Summary: When Natasha had been assigned to a mission for what seemed like the thousandth time that month, Yelena had immediately volunteers to take her place. Natasha is not pleased because Yelena went behind her back and did this, but she lets Yelena go on the mission since she has no choice at this point and is positively exhausted anyway. However, when Yelena comes home from the mission with a few injuries, Natasha is completely worried out of her mind and feels that she has let Yelena down once again.
Yelena let out a deep breath, getting out of the car with only a bit of trouble as she waved to Steve gratefully. He offered a two-fingered salute and a smile in reply, and she just headed toward the house, limping just barely.
When Natasha had been assigned to a mission for what seemed like the thousandth time that month, Yelena had immediately volunteered to take her place. Yelena knew that her big sister was exhausted and that she was not getting the sleep that she needed because of the mountains of paperwork that she had to complete after each one of the missions that she kept going on.
Yelena was honestly afraid that Natasha was going to end up getting less than pristine in her work on the missions due to the exhaustion and she was going to get hurt. Therefore, Yelena decided to step up to the plate and replace the redhead this time.
Natasha had protested so much, and that entire morning before Steve came to pick her up, Natasha had been begging her not to go and to let Natasha go as planned. Yelena remained steadfast, practically demanding that Natasha go to bed after Yelena left. Yelena strongly doubted that the redhead had actually complied with her words, but she let herself hope at least a little.
Natasha always was strongly opposed to Yelena going on missions meant for the redhead, but most times, Yelena was begging Natasha to let her go on those missions and Natasha gave in. The reason Natasha was so extra unhappy about this time was because Yelena had went directly to Steve and told him that Natasha needed a break and that the blonde was going to take her place.
Natasha was very unhappy with the fact that Yelena had done it without telling her about it first, but Yelena knew that on somewhere inside of her, Natasha was also grateful for Yelena's thoughtfulness.
Somewhere deep, deep down inside of her that Yelena hoped would surface as soon as she walked in through the front door and told Natasha that the whole thing had been a success. Well, not counting the sprained ankle and the shallow gashes on Yelena's head and arm.
Yelena reached for the doorknob to put the key in, but before she could even start to unlock the door, it was flung open and Yelena was wrapped in a tight embrace.
"You're okay," Natasha whispered, and Yelena tried to hold back the slight whine of pain as Natasha brushed against her injured arm, but she quickly brought up her arms to reciprocate the embrace.
"Hey, poser," Yelena mumbled against Natasha's neck, pressing her face into the warm skin as she leaned her entire body into Natasha's arms.
However, Natasha had obviously heard whatever small noise that Yelena had made, and she pulled away quickly. Yelena let out a slightly louder noise of protest as she hesitantly pulled away from Natasha to look at her with some offense.
Yelena immediately noticed how Natasha's eyes were locking onto the injury on Yelena's head, and Yelena let out a slight breath as the light in Natasha's eyes dulled considerably and she lost all semblances of happiness in favor of concern.
"You're hurt," Natasha pointed out, and Yelena shrugged a little, nonchalance in her motions.
"Not too badly. Just a place on my head and my arm. And a sprained ankle. Nothing was broken," Yelena happily assured her, and Natasha's eyes were wider as she gaped at Yelena. She immediately reached out for Yelena's arm before pausing questioningly.
Yelena wordlessly raised her uninjured arm to let Natasha grab it and pull her inside the house. Natasha wasted no time in wrapping her hand around it and dragging her in along behind her, heading further into the house as she headed for the bathroom.
Before long, Natasha's phone made a noise indicating a notification. Natasha lifted her phone and checked it, her hand still locked around Yelena's arm as she pulled her into the bathroom. Yelena noticed her older sister's expression darkening as she looked at Yelena for a short moment before starting to dig through the cabinet below the sink.
"I told you to be careful, Yelena," Natasha told her, stuffing her phone back into her pocket, and Yelena knew she was in some trouble since Natasha was using her actual name. Yelena just stood behind her, leaning against the wall as she eyed her older sister. She quickly tried to make light of the situation and hopefully convince Natasha to be less irritated with her.
