Natasha
Six months ago
''Where the hell are you dragging me now?'' Natasha laughed, letting Katya drag her through the crowd on the busy New York sidewalk. They had worked on Maya's bedroom the entire day yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. So Katya decided they needed a break and had tugged her wife to the car and drove to the mall.
''Can you just trust me for once? You're going to like it, I promise. Or, well, I'm going to like it more than you, probably.'' When Natasha looked at her weirdly, Katya shook her head and kept marching to the store. ''You'll know it when you see it.''
All those voices echoed in the mall when they stepped in, Katya keeping a firm grip on her hand the whole way up the escalators, until they got where she wanted to go. Natasha had no clue where that was, but as they passed more and more unaffordable stores and reached the end of the row, Natasha let out a chuckle.
''Kat, this place is expensive.''
''Don't care. I saw a dress on their website the other day, and I just have to buy it for you,'' she rambled, too busy looking around to find the dress she was looking for. Her eye fell on it a couple days ago, and her jaw dropped because it was so gorgeous. The price of more than a thousand dollars didn't bother her in the least.
She couldn't find it in the store at first glance, so she asked the woman behind the counter, showing her the picture on her phone and shielding it from Natasha so she didn't see.
The employee's eyes lit up at the picture, and when she eyed Natasha, she nodded excitingly. Apparently, she put two and two together as well, and drooled at the picture in her head. Stepping away from the counter, she led them to the back of the store.
Natasha just rolled her eyes and went along with it, growing more curious by the second. She wanted to see this dress herself now. Not that they ever wore dresses anymore. Not that they had any parties or galas to wear them to.
But nevertheless, her mouth dropped open when the employee picked up the hangar and showed it to them. It was made of the shiniest and most expensive silk she had ever seen. A rich, darker green. It was a midi dress with spaghetti straps and a ruffled slit on the left side. Body-hugging without getting tacky, and a droopy neckline.
''Now I understand,'' she smiled, admiring it while Katya watched her reaction closely. ''It's beautiful.''
''Right? And it will go with your eyes perfectly.'' Katya took the hanger from the woman and pushed it in her hands. ''Go. try. it. on.''
Natasha laughed, rolled her eyes but accepted the order. ''Okay, okay.''
She disappeared in the luxurious dressing room with the huge mirror and the thick curtain. Katya requested the employee to give them some time and that they'd call for her if they needed her.
The dress slipped on easily, hugged her in all the right places and made her look like a billion bucks. But Natasha couldn't get herself to step out. Overall, she was very confident about her body and her looks, and she didn't care about her scars in front of Katya. But the light shone on them, accentuating them, making them stand out. And suddenly she hated her body.
Katya sat outside, waiting patiently. But eventually, it took too long and she needed to see it.
''Are you ready, yet?'' She asked carefully, not wanting to rush her wife into anything. But when she didn't receive any answer, she asked again, a bit more worried. ''Nat?'' Again, nothing. So she stood from the velvet armchair and peeked her head through the curtains.
It was immediately clear what the problem was. Natasha's eyes on herself in the mirror, a distant look in them, not even looking up at the movement to her right.
Katya slipped into the dressing room, going to stand behind her. Her breath caught in her throat at how breathtaking she looked. However, she didn't seem to think so herself.
''Jesus,'' Katya muttered, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind and laying her chin on her shoulder, both looking at the reflection.
''Honey, you look stunning,'' she whispered with all the sweetness and seriousness in the world, needing Natasha to believe it as well. She didn't watch the dress, no, she watched her face to see if she believed her words yet. ''Absolutely jaw-dropping.''
''Stop looking at your arms,'' she pressed, knowing that's what she looked at because the scars were the most visible there. ''Look at yourself.''
Natasha dragged her eyes away from her arms and shoulders and back to the full picture like Katya encouraged her to. That sad feeling sunk to the background when she finally realized how stunning the dress looked on.
''There you go,'' Katya whispered, kissing her neck sweetly and unwrapping herself from her wife now that her help was no longer needed. That sparkle was back in her eyes.
''We're definitely getting this,'' Natasha nodded with a sly smile, looking at Katya through the mirror. She didn't have to thank her and didn't want to talk about that moment either. ''Can you help me out?''
''Oh, absolutely,'' Katya smirked, dragging the zipper down a bit slower than necessary.
Katya
Latvia - Today
Katya waited with her back to him until Walker exploded. It was inevitable. The Flag Smashers knew that too. One by one, in tense silence, they took off running left and right. Their footsteps fading away.
