Receiving Gifts
Ever since Yelena had found out receiving gifts was a possible love language, she had been thinking about what would be something suitable to get. What do you give an Avenger who could arguably get anything they wanted?
What did Natasha even like? Man, she should've paid better attention to what Natasha did on her days off, then maybe this wouldn't be so difficult. Not that Yelena had much money to her name anyway.
The Russian found herself wandering around their apartment, trying her best to come up with something, anything. Even if she doubted this was Natasha's love language, given her largely minimalistic lifestyle, it certainly wouldn't hurt to try.
After a quick search, she stumbled across a small collection of mystery novels tucked away in Natasha's closet, seemingly forgotten. Yelena squinted in confusion, having never noticed Natasha sitting with a book anywhere. Regardless, Yelena stood on her toes and grabbed the first book she saw, taking it down from the shelf to inspect its pages.
She wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this.
On almost every page, there were notes in the margins, stating observations and potential clues to the ultimate outcome of the book. Character flaws and suspicious behavior were pointed out throughout, and Yelena couldn't help but smile at the occasional all-caps exclamations.
On the inside of the cover were the names and personality descriptions of seemingly all the main characters, proving how dedicated her sister was to solving a mystery that hadn't actually happened.
Yelena gently ran her fingers across the sections that were written neatly, and along the scrawled and hasty sentences of realization. She wondered when Natasha had done all of this, given the number of books she had left untouched on the shelf that no doubt looked similar. Maybe when Natasha wasn't watching crappy James Bond movies during her hideout days, she was solving mystery novels.
A grin broke out on the young assassin's face. There was something so cute and innocent about Natasha's decision to do such things when nobody was looking. And knowing this piece of information only made her respect and love her big sister that much more.
Yelena knew what she was going to do now. Now, if only she knew a thing about what made a good mystery novel...
xxx
The Russian waited up for Natasha for a long time, a brand new hardback book with a bow slapped on its cover resting on the table next to her. But her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they closed, the rest of Yelena's body following suit as she ended up asleep on the couch.
When Natasha finally returned home after a grueling day of unfulfilling work, she walked into the living room to her sister snoring softly, a strand of saliva threatening to land on the pillow beneath her.
Natasha smiled at the sweet sight, although there was a slight sadness behind the facade. She stepped closer to the younger woman and ran her hand down her back, a gentle caress in hopes of waking her up without startling the assassin. Yelena's spine would thank her later.
Yelena hummed and buried further into the pillow for a moment, Natasha's laugh ultimately bringing her into consciousness.
She rubbed at her eyes and flipped onto her back, releasing a drawn-out sigh before finally looking up at her big sister. "You're late," Yelena grumbled, her voice rough with sleep backing the small smile that appeared on her face.
"You didn't have to wait for me," Natasha reminded, kneeling next to the woman to playfully poke her cheek.
Yelena only huffed at first, but eventually, her eyes lit up in realization as she jumped into a sitting position. "Yes, I did! I have something for you."
"You..." Natasha trailed off as she watched Yelena excitedly pick up a book she didn't recognize. "You got... Did you buy that?" Her eyes focused more on her sister than the object, and Yelena showed her annoyance by lightly hitting the top of her head with it.
"Yes." Yelena held the book out to Natasha and raised her eyebrows. "Now look at it; I spent a while looking for the right one."
Natasha, still holding Yelena's gaze, grabbed the hard, flat item before she climbed to her feet and finally looked into her hand. The title alone made her stomach flip. "How did you know I read these?" she asked, immediately flipping to the inside cover to read the synopsis.
"Oh, you know." Yelena softened as she watched her sister skim the words, her excitement glowing in the dim light. "I kinda maybe went through your stuff."
"Yeah?" The Avenger laughed, her face reddening a little as she slow realization that Yelena had discovered her dumb hobby on her own. "You didn't need to get me anything, 'lena."
"Sure I did!" Yelena stood and nudged Natasha with her shoulder, the crooked smile appearing on her face ridding Natasha's blush instantly. "Besides, I think it's cute that you like mystery novels. Not that I understand why or anything."
Natasha smiled back, hitting the hardback against the palm of her hand. "Well, at least this makes something else a little less weird."
Yelena quirked an eyebrow and gave her an unimpressed look. "Are you about to steal my lightning?"
"Thunder," her sister corrected, the shake of her head infuriating Yelena more than it should. "Although in another way, you may technically be right."
