing. Natasha might be slightly more worried about it if she did not remember the exact words she had uttered and knew that Yelena was blowing it way out of proportion.

  “I said you were all grown-up and not that same cute little girl anymore.”

  “SEE!!!” Yelena proclaimed accusingly, pointing her finger at Natasha, and Natasha just grinned in reply, feeling the urge to reach out and grab Yelena’s adorable chubby face that was shoved near Natasha’s own as she glared at her with that typical challenging expression.

  “I also said you’re very pretty now,” Natasha added, and Yelena just sniffed with indignation as she looked away from the redhead.

  “She doesn’t think I’m cute anymore,” Yelena announced to the room, her arms crossed, and Natasha just huffed a bit with laughter. Melina shook her head, choosing to avoid getting involved in this drama. However, judging by the barest hints of a smile on her face, she was enjoying the exchange.

  “I meant you’re just not a little girl anymore,” Natasha explained, feeling a bit of laughter bubbling up. Yelena narrowed her eyes.

   “Well, if I’m cuter as a little girl, I’ll behave like one then,” Yelena proclaimed before suddenly sitting on Natasha’s lap. Natasha huffed but wrapped her arms around Yelena’s waist to keep her in place.

  “You already behave like one. Look at the fit you just threw,” Natasha pointed out, and Yelena just leaned back so that she was squishing her shoulder against Natasha’s face in defiance. Natasha turned her head to the side, chuckling with a wide grin as she held onto the blonde.

  Natasha was beginning to think that Yelena just wanted an excuse to sit on her lap.

   ……………………………………………………………………………………………

      Natasha’s theory was fully confirmed when they were sleepily watching a movie, and Natasha’s eyelids were growing heavy. Yelena was right by her side, and her sister’s warmth was starting to lull her out of consciousness.

  In fact, Natasha was almost asleep when she suddenly felt a weight starting to move into her lap.

  She was dangerously close to opening her eyes in the midst of her somewhat confused and disoriented state, but she kept them shut as she waited to see what Yelena would do.

  To her surprise, Yelena wiggled her way very carefully into her lap, curling herself into a ball as she rested her head on Natasha’s shoulder in the crook of her neck. Natasha’s heart immediately melted with the girl’s touch and the love that she was obviously too worried to show while Natasha was conscious or seemed to be.

  Natasha waited a few moments longer before snaking her arms up and around Yelena. Yelena stiffened a tiny bit, frozen and almost seeming as if she were waiting on something. Natasha hummed under her breath with contentment, pressing a small kiss to Yelena’s head.

  “Mmm… Y’know, if you wanted to sit on my lap, you could’ve just done it a while ago,” Natasha informed her easily, her voice rough with sleep. She felt Yelena immediately loosen up in response to that and the blonde’s arms wrapped more tightly around Natasha as she nuzzled into the redhead’s neck.

  “You said I was not the same little girl, and we did this kind of thing when we were small,” Yelena replied in a mumble, and Natasha could feel the uncertainty coming off of her in waves. Natasha shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips.

  “Little one, you’ll never be too big to sit in my lap,”

  “I’m bigger than you,” Yelena informed her, and for once it was not even in her typical condescending, smug tone that she always took when the topic of their height was brought up. It had a significant undertone of insecurity and slight shame.

  “By one inch,” Natasha quickly replied, and Yelena chuckled a small bit before quickly falling silent.

  “Besides. I thought you said you didn’t mind touching in public.”

  “I don’t. I just worried that you would not want me sitting on you like a baby,” Yelena informed her, her accent growing thicker, and Natasha was almost sure that she was about to transition fully to Russian. It was something that the blonde always did when she was feeling insecure or was uncomfortable with something she had to say. However, the fact that they were alone must have contributed to the reason she remained speaking English.

  “I always want you close. I haven’t been able to hold you like this for over twenty years. I don’t care how old you are. I want you close to me and you don’t have to have an excuse for it,” Natasha informed her, and she could hear the small sniffle that sounded off somewhere near her neck. She could also feel the slight wetness against her skin.

