Zero Mission | Natasha Romanoff

CHAPTER 21

"I was homeless for two years. I tried getting into a Salvation Army shelter first thing, but they turned me away the moment they found out I was queer. I sometimes found places to stay with other queer people, but those didn't last long, either because of drama or the police. And when the cops showed up, I'd get thrown into a foster home. Like everything else, they never lasted long."

Aurora paused to take a drink. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Kal and Bruce would let me crash sometimes in the loft above their shop, but I couldn't live there. Not when I was supposed to be in a foster home that didn't even want me."

Nat felt the table shake. Glancing to the side, she saw Aurora's leg bouncing up and down. When she looked back up, Natasha found that Aurora was chewing on her nails.

"Then, one day it just happened. I needed food. And he offered me a lot of money."

What did she mean by that? Before Natasha could ask, realization took over.

Romanoff must have betrayed her thoughts with her face, because Aurora shrank into her chair and a simple, almost inaudible "yeah" said in acknowledgement.

"From there," Aurora continued, "Drugs. Parties. It didn't take long for the real run-ins with the LAPD to start happening. Multiple arrests and attempts to keep me in the foster care system. That's when I met my lawyer, Jeri. She kept me out of jail and rehab. She even kept me from being tried as an adult at one point. Turns out, people don't like it when you put a cop in the hospital. And get that same fucker demoted because he was a corrupt piece of shit."

A dry chuckle escaped Natasha's lips. She was proud that Aurora wouldn't take shit from anyone, least of all a cop. "Good girl," she said with quiet reverence.

And there was that blush Natasha adored so much, followed by a smile. The real Aurora was waking back up. "Was that Office Annal?"

Aurora gave her a proud nod.

"So how did you get out of all that," Natasha asked as she leaned forward to rest her forearms on the table.

"A while after I turned eighteen, Josie found me at a party in Malibu that was hosted by Tony Stark. I almost ran from her, but she stopped me. After a long, long talk, she gave me a job as her assistant."

Another stretch of silence fell between them, neither woman knowing how to continue. Aurora broke it, "I would understand if you weren't interested in me any more. I mean, if you were to begin with. I don't wanna assume. I mean. I know we've kissed, but kisses can be-"

Natasha interrupted Aurora's rambling, "Shush. I do not judge people on the things they do or did to survive."

She also didn't have any room to judge. There had been several missions where Nat had to pose as a sex worker. And when you're "posing as a sex worker" as part of an espionage plan, you're doing the work, even embedding yourself in the local scene to establish your cover as a safe bet for the target. And that was well before the internet made it safer to screen clients.

As Aurora relaxed, Natasha gave her a comforting smile. "Is that everything?"

"Bad that's ever happened to me? Oh no, it gets worse."

Aurora expounded on the details of how her parents barged back into her life. Blackmail, keeping track of her for the two years she was out of their house. It made Natasha furious on a level that she didn't think possible. In rare instances, did her emotions guide her hand during missions, and the Wagners were about to become members of that select club. "Wait. You said a tape of Josie?"

Fishing through her handbag, Nat pulled out the digital tape, "You mean this one?"

Aurora damn near launched herself at Natasha, "Oh my god! How did you find it?"