Chapter Text
The coffee pot stopped making the brewing noise, telling you that it was done, but you didn’t move from your spot at the table. You continued to sit there in the new silence, lost in your thoughts as you waited. Your hands were on the table, not being able to stop yourself from playing with your fingers as you watched them. You sucked in a deep breath when you heard a door open and close in the other room, releasing it when you figured she was just using the bathroom.
You waited a bit longer, a few minutes passing by as you continued to sit at the table with nothing to keep you occupied. The time seemed to go slow without distraction, but you didn’t need a distraction right now. You needed to talk to her.
When she walked into the kitchen, you had to fight yourself. You wanted to stare at her, suck in her beauty with your eyes. You wanted to go to her, to hug her, but you remained still. Even when she greeted you with her usual “good morning” in that chipper voice despite it being so early. You had always thought she was happy to see you, but now you knew better.
She didn’t say anything else as she made herself a cup of coffee, leaning against the counter when it was all said and done to look at you. That’s when she noticed the box by the door, seeing it filled to the top with your stuff.
“Hey, Y/N.” Her voice was softer, less chipper. She sensed something was off now. “What’s on your mind?”
You couldn’t find it in you to say it out loud. You spent almost an hour sitting at this table. You found out the truth almost four hours ago. You had four hours to process this conversation but now that it’s here… you were speechless. Out of the corner of your eye, she placed her cup onto the counter and walked into your view. She kneeled down and placed her elbow on top of the table. She moved to rub your leg in comfort, but when the tips of her fingers made contact with you, you flinched.
She pulled her hand away. “Talk to me, Y/N.”
You stayed silent.
“At least look at me, baby.”
“How can you sit there and pretend you still love me?” Her calling you baby triggered you. She isn’t allowed to call you her little pet names anymore.
She was taken aback by your question, eyebrows furrowed and that little indent in between them formed. Your instinct was to always smooth it out, so it was hard not to do just that. “What are you-”
“How long?” you whispered.
Her eyes flashed back towards the front door and she sighed. “How long have you been here?”
“An hour.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Finally, you looked at her… and it hurt. The pain you got when all you wanted was to touch her was burning hot. “We finished earlier than planned. I saw it as an opportunity to come here and finally sleep in the same bed together.” You scoffed, shaking your head as a smile formed on your face, the smile matching the pain in your eyes. “Turns out, you were already sharing that bed with someone else.”
“Y/N-” She reached out for you and you were on your feet in an instant. She sighed as she stood up slowly, looking down at the ground while you took a few steps away from her with your back to her. “I was going to break it off with him.”
You scoffed, turning to look at her. She made eye contact, tears threatening to escape your eyes. “Break it off with him?” How long was this going on for? “Was that before or after the sex?”
She tilted her head.
“I heard it,” you said, “and I didn’t want to believe it, so I… I looked…” You couldn’t finish.
“Baby-”
“No.” You shook your head. “You don’t get to call me that anymore. How long?”
She sighed. You knew she could lie to you, tell you the answer you desperately want to hear, which would be the shortest amount of time possible. That this was just a one time thing. That they just got drunk and don’t even remember the sex. Then there could be a chance that you could forgive her. But you also knew that, deep down, she wouldn’t do that to you. “I don’t know,” she confessed, shaking her head and shrugging. “A few months.”
You opened your mouth to say something, but the only sound that came out was a choked sob. You turned around, hesitated for a moment, then made your way to the front door.
She called after you, but you ignored her as you picked up your box and left the apartment.
She didn’t chase after you.
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Tony followed the sound of struggled grunts and screams of frustration to the training room, leaning against the entry as he watched you go to town on a hanging punching bag. His eyes wandered to your phone sitting on the bench, seeing it light up with Wanda’s name on the screen. The sound of the vibration on the wood echoed through the room and he knew you heard it when your punches faltered. However, you continued punching, completely ignoring the call. When the call ended, he saw the screen, the notification of missing more than a few calls from her, along with unread texts.
“You haven’t been around here lately,” he called when you took another break in between punches. You turned your head to look at him, but made no move to walk towards him. Instead, he crossed the room and made his way to you. You pushed the bag slightly when he reached you. “You usually stay at Wanda’s place.”
“There’s no gym there.”
“No, but there is a gym a block down. Closer than here.” Tony crossed his arms, noticing how you were avoiding eye contact. “You’re ignoring Wanda’s calls?”
“I have my reasons, Tony.” You continued punching the bag, but stopped after one or two when he continued to stare at you. You used your arm to wipe the sweat off your forehead and released a hefty sigh. “Look, I was, uh… I was hoping that my room was still available.”
“Your room?” His scoff turned into a laugh. “I mean, you still are aware of the fact that I own the building, right?”
You nodded, feeling your hope deflate with every second he was avoiding your question.
“Of course your room is still available,” he declared, shaking his head. You couldn’t help but smile at him, pushing him away from you as he bellowed with laughter. “Seriously, Y/N,” his voice grew soft but reassuring, “you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
You nodded. “I know, Tony,” you said, “but right now, the thing I need is to punch the shit out of this punching bag.” Your smile faltered a bit, nothing he didn’t notice. He knew you’d talk to him when you’re ready, so he sent you a nod and let you be, listening to your grunts as you continued to take your frustrations out until he could no longer hear you.
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You were in the kitchen when Natasha found you, a smile widening her features. She lingered in the doorway a bit longer as you were nose deep in your book, the hand that wasn’t holding the pages down wrapped around a cup. She walked into the room a moment after, moving to sit across from you at the island. Your phone flickered on beside your elbow, dragging Natasha’s attention to it to see a message from Wanda. Shortly after, it started vibrating with her name.
You tore away from your book to silence the vibrating, looking up at Natasha with a smile that didn’t last very long. She furrowed her eyebrows in concern, crossing her arms on the counter top as she leaned into it.
“I heard you’re coming back,” she said.
“I was never gone.” You politely closed your book and pushed it into your phone, both of them moving away as you gave Natasha your full attention. You brought the cup against your chest as you leaned forward, both hands wrapped around it. “We went on a mission together just last night.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, nodding her head, “and you were twice as happy than you are now.” Your phone emitted another vibration, short this time, telling you both it was a text. “I’m assuming it has to do with-”
“Please, don’t say her name.”
She stared at you for a moment before nodding her head slightly. “Are you okay?”
Your lips lifted up into a small, brief smile. She was the first one to ask you that. Then again, she was really only the second person you saw since you came back to the Avengers compound. “I’m fine,” you said.
She sighed. You could tell she didn’t believe you and you didn’t blame her. You weren’t really convincing. Unlike Tony, though, Natasha could read you like a book. She always told you it was because you were most comfortable around her. Even Wanda didn’t know what you were thinking all the time, but Natasha knew what you wanted or needed before you even knew it yourself. You always valued your friendship with her, though you knew Wanda was always wary whenever she was around. You didn’t know why.
