As usual, not proofread, so please excuse any mistakes. It's very late for me hahaha.
October 1, 2028
Over the years, the Romanoff-Petrova family had accumulated lots of seasonal decorations. Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, fall, but most of the plastic boxes in the attic were filled with Halloween stuff. They loved the holiday. Dressing up, bad scary movies, they felt a childish excitement by the time October came around.
And now that she had a permanent place of residence and didn't have to keep her belongings limited in case of a quick getaway, Katya had turned into a hoarder. She bought everything she liked and barely threw anything away unless it was irreparably broken. It meant that her Halloween collection had grown out of control. Box after box, she and Natasha brought their collection downstairs, until the walls of the hallway were barely visible anymore.
Natasha panted as she came down the stairs for the nth time, a skinny, long cardboard box taller than herself perched on her shoulder, no idea what was in it. With a groan of effort, she lowered it to the ground, looking at the mess around her. The boxes were stacked three high, and the bathroom door wouldn't be able to open more than a foot. Katya stood between it all like a very happy kid in a candy store.
"Honey—"
"No."
Katya pulled open a box and beamed at what she found, turning to Natasha with a grin as she slid a headband with cat ears on her head, a cheap thing Maya needed for a kids party a few years back. She looked so adorable, Natasha failed to hide her fond smile.
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
Katya huffed, tossing the headband back. "We have way too much stuff. Don't you think you should get rid of something?" She mocked, in what was a terrible attempt at copying Natasha's voice.
Natasha chuckled, putting her hands on her hips. "Okay, so you did know what I was going to say. But do we really need four eight-foot skeletons for the front yard?"
"Yes.'' Katya didn't even spare her a glance as she carefully rummaged through the contents of the box. She knew Natasha was right to call her out on her hoarding, but come on, too much Halloween decorations was still too little. ''You're a killjoy, Natalia. You kill joy."
An amused smile grew on Natasha's face. "I'm just saying, we have too much stuff."
"And you have too many pairs of dumb patterned socks." Katya's gaze flickered disapprovingly to the scissor patterned fabric around her wife's feet. The worst part was that Natasha bought them because the scissors were interlocked. They were...scissoring. Maya found it hilarious. "But I won't be asking you to get rid of any of those because they make you happy."
Natasha glanced down at her feet, frowning as she wiggled her toes. "What is wrong with my socks?" There was a tone to her voice and a look to her face that Katya knew all too well. It was there when she set a trap. But she forgot that her wife knew all her tricks.
"Nice try." Katya chuckled dryly, closing the box and setting it aside. "I'm not doing that with you."
"The arguing or the scissoring?"
Katya huffed a laugh. "Fuck off."
She didn't want to reward Natasha with a smile, but her hair was up and she knew her round cheeks were betraying her. If she'd had something non-breakable in her hands, she would have tossed it at her head, that stupid, proud grin on her face irking her to no end.
Natasha chuckled smugly, watching her pick up a box labeled 'Halloween decorations front yard'. It was heavy—she knew, because she carried it down earlier—but Katya lifted it with no effort. "Where are you taking that? You promised Maya you'd wait until she got home."
A gentle but cold breeze blew into the hallway when Katya clumsily opened the front door. "I'm just putting things down where they should go. Calm down."
Natasha hummed skeptically. When it came to decorating, Katya was quite the perfectionist. She could let it go if she wanted to, but in reality, she liked to decide everything herself. Planning the layout of the yard beforehand was definitely right up her street. "Wear a coat if you're gonna be outside."
Blindly stuffing her feet into some boots, Katya rolled her eyes. "Yes, mother."
Natasha's smirk grew again. "Don't you mean—"
Katya kicked the door closed.
It was colder than she thought. The sun and blue sky gave a false sense of warm weather, but it was icy cold, the wind blowing straight through her sweater. A shiver ran down her spine when she put the box down on the porch, but she wouldn't go back for a jacket before Natasha was gone, too proud to crawl back with her tail between her legs.
