Russian translations are down below.

xxx

Yelena frantically paced around Natasha's room at the compound, her fists clenched at her sides. She had come in here hoping to run into her, hoping with the part of her brain not seeing red that she could help her. She wondered if anyone who looked at her could see steam coming out of her ears.

None of the other Avengers dared to question the assassin as she stormed past them to get to this location.

Tony was tempted to say something, as he always did, but chose not to. Even he had met his match.

Peter, however, clearly needed to learn his social cues because he had attempted to engage with the pissed-off blonde. That earned him a slap to the back of the head with the folder Mr. Stark was holding. One day, he would teach the young buck how to properly approach skilled assassins. But today was not that day.

Yelena looked up toward the ceiling. Maybe she could attempt to ground herself. Yelena squinted hard at the corner of the room. Try as she might, the wall only blurred out of focus. She huffed defiantly and attempted a second time, but that only frustrated her more. "Nat! I need your help!" Yelena called into the empty room, her hand clenching into a tighter fist.

"Say no more."

Yelena whipped around and faced where the voice had come from.

And there was Natasha, standing there with a cocked hip and folded arms. She didn't look mad but definitely wore a stern expression. "You're scaring my friends, you know. Even Tony wouldn't dare touch you with a ten-foot pole."

"Natasha!" Yelena sprung forward and grabbed onto the collar of her sister's jacket.

Natasha flinched but did not pull away. She knew what was going on; she had seen it all before.

"What's wrong with me?! Why do I feel like I need to break something?! Are they trying to gain control of me again?! I thought it was over!"

The older assassin gently gripped Yelena's wrist and removed it from her jacket. "No one is trying to control you, I promise."

"Then what is happening?!" Yelena took and few steps back and ran her hands down her face. "This... I don't know what's wrong with me..."

Natasha nodded absently, deciding on the best way to handle this.

Yelena did not appreciate the hesitation. "Do you know?"

"Stir-crazy."

"What? I am not-!"

"No, no. It's an informal term." Natasha studied her sister for a quick moment. "I understand you. You'd hope that as soon as the missions stop, as soon as your hand stops being forced, you can have peace. But you can't. We can't." She laughed bitterly and shook her head. "It's sickening, right? We will always look for a fight, even when it isn't there."

Yelena swallowed hard. If this was the case, she had failed her mission; her mission to be better. She didn't want to hurt the innocent anymore.

"I know what can make it a little easier, though."

The blonde shifted back and forth on the feet. Staying still no longer seemed fathomable. "What?"

Natasha quirked an eyebrow, smiling mischievously.

Yelena suddenly felt nervous.

"Get some workout clothes and meet me at the gym in ten minutes." And like that, Natasha was gone, like a thief in the night.

The blonde contemplated what her sister had said for a few moments, then started to prepare for whatever it was Natasha had planned. Whatever it was, she hoped she had a much clearer mind afterward.

xxx

Yelena swiftly came down the stairs into the gym after she changed into a tank top and shorts.

Natasha was already there, dressed and setting up a training mat. The redhead smiled at her in passing as she continued with her objective. "Hey. Put those on." She nodded to a small pile on a chair.

The Russian rolled her eyes and approached the chair. There, she found a stack of sturdy, fingerless gloves. "Why- You know what, I don't care." She pulled them on no questions asked and turned to face her. "You're very cryptic today."

Natasha peeled her jacket off and tossed it to the side. "Fine." She tugged her own gloves on. "We're gonna fight," she stated as if it were the most natural thing.

Yelena raised an eyebrow. "You want me to spar with you? Last time didn't end well for either of us if you remember."

"Well, we had a lot of aggression to get out." Natasha gestured for her to step onto the mat. "Besides, it did the job, didn't it?"

"Maybe." Natasha was right. Whether Yelena would admit it or not. It was awkward, but after their battle in Budapest, they were able to be with each other without much trouble. Perhaps fighting, getting out their frustration, was a good thing.

"Come on." Natasha adjusted into a fighter's pose, raising her eyebrow as if to challenge her. "Show me what you got."

That taunt reignited the fire in Yelena's very soul. Her fists clenched, her leather gloves creasing from the force she put into it. "You're on, poser." They began circling one other, but Yelena's footwork was noticeable sloppy and stiff.

Natasha purposely stepped wrong to throw off Yelena's rhythm. "Careful," she warned, effectively frustrating the younger assassin.

"Hm." Yelena performed the first swing, a hasty right hook, which Natasha easily blocked.

"You're holding back," the Avenger accused, throwing a loose punch her way to test her reflexes.

"Oh yeah? How 'bout this?" Yelena attempted to land a swift body shot but was foiled once again.

Natasha smirked. "Rule number one, don't announce the attack before you do it."

The blonde growled. She knew Natasha was trying to rile her up, but it pissed her off more when she knew it was working. "Like this? Left hook!" She quickly jabbed forward with a straight, and it landed, hitting Natasha square on the shoulder. Not quite where she was aiming, but at least it was a hit.

Natasha's body was knocked back slightly, having to adjust her footing. "Huh." She rolled her shoulder and smiled. "Better watch your step."