“Y/N,” she said, her tone disapproving, “you know that I know that you’re lying.”
Also unlike Tony, Natasha wasn’t afraid to get a crowbar and force open your box of feelings. She’d say it’s easier to talk to someone than to keep them in, and since you were most comfortable around her… It was obvious she was talking about herself.
“Wanda’s been cheating on me.” When her name left your lips, you couldn’t help but slightly flinch at the taste it left in your mouth. You hadn’t said it out loud yet, the cheating word.
Natasha hadn’t said anything. She didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t decide whether she wanted to be angry at Wanda or sad for you.
You couldn’t handle the silence, so you filled it by rambling. “She was so good at hiding it, you know? Normally there’d be signs. Like… like how they’d get weird about their phone or… or how they would disappear sometimes or even the sex, Nat. But she made it so believable. Nothing was different. It was…” You didn’t realize you were crying until Natasha appeared on your side as your words got caught in your throat.
She held you tightly in her arms, wrapping an arm around your neck to bring you into her. You held onto her elbow as you cried.
“Why would she do this to me?”
“She’s stupid,” Natasha whispered, resting her chin on the top of your head. She saw Tony and Steve making their way in until they spotted you two. She used her free hand to shoo them away.
You sucked in a shaky breath and released her elbow shortly after, Natasha letting you go and handing you a paper towel, the closest thing to a tissue she could find. You wiped your face as she moved into the seat next to you, a hand resting on your shoulder.
“I didn’t even think to worry about him,” you continued, your voice still a bit shaky with sobs. You took another deep breath, releasing it into a sigh. “There were no indications that the two of them were attracted to each other.”
“Who, Y/N?”
You looked at her, your mouth forming the first letter of his name, but you completely froze when your eyes drifted off towards the door behind her. “Him.”
Natasha furrowed her eyebrows and turned around, making eye contact with Vision. The look on his face said it all. He knows that you know, Wanda told him. It was clear. You wanted nothing to do with him, your muscles tensing as he walked towards you, but you couldn’t find the power to move. Your mind was telling you to get up and leave, but your body was telling you no.
Natasha readjusted herself to be sitting slightly in front of you, protective.
“Y/N,” Vision said when he was within a few feet of you, “will you please-”
“No.” It was curt, to the point. You had absolutely no interest in hearing what he or Wanda had to say. You just wanted to be left alone.
“-talk to her,” Vision continued anyway, despite your rejection.
“No.” Once more. Maybe the computer man would get the hint. It didn’t seem likely, though. You knew he loved Wanda like you do, it was hard not to love her, so he would do anything for her. Even if it meant ignoring your words until he got what she wanted.
He sighed, tired. You wonder how long he spent trying to console her for her own mistakes. “She cares for you.”
“Cares for me?” You laughed humorlessly, staring at the man in front of you. “If she cared for me, she wouldn’t have been seeing you behind my back for months.” You were trying very hard to keep your voice steady and calm. If you got loud, you would be attracting everybody in the compound and you really didn’t want your personal life to be exposed. Not like this. “If she cared for me, Vision, she wouldn’t have been dragging me along on a thin piece of string.”
“I think you should leave, Vision,” Natasha suggested.
“I’m not-”
“I think that’s a great idea,” you interrupted, standing up. “If you won’t, I will.”
The two of you stared each other down for a moment before you grabbed your book and marched out of the room when it became clear that he wasn’t going to be the bigger man. Natasha got up to follow you, but Vision stopped her by calling her name.
“You know whatever you say to me, I’m just going to say to Y/N,” Natasha promised, turning to look at him. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m counting on it, Ms. Romanoff,” he assured. “Wanda is in a great amount of pain for what she did. She just wishes to speak to Y/N.”
“Wanda doesn’t deserve the pity party here,” Natasha stated, “not after what she did to Y/N. The pain Wanda is feeling, that’s deserved.” And with that, she walked away.
Vision looked at your phone you left behind, seeing it light up once again with a call from Wanda. Shaking his head, he left the room.
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You walked into the war room the next day after a long, restless night, looking at the board of minor missions. These missions usually consist of small teams, two or three people a team. Nothing an entire Avengers team needs to be wasted for. Every time you walked in here the past few months, Wanda was never on a team. She decided to take a break from being an Avenger, hence the separate apartment from the compound. You respected her wishes. In fact, you were the one to encourage her little sabbatical. She was having a hard time after Lagos.
A few encouraging words and comforting back rubs later, she was looking for an apartment. She asked you to help her and you were excited because this was a major step in a relationship. You thought that this was her way of saying that. But she got that apartment a few months ago.
Around the time she allegedly started seeing Vision.
You felt your heart shatter a bit more at the thought. She didn’t find an apartment for you and her, she found one for you, her, and Vision.
“Hey.” You flinched when Steve’s voice came from behind you. “Sorry.”
You sighed heavily as you focused more on the mission board. “Why am I not on any of these?”
Steve moved to stand next to you, looking at the board. “You’re emotionally compromised.”
“I’m not emotionally-”
“You didn’t even notice I walked in,” he interrupted.
You turned to look at him, crossing your arms over your chest. “Please, Steve,” you whispered softly, looking him in the eye, “I need this.”
“Look, Y/N, I don’t know what happened, but you’re not focused.”
You sighed. Grateful that Natasha didn’t spread the word and that Vision kept his mouth shut, that feeling was quickly overcome by annoyance towards Steve treating you like a damsel in distress. But you knew Steve. He was the hero type, the one who wants to do what’s best for everybody.
“Steve,” you said, meeting his eye. You pulled a sad look, like a puppy when you scold it. You saw the soften of his features and you prepared to dig your claws in for the kill. “Please. I need to be distracted because Wanda cheated on me and-”
“Stop.” He raised a hand, cutting you off. You immediately closed your mouth, yet that puppy look remained. “I’ll put you on the board. Just stop with the lost puppy look.”
You smiled widely, grabbing onto his shoulders and shaking his entire body in thanks, though he didn’t move as much as a normal person would. He laughed at your sudden burst of joy, though the happiness evaporated when you exited the room. The smile wiped away from your face and your shoulders slumped. You sucked in a deep breath as the door slowly swung close behind you and you walked away.
You rounded a corner and nearly ran into Bruce, almost knocking the tablet from his hands. He looked up in surprise before noticing it was you, a smile crossing his features.
“I thought you were Tony,” he admitted. “I haven’t handed in the mission report from yesterday, so I’m kind of avoiding him.”
“You’re usually on top of those things,” you said. “Is everything okay?”
He nodded a little bit too quickly. “Yeah. It’s just… you know how the Avengers life could get a bit hectic.”
You shrugged.
“I overslept.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Well, I’m glad to see you back around the compound,” he said, changing the subject as quickly as possible. “It’ll be nice to have you around again.”
“Hey,” you said, stepping in front of him before he could march past you. “I can do the mission report. You look pretty tired.”
