Content Warning: Though there are no details of it, underage survival sex work gets mentioned. There is also forced intoxication and abduction at the end of the chapter.
If you or someone you know is a queer youth who has runaway or been kicked out of their home, please know that each state has resources available that can help. Here is a list compiled by Lambda Legal: https://www.lambdalegal.org/sites/default/files/publications/downloads/fs_resources-for-lgbtq-youth-by-state_1.pdf
"Food" ended up being a mom and pop diner on Hollywood Boulevard called Eddie's Star Burger. Natasha sat and watched in awe as Aurora downed four breakfast sandwiches and a side of fries. The display made Nat wonder if her cooking would garner the same ravenous reaction from the cute girl sitting across from her. Natasha hated cooking for anyone, having had to play the doting girlfriend or prospective wife on a number of deep cover assignments. But when she found someone she cared about, it was one of the many ways she was able to show her affection outside of physical touch.
Was that also true of Aurora? Did she know how to cook? Would she want to do the same for Natasha?
All these what-ifs for a relationship that hadn't even happened yet and was doomed to end if it ever did. Every minute that ticked towards the mission's end was a minute closer to the truth tearing them apart. Maybe. Probably. Definitely. It was always that way. Adriana flashed in her mind, as well as any other person she got close to during a mission. Then there was Yelena, the closest Natasha ever had to a sister. It was clear from the moment she turned eighteen that love of any kind was not just out of reach, but something she would never be worthy of.
Natasha would just have to make the best of the time she had. However, that time felt like it was spent waiting to die.
Both women had finished eating, and now sat in tense silence. It was clear that Aurora didn't want to tell Tasha the truth, and it left her scared that what Aurora experienced was far worse than she had deduced.
"When I realized I was trans, I was so scared to tell anyone. Even Josie," Aurora began. She didn't look at Natasha, instead keeping her gaze down at the table and scraps of paper on the tray. "But, I decided to tell my parents first. I figured, since dad was a scientist, he'd understand," a heavy sigh pushed out of her lungs as she leaned back in her chair and slouched. Aurora looked up at the ceiling, "Hoo boy, was I wrong."
"Both of them turned on me instantly. They called me names, said they didn't have a son. Which, yeah. No shit, mom and dad. That's what I just told you." Aurora tilted her head back down and looked Natasha in the eyes, "They gave me ten minutes to gather some things, and then I was out of the house. I was sixteen and they kicked me out."
As Natasha studied Aurora, it was clear revisiting these memories was so painful, that she went numb. All emotion shut off to make room for the retelling of the most painful chapter of her life. It was odd, being on the receiving end of that, but Natasha understood the mechanics and the whys of losing your emotions when it came to trauma. The trick was to not let that become your default state, to not let the pain destroy everything about you. Romanoff was always on the edge of that knife, ever teetering closer and closer to letting her heart close itself off to the world. If it weren't for the second chance she'd been given, she would be like that all the time. Or worse.
Widow had to ask herself if she needed to know what happened to Aurora when she was disowned by the Wagners, since none of it was mission critical. The situation reminded her of how she felt recounting her past to SHIELD. Guilt bubbled up in Nat's throat, "Aurora, I'm Sorry. I shouldn't have-
"No. I need to get this out of my head," Aurora countered. "Besides, I suck at lying. I would have blurted it out or something anyway."
Aurora straightened up in her seat as she crossed her arms over her middle. Apprehension clouded her face, telling Natasha there was even more to the story.
"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?"
"You just find the most random things in people's closets."
Taking the tape from Natasha, she clutched it like it was the most important thing in the world, "Thank you. I'm going to destroy this as soon as I get home."
"Then let's not keep the destruction waiting."
After hauling up the boxes into Aurora's apartment, she and Nat sat on the fire escape, a small metal trash can between them.
Aurora threw the tape into the can, then doused it with lighter fluid. Igniting a match, she stared at the tape for a moment, "Fuck you, mom and dad."
