almost forgot to post this one 💔 anyway here we GO
"Lena."
Yelena looks away from the TV to the person entering the room.
"Why does it sound like I'm in trouble?" she asks, crinkling her eyebrows together. She doesn't want to be in trouble right now, she wants to watch the stupid show on the stupid TV and take a nap in her stupid bed so she can be closer to leaving this stupid hospital.
"Well," Natasha sheds her jacket, "why didn't you tell me that we weren't telling Melina about the fact that you have cancer?"
Yelena feels all of the color drain from her face, "Oh no."
Natasha cocks her head, seemingly expecting some kind of explanation.
Yelena sighs, burying her face in her pillow and wishing that she didn't have a headache right now. She looks back at Natasha, "To be fair, she didn't talk to me for a year."
"So it slipped through the cracks?" Natasha asks, and Yelena shrugs. "What does that mean?"
"I didn't forget," Yelena prefaces, twisting her fingers in the blanket around her, "I just... haven't called her yet."
"It's been a week!" Natasha responds, "Did you not want to tell her?"
"Why is that a did I and not do I?" Yelena immediately fires back.
Natasha shrinks a little bit, "She called today. Wanted to know why you hadn't called her since January."
"I've been-"
"I told her that you were busy," Natasha explains, "and then she asked why you hadn't been answering her texts and I may or may not have said something along the lines of the hospital has shitty reception."
Yelena grabs the little dog stuffed animal that Kate brought a couple of days back (along with commentary on how Yelena needs friends in the charming Kate Bishop way) and chucks it at Natasha's face, unsurprised when she catches it.
"Hey!" Natasha furrows her eyebrows and musters her best apologetic face, "I didn't mean to."
"Some spy you must've been with your mouth running like that, for fuck's sake," Yelena mutters, leaning back against the pillows and staring at the ceiling. She didn't not want Melina to know, but now knowing that she does, it sets a bad taste in her mouth.
"I'm a very good spy, thank you very much," Natasha retorts, "anyway, she wants to know if she can visit."
"She can do whatever she wants, Natasha, she's a free woman," Yelena responds, "whether she believes it or not."
"She wants to know if you want her to come," Natasha rephrases, "What are your thoughts on that?"
Yelena can't help the feeling in her stomach at that. It feels like a mix of anxiety and excitedness. She knows that she didn't want to tell Melina because she didn't want to face the disappointment of her not caring, but now knowing that she does care... it's almost overwhelming.
She swallows, "Um, can you ask her to not boss around the doctors. I know she knows brains very well, but she doesn't know bones."
Natasha's smile is brighter than ever and she nods, "Of course."
Natasha ends up spending the rest of the evening with her, they play a game of UNO before she leaves and after a very desperate back and forth of plus-twos and skips and any blockade they could come up with, Yelena turns out victorious.
But of course, the exhaustion eventually sets in, and Natasha hugs her gently before leaving - resulting in Yelena having another note in the ongoing cancer pros and cons list. She doesn't want to be treated like glass.
The night is spent alone for the first time, and Yelena almost welcomes it. She turns on some music that Kate recommended and with the added fatigue from the chemo, she falls asleep with very little fight.
"Tell your sister that I'm going to kill her."
Yelena looks up and at Wanda, "What?"
"She went on a mission," Wanda's almost seething and Yelena just glances at her, hoping the anger will pass soon and she'll stop interrupting Yelena's show. It's her time to watch The Good Place, Wanda knows that.
"She does that a lot, she's a spy," Yelena responds, grabbing her water bottle from the corner of the couch she shoved it in and taking a sip.
"She didn't tell me," Wanda retorts, "she promised after her last one that she'd always tell me. And she didn't."
"Arrest her then," Yelena whines, "and move. I'm watching my show."
Wanda huffs, sitting down on the other side of the couch and letting Yelena unpause her show.
"You know you can't kill her, right?" Yelena asks after a few minutes. "She'd totally kill you first."
"Yeah," Wanda sighs, "she's lucky I love her."
"Mhm," Yelena replies, pausing the TV and looking over at her sister's girlfriend, "I forgot, I have to show you something downstairs."
"Show me what?" Wanda asks, following her to the compound's elevator. They get in and Yelena hits the roof button, "That's the roof."
"Oops," Yelena shrugs nonchalantly, perfectly masking her excitement for what's about to happen. "You gotta promise you're not gonna kill Natasha."
"I promise," Wanda responds, "Why?"
"Pinky promise," Yelena sticks her pinky out to Wanda, waiting for her to interlock pinkies with her before smiling, "Good. Now you can't break it."
The doors open almost on cue and Wanda looks shocked to see the setup. There are flowers everywhere and a picnic's worth of snacks splayed out on a blanket.
And there's Natasha, holding a bottle of champagne, a big smile on her face.
She thanks Yelena before taking Wanda's hand, pulling her out of the elevator. They bid Yelena a goodbye as the blonde dismisses herself.
As the elevator doors close, she can't help but wish someone else would be there with her.
Wanda stirs, a small dopey smile on her face as she comes to terms with the dream. Natasha proposing to her again.
She wonders that if in this dream, Tony and Steve's fight never happened. Or maybe she and Natasha connected faster and fell in love before that happened. She doesn't think her Natasha could move that quickly, though.
Natasha's fast in her work life, but her home life - somehow - is far more calculated and precise and always taken at whatever speed she can handle. It's both adorable and infuriating sometimes in the best way.
