Cornelia Street - Avengers

Longing and Loss

"We're already defeated."

(Love In The Dark, Adele)

...

"Fuck!" She groaned, slammed to the floor and winded in a second. She took a moment to recover from the intensity of the impact as Nat towered above her, with entirely no mercy, before she made a sharp kick to her ribs. Considering this was now the fourth time she had ended up on the floor, she kind of wanted to stay here.

"Get up," Nat commanded when she made no effort to move.

"Give me a second," the youngest heaved, clutching her stomach as she tried to catch her breath.

"You think the enemy is going to let you catch your breath out on the field?" Nat said, kicking her in the side, "You stay there and you're dead."

Lucia finally managed to sit up, glaring at her sister, but she could see that the woman needed to get her frustration out. So, she gritted her teeth and stood, for her sake. But without a chance to get fully stable, her sister had already swung at her. 

She managed to reach fast enough to block her sharp hit but Nat had already come through with another, and a fast fist connected with the other side of her ribcage.

Lucia bent over in pain, wincing, as Nat's knee flew towards her. Jumping back, she straightened up, only for Nat to swing her leg around to try and hit her. Thankfully, Lucia caught her ankle, and once she dropped down to the floor, she brought her other foot up and connected it to her stomach. Natasha propelled her youngest sister up, and over her until she slammed onto her back with a thud.

Lucia raised her hand as her attacker approached. "Okay that's enough," she heaved between breaths, "You ready to talk? Or are you gonna keep going until you kill me?"

"Talk. Talk about what?" Nat shrugged, squirting water in her mouth and tossing her bottle aside, preparing for another round.

She sat up with a groan. "I know when something is bothering you, and how you use me to get your frustrations out. Punching bags work just as good, if not better actually."

Nat tutted, her walls immediately coming back up as she moved back into a fighting position. "Up. Now."

Lucia rolled her eyes, flicking a force field to hit her in the back of her knees, and sending her down on her back with a softened impact. Natasha stared up at the ceiling for a moment, catching her shaky breath, before sitting up to rest her arms on her knees.

"You remember how I told you about me and Bruce, right?" Nat began, voice uncharacteristically soft. "How we're the very reason for the rule."

How could she have forgotten? Lucia nodded, eyes softening as her sister and her locked eyes.

"Well, It happened two years ago today," her sister told her, face sombre. Lucia's heart ached for her now that her demeanour made perfect sense. Nat shook her head, not wanting any sympathy, and she knew better than to give her any. If there was one thing Natasha hated, it was people feeling sorry for her. "I've made my peace with it, but I underestimate how much it still hurts me."

Lucia hated seeing her like this, it broke her heart. "I wish I could stay with you today but, I've got a conference in D.C. I've gotta attend with Steve," she said softly, reaching out to take Nat's hand in her own.

Natasha squeezed her sister's hand gently, offering a faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's fine, go," she murmured, her voice tinged with resignation. "You've got responsibilities too. I wouldn't ask you to stay."