He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking it over.
You sighed, shaking your head. “Come on, Bruce. I know we always leave you to do the reports, me especially. Let me make it up to you.” You knew how much Bruce loved filling out the mission reports, so the fact that he was running late on this one was a bit odd. You didn’t know if you believed his oversleeping excuse or not, but you did want to relieve some of the tension off his shoulders. And if that started with one, simple mission report, then so be it.
“Thanks,” he said, handing you the tablet. You watched as his shoulders seemed to relax a little bit once he handed off the report, a smile falling onto his lips.
You sent him a kind smile as he walked past you. You felt drained, like you were trying too hard to pass off as happy. Exhausted. It could also be due to the fact that you were tossing and turning all night. Very little sleep.
When your phone vibrated in your pocket, you ignored it as you continued through the compound. It’s been a while since you walked through all the halls, remembering all the secret nooks and crannies. Suddenly, you remembered your most favorite one.
You walked through the compound with a new mission, knowing exactly where it was. Cutting through the empty training room, you opened a door that looked to be part of the wall and stepped into the small library. It didn’t seem to be touched, relieved to still have something to call your own.
You sat down in the middle of the floor, looking down at the tablet in your hands. You were thankful for Tony adding this in, knowing you’d find it. You thanked him properly by gifting him one of your most favorite books, which he keeps on his nightstand as he had mentioned several times.
Releasing a shaky breath, you let the tears escape you, feeling them inch their way down your cheeks slowly. It wasn’t until you heard the door open behind you that you quickly wiped the tears away, sniffled, and turned your head to look over your shoulder. You felt relieved when you saw Natasha walk her way into the room, composing yourself to seem like you still have your shit together.
“I figured I’d find you in here,” she said, a small smile lifting her lips. She moved to sit next to you, pulling her legs together in a criss-cross way. Her knee rubbed against your leg, but it didn’t bother you.
“How’d you find me?”
She grinned. “I told Tony to build this.”
You looked at her, an eyebrow quirked up. She looked away to stifle a laugh, down at the ground in between her legs. “Guess I gave the wrong person a thank you present,” you said.
“Yeah, guess you did.” She looked back at you as you looked back down at the tablet in your hands, typing away. “So, I noticed Steve put you back on the mission board.”
You smiled proudly. “Yep,” you said. “Pulled out the good ol’ puppy dog eyes.”
“Steve’s a sucker for that,” she declared, shaking her head, but the smile remained on her face. “He put you and I together.”
You looked up at the news. “That’s great!” You wrapped an arm around her and she automatically leaned into you. “The two amigos, back at it again.”
“Three, actually,” she said.
You looked at her, eyebrows furrowed. You noticed her avoiding eye contact now, looking down at the ground once more. Your arm slid off of her, waiting with bated breath for her to continue. Your heart felt heavier, though you didn’t know how considering there wasn’t much of it left.
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You slammed the door wide open when you marched into the war room with Natasha on your heels, her attempts at getting you to stop for a moment to think this through had halted. Your eyes scavenging the room in search of the man that was responsible. When you found him, you felt anger coursing through you like hot water. Everything in you wanted to throw him against the wall like a ragdoll, but you fought that feeling as you marched up to him.
“I tell you that she cheated on me and you put me on a team with her?” you demanded, poking Steve’s chest as hard as you could. You knew it didn’t hurt him, and you were only hurting your own finger, but you couldn’t back down.
“Don’t you think we should have this conversation in a more private setting?” Steve asked, grabbing your wrist to stop you from poking his chest. To make yourself calm down, you believed that your poking actually was hurting him, though it only did a tiny little dent in the anger you were feeling.
You ripped your hand free from his grip and turned to look at the large table, half of it filled with most of the familiar faces you call family. They were all staring at you, bewildered. How did you not notice the filled room? Were you that tunneled on finding Steve that you just ignore everybody else?
Steve gestured for you to step outside and you did, rushing out of there without another moment of hesitation. He followed you out of the room.
He was already defending himself before the door even closed. “She wants back on the team, Y/N. And she’s a very powerful asset. The two of you work well together.”
“That was before,” you sneered, crossing your arms over your chest. “Before she ripped my heart out and squashed it with her little powers.” You were sure that she was actually physically capable of doing that, too. You wondered why she didn’t since it already feels like that emotionally. You wanted to scream and hit something, so you had to dig your nails into your palms and tightened their locked form across your chest to prevent yourself from breaking your hand across Steve’s face.
Steve sighed sympathetically. “I’m sorry you have to work with her, but the three of you each are a fit for this mission. If you can’t separate your personal life from your work life, I’m taking you off the mission board until further notice.”
He marched back into the war room, leaving you there with your mouth open. Anger built through you, unlocking your arms and sending a fist into the wall just as Natasha walked out of the room. You hissed in pain as you looked down at your hand.
Natasha rested a hand on your back as she took a gentle hold of your wrist, getting a better look at your hand. “Hate to see the other guy,” she said softly, making you grin. You looked at her, not realizing how close she really was until that moment. “I made sure I was coming with you on this mission,” she assured you. “I have your back, Y/N. Forever and always.”
You heard a throat clearing and looked ahead to see Wanda standing a few yards away from you. Natasha instantly stepped away from you, her hands leaving your body, but she stayed where she stood.
“You’re not answering your phone,” Wanda said as she walked closer to the two of you. “I was worried you were in a ditch somewhere.”
“I didn’t feel like talking to you.” You didn’t want to look at her, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of her. She was beautiful and it hurt you that every time you see her face, Vision was attached to it.
“Y/N, just scream at me,” she begged. “Hit me. Do something! You were just so calm yesterday, I didn’t even know if it was real.”
“Trust me, it was.” You dropped your hands to your side, pain still in your fist, but it was nothing compared to your heart. “Every single bit of it. Hey, what’d you do to get Cap to put you on the same mission as me? You fuck him, too?”
Wanda sighed, hugging herself. She knew she deserved that one. Her eyes landed on Natasha, who was still protectively standing next to you. “I just figured it was time to come back,” she said, looking back at you. “I’ve had long enough of a break. I’m ready.”
“Hey, good for you,” you stated, stepping backward. “Now maybe you and Vision can fuck any time now that you’ll be living in the same building. Unless you’re still going to be in that apartment. Y'know, the one where you knew I wouldn’t be able to stay all the time. Perfect spot for a cheater.”
“Will you just please let me explain-”
“I don’t need to hear how the two of you got together or who made the first move,” you interrupted. “I don’t want to hear you apologize. I don’t want to hear how almost three years together went down the drain because you decided to screw a robot!”
She released a breath now that you were yelling, your face red and puffy. This is what she wanted. She wanted you to get mad, to know that you cared enough to feel this strong about her negative actions. But that relief faded away just as fast as it had appeared as she watched Natasha place her hands on your shoulders in an attempt to pull you away from Wanda. That anger she saw on your face instantly washed away the second Natasha touched you, the pain and sorrow returning.