She blinks, refocusing to the now of everything, and glancing at the clock on the nightstand. 3:04
Natasha's asleep behind her, face buried in the back of her neck and leg thrown around Wanda's. Her arm is resting around Wanda's waist and she can't help but feel warm and giddy at the way Natasha's fingers made their way under Wanda's t-shirt.
Ever-so-gently, she reaches down and takes the hand in hers, interlocking their fingers and slowly pulling it up to her chest, wanting Natasha just a little closer.
Natasha hums in her sleep, nuzzling the back of her head before falling still again.
When Wanda wakes for the second time almost four hours later, she decides she'll get up. Natasha and Anya are normally early risers anyway.
She gently wiggles out of Natasha's grip, relaxing when she doesn't hear anything of Natasha waking up. Her powers are both a blessing and curse in that way - she knows everything.
She slips into the bathroom, flicking on the light with her thumb and the shower with her powers. They're also convenient.
She finally catches a glance of herself in the mirror and almost wants to leave, hating the way her hair is poking in sixteen different directions and the shirt she's wearing is an ugly shade of coral that almost looks sickly.
She was so exhausted last night that she slipped on the first thing that her hand landed on, and now she's facing the repercussions of that decision.
Post showering and getting dressed, Wanda feeds Fanny (Kate took Lucky back to her place last night) and notices that Natasha's gone. She guesses that she went on a run, even though it's 25 degrees outside and Wanda can think of nothing she'd want to do less.
Anya surfaces when Wanda's halfway through making breakfast, wearing an I LOVE NEW YORK hoodie that Tony bought her as a joke and fuzzy PJ pants.
"Hey, how'd you sleep?" Wanda asks softly, setting the plate of cooling bacon on the counter.
"Good," Anya responds, going over to the fridge and pouring herself a glass of orange juice, "Are we seeing Yelena today?"
"Possibly," Wanda replies, "she's going home tomorrow, though, so we're not going to see her at the hospital, we'll meet her and Kate at Yelena's place."
"Nat must be pissed about that," Anya mentions with a little laugh, "all that favoritism."
"She'll get over it," Wanda says, "how are you holding up?"
"What do you mean?" Anya asks, situating herself at the island and grabbing a piece of bacon.
"Yelena's the one that rescued you, detka, you're allowed to have feelings about it," Wanda tells her, finishing off the eggs and putting them on a plate for serving.
"Odds are, she'll be fine," Anya responds simply, "she's stronger than me. Stronger than most of us, really. She's going to be okay."
Wanda nods, hoping in the back of her head that Anya's 100% right. That the doctors are right. Yelena will be okay.
"Make sure you eat some eggs," Wanda deflects, sensing that Anya doesn't want to continue on with the conversation, "did you know that Nat wants a cat?"
"Why?" Anya crinkles her nose, "Cats hiss."
"They do," Wanda agrees, "there are some sweet ones, though."
"Some," Anya emphasizes, "not all. Every time I've met a cat they've scratched me. Very annoying when you're living by yourself on the streets."
Wanda stiffens, not expecting that comment at all. She's not completely used to Anya talking about her past - any mentions are few and far between - and whenever it's as casual as her comment was, it sets Wanda off-guard.
It doesn't last, though, because Natasha comes in, barely bundled up in a light coat and a pair of black leggings. Pieces of hair are falling out of her ponytail and she immediately greets the two as she kicks off her shoes into the shoe bin.
She ruffles Anya's hair first before going over to Wanda, about to kiss her until Wanda holds her hand up, "Absolutely not."
"What?" Natasha's expression falls, "That's not fair."
"Oh, it's completely fair," Wanda responds, "You're sweaty and I know you haven't brushed your teeth yet, dorogoy."
"I gave you a ring, the least you can do is kiss me," Natasha insists, moving a little closer to Wanda.
Wanda shakes her head, "Nope."
"God, you two are gross," Anya comments.
"Lame," Natasha responds, "you're both lame. For different reasons, obviously, but still lame."
Wanda just nods, grabbing her water off the counter and taking a sip, ignoring how Natasha's still standing there and pouting.
When she puts down the cup, Natasha quickly leans over and kisses her cheek before disappearing down the hallway with a childish "Gotcha!"
Wanda doesn't realize that she's smiling as big as she is until Anya snaps her out of it, asking about school.
Anya's school situation is bizarre. She hasn't ever been to a real school institution, but she knows how to read and write fluently in English (though sometimes it comes out in more British mannerisms than American), can do math all the way up to basic geometry (because that's where she stopped in the Red Room at ten years old) and knows plenty of world history and more than enough geography. Her only real setback is science, but she's been catching up in that recently so she can place around 10th grade.
Wanda decided it was best, she has nothing to do anyway and she's been learning along with Anya, and Natasha's certain that Anya will be where she needs to be for a normal school by fall.
Wanda wants her to have as much of a normal life as possible. She never got to live that out and will be pissed if her kids don't get to either.
Kid. Kid. She has one kid.
"Apparently, most kids my age are finishing 10th grade and going into 11th grade. Which they call Junior Year. And they're all thinking about college."
Wanda hums, "Would you want to go to college?"
Anya shrugs, "I dunno. I don't even know what I want to do today."
"Well, you can get a normal job if you want it," Wanda suggests, "Pick what you're interested in and pursue it."
"Maybe," Anya hums as she stands up and clears the rest of her plate and sets it in the dishwasher, "I'm gonna take Fanny on a walk."
"Change into something warm before you do that, please," Wanda asks her.
Before darting down the hall and into the room, she nods, "Okay, Mom."
Mom.
She hasn't been called that in a long time.