Under You [N. Romanoff × Female Reader]

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻

It was a cold day in Massachusetts, and you were sent out to do some errands. While you were at it, there was a car tailing after you but you shook off the feeling, thinking you were just paranoid and so you continued.

Sometime later, you were standing just outside the pavement waiting for a cab since you didn't feel like driving. Three guys were standing near you having their conversation but they couldn't seem to take their eyes off you so you anxiously began to walk away slowly to a more crowded place, but before you could even do that, one of them grabbed you, covering your mouth while he also held your hands behind you, putting you in a locked position.

"Mmm!" You tried to yell for help but your voice was muffled. As the other one took your bag and searched it, the third guy was holding a knife and pulled your left arm, marking your forearm with the tip of the knife as blood dripped down. "Help!" You managed to scream, pain traveling through your body. Giving your best to bite the guy that was muffling you, which he hissed when you did, and was forced to let go of you. "Fuck!" You muttered, staring at your forearm which was pouring blood faster than you could decipher.

The three of them disappeared after that without taking anything or so you think, but your things were left scattered on the icy ground. Sitting down on the pavement you reached for your phone, hands trembling in fear and pain.

"Hello," You started, voice trembling as you looked around you warily.

"Hello? Who's this?" The other end questioned, it was the landline of the house that you called since it was at the top of your contact list.

"It's, uhm... Y/N," you were breathing heavier now as you pressed your left arm in between your middle and your legs.

"Y/N? Where are you —" It was Natasha, but you cut her off before she could even ask.

"Listen, uh, can you tell my brother to come and pick me up? I got - someone stole my bag and - just tell him, Nat, please," you pleaded, your visions fogging up as the place around you started to get blurry.

The line ended the moment you had told her your location, she didn't even reply a single word, but you trusted her that she wouldn't leave you here hanging.

Pressing your right palm on your left forearm, you hissed loudly, chest heaving up and down. The bleeding didn't slow down then, it was like your palm had holes everywhere as the blood just passed through it.

You didn't know how long time had passed, but you flinched when someone touched your shoulder, making you look up to see who it was.

"Hey," Natasha's voice was calm, it was as if she had dealt with this kind of situation so many times. "Can you stand up?" Her eyes glanced at your bleeding arm, and you just nodded your head and she helped you up, placing you carefully in the car.

Later...

When you woke up, Natasha was sitting next to your bed, staring at you, waiting for hours without leaving your side.

"How are you feeling?" She silently asked. It felt weird to see her like that, so full of emotion and the fact that she's expressing it to you just feels more unbelievable.

"Sore," you croaked, raising your left arm to scan the damage but it was already sewed up and bandaged. "Where are we?" You looked back at her.

"At the hospital, I figured you didn't want your family to find this out so I didn't take you home, the damage did a number on you so..." She trailed off, only staring at your eyes.

She was the one you didn't want to see you like this, that's why you asked for your brother instead, but she was more stubborn than you thought. "Why did you come?" You asked. "I said to tell my brother, Nat."

Her eyes danced around your face, she couldn't read you. "What?" You rolled your eyes. "You don't want me here?" She questioned, her demeanor changing.

"Not that —" you paused, thinking of the right words. "I didn't want you to see me like this," you admitted. "It's —"

"Embarrassing?" She continued, a look of hurt in her eyes and you slightly shook your head. "I don't care," she continued, "I don't give a fuck when you're embarrassed at me seeing you in a vulnerable state, Y/N. You called and I came, that's what matters. You can't tell me what to do or forbid me when you're in a dangerous situation. If I hadn't come then you would be bleeding to death in that —" You cut her off by placing your index finger on her lips the moment she began to ramble and her stare began to intense.

"Shh, I'm sorry," you let out. "I just didn't want to worry you."

"But you did, and that's fine, you should normalize that, not only me but people around you who are worried," she stated, voice still tensed and firm.

"Okay," you whispered. "Copy, boss," you drew out a small smile from her, which you mirrored.

After the incident, Natasha knew something you didn't. Because two weeks later, she saw your forearm that was now healing but it made a scar out of it, which showed the letter/s that was written on it. But she kept her mouth shut, she didn't want to bother you anymore with anything. And deep down she knew that what happened to you was not a coincidence,  she knew it was coming,  she just didn't expect it to happen that time.

By the end of the first week of December, both of you were back in New York. Natasha gave your job back and made sure that her fiancée did not know about it, and lucky for you Haley is spending most of her Christmas month at her father's so she'll be on and off at the company. This means more stress for Natasha since she has to balance her time at work and her time for her fiancée.

With a coffee in one hand and some files in the other, you suddenly felt the air of the room you just entered in, thick and cold as you exited the elevator, on your way to your boss's office. The employees that surrounded you eyed you warily as if it were warning you to stop moving and just ask them what was wrong but you didn't, you just continued walking, ignoring them to your very best like you usually do.

As you neared the big black doors of Romanoff's office, you breathed in a handful of air before pushing it using your side, letting the door close shut behind you quietly.

But then, your eyes were met with chaos as you took in the view of your boss' office. Files were scattered on the floor, a few shattered glass from the far side, and chairs broken down across the room from where they normally sat. What the hell happened?

From there, your eyeshot landed on the redhead who was talking to someone over the phone, your presence still unnoticed, seeing as she was facing the wall. She was yelling, but that didn't matter for a short while as you rolled your eyes, putting all the things in your other hand into one so you could somehow pick up the papers that cost more than your life.

As you stood up with a handful of papers in your hands, you were met by Romanoff's eyes, glaring at you hard as a stone as if she hadn't known you for a while, but you knew behind those eyes were something soft and caring, but since the situation is tensed, you knew Natasha needed a minute of stillness before she's looking at you again the same way she always does with admiration in her eyes.

"Your coffee," you broke the ice, placing the hot liquid on her table — which was oddly doing fine compared to the rest of the furniture around the room — in doing so you saw a glimpse of your picture near where a pen was sat, making you dart your eyes at her, but she didn't notice,  or maybe she did.

"Thanks," she whispered, clearing her throat, it felt weird hearing her whisper when a moment ago she was yelling over the phone with someone you probably don't need to know.

"Okay," you smiled at her. "I'm gonna go now so continue doing..." You trailed off not knowing what to call it, you wanted to ask but it seemed like it was not the right time to do so.

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