Sam and Bucky went after Karli, who picked a different route than her friends. Katya wanted to turn around and watch them go, but all she saw was Lemar's blood on her fingers. It had dripped out of his mouth and somehow stained her hands, too.
Only when more rustling and commotion followed behind her, did she turn around in time to see Walker crash through one of the elegant stained windows, using the shield to protect his face.
They were four floors up, if not more.
Involuntarily, Katya's gaze fell on Lemar, messing with her decision to leave him behind and follow after her friends. But he was dead anyway, and the Flag Smashers weren't coming back for him. He would be good for a couple minutes.
Jogging to the broken window, Katya ignored how her bullet wound hurt and her jaw throbbed, and peeked through, careful to stay away from the sharp glass. She just saw John disappearing to her left, in the direction of one of the squares this beautiful city had. She remembered because they passed it earlier and she had admired the fountain.
Swiping her gun off the ground, Katya sprinted out of the room and down the stairs. Damn stairs, they always slowed you down.
It took a lifetime to get to the ground floor, noticing that the Flag Smashers that lay on the stairs previously, were now gone. It made her grip her weapon a bit tighter, even though it obviously didn't do anything.
Once again, the Latvians jumped aside when they saw her run past, scared by the gun in her hands. She wished she was still in time to stop Walker from doing something irreversible.
The square came closer and closer, the cobblestone roads all leading that way, but Katya hadn't run into a single Flag Smasher, her friends, or John. Maybe she didn't see it correctly and he actually went right? She started doubting herself.
But finally rounding the corner of the last building, Katya stepped into the square, scanning the place quickly and pushing through the crowd that had gathered. Scowls and glares from the inhabitants cut off when they realized it was her.
Passing the last person, she stopped abruptly, eyes widening in fear at the sight she came to see.
That same beautiful fountain from before was now the main character in a whole other story. On its steps lay a young man or boy, whose chest almost caved in by the pressure Walker applied to it with his foot. The fear in the boy's eyes and posture was prominent, even from this distance. Because what he looked in the eyes was death.
Time seemed to slow down and drag on for ages while it lingered there, when in fact, Walker didn't have to think about his decision at all. He lifted the shield above his head with a clear objective.
''No, don't!'' Katya yelled, pulling herself out of her trance and running forward in some weak attempt to stop him. But he was too far away and deaf to the world.
Four times. Four times Walker brought the Vibranium plate down on the boy's chest with all the force he had in him. Blood splattered everywhere, pooling down the steps and seeping into the cobblestones.
Not only was the sight horrible, the sound was too. The cracking of his ribs, the dull blows when there wasn't anything left to break.
Katya had to swallow her nausea down but couldn't look away, every hit booming in her skull, the scene branded on her brain.
The sound of quick footsteps coming up behind her made her jump, but she relaxed when it proved to be Sam and Bucky. They first looked at her broken expression and then to the scene. Their eyes did the same as hers, displaying pure horror.
Katya had killed enough people in her lifetime to fill a book with. But never had she committed a crime of passion like this. Most of her victims had meant nothing to her. Just another name on a list she had to cross. All of them killed with a simple bullet to the head or heart, a good stab somewhere or even more subtle things. Quick. Easy. Clean.
What Walker did was out of pure rage, and once again boosted Katya's suspicions that he was indeed crazy. Only someone with deep mental issues would do something like this.
Even after he stepped back and glanced around the gathered crowd, he didn't regret what he had done. His cold eyes didn't display any shame or guilt. And the blood that dripped off the shield meant more than he would ever know. It meant the final stain, the most horrible stain, on Steve's legacy. On the weapon that had done so much good.
Finally, he ran off, the recording cellphones following him until he was out of sight.
Katya ripped her eyes away from the boy to look at Sam, who stopped next to her. ''You okay?'' he asked genuinely. He hadn't seen the actual killing part, but she had.
''Yeah,'' she nodded. Because that was the truth. She was okay. Also relieved now that the police finally arrived and closed off the crime scene, sending away the crowd. ''Jesus. What kind of psychopath does this?''
''You said you didn't see him take any serum, right?'' Bucky continued. ''Then how do we explain this?''
Katya shook her head, putting her gun away and wiping her bloody hands on Sharon's clothes. Luckily, her bag was in Zemo's apartment for new clothes. ''I didn't. He dropped it, it broke. I saw it. He must have already had one in his pocket when I intercepted him.''
Sam nodded, believing her. ''So he's a supersoldier now, too. That's going to complicate things.''
''We need to get that shield,'' Bucky added. He had started to look around a bit, restless to go after Walker and finally take back what was rightfully Sam's.