Nothing else was said as she pulled you down the hall, Wanda looking over to see the crowded war room snooping in on their conversation. She brushed away Vision when he came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner, stepping away from him and turning around.
“I messed up, Vis,” she said, looking down. She avoided Vision’s eyes. “You and I were a mistake.” She walked away.
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Natasha sat in front of you as she wrapped up your hand carefully, your eyes staring at the movement and wincing every now and again. Her eyes would flash up towards your face, monitoring you. Neither of you said anything.
She tapped your arm when she was done, telling you to lower it as she didn’t need it anymore. When you lowered it, your other hand automatically went to play with your fingers.
"It’ll be okay,” she assured you, placing a hand on your knee. You looked into her eye, immediately feeling a wave of calm wash over you. “I looked into the mission. You and her don’t even have to talk to each other.”
You sighed. “Steve was right,” you admitted. “I have to keep my personal and work life separate. I think I can get through this.” You placed your hands over hers, which were still on top of your knees. “As long as you’re there with me.”
She grinned. “Y/N, you know I’m always there with you. All the time. Everyday for the rest of your life.”
You rolled your eyes, smiling as you released her hands. “Now you’re just being dramatic.”
“Says the one who punched a wall,” she stated, pointing towards your bruised hand. When you laughed, she sighed in relief. “I haven’t heard you laugh in a while.”
“It’s been two days.”
“Felt like forever.”
The two of you stared at each other, all smiles, for a bit longer. Finally, she pushed herself away from you and stood up. She started cleaning up the mess of bandages, distancing herself from you. You looked down at the ground with a sigh.
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You sat down at a table outside a small coffee shop, bringing a newspaper up to cover your face. Wanda sat a few tables down while Natasha sat in a van across the street. Your eyes were peeled, looking for your HYDRA asset while also maintaining your tourist cover.
“We should talk.” You could hear Wanda through your earpiece and you had to refrain from rolling your eyes. She brought her coffee cup up to her lips as she quickly added, “I need to talk.”
“We need to focus.” You nodded your head subtly, sending Natasha your appreciation for cutting off that conversation. “Do either of you see the mark?”
You lowered your paper to turn the page, picking your head up to look around the crowded area for a brief moment before bringing up the paper to your face. “Negative,” you said.
“Not yet,” Wanda confirmed.
You sighed and folded your paper up. You were on the last page, it would be more suspicious if you continued reading it. You looked towards Wanda and made eye contact, something you seemed to not be able to break. Her eyes pleaded with you, silently begging for a chance to talk with you, to have an actual conversation where she’d talk and you’d listen, one without Natasha lingering there.
That’s when you broke the eye contact, suddenly on high alert when you saw someone pass by behind Wanda, a quick glimpse of a gun tucked underneath his shirt. Something was off, you could feel it.
You looked around a bit more, noticing that there were more people with guns tucked away somewhere convenient. A mother had a gun tucked in the bottom compartment of her stroller that you were sure were empty, but you couldn’t see into it. A bus boy had a gun tucked into his dish container as he seemed to be spending more than long enough on the same empty, clean table. A construction worker seemed to have taken a longer break than necessary, his gun tucked into his bag that rested by his feet. There were more than you could handle, scattered throughout the neighborhood. You couldn’t find them all, but there were enough.
“Our cover’s blown,” you mumbled as you stood up, grabbing your newspaper. “We need to leave.”
“I’m starting the car,” Natasha said in your ear as you tossed your paper into the garbage when you walked by it. “I’ll meet you around the corner.”
Someone bumped against you as they joined your walk and you looked over to see Wanda. Your jaw clenched, but you continued forward as if everything was perfectly okay. However, you slowed to a stop when a jogger came around the corner, stopping as if they were waiting to cross the street, but you saw the handle of a gun peeking out from their hoodie pocket. Wanda saw it, too, as she grabbed your wrist and pinned you against the building.
“What are you-” You were cut off when she connected her lips to yours, pushing you against the building as the jogger jogged right on by. You were lost in the kiss, deeper than you had ever felt before. And the kiss seemed to go on forever until she finally stepped away from you, looking both directions before walking away. So much for keeping personal and work life separate.
It took you a moment to find your legs, but you weren’t too far behind her as she rounded the corner. She opened the door and let you enter the van first, filing in and closing it behind her.
“Glad you two are okay,” Natasha said as she drove off.
“We’re all good,” Wanda assured, sending you a wide smile. You couldn’t make eye contact with her, still trying to wrap your head around what had just happened.
“N-No, we’re not,” you declared, finally finding your voice. Wanda lost the smile on her face as you shook your head. “We lost our asset. How was our cover blown?”
“I don’t know,” Natasha confessed, “we might have a mole.”
You sighed as you leaned against the wall of the van behind the driver’s seat, looking at Wanda. “This doesn’t mean anything,” you told her.
“Didn’t feel like it meant nothing,” she said with a grin.
“You wanted to talk,” you stated, “so talk.”
Her grin wiped away as her eyes moved to look at Natasha. “I was hoping we’d be alone.”
“This is the only chance I’m giving you,” you told her. “Nat’s not going to interrupt.” Natasha nodded at your words, but Wanda saw her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Since you were behind the driver’s seat, you did not see the change in Natasha.
Wanda sighed. “You were always going on missions, Y/N,” she started. “You went on at least twice a week. And Vision came over one day and-”
“So it’s my fault you cheated?”
“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “Nobody’s to blame but myself.” She sucked in a deep breath as she looked down, playing with her fingers. You could tell she’s ashamed for what she did to you, but that wasn’t any reason to forgive her so easily. You loved her, still do, actually, and it hurts to look at her. “I messed up, Y/N. I still love you. And the thing with Vision was a huge mistake-”
“That took you months to realize.” You scoffed, shaking your head. “It wasn’t just a one time thing, Wanda. You’ve been with him for months.”
She sighed. “Y/N, please. Just give me one more-”
“We’re being followed.” You saw Wanda’s annoyed expression, however brief, when Natasha interrupted her sentence. And you were glad she did because you wouldn’t be able to give her an answer. Your hesitation to her question could give her hope for your forgiveness, something you don’t even have yet.
You got to your knees and looked out through the back, tinted windows of the van to see a dark, sleek SUV following close behind. They knew they’d been made, abandoning all subtly.
“I’m going to try to lose them,” Natasha said, taking a sharp, sudden right. You heard honking from all the people she cut off, but ignored them as she started to speed up. You looked behind to see that the SUV was still hot on your tail.
Natasha continued trying to lose them, swerving left and right down streets, until finally you lost them at an intersection when she ran a red light a millisecond before the opposing direction turned green, the SUV getting cut off. You moved to sit in the passenger seat next to Natasha, leaving Wanda in the back, silently telling her that you were done listening.
