Natalia Romanova was the golden child in the Red Room - the star pupil, the teacher's pet, the best of the best. Everybody knew it, including all the girls in her cohort, including Y/N Y/L/N.
But just as she was the favourite, Y/N was the least fav...
Chapter Five: "Every plan I ever made, every daydream I ever had, you were in it."
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Natalia didn't speak first, and I was beginning to think she wasn't going to as she stared long and hard at the juice in her glass. So, I knew I had to say something.
"Thank you for taking down the Red Room," I said, avoiding her eyes. "For killing Dreykov. And for freeing me."
"You don't need to thank me."
I raised my head, nervous under her gaze all of a sudden. "Yeah, I do. And I should have said it as soon as you freed me. So, thank you."
Her eyes darted to her glass and she nodded slightly. "You're welcome."
"I'm also sorry for fighting you when you tried to help me," I added regretfully. "For almost... for almost killing you. I tried so hard to stop, I really did."
"That wasn't you," she said, looking to me knowingly. "I know it wasn't you. You don't need to apologise."
She was wrong, I did. But if she was even remotely similar to the girl who'd left me all those years ago, then she would be too stubborn to accept my apology and it was pointless to try. I sighed, glad that was off my chest anyway, and looked down to the counter distractedly.
"How are you settling in?" she spoke gently. "Okay, I hope."
I glanced at her, and she was watching me closely, making me nervous yet again. She looked the same, more mature, but the same girl I'd grown up with. And I didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
"It's a change," I answered truthfully. "Very different to anything I've ever known."
"What do you do? For a job?"
"I work in retail," I said, and it sounded so silly coming from my mouth. Or maybe it sounded silly because I was telling her, the person who made me feel silly for having a fantasy just like this. "There's a stationary store down in the village."
"And you like that?"
I couldn't tell if she was being judgemental or not, but I refused to let it get to me. Her opinion didn't matter anymore.
"I do, yes. It's the life I've got now."
She hummed in response, fingers curling around her glass.
"Did you get the life you wanted?" I asked her without thinking, and she looked up when I did. "You left when you did, your whole life ahead of you. D'you get your fantasy?"
Her jaw tensed and she fell silent.
"You became an Avenger, though, so maybe not, since you never mentioned becoming a superhero in our many conversations," I said, a hint of bitterness coming through without meaning to.
