Yelena had been traveling from country to country, freeing Widows, for a few years now. It had been hard to watch wake, but in the end, it was all worth it. Finally, the women could taste freedom and know the feeling of having to answer to nobody but themselves.
And now, with this last mission, Yelena had done everything she could. It was not without casualties, and there were many nights Yelena tossed and turned with memories of their previous outings. But finally, they were all free of Dreykov's curse.
A lot has changed since Yelena and Natasha parted ways but one thing always stayed the same: Yelena's Sex and the City fantasy with Natasha in New York. Nothing was going to stop her from being reunited with her big sister.
Not even her own demons.
xxx
Coffee. It was the only thing on Natasha's mind since the moment she woke up.
Now that most of the Avengers had reunited and were smoothing things over with the government, Natasha had been more tired in her life. Not even when she constantly found herself fighting otherworldly creatures.
Sure, she had missed the boys and was happy to no longer be on the run. But one thing she didn't miss was having to be the mediator of the group. Even with most of their differences put aside, Tony and Cap were the same as always.
As if wading through sludge, Natasha slowly made her way to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She gripped the square edge of the counter and leaned over the surface, her body begging her to return to bed. Natasha shook her head vigorously. 'No time. We've got too much going on right now.'
"You know, I thought Avengers' life would look a lot better on you. Now I'm not so sure."
Bolts of electricity shot up Natasha's spine as she leaped into action, whipping around to face the intruder with the closest weapon she had. Which happened the be the gun she kept under the sink. "Hey! Who sent you; this was supposed to be over!" she growled, turning the corner into the living room with her gun raised.
And there, planted on the couch with her feet propped up on the coffee table, was an assassin, smirking and eating snacks the Avenger had kept hidden. This scene, Natasha expected. But who it was, surprised her more.
"As much as I'd like a rematch from our last reunion..." Yelena put the chips down and slowly stood up, wiping off her hands on her vest with a huff. "I just spent a long time trying to get here, and I would really like a break from fighting if it's all the same to you."
"What..." Natasha's gun lowered, and her fingers shook with disbelief. How did she get here? Why was she here? "Did... Please tell me you didn't kick my door in."
"Pff." Yelena waved her off with an offended expression. "I did not! I prefer a clean entrance strategy, thank you very much. You left a window open, dummy." Yelena crossed her arms and grinned.
Natasha's heart skipped a beat as her body urged her to go closer and reunite with someone she had started living for ever since they met face to face in Budapest.
"It's almost like you knew I was coming."
"I promise you, I did not," Natasha muttered as she placed her weapon on the nearest surface. Happy as she was to see her little sister again, she did not appreciate the wake-up call.
Yelena eyed her wearily, her stance shifting into a more uncomfortable one as she seemed to contemplate her decisions. "I'm sorry, it's just-"
"No, no!" Natasha quickly reassured, approaching Yelena now that she had calmed down. "I'm... It's good to see you, sestra."
Yelena's throat tightened at Natasha's choice of endearment. Although their parting had ended on good terms, that didn't stop old feelings from resurfacing.
Did Yelena want to be sisters? More than anything, or else she wouldn't be here right now. But with everything that had happened, even within the last few years without Natasha, there were boundaries she wasn't so sure about crossing.
At least Natasha had taken the first step.
"So...," Natasha began slowly, not knowing how to handle Yelena's silence and staring after her admission. "How's your mission going?"
"Oh, right!" Yelena bounced right back into action, flashing a confident smile and a thumbs up. "It went about as good as I could've hoped. Uncountable Widows saved! We did such good, Natasha. Finally, we are free!"
The Avenger, although happy to know that Yelena had been successful with freeing Widows, knew that there was more to this story. There was a haunted look behind the glow of the assassin's eyes, but it was inevitably snuffed out by Yelena's over-the-top optimism.
"That's great!" Natasha settled on, not wanting to pressure the situation and make her sister feel uneasy. "So, what does that mean for you now? Where will you go?"
"I don't know." Yelena scratched the back of her neck with unease, her eyes darting back and forth with every intention to avoid Natasha's. "I haven't really thought about it." She had. So much, in fact, that even the other Widows knew exactly what she wanted. They were the ones who encouraged Yelena to come here.
But she was too much of a coward to tell Natasha what she wanted. A trained killer and yet too chicken to admit to loneliness. How pitiful could she be?
"Well... While you're here..."
Yelena snapped back to reality when Natasha's somewhat husky voice interrupted her self-pitying thoughts.