Taking the plastic headstone out of the box, Katya twisted the long metal pins into the bottom and took it out into the yard, looking for the perfect place to hammer it into the grass. Every year, she tried to change the layout a bit. Last year she'd made a graveyard in the front and lined up the big skeletons along the house, but this year she wanted it to be more cluttered.
Tilting her head, closing one eye, walking back and forth, left and right, she eventually put the gravestone on the ground close to the road and nodded happily, going back to the box to retrieve another one. But she stopped dead in her tracks on the porch steps. Her quilted winter coat was draped over the box, still warm to the touch. It certainly wasn't there before, and only one person could have put it there. She'd never seen Natasha sneak out on the porch.
Katya cursed her wife for being so sweet when she didn't really deserve it, her heart melting in her chest at the way she cared for her wellbeing. Checking if Natasha wasn't sneakily watching from a window, she hastily slid the coat on, cuddling into the warm fabric with relief. It was like putting on a blanket that had been through the dryer first. A tight hug that painted a happy smile on her face.
Quietly, she opened the front door to see if Natasha was still there, but to her relief, the hall was empty. She didn't wait around for an ''I told you so'' and picked up another box, bringing it outside before closing the door again.
She repeated this process of bringing decorations out to the front yard for a while, mapping where she wanted everything to go. It got more difficult when her fingers started to get numb from the cold, but the job was too important to abandon. Maya would be home in an hour and Katya needed to get the bigger decorations out of the way first, not actually building anything, but simply placing everything down in the right spot.
She was in the middle of deciding between the giant spider and the witches cauldron when there was a knock behind her, coming from the house. Slowly, distracted by her difficult decision, she turned around, lazily flicking her gaze up to the porch.
What she saw there made her drop the skull in her hands.
Natasha had her sweater pulled up over her chest, flashing the entire world her beautiful assets. No bra, no tank top, just her very naked skin bared to the elements. If Katya could have looked away, she would have seen the terribly smug smile on her lips, but her vision had tunneled in on something way below that.
"Natalia!" Katya exclaimed, running to the front door in a haste to shield her wife from prying eyes, nearly stumbling over a fake bone that lay in her path. That nobody ever passed their house escaped her mind. "Are you crazy?!"
Natasha was chuckling amusedly at the whole thing. "No, but I am horny."
Katya pushed her back into the hall by her boobs, intentionally or not, kicking the door shut behind her. "You could have just told me!" She cursed her cold hands for being so numb. They didn't feel anything. Not even the usually cold metal of Natasha's piercings. Seeing was one thing, but feeling was way better.
"You were too busy cheating on me with someone much taller." Natasha grinned, her back bumping into the wall.
It took Katya a moment to understand that she meant the decorative skeletons, but then she narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "You are so petty. I'm not giving you attention for ten minutes and you're acting out."
"Half an hour. And it worked," Natasha mused slyly, draping her arms over Katya's shoulders. A chuckle escaped her when Katya gave her boobs a warning squeeze, sending a bolt straight down to her stomach.
"It did. How surprising," Katya said sarcastically.
"Not very." Natasha's smirk grew. "It's actually a bit pathetic, baby. I simply show you my boobs and you come running like a horny teenager."
Katya raised her eyebrows, refusing to be called the pathetic one here. "One could argue you're the horny teenager by flashing your boobs like that. What, you were given a drunk dare at a house party?"
Natasha chuckled lowly, teasingly scratching the back of Katya's neck. "Now look who's petty."
With her head slightly tilted, smug pride twinkling in her eyes, and a grin on her lips, she was the most agitating woman alive. With a single look, she got under everyone's skin, daring them to argue with her, just for her own amusement. It drove them absolutely insane.
Katya had been on the other end of it more times than she could count. She hated it and loved it at the same time, her body simultaneously itching to strangle her and aggressively make love to her. It took every ounce of self-control to keep looking into those green eyes with unwavering indifference, but she had practice.
