𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 | 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘧 [✓]

Ch. 14 Extraordinary

Word count: 1k

Nat's POV:

She looks up in terror, blood glistening on her head where a cut slices through her flawless skin. I bite my lip as I approach, one half of me desperate to clutch her in my arms, yet the other weary of the stranger in front of me. I gulp, bracing my courage for the encounter.

"N-Nat. Natalia?" The words seem foreign as she says them and I know that she hasn't had the freedom to relieve the stress from her shoulders. Stumbling towards me her tears turn to sobs, which are smothered when she buries her face deep into the crook of my neck. I hold her for a moment, my body stunned still with some kind of shaking incapability to believe what's going on. But its real. I know its real, because I can feel her heartbeat, the tears that soak into my white t-shirt and stain the colour see-through. My hand runs through the loose hair of her ponytail, twisting and knotting.

She comes up to breath, but never lets go, never once lets me go. It's refreshing. She smiles at me and I smile back, unable to hold back the tears that drip one by one down my red and heated cheeks. Our foreheads press together in a rushed moment of sisterly love, if you can call it that. Noses touch and tears merge into a river of salt that stain our cheeks in streams.

"I thought- I thought I'd lost you." I utter, the words not as fluent as I had hoped them to be, but she doesn't seem to care. She nods against my head, her hands still holding the hem of my neck, not wanting let go in case she fell out of a dream.

"Why did you leave me?" Her sobs deepen, degrading to unstoppable messes of sounds.

"I didn't. I never did. I got out of the Red Room, and I landed myself a life without pain, with S.H.I.E.L.D. I found the peace I never thought I could have. And when I went back for you, the Dreykov had moved, and I lost my chance at getting you back. I'm so sorry, Yelena. I am so sorry." My words disintegrate in the air, melting until she smiles. "Forgive me, little sister."

Her lips move into a small and gentle smile and she nods. She doesn't seem to know what to do so she folds her arms around me and in return I do the same. I lost her once, I will never do the same again. I was just renewed one of my greatest regrets of my life, that must mean something. I suppose my hope isn't useless.

The wound on her leg is hopeless, so I sling one of her arms over my shoulder, letting her hop slowly towards my car. I wave away the paramedics and ambulance, smiling gratefully at the gestures, persisting that they keep the two injured under the police care that I had called for. They were criminals after all. Yelena and I limp back towards Avengers Tower and as soon as I spot my car, I leave her to leave against a wall so I can run towards the vehicle, closing the walking distance.

The drive back to the compound is filled with the sound of stifled sobs, not just from Yelena. I have her back, finally, though I must admit, I almost gave up on her years ago. I didn't see the point in wishing for something that was never going to come true.

The compound seems friendly again, like home, unlike it did when I rushed out. I know the others will me ranting about where I've been, what happened. Shit happened, my answer is on thin ice. I brought back a stranger, an injured one at that. There were two men shot by my own hand in town and now there's blood on my hands from where I bandaged Yelena's leg up. Nothing could possibly look anymore obscure.

I help Yelena out and into the med bay. As I rummage through the cupboards for the sterilised wipes, soft pads and bandage wrap, I hear footsteps and by the fact that Yelena is still struggling to walk on her own, I'm guessing they're not hers. I find what I want and stand back up. Turning around, I find myself staring into Steve's eyes, though unlike mine, his are glistening with mixed feelings of resentment and concern.

"Look, Rogers. I know you have questions, but I can't answer them all now."

"Look, Nat. I know these past two weeks have been hard, but you can't go shooting random people and bring someone else home. It doesn't work that way. Who even is she?" His voice is weary.

"That," I look pointedly at Yelena and smile, "is my sister."

"You have a sister? What else are you hiding from me, Romanoff? Secret lover?"

I scoff. "Like I'm capable of a sexual relationship."

"I wouldn't put you past one with Parker."

I stare at him, then turn my attention back to Yelena's leg, dressing the wound after wiping it down. A hiss falls from her lips, to which I reply with a sympathetic smile. "He's way too young for me." I say to Steve.

"Wrong one. Anyway, I think Wanda and Eliza are in the living room, if you're bothered. I really think Eliza needs to see you, Nat. She's shaken, especially after she took off."

"I'm not sure what you want me to do about it, Rogers. Wanda's her girlfriend, not me." There's venom in my voice and I can't bite it back.

"She came back in hysterics, Nat. It'd be nice if you at least tried." He gave Yelena a nod before leaving me to my thoughts.

"So," Yelena starts, extending the 'o'. "have you got a crush, Nat?"

"Oh, shut up." I laugh, shoving her on the shoulder playfully.

"Careful, Natalia. You'll end up jealous, and I know jealousy doesn't look good on you."