"And I was! You should see the other guys, Natashka," Yelena laughed a little despite the air of seriousness between them. Natasha just glared at her slightly, obviously not finding her quip humorous in the least. Yelena just looked down for a moment, her smile fading as she quieted.
"And it was not really that dangerous anyway... I mean, they were a bunch of total morons, and it wasn't like they got their big guys out there to come play with us," Yelena added, trying to make things better. However, Natasha just grabbed her by her good shoulder as she shoved her down so that she was sitting on the closed toilet lid. It was not a gentle movement, but it was not so rough that it further irritated Yelena's injuries. Yelena sighed, now knowing that Natasha was definitely not going to let go of this so quickly.
Natasha grabbed Yelena's chin gently, guiding upward so that she had a perfect view of Natasha and the ceiling. Natasha did not stop and focus her gaze on Yelena's eyes, her attentions on the gash above Yelena's eyebrow. It was not a deep one, but it was certainly painful, and Yelena could not help but hiss as Natasha ran the alcohol wipe over the wound.
Natasha barely glanced to Yelena's eyes in a silent apology, and mostly kept her attention solely on Yelena's injury.
She soon enough reached over and got a band-aid for her wound. Yelena watched her carefully, moving her head a bit to see what themed band-aid that Natasha had selected for her.
To Yelena's pure horror, it was a Hello-Kitty band-aid.
"You are not seriously putting that on my head," Yelena protested, a mischievous tone in her voice but also a definitive unhappiness with the choice as well. Natasha did not respond outside of just sticking the band-aid on Yelena's head carefully yet resolutely. Yelena resisted the urge to groan, and Natasha pulled back to examine her handiwork.
"Are you going to say anything?" Yelena questioned after several more moments, knowing that she was pressing her luck and that she was probably asking for a fight. However, she also knew that she could not stand this silence for much longer.
Natasha just breathed out, locking her gaze onto Yelena's momentarily in a warning, and Yelena sighed, eyeing her carefully. Natasha took hold of Yelena's vest and unzipped it, pulling it off. Yelena watched the vest somewhat longingly as Natasha moved it so that it hung on the doorknob nearby.
"Be gentle with my vest... It needs tender, loving care. Not snatchy snatchiness," Yelena told her, trying to joke and maybe make Natasha feel a bit better about this entire thing.
However, Natasha just remained silent as she unzipped the top part of Yelena's suit and pulled it down to reveal her bra-clad torso. Natasha pulled the sleeves down to reveal Yelena's arms and the particularly nasty place across Yelena's left one.
Natasha took hold of Yelena's wrist and brought it up to examine the injury on Yelena's arm. She then proceeded to wipe it gently with an alcohol wipe, and Yelena almost pulled it away with how deeply it burned. However, she forced herself to remain still underneath Natasha's attentions, and she watched her sister quietly as the redhead tended to it.
"That one hurts like a mother," Yelena ground out with a light chuckle, and Natasha did not even act as if Yelena had uttered a single word. The only thing that told Yelena that Natasha was listening to her at all was the slightest flicker of her light greens.
After that, Yelena did not utter another word, deciding to let Natasha speak when she finally conjured the motivation and the desire to do so. Natasha took the roll of bandaging and started to wrap it around Yelena's arm, ensuring that it was somewhat firm but loose enough that it did not cut off circulation to her hand. Soon enough, she finished up and taped it together, finishing up her work.
Natasha then reached down to remove Yelena's boots and help her out of the remainder of the suit. Soon enough, Yelena was just sitting there in her bra and pants as she watched Natasha lift her leg and examine Yelena's ankle carefully.
It could easily be assumed from the swelling that it was sprained, and Natasha wasted no time in wrapping it as well. If it had been under normal circumstances, Yelena would have been sticking her foot in Natasha's face by now, but she knew better than to push Natasha too much at this point. She was not quite at her best to mess with her at this point.
Yelena had not really ever seen Natasha quite like this, and it threw her off a bit. Yelena had seen Natasha worried about her before and annoyed with her about risking her life, but this was a strange new side of those two things that Yelena had never witnessed.
