Russian translation will be at the bottom.

xxx

Yelena often went out for late-night jogs when she couldn't sleep. Normally that wouldn't be recommended, but as an ex-assassin, she knew she could handle herself if she ran into any creepy civilians. Which never happened. She was only 5'4, but her presence scared even the most macho of men. Good.

When Yelena reached the door of the apartment she and Natasha called home, she pulled the earbuds from her ears and went inside. "American Pie" continued to play quietly and she closed the door behind her. She pulled her phone out to stop the music then shoved it into her jacket pocket. It was about 2 am now, and she knew Natasha would be asleep by now. Yelena turned to hang her earbuds on the doorknob, then carefully started to creep towards her bedroom. Right as she got to the door, all the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

What was that noise?

Yelena's hand came to rest on her hip where her favorite knife was concealed. Had she been followed? No, that was impossible. Right?

Her head snapped up when she heard a new noise. A different noise? What is that? Yelena stood there for a moment, waiting to see if it would happen again.

It did. And it was coming from Natasha's room. It sounded like a cry for help.

Yelena's guard raised even more. 'Natasha!' Without another thought, she ripped Natasha's door open and jumped inside, pulling her concealed weapon out in defense. What she found was not what she was expecting.

Natasha was tucked into a ball in her bed, breathing heavily and grabbing onto her bedsheets like it was the only thing keeping her from falling.

Yelena's chest tightened. 'Oh.' She quickly rested the blade on the side table and leaned over the bed. "Nat? Hey, take it easy, poser." She touched her shoulder but Natasha jerked away aggressively.

"What-" The child assassin then had her next realization. Her sister was still asleep, trapped in what must've been a horrible nightmare. And she wasn't here to stop it sooner. "Wake up, Sestra, come back to me," Yelena pleaded, giving her a firm shake.

Natasha suddenly shot up and grabbed Yelena into a firm chokehold, her eyes burning with hatred and vengeance.

Yelena struggled for air and instinctively grabbed for the knife but stopped herself. This was Natasha, not an enemy. She didn't want to hurt her. "Nat... pozhaluysta... eto... ya..." It took a few more seconds of labored breathing before she was let go. Yelena stumbled back and held her throat, panting. "Impressive grip strength..."

"Oh my God..." Natasha looked down at her hands for a moment before they both squeezed into fists. "I'm..."

"Are you okay?" Yelena asked softly, dropping her hand back to her side and staring at her attentively.

Natasha laughed bitterly and sat on the edge of the bed. "I just tried to strangle you, and you're asking if I'm okay? идиот..."

"Well, usually you don't try and strangle me without reason." Yelena smiled a little in the dark. "Usually."

The Avenger shook her head and breathed out shakily. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't." Yelena decided to sit on the floor in front of her, giving Natasha the high ground so she wouldn't feel threatened again. "I'm sorry I touched you, I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"No, I... Thank you." Natasha gently patted the spot next to her on the bed. "Come on. I promise I won't hurt you again."

Yelena slowly rose from the ground and did as she was instructed. When she sat down, their knees touched.

Natasha didn't pull away.

"What was it about?"

"You already know."

"I do." Yelena's head bowed. "I didn't know you still had those too..."

"The more you know."

Silence overcame the pair. To Yelena, it was deafening. She desperately wanted to make it all better, to take away the pain, but she knew it was impossible. That fact made her want to punch a wall. "Do you want me to-"

"Stay." Natasha looked over and her and smiled warily. "Please?"

Yelena was caught off guard. Never had she seen Nat in a state like this, not even as kids. "Sure thing, poser," she whispered, gently bumping their shoulders together. "We'll have a sleepover, like old times."

"Like old times..." The Avenger sighed and turned to lay back down on the bed. "Back when the only time I had to see blood was when I scrapped a knee..."

Yelena took her jacket off then tucked into bed next to her. "Hey, none of that. Focus on me, okay?" She fumbled for Natasha's hand and when she found it she interlaced their fingers and squeezed. "Focus on me," Yelena repeated, quieter this time, urging Natasha to look at her.