Her neck turning to watch Natasha walk away, Yelena wondered how her dumb phrase somehow related to anything her sister was doing. And she doubted the God from space had returned to Earth.
"I know it's been pretty busy lately, but I did manage to call in a favor with Tony on your behalf."
"You got Stark to pull away from his tinkering to do something for someone he barely knows?" Yelena questioned, the dry laugh hiding behind her voice perfectly conveying her disbelief. "What crazy thing did you have to do to get him to do that?"
"Like I said." Natasha returned with a silvery case, which only added to Yelena's confusion. "He owed me a favor."
As the case was set down and Natasha prepared to open it, an impish smirk crept across the Russian's face as the door was left wide open. "Oh? what did he have you do that warranted an exchange?" Yelena teased, wiggling her shoulders suggestively to imply something she knew would push all of Natasha's buttons.
She was correct.
Suddenly uninterested in giving Yelena the item, Natasha lunged and slung her arm around the assassin's neck, yanking her down to her level while rubbing her knuckles into the top of her head. "Get your mind out of the gutter! Gross, he's married, and you know that!" she scolded, only letting up on the assault of noogies when Yelena started resisting her while laughing with newfound glee.
"God, Nat, and you say I'm immature for my age!" Yelena countered by grabbing at Natasha's sides, using the unorthodox method of tickling her until she finally let go, only to fully flip the situation by positioning herself behind her sister in a loosened headlock. "Besides, you didn't even say if you liked it or not!"
"I do!" Natasha leaned back against Yelena's shoulder, laughing breathlessly from the attack to her side. "I do, I promise; I'm just... I'm not used to being given gifts."
Yelena hummed, the energy in the room calming down as she turned her headlock into a hug from behind. "So, you can say I made you speechless?"
Natasha scoffed loudly, elbowing Yelena's rib cage behind her. "Don't push your luck, Belova." She let Yelena keep holding on for a few more moments, missing their closeness the last few days, before she took one of her sister's hands and spun herself out of the embrace with intentional dramatics.
The Russian only rolled her eyes fondly and squeezed her sister's hand before she let go. She loved this side of Natasha, the one where Natasha didn't feel like she had to pretend to be somebody she wasn't.
"Now, do you want this, or not? Because I will gladly turn around and give them back to Ton-"
"Yes!" Yelena hopped in front of her, stopping Natasha one last time before she reached the case. "I just want you to promise me something first!"
"Okay fine." Natasha crossed her arms and waited, her motherly instincts coming out in a way that Yelena could almost imagine her foot tapping impatiently. "But make it quick because it's late, and I've got another long day tomorrow."
A disappointed look flashed across Yelena's face before it was replaced with a soft smile.
Natasha hated that something she had to do was affecting the number of moments they could have like this.
"I want you to tell me about your book when you finish reading it." Yelena grabbed Natasha's shoulder and shook her gently, her grin earning back to tease she almost always had. "I want to read your notes about your predictions. I want to understand how you think."
"Okay, now you're just being weird," Natasha ragged, even though she actually liked that her little sister cared about her dumb observations. "But sure. Be my guest."
"Hmph." Yelena, not entirely satisfied with Natasha's answer, still accepted it and moved out of her way. "Fine. You can show me your lame thing now."
Natasha made a face and stepped forward to open the case. "Actually, it's your lame thing." After she unclipped the latches, she glanced at her little sister. "And trust me, you'll like it." Before Yelena had a chance to make yet another snarky comment, Natasha pushed the lid open and revealed a shiny new toy that instantly piqued Yelena's interest. "You lost yours, remember?"
Yelena found herself looking at a split staff that looked much like her old one from the Red Room, except the tips of the batons had a blue light instead of a red one. Her last staff had blown up along with Dreykov's ship, and although she was thankful that her abuser died along with another remnant of her time in that horrific place, she had missed having such a weapon.
"'lena?"
"Hm?" Yelena snapped back from her mesmerized state, meeting Natasha's amused gaze with a small laugh. "Oh, um... You put Stark up to this? It's just a stick."
Natasha fondly shook her head, not believing the assassin's facade for a second. "He made mine, you know. Now we match."
Eyebrows furrowing, Yelena made a failed attempt to hide her love for something as dumb as having matching weapons with her big sister. Man, were they messed up or what? "And what made you think to get me one too? I'm not even an Avenger."