"Did you want something from me? If not, I'm going back outside," she said simply, dropping her hands as a threat that she would be leaving.
But it seemed she couldn't win. Arguing, refusing to argue, it didn't matter. Natasha's grin only widened until it resembled the Cheshire Cat's. Her body pressed further into Katya's, shivering as her bare front came into contact with her cold winter coat. Her eyes looked straight into Katya's as she spoke.
"To be womanhandled in whichever way you feel like," she said lowly.
Katya's stomach flipped around, her breath getting stuck in her throat. The whole thing was meant to rile her up, and it worked. "Jesus, Nat," she breathed, pushing her further into the wall, caging her in with her arms. Natasha seemed triumphant about this outcome. "I have no idea where you got your dirty mouth, but it needs to be studied."
"It's your fault," Natasha accused with an innocent smile, slowly pulling the zipper of Katya's coat down. "You made me this bad. You're too sexy."
Katya narrowed her eyes, her heartbeat speeding up. "Sure, it's my fault you're so needy."
Natasha hummed, delicately pushing the coat off her shoulders. With less layers between them, her hands glided down to Katya's biceps and gave them an appreciative squeeze. "You didn't see the way you picked up those heavy boxes so easily." She chewed on her lip, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the brunette's upper arms.
"That's why you're so horny?" Katya barked a laugh, her body shaking with amusement. One show of strength and Natasha was taking her top off. "Oh, honey, I think we have a winner here."
The redhead shrugged, regretfully flicking her gaze upwards, her fingers dancing over Katya's arms. "I happen to have a thing for women who can toss my body onto a bed like it weighs nothing."
"Women?" Katya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A woman," Natasha corrected, a flirty smile on her face. "One woman."
"Hmm, thought so." Katya stepped back, bent through her knees, and then threw her over her shoulder like a sack of flour. Natasha shrieked in surprise, grasping the back of her sweater so she wouldn't slip off, but Katya had a solid grip on the back of her thighs, which she squeezed teasingly. "Like this?" She mused. Natasha's heart slammed against her back, but not from being startled.
"Exactly like this," she breathed.
Katya wasn't sure who could be crowned the winner of their weird stand-off, but she sure felt like one as she climbed the stairs, receiving a playful slap on her ass.
~~~~
"Well, guess I'm not going back outside."
Katya stood in the doorway of the house with her hands on her hips, defeatedly watching the rain pour down on her sad Halloween decorations. When she went upstairs with Natasha, it was bright and sunny, but more than an hour had passed and dark clouds had found their little town.
There was no way Maya would want to decorate in this weather. There wasn't any fun in it like this. Things would slip out of their hands, they would slip on the grass or the slippery steps of the step-ladder, the decorations would get muddy, and so on. Katya already hated that they got wet when they weren't properly assembled, praying nothing would rust, but she wasn't going out there to retrieve everything.
With a sigh, she stepped back and closed the door, cutting off the soul-healing sound of raindrops splashing on the roof of their porch. There was only one thing to do now, and that was get more after-sex cuddles with her wife. "Hey, Nat—"
A terrified scream burst from her lungs.
Somehow, while Katya was staring at the front yard, underneath the sound of the rain and outside of her spy senses, somebody had snuck up on her. She never heard a floorboard creak, or felt a presence behind her, and if this had been a matter of life or death, she'd be very dead.
But in the hallway, a mere three feet away from her, stood a Ghostface.
In a reflex, she grabbed the nearest heavy object she could find and swung it towards the cloaked figure, her heart racing in her chest. She was sure her swing would have taken them out, but the Ghostface saw it coming and ducked to the side, effortlessly catching the umbrella in their hand.
It was then that Katya realized what was going on. The Ghostface didn't wear a black robe, it wore a very familiar sweatshirt with frogs on it. She doubted someone who planned on killing her had the words, "M.I.L.F. (Man I Love Frogs)", written on their clothing.