She dropped the match right on to the tape, igniting the fluid. Both of them watched as the flames consumed the plastic, melting it into a paste. Once enough damage was done, Aurora blasted the trash can with a fire extinguisher.
Back inside, Aurora cranked the AC down. It was already a hot night, and standing next to a fire for ten minutes made it worse.
"Thanks, again," Aurora said as she embraced Natasha, who returned the hug. They stood there, holding on to each other, not wanting to break contact too soon. At least, that's what Aurora hoped. Nat had sent her a lot of unambiguous signs, yet Aurora was still afraid that she was reading too much into it.
Natasha broke contact to cup Aurora's face in her hands. The feeling of Nat's hands on her cheeks brought so much comfort to Aurora, that she closed her eyes and relaxed into the other woman's tender grasp.
"I should go," Natasha said as she withdrew her hands.
But Aurora wasn't having any of that. She grasped Nat's wrists before her hands moved too far away. "Please. Stay with me tonight."
"Baby girl, you're vulnerable right now. I don't want-"
Aurora opened her eyes, that vulnerability filling them as she begged Natasha to stay the night, "I know. But I'm also feeling anger and despair. Meeting you and then getting that tape back have been the only good things that have happened recently. I am tired of feeling like I am being crushed. I just want to feel something else. Please. Even if it's just for tonight."
Nat gave Aurora a light kiss, "That's the thing, моя любовь. If we do this, I don't want it to be just for tonight."
"Good. Because it would suck if you did," Aurora said dryly.
Aurora led Natasha by the hand to the bedroom, flipping on the light as soon as they passed the threshold. In one movement, Aurora grabbed the duvet on one side of the bed, and wrapped it over the small village of plushies that lived there and then pushed the fabric taco off to the opposite side. "Give me a sec," she said before disappearing into the bathroom.
Closing the door behind her, Aurora kicked off her heels and shimmied her underwear off. Then, reaching in between her legs, she undid her tuck, unleashing a yelp as the duck tape ripped off of her flesh. For a trans woman, undoing a tuck was right up there with taking a bra off at the end of the day.
"Are you okay," Nat hollered from the other side of the door.
As she began cleaning the adhesive off, Aurora gave a quick yes. Once the task was done, she rejoined Natasha, who was sitting on the bed, holding one of Aurora's many stuffed animals. "Oh, you found Carbuncle!"
Nat rotated the blue, squirrel-like creature in her hands. It had three tails and what looked like a large ruby in its forehead. "Carbuncle? You know that's a skin thing, right? It's a big-"
"No," Aurora yelped as she wedged herself between Natasha's legs, "I've already heard it! I don't need to hear it again!" Taking Carbuncle from Nat, Aurora petted the stuffie with care, "I don't know why it's named that. Just one of the many, many things I dream about." Setting Carby down on the nightstand, Aurora then wrapped her arms around Nat's neck.
"If you dream about it, how is there a stuffed animal," Nat asked.
Aurora let a dry chuckle pass her lips, "Josie read my dream journals once. For my birthday, she commissioned someone to make a bunch of stuffed animals based on my favorite creatures that I dream about."
Nat fiddled with the bottom hem of Aurora's dress. The slight brushes of Nat's knuckles against her bare skin caused Aurora to shudder. It was clear that Nat was looking for an invitation to move her hands further up. At least, it would be clear if Aurora wasn't a useless lesbian.
"You dream of fantastic creatures, yet you want to be a lawyer? You could make a lot of money doing literally anything with those ideas," Nat mused.
As she stood in front of Natasha, Aurora played with the woman's hair, brushing her fingers through the waves of brown locks, "I could. But I want to help people like me, and I think being a lawyer would give me the best chance to do that. And my dreams are personal. I can't sell them."
"You are so precious, моя любовь."
"What does that mean," Aurora asked as she brushed hair out of Natasha's face.
