"You make house calls now?" Natasha quipped, peering over the inventor's shoulder when she spotted a slightly smaller male behind him.

Peter Parker stuck his head out and offered a shy wave. His face had indented lines that looked to be from safety goggles. He must've been in the lab earlier. "Evening, Ma- I mean, Natasha."

"Parker," Natasha acknowledged, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"He's my partner," Tony answered for him as he gave Peter's shoulder a fond squeeze. "He came down to my lab, heard what happened, and wanted to help. Who could say no to this kid genius?"

"Mr. Stark...," Peter grumbled, scratching the back of his head bashfully.

Natasha smiled slightly at the teen and nodded her approval. "Thanks for your help, kid. I'm sure Yelena would appreciate it." She then glanced down into Peter's hand to see a small, silver case. This day just kept getting weirder. "What's that?"

"Aren't you going to let us in?" Tony instead asked, both dodging the question and the woman blocking the door as he quickly made himself at home.

The redhead huffed and shook her head in disappointment. Oh, Tony, will you ever change? "Make sure you make your presence known, Stark, or else your cut is gonna get a new best friend." She began following the genius but stopped hard on her toes. Out of the corner of her eye, she had realized that Peter had yet to enter her apartment. Natasha almost laughed when she observed the kid's stance, how his hands clasped in front of him as he waited awkwardly for an invitation. Maybe he could teach Stark some manners. "What are you, a vampire? Can't enter without an invite? Come on in, Pete."

Peter smiled graciously and stepped inside, kicking his shoes off at the front door. "Thank you. I've never been here before..."

Natasha playfully batted the back of the boy's head as they walked together to meet the rest of the group. She had to hand it to her: Aunt May had raised him right. "Well, if this all works out, maybe you can come here to play video games with Yelena sometime."

"Really?!" Peter excitedly let out, quickly catching himself and chuckled with a shake of his head. "I mean, yeah, sounds cool. If Yelena would want that, anyway."

"I'm sure she will." They rounded the corner to the living room and met with a far too chipper Tony Stark and an irritated Russian. A duo sure to rival their own.

"Natasha, help me!" Yelena moaned, having sensed her savior's return. "Tony is trying to make small talk!"

Tony offered Natasha a wary smile before he nodded towards the private corner for a one-on-one conversation.

And not for the first time today, Natasha did not like where this was going. "Why don't you guys catch up for a moment?" the redhead proposed, nudging Peter so he'd better get the hint that his current role was to be the distraction.

"Who's 'you guys'?" Yelena asked, the undertone of her voice expressing just enough nervousness for Nat to catch on to but not the others.

"Oh, right, sorry." Natasha gestured for Tony to switch places with Peter before she kneeled in front of the woman on the couch. "Peter's here."

"Peter, huh?" Yelena looked up in the boy's vague direction and grinned. "Did you famed Iron Man give you-" She jumped back with a yelp when a hand reached out and flicked her nose as a warning.

Peter raised his eyebrow at Tony, but he just shrugged. That was enough convincing for him.

Yelena's nose wrinkled in displeasure. However, the message had been made clear.

"I've got to talk to Tony, but we'll be right back."

Yelena hummed softly, the cushion beside her rising for a brief moment before it dipped again with shifted weight. She sniffed on purpose to further express her annoyance with the previous assault. "I'm not a child..."

"I know." Natasha tapped Yelena's nose again, gentler this time. "Try not to annoy Peter too much."

Peter smiled a little and Yelena was quick to throw him an intuitive glare.

Feet shuffled and began moving away from the two friends. The couch dipped again, and Yelena immediately knew that the boy was trying to pull a fast one. But not today.

"Hey!" Peter yelped, pulling his hand away from the blonde's gnashing teeth as if she would actually try and bite him. He wouldn't put it past her, though. "I wasn't even doing anything!"

"Don't lie to me." Yelena slumped back into the couch cushion with a huff. "You were waving your dumb hand in my face to check if I really couldn't see. News flash, I'm blind, not stupid."

"I'm sorry, I just..." Peter sighed, and Yelena's heart clenched with immediate guilt. "This is so weird... I never thought something like this could even happen! It's not that I didn't believe you, but... I wanted to see if it was true."

Yelena almost laughed. This poor kid. He's so young, and he already doesn't trust the world. It was no wonder she'd become so fond of him.

"But, hey." Peter grinned and gave Yelena a gentle nudge. The blonde didn't even flinch, and that only made the boy's smile widen further. "You told me once you could beat me at Mario Kart blindfolded. Now you could prove it, fair and square."

