Deadly Attachment

Chapter 4

- i suppose it will all make sense someday.

The day the Avengers left the Tower for their mission, Wanda and I holed up in the big room with the lights off, watching multiple movies and gorging ourselves on pizza. Wanda told me they didn't usually let anyone eat so much of one thing, so whenever they left the Tower, she made sure to eat everything they normally wouldn't allow.

"So are they like parents?" I asked, not knowing my own parents I wasn't entirely sure. Wanda nodded, lifting the empty pizza box up with her power, and setting it in the trash. "I didn't realize that I'd have multiple parents while being an Avenger." I grumbled.

"It's not that bad, Katya," Wanda yawned, even though it was only eight-thirty. "They're good people, and only want to keep us safe."

I stared at her. "You don't mind being left behind?" I questioned, interested in her answer. She shook her head no. "You don't feel left out at all?" Again, her answer was no.

"Now that you're here with me, it's a little easier. I used to just watch movies by myself." She pulled her blanket up to her chin. "I know you'd rather be on the mission, but I do enjoy your company." I watched her, curious. She was not like the others. She didn't treat me as a child, she treated me as an equal.

"I enjoy your company as well." I smiled to her, and she raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"So you have facial expressions?" She grinned at me, teasing me with each word. I rolled my eyes, and tried to hide my smile. This time, I wasn't able to force it away. "Hah! The scary Black Mamba has facial expressions!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah." I shifted my position. "Just don't tell the others. It'd ruin my reputation." Wanda laughed once more, and we focused our attention back to the movie.

-

The Avengers arrived not too long after that, and Iron Man was carrying Spider-Man inside. Wanda and I jumped to our feet, watching in horror as they set Peter down on a table and yelled at each other.

"This is what happens when we let kids on the team!" Clint raged.

"Shut up, Clint! This never would have happened if-" Tony seethed in Clint's face, and I truly thought there was going to be a fight.

Then Natasha stepped in. "Both of you better shut up before I put a bullet in your heads!" She thundered at the two, who suddenly went quiet. "There is a fifteen year old boy who is in some serious danger right now. I need both of you thinking clearly, so we can assess what we have to do next while the medics work on him. Can you handle that?" The entire room was quiet, besides the medics working on Peter.

I felt bad for the kid. He was younger than I was, and looked pretty banged up. His suit was cut and torn, revealing bloody parts of his body, and a few limbs that shouldn't be bending the way they were. And on top of that, he was so dusty and dirty, they were going to have a tough time cleaning any infection out before it sets in.

"What happened?" Wanda asked Pietro, and I listened in.

"A building collapsed while he was inside. We barely got him out in one piece." Pietro informed her in a hushed voice.

My gaze drifted from Peter to Natasha, who was wiping blood from her hands onto her pants. She seemed very pale, too pale, almost. Then, she began to sway. No one noticed in the commotion, no one but me. I quickly started walking towards her, and as she began to collapse I ran and lifted her by her sides.

"Careful," I whispered, putting her arm around my shoulder. She was dazed and exhausted, and finally someone noticed.

Steve walked towards where I held her, and grabbed her face in his hands. "Exhaustion, and concussion I think. Get her to her room, and clean her up if you can." He ordered, and I nodded, half carrying, half dragging Natasha towards her room.

Inside, I set her on a chair, ignoring her groan. "Natasha." I snapped my fingers in front of her nose, until she opened her eyes and focused them on me. "I need you to stay awake, until I get you cleaned up. Got it?" She seemed to not understand, and so I repeated my entire sentence in Russian. She seemed to process my words now, so I hurried to get a wet rag and I pressed it to her face, clearing the dirt off.

Once the dirt was gone, I could see bruises that were forming, but I knew with her healing capabilities, they'd be gone in two days time. I pulled her out of her uniform and somehow managed to get a large shirt and pair of shorts on her, with her cursing and threatening me with each move I made. But they were empty threats, and she didn't seem to process that I was the one helping her.

I eased her onto her bed, and she instantly fell asleep. I woke her up every hour, until she was finally aware of her surroundings at ten-fifteen the next morning.

Natasha sat with her feet handing off her bed, holding her head in her hands. I focused on keeping myself awake, now that I knew she wasn't going to die or something. "Chert," she groaned, too tired and in too much pain to switch back to English. "What happened?" Even her Russian was drowsy, but I realized this was because of the concussion.

"I don't know, you just returned with a helluva concussion, and I tried to help you get cleaned up and into bed, while you swore and threatened me the entire time." I yawned a wide yawn.

Natasha's eyes slowly met mine, and she looked like she was trying to hide her pain, but was failing miserably. I guess she's never had a concussion of this caliber before.

"I threatened you?" She questioned, then laid back down in her bed very slowly. "Sorry." She huffed, and closed her eyes. "I'm not dying," She mumbled with her eyes still closed. "You can leave now."

I shook my head no, then realized she wouldn't see it because she had her eyes closed. "Steve came in here to check on you, and said I should stay when you're sleeping today. To wake you up and keep any eye on you."

"Stalker, much?" She opened one eye, and I just then realized she was joking. Or at least, I think that she was. "Kidding." She gave a real smile, and closed the eye again. The smile was pained, but it was real, and I felt special. Natasha seemed like someone who hardly ever joked, much less smiled. "You tired?" She asked me, and I nodded. "You should get some rest. I'm going to stay up for a bit, and I'll wake you if I feel like sleeping again."

I hesitated. "I don't know, Natasha. Steve said-"

"Go to sleep, Katya. I promise I'll wake you if I want to sleep again. But you need rest, you've been keeping an eye on me all night." She held a pillow out from her bed, and I took it. "Take the couch, and I'll wake you up in an hour or two."

As I walked towards the couch, she gave me another real smile, and I felt my heart soar. Natasha smiled at me.