She stood up, forcing Aurora to take a few steps back. Grabbing onto Aurora's hips, Nat pulled her in close, bringing her lips right to Aurora's ear and whispered, "I'll tell you when you're ready, baby girl."
Between the words and Natasha's breath on the side of her face, Aurora's body quaked with energy. She felt Nat's hands move to the back of her dress, then a hand clasped at the nap of her neck while the other played with the zipper of her dress.
Nat whispered again, "Do you want me to take your dress off, baby girl?"
"Yes. Please."
The zipper was pulled down in a slow tease, building up even more tension. It felt like hours before it reached the end and Aurora's dress collapsed around her ankles. Natasha kicked off her own heels, and before Aurora could offer, Nat's dress was off in a flash. They both stood there, like the calm before a storm.
Neither being able to handle the wait any longer, they clashed into each other in a desperate, needful embrace that had been building since they met. As they both fumbled to take the other's bra off, they kissed.
Once their underwear had been taken care of, Nat spun them around and shoved Aurora onto the bed. Before Aurora was able to even say or do anything, Natasha was on top of her. They kissed for what seemed like hours as their hands explored the other's body. Every so often, Nat would dip her face into the crook of Aurora's neck to kiss, bite, and suck on her flesh. Each action elicited fervent moans and gasps from Aurora as her hips bucked and her back arched.
After planting yet another passionate kiss on Aurora's lips, Nat pulled back, "I have to be honest. I've never been with a trans woman before."
A caring smile found itself on Aurora's lips as she stroked Tasha's cheek, "I trust you."
With those words, they became lost in each other for the rest of the night.
Natasha woke up in a cold sweat. The nightmare about Katya happened again, only this time, instead of Natasha burying herself, she was burying Aurora. The terrible visions were a stark contrast to the euphoric stiffness and soreness her body experienced as she laid in bed. Next to her, Aurora was curled into Natasha's side. Natasha's soul and body coexisted on a plane of bliss, heightened even more by the quiet, trusting beauty that laid beside her. Everything coalesced into a calm that would banish any horror.
And it did. The intrusive thoughts that always followed the dream never arrived. No matter how many women Nat had been with, the nightmare always came, followed by guilt and the cutting remarks of Madame B. Sometimes, it would take days to shake free of the after effects.
Was it thanks to Aurora? Did waking up next to her banish some of the darkness? Maybe it was knowing the truth about Aurora's past. While not at all similar, they both experienced what could professionally be called a fucked up childhood. Was there comfort in that revelation? It felt similar to what she experienced with James. Right up until the KGB wiped what was left of him and shoved him into a cryo tube. All because the two dared to love each other.
Nat made a silent vow to herself that no matter what happened, nothing outside of their growing relationship would tear her and Aurora apart. To seal the vow, she brushed Aurora's hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.
That just left an important question: when was she going to tell Aurora the truth?
As much as she wanted to lay in bed, cuddled with Aurora, Tasha's body screamed at her to take a post-sex bathroom run. With all the grace her sneaking skills afforded her, Romanoff extricated herself from the bed without waking Aurora up and then crept into the bathroom.
Exiting the bathroom moments later, she found that Aurora was now tossing and turning in bed. Fresh sweat beaded from her pores as her face contorted into anger. Even Sleeping Beauty has nightmares, Nat thought. However, the dream must have been getting worse, as Aurora's movements became more sharp and frantic. Without warning, Aurora shot up in bed and screamed out of anger and sadness.
Aurora sat on the couch, a blanket over her shoulders as she filled out her dream journal. At the end of the entry, she sketched the bust of an elvish man. Finished with the entry, she closed the book and sat it on the coffee table just as Nat approached with two mugs of warm tea.
"I had a hell of time finding the tea. Why do you have so many jars of pickles," Nat asked, half serious, half as a joke.
Taking the cup that was offered, Aurora gave a feeble smile in gratitude and answered, "I thought you said you researched all things trans?"