"Oh, Peter, Peter, Peter." Yelena shook her head, her tongue clicking her with a dramatic display of disappointment. "You misquote me, dear Watson. I said I could beat you blindfolded with one arm tied behind my back."

"That's impossible!" the teenager argued, crossing his arms in playful offense. "I'm not even that bad at it!"

"Speak for yourself, Peter-Man," the assassin shot back, the familiar glint in her eye returning much to Peter's relief.

Even blind, she still found a way to have fun and act as her typical self.

"Peter? Can you help Tony prepare? I need to speak privately with Yelena."

The mood shifted uncomfortably fast as Peter glanced up to see Natasha's lips pressed together, paired nicely with her grim posture. If he hadn't known Natasha long enough, the boy might've cowered in fear. "Yes, ma'am. Talk to you later, Yelena."

Natasha traded spots with him, Yelena following her movement with unease.

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Natasha reached out and loosely tugged at the collar of their shared vest, debating how to break the news to what was not about to be an easy conversation.

"Just tell me."

A drawn-out sigh.

"Natasha." Yelena slipped her fingers between her sister's and squeezed, making Natasha's heart do the same in spite of it. "I know you. Tell me what's happening. I can take it."

"I'm sorry, rooskaya." Natasha kissed the back of Yelena's hand, her lips trembling barely at the thought of what her sister was about to go through despite previous promises. "The solution works by injecting it directly into your bloodstream. We don't know how long with synthesized concoction will last before it runs stale, so this is not only the best way but the only one we have time for."

Although negative emotion didn't reach Yelena's gaze, the way Natasha's hand grew numb portrayed the Russian's thoughts perfectly.

"So... Tony has to stick a needle in me while I can't see anything, and maybe this will work?"

Natasha pressed her forehead against Yelena's fingers, her nose nuzzling against the skin just under her knuckles. "Basically. We can't wait, detka. That's why they're here now and not in the morning. This is your chance, right now." She allowed their hands to drop between them but quickly came to regret it.

Yelena's eyes watered, unable to hold back the barrage of Red Room memories flooding into her head. They sterilize you. She had turned it into a joke when you told Alexei about it, but it was one of the most traumatic experiences on her very drawn-out list. Drugs ran through her system as the possibility of having children of her own was ripped away from her without another thought. It didn't even matter that she had never wanted that; they still violated her in ways that no woman should have to go through.

"Yelena? What do you want to do?"

Yelena whimpered, the noise escaping like a hiss, and Natasha instantly held the side of the face.

"Hey. Do you need a minute?" the Avenger whispered, ducking her head in an attempt to block the boys just in the other room from seeing Yelena in such a vulnerable state.

Yelena leaned heavily into Natasha's palm, trying her best to open her eyes but knew, in the end, she couldn't look to her sister for visual comfort. "Were you trained to deal with injections?"

Natasha smiled softly and wiped away a single tear from Yelena's cheek. "You trust me to do it?"

"I need you to," Yelena emphasized with undeniable conviction. This was her only option. Natasha could save her from this mess. Of course, she was grateful for all Tony and Peter had done, but Natasha had to be the final push. Men were never allowed to stick her with a needle again, no matter how much she trusted them.

xxx

"Alright, boys."

Tony and Peter instantly stopped what they were doing and stood at attention, the silver case from earlier now opened and sitting out on the table. Cap was their leader, and Tony paid for everything, but in the end, one thing was for sure: Natasha was the boss.

Natasha placed her hands on the counter, leaning forward like an army general looking over a map of enemy bases. "If there's anything I need to know about this, tell me now. But I'm going to be the one to make the injection, no questions asked."

Peter studied the slightly taller woman standing behind the Widow. He didn't really know the past of either woman as he hadn't had the guts to go through the leaked S.H.I.E.L.D files. But he could read the room well enough to know that he wouldn't dare defy their wishes.

"Sure thing," Tony replied easily, pushing the case closer to Natasha. "Do you need a rundown?"

Natasha rolled her eyes, not willing to put up with Tony's nonchalant attitude right now. "I know how it all works, donut boy, I just need to know if there's something special about this solution of yours."

"Donut-"

"-Boy?" Yelena finished for Peter, her forehead crinkling in utter confusion. Natasha wasn't one for nicknames unless it was towards Yelena. And donut boy? What inside joke was this, and when could Yelena hear the context?

Tony scoffed in offense, but Peter didn't miss his hand swipe across the collar of his shirt. "Hey, nicknames are kind of my thing, and I ask you to leave it to the professional."