"Wha-" Suddenly, Yelena was falling. She landed with a hard smack to the mat, sprawled out on her back. "Natasha!"

The older Russian merely shrugged. Her leg sweep never failed, so why should this be any different. "Hey, I warned you."

Now beyond done with Romanoff's taunts, Yelena performed a near-perfect kip-up, and was back on her feet in no time. "Dostatochno! Srazis' so mnoy po-nastoyashchemu, trus!"

Natasha grinned. "That's more like it!"

The fight was less one-sided after that. Natasha would land a few blows, and Yelena would fight back immediately. Yelena even counted Natasha's second attempted leg sweep, which made Natalia very proud. But at some point, it took a turn. Yelena's hits did not hold back anymore. Every swing was full force, so much force that Natasha switched to only defensive moves.

She had expected this. The fire in Yelena's eye was much like her own before she found her own coping mechanisms. Yelena was going with everything she had, and there would be no stopping her. Natasha was glad she moved all weapons out of reach.

"Fight me back!" Yelena growled, landing another blow, directly hitting the palm of Natasha's hand.

Natasha had to hold back a flinch. Man, her sister could pack a punch.

"Udar' menya!" the assassin then yelled, her frustration hitting a boiling point.

'This is it,' Natasha thought to herself, awaiting the inevitable blowing of Yelena's top. She blocked the next hit, but what followed, there was no stopping.

Yelena bared her teeth and threw a quick jab, directly hitting Natasha's nose.

Natasha's head jerked back, and she struggled to regain her footing. Her eyes watered, making it harder to see her opponent. "Okay, that's-"

But Yelena gave her no mercy. Without allowing Natasha to finish, she hit her again, this time to her stomach.

The Avenger coughed and held her hands in front of her torso, trying to tell her sister to stop.

Yelena wasn't done. She was ready to complete what she had come here to do. The skilled assassin planted her foot before she launched herself forward, locking her thighs onto Natasha's hips and pinning her to the mat with a thud. She squeezed hard to her torso to assure her victory. "I won. I beat you," she breathed, looking down at her in triumph.

Both siblings panted heavily as they remained there on the floor, exhausted after their fight.

Eventually, Natasha patted the side of Yelena's thigh and nodded. "Good job..."

Yelena wanted to be happy, she wanted to the proud of her victory, but she couldn't be. Because the high had worn off, and she could now see what she had done. "Nat... You're bleeding..."

Natasha huffed and touched under her nose. She was so busy looking after Yelena she hadn't even noticed her new injury. "Oh... My nose isn't broken, so it's fine. It happens."

"No, no, I..." Yelena sniffed and loosened her grip. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's okay." Natasha took a deep breath and smiled gently. "We got a little too into it. I was trying to rile you up, and I guess I went too far. I'm sorry."

Yelena bit her lip as a sore attempt to hold back tears but failed miserably.

Natasha watched with a heavy heart as tears rolled down Yelena's face and splashed onto her stomach. "'Lena..."

"Why am I crying, Nat?" The blonde wiped at her nose with her arm and shook her head. "I-I was so angry, and now I just..."

"All anger comes from somewhere." The Avenger cringed at herself on the inside. She knew something of a hero speech was about to come out of her mouth, which was not her style. But this was for Yelena, so it was worth it. "Anger can't come first; it was to come from somewhere. I immediately could tell that it was something deeper, and I wanted to help you. I know you, Yelena. You want to be better. But it takes time. Things like this will happen, and I promise you can always come to me when you need help to calm down. I promise."

Yelena laughed, a laugh that dripped with sarcasm, and looked away. "But I feel so weak... I won the fight, but I've never felt so... powerless."

"I've got you, okay?" Natasha reassuringly squeezed her sister's thigh. "You don't have to be so strong all the time; it will take a toll on you."

The Russian couldn't help but soften. Guilt still weighed on her heart, but she knew Natasha would take care of her. She had to believe her because what else would she have to believe in otherwise? "I... could really use a hug."

Natasha chuckled. Guess the speech went better than she thought it would. "Sure, but you'd really have to get off of me first."

"Oh... Oh!" Yelena blushed and rolled off of Natasha's body and onto her knees, then held her hand out to help Natasha up.

The Avenger let out a short grunt as she sat up and smiled once she and Yelena were eye-to-eye. "You fought well. Maybe one day, you'll be an Avenger too."

Yelena shook her head once, not confident in Natasha's words. "No. Too much red. If I got like this out in the field, I could-"

"You and I have a lot in common, Yelena." Natasha placed her hand on Yelena's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "The Avengers are my family, much like you. One day, they'll accept you into the fold, I know it."

Yelena smiled softly and pressed a gentle kiss to the bridge of Natasha's nose. "You'll never stop believing in me, huh?"

"Never." Natasha tugged her closer and wound her arms tightly around Yelena's waist.

Her sister wasted no time burying her face into her shoulder.

"I'll always believe in you."

xxx

Dostatochno! Srazis' so mnoy po-nastoyashchemu, trus! - Enough! Fight me for real, coward!

Udar' menya! - Hit me!