''I agree,'' he nodded. His eye fell on Katya, whose eyes were a bit dull because of the pain and the exhaustion. And even though he knew she would go on until she literally couldn't anymore, he needed to protect her from herself. ''Kat, you're benched. You've done enough today and you're almost swaying on your feet. Go back to the apartment. Take a shower or whatever and we'll get the shield.''
First, she widened her eyes in betrayal, then they narrowed in a glare. But he was right, they could handle him together. ''Ugh, fine, mom,'' she growled, causing Bucky to faintly smile.
''Oh, and call Nat. No doubt she has seen the videos.'' Sam gave her his phone, which she stuffed in her pocket.
''Great,'' Katya groaned, walking off, but not before giving them a warning. ''Don't get killed. I won't scrape you off the pavement.''
Sam was right. She was too tired from her brainwashing episode still, to fight. So with slight FOMO, she left them behind to walk back to the apartment. It wasn't far from here, but everyone had seen her at the scene and that blue jaw drew a lot of attention.
A nap sounded good, too. The Wakandans weren't going to bother them again, Zemo was probably long out of the country by now, and Karli had gone into hiding. Nobody would bother her for a while.
Luckily, Zemo's apartment had a guest bathroom that looked like it hadn't been used in years. It was clean though, the towels too. Spotless.
Pulling on some of her own clothes that smelled like her, Katya started to feel more like herself after her shower. More awake, too, since she had opted for cold water instead of warm. Something her muscles wouldn't like tomorrow but which she desperately needed.
Her original plan was to wash her face, brush her hair, and then call Nat. But Sam's phone stared at her the whole time, almost begging to be picked up. Hearing Natasha's voice sounded really great about now, but seeing her face would be better.
A bit hesitantly, Katya pressed the Facetime button, not sure if she had ever seen Natasha use it before.
Natasha
It was a bit too early for her run at noon, so Natasha sat on the couch with some coffee, just sitting and thinking. It wasn't that often she was alone in the house, which gave her some time to herself.
The rain from the past couple days had cleared, but it wasn't particularly sunny. It didn't have to be anyway. Maya's party was indoors. But still, it would have been nicer if the sun was out and she could have enjoyed that coffee on the porch with a view on the lake.
She always kept one eye on her phone since Katya had left, waiting for Sam's number to fill her screen. The contact had been surprisingly good, which put her mind at ease. Katya was clearly doing fine.
But when her phone chimed, she still dove at it like she had been shot by one of Clint's arrows. And to her surprise, it was him and not Katya who sent a message.
''Did you see this?'' the text read. It had a link attached to it. The way it was written had Natasha put her coffee down and sit on the edge of the couch, nervously and almost nauseously pressing the link.
To her relief, it didn't show Katya. Or Sam or Bucky. But it did show Walker, pushing a kid down with his foot, raising his shield above his head.
The camera shook a bit, like the person filming it got pushed aside, and then suddenly, Katya's clear voice called out. ''No, don't!''
She appeared in the screen - or at least half of her - on the left, wearing clothes Natasha had never seen her wear before. These had to be Sharon's.
For a split-second, Natasha was scared that Katya would run up to Walker, who obviously had gone mad, but she stayed right where she was, at least fifty feet away. She could picture the exact look on her wife's face when John brought his shield down. The horror in her eyes. Because that's also how she felt; disgust and terror.
The video stopped when Walker backed off, looked around and jogged away. She was about to play it again for anything she might have missed, when a call popped up on screen instead. She couldn't help but frown at the choice for Facetime, but wasn't complaining.
Katya's face popped up on screen, her kind eyes joined by dark circles and an even darker jaw. She smiled though, which was most important.
''Hi.''
''Hey,'' Natasha smiled back, immediately starting her usual scan of Katya's expression, anything to indicate how she was feeling. ''I was just watching the video.'' The screen stabilized after the phone was put somewhere. And only then did Natasha notice the unfamiliar background. According to the way Katya's eyes were focused somewhere above the camera, she looked in a mirror. A bathroom mirror to be exact. ''Wait, where are you?''
''Zemo's apartment in Riga,'' she answered absentmindedly, taking her towel from her head now that she was handsfree. ''Do you want me to bring you home a Wakandan spear? One's still stuck in the wall here.''
Natasha had no clue what she meant or what the Wakandans had to do with this, but chuckled at her joke nonetheless. ''Not even gonna ask.'' She tried not to worry, but Katya didn't look too great. Not only physically, but also mentally. Not that she could see that as good through the phone, but Katya had described once what it felt like to come back from brainwashing. ''Are you okay?''