"Natalia!" She yelled angrily once her brain had caught up with the situation, her hands shaking as her stance relaxed. Muffled laughter came from behind the mask. "Fucking hell! No! No, that was so uncool!"
The Ghostface tilted its head. "What's your favorite scary movie?" Natasha's deep voice asked, laced with amusement.
Katya had to look away. Despite knowing it was just her wife, those huge eyes and that gaping mouth had her anxious beyond reason. Ironically, it was she herself who got the mask last year. "No! Take it off," she demanded, her heart still racing in her chest as the adrenaline pumped through her body.
Natasha did as she asked, taking a step back and pulling the mask off to reveal a huge grin, her chest shaking with laughter. "Please." She laughed, fluffing out her hair. "You got scared so badly."
"I'm glad you find it amusing, because I could have died." Katya scowled, ripping the mask from Natasha's hands and slapping her on the arm with it a couple times, like a Mexican mom using her flip flop on her kid.
Natasha snorted, her green eyes sparkling. "Death by Halloween mask." It earned her another beating with the thing before Katya tossed it aside, her glare intensifying.
"Don't ever do that again," she threatened, prodding her pointer finger into Natasha's chest. "If I have a nightmare because of you tonight, you're in deep, deep shit, Natalia Alianovna Romanova."
Natasha's smile instantly wavered, the cockiness fading from her face. There was only one person that she feared on this entire planet and that was her own wife when she used her full name. She'd rather have ten guns pointed at her head than hear those three words. It was a warning that she was on very thin ice. One more wrong move and she'd be banned to the couch for a month, and no stupid prank was worth that.
"I'm so sorry, baby," she apologized quickly, the corners of her mouth turned down apologetically. "I didn't mean to scare you that badly. I won't do it again."
Katya wanted to stay pissed for longer, but the switch that flipped in Natasha right before her eyes was far too amusing. She wasn't all that angry to begin with, just scared very badly, but it was good to scare the living daylights out of Natasha sometimes, reminding her that she couldn't get away with everything so easily.
"You know how you can make it up to me?"
"Anything."
She nearly smiled at Natasha's eagerness. "Get that tall lamp from the living room."
Natasha's brows furrowed in confusion but she didn't ask questions, desperate to prevent banishment to the couch. She nodded and hurried off, coming back with their simple standing lamp.
Taking it from her hands, Katya got to work on her evil plan. She planted the lamp in the middle of the hallway, just short of the front door's reach, and grabbed a long black coat to drape over the lampshade. Natasha's confused gaze burned on the side of her face as she made sure it stayed on before grabbing the Ghostface mask and carefully placing it on top. Only when it perfectly faced the front door did she take a step back to admire her work.
Anyone walking in would think it was real. At least for a brief moment. The gloomy weather outside and the early setting sun made it dark enough inside to give the illusion of a real person standing there, the white face standing out against the black of the coat. Their poor, unsuspecting visitor would get the jumpscare of their lives. Like Katya had.
"Oh, you're savage." Natasha chuckled once she understood who this was meant for.
Katya smiled wickedly, adjusting the coat a bit more before turning the ceiling light off. "Now, we wait."
She didn't have to wait long. She'd barely cuddled into her corner of the couch, a blanket draped over her legs and her journal on her knees, when a car pulled up on the driveway.
Her pen stilled on the lined paper, her ears pricked to make sure it was really Maya, but there was no mistaking her when her happy chatter passed by the kitchen window. She brought Brooklyn home with her. Of course she did. The poor girl.
Katya slowly closed her journal, locking eyes with Natasha across the couch. Both their sly smiles displayed mischievous excitement for what was to come. Luckily, FRIDAY was recording the whole thing, because if Maya was going to hate her for this, it better be on camera.
The front door creaked as it opened—something Natasha promised to fix—a set of keys rattling in the lock. Katya held her breath behind her grin, covering the ears of the orange cat lying beside her just in time.
