Can't Ask, Don't Need, Won't Acknowledge

Chapter 42: The Yalta Conference

Yelena scoffed, “do you have any control? Mother would have clipped your ear by now.”

“I’m not a dog!” shouted Wanda.

“Yelena stop it,” snapped Natasha glaring at the blonde woman, who had the grace to look chastised. She then turned to Wanda, “We are all going to sleep Baby. We can all talk about this in the morning. You aren’t being left out.”

Wanda begrudgingly looked between the two older women, before approaching Natasha and giving her a short hug. Natasha kissed Wanda’s head before turning her and playfully swatting her backside urging her to the bedroom.

Natasha looked over at Yelena, who smiled at the older woman. “So are we top and tailing it?”

Natasha just shook her head, “the sofa not good enough for you?”

“As if you would let me sleep for the evening on the sofa?” replied back Yelena warmly.

Natasha groaned, “let me check you arm. Are you going to stop this big I am attitude now my little spider is going to bed. No-one left for you to impress.”

“Natalia,” she moaned, but presented her arm to the older woman.

“Have you disinfected it?”

“I’m not an amateur,” stated Yelena in annoyance.

Natasha scoffed again, “Could have fooled me? That was an amateur job on the door.”

“Hey, maybe I wanted you to know I was in there,” replied Yelena defensively.

“You are going to get yourself killed one day,” stated Natasha. “I don’t think Mother would be impressed with your recklessness.”

“Oh come on Nat,” said Yelena. “You used to be a lot more fun than this. Remember Budapest?”

Natasha laughed at the woman, “Budapest is not a story I want sharing with Wanda.” She turned back affectionately to the blonde, “Do you still need the handcuffs?”

Yelena dropped her head to the floor in shame before picking her eyes up and shaking her head, “of course not.”

Natasha just gave her a knowing look, “sometimes I still need the metal.”

Yelena sighed, “but not all the time.”

Natasha looked at her at in empathy, “it takes time.”

“It didn’t take you any time,” snapped Yelena. Natasha stroked her hair, “stop comparing apples and pears.’

“Natalia, don’t baby me…”

Natasha scoffed at her, “I will always baby you.”

She teasingly whispered ‘you are my baby sister’ in Russian in her ear.

“I’ve missed you Natasha,” she responded. “It’s hard when you are a reminder of…”

Natasha nodded sadly, “it’s the same for me. I should see you more, but you remind me of that room. The people we killed. The children we killed.”