Natasha gave him a look that was so intense, even Yelena had to take a step back.

The inventor held his hands up, knowing that he had been beaten. It seemed that Pepper had taught Natasha all of her tricks. "Okay. I get it. You don't have to do anything special. It's just a simple injection into a vein inside Yelena's elbow. Plain and simple."

Yelena swallowed hard listening to the straightforward description and reached out to touch Natasha's shoulder for comfort. She barely missed the top of it, but Natasha stepped back into her to avoid any possible embarrassment.

"Simple. So that's it?"

"That's it," Tony confirmed with a sympathetic nod. "Pete and I will stay for a little while after in case..." He trailed off when Yelena bumped her chin against the back of Natasha's shoulder, trying, and failing, to hide the fear behind her eyes. Tony looked to Natasha, who softened slightly.

He was going to be a father soon. Seeing Yelena struggle made him realize maybe he had dad genes after all. "Everything is going to be fine," he reassured, reaching over to squeeze Peter's shoulder near his neck. "Let's get this done so I can bring this young buck home, and Yelena could return to the field."

xxx

Natasha dragged one of the wooden chairs that matched the sister's dining room table into the center of the living room.

Peter lagged slightly behind her with the other one, placing it diagonal to the first chair.

Yelena stood with her hands clasped behind her, Tony standing a proper distance away on her left. She hoped that Peter's spidey sense couldn't hear how loud her heartbeat was growing with every passing second. It was childish to be afraid of needles, and after the day she had had, this should be the least of her worries. It should be, but her heart didn't seem to know that small piece of information.

"Peter, I think there are some alcohol swabs under the sink in the bathroom. Can you go and grab some for me?" Natasha asked, extending a sweet smile to the teen in hopes he'd get the message.

Peter smiled back softly and nodded, making sure to bump shoulders with Tony when he walked past his mentor.

Tony, your average everyday billionaire, did not get the hint until he saw the unimpressed expression on the Widow's face. "Oh, uh, wait up, kiddo, I'll help look too." He turned on his heel and followed the boy out of the room, leaving the sisters behind to prepare emotionally for what was sure to be difficult for the both of them.

"Okay," Natasha whispered, watching her friends leave until Tony's back disappeared around the corner. "They're gone."

Yelena dropped her shoulders and bowed her head, Natasha quick to reach her with a squeeze of her bicep. "I know I have to do this..."

Sighing, the Avenger tilted her head to press a soft kiss to Yelena's forehead, lingering when the blonde's hand shot out to hold onto her arm tightly. "I'll protect you. I hope you know that I will never let anything bad happy to you again; I swear on my life."

"You can't promise that," Yelena choked out quietly, her voice breaking multiple times in that short statement. "You know you can't, Nat..."

Natasha slid her hand up the back of Yelena's neck, gripping it tight enough to cause Yelena to collapse onto her shoulder in a fit of suppressed whimpers. She kissed her sister's temple and glided her hand up and down the nape of her neck, trying her best to keep her cool, but there was a sob in her throat threatening to make an entrance. Yelena wanted her to be more open with her emotions, and she was willing to try for her. But not with Tony and Peter around. She'd have to save her breakdown for later.

"Yelena." Natasha took a deep breath and buried her nose into Yelena's hair, nuzzling her. "I have known Tony for a very long time. I knew him before we were on the same team. He has changed a lot in the last few years. And I know that he cares for you. If you don't want me to promise never then I won't, but I can promise now. This will work. It's annoying when he calls himself a genius, but he actually is. Please give him a chance. I really think he can help you."

Yelena wiggled her way into the crook of Natasha's neck, having every intention to stay there for as long as possible. She had found her hidey-hole and was to remain here until the syringe emerged from its box. "I trust him... I just can't see him..."

"I know." Natasha adjusted to rest her chin on top of her head, her eyes closing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "But with this antidote, you'll be able to see him again. And you could thank him and Peter for the excellent work I am sure they have done. They're different, sestra. They are good men, good people. And I trust them with everything I have." She knew they didn't have long before the boys returned, so, with great hesitance, Natasha pressed another kiss to Yelena's forehead and slowly pulled away.

Yelena let out a displeased whine but allowed Natasha to leave her side. After all, she was not interested in either Tony or Peter seeing her so powerless. Being blind and stuck with needles was already too much vulnerability for a lifetime.

"I love you."

"I know you do." Yelena turned towards Natasha, but her eyes remained pointed toward the floor. "So don't hype this up or anything. Please. When it's time, just do it."