An eardrum-shattering, terrified, girly scream cut through the silence, followed by another scream that sounded like it came right out of a horror movie. The keys fell onto the wooden floor, two pairs of feet stumbling over each other to run out of the house to safety, thundering over the wooden porch until they were muffled by soggy grass.
"Oh my god!" Maya yelled out. "Oh my god, oh my god! What the hell!"
"Why is that there?" Brooklyn exclaimed, both their voices several pitches higher. "Jesus, my heart stopped!"
"The fuck is that?!"
"Ghostface! Haven't you seen the movies?"
"Yes! But why is he in my hallway?!"
Katya was dying of laughter, hunched over her aching stomach that she held tightly. She didn't know why this was so extremely funny, but she couldn't stop, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes and her cheeks burning. The whole couch shook along with her as she gasped for air, scaring Mimosa into running away. Natasha wasn't much better, but she responded more to Katya's uncontrollable laughter than her daughter's reaction.
''Baby, careful.'' She laughed when Katya slowly slipped off the couch, too weak with laughter to keep herself upright. Her foot banged against the coffee table, but she barely felt it, the blanket ending up entangled with all her limbs until her figure was a mix of sweatpants, fuzzy blanket and the living room rug. Her own prank reduced her to a literal pile of laughter.
"Mom!"
Katya didn't think she had the strength to get off the floor. Just repeating the sound of Maya's scream in her head sent her into another fit. But her daughter was yelling her name again, louder and angrier this time, so she gathered all the strength she had—and accepted help from Natasha—to push herself to her feet.
The world was blurry, courtesy of the salty water lining her waterline, and she nearly fell over because her feet were entangled in the blanket, but Katya eventually stumbled into the hallway, wiping the tears from her eyes. "No need to yell, I'm right here."
The glare that awaited her was seriously lethal, the most unamused Katya had even seen Maya. Her feet were still firmly planted on the wood of the porch. "What is that?" The girl snapped, aggressively pointing at the masked figure.
Smirking, Katya stepped forward and swung her arm around Ghostface's shoulders. "My new boyfriend. I've decided to divorce Nat."
A snort came from behind her. "Bit early for a mid-life crisis, honey." Natasha called out. Katya chuckled, her smirk widening. Imagine if she suddenly started to doubt her sexuality and ran off with a man.
"This is not funny!'' Maya scowled at her mother's continuing asshattery. Unfortunately for her, she looked like a cute teddy bear with her freckles and curls, so her glare was as intimidating as a little puppy's bark. ''It scared us so bad!"
Right. Us. Her extreme reaction hadn't even given Katya the chance to acknowledge her daughter-in-law yet. Her gaze shifted from the glowering mini version of Nat to the smiling face of Brooklyn. "Sorry Lyn, you were collateral damage." She did feel a bit sorry about that, but the blonde seemed utterly chill, shrugging casually.
"Please tell me you filmed it."
Pleasantly surprised, Katya laughed. "Who do you take me for? An amateur?"
Maya let out an offended scoff, unhappy her girlfriend sided with her mom instead of backing her up. "Why is it in the hallway?" She demanded to know.
"It?'' Katya pouted dramatically, tightening her arm around Ghostface. ''You're going to hurt his feelings."
"Oh my god," the girl grumbled frustratingly, her anger slowly wearing off to exasperation. "Do you need to be such a smartass all the time?"
"It's part of my charm,'' Katya mused, earning an eye roll that made her chuckle again. The muscles in her cheeks still hurt. "But to answer your question, my terrible other half scared me with it, so I decided to scare you in return."
"Awesome, thanks," Maya responded sarcastically.
"Oh, come on." Katya laughed, her arm sliding off the Ghostface. "You have to admit that it was funny. Lyn is laughing."
Usually, Maya had a better sense of humor too. She endured their jokes and pranks better than most and never got truly upset. So it was starting to worry Katya a bit, wondering why her response was so extreme. Maybe something else was bothering her.
