*NATASHA'S POV*
I felt my eyes slowly start to stir as the stream of morning light bled through the thin sheets hung as curtains by the window, moving my arm from my side just enough to rub my eyes allowing them to adjust to the brightness. I went to move my other arm still dozy from sleep, only then realising someone was laying just underneath my shoulder, completely blocking my right arm. As I moved my face down I was met with hers, still peacefully asleep with her head slumped heavily against my chest. As I became more aware of the surroundings and the fact that I was in Echo's room, it didn't take me long to remember the events of the early hours of this morning.
Distant scattered voices distracted me from Echo, the smell of waffles wafting underneath the gap in the door. I could feel my mouth was dry and I could definitely sense the hunger growing in my stomach, a low but apparent rumble enough to tell me it was time to get up. I shook Echo gently to wake her, sliding my arm, now numb from her laying on it all night, from behind her back. I must have startled her too quickly as before I could even react, her right hand already clenched into a tight fist swung from her side and straight across my face, leaving a deep scarlet-coloured streak from the bottom of my jawline stretching up to just below my eye. I cried out in pain as her fist struck my face, the girl had a strong punch I'd at least give her that. The sound of my strained cry was enough to wake her fully, just as the bedroom door swung open, Tony and Bucky on the other side of it.
Bucky was first to rush in, moving straight towards me, gently cupping my face in his hands as he moved it gently each way, trying to work out where I'd got the mark from. I pulled away from his grip reassuring him I was okay as I turned back to face Echo, who was now fixated with perplexed and widened eyes on the streak across my face. She reached out with her hand to touch it, running her finger over the deeper mark where she must've caught a nail against the slight roughness of my skin.
"I'm sorry Natalia, I- I didn't know it was you. I must've panicked and hit you whilst I was still asleep."
"It's ok Echo, I should've given you more warning."
"We good here?" Tony questioned as Echo turned towards me searching for my expression.
I gave a faint nod and so did she towards him in answer to his question.
"Breakfast is on the table when you're ready. I assume you do eat that kind of thing right kid?"
"Yeah, thanks Tony." she responded still a little disorientated.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed expecting to find my shoes on the bedroom floor, but I must've not even had the chance to put them on this morning rushing to Echo. So instead I walked barefoot towards the door, Bucky following closely by my side.
"I left you a jumper and a pair of joggers that are too small for me out on the edge of our bed last night ready to give to you this morning. You can use our shower too, clean towels are in the cupboard next to the sink in our bathroom."
"Thank you Natalia." she responded with a slight smile, as I walked out of the bedroom following the smell of waffles that had wafted under the door earlier.
*ECHO'S POV*
I jumped at the feeling of cold water against my skin, quickly twisting the handle towards the red dot on the temperature bar. I instantly relaxed as the steaming jets of water ran down to my feet as I moved towards the various bottles of soap on the shower rack. I grabbed the nearest one, clicking open the lid as a I poured a small amount into my hands, rubbing them together along with the water to make bubbles. I made sure to wash my entire body as it must've been days since I last showered, then reached for a bottle labelled with a sticker that read 'shampoo'. As I opened the bottle, a strong smell of coconut hit me, it smelt just like Natalia. I could remember the smell distinctly from last night as her hair had drooped over her shoulder, a curl of it resting on my forehead as I drifted off to sleep. I lathered some of it together as I ran my hands through my hair which was severely knotted together almost in clumps. It took me a while to untangle it, my hair reaching just below my waist in length.
I stepped out of the shower, immediately reaching for the towel I'd left for myself on the floor next to the shower door, as a wave of cold air brushed against my bare skin. I quickly dried myself and slipped on the clothes Natalia had left out for me, the sweatshirt a little oversized but the joggers fitting me perfectly. I then turned my attention to my hair, running my fingers through it as I scrunched it with the towel. It wasn't perfect but it'd have to do, as I could now feel my stomach beginning to churn from hunger.
*NATASHA'S POV*
Across from the kitchen table I saw the bedroom door swing open as Echo moved towards us, stopping by the edge of the countertop as Steve pushed a plate of waffles into her hands.
"Just in time Echo, my last batch of waffles." I heard him say.
"Thanks Captain." she smiled back.
"Please, call me Steve, I hate it when people feel they have to call me Cap!"
"You know he hates it even more when people call him Capsicle." Tony sniggered from the other end of the table to where Echo had sat down opposite me.
His joke earned a slight giggle from her as she glanced back at Steve who had already turned back to his plate of waffles topping them with blueberries and maple syrup.
As Echo stood up to grab the maple syrup from Steve over by the sink, I sharply nudged Bucky in the ribs next to me as he turned to face me.
"What was that for?!" he hissed at me in annoyance.
"Would you quit staring at Echo, it's freaking me out and it's probably freaking her out too!" I whispered back, as Echo wasn't far away from the table at all.
"Sorry Nat, I just can't get over how much she looks like you."
"Oh please James, it's just because she's wearing my old clothes."
"No Nat it's really not. Look at her seriously!"
I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head in dismissal, but as Echo sat back down at the table I could see what James meant now. Her hair colour was slightly lighter than mine, a fair auburn-reddish colour, almost dark strawberry blonde in the light. She had a few freckles dotted around underneath her eyes and scattered randomly over her nose. Her eyes were a dark blue colour with a splash of green in her right, just below the pupil. It gave me an uneasy feeling knowing how much she resembled me, a lump catching in my throat as a thought entered my mind. But just as soon as it happened I pushed it away, it was too sensitive to touch on, and it couldn't be. It just couldn't.
Snapping me out of my thoughts, Tony's voice from across the table caused me to break out of the trance I was in and avert my gaze from Echo towards him.
"So Echo, I was thinking maybe we'd go down to the training rooms, maybe you could show us what you can do with those powers of yours?" he questioned, causing Echo to nervously glance around before answering.
"Okay, but I don't have much control of them yet." she cautiously responded.
"We can help you." Tony reassured as he begun to clear the dishes from the table.
Echo only smiled back at him, fixating her gaze on the table with her head hung low.
"There's no reason for it to happen again Echo, you don't have to be afraid we only want to help you." I uttered as she raised her head to face me.
"I just don't want to hurt anyone else."
"You won't." I assured as she too made her way towards the sink, holding the empty plate of waffles and glass in each hand.
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*NATASHA'S POV*
As I made my way into our bathroom, I noticed Echo's clothes she had been wearing before, bundled into a heap in the corner by the shower door. She must've been in such a hurry to get to breakfast she'd forgotten to take them back to her room after. I picked up the bundle, throwing each item into the washing basket by the bathroom door. As I picked up the pair of jeans that had dropped onto the floor, a silver-chained necklace fell out of one of the pockets, gleaming in the light coming in through the side windows. I bent down to pick it up, only then noticing the charm at the end of it. As I held it in my hand, there was the shape of a silver star shining back at me. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I stumbled backwards, just managing to catch myself on the bed behind me. I turned the star over to see what I already expected to be there, inscribed into the back of it were the words 'мояy милая девочка' translated loosely to 'my sweet baby girl'. It couldn't be. After all these years of lost hope I couldn't bring myself to believe it. But here, holding the same necklace from that day in my hands, it had to be true. I knew in that moment that I'd finally found her. After all these years I'd finally found my baby girl.