Natasha nodded, looking to where she could hear their friends returning. "I will."

"We found them!" Peter announced somewhat loudly before they turned the corner, waving the box of alcohol swabs in the air.

The redhead smiled at the young man and held her hand out for him to hand to her. "Thanks, you two. We're ready to begin, so just be on stand by." Natasha leaned over to whisper something in Yelena's ear before she took her by the wrist and led her over to one of the wooden chairs.

Yelena roughly fell into the seat, tripping over herself as her mind raced with unwanted thoughts. No matter what was said or done, she just couldn't chase them away. She looked up towards Natasha, lips pressed together and silently begging to tell her everything would be okay.

Natasha breathed out, her expression saddening deeply as she took her place in the other chair. "Pover'te mne," the Avenger emphasized in quiet Russian, tracing her finger up and down on the inside of her sister's elbow.

Jaw clenching to the point of sharp pain, the younger woman spoke through her teeth: "Prosti... Ya dumal, chto byl gotov..."

Natasha's gaze traveled over to the men in the room, watching their eyebrows furrow in confusion as they tried to interpret the foreign language. Peter looked especially distraught, his stare never leaving the blonde's contorted face. Pain radiated off him in waves that even Tony seemed to pick up on.

The boy wanted to help but felt powerless. Peter had helped concoct the very thing that caused the once thought to be fearless Russian to panic. His eyes ripped away from Yelena when he felt a new set of pupils on him, and his gaze met Natasha's. Peter's eyebrows raised.

Natasha hummed under her breath, internally debating with herself about what was best for her baby sister. Then, with a quick smile in Peter's direction, she returned her attention to Yelena. "Tebe bylo by komfortno, yesli by Piter derzhal tebya za ruku?"

Peter didn't know a lick of Russian and wasn't even sure Midtown High offered a course on it, but he swore his name was in that sentence somewhere.

Yelena's chin quivered for a moment but fixed it with a hard swallow. 'Stop. Stop! These are your friends. You're okay.' She nodded, her heart winning over her head for this one shining moment. A thumb briefly stroked the side of her jaw before Natasha's presence left her. 'This will all be over soon.'

The Widow approached the boy, who warily stood his ground.

"What can I do to help? Please, I want to help my friend."

Natasha's heart grew warm with fondness, having to hold herself back from ruffling Peter's hair. Instead, she settled with a shoulder squeeze. "Can you do us a favor?" she asked, her voice soft to avoid Yelena overhearing.

"Name it," Peter answered instantly, nodding his compliance as Tony wore pride on his face like a crazed sports fan.

"This sort of thing is hard for Yelena. And because I have to be the one handling the syringe, I can't be there for her like I'd prefer."

Peter repeated his previous movement, grabbing onto every word the woman was saying.

"So." Natasha removed her hand from Pete's shoulder and took a step back, looking the young man directly in the eyes. "I want you to fill in for me. Will you hold her hand during the injection?" She smiled a little before she tacked on in reassurance: "I promise to make sure you'll still have your hand afterward; she tends to keep a firm grip."

"And she agreed to this?" Peter asked, tilting his head in disbelief. Did Yelena trust him more than he thought? He had never known the assassin to have her guard down. With her, it was mostly Mario Kart and unwarranted noogies.

"Yes."

Peter shifted on his toes, unsure how to take in this information. He wanted to break out into a grin because his gaming buddy with known problems with men trusted him to be there in a time of need, but he knew that now was not the time. Focus on the task at hand. "Then alright. I'll do it."

Natasha smiled and cupped the back of the boy's neck, squeezing it affectionately. "Thanks, kid. I know this will mean a lot to her."

"She's my teammate," Peter answered simply, a certain type of fire behind his pupils. "Leave no man behind."

"There is one more thing." Natasha's expression sobered when she glanced over her shoulder at Yelena, who was anxiously picking at her fingernails. "Don't stand over her. Preferably kneel beside the chair. You may not be intimidating in person, but any presence taller than her will set her off."

Tony's cheeks puffed out as he held back his laughter towards Natasha's subtly degrading comment. But he knew better than the chuckle out loud because all he'd get out of it was a knock at his less than ideal height.

"Yes, ma'am," Peter agreed, only grimacing mildly at the intimidation comment.

"Alright." Natasha nodded towards Yelena for him to go to her first. "Warn her before you do anything. I just need to grab the antidote first." Peter agreed and walked past the Widow, leaving her and the inventor to have final words before the task began. "So."

"So," Tony repeated, pulling the case off the table to hand it over to Natasha. "What's the first thing you two are going to do once this works?"

