Always You

Chapter 36: Together Again

Nat left shortly after her chase with Yelena ended, leaving her alone with Y/N for the first time in over six months. As the door close behind Nat, the two stared at each other with smiles larger than life itself. Ten seconds had passed before Yelena took off across the room, jumping into their arms.

"God, Y/N. I missed you so much. You have no idea."

They smiled, wrapping her tightly in their arms. Six months. It had been six months since they saw each other last and the passion between them had somehow only grown. It was as though they never even missed a beat.

She pulled back to look at their face, falling backward as Y/N tackled them into the couch with a kiss. They both smiled as their lips pressed to each others'. Eventually, they broke, laughing together as they lay in the others' arms.

"I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you all actually pulled off this surprise." Y/N huffed as they laid their head back on the pillow. It still felt like a dream they'd be waking up from any minute. They silently prayed over and over again to not be woken up ever again if it was.

Yelena watched as their eyes looked up at the ceiling. It seemed like their mind had traveled somewhere else. Softly, she tapped their nose with her finger, "What're you thinking about?"

Both eyes squinted slightly as they thought. Now that everyone had left and it was just the two of them, some worries started to creep in. What if she wasn't ready for anything still? What if she was just excited to see them? What if...

She tapped them again, "Hellloooo? Earth to Y/N."

They laughed, "Sorry, I just... I don't know. I'm nervous."

Her eyebrows furrowed. She hadn't seen them in months but now that they were finally together, they were worried? "About what, love?"

"I just... What changed, Lena? I know it's been a long time, but I'm just worried that maybe I got ahead of myself," she caught them fiddling with their rings. A nervous habit she'd picked up on when they were back in Europe.

Yelena shifted to sit her head on her hand over her elbow, "What do you mean? How would you have gotten ahead of yourself?"

"When I left, I told you I'd be here. I told you I'd wait for you because I wanted to be with you. I guess I'm just worried that you still aren't ready but just were excited to see me..." they trailed off, letting their head fall to the side away from her.

She felt her mouth curve into a frown, "Hey, look at me." She grabbed their chin and pulled them to face her. "Why would you think that?"

They shrugged and looked down. It was hard to admit this. What if they ruined the second chance? So many things were swirling in their mind right now and they couldn't pin them all down.

"I don't know. I'm just nervous, which is weird. I've been so confident this whole time that you'd come back but now I'm just..." they trailed off.

Yelena pulled their face back to her and placed her lips on theirs. It was now or never. They had every right to be worried. She'd pulled them in back in France and then left them hanging. It was understandable to be nervous, but they didn't understand how she felt.

Y/N didn't know how much she felt for them and how ready she was for this. Months had been spent in preparation. She and Nat had done so much work and even Nat felt as though she was ready. She'd even cried when Yelena finally opened up her true, raw feelings for Y/N.

The two fell into the passion of the kiss. Yelena threw her leg over them, sitting her hips over theirs. She felt their hands run up her sides as she pushed her chest into them.

She wanted to scream, to shout what her brain was saying... but all that came out was a whisper as she broke from their lips. "I love you, Y/N."

Their eyes shot open. Looking over her face, they imagined they were hearing things. Had she just said...?

"I love you," she repeated. Now her voice was cracking, her eyes were tearing up, "I didn't understand what this was before. I didn't know I was even capable of feeling like this for anyone, but I love you, Y/N. I've loved you since the night we sat and watched Friends together. I have wanted nothing more than you in all of this. The job, living with Nat, traveling to the US, it's all great, but nothing compares to being with you."

Tears were streaming down their face now. They didn't know how to respond, so they crashed their lips against hers again and twisted her onto her side. Y/N leaned over her, releasing from the kiss and placing quick sweet ones all over her face.

The laughter that erupted from her mouth created a smile miles wide on their face. It was indescribable the feeling they had. All they knew to do was smother her in the sweetest way possible, "I love you, Yelena. God... I have loved you since that night too. The glances we've stolen, the kisses we've shared, the touches we've exchanged. You have always been it for me. I love you, I love you, I love you." She smiled at their repetition and laughed when they smothered her in kisses once more. 

All the walls were down now, for both of them. They'd both let down their defenses and allowed the other to see them fully. Y/N was in awe of how confident Yelena appeared now and how easily she spoke of her feelings for them. Truly, it brought them to tears more than once.

Yelena had spent the rest of the night telling them how she felt, reminding them that she loved them every few minutes, "I just can't stop saying it. Now that I've said it, I don't want to stop. It just sounds right. It makes sense." She smiled as she laid on their chest after a vigorous night of activities.

"Please don't ever stop," Y/N smiled as they kissed the crown of her head, "I love you so much and there is absolutely nothing better than hearing that come from you."

The two nuzzled into each other and slept soundly for the first time in months. Periodically, they'd wake up in the night and kiss the other, just to remind them that it was all real. Once or twice they'd even jump-started the activities they'd been engaged in before going to sleep.

It was all falling together for them, finally.