  “Ya lyublyu tebya bol'she vsego ili kogo-libo,” Natasha admitted to her, and she could feel the smile pulling at Yelena’s lips. Natasha knew what it meant to the girl. It was something that Natasha herself had wanted to hear from someone for so long after she was able to escape the Red Room.

  “Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu.”

[higherfurther-romanova]

Wound Into A Widows Web (Pt. 1)

Warnings: Swearing, depression, dark themes, injury, near death, anxiety, possible implied smut in future chapters, rejection.

Word Count: 872

A/N: Thank you to @captain-josslett for this request, I am hoping for future chapters to be longer than this, I just know that you have been waiting a while for this and wanted to get it out to you asap. I hope you enjoy. <3

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

Your childhood was not normal in any way. Could you even call it a childhood? You spent time transferring between the red room and HYDRA. You’d spend a year or two in the red room and then another two in HYDRA’s control. Unlike Natasha, you were taught to trick your targets into falling in love with you and then turn on them. Natasha was taught that love is for children, though she would often seduce her targets, that’s one thing you two had in common, her tactics were often more graceful and quick. Your tactics were slow and graceful. Some of the more peaceful targets that made it out alive described it as being wound into a widow’s web. You, Natasha, and Yelena were often compared. Your fighting styles being so different yet so similar left everyone intrigued and made it easy to compare. The three of you have always had friendly encounters, there has always been something about Natasha that you liked, you just couldn’t pin point it. 

You met Wanda Maximoff early on in HYDRA. You never got to know her well until she and her brother ran away from HYDRA, taking you with them. You always had a feeling Wanda knew more about you than you did her for some reason. You later found out that it’s because she can read minds which you found intrusive at first but you got used to it. Wanda knew you were built for better, you didn’t deserve the treatment the Red Room and HYDRA gave you so she couldn’t bare to leave you. You were always close with both of the Maximoff twins. The day Pietro died, you were absolutely shattered beyond belief. 

Now there is no doubt in the fact that you love Natasha. If there were a stronger, better word to describe your feelings towards her, even that wouldn’t explain the way you felt. You’re so incredibly close that people sometimes question whether you’re dating or not. Sometimes you wonder if she feels the same towards you, the lingering touches, or the way she smiles so adorably when you walk into the room or when she sees you enter the room. 

You met Wanda Maximoff early on in HYDRA. You never got to know her well until she and her brother ran away from HYDRA, taking you with them. You always had a feeling Wanda knew more about you than you did her for some reason. You later found out that it’s because she can read minds which you found intrusive at first but you got used to it. Wanda knew you were built for better, you didn’t deserve the treatment the Red Room and HYDRA gave you so she couldn’t bare to leave you. You were always close with both of the Maximoff twins. The day Pietro died, you were absolutely shattered beyond belief. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

“(y/n/n)!” Wanda squeals as she enters the room. 

You move your arm from around Nat and stand up to greet the witch. She’d been on a mission with Clint and you hadn’t seen her since last week. You gently hugged the shorter woman and playfully smacked the archer across the head. 

“Hey! That wasn’t necessary.” He whines. 

You wink at him and walk back over to your girl- to your friend. She smiles at them both and throws an empty bottle at Clint before leaning into your touch again. 

“...Abuse… this is abuse.” He frowns. 

“Animal abuse, bird brain?” You chuckle. 

He shakes his head and chuckles. You catch Wanda’s questioning glance. She knows about your feelings towards the former assassin. You shake your head no. Wanda frowns and mouths, “Coward.” 

“You know what, Maximoff?” You raise an eyebrow and stand up, walking towards her. 

“(Y/L/N), come back, I’m cold!” Nat whines. 

“...Who in the hell are you and what have you done with Natasha?” Clint’s head snaps over to look at his best friend’s childish antics. 

“Fuck off, Barton.” She rolls her eyes. 