Once Natasha finished wrapping Yelena's ankle, she stood up and headed into Yelena's room. Yelena wasted no time in getting up and limping after her. Natasha withdrew a tank top and a pair of cargo pants that she tossed onto the bed quickly. Yelena immediately pulled on the tank top in one smooth motion, and quickly realized that Natasha was retreating from the room.
"Hey, stop, wait," Yelena called to her, just managing to grab the redhead's arm before she left. Natasha paused, and Yelena could clearly see that she did not want to. Yelena pulled her back into the room, tugging her arm with her own uninjured one. Natasha did not meet her eyes, and Yelena eventually stopped pulling, just looking at her and wishing she would return her gaze.
"What's wrong?" Yelena asked finally, and Natasha shook her head, a humorless huff of laughter escaping her.
"You come in with a sprained ankle and a gash on your head and your arm, and you're asking me what's wrong?' Natasha pointed out, still not quite meeting Yelena's eyes, and Yelena hesitantly released the redhead from her grasp as she looked at her carefully. Yelena stood close to her, just eyeing her wordlessly.
"Yelena, Steve texted and told me that you jumped off of a building and free-fell for way too long before shooting a line to save yourself. And then you told him that it was fun, and he should try it," Natasha told her, her eyes finally shifting up to lock onto Yelena's, and Yelena mentally cursed Steve for sharing too much information.
There were a few beats of silence before Yelena cleared her throat, knowing that she had to claim her words since Natasha knew the truth from Mister Honest Abe himself.
"Would this be a bad time to mention that it was actually fun?" Yelena hesitantly tried to joke, knowing it was a bad idea, but honestly not quite seeing what was wrong with letting herself fall for a little longer than usual when she could still catch herself easily. Natasha's gaze was immediately lit up with an angry fire as she grew increasingly incensed.
"Yes! Your ankle was sprained because you didn't shoot it soon enough!" Natasha snapped, and Yelena just watched her as Natasha turned to face her more greatly.
"I wasn't going to let myself die... I knew how far I could go before it was too late and falling like that is fun," Yelena tried to explain, and Natasha's eyes went wide as her eyes burned with anger and something else that Yelena could not quite decipher.
"Do you have any idea how insane you sound right now?! Falling to your death was fun?!" Natasha questioned harshly, getting nearer to Yelena as her voice grew louder. Yelena shrugged, gesturing helplessly.
"Yeah, because I wasn't going to die!" Yelena protested, and Natasha moved closer to her, her eyes piercing into Yelena's, and Yelena just stood fast, facing her sister.
"How do you know that?!" Natasha demanded, raising her voice even louder, and Yelena's eyes widened a little as she tried to think of some manner in which to word this so that she could diffuse this situation.
"Because I knew!" Yelena declared, and Natasha narrowed her eyes a little with the challenge.
"Did you know that you were going to sprain your ankle?!" Natasha asked, and Yelena shook her head quickly, not really knowing how to answer.
"Well, no, but—"
"Exactly! Things happen that we can't control, Yelena! People die, and some of us end up almost losing our entire world because we're too pathetic to push through and go on some stupid mission," Natasha told her firmly, almost yelling at this point, and Yelena finally identified the odd emotions in Natasha's eyes.
It was fear and guilt.
Natasha quieted as soon as she uttered the words, realizing what she had said. She took a step back, turning away from Yelena as she sighed deeply and brought her hands up to rub her face. Yelena stepped nearer to Natasha, decreasing the distance between them.
Yelena finally understood what was wrong. She finally understood why Natasha was so extremely upset about Yelena getting hurt and why she was so distraught about the entire thing.
Natasha felt guilty for allowing Yelena to take her place on a mission that should have been hers and she was afraid that she was going to lose Yelena and it was going to be all her fault. She felt like Yelena's injuries were her fault and she felt that the entire situation was all because of her own weakness.
"Natashka," Yelena spoke up, but Natasha did not turn around. Yelena stepped closer, moving near to Natasha so that she was just behind the redhead and her breaths were falling on the stray hairs sprouting from Natasha's braid in random sprigs.