“We have to get back to the compound,” Natasha said as you pulled your phone out. “We’re compromised.”
“I’m calling Steve,” you said as you brought your phone to your ear. “We should warn him about the mole.”
Natasha slowed down at a red light as Steve’s voice came through your phone.
“Steve,” you started, “our cover’s blown.”
“How?” he demanded as the light flickered green. Natasha started driving through the small intersection.
“We think there’s a-” You saw it first when you looked towards your right, the black SUV barreling towards your car with no intentions to stop at the red light. You didn’t have time to react, the car ramming right into you.
Your phone flew out of your hand as the car was thrown, tumbling and flying through the air. You blacked out before the car stopped.
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Your eyes were opened, but everything was blurry. You could only see a few feet in front of you and you had no idea where you were. It took you a moment to realize that you were still in the car, though it was flipped over. You saw that Natasha was unconscious, still strapped into the driver’s seat, whereas you hadn’t had your seatbelt on so you were in the most uncomfortable position against the roof of the car.
You saw a pair of legs making their way towards you through the driver’s window, your heart racing as you tried to move. Pain coursed through you as you tried to look into the back of the van.
You were relieved when you saw Wanda in the back, her chest rising and falling softly telling you that she was just unconscious, like Natasha.
The pair of legs continued getting closer. “Nat.” Your voice came out hoarse, pain resting on your chest when you spoke. You inched your hand towards her, biting against the pain. You shook her, desperate to get her awake. “Nat, please.”
You could hear a muffled voice, looking around to see your phone pinned underneath the gas pedal. Steve was still on the call, but you couldn’t reach your phone. You were in too much pain to reach that far.
You turned your head to Wanda, your hand still on Natasha’s shoulder, watching the back doors pry themselves open. There were much more than one person as one dragged Wanda out of the back and another picked up her feet when she was cleared from the van.
“Nat,” you whispered, shaking her once more. You sighed in relief when her eyes slowly opened, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she took a moment to process her surroundings. She looked at you, confusion replaced by worry and fear as she finally realized what had happened.
The door behind you was pried open at the same time hers was. She grabbed onto your hand that was still on her shoulder, squeezing it. You gave her a half-hearted squeeze in return, pain still soaring through your body.
You watched as they stuck a syringe into Natasha’s neck, your voice muffled in your ears as she fell into unconsciousness once more. Her hand went limp in yours and you held onto her tightly until you felt a prick on your neck a bit later.
Your eyelids were suddenly heavy and you were letting go of Natasha’s hand unwillingly.
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The next time you were opening your eyes, your surroundings were different. You were on the ground, the area dimly lit. You were on your feet in an instant, ignoring the pain as you looked around, seeing the giant window in front of you with a door on the opposite wall behind you. You knew the door was locked, not even bothering to try it.
Natasha was in her own cell across from you, sitting against the wall as she seemed to be waiting for something. You pound your fist on the glass and she turned her head, climbing to her feet when she saw you awake.
She pursed her lips together, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to hear her. You kept quiet as well, falling to your knees and pressing your forehead against the glass. It wasn’t much longer that a pair of legs appeared in front of you, making you pick your head up.
The man on the other side of the glass looked down at you with a wide, smug grin. You clenched your fists, jaw clenched as you fought the pain.
He moved to the side so he could press a button. Static filled your cell for a moment before it went silent once more. Though, when he spoke, his voice bounced around your cell through the intercom.
“Very unfortunate that we’re meeting like this, Y/N,” he said. You remained on the ground, looking up at him. You made no move to stand up. The man sighed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He kneeled down in front of you, face to face. “We’re going to have fun, Y/N, so cheer up.”
“Where’s Wanda?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re worried about her?” His smile only grew as he stood up. His laughter pounded against your head. “She was no use to us here. She was already a successful experiment.”
You climbed to your feet weakly, eyebrows furrowed in anger. “What did you do to her?”
The man reached over and switched the intercom off, static flashing through your room quicker than before. Silence wrapped around you for a brief moment before you started banging your fists against the window. Your screams filled your head as you demanded to be released, Natasha watching you from her cell.
You looked at her to see her mouth moving, her lips forming your name, but you couldn’t hear her. Even when you stopped screaming, your fists went down to your sides as you leaned against the glass. Her lips moved slowly, giving you time to read them as she spoke.
“It’ll be okay,” she mouthed.
You slid back down to the ground and she went down with you, placing a hand against the glass with her palm out to you. You brought your hand up and did the same, watching a small smile form on her lips. She knew you didn’t give up hope, but it was only the first hour.
Who knows how long the two of you will be stuck here?
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You were wide awake when the man returned, pressing the button for the intercom attached to your cell. You stared at him, fire in your eyes as he spoke to you.
“We’re ready for you.” He smiled a smile that sent chills up and down your spine.
You heard the door unlock behind you as you climbed to your feet, Natasha climbing to hers as well in her own cell. You felt someone grab you from behind, locking your arms behind your back and dragging you out of the room. Natasha started pounding her fists against the glass as she watched them take you away, but your eyes never left the man.
They marched you down a series of dark hallways, your eyes searching for any sign of Wanda. You knew that if anybody could get you all out of here, it’d be her. Your heart pounded in your ears as they continued pushing you, time slowing down as you turned to look towards your right as they guided you past a door. Your eyes met Wanda’s through the small window, seeing her strapped down to prevent the use of her powers, but the second she saw you, she started to fight. You could hear her scream your name as time went back to normal.
You were strapped to a similar table as Wanda was, in a brightly lit room not too far from where you had seen her. It took you a moment to adjust to the sudden light, but once you did, the man from earlier stood above you, a smile on his face.
Somebody hooked you up to a heartbeat monitor as he said, “Well, isn’t this exciting?” He accepted a metal syringe from someone. You couldn’t see the inside of the syringe. “We get another chance at this. With the Avengers, no less!” He released a hefty laugh, his smile growing wider as you pulled against your restraints. “Don’t worry, Y/N, this might kill you.” He lowered the syringe down and you felt him push against your skin as people surrounded you, forcing you to stop moving.
“You don’t scare me,” you said, your eyes staring at the ceiling above you. You sucked in a deep breath and released it, steady. “I’m not scared to die.”
You didn’t react when the needle penetrated your skin, sinking deeper into you. Your jaw clenched as you felt the serum in it course through your veins, your bloodstream. Your body shook as you started to seize, the people holding you down taking a step away from you. The man pulled the syringe out of you.
They all watched as your body continued to shake, everybody holding their breath.
Your life flashed before your eyes, Wanda’s face flashing in front of you, her smile, her touch, her kiss, but she wasn’t the only one you saw. Natasha was there, too, her laugh, her smile, her touch. And then you saw Vision, him kissing Wanda, him touching her where only you were allowed to touch her. You felt the serum inside you burn hot with anger, your fists clenching tightly by your side. Vision taking Wanda away from you, Natasha’s desperation behind that glass cell as they dragged you away, Wanda’s screams for you as you passed her room.