Stubbornly, Maya crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. "You started decorating without me."
The smile on Katya's face faltered. She deserved to feel the guilt that rushed through her veins at hearing the slight hurt in Maya's voice, but she still felt this wasn't the core of Maya's emotional turmoil. "I know, I shouldn't have. I'm sorry. I got carried away. I'll clean out the yard tomorrow when it's hopefully dry, and then we can start over."
Her apology didn't earn a verbal response, but Maya's body language visually softened. It would have to do. Katya would figure out what was bothering her later on, with less prying eyes and in a more intimate setting.
A gust of cold wind blew into the hallway, making her shiver in her sweater. Winter really was coming. "Come on, you'll catch a cold if you stay outside.'' She pushed Ghostface to the side when Maya hesitated, the lamp swaying dangerously underneath the weight of the coat. ''Come, I'll make some tea, hot chocolate, anything you want."
''Oh, do you still have that Russian tea?'' Brooklyn asked excitedly as they shuffled inside, dumping their backpacks on the ground to get their shoes and coats off. ''May I please have some of that?''
''Sure.'' Katya smiled. The tea had quickly become Brooklyn's favorite after she asked to taste it once. A surprise, considering it had a very different flavor than the common western tea Americans drank, so most of them hated the taste. But Brooklyn had a lot of interest in Katya's culture to begin with, sometimes randomly asking how this or that worked in Russia. In a country where nearly everyone hated her birth country, Katya perked up with enthusiasm at every question. ''Should I bring it upstairs?''
''We're gonna brainstorm costumes,'' Maya said as an answer, picking up her backpack and heading for the stairs. Brooklyn sheepishly followed behind, a nearly apologetic expression on her face as she passed Katya.
''I'll bring it up then.''
The girls disappeared upstairs, leaving Katya in the dark hallway. Her eyes automatically flickered to the Ghostface mask, bright and scary even on its own just sitting there, staring at her. But also tempting her. An evil idea popped into her head—it was full of that today.
Katya glanced over her shoulder. Natasha was in the kitchen behind her, filling the kettle with water just out of sight, the perfect opportunity. A mischievous smirk curled on her lips, her hand slowly reaching for the mask.
''Даже не думайте об этом. (Don't even think about it.)'' Katya jumped, quickly pulling her hand back. ''You won't succeed.''
How did Natasha know what she was plotting? She couldn't even see her from where she stood. Damn spy senses.
''Don't be so sure,'' Katya said slyly, stepping into the kitchen. ''Лучше береги свою спину. (Better watch your back.)''
Natasha smirked, raising her eyebrows. ''Oh, yeah?''
''Yeah.'' Katya stepped all the way up to her, trapping her against the counter without touching her. The redhead loved the proximity, her green eyes sparkling with excitement. She was insatiable.
''You're not that good at tricking me,'' she mused.
''No?'' Tauntingly, Katya tilted her head. ''Then where did your bracelet go?''
Alarmed, Natasha's eyes widened and snapped down to look at her wrist. It was empty. A mere moment ago, when she held the kettle underneath the tap, it had been on there. One hundred percent certain. Accusingly, she looked at Katya, narrowing her eyes.
Slowly, the brunette raised her arm, a shiteating grin on her face. Dangling from her fingers was the bracelet. It was Natasha's favorite. She wore it every day if she remembered to. The clasp was easy to unhook, but it was her own fault for getting so distracted by Katya's proximity.
Natasha pushed her off. ''Cheap trick,'' she grumbled, snatching the bracelet from her hand. It didn't make Katya any less smug.
''I could have become a hustler with those skills, instead I chose to save the world,'' she joked. ''You're welcome, world.''
Despite herself, Natasha chuckled, giving her a gentle push. ''Придурок. (Dork)'' Skillfully, she fastened the bracelet around her wrist, taking two mugs from the cabinet above her head. ''Get out of here, I got this.''