"Just try it out!" Natasha gave Yelena a firm nudge, urging her forward. "It won't bite. Besides, touching it doesn't mean you're attached to my team forever. I just thought you'd like to be involved in training again."
Yelena gave Natasha a look before reaching for the batons, feeling the weight of them in her hands before she connected them and twisted. Like her previous staff, the ends lit up bright blue while the base lit a much lighter blue. She laughed, an elated smile gracing her lips as she loosely twirled the staff a few times.
"Careful." Natasha squinted, gesturing to the ends of the staff with her head. "They're still electrically charged. And I would appreciate it if you don't burn the carpet."
"Bah." Yelena wiggled her eyebrows playfully, holding the staff up raised just above the floor. Their eyes met, and Yelena knew exactly what to say. "This was fun."
The Avenger's head jerked back, obviously not appreciating the reference to the blonde nearly dying on her watch. Yelena certainly knew what she was doing. "You little-" Natasha grabbed the center of the staff, attempting to steal the weapon back, but her sister grinned and separated the pieces. The redhead stumbled straight into Yelena, who had made sure the batons were no longer charged before she wrapped her arms around her.
"Thank you."
Yelena's voice was quiet in Natasha's ear, but she knew she had meant it. Natasha hugged her back, her chin pressed into her shoulder with a small nod. "You're welcome."
There was a pregnant pause, the gears turning in Yelena's head before she asked: "Hey, do you think the murder weapon in your book will be a staff like ours?"
Ours.
"I doubt it. The weapon usually isn't all that interesting." Natasha let out a deep breath, kissing Yelena's shoulder before she held to her a little tighter. "But I'm going to tell you about it, remember?" All she received in return was an incoherent mutter, and after a few more seconds, Natasha began to pull away.
However, Yelena must've felt this and as a way of rebelling, she clicked her new staff back together and extended it with one hand, her other arm clinging harder. "No. Not yet."
Natasha was amused by the dramatic play, but she wasn't quite sure how she felt about the assassin immediately using her present as a means to hold her hostage. "This better not become a regular thing, Belova. But... I'll allow it."
"I just..." Yelena's forehead pressed into the side of Natasha's neck, making the latter's stomach twist in a mix of love and nerves. "Sorry. I've missed you."
Natasha ran her hand down Yelena's spine, the noise coming from behind her she could only assume was the staff deactivating. "I'm sorry." Her sister nuzzled closer, so Natasha's hold tightened just a little. "I promise I'll be around more soon."
Physical Touch
Finally, with the majority of Natasha's workload done, she could, at last, relax. She sank into her bed with a deep sigh before she picked up the book she had been meaning to start reading after Yelena had so sweetly presented it to her.
But the aforementioned sister must've heard her come home because, before long, she appeared at her door and leaned her shoulder against the doorframe. "Did they finally let the spider out of her web?" Yelena asked, her smile softening when she noticed how calm her sister finally looked.
"I'll have you know-" Natasha lifted her pointer finger and wagged it playfully. "I could have left my web whenever I wanted. They aren't the bosses of me. I'm just that nice; I like helping when I can."
"Oh?" Yelena's grin turned to a playful pout in a blink of an eye. "So what you're saying is, you'd rather please your male superiors instead of hanging out with your little sister?"
Natasha raised her eyebrows before she laughed and gently shook her head. "You know that's not true. But I'm sure Steve wanted me to come and getcha because if you would have used one more sticky note off of the company's payroll, he was about to make you pay for them yourself."
"Well, jokes on him!" Yelena crossed her arms and smiled triumphantly. "We share a bank account, me and you."
"Wouldn't that make it a joke on me?" Natasha deadpanned, the tug at the corner of her lips betraying her. Trained to manipulate her features, but Yelena never failed to break her walls.
Yelena shrugged, her smirk returning to a soft smile before she walked over to Natasha's side of the bed and slid the book out of her hands. "Come on, scoot over," she requested, playfully poking her shoulder when Natasha gave her a look.
"I was reading that."
"No, you weren't," Yelena challenged, still trying to get Natasha to move and give her a spot. "Besides, I'm a whole lot cooler than that dumb book."
Natasha rolled her eyes and moved over just enough for Yelena to climb into the bed next to her. "Be careful what you say; someone very important to me gave me that book."
"Well, I'd love to meet them. They seem pretty cool." Yelena attempted to keep up her nonchalant attitude, but her grin reached her voice and gave it all away.
Someone important. Huh.