As Aurora took her first sip, she let out a groan and sunk back into the couch. Both women sat in silence, drinking tea as more sunlight filled the apartment.
Her curiosity piqued, Nat retrieved the journal and thumbed to the entry that had caused such a visceral reaction from Aurora. It was light on detail, though that could just have been due to the brevity of the dream. Whomever Aurora was supposed to be was chasing after someone who could only be described as an elf pope. Weird. But this pope wasn't alone, and no one realized that some of the pope's guards had flanked them from the rooftops. One of the guards had launched a spear of light at Aurora's back, but one of her allies, a different elf, blocked it.
And it cost him his life.
Nat admired the sketch of his face. He was handsome, in an elegant sort of way. Underneath the sketch was what had to be a quote from him, which she read aloud, "A smile better suits a hero."
"I've been having these dreams since I was six. No one ever died in them before," Aurora said. Her words were weighted with melancholy, as if the death she witnessed was something that she saw happen in the waking world.
It was this moment when Natasha understood how these dreams were so personal to Aurora. They affected not just her mind, but her very soul. The look on her face was one Nat recognized. She had seen it dozens of times, not just on others, but on herself. It was the numbed anger and sorrow that everyone experienced when someone died in their arms.
Aurora cleared her throat, "You don't have to stay, you know."
Tasha was confused, "What do you mean?"
"You were up before me? I just figured that-"
After setting her mug down, Nat shimmied herself closer to Aurora so that they were pressed together. Wrapping one arm around Aurora's middle, Nat draped the other across the back of the couch. Nuzzling her face into Aurora's neck, Nat explained, "Post sex pee. That's all. I was gonna get back into bed with you, but you were already trashing about thanks to the dream."
"Oh. Wow, I'm dumb. I'm sorry," Aurora stammered, embarrassed that she assumed the worst. "It's just that, some cis women get, well, they regret sleeping with me. And I know I shouldn't have assumed that, but-"
Aurora was interrupted by a deep, penetrative kiss from Natasha.
The Russian chuckled as she pulled away. "How about this? I go home and get changed, and then I come back and we can have breakfast. Maybe even spend the rest of the day together?"
Her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree, Aurora nodded, "Yes! Just come right back here and I'll cook us something."
The idea of eating something Aurora made caused those damn butterflies to stir up in Nat's stomach. They knew each for a short amount of time, yet Aurora had such an effect on Natasha, that she couldn't keep her feelings contained. Even under the crushing weight of her inner turmoil about lying to the trans girl.
Nat had fallen for Aurora. Hard. She was everything Natasha wasn't, and it made the agent of SHIELD wonder if that had always been what attracted her to the few people she became serious about. Plus, she was a huge dork. Seeing people get excited about their interests and hobbies that were outside the norm always put a smile on Nat's face. And it was hard not to smile in Aurora's apartment, which could have been its own hobby shop.
Maybe in another timeline, that could have been Natasha and ballet. Or acting.
After a quick kiss, Natasha left Aurora's apartment. As she exited the building, Romanoff scanned the street and relaxed when she saw that the cop car was gone. And as near as she could tell, it hadn't been replaced with an undercover car. Not wanting to chance it, Romanoff got into her car as fast as possible, and peeled out towards the apartment that she pretended to call home.
Before she even put her key in the lock, Natasha could tell someone was in her apartment. With great concentration, she unlocked and opened the door, trying to gauge where the intruder was in the small spaces of the unit. However, instead of silence, she was greeted by the soft murmur of the TV, and the low chuckle of an idiot archer that she called a friend.
"What the hell are you doing in my apartment," she blared at Barton.
"We lost contact with you the whole night! What did you expect," he said in defense. "I did go to Aurora's apartment, but I didn't bother knocking. I could hear her from out in the hall."