Katya grinned. ''Afraid I'll steal more of your priceless possessions?''
''Like what? My virginity?'' Natasha smirked.
''I took that several times this afternoon.''
A delighted laugh tumbled past Natasha's lips, a light sound that made the butterflies in Katya's stomach dance. ''Get out of here.''
But Katya didn't want to go. Her wife looked so cozy and cuddly, dressed in sweatpants, fluffy socks, and an oversized sweater. And to top it all off, a really sexy messy bun on her head. She was so relaxed, smiling as she poured hot water in a tea mug like it wasn't the most domestic thing ever.
Katya's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Her most priceless possession was Natasha's presence in her life.
She gave in to her impulses and wrapped herself around her wife, pressing her cheek against her upper back, nuzzling into the soft cotton that smelled like her. There had been days where she had burst into sudden tears at the comfort that enveloped her now. Her body just gave in as soon as it clung to Natasha's, the dam and the walls that kept everything back simply falling down. Even on days where she thought she was doing alright. There were no secrets she could keep.
''Kat.'' Natasha chuckled softly, placing a hand on the ones resting on her stomach, shifting her weight back. Katya felt her muscles move, the warmth of her palm against the back of her hands. Her consciousness was already starting to slip away, the thoughts drifting from her head. ''We can do cuddles in a bit, after I bring this upstairs.''
Only the first four words of that sentence were to Katya's liking. She inhaled deeply, pressing a kiss behind Natasha's ear and briefly squeezing her closer to her chest before letting go. ''Fine. Hurry.''
It must have only taken Natasha a minute or two. Pouring two mugs of tea, bringing them upstairs—after thoroughly knocking—and coming back down, but it felt like an eternity that Katya lay there on the couch, a blanket ready to toss over Natasha as soon as she crawled on top. She was so cold like this, her body stretched out, desperate for the warmth and comfort she found earlier.
Her pouty frown was present on her face, a complaint ready on her tongue when Natasha came down the stairs. But the words died in her throat and her eyes widened instead when her wife came running towards her. Literally, running. Apparently, Katya wasn't the only clingy one.
''Head's up!'' Natasha announced, launching herself over the back of the couch.
Katya groaned when her body made an impact with her own, several protruding bones prodding into her ribs and the vulnerable skin of her stomach. ''Nat,'' she whined. There was going to be a big bruise on her upper thigh from Natasha's hipbone later.
''I'm here.'' The redhead smiled innocently, her messy bun even messier after the sprint she took, big pieces framing her face.
''I noticed.'' Katya grimaced.
Natasha shuffled down her writhing body, wiggling herself between Katya's legs. ''Lie still, you're making this difficult.''
''Where are you going?'' Katya huffed. ''You promised me cuddles.'' She'd really hoped to wrap her arms around her human body pillow again, to use Natasha as a comfort blanket that smothered her to death. But her wife disappeared further and further down until she was nearly out of reach, only stopping her descent and settling down when she could rest her chin on Katya's stomach.
''Let me look at you,'' she commanded playfully, her hands settling on Katya's hips as she shifted around to get comfortable. The couch was too small for this, her shins resting on the armrest, but Natasha only cared about the view. She gazed up at Katya with those big green eyes of hers, shimmering with the same soft smile that lay on her lips and something more, something reserved for only her wife.
Katya held her breath under the force of them, but she couldn't look away if she wanted to. As much as Natasha was admiring her, she was admiring her too.
The endearing smile on her rosy lips was just one thing that captivated her. The wavy strands of red hair framing her face, the pink tint on her warm cheeks, the specks of brown in her eyes, the small scar right above her eyebrow that only glistened white when the right light shone on it—they were all part of a face that was so much more interesting than what anyone would think at a first glance.
