Natasha's scream echoed through the hallways of the avengers tower. Almost immedeatly the quick footsteps of the awoken avengers, all who were worried about their teammate and friend. All the avengers knew what it was like; how real the nightmares could get and how sometimes you need someone who just gets it.
Meanwhile Natasha sat bolt upright in her bed her breathing heavy and fast. She had been back there. The red room. It had felt so real, oh god. It had felt so real, even the slight smell of rust and blood and… Get yourself together. Natasha thought to herself fiercly. It was just a dream, you're safe and you're team needs you to be strong. Her breathing evened out as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her room and she finaly registered the quiet shuffeling and hushed conversation coming from the other sideof her closed door.
"Wanda you go, you're best at this stuff." Natasha regognised the voice as Tony's.
"No," Wanda said in a barely audible whisper, "it should be Clint or Steve; she trusts them most."
"I know." Natasha kept her voice perfectly steady, "why dont you all come in?" There was a collective gasp and Nat guessed at least five of her teamates had come to her and immediately felt bad for waking them.
There was a moment of silence before the door opened with a small click flooding the room with light. Clint, Steve, Wanda, Vision and Tony filed in eyes flitting across the room. It was not what any of them had expected; Natasha had a large wooden closet on the left of her bed next to a small dressing table littered with jewelry and make-up. On the other side of her bed was a large wooden bookshelf perfectly ordered, though if Natasha had ever touched any of the books no-one knew. The only thing that was as they had expected were the walls, all painted a dark shade of grey and Natasha's bed and bed sheets which were black.
"We wanted to see if you are okay." It was Wanda who broke the silence.
"I'm fine." Natashs obvious lie was met by five questioning looks.
"I'm good guys, really." Natasha had to fight to keep her voice from breaking.
"No you're not." Clints words were spoken as a fact. "No-one here is okay," he continued, "we've all been through hell and back and we need to stick together and help eachother else we don't stand a change at life. Even the strongest of us need help sometimes."
Natasha looked at the group of people around her - her family - and for the first time in ages she let her wall down and stopped trying to hold back. Silent tears rolled down Natasha's cheeks. Natasha expected them to start excusing themselves awkwardly, leaving her alone so she was shocked when they all clambered onto her bed and crushed her in a rib-cracking group hug. After a couple of seconds they all shifted off her allowing her to breath, they sat in comfortable silence for a while untill Tony, Vision, Steve and Wanda got up to leave.
"Wait." Natasha's voice was barely above a whisper, but they heard. "Could you sleep here tonight?"
The group shared a smile before leaving the room and returning quickly with their own blankets and geting comfy for the night, Wanda and Vision on the left of Nat's bed Tony on the right. Clint and Steve skept with Nat in her large bed, the trio perfectly comfortable sleeping next to their best friends.
Sometimes you needed people who just got it.
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