"Shh, shh, stop it, you're going to wake her up!" Natasha whispered-yelled to the wriggling crate she was carrying through the front door with both hands. "This is supposed to be a surprise!"

It had been a couple of weeks since Yelena had regained her sight, and things have changed dramatically since then.

Yelena had started helping Peter with his hand-to-hand combat skills. Already there have been improvements, and Peter could not be more stoked.

Tony and Yelena now talked more frequently, with him honoring her as an unofficial Stark, while Yelena promised to act as an Aunt to Tony's new son or daughter.

Steve had made arrangements for Yelena to start the process of becoming an official Avenger. After, of course, a long-winded discussion about etiquette and rules that they all were required to follow. Much to Yelena's displeasure.

Yelena had even softened more towards Kate, now occasionally inviting her to her gaming sessions with Peter. Kate was happy about the invite at first until she realized how good the assassin was at any possible game they picked out. Then her agreement became a more begrudging one.

But, on the downside, Yelena had become more light-sensitive, and that condition had been taking a lot longer to wear off than previously anticipated. That led to bouts of Yelena disappearing into her room and staying there with all of the lights off. Sometimes, she'd even end up taking a nap.

This tidbit is the information Natasha was counting on now.

When Yelena had left her side to get some rest, Natasha had stealthily escaped out the front door, finally able to follow through with what she had been working on since the moment Yelena regained her precious sight.

Placing the metal crate on the floor as quietly as possible, Natasha reached to open the latch. As soon as the gate swung open, a bounding puppy leaped out, pouncing into the Avenger's arms as soon as they tasted freedom. Natasha found herself flung back a bit from the impact, not expecting this dog she had only met for the first time would already be excited to see her. "Yeah, yeah, hey, pup," she greeted, hesitantly patting her on the head. "Listen, you're not for me; you're going to be my sister's." Natasha softened at the ball of fluff gazing up at her like it was soaking in her every word. "She's going to love you."

Seemingly done listening to her, the puppy wiggled out from her grasp and began padding across the living room, taking in the sights of her new territory.

"Oh no, you don't!" Natasha jumped forward and tackled the dog, pulling it back towards her with a small laugh.

The puppy huffed its annoyance with its interrupted explore time, but her tongue still lulled out to lick Natasha's hand.

"C'mere, you, we've got to go wake Yelena up," Natasha spoke to the dog, her heart squeezing with a fondness for the furball a lot quicker than she assumed she would. And she thought that this would just be Yelena's dog that she also happened to live with.

Natasha hoisted the puppy up, a soft grunt expelling from her lips as she underestimated how heavy she was. "It's time to meet your new best friend."

The puppy on her hip stayed surprisingly calm as the redhead crept over to Yelena's room and pushed the door open. Her ears perked up when they met the woman lying on her bed, sleeping on her side with an arm tucked under her head.

Heart squeezing again, this time more intensely, Natasha looked back to the dog, who met her eyes while panting happily. "But she's my best friend first, okay? Then you. Okay, maybe after Peter too, but then you. Got it?" the Avenger specified under her breath, smiling at the dog as she shook her head, wondering why she was talking to this animal as if it could understand. "Alright, you." She carried the pup over to Yelena's bed and set her at the foot of it. "Go get 'er."

Instead of pouncing on the woman as Natasha anticipated, she just sat there, facing Natasha with a tilted head that could melt even the iciest of hearts.

"O-kay," Natasha drew out, staring the dog down for a moment before she laughed softly and began walking towards the empty side of the bed. "Fine, be that way. Yelena is going to have a fun time training you, pup." Hopping up onto the bed next to her sister, she leaned over Yelena and gently shook her shoulder. "Hey. Come on, get up. I want to show you something."

"Mmm." Yelena flipped over with a grunt, not hesitating as she nuzzled her face into Natasha's thigh. "What's so important that you couldn't wait? I need my beauty sleep..."

"Trust me." Natasha gently scratched the top of Yelena's head as she glanced at the puppy, who happened to still be sitting there obediently. "It's worth it."

"Oh yeah?" Yelena switched to her back, looking up at Natasha with the sleepiest and most adoring look the Avenger had ever seen. This puppy has some competition. "Enlighten me. Or I'm going back to sleep."

Natasha squinted, the slightest hint of a smirk appearing on her face. "We're both upside down."

"You can't steal my line; that's my line," Yelena muttered as she tried to pull a pillow over her face.

"Wait! I promise it's-"

"Wuff."

Yelena shot up onto her elbows, her eyes wide as she stared down the length of her bed at the cloud with eyes resting on her blanket. "Um... Did you leave the front door open?"

"No, rooskaya," Natasha confirmed gently, offering an encouraging smile when Yelena looked up at her. "When I asked you what kind of dog you wanted, you only said big and fluffy. Does this suffice?"

"What?!"

The puppy dropped into a low play bow, its tail slowly tagging back and forth as it barked again.

"Are you...?" Yelena pulled herself into a sitting position, never taking her eyes off the dog. "Are you mine?"

Natasha clicked her tongue, and the puppy began clumsily climbing over the mound of blankets and towards the girls. 'Sure, now you listen.' "You wanted a dog, right?" she asked, patting the dog's head as she eyed Yelena with a grin slowly creeping onto her face.

"Well yeah, I just..." Swallowing hard, Yelena tentatively reached out and allowed the dog to sniff her hand. "I never thought..."

"Do you wanna hold her?" Natasha asked, her voice softening when she noticed Yelena's eyes were beginning to water.