Natasha jerked her thumb over her shoulder, her gaze focusing easier on Yelena, but her awkwardness still lingered in the posture. "You probably want to change out of your suit. My room is the first door on the right. We're about the same size, so, if you want, you can wear some of my clothes. And..." Natasha chuckled softly at their interactions, making Yelena feel a little better about her own nerves. "I can make breakfast? I don't know, is that something I should do? I'm not a good cook, but-"
A hearty and almost boisterous laugh stopped her in her tracks, and Natasha found herself joining in, their laughter joining in harmony as they reconciled over their unplanned encounter. Who knew connections strengthen by simply agreeing that a situation was strange?
"Do what you want, Nat," Yelena eventually conceded after a while, wiping her mouth as she grinned. "But I can tell you: there is something you messed up."
"And what might that be?" Natasha questioned, unable to not smile back at the somewhat fond nickname.
Yelena lifted her chin high before she brushed passed Natasha and walked down the hall. "We're not the same size. Unless you've miraculously grown in the last two years-" Yelena looked over her shoulder, a truly sadistic and knowing smile appearing on her lips. "I'm taller. And therefore, more superior."
Scoffing loudly, Natasha began walking back to the kitchen, finally remembering her long-forgotten coffee brewing. "You just keep telling yourself that, Belova."
xxx
Finger's tucked behind her, gently holding the lip of the counter, Natasha brought a fresh cup of coffee to her lips and took a long sip. Next to her, the toaster glowed softly, completing for her one of the only things she knew how to make. And the machine did most of the work.
Was this really happening? Yelena was here, in her apartment? She almost didn't believe it. Natasha kept expecting to wake up and start the day all over again without interruption. Not that she wanted that to be the case, but that one certainly sounded more realistic.
She must've spaced out for a moment because when the toast finished, Natasha jumped, hitting the porcelain mug against her teeth with a sharp CLINK.
"Wow, Natasha, that was sad, even for you."
Natasha glanced up to see her sister had returned, proving that small portion of her mind wrong.
Yelena seemed more relaxed now that she was in street clothes, especially because on her hunt to find clothes that worked, she had stumbled across a very familiar piece. Now, in replace of her black vest that went with her Widow uniform was the dark green vest she had passed off to Natasha all that time ago. The crooked smile told Natasha that Yelena was pleased yet surprised to have discovered it.
"Forgive me, I've been a little on edge lately," Natasha replied in a mutter, turning to remove the bread from the toaster.
"Yeah, I've seen the news."
Natasha felt Yelena lean against the counter next to her but didn't turn to look, choosing instead to focus on adding butter to the toast. She had no interest in talking politics right now.
"Are the boys bugging you 'cause they finally realize you're the true leader?"
A short laugh spouted from the redhead's lips, and she looked up at her little sister with a shake of her head. But the small smile was wiped clean off her face when she saw something she hadn't noticed before.
As Yelena stood with her side pressed into the counter, the collar that once covered her neck had fallen to the side, exposing angry purple marks around the base of her neck. It looked like someone had tried to choke the life out of her, and before Natasha could think, her sisterly instincts took over.
"Who hurt you?" she asked quietly, grabbing at the sides of Yelena's face to gently tilt her head up to get a better look at the damage.
Yelena's throat bobbed up and down uncomfortably, unsure how to handle touches that weren't meant to cause harm.
The Widows would always spar with each other when they weren't on missions, and although none of them ever took kill shots, they never held back either. So this felt different. There was no malice or aggression, just fingers gently holding her head with support and care.
"Does it still hurt?"
Yelena's jaw clenched for a moment before she shook her head, afraid to speak should her eyes betray her. Nostalgia for when Natasha rescued her in the sky filled her heart, along with the fear that followed in thinking her sister had just died to save her life. And in the midst of it all, anger. Why did it take this long for Natasha to finally see what she had in her? Why couldn't this have happened a long time ago?
Natasha searched Yelena's face for any signs of distress before she began pulling away, only to be stopped by hands shooting up to grab her by the wrists.
"Um..." Yelena guided Natasha to hold the sides of her neck, squeezing her eyes shut as an unwanted memory came to the surface. But there was no point in hiding from it now. "Our last mission, when we found the final widow... We couldn't save her..."
Natasha, amazed by the trust for both touch and vulnerability, found herself speechless and taking in everything Yelena had to offer. Forget breakfast. This was the only thing that mattered now.
"The antidote... During our fight, the vile broke, and before I could get a new one out..." Yelena paused with a sharp inhale, and Natasha immediately began stroking the soft skin of her neck, a gentle encouragement to keep going.
The Russian naturally gave into her touch, leaning slightly forward as a silent plea to not go anywhere. "She jumped me. My arms were pinned at my side and... Well, I'm sure you can guess what she did to me..."
"She choked you," Natasha breathed as everything began falling into place. "And the Widow who was helping you?"