You sit back down next to her and she cuddles into your side causing your heart to flutter. I have to tell her. She deserves to know the truth. You think. You turn back to Wanda and Clint, silently asking if they could give you two a minute alone. They both leave a big smile upon the witch’s face. 

“Talia…” You say nervously. 

“(Y/n/n)...” She responds, sitting up to look at you. 

“Can… can we talk about something?” You ask. 

She has never seen you this nervous in the years she’s known you. “Of course?” She smiles reassuringly. 

“I uhm…” Come on, (y/l/n)... spit it out. “I like… no, Natalia, I love you.” You blurt. 

You see a mix of emotions swimming in her emerald green eyes, they’re swiftly cleared and replaced with a blank expression. You swear your heart is beating out of your chest. 

“Nat.... say something.” You chew on your lip in an attempt to keep your nerves under control. 

~~~~~~~~~~~⧗~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @imnotasuperhero​ @rooskaya-yelena​ @aaron-despair​ @natasha-danvers​

[renee-walker]

I have too many thoughts about Black Widow

+++++ many Black Widow spoilers below +++++

Tbh I hate me for how much I loved this damn movie. But the entire character of Natasha has literally always been specially designed to smack every single one of my kinks, and here we are almost a decade after I met her (because yeah, I met her on The Avengers and then went backwards to catch her other appearances). ANYWAY. A few super random thoughts in super random order:

Bless exactly everything about the Natasha/Yelena relationship. I worried when I learned the film’s general premise that they’d devote a shit ton of time to all the unresolved trauma between them, and they just didn’t. All the pain was there and they dealt with it, but they let the love win every time and I was HERE for it. (I get so exhausted by the damn “Is she trustworthy or not?” narrative. It’s boring.)

How is David Harbour so gross and so hot at the same time? I have questions. A lot of questions. Also, I adore him.

Dreykov was somehow both super cartoony and goofy yet also creepy af, and I think for me personally the creepy af factor was 110% about the way in which he stood too close to every woman he spoke to. I have huge issues with personal space, and his constant personal space invasion, particularly with Natasha, was the worst.

One thing I didn’t extra super love was Taskmaster/Antonia. I’m gonna let my feelings on that roll around in my brain for a while and watch the whole thing again in a few days before I even attempt to articulate what my issues are, but that aspect of the plot just wasn’t my fave.

The whole theme of female autonomy of the lack thereof is obviously super disturbing, and that’s also an issue I need to let percolate for a while. But lbr, it’s super common to consider women more or less a commodity, and I appreciated the movie’s willingness to call a spade a spade in that regard.

Because I continue to live under a rock, this is my first Florence Pugh movie, and wow she’s just delightful. I will forever be a sucker for actors who could chew the scenery but don’t (whether due to their own good choices or quality direction). Understatement will get me every damn time, and she did understatement soooo well. The “American Pie” scene with Alexei is a great example. It could have been just gross and manipulative but her acting choices (and David Harbour’s, but I already knew that;) were stellar. And yes, I sobbed to the level of gross snot at the after credits scene. Ugh.

Which brings me to the part where I WILL DIE MAD ABOUT CLINT AND NAT. I have absolutely accepted that this is just another thing I’ll die mad about. This fucking movie really had to give me Nat offhand noticing arrows and the image of the two of them smushed up in a tiny space playing tic tac toe. Just hearing her say his name makes my stomach do flippy things. I need to write some angsty super AU porn or something because this is some bullshit. They should have been together and she shouldn’t have died, and that’s that on that.

Yelena mocking Nat’s fighting stance is life.

I made an out loud snorty noise when Nat hit Alexei in the face.

Rachel Weisz is irritatingly beautiful.

When Nat said “Thank you for your cooperation” I was lifted in an actual other dimension.

I absolutely knew that Yelena would get a dog and still got cartoonishly emo when she did.

I’m never gonna think about Yelena’s fucking vest without wanting to cry. Just the whole thing where it’s the first piece of clothing she ever purchased entirely of her own free will and it’s so basic and dippy but so deeply important to her, and the way the movie weaves that thread into the whole part where almost all baby sisters want their older sisters to think their fashion choices are cool just . . . *sobs incoherently*