The Russian excitedly snuggled down next to her big sister, guiding her gently until Natasha's back rested against her chest despite the Avenger resisting at first. Yelena nuzzled the nape of Natasha's neck, her breath tickling and making her squirm just a little before she finally relaxed with a soft sigh.
"You couldn't have just gotten on the empty side of the bed, you know," Natasha critiqued lightly, trying her best to ignore her slight discomfort. "Instead of being all pushy and, well, Yelena about it."
Yelena laughed and moved to rest her chin on Natasha's shoulder, shaking her head a little. "What's the fun in that? Besides, there's no way you would have let me do this otherwise."
Natasha breathed in deeply, feeling Yelena's arms adjust around her stomach with her movement, and it was then that all awkwardness in her body dissipated. Weird as it still was to play little spoon, she couldn't deny she felt better than before. "Don't be so sure. You are one to be rather convincing," Natasha eventually settled on, just as Yelena began to wonder if she had pushed too far.
She didn't miss the way Yelena seemed to sigh in relief.
"Well, I am a master of my craft," the assassin bragged, quickly recovering and playfully bumping her head against Natasha's. "But believe me-" Yelena moved again, this time pressing her face into her sister's shoulder blade and holding her even closer. "You deserve this. You've been working too hard."
"Maybe-"
"No, there is no maybe," Yelena interrupted, scolding her big sister to the point of Natasha's silence. "You people need to learn to share the load or even hire someone to do all that crap for you! When was the last time you even looked in a mirror, 'tasha?"
Natasha only squeezed her wrist in response, knowing that such a light touch was capable of defusing the situation. Even if she knew Yelena was right. As usual, she threw herself into her work without a second thought, without caring about how it might affect her mental and physical health. Natasha knew the men in the compound cared about her and her wellbeing, but not like Yelena. It seemed that nobody cared for her as Yelena did.
Natasha's throat tightened. Lying behind her, the person she largely pretended didn't exist for the better part of two decades, cared enough to call her out on her habits. And Yelena wasn't even afraid to do so. Sometimes Natasha wished her sister had a better filter, but that lack of filter finally made her realize what she had in her.
Taking Natasha's speechlessness as a bad sign, Yelena let her go and pressed her hand against the Widow's shoulder, encouraging her to turn around. "I'm... sorry, I just..."
"No." Swallowing hard, Natasha pulled away from Yelena so she could confront her easier. She found Yelena's eyes instantly raking over her face, checking for anything that could indicate she had said something wrong. "I'm sorry."
Yelena's eyebrows raised.
"But..." Natasha gently held onto Yelena's wrists and raised them to her face, Yelena following through the rest of the way and cupping her sister's jaw in her hands. "I promise you I'm trying."
Slowly shaking her head, Yelena traced her thumb just under Natasha's eye, hating the near-permanent marks that stood out against her otherwise flawless skin. "You know I didn't mean-"
"I know." Natasha stroked the inside of Yelena's wrists, offering a small smile before she nuzzled against her palm. "I'll see what I can do. But you know, if you start coming to the compound more regularly..."
"Don't count on it," Yelena laughed, imagining what life with the Avengers and Co. would be like. Rogers and Tony would no doubt drive her crazy, Spider-boy might very well start following her around like a puppy, and Clint... Well, she still wasn't over it.
No, Yelena couldn't imagine it, but if that meant a chance to be with Natasha more often, then perhaps she had spoken too soon.
"And don't count it out yet," Natasha countered, bumping their noses together with hers scrunched up cutely. "They'd like you if you gave them a chance."
Yelena tilted her head, wondering whether or not she should be offended at the implication that the Avengers didn't already like her. But after a short moment, she let out a short laugh and playfully kissed her jawline, drawing her hands away from Natasha's face in favor of throwing her arms around her. "Well, I'm pretty great, so I don't think I'd have to work very hard."
Natasha instantly returned the hug, dropping her head against Yelena's shoulder with a content sigh. "You are great, so I guess I don't have a reason to argue," she muttered, relaxing further when Yelena's fingers found a home tangled in her hair. Those certain words of endearment hugged the tip of her tongue, refusing to be said even though Natasha wanted to express them more than anything. Nobody had even tried to do anything like this before, and yet it all felt natural.
Fingernails scratched lightly at the base of her neck, and Natasha pondered how it was possible to crave something she had never had. And why Yelena decided she was worth the fuss.