"Sonya." Yelena smiled a little, thinking of her friend she was certian was also trying to find a normal life. "There was someone else there. We never found out who, but he was big. She was taking care of him when this happened... If it weren't for her..." A single, betraying tear fell down her cheek, and Yelena quickly swiped it away. "She was killing me. She overpowered me, and Sonya reacted. We didn't mean... It's quite an end to our story, huh?"
"I..." Natasha slid her hands to Yelena's shoulders and squeezed, unsure what she could say to make anything easier. Seeing someone die in front of you, especially someone you were meant to save, there was no getting past that quickly. "I'm sorry," she ended up saying without thought, mentally kicking herself after the words left her mouth. When did those words ever help-
Yelena grabbed onto Natasha and pulled her forward, clutching to her with everything she had. Ever since coming here, she wanted to do this. But now, with the story out, finally, her body allowed her to release. Yelena buried her face into her sister's shoulder and cried, everything she had been holding in since her last mission coming out all at once. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...," she repeated, edging impossibly closer when Natasha finally hugged her back. "It was so stupid to come here..."
"Don't worry." Natasha leaned against Yelena's head and ran her hand up and down her back. "I missed you too, rooskaya."
Another nickname said with such adoration and a confession of being missed. Yelena couldn't have wished for anything more than this. Or anything close to this, for that matter. The only thing Yelena could do was cry harder.
"It's over." Hesitating only for a moment, Natasha found herself pressing a small kiss to Yelena's temple, hoping against hope that Yelena would be okay with it. "You did so well, Yelena. You saved so many lives. And I am so proud of you."
Yelena had no idea how long they stood there like that, but if there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that she was finally home. Here, in Natasha's arms, everything felt right. For the first time since Ohio, she felt comfortable with her life. And she didn't have to doubt if Natasha felt the same.
"I have to say: this is not how I expected my day to go," Natasha eventually expressed, breaking the prolonged silence with a quip.
As hoped, Yelena laughed softly and began backing away from her embrace. "I'd like to think you enjoy my company more than the government's, poser," she remarked, the famed smirk returning quicker than Natasha had expected.
"Poser, huh?" Natasha playfully jabbed Yelena's shoulder with her finger. "I was hoping you forgot about that."
"Never! Especially not when-" Yelena made it a point to play with the tips of Natasha's dyed hair, noting how she had recently started to grow it out because she was no longer on the run. "Did somebody forget to tell me it was dress like your favorite hero day? Now that you and Stark are friends again, do you think he'll let me borrow his suit?"
Natasha softened and fondly shook her head. She should've known Yelena was an Iron Man fan. "Absolutely not. But who knows, maybe one day you'll get to meet him, and you can ask him yourself."
"Well then." Yelena wiped away the last of her stray tears and chuckled before she winked at her big sister. "Guess I have a good reason to stick around for a while."
"As if you wouldn't find even the smallest reason to stay," Natasha shot back, a full grin displayed on her face because she knew where this was going. And without even considering it, she pulled the trigger. They had waited long enough. "So why don't you just come and live with me?"
A deadly silence fell over them, and Natasha's heart jumped into her throat with instant regret. Did Yelena even want that? What was she thinking; of course she didn't! Natasha abandoned her when they were young, and there was no forgiving that. She didn't deserve to keep her around after everything she had done.
But Yelena made a different call.
"Really?!" The assassin leaped forward and crashed into Natasha so hard she almost knocked them onto the floor. "Do you mean it?"
Natasha, allowing herself to be vulnerable for the moment, buried her face into Yelena's shoulder and nodded gently. "Do you want to stay?"
"Why else do you think I came here?" Yelena admitted, squeezing the Avenger tighter with a breathless laugh. "Because I promise you, it wasn't for your cooking."
Ignoring the insult for the greater good, Natasha eased back and pressed their foreheads together, smiling softly when Yelena touched her nose against hers for a moment. "So. It's me and you?"
Yelena's eyes lit up and leaned in to press a kiss to Natasha's jaw in a rush of excitement. "You and me. Hey, does this mean I finally get to meet the super scientist friends?!"
Natasha let her go and took a step back to look at her little sister for a long moment. This person standing in front of her, wearing a vest given to Natasha as a gift of goodwill, with eyes shining brighter than the sun, wanted to be here with her. Bruises gracing her neck, but her smile outshined them all. Despite everything that happened between them, she was ready to give up her life traveling the world to live with someone barely on the right side of the law. Natasha didn't know where things would go from here, but living in this moment now, she couldn't be happier.
Smiling as tears prickled the corners of her eyes, Natasha nodded. "I'll see what I can do."
