"Hey, poser."

Natasha let out an exasperated groan.

The Avenger has been on bed rest for a few days now and was already tired of it. She wanted nothing more but to get up and run around, but Yelena refused to let her out of her sight. Natasha was surprised Yelena hadn't tried to sit on her yet.

She had drawn the line when Yelena had tried to hand feed her.

"Aw, come on." Yelena leaned in the doorway, grinning as she observed her big sister's sorry state. "There's no way you'd prefer anyone else over me being your faithful caretaker."

"Maybe." Natasha leaned back heavily against her pillow. "But that doesn't make this any less humiliating..."

Yelena laughed and joined Natasha at her side, new bandages and tape in hand. "Come on! You know this is your favorite part of the daaay."

Yelena sing-songed the last part, and if Natasha could move quicker, she'd throw a pillow at her face.

"You know the drill," the blonde coaxed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Or do you need help?"

"I got it, I got it." Natasha grabbed the bottom of her shirt and carefully, but not effortlessly, tugged the fabric over her head.

Yelena nodded, satisfied. Natasha was getting better already. "Good." She reached down to rest her hand on Natasha's toned stomach, which caused her to flinch violently. Yelena pulled her hand away as if she had gotten burned. "Whoa, what happened? Are you okay?!"

"Your hands... they're so cold."

Yelena scoffed loudly, her heart pounding in her ears. "I just washed my hands, you idiot! Nat, you scared me! I thought I hurt you!"

Natasha nearly shrank back. The flinch had been genuine, so it wasn't her intention to scare her sister, but that didn't make her feel any less guilty for doing so.

Yelena had been sleeping in a chair tucked in the corner of her room since they returned home. She refused to share the bed, insisting she would be fine and didn't want to cause Natasha any more pain. Yelena blamed herself for what happened; that much was obvious. But every time Natasha brought it up, she just waved her off.

Yelena breathed out slowly, shaking her head at her own stupidity. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I-I didn't think about it..."

"Don't beat yourself up about it, rooskaya. It's okay."

"Whatever, just-" Yelena waved her hands around in front of her face to clear her thoughts. "Let me take care of this, alright?"

Natasha nodded before she grasped Yelena's fingers in her own and gave them an affectionate squeeze. "Do your worst."

"Ha." The Russian adjusted to run her thumb over Natasha's knuckles before she withdrew. "Very funny, sestra." Then came the slow process of removing the bandage. Yelena's hands were skillful and moved with utmost precision as if she had done this a million times.

Natasha couldn't help but smile when Yelena's tongue poked out a bit in concentration. It was cute to see the assassin focus so hard on making sure her big sister was comfortable.

With one final pull, Natasha's wrapped ribcage was exposed, her skin lighter and slightly textured where the bandage had been. Yelena placed her hand on Natasha's uninjured side and stroked the skin there, letting out a soft laugh when Natasha sighed her contentment. "Okay." The blonde pushed off the bed, used bandages in hand. "I'll be right back, poser."

Natasha turned towards the door when Yelena returned, noting how the bandage had been replaced with a few soft washcloths and a small bowl of water. This had been their routine for the last few days. At least Yelena was consistent.

"I made sure the water was warmer this time," Yelena began as she took her place next to the Widow. "No more cold hands, I promise," she continued with a crooked grin, patting Natasha's thigh with her free hand.

The Avenger returned the smile with a slight shake of her head. "My hero."

Eyes shining with newfound mischief, Yelena took Natasha's hand and leaned down to kiss her knuckles in a gentlemanly fashion. "At your service, Milady."

Natasha snorted as she pushed Yelena's arm away. She knew Yelena was only trying to cheer her up. It was working. "Yeah, yeah, just get it over with."

"With pleasure." Yelena leaned closer to inspect the incision. It never did get easier to see. "It's not infected." Yelena's eyebrows lowered in focus, grabbing one of the towels and dipping it into the bowl of water before wringing it out. "If it hurts, tell me."

"Just do it, little one. I'll be fine."

"Alright, alright." Yelena pressed her knee into Natasha's hip for leverage and began cleaning the wound with all the care and love she could muster. She didn't miss Natasha's hand suddenly clenching when she brushed against a particularly sensitive spot. Instead of calling Natasha out on not telling her she was in pain, she bent down and blew a gentle puff of air against her skin, the cool air easing the pain just enough for Natasha's hand to loosen.

Natasha's lips parted as she stared at her little sister in awe. Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before. She would've started crying if she had already taken her medication.

Yelena only offered a small smile before she continued with her previous task. She couldn't be distracted now, or else she might not finish.

Silence fell over them for a short while as Yelena finished up.

Natasha tried to remain as still as possible. It was a lot harder than it sounded. She couldn't stop thinking about the move Yelena had pulled. It felt familiar, but for some reason, she couldn't put her finger on it.

Yelena pulled away and admired her handy work for a moment. Content, she turned to grab the unused, dry towel. "You know, I never did thank you."

"For what?" Natasha questioned, her eyebrow raising curiously.

"Do you...?" Yelena sighed and shook her head as she started to pat Natasha's wound dry. "Remember when we got in that insane car crash, and I got that cut on my arm; then, later on, you took care of it without asking?"

Natasha blinked. Her time in Budapest had been such a blur she almost forgot about their moment at the bar. "I... Yeah, what about it?"

Yelena clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth as she contemplated what to say. She pulled the towel away and put it down on the bed before she finally locked eyes with her big sister. "That's when I knew that you... still cared about me."