A lethargic hum passed from the Avenger's lips, and the touch stopped with a breathy laugh and Yelena's nose pressed against the side of her head.
Maybe this was it. Maybe Yelena had finally broken Natasha down into telling her what her love language was. She couldn't think of the last time she'd seen her sister so relaxed. Or if she ever had.
Natasha was about ready to fall asleep when she felt Yelena move as to say something.
"What's your love language, Nat?"
The Russian's voice was so soft Natasha wondered if Yelena was falling asleep too. Regardless she smiled and shook her head, nestling impossibly closer to Yelena. "It doesn't really matter, rooskaya..."
"Yes, it does!"
Natasha quickly woke up when her shoulders were grabbed and forced down, her body pinned to the mattress in one swift motion. The redhead turned to look up at her sister, who was kneeling over her with a fearless look on her face.
Yelena clenched and unclenched her jaw, the determination and confidence she had wearing off quickly, and the nervous child she really was returned to the surface. "I-I want to know these things... I want to know you!" Natasha's shoulders heaved under her grip, and Yelena knew her sister was trying her best to compute everything. So, regaining her confidence for just a moment... "Because... Because I love you, Natasha! And I want to know everything about you; the good, the bad, everything. I want to love you!"
The silence that fell after Yelena's outburst was deafening; despite the seasons changing, she swore she could hear crickets from outside the window.
Yelena's heart might just beat out of her chest at this point.
'Say something. Say something!' She begged the void which the center of Natasha's eyes were becoming. Crap. Yelena had let her guard down too much, and now she was going to pay the consequences. Stupid, stupid, st-
"I love you too, Yelena."
The blonde's fists tightened around the fabric of Natasha's t-shirt, her lip quivering uncontrollably. Why did hearing something so simple make her want to both run away and cling on and never let go? "I want... I just want to know you..." Fingers reached to cradle the side of her face, and the waterfall of tears she was holding back released. The thumb was quick to wipe some of them away.
"Hey. Look at me."
The hand carefully moved Yelena's head down, and when the Russian could finally see through the teardrops, she saw the face of an angel.
Natasha stroked gently along her sister's jawline, their eyes never leaving each other as Yelena's tears dripped onto the Avenger's shirt. "Come here." The weight of her sister landed on top of her quickly, and Natasha tucked her face hard into the crook of her neck, both comforting Yelena and trying not to cry herself. "I want to know you too. And now that we have the chance-" Natasha attempted to swallow the lump developing in her throat. "I refuse to let anything rip us apart again. I won't lose you."
Yelena's hand held loosely to the back of Natasha's head, erasing any possible space between them in an uncomfortable but reassuring position. "I won't lose you," Yelena repeated through gritted teeth, a squeak of a sob still breaking through. "I... Ty mne nuzhen..."
The guilt Natasha felt all those years came back in full force. Even if she knew that wasn't Yelena's intention, the tears came anyway. "I'm sorry..." Natasha removed her face from her sister's neck, moving them both over so they could lie on their sides. "I'm so sorry." Her hand rested against Yelena's cheek, their heads close and, for the moment, they were the only two people in the world. A soft smile appeared on Natasha's face, and Yelena felt a little lighter. "I kinda ruined your project, didn't I? Is that what you've been doing all week, trying to find my love language?"
Yelena knocked her fist against Natasha's shoulder, unable to stop herself from giggling at the quick change of conversation. But she welcomed it fondly. "Calling it a project is just low, Romanov."
"Sorry." Natasha held one of her hands up in surrender, the other hand poking Yelena's side to make sure her spirits stayed up. "I hope you know I thought it was all really sweet. Sometimes I just suck at showing it."
"You're telling me," the assassin goaded, squinting as she returned the poke with slightly more force. "Man, it's like we have trauma or something."
Natasha's head tilted, her twinkling eyes hinting at her amusement. "Or something."
They both exhaled in unison, calming their nerves as the tears dried and the somewhat intense conversation officially ended. And as if she hadn't been tired before, Natasha could definitely use a 24-hour nap.
But there was still one thing Natasha wanted to know.
"So, did you get through all the love languages this week?"
"Hm." Yelena's lips curled into a half smile, her head bowing for a moment before she looked back at her sister. "No. One seemed to have too many external factors against it."
"And what was that?"
"Quality time."
It didn't take much thinking to guess what the factors against it were.
