protected || natasha romanoff [DISCONTINUED]

i get a hot girl's number (oh... and i killed someone... oops..?)

a/n: i'm gonna alternate povs this chapter, i've been trying to write this chapter and the next. this is the only way i could make it work, lol. after this, the rest of the book will be in nat's pov again!

this chapter is brought to you by me headcanoning natasha to be biromantic asexual because i'm desperate for any kind of representation

natasha's pov
"well, i figured out why they wanted all of their old tech gone," i admit to fury. i feel like i should be disgusted by how i'm being treated like a piece of equipment, but i can't help but agree.

"there's a new black widow. her name is yelena belova," i continue. i slide a photo i snapped of her while in los angeles towards him. i don't voice everything i know. i know she claims to have beaten my physical scores, but i have no way of knowing if this is true. i know she doesn't have all the training i do. i know she was recruited later in life, and she was the only one in her program, rather than the twenty eight in mine.

he nods, holding up her photo. "who does she work for?"

"as far as i can tell, she's switching between organizations. she's worked for the KGB, AIM, and HYDRA. she hasn't been active for long, though."

he puts the photo down. "i'm not worried if you're not."

i smirk. "i've got years of experience on her. i can handle it."

"oh, i've changed your file. i figured it would keep you safe if nobody knew you had a super soldier serum, so if anyone other than agent coulson or agent barton asks, you were born in nineteen eighty four."

i fold the photo up and stick it in my pocket. "works for me. if i need backup, i'll let you know."

yelena's pov
i sling the large gun over my back. i glance behind me, looking for that flash of red hair.

she appears in front of me. i stop, swearing under my breath.

"yelena belova."

"romanov," i hiss.

"i just want to talk," she says, and i resist the urge to roll my eyes. "the red room has resurfaced."

"you think?" i snap, pulling out two pistols.

natasha smacks them out of my hands and flips me onto my back. i roll over so i'm on top. i press a knife to her throat. she kicks me off of her and holds me in a chokehold. "there can only be one black widow."

i elbow her off of me, my heart racing. "so the red room wants me dead? you won't be the one to do it! not you, not ever!"

she smirks. it's infuriating, how calm she is. "if i wanted you dead, you'd be dead."

ugh, i hate her. i should kill her right now. "i'm the black widow," i snarl. "not you!"

natasha tilts her head. "alright, hit her."

someone bashes me over the head and i collapse to the ground.

i wake up in my room. i run a hand through my red hair- wait, red? yeah. i climb out of bed, walking to the washroom. i stare at my face in the mirror for one long moment, feeling... dysphoric. i'm probably just tired.

so i suit up and leave through the window. i'm still looking for belova. she's better at hiding than i thought.

as soon as i reach the street, someone grabs me from behind. i turn and punch them in the face. they block my fist and twist. i sweep their legs out from under them.

i pin my opponent to the ground, realizing it's belova. i pause, feeling awkward.

she glares up at me, almost taunting me. "do it."

i pull out a pistol, hesitating. i push my nervous thoughts back. i'm yelena... i'm natasha romanov... i'm the black widow.

this isn't my mission.

yes, it is, i can't hesitate. isn't this my goal? to kill rom- belova.

this will secure my title as the black widow.

i pull the trigger.

before i can get caught, i stalk off. don't run, walk. no matter how much i want to sprint away.

natasha's pov
as soon as she's gone, i make sure there are no witnesses before walking back to my apartment.

clint rubs the back of his neck. "are you sure this is a good idea?"

"she won't come back," i say. i have some idea of where she'll go, but i'm not sure. it doesn't really matter. fury's already sending agents after her, so if she starts to figure out what's going on, they can do... something. maybe i shouldn't put so much faith in them.

the plan can't really go awry, now that "natasha romanoff" is on the run.

"not your apartment..." he pauses. "this whole thing."

i roll my eyes. "it's fine."

"it's creepy," he decides. "aren't there easier ways to get information?"

"she's coming undone, and that's what i want. all i need to know is who survived the fire. whoever's pulling belova's strings has to come from the original red room."

he nods, not fully convinced. i'll send him to tail her, to make sure the SHIELD agents don't fuck it up. he'll try to keep her safe, i'm sure.

i put yelena's suit on. "if you're going to wear a bulletproof suit, at least cover your stomach," i grumble.

he laughs. "let's get this over with, miss belova."

"don't call me that."

as i infiltrate general stelyenko's base, clint keeps tabs on the real belova.

"belova," he says, sitting down at his desk, "you look pretty good for a dead woman."

i shrug. "it wasn't hard to pull off. and now that SHIELD's off your tail, i want in."

"to what?"

i sit down as well. "whatever you're planning."

he shuffles some papers. "fine. we have five nukes. i'll give you one."

"and leave four for you? that hardly seems fair."

"your other option is scampering back to russia and taking whatever punishment they give you for going rogue."

sorry, belova. you're not going to have great options to wake up to. i know the general doesn't buy this, but i'm willing to bet he's going to go along with it. i did do his dirty work for him, after all. "when you put it like that..." i trail off. "i'll take it. i'm yours to command."

"yes, black widow. you are."