She hummed, shaking her hair loose and gently combing through it with her fingers. ''Sam and Bucky are getting the shield back right now. They benched me,'' she rolled her eyes, pouting a bit.
She looked adorable, but Natasha didn't miss the avoidance of her question. ''Does it have anything to do with that huge bruise on your jaw?'' She narrowed her eyes to try and see the bullet wound better, which she could because Katya wore a tank top and had removed the bandage before showering. ''And let me see that wound.''
Katya finally stopped messing with her hair to focus on the conversation, setting her hands on her hips and staring into the camera. ''Nat. I'm fine. And I promise that's the truth. Karli took off and went into hiding again, so we won't find her now. After we retrieve the shield, the next plane I get on will be a homebound one.''
The thought of finally having Katya home made Natasha's heart jump a bit. It caused her to relax, shifting from her tense posture to lean against the couch cushions. ''Will you be back before sundown?'' she asked, hopeful.
''No clue. It's a nine-hour flight, but you're behind seven hours, so if the guys don't take too long, I'd say... maybe?''
''Good. Can't wait to kiss that gorgeous face.'' She watched Katya's cheeks turn slightly red, making her smirk. It was no lie though. She was more of a touchy-feely person than most people believed. Not in a bad way at all. She just loved tight hugs and small touches here and there. ''Maya and I will be waiting at the exact spot we dropped you off.''
Katya cleared her throat and looked up to the mirror again, going back to fixing the mess on her head. ''How did those cupcakes turn out by the way? Did you have to cover the scorched patches with a bunch of icing?''
''Maybe,'' she answered vaguely, to Katya's amusement. ''Just be glad I know how to clean better than I know how to cook. It was all over the kitchen.''
Katya laughed, the sound warming Natasha's heart. It was so much better to see her eyes shine with joy than just hearing her laugh over the phone, too. ''So are you ready for that birthday party today? Or are you about to cancel because seven screaming kids is too much for you to handle?''
''I can handle a lot. You know that,'' she said suggestively, Katya's cheeks once again going red. ''Don't worry about that. I managed to rope another parent into joining me,'' she continued casually, propping her feet up on the coffee table. Nobody around to tell her no.
''No way,'' Katya's eyes widened and snapped back to the screen before she chuckled again, guessing how that 'rope into' probably had gone. ''Who?''
''Aunt May.'' Natasha shrugged, actually very smug with herself. Like Katya said; dealing with seven kids wasn't exactly her forte. ''I actually like her, so she and Peter will come with.''
Katya hummed again, and Natasha watched as the happiness in her eyes slowly dissolved, turning into something she couldn't really place. ''You're not cancelling?'' she eventually asked carefully.
''Why would I do that? Because you're not there?'' Natasha genuinely asked, a bit concerned about this sudden change of heart on Katya's side. She sat up a bit straighter again, ready to blow this whole thing off if Katya wanted it to. ''I can reschedule if you want to. Maya would understand if you wanted to be there.''
But the brunette was already shaking her head. ''No, no, that's not it.'' She stayed silent for a bit longer, fiddling with her ring, and Natasha waited patiently although worried. ''Ehm, Karli said she called you?''
Natasha's face relaxed. ''And I told her to fuck off. That girl is more talk than action. I'm not going to keep Maya home out of fear, Kat. I got this, I promise,'' she reassured her with so much confidence and certainty that Katya immediately believed her fully.
''Okay,'' she sighed. The last thing she wanted was to blow off Maya's party, and luckily, Natasha thought so as well. ''She did tell me she would never hurt Maya, but I just don't want anything to happen to you.''
''Well, if you come home, you can personally make sure that doesn't happen,'' she teased gently, hoping to return that beautiful smile on her wife's face. And to her relief, she succeeded.
Katya chuckled lightly, shaking her head. ''Impatient much?'' The smile fell from her face when somewhere in the background, a heavy door slammed shut. She disappeared out of the screen momentarily, returning with a frown between her eyebrows. ''I gotta go. See you soon.''
''Sam?'' Natasha questioned, her own smile falling as well.
''Yeah. Looks like I will have to get out the ice,'' she sighed, taking the phone in her hands. ''But hey, they got the shield.''
''Go. Call me later. Stay safe.''
''Always.'' Katya gave her one last quick smile before the screen turned black. With a sigh, Natasha dropped her phone, running her fingers through her hair. At least Katya had given her some good news. They got the shield and she was probably coming home today. Maya would be over the moon.
But a couple long hours stood between that moment and the here and now.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: we are so close to the reunion! Oh and more spice will be coming soon, like ordered by you guys :)