Your body stilled, the heartbeat monitor flatlining as someone entered the room.
“Dammit. Go get the other one. Maybe she’ll live through it.”
“Sir.” They walked up to the man. “She escaped.”
The man looked away from you and at the messenger, rushing everybody out of the room as quickly as possible, but it was too late.
The second someone stepped out into the hall, they went flying. The man quickly tried to shut the door instead, but was blown back when it flew open. Wanda marched into the room, her eyes falling onto you as her own heart slowed down. She heard the flatline, staring at your lifeless body. Her own voice was muffled as she called out to you, pushing all the HYDRA soldiers against the walls when they all tried to go after her.
With a twist of her hand, they all went limp.
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You heard the humming before you opened your eyes, a small smile lifting your lips. You forced your eyes open against the lights, turning your head to see Natasha sitting next to your bed, flipping through a magazine as she hummed a song you don’t recognize. On instinct, she looked up at you and saw that you were awake, a smile mirroring yours as she put away the magazine and leaned towards you.
“Well, good morning, sunshine,” she said. “How’re you feeling?”
“Are you okay?” you asked. “Did they do anything to you?”
She shook her head. “I’m not the one lying in a hospital bed, Y/N,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” you assured her. “Where’s Wanda?”
“I made her get something to eat,” she answered. “Steve and Tony are on the way, too. They should be here any moment.”
“Where’s here?”
“A hospital not too far from where the HYDRA base was,” she answered, “but we are pretty far from the compound. The Avengers are using a quinjet. They wanted to close down the base, first, though.”
“How long has it been?”
“Only a few hours,” she said, leaning back into her chair. She sighed. “You died, Y/N.” You looked at her. “You were dead for what felt like an eternity and I…” She trailed off when the door was pushed open, Wanda peeking her head in.
A smile crossed her features when she saw that you were awake, entering the room and closing the door behind her. “I thought I heard talking in here.” She looked at Natasha. “Do you mind…”
Natasha looked at you and you sent her a subtle nod. With a sigh, Natasha got up, lingering in the doorway for a moment as she looked back at you, “I’ll be out here. Holler if you need anything.” And with that, the door closed, leaving you and Wanda alone.
You watched as she made her way to where Natasha was sitting previously, sitting down in the chair. She cleared her throat as she thought about what she wanted to start with. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said.
“I’m surprised,” you admitted, laying your head back against the pillows. “I was ready to die.”
Wanda tilted her head.
“He said that I could die,” you continued, interrupting whatever Wanda was going to say. “I didn’t expect to make it out alive.”
“Did you want to?”
You turned your head to look at her. “I don’t know,” you confessed.
Wanda looked down at her hands. “Y/N, I’m sorry,” she said, making you look away from her and to the ceiling. “I miss you.”
“Stop.”
“You were dead, Y/N, and I lost my mind,” she declared. “I thought you were gone forever. I cried over your lifeless body and I had no hope anymore. And then the monitor beeped.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I was given a second chance.”
“Wanda.” You sighed, your eyes fluttering close. “I’m not ready to forgive you.”
“I know,” she said, “but I’m not going to give up on us.”
You looked at her once more. “Why would you do it in the first place?” you asked. “If you love me so much, why cheat?”
“I don’t have a reason,” she admitted. “I was just being stupid.”
“And if I ever do decide to give you another chance, what makes me think that you’re not going to just do it again?” You shook your head. “I don’t think I can stand getting hurt again.”
“No, Y/N,” Wanda said, moving to the edge of her seat, “I will never hurt you again.”
“Just stop, Wanda,” you said as the door started to open.
“I’m an idiot, I know,” she continued. “I still love you, Y/N. And I miss you so much.”
“Stop!” you screamed and everything around you instantly froze… except for Wanda. The opening door halted and you looked up to see Steve and Tony in the doorway, though they weren’t moving. Wanda turned to look, as well, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she slowly rose to her feet.
“Y/N?” She looked at you. “What did you do?”
“I… I don’t know.” You kicked the covers off of you, slowly getting out of bed. You were still in pain from the car crash, but you continued to limp forward to reach the two men. “How…” You waved a hand in front of Steve’s face, snapping your fingers in front of Tony. Neither of them moved, neither of them even blinked. You quickly stripped out of your hospital gown and pulled on a pair of actual clothes, Wanda looking away while you did.
You squeezed past the men and into the hallway, seeing Natasha frozen as well, looking like she was halfway to standing up. You looked around while Wanda followed you, seeing everybody frozen.
“How are you not frozen?” you asked, looking at her.
“I’m pretty sure there’s more important things,” she declared, gesturing around her. “Unfreeze everybody, Y/N.”
“I… I don’t know how to,” you declared.
“What?”
You held your hands up in confusion as you said, “I don’t even know how I did it, Wanda!”
“Alright, calm down,” she said softy, placing her hands on your shoulders as you lowered your arms. She sucked in a deep breath as she made eye contact with you, you followed her lead and you both exhaled together.
“I just wanted you to stop,” you declared. “I wanted you to stop lying to me.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t lying, Y/N, I still love you,” she said.
You shrugged her hands off of your shoulder and turned your back to her, ignoring her. “This can’t be happening right now,” you mumbled, stepping away from Wanda. “What do I do? What do I do?”
You fell to your knees, grabbing your head with your hands as you squeezed your eyes shut. Wanda stayed back, watching you.
“Stop,” you whispered. Natasha flashed through your head, then, the warmth she offered when she found out Wanda cheated on you. Were you ever going to see her move again?
“Wanda?” You froze when you heard his voice, eyebrows furrowed in half anger, half confusion as your back straightened, hands going to your knees. You could feel him move into your vicinity, feel him make a beeline straight to Wanda. Aside from that, you could feel Wanda’s confusion, which explains why you were feeling half anger and half confusion. Her side was the confusion - the why was he here - whereas your side was full on anger - the why was he here.
“Vis?” Wanda turned to watch him approach. Every step he took, your heart hammered in your chest. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to make sure you were okay,” he expressed. You could feel him eyeing you as he said it, judgment in his voice. “Everybody outside is just frozen.”
“We don’t want you here.” You got to your feet, turning to look at him. “You’ve done enough.”
“Okay, Y/N,” Wanda started, holding a hand up towards you as she held Vision back when he turned to you, “let’s take a deep breath, okay?”
“How can you protect him?” you demanded, looking at her. “He tore us apart!”
“Because I love him, too!”
At that moment, time went back into motion. People started moving while you were the frozen one this time, looking down at the ground as you processed her words. People pushed past you, like you weren’t even there, separating you and Wanda as she tried to reach you. She called to you, her voice barely above a muffle to you though she was screaming.
You disappeared in the crowd.