Natasha Romanoff-Petrova was made up of a thousand layers. Everything on her face told a different story, if you only cared enough to read it. Katya did. Someone could be holding her at gunpoint, forcing her to draw the curve of Natasha's nose, and she'd walk out of there alive, knowing she didn't forget to draw it a little crooked after all the times her wife had broken it.
''Why do you have to look at me?'' Katya teased back with a smile, reaching down to push a strand of hair behind Natasha's ear.
Natasha nuzzled into her hand, her endearing smile widening. ''Because you're pretty, and I love you.''
Katya hummed, very certain Natasha felt the butterflies in her stomach leap. ''And you can't look at me from up here?''
''I like this view.''
For a brief second, her eyes flickered towards Katya's chest, but for someone watching her so intently, Katya didn't miss it. A playful scoff slipped past her lips, her hand leaving Natasha's cheek to grab the blanket that lay on the backrest. With a swing, she tossed it over their bodies, completely burying Natasha underneath the fluffiness. ''And to think you were being romantic.''
''Hey!'' Sounded the muffled protest, followed by soft laughter that Katya felt vibrate in her stomach. She expected Natasha to struggle, but instead she gave in, turning her head until her cheek used Katya's sweater like a pillow. ''If this is how I die, I'm happy.'' She sighed.
Scoffing even louder, Katya yanked the blanket off again. It had the opposite effect of what she aimed for. Natasha immediately perked up again, staring up at her with those painfully adoring eyes. The blanket had messed up her hair completely, single strands of hair standing up on all sides. It only made her more adorable.
''You're so sappy,'' Katya said, lovingly shaking her head. She had successfully managed to coax Natasha into her soft state, which was the easy part. The hard part was keeping her heart beating rhythmically while she said all those affectionate things.
Why did Natasha's face have to be so cute when she smiled so gently? Like puppies, or kittens. It was unfair. ''I meant every word I said.''
Katya groaned softly, briefly throwing her head back. ''I know. That makes it worse.''
''Why?''
''Because I don't know what to do when you're so cute,'' she whined. Maybe she should just keep staring at the ceiling. The ceiling didn't make her want to kick her legs around like a little kid.
''And your first instinct is to suffocate me with a blanket?'' Natasha teased.
Katya looked down at her. A teasing Natasha, she could handle. That didn't throw her off her game. ''You do know who you're married to, right?'' She joked.
Natasha's eyebrows twitched in surprise, her smile widening. ''Should I start sleeping with one eye open?''
''Don't worry, you're safe at night. Your sleeping face is actually kind of gross.'' Katya grinned, waiting for the reaction she knew she was going to get.
The redhead's eyebrows now fully shot up, amusement shining in her eyes as she pushed herself up on her elbows. ''Gross?''
''You drool all over your pillow, and all over me when I am your pillow.''
''I only drool when my nose is stuffy!'' Natasha exclaimed defensively, her body shaking with a silent laugh.
Katya grinned even more. ''Which is always, because your septum is crooked and you refuse to get it fixed.''
''Because I like my nose and it doesn't bother me!'' She pouted.
Studying her adorable face once more, Katya stopped herself from answering with another smart remark. She didn't like how she ruined the gentle, soft atmosphere that they'd created just because bantering was more comfortable. After all those years of trying to accept that part of themselves, she should know better.
Katya sighed deeply, hooking one of her legs over the back of Natasha's thigh to press her closer. ''I like your nose as well,'' she admitted softly, attempting to smooth down the hairs on Natasha's head. ''It's cute, you're cute, this is a me-problem. Please don't stop being cute.''
The woman relaxed. ''So no suffocating me?'' She teased with a soft smile.
Katya huffed a laugh. ''Not until you ask.'' Only after the words left her mouth did she realize the different way they could be interpreted. Even before the smirk tugged on Natasha's lips, she was rolling her eyes.
''Oh?''
''Shut up.''
~~~~~~~~
A/N: shorter than I would have liked, but I felt like this was a good place to end this chapter :) Hope you enjoyed!
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