"I'm putting a lot of faith in you, Tony."

The inventor eyed the assassin as she accepted the container, holding it steadily in front of her as if it would break with the slightest movement.

"And so is Yelena."

Tony nodded once, understanding that there probably won't be a situation as dire as this for a long time. "I won't let you down. They don't call me a genius for nothing."

"No." Natasha gave the man a once-over before she returned the nod with a tight-lipped smile. "They don't." Satisfied with her admission to her long-time friend, she returned to her little sister, who was currently listening to Peter's quiet attempts at conversation. "Yelena? It's time."

Yelena's shoulders tensed up, her hand came to rest naturally over the end of the arm of the chair, already anticipating Peter's means of comfort. "Just get it over with..."

Natasha flipped Yelena's right arm over, running her hand under neither the appendage in hopes of helping her relax. "I've got to clean the area first. It might be cold." Her eyes not leaving her younger sister, she picked up the box of alcohol swabs and pulled one out, opening it with one quick movement.

As soon as the cool cloth touched Yelena's skin, she flinched violently, startling Peter on the floor beside her.

"Sorry," Natasha whispered, squeezing Yelena's wrist.

Yelena hummed, poorly feigning irritation before she flipped her arm to return the squeeze.

Natasha glanced over to Peter, who offered a weak smile, knowing what was coming next.

"Alright, sestra..." Natasha reached over and opened the dreaded case, pulling out the instrument of Yelena's nightmares. She stared down at it for a moment, her heart working overtime. Yelena had asked her to make it quick, and she hadn't been doing a good job up until this point. Now or never. Shaking her head, she looked back to her sibling, whose posture was growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. "If you want to take Peter's hand, do it now."

Her body moving with robotic precision, and without looking up even a little, Yelena's hand extended outward, awaiting Peter's fingers while her own trembled.

Peter gulped, a sort of sadness he hadn't felt since he lost uncle Ben raising in his throat. He couldn't imagine what the Russian had to have gone through to react this badly, but he knew he had to do something to make this easier. "Hey, when this is all over, you gotta give me some pointers. I want to see you cool flippy move up close!"

To both of their surprise, Yelena smirked slightly and nodded, the friends' hands making contact and squeezing together. "You're on, Spider-Boy."

Natasha almost chuckled but stopped herself. Peter had offered her an opening, and she had to take it. Positioning the syringe just in front of the inside of Yelena's elbow, she began to countdown slowly in Russian: "Tri, dva, odin..."

As warned, Peter's hand became crushed in the assassin's, but he only squeezed back harder. What are a few broken fingers between friends?

The metal tip plunged into Yelena's vein, Natasha gently pressing the plunger down to administer the antidote.

Yelena's eyes never opened, and a vein in her right arm popped up she had been flexing so hard. 'It's almost over. It's almost over...'

"Good job," Natasha commended under her breath, sure to dispense every last drop of the concoction. "Just a few more seconds." The only answer she got was a stiff nod, but at least Yelena was conscious of her surroundings. Then finally, finally, the needle was removed and quickly replaced with bandage tape. "You did well. So good, Yelena."

All of the tension left Yelena's body and she nearly fell headfirst against Natasha's shoulder, but her already bruised ego wouldn't allow the pleasure. Instead, her hand left Peter's as she collapsed backward as best as she could in the hard, wooden chair. A huge breath of her relief passed from her lips as Natasha began quietly packing up the tool she hoped she never had to use on her sister ever again. A woman could dream.

Peter stood and stepped back a few feet, heeding Natasha's warning. "Are you okay, Yelena?"

Yelena tilted her head up towards his voice, her eyes softening just enough to assure Peter of her state. "I'm good, kid. I'll see you next week when I kick your butt in the ring."

The energy in the room dampened to a dull buzz, Yelena rested her head against the back of the chair and allowed herself to breathe easy. She could only hope this would all be worth it. A familiar touched grabbed hold of her hand, and she rubbed her thumb over the back of their palm without even thinking about it. "That sucked, Nat."

"I know." Natasha smiled a little and turned to her favorite boys, giving them earned thanks with just a look. "But you'll be able to see again."

Yelena gave a lazy grin and laughed under her breath, her eyes landing on Natasha with all the love in the universe behind them. "I hope so."

xxx

Pover'te mne - Trust me

Prosti... Ya dumal, chto byl gotov... - Sorry, I thought I was ready

Tebe bylo by komfortno, yesli by Piter derzhal tebya za ruku? - Would you be comfortable with Peter holding your hand?