"Saving the best for last?" Natasha asked, and Yelena only laughed. But that laugh warmed the Avenger's heart like nothing ever could. Everything Yelena did only made her love for blonde grow stronger. She may finally have an answer to her sister's question. "Hey, can I tell you a secret?"
Yelena's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before she tucked her arm under her head. "What, like this is a sleepover?"
Natasha smiled a little, taking her time when she looked over her sister's expression. She hoped she could keep this content look on the blonde's face for as long as possible. "I love everything you do, Yelena. Knowing my actual love language doesn't matter as long as you're around. My love language is you, sestra."
"That is..." Yelena grinned, her eyes darting in a flustered state as she scrambled for the right words. But her heart thumping in her ears prevented her from saying anything intelligent. "That doesn't even make any sense!" left her mouth before she could stew on it, still smiling from ear to ear. "I mean, what does that even mean?"
Her resistance to Natasha's "secret" only made her happiness all the more obvious.
"You are... such an idiot." Yelena chuckled and shook her head, but the moment their eyes met, her carefree facade broke, and she launched herself at Natasha. The Avenger caught her easily, and Yelena was swift in burying her head into her shoulder. "But I guess I can live with that."
Natasha ran her hand up and down Yelena's back, satisfied with their exchange. There was still work to be done with their relationship, and she knew it wouldn't be easy, but the effort Yelena put forth in just this one week was enough to fuel Natasha for a lifetime. Yelena Belova deserved all the love in the world. And the Widow would give her life if that's what it took for her sibling to see that.
After a short while of quiet bliss, it was clear Natasha was leaning against Yelena more and more, slumping into the embrace with no shame. She was exhausted and didn't care to move or talk any longer.
Yelena purposely nudged against the Avenger's neck, laughing under her breath when Natasha hummed and somehow moved closer. "Can't you just admit that physical touch is you're actual love language?"
"Mmm, shut up." Natasha smacked the Russian's back lightly before she stroked the same spot. "Don't undermine my earlier statement; I put a lot of thought into it."
"Hm." Yelena held her tongue, a chuckle riding up her throat as she listened to her sister's loopy voice try to fight back. She was so cute. And somehow bad at covering up the obvious. "By the way, I think I know how we can fix this whole quality time debacle."
"How?"
"Well, given how you are right now..." Yelena leaned over and kissed the side of Natasha's face, smiling there before and raised her hand to hold the back of the Avenger's neck. "You need to sleep more often. And I am willing to sacrifice my precious time to be your designated cuddle buddy for nap time. It is a sacrifice I am willing to pay."
Natasha huffed, her head shaking against Yelena's shoulder. "Yeah, right, like you need an excuse to climb in bed with me. You already forced your way in today even though you could've just asked..."
"Are you complaining?"
Natasha was silent.
Yelena laughed softly. "That's what I thought." The hand cupping the redhead's neck squeezed, offering a gentle massage just because she had the opportunity. "Just let me sometimes, will you? We'd get to be together, and those dark circles of yours won't be so prominent. What d'ya say, Nat?"
Surprisingly, Natasha still had nothing to say.
"Am I embarrassing you, Romanov?" the Russian began teasing, tapping her finger against Natasha's nape in a particularly ticklish spot. "I thought it would be a lot harder than that. I'm a bit disappointed." After the next bought of silence, everything clicked. "Did you seriously just...?"
A barely audible snore.
"Wow." Yelena quietly scoffed as to not wake the now-sleeping Widow. How she had managed to fall asleep mid-conversation was unbeknownst to the blonde, but what mattered in the end was that Natasha felt comfortable enough to do so. "Natasha Romanov..."
Yelena's heart swelled painfully with so much love she almost felt nauseous, and every part of her felt compelled to protect her sister with everything she had. The twenty years of empty space between them felt so small now, and in a week of seeing each other only in small glimmers of time, everything turned on its head. Things were said, and scars faded. Words that used to be buried so deep within herself found new life in the light of their slowly repairing relationship.
She was happy the internet provided her with a way to connect with her sister in ways she hadn't previously understood.
Yelena leaned by Natasha's ear, a breath passing before she found her voice. "I love you, sestra." Her heart didn't pound, and the crickets were silent. She no longer had to question how the other felt or if her own feelings were valid. Everything felt right.
The blonde's chin returned to Natasha's shoulder, her eyes sliding closed as she allowed Natasha's warmth to fully envelope her. She could get used to this.
xxx
Ty mne nuzhen - I need you