A proud smile crossed Tasha's lips, "What can I say? I'm just that-"
In protest, Clint took his hearing aides out, shaking them in his hands, "Nu-uh! Nope! I do not need to hear details of your sexscapades! I already know way too much about some of my co-worker's dicks."
Natasha signed for him to put the devices back in. After a moment, he agreed and crossed his arms. He might not have wanted to hear about the dirty details, but he did expect an explanation and maybe an apology. "Seriously, Nat. You can't go off grid like that. You're still on probation as a new agent."
She just shrugged, "You knew where I was."
Making her way into the bedroom, she put on something more comfortable and suitable for a day of hanging out. Wanting to get back to Aurora as soon as possible, Nat skipped taking a shower. She hoped she'd get the chance to take one with Aurora later. Returning to the living room, she found Clint hadn't left the couch. And he was giving her the weirdest look, "What is it, Barton."
"You've been smiling ever since you got here. It's weird."
"You've seen me smile before."
Clint laughed as he stood up, "This is a different kind of smile. You're happy. Like, really, really happy."
Nat wanted to give him a sarcastic response about how she wasn't, but he was right. Of course, the thought of how this happiness would be banished crept back into her mind, "Enjoy it while it lasts, Clint."
"Who says it has to end?"
"It always does," Nat grumbled.
The archer sighs as he clasps his partner's shoulder, "I don't know this girl, but anyone that can make the infamous Black Widow smile like that? She's gotta be a keeper."
She could only scoff, "And what do you think will happen when she finds out the truth?"
Offering a shrug, Clint made it clear that he had no idea. Instead, he gave his friend a bitter sweet smile, "That's up to her. For now? We work the problem. Which means, it's time to clock in."
Nat cocked her head to the side, confused about what he was talking about.
"I'll explain in the car, but we gotta go to the TriSyn building. Get your gear."
Something drastic changed overnight, and it made Nat worry. Was their cover blown? Did Clint find something? The dozens of possibilities ran through her head as she changed into her tactical suit and strapped her weapons down to her body. The suit was brand new, designed to be similar to her Black Widow tac-suit. Both Clint and Coulson fought to keep her signature Widow belt buckle, which she appreciated. However, on the shoulders were SHIELD patches. She was grateful that she took the time to get it stretched out before her first mission. Like shoes, breaking in a new tac-suit was uncomfortable.
Once they were in the car, Barton explained that Graff returned from vacation and "found something" this morning at the TriSyn HQ. Convenient. Meanwhile, the Wagners and their personal guard had disappeared, and no one had been able to reach them. Surveillance at their house only showed that they left in a hurry in the early morning.
As Clint continued to explain the situation, Nat texted Aurora a vague excuse for ditching their breakfast date, promising to meet her later in the day. While Nat wasn't religious, she did say a small prayer that, whatever was going on, Aurora would remain safe.
Aurora got out of the shower and threw on comfy hanging out clothes. Standing in her kitchen, she agonized over what to make for breakfast. She opened cabinet after cabinet, except for the one where she stored all of her pickles and other salty snacks. The one thing she kept coming back to was biscuits and gravy, which sounded like a safe bet. And maybe some sausage or bacon as a side. With eggs. Damn, she was always hungry the morning after sleeping with someone.
Before getting started, Aurora turned on her iPod and started rocking out to Pennywise's "Fuck Authority." Just as she got the pans set up on the stove, her phone rang.
"Hello, you've reached Anderson's House of Whores. How may I help you?"
Josie laughed on the other end of the connection, "Someone woke up happy."
"Well," Aurora sang as she continued to work on breakfast, "I did have a great night last night. And I have good news! I got the tape back! Well, actually, Nat got the tape back. And I burned it."
Aurora had to pull the phone away from her ear as Josie lost her shit. "Wait, who's Nat?"
Setting the phone down and putting it on speaker, Aurora explained what happened the night prior. Even divulging that she told Nat about her past. The sounds of Aurora working in the kitchen caught Jo's attention.
"Oh no. You're making breakfast for her?"