I know I’m forgetting shit but I’ll stfu for now. My exhausted brain hasn’t been enthusiastic about anything fictional in a hot minute, so I’m just all appreciation! I’d love to hear thoughts if you guys have them.

[elcorhamletlive]

unfortunately it's a day that ends with an y and therefore i just remembered another issue i have with black widow

my mom just saw it and we were talking about the final scene and she talked about how silly she found and it hit me: wouldn't yelena... know who clint is? like she mentions thor at the begginning of the movie and she knows about natasha's fighting poses, so she has been keeping with avengers news. also i'm pretty sure natasha mentions clint by name when talking about budapest. wouldn't yelena take a look at that picture and find it slightly unlikely that "the man who murdered natasha" is the one who was one of her closest friends?

and like, even if she still didn't trust clint or whatever, shouldn't the way natasha died be common knowledge in the mcu? she very much willingly gave her life to bring back the victims of the snap - surely the remaining avengers told people about this??? why would yelena think she was murdered????

i guess you can explain it away by saying yelena doesn't care about context, she's just hurt that natasha is gone and wants to deal with that by killing someone. ...but that is still kind of a shitty reason for her to go after natasha's former best friend? and even if she is confused about how it happened because no one in the avengers told the press details, it's the kind of thing that would take aproximately one minute to resolve if yelena talked to anyone who knows the context at all? it's such a stupid way to keep yelena involved in this franchise??? oh my god

[martelldoran]

OMG OMG OMG PLEASE GIVE ME ANY AND ALL HEAD CANONS YOU HAVE FOR BUDAPEST

omg bec! 🤩🤩🤩

okay okay, so the working title of Budapest is currently ‘Arabesque’ and I would be lying if i said it didn’t give me all the feels already.

so, the thought is that it would be a tandem story with one thread running from natasha’s entrance into the red room to her ‘graduation’ and the other from her arrival in budapest through to her arriving in the states with clint. they would show her progression, who she was, how she came to be and where she’s going, kind of tying together through common themes and acting as mirrors to one another. that’s the vision and goal. how i’m going to do that in practise is another beast! but we dream big over here @ martelldoran HQ. 😂

she and yelena arrive in budapest with the directive to kill some prominent political figures. they have a sisterly relationship that’s somewhat strained but they’re all that each other really have. they used to fight a lot as children, desperate to out do one another, hell, they’ve tried to kill one another more times than either can count just in a bid to be the very best. it’s something that’s cooled now that they’re older and are surer of their respective positions. but really, it’s hard not to have a respect and fondness for someone when you’ve survived out in frigid temperatures together after being dropped on some remote mountain top only to be told ‘find your way home or die trying’. and they’re both stubborn as all hell. so they teamed up in the interests of survival and it kind of stuck them both together after that. 

one thing i’m almost sure i haven’t shared here before is to do with the red room graduation ‘ceremony’. we know from aou that they were expected to kill an innocent as part of their final test and that got me wondering who it could be. nat obviously hesitates before following through and my thought was, what if she knew the person. so there would be an element of her relationship with this boy, dimitri, who lived near the compound. they met one day while out in the forest and nat, she’s barely more than this feral child who’s suspicious of everyone and everything. she’s hungry and hurting and he shows her a kindness that sticks with her throughout the story. they have a tentative friendship at first but it’s something that grounds her back to reality but also stops her from being completely loyal to the ladies of the red room and their higher agenda. so, of course, they find out about this boy with his curls and kind eyes and sweet mouth and force a bag over his head to present to our little spider as the ultimate test of loyalty. 

naturally, clint/dimitri are foils to one another and when faced with the same choice so many years later, natasha chooses clint and the exit strategy he’s offering. yelena on the other hand, does not.

i’m sure this very much all over the place but i hope i could feed the hype just a little bit more for you, love. 😉😉😉

thanks for playing. 

Director’s Cut: ask me about my fics?