"Look at me, please," Yelena pleaded, but Natasha still did not turn. It was then that Yelena realized the older woman was crying as her shoulders shook suspiciously. Yelena wasted no time in moving forward and grabbing Natasha in her arms, pulling her against her tightly as she rested a hand on the back of Natasha's neck.
Natasha hesitantly unfolded from herself, wrapping her arms around Yelena and allowing herself to bury her face in Yelena's shoulder. Yelena rested her cheek on Natasha's shoulder, letting her nose poke gently against the side of Natasha's neck.
"I'm okay," Yelena attempted to reassure, and Natasha just pressed her head into Yelena's shoulder harder.
"You could've died," Natasha pointed out, her voice breaking just barely as she tried to keep from crying.
"And that wouldn't have been your fault," Yelena assured her firmly, trying to get the concept through Natasha's head.
"It would've been mine," Yelena continued, and Natasha shook her head, a heartbreaking sob ripping through her that the redhead barely managed to silence. Yelena used one of her hands to stroke up and down Natasha's back in soothing, rubbing motions.
"I should've been there instead. You wouldn't have gotten hurt that way," Natasha whispered, and Yelena shook her head insistently, running her fingers gently through the smaller hairs along Natasha's hairline that had not been captured in her braid. What little fingernails that she had scratched gently against the skin of Natasha's neck as she tried to console her older sister.
"You don't know that... I can get into a lot of trouble around the house when left to my own devices," Yelena softly teased, and Natasha just held onto her tighter. Yelena let out a slight sigh as she pressed a gentle kiss near Natasha's ear.
"Natashka, you deserve to take breaks," Yelena softly told her, and Natasha shook her head immediately in reply.
"I don't... If I would've just pushed through, you would've been okay," Natasha insisted, and Yelena felt her heart breaking for her older sister. Yelena understood Natasha's point of view far too well.
"You're human, sestra... An amazingly talented and tough human, but still a human," Yelena told her, and Natasha sobbed again. Yelena hugged Natasha closer, trying to offer some reassurance for the older woman.
"I'm supposed to be stronger for you. I have to be stronger for you," Natasha expressed, her voice cracking, and Yelena just stroked her older sister's back calmingly.
"You don't have to be anything extra for me. Just be my sister," Yelena whispered to her, and Natasha sobbed deeply and brokenly, and Yelena kissed her sister's neck near her ear, just trying to be there for the redhead.
Yelena knew that these emotions had been building for a long time, and she knew that a lot of the tears were not only coming from the actual events of the day but also from the building exhaustion and stress within Natasha. For now, she was just glad to hold Natasha and let her release it all from her system.
"You need me to be stronger... I can't let you down," Natasha whispered, and it was then that Yelena realized just how tired Natasha must have been. Natasha normally would have never admitted such deep things within her. Yelena also noticed just how hard that Natasha was leaning against her.
Yelena suddenly felt her heart aching with a sudden surge of adoration for this absolutely amazing person in her arms. Natasha was so selfless in every way. Always trying to suffer for Yelena and always doing everything she could to shield Yelena from all things. It simultaneously aggravated Yelena endlessly and somehow made her love Natasha even more.
"You'll always be my superhero, Natashka... You're allowed to be tired, to take a break... and you're never going to let me down," Yelena told her, guiding the two of them over to the bed carefully. Natasha stumbled over with her, leaning much too heavily against Yelena, and Yelena knew that exhaustion was getting the better of Natasha.
Yelena gently eased the both of them down on the bed and repositioned so that Yelena was behind Natasha and holding her from behind. Yelena pressed her forehead into the back of Natasha's head as the redhead melted into her arms.
However, Natasha quickly stiffened up a little, trying to turn in the embrace as she worriedly looked at Yelena with those dark circles underneath her eyes standing out against her pale skin terribly.
"Sweet girl, I—"
"I know, I know... Just get some sleep, okay? I'm not going anywhere," Yelena told her quietly, and Natasha finally relaxed in her arms fully, letting Yelena hold her.
Yelena wrapped her arms more fully around her big sister. Looking for the closest bit of skin that she could reach, Yelena softly kissed the back of Natasha's neck as she closed her eyes, enjoying her sister's presence.
They were both alive and well, and they were together. And that was all that mattered.