"Yelena, I-"

"Anyway." Yelena smiled weakly and stood up. "We're almost done. Just need to grab a new bandage and your meds." She left the room without another word, effectively running from her intimate yet gentle admittance as if it never happened. It felt good to say how she felt, but that was enough for the day. Yelena just wanted to care for Natasha, as she had for her.

Yelena returned to the room playfully shaking the bottle of pills like maracas. "I bet you're ready to get off of these, huh?"

Natasha huffed and opened her hand for Yelena to throw it to her. "You have no idea."

"No way!" Yelena wagged her finger at her before she stopped at her side and placed the bottle directly into the Widow's hand. "You have exposed stitches, and you just want me to throw it at you?" Yelena's eyes narrowed as a wide grin broke out on her face. "Come on, I knew you were dumb sometimes, but this? You're better than that, Natalia."

Natasha only huffed and swallowed her pills before Yelena could shove water in her face. She was used to dry swallowing. Sometimes it even felt easier.

Yelena only raised her eyebrows before she ignored it and worked on putting on the clean bandage. Having accomplished this multiple times in the last few days, the process was quick and smooth. The assassin gently ran her hand down the dressing to ensure it was flat, then gave an accomplished nod. "Okay. You can put your shirt back on if you can."

The Avenger picked up the black t-shirt beside her and quickly tossed it on, flashing Yelena a thankful smile. "Good. That way, I don't have to deal with your cold hands anymore."

"It wasn't even that bad; you're just dramatic. Now." The blonde tilted her head at her sister cutely but with a hint of malice. "It's nap time, Romanov. Time to sleep."

Natasha gave her a look, but Yelena shrugged in indifference.

"Don't look at me like that! The last time you tried to stay up, you fell asleep playing cards with me. And it was Uno! With two people!"

"Fine. One condition."

Yelena crossed her arms and nodded.

"Take a nap with me." Natasha sweetly patted the spot next to her. "Or the second I'm well enough, I will literally throw you into your bed and stare at you until you fall asleep."

Yelena tugged at her collar and swallowed uncomfortably. Something about the way Nat described that told her she was not kidding. "Come on, you know I can't do that. You have-"

"Stitches. Yep, I know." The redhead patted the same spot with a little more force, not so much beckoning her as much as it was a command. "Stitches that you have been taking excellent care of. What's one nap going to do? I can tell you, for a fact, you do not move around that much."

Yelena found herself smiling slightly. Seeing Natasha so determined to keep her close by meant a lot, especially given their history. But-

"At least until I fall asleep," Natasha added unnecessarily.

Definitely determined.

"Alright, fine. But thank you for proving my point that you are a drama queen." Yelena, after a pregnant pause, proceeded to walk to the other side of the bed and lied beside her person. She was stiff as a board, but she was there. Progress.

"Yelena, you practically haven't slept since I got hurt." Natasha tilted her head to the side to look at her from her confined position. "C'mere. You need to sleep."

Yelena laughed humorlessly and shook her head. "I've slept. But it's hard because..." The Russian growled lightly and shifted to her side, looking up at her big sister. "Because what if something happens? What if... Chto, yesli ya tebe ponadoblyus'?"

Natasha softened and cupped the right side of Yelena's face, gentle stroking along her cheekbone.

Yelena naturally leaned into her and pressed a soft kiss to her palm, her eyes shining with affection for the elder Widow as she did it. "I promised I'd take care of you. They let you go early because the nurses trusted I knew how to do it. I can't let them down. I can't let you down."

"Sestra." Natasha managed to lead Yelena over to rest her head on her shoulder, Yelena giving in a lot quicker than the Avenger had thought. "You won't let me down. You need to take care of yourself too."

The assassin almost started crying when her sibling kissed her forehead as she ran her thumb across her jawline. All of this love, all of this attention, for her. But why?

"Yelena, I never forgot you."

Yelena immediately hid her face in Natasha's neck, seeking a shield from the rest of the world. It was soft here. Nobody could hurt her or her sister. In her mind, they were back in Ohio.

"And I never stopped caring about you," Natasha whispered against her head, admitting to her, finally, the truth. She had told Clint all about her when they got separated. Natasha had made herself keep Yelena a secret from most of her friends for Yelena's safety, but in reality, she had kept her a secret because she felt guilty. Natasha didn't save her. The Avenger bit back tears and nuzzled further against her sister. "I promise, there wasn't a day where I didn't still love you. You could never let me down. I love you more than anything, Yelena."

"Nat...," Yelena choked against the redhead's skin, unable to hold back the waterfall now crashing down her face. "Is that the truth?"

"Of course it is." Natasha wished more than anything she could wrap her arms around her sister, but she knew it wasn't the best idea. Curse you, stray bullet. "I wouldn't lie to you. No more secrets, okay?"

The Russian nodded, her nose just barely nuzzling Natasha's neck. "Okay... No more secrets." Without warning, Yelena carefully slipped her hand under Natasha's shirt and rested her palm against the bandage. Her thumb grazed it gently. "I'm lucky to have you, sestra."

Natasha hummed, her eyelids drooping as the medication began getting to her. "I have a secret."

"What is it?"

Natasha leaned closer to Yelena's ear, a teasing smile just out of Yelena's view toying at her lips. "Your hands are still cold."

xxx

Chto, yesli ya tebe ponadoblyus'? - What if you need me?