"What?"
"Honey. You only do that when you're completely smitten by someone. Look, just keep it slow and steady, ok? I shouldn't hear anything about a UHaul for at least six months."
Aurora slapped the dough down into the mixing bowl, "That happened only one time! Once!"
Losing her composure again, Josie prodded Aurora some more, "Sweetie, I love you, but you wear your gay heart on your rainbow colored sleeves. I love you, but sometimes, common sense leaves your brain."
Before she could get a response in, a knock at the door caught Aurora's attention, "That's her! I gotta go! Love you!"
"Love you too, you useless lesbian."
Making a bee-line for the door, Aurora didn't bother to check if it really was Natasha.
And she regretted it.
On the other side of the door, stood Officer Annal and a handful of cops.
"Ms. Anderson. Nice to see you again."
Panic flushed through her as the creep pretended to be professional and accommodating. She attempted to slam the door in his face, but he was quicker, catching the door and shoving it open.
Aurora stumbled backwards and into the arms of another cop who had snuck into her apartment via the fire escape.
She struggled, willing all of her strength to fend off the intruders. All she could do was step on the cop's foot, causing him to loosen his grip. Spinning herself around, she launched her leg into his crotch, "Hands off, baconator!"
The rest of the squad stormed into the apartment, surrounding Aurora and restraining her. They were too much and too strong for her as she thrashed about. A stray hand passed in front of her face and she bit down on it, hard. Whomever the hand belonged to yelled in pain. A second later, Aurora screamed as a fist found one of her kidneys.
"You fuckers need a warrant! I want my lawyer. Now!"
Officer Annal just laughed, "We have probable cause. Your place just reeks of marijuana. Plus, you assaulted two officers and are resisting arrest."
Aurora continued to struggle against them as she shouted obscenities and curses at the group of men who had invaded her home. They all just laughed at her. Officer Annal withdrew a small leather case from his back pocket. He got close to Aurora's face as he opened it to reveal its contents: a small medicinal bottle and a syringe.
"Amazing what you find just laying around the evidence locker."
Aurora's eyes went wide and skin paled as he prepped everything.
"What's the matter? You used to love needles," he chided as he grabbed her arm.
Strength having already left her body, all she could do was use her words, "Why are you doing this," she begged.
Rolling up her sleeve, Annal just laughed in her face. "Revenge, mostly. But also," he jabbed the syringe into her flesh, "Your parents are paying us a ridiculous amount of money."
Quiet whimpers carried the tears that pooled away from Aurora's eyes as darkness claimed her. She went limp, and the officers dragged her out of her home. As they loaded her up into a van, Annal made a call to Krauser, "I have the package. We should be at the coordinates in," he checked his watch, "Four hours, traffic permitting."
"Good. Do you have the other item I requested?"
"Yeah. But it wasn't easy, so naturally it added to our usual fee."
"Fine. Just get here."
Ending the call, Annal got into the passenger's seat and turned to his driver, "Make your way to the Mojave."
++++++++++++++
A/N: This chapter has been the most difficult for me to write, hence why it has taken so long for me to finish and publish (among other life reasons). I had always intended this to be what happened, even before I decided to write this fic. But when it came time to finally put it into words, I found myself questioning it and agonizing on how to go about writing it. Not only from a subject matter perspective, but also a character one.
Something similar happened when I wrote the chapter about Nat and Adrianna. After I hit publish, I felt sick to my stomach that I had put a character I love through something so terrible. As a friend of mine put it, I'm "one of those rare empathic writers."
And I guess I am. Natasha is my favorite MCU and Marvel Comics character, while Aurora is my Warrior of Light.
There is one one terrible thing still to happen, but this is as dark as the story gets. It's all uphill (or downhill?) from here and in the next chapter, we finally see Aurora become the Warrior of Light and find out how and why she came to Earth.
Thank you all for reading and staying with me.
And my you walk in the Light of the Crystal.