"It's a girl?" the Russian breathed, her voice shaking despite her best efforts. She didn't think something as simple as owning a dog would make her feel so vulnerable.

Natasha, still holding the puppy in her lap, scooted closer to Yelena until they almost touched. A reaction like this was unexpected, and she wanted to be prepared just in case she needed to comfort her. "Yes. Is that okay?"

The puppy whimpered and pushed forward off of Natasha's lap and straight onto Yelena's, promptly standing up on her legs and placing her paws against Yelena's chest.

A tear slid down Yelena's cheek as she laughed, running her hand up and down the dog's back. "Hey, girl... You're a good dog, aren't you?" The assassin quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve before she booped the puppy on its nose. "How'd you find her, Nat? She's perfect..." Yelena's words came out quiet and almost smitten, unable to avert her gaze from the doe-eyed creature in front of her.

"I have my ways," Natasha replied cryptically near her ear before she pressed a playful kiss to her temple and wrapped an arm around her neck.

Yelena scoffed before she sagged heavily against her big sister, toying with the dog's little paw as it snuffled around. "I guess as long as you didn't steal her, I don't care where you got her." She brushed her hand over the top of the pup's head and kissed her forehead. "She's so fluffy," Yelena giggled with such child-like elation, that tears immediately sprung into Natasha's eyes.

After everything that had happened a few weeks ago, there was always that nagging in the back of her head, that what-if. But right now, her heart pounded with nothing but positivity for the future. Seeing her little sister like this now made her happier than she had been since Yelena's sight came back. Nothing could ruin-

"Wait a minute! You just got me a dog!"

"Whoa!" Suddenly Natasha was falling, having been knocked off of the bed from Yelena's tackle hug. They crashed onto the floor in a heap, Natasha nearly hitting the back of her head on the wall. "Careful, I'm not going anywhere!"

The puppy remained on the bed, but still peered over the edge with a tilted head, seemingly confused about why her owners were fighting.

Yelena planted herself squarely on Natasha's lap, her legs tucked behind her back as she squeezed her as tight as she could while still allowing her lungs to grab air. "Thank you..."

Natasha gave in, running her hands up and down Yelena's ribcage before returning the hug with almost as much force. "You're welcome, little one," she whispered against her shoulder before nuzzling against Yelena's exposed neck. "Anything for you."

"You're an idiot." Yelena held the sides of Natasha's jaw as she leaned back a bit to press their foreheads together.

"Oh yeah?" Natasha scrunched her nose under Yelena's fond gaze, earning a breathy laugh and thumbs running along her face. "How so?"

"Because." Yelena dropped her hands away from Natasha's face and squinted, her expression going from loving to disapproving in a matter of moments. "Instead of talking to me about this, you had to do all the prep work yourself. I would've helped, you know."

"Well, then that wouldn't be much of a surprise, would it?" Natasha countered with a grin, tapping Yelena's nose just to annoy her. "Now, can you get off of me? I can't feel my legs anymore."

Huffing her offense first, Yelena pressed a surprisingly gentle kiss to Natasha's forehead before she practically fell off her lap. "Screw you. I'm as light as a feather."

"Uh-huh." Unsurprisingly, her small comment was greeted by a shove further into the corner of the room. "Hey, I was just kidding!"

The puppy, tired of her new roommates messing with each other, finally jumped off the bed and crawled between them, placing herself at the absolute center of attention. "Woof!"

On cue, Yelena lost interest in Natasha's comment, pulling the dog into her lap and nuzzling her fluffy neck. "It's okay, girl. We were just having fun."

Natasha grinned the fondest of smiles, tilting her head against the wall as she obversed her little sister giggle as the puppy licked her face. Her heart swelled with all of the warm fuzzies it could possibly hold. As for now, time moved slower, because their family had grown just that bit more today. "So, what are you going to name her?" the Avenger asked, reaching out to stroke the dog's back.

"Hmm..." Yelena cupped her chin as she looked down at the marshmallow sitting between them. "How about..." Her eyes rose to meet Natasha's, who softened and leaned closer to her. Yelena's face lit up like a lightbulb, and her lips twisted into a mischievous half-smile. "I know."

An eyebrow quirked with piqued interest, Natasha matched her smile with slight uncertainty. "Do I wanna know where this is going?"

Ignoring her, Yelena patted the dog on the head so she'd look up at her. "Your name will now and forever be, Fanny."

Unable to help herself, Natasha laughed aloud, shaking her head with utter disbelief. "What? Why would you want to name a dog that?"

"She's my dog." Yelena crossed her arms and gave Natasha a look of triumph, knowing that, no matter what, she'd still win this argument. "And I think Fanny is a great name. So there."

Still chuckling, Natasha lifted her hands in defeat, but giving in to Yelena's demands. "You've got me there. Fanny it is."

Fanny yipped, excitedly jumping up against Natasha's torso.

Yelena grinned, her eyes shining with a light that even the son could not match. "See? She likes her name!"

The redhead nodded, scratching Fanny's tummy as she rolled over to be pet like the princess she already was. "I guess she does."

"Hey."

Natasha's attention pulled away from the dog and up to her little sister, who had been watching her with a knowing smile. "What's up?"

"Nothing, just-" After confirming she wouldn't squish Fanny, Yelena rested her head on Natasha's shoulder, cuddling close before letting out a content sigh. "I love you."

Not for the first time today, Natasha's heart felt as if it might burst. She patted beside to coax Fanny to lie between them before she turned and kissed the top of Yelena's head. "I love you too," she whispered there, repeating the words she had said many times before, but ones that Yelena never got tired of hearing.