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“What do you mean you lost her?” Natasha demanded in the hospital room a while later. After searching for you, Wanda and Vision returned to inform her of what you’ve done. She wasn’t worried about your newfound ability, but that you were missing.
Wanda sighed, squeezing the bridge of her nose. “She was there one minute, gone the next.” She threw her hands in the air, waving Vision off when he tried to console her.
“You can’t just ignore what you said,” Vision said quietly, but Natasha heard him loud and clear when she stepped forward a few more feet.
“What’d you say?” She glared at Wanda.
Wanda looked at Steve and Tony for a second before back at Natasha. “I told her I love Vision, too.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “See? This is exactly why you should’ve stayed away,” she snapped. “You’ve hurt her enough already. At this point, you’re just throwing salt in the wound!”
“Stop fighting,” Steve demanded, stepped in between Natasha and Wanda to push them apart. The two women hadn’t even noticed they had gotten that close together. “None of this is helping us find her.”
“Y/N doesn’t have control over this power,” Tony stated. “How did she get everybody to unfreeze?”
Wanda shrugged. “I don’t know. After I told her that I love Vision, everything went back to normal.”
“It must’ve been a trigger,” Steve said.
“Breaking someone’s heart twice can do that,” Natasha sneered, making Wanda look away in shame.
“We can look at the video surveillance,” Steve suggested. Tony nodded and made his way out of the room. “Natasha, you can search the perimeter. She’s on foot as far as we know, so she couldn’t have gone far.”
“I can help,” Wanda said.
“I don’t think that’s-”
“Good idea,” Steve intercepted. “Your power can be useful. You just got to figure out a way to make it so.” Steve patted Natasha on the shoulder as he left the room, leaving the three of them alone.
Natasha glared at Wanda. “If you find her, don’t do anything to drive her away again.” She walked away to find you.
Vision looked at Wanda. “Wanda-”
“Not now, Vis,” she declared, holding a hand up as she walked away.
Vision stood there, sighing.
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You heard the door open and close, followed by the soft sound of shuffling feet. You didn’t move from the bed, laying down on it and staring up at the ceiling. You felt tired, broken. You wanted to escape from it all but you knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. You just couldn’t walk away from all the hard work you’ve done to become an Avenger. And you certainly couldn’t let one problem be the reason you quit.
The bedroom door opened, the light flickered on, and you were making eye contact with the friendly neighborhood Spidey, Peter Parker.
“Y/N?” He looked over his shoulder as he whispered your name, making sure his aunt didn’t hear him. He closed the door behind him, his bookbag sliding off his shoulder and landing next to the door with a thud. “As fun as fighting alongside Mr. Stark was, I don’t think I can do another last minute trip to Germany or… wherever.”
“Calm down, kid,” you stated, squeezing the bridge of your nose. Your head was pounding. “I’m not here to recruit you.”
"Oh.“ He looked down in embarrassment for a moment before looking back up, an eyebrow raised. "Then what’re you doing here?”
“Hiding.” You rolled off the bed, getting to your feet. “This is the last place anybody would look. Can you turn the light off?”
He flicked the switch, swallowing the room back into darkness, the only light provided by the street lights outside. “What’re you hiding from?”
“My responsibilities,” you answered with a huff, falling to sit on the ground. You leaned against the bed, your head falling backwards to rest against the mattress. Peter still hasn’t moved from his spot in front of the door. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to dim the pain in your head. The rest of your body was another story. “Tell me to leave.”
“What?”
“If you’re uncomfortable with me here, tell me to leave,” you said, opening an eye to look at him. “You haven’t moved from that spot since you saw me.”
He cleared his throat and walked deeper into the room. “Why… are you hiding from your responsibilities?”
“Because life is hard, Peter,” you said. You sucked in a deep breath, lifting your head up and looking at him fully. “Your girlfriend cheats on you with a robot for months, tries to get you back by confessing that she still loves you only for you to find out that she also loves that robot. And you think to yourself… why?”
“Why?”
“Why aren’t you the only one they love? Why can’t they love just you?”
Peter stared at you for a moment as you looked away. He moved to sit next to you. “Life is hard.”
“Amen,” you confirmed.
He looked at you. “I would let you hide here, but I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t force you to handle your responsibilities.”
“On the contrary, Parker,” you argued, “you would be a very great friend if you let me wallow in my own self pity for the night.”
He sighed, turning his head to look at you as he nodded. “For the night.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m going to get in the shower,” he said, purposely bumping your shoulder when he moved to stand up. “You can have the floor.”
You laughed. “That’s fair.”
Later that night, when Peter was fast asleep, you couldn’t get yourself to feel that same relief. You couldn’t close your eyes without seeing Wanda or Vision, but you finally managed to push that away and get some sleep. However short, being stirred awake when you felt soft taps on your forehead.
Your eyes slowly opened, looking up to see a figure above you. Your response was sluggish, having trouble processing exactly what was happening until the figure grabbed your arm and yanked you to a sitting position.
You were on your feet instantly, fighting whoever it was in the dark room as the blinds were closed, preventing the streetlights from pouring in. Whoever you were fighting had you pinned in mere seconds.
“Calm down, Y/N,” Natasha’s voice breathed in your ear, feeling your body instantly relax underneath her hold. She held on for a moment longer before separating herself from you.
“What are you doing here?” you questioned. “How’d you find me?”
“The kid messaged Tony,” she answered and you looked at Peter’s passed out form, though you were sure you just saw an eye open.
“Snitch,” you declared and your theory was confirmed when a wide smile crawled in his face, but you only saw it for a brief moment before he rolled over, pulling the blanket over his head. “Tony sent you?”
“Figured I was better than her.”
“That’s fair.” Natasha didn’t need to say the name, you knew. You sighed as you rubbed the back of your neck. “I guess I overreacted pretty badly.”
“No, Y/N,” she declared, “you reacted as any normal person would.”
You muffled a laugh. Sure, you were mad at Peter for snitching, but if he actually fell back asleep, you didn’t want to wake him up. “Yeah, freezing time completely because my ex wants to get back together.”
“It’s a normal thing,” Natasha assured, grinning as she shrugged. You couldn’t help but to return the smile, feeling the warmth radiating off of her. “Hey, let’s head back to the compound and we can see if we can decipher what exactly HYDRA did to you.”
You sighed, but nodded.
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Within the next few hours, you were strapped to a chair in the middle of a room in the compound. The clock on the wall above you ticked with every passing second. You’ve seen this room being used to hold prisoners for interrogation, but you guess Natasha sent a heads up text and Tony took advantage of the time.
Your reflection stared back at you in the one-way mirror, looking at the strange device attached to your head. Your wrists and ankles were strapped down - they said they didn’t want to take the chance. And you didn’t blame them, seeing how strong Wanda’s powers are.
You know they were on the other side of the mirror, looking into the room. You knew they were there for you, with you, but at this moment… you’ve never felt more alone.