Natasha's eyes finally raised to meet hers.

Yelena could see the sadness in her eyes even in the dark room. Instinctually, she raised their interlocked fingers to her mouth and kissed the back of Natasha's hand.

Her sister breathed in sharply and immediately broke eye contact. But she didn't let go of her hand.

"You're safe here." Yelena gently pulled Natasha's arm closer and pressed her nose to her skin. "Nobody is out to get you, I promise. And if someone was, I would take care of it personally."

"Hm." The older Russian's held on a little tighter. "I'm sorry..."

The blonde shook her head and let go of her hand. It looked like in order to get Natalia to listen she needed to be blunter. "Stop apologizing. We're both messed up. Things happen, and we just have to deal with it. There's no use in getting caught up in every little mistake."

Natasha said nothing. She only reached out and settled her hand on the side of her sister's neck.

Yelena tried not to flinch but she couldn't help it. It was built into her brain.

But Natasha wasn't fazed.

The young assassin took to studying her, because talking to her was getting nowhere.

Natasha wouldn't look her in the eyes, but her gaze was gentle, even though a whole army of demons were hiding behind her light eyes. Her jaw was set, but not clenched. Her breathing had evened out.

Yelena slowly brought her hand up to hold Natasha's wrist. "What did you see?" she tried again, lightly stroking the inside of her sister's wrist.

"Red."

The answer was short but it was all she needed to hear. Yelena pressed her lips together and brought Natasha's hand up to her cheek. "Ya zdes, Sestra."

And that's all it took to break the Avenger.

Natasha leaned forward and pressed her face into Yelena's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her waist in one swift movement. She was clearly trying to hide the tears streaming down her face, but Yelena didn't hold it against her. Nobody wanted to show their face when they felt weak.

Yelena pulled her closer and put her chin on Natasha's shoulder, her fingers grasping at the back of her sister's shirt. "It's just us. You don't have to be strong for me."

Natasha shook her head aimlessly against her. "How do you do it..? How do you make jokes all the time despite everything that's happened to you? To us?"

"I have you know I think your quips are funny too," the younger woman complemented with slight humor in her voice. "But if you want a serious answer-" Yelena adjusted her hold and moved a hand to the back of Natasha's neck. "-It's just a coping mechanism. I think about... that place all the time. Hell, it hasn't been that long since I was a part of it."

"You don't have to talk about-"

"But I will if it helps you." The Russian leaned down so she could whisper into her ear. "I have you, Sestra. That's how I cope with it. You're a hero. You're my hero."

Natasha was at a loss for words. She can't remember the last time someone looked after her so tenderly, if she ever had been. All she could do was nod again.

Yelena kissed her right behind the ear and settled her chin back on her shoulder. "And you're stuck with me. Forever. So deal with it."

Finally, Natasha gave in and laughed. "How did I ever survive without you?"

A lazy smile graced the young assassin's lips. "Don't know. But you were certainly posing it up all over the place."

"Alright, will you ever let that go?" the Avenger asked, offended. "I don't do it every time!"

"Liiike 99% of the time you do, yes." That earned Yelena a firm poke to her side.

"Whatever."

The blonde hummed in contentment. "Did I help you?"

Natasha bumped her forehead against Yelena's neck for a moment before she let go and pulled away. She let out a breath through her nose and smiled. "You're pretty great, you know that?"

Yelena squinted at her cutely. "I know you are, but what am I?"

The redhead laughed softly and pulled her closer again so she could kiss her forehead. "Ya lyublyu tebya sestrenka."

"I love you too," her sister returned, her eyes shining bright. "Navsegda."

xxx

Sestra - Sister

идиот - idiot

pozhaluysta eto ya - Please, it's me

Ya zdes - I'm here

Ya lyublyu tebya sestrenka - I love you, little sister

Navsegda - Forever