You jumped when Tony’s voice filled the room. “Alright, Y/N, we’re all set.”
Set? Set for what? You weren’t filled in on what they were going to do, just that they were going to track your brain. You felt yourself beginning to panic, clenching your fists tightly and pulling against your restraints. You wanted out.
“Y/N.” Natasha’s voice filled your head, the calmness of it spreading through you as you instantly felt yourself relax. “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to be right here the entire time. I’m not going anywhere.”
You closed your eyes, feeling a single tear escape your eye and slide down your face. You gave a subtle nod. The second you did, you instantly felt a jolt of electricity burst through you.
Your eyes opened wide as you sucked in a sharp, deep breath. You were back in the HYDRA base, strapped to the table with everybody surrounding you, looking down at you. You didn’t move, you couldn’t. Your eyes just continued to stare blankly as the man shook his head in disappointment. A long beeping noise coming from your left.
“Go get the other one.” The other one. Natasha? You tried to move, but your body was frozen. You felt weak though desperate to get up and fight. “Maybe she’ll live through it."
You were screaming in your head, begging them to try again. Anything to prevent them from touching Natasha. "Maybe she’ll live through it.”
Someone stepped out into the hall and you watched as they went flying. You still couldn’t move and that annoying noise was still going off. Wanda appeared in the doorway, her eyes glowing red, but they went back to normal when she spotted you. “Save her!” you screamed, but Wanda only continued to stare at you, her hand going to her mouth.
It took you a moment to realize that the beeping noise was a heart monitor flatlining.
“No!” You were suddenly back in the compound, sweat beading down your forehead as your eyes refocused on the present. Natasha was in front of you - perfectly healthy - as she was unstrapping you against Tony’s demands. “Nat?”
“It’s okay, Y/N,” she assured you.
“We don’t have anything, Romanoff,” Tony declared. You noticed he was standing behind her, watching her unstrap you and doing nothing to stop her. “She agreed to these tests.”
“She didn’t agree to be tortured,” Natasha snapped, delicately removing the device from your head. She helped you stand up and you leaned into her, exhausted.
Tony sighed, running a hand over his face in annoyance as the two of you left the room. He looked up towards the clock on the wall, eyebrows furrowed when he saw the hands spinning at an impossible speed.
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“Hey.” Natasha sent you a soft, warm smile when your eyes fully opened. She was sitting next to your bed in your bedroom of the compound - oh, how nice it felt to be in an actual bed. She was leaning against the bed as she had fallen asleep, her face close to yours. Neither of you dared to move.
“Hi.”
Her smile grew a bit wider as she finally pulled away. “I was just making sure you stayed asleep,” she told you. “I know how hard it’s been for you to get some actual sleep.”
“Are you okay?”
She closed her mouth, but her lips were still propped up in a smile. “Why do you ask me that when you’re the one I should be asking?”
Your eyes fluttered closed as you couldn’t keep them open much longer, but you fought against the pain and exhaustion and opened them back up, taking a deep breath. “They were going to take you.”
“What?”
“HYDRA.” You swallowed, took a moment, then continued. “I was dead. They were going to-”
“They didn’t,” she interrupted, resting a hand on your upper arm, “and you’re alive. We both are.”
The two of you looked at each other for a bit longer, enjoying the silent company, until you spoke. “Did I pass?”
She tilted her head in confusion.
“The test,” you explained. “Did I pass?”
She sighed as her smile wiped away. She wanted to give you the answer you were looking for, but she didn’t want to lie to you. “The results were inconclusive." She watched you lose your smile next.
"Tony and Bruce don’t know what’s happening to me?”
She looked down, avoiding your gaze. Your head fell back into the pillow, looking up at the ceiling. The two smartest people you know and they have no idea what’s going on.
“Hey,” Natasha said softly, moving her hand under your chin to make you look at her. It wasn’t until she wiped away the tears from your face with her thumb that you realized you were crying.
She cupped your cheek, her face so close to yours that you could feel her breath fan over your face. She smiled at you, her eyes shining brightly and you don’t know how you haven’t seen it before, but she’s absolutely beautiful.
“Y/N?” The bedroom door opened and Natasha’s hand flew from your face as she got to her feet, Wanda stepping into the room. You looked down at your hands as you sat up in the bed, your cheeks burning hot with red. Wanda looked between you and Natasha, noticing that you were both avoiding eye contact. “Hey, Tony’s looking for you.”
“Great,” you said, kicking the blankets off of you. You brushed past Natasha as you walked towards the door, sending Wanda a kind, broken smile as you reached her.
Wanda looked over her shoulder, making sure you were absolutely gone, before turning her attention back to Natasha. “What are you doing?”
“What?”
“Stay away from Y/N,” Wanda warned.
Natasha walked towards her. “You messed up any chance you had with her the second you confessed your love for Vision.” Bumping into her shoulder, Natasha left the room.
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“I- What?” You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion as Tony and Bruce both looked at you, standing in front of you as you sat at a table in the lab. Soon, Natasha was joining you, followed by Wanda, then Steve. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“We want to run more tests, Y/N,” Bruce said. “With your permission, of course.”
“That is a terrible idea,” Natasha interceded. “Especially with what happened last time.”
“Last I recall, Romanoff, is that it’s up to Y/N,” Tony stated.
Your mind flashed back to the HYDRA base. “Go get the other one.” You looked at Bruce, who looked at you while Natasha and Tony butted heads.
You sent him a subtle nod. He gestured towards an exam bed and helped you climb up it. Natasha cut Tony off by walking away from him, joining your side. “Are you sure about this, Y/N?” she questioned.
“Whatever it takes to find out what’s wrong with me,” you told her, sending her a small smile. She kneeled down in front of you, taking your face into her hands.
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” she promised you, smiling. She used her thumb to wipe away a stray tear before being forced away from you by Bruce trying to hook you up to a machine.
Natasha walked off to the side of the room, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Bruce and Tony prep you.
“She doesn’t need you sticking up for her,” Wanda said softly when she moved next to Natasha. “She can handle herself.”
“I don’t have to listen to you,” Natasha countered, both of their eyes remaining on you.
You sucked in a shaky breath as Tony and Bruce left your side. Your fists clenched tightly as you rested your head against the back of the chair. Your eyes squeezed shut as your heartbeat echoed in your ears, but you were pulled out of your panic when you felt a hand push itself into one of your clenched fists.
Your eyes opened and you looked at Natasha, a smile resting your lips. Your heartbeat slowed down and your breathing went normal.
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” she promised you.
You furrowed your eyebrows, though you were having trouble keeping your eyelids up. “Wake up?” You turned your head - though it felt like it took forever for that to happen - to look at Bruce and Tony. When you blinked, your eyes stayed closed for longer than necessary before you pried them open.
You looked at Natasha, feeling warmth spread throughout your body at her. Her mouth was moving, but whatever she was saying was muffled in your ears.
The next time you close your eyes, they stayed closed.