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helloalycia · 2 years

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⇇ chapter six ⇇

story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad

⇉ chapter eight ⇉

author’s note: another day another update! hope you all like this one. calm before the storm… maybe? 👀

Almost five hours later, Nat and I finally reached our hotel in Edinburgh and were exhausted to say the least. Turns out sitting in a car doing nothing can make you tired, so we were craving the comfort of our hotel room.

Yelena was already there, having arrived earlier today, so that's who I heard when Nat unlocked the door and I was not far behind her, rolling my suitcase behind me.

"There you are! You took forever!"

I followed behind Nat, entering the room, and saw Yelena stood in the middle, looking to her sister impatiently.

"That was my bad, I kept needing toilet breaks towards the end," I admitted with an apologetic smile.

"Y/N!" she grinned, before rushing up to me to pull me into a hug.

I smiled widely and returned the hug, missing her more than I'd realised. We'd become closer since I left her to move to Yorkshire, having caught each other up regularly over the phone, so this meet-up was long overdue.

"It's been too long," she said when we pulled away.

"It has," I agreed, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, Yelena. It's really good to see you."

"Me, too," she was saying as Nat was closing the door behind us. "Especially because I don't think I can take meeting Natasha's besties by myself."

I resisted the urge to laugh as I glanced over at the redhead herself, seeing the way she rolled her eyes at her sister's comment.

"It'll be fun, they seem really nice," I told Yelena, thinking back to the brief moment I spoke to Wanda. "Be good, Belova."

She waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

After getting reacquainted with each other for a long time after that, catching up on everything we'd missed in each other's lives, Nat and I were too tired to stay up any longer and wanted to call it a night.

There were two beds in the room – one double bed and a single bed – so Yelena and Nat took to share the double bed whilst I got the single bed, immediately collapsing under the covers as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up the next morning, I sat up with a yawn and looked over to the other bed to see Nat still sleeping, red hair sprawled across her pillow. With half open eyes, I looked around and saw Yelena sat on the couch on the other side of the room, a menu in her hand.

"Good morning," I said as I joined her, falling into the cushions beside her and pulling my legs up, still half asleep.

She smiled up at me before continuing to peruse the breakfast menu. "Morning. How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good, actually," I realised. "And thankfully, neither of you snore, so decent overall. How about you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine until Natasha decided to kick me in my sleep. She's so lucky I didn't suffocate her..."

I chuckled quietly. "She must still be superhero-ing in her dreams."

Yelena snorted with amusement. "God, that's funny. But not funnier than that move she does where she–"

"Where she bends down on both legs, foot pointed out?" I finished with an urge to laugh. "I've seen it on TV. Never fails to impress."

Yelena laughed quietly. "Such a poser. I'm telling you now, I never would have thought she'd be so obsessed with herself."

"Hey, that's not fair," I chided lightly. "She's just... being the person she had to be."

Yelena quirked a brow. "Are you seriously telling me that she wasn't an overdramatic know-it-all when you grew up with her?"

I shrugged, leaning back into the couch. "I mean, okay, maybe a little..." I thought back to the times when she'd always correct me in training, or when she'd tease me for getting something wrong when we'd study together. "No, yeah, she's definitely a know-it-all."

"Knew it."

I rolled my eyes playfully, nudging Yelena in the side. "Be nice. She's still your sister."

"Exactly," she agreed, looking back to the menu. "And my job is to make fun of her. And that's what I'm doing."

I tried not to smile, but it was entertaining watching Yelena do just that. Nat had missed her so much... I was glad she'd finally got her back. Yelena was worth all the trouble.

"I'm thinking of getting the scrambled eggs with avocado on toast," she said, pointing to a particular order on the menu. "How about you?"

I took a look over and decided on a poached egg with toast, before we took the initiative to order Nat some pancakes and put the menu away. Yelena then asked me some more questions about what it was like growing up with Nat, and though it felt strange reliving it all, I told her as much as I could remember.

We were stuck between making fun of childhood Natalia and superhero Natalia, leaving us in a fit of giggles on the couch.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Nat's voice came from behind us, and we silenced our giggles as we turned around to see her approaching us.

"Not at all," Yelena assured her, but not before exchanging amused smiles with me.

That girl was gonna get us both slapped, that was for sure.

Nat quirked a brow, trying to figure out what we were hiding, so I changed the subject before Yelena said something more to annoy her.

"We ordered you pancakes for breakfast by the way," I said, earning her attention. "Blueberry, with syrup. Should be up soon."

Nat hummed, glancing at her sister once more, before nodding. "Thanks... I'm gonna go use the bathroom."

Yelena shot out of her seat at this. "I'm going first!"

Nat widened her eyes and chased after Yelena, who had already began running to the bathroom door.

"Yelena, you've been awake for ages!" she shouted once Yelena slammed the bathroom door in her face. "Let me go in!"

"You snooze, you lose!" Yelena sang mockingly from the other side, and I covered my mouth with my hands so Nat wouldn't see me hiding my laughter.

"I really hate having a sister," Nat mumbled, looking to me with annoyance.

I shook my head, smiling widely. "No, you don't."

She sat beside me on the couch, crossing her arms with defeat because she knew I was right.

————————

After getting ready and avoiding World War 3 between Nat and Yelena, we all headed over to visit Wanda and Vision's apartment in the city. The plan was to stay over at theirs today, meet them properly (and catch up for Nat), then go and see the sights altogether tomorrow, before heading back home on the Monday after.

I would have been more nervous if it was just me meeting Wanda and Vision for the first time, but Yelena was here, too and she made everything a lot easier than it needed to be, so I wasn't as awkward as I thought I'd be when Wanda opened the door and immediately pulled Nat into a hug.

"I missed you, Nat," Wanda mumbled as she let go.

"I missed you, too, Wanda," Nat returned with a small smile, squeezing her hand before letting go.

Wanda smiled softly before looking behind Nat and to Yelena and I. Her smile widened and she approached us excitedly.

"It's so great to finally meet you both," she said. "I'm Wanda Maximoff. I–" She cleared her throat, smile faltering slightly. "I worked with Nat. Not so much anymore, obviously...”

"I'm Y/N," I introduced myself, returning her smile. "I used to work with her, too actually..." Hopefully Nat had told her exactly what I meant by that, since I wasn't particularly keen on delving into it myself. "Thank you for having us over, Wanda."

"Nat's family is always welcome here," she said sincerely.

I wasn't too sure if I could be considered her family, but I didn't correct her out of politeness.

"I'm Yelena," the blonde next to me introduced herself. "Her sister."

"Ah, the infamous Yelena Belova." Wanda's green eyes darted to Yelena. "It's a pleasure to meet Natasha's little sister."

Yelena seemed surprised. "She mentioned me?"

Nat was currently talking to Vision, Wanda's boyfriend who didn't look very human, in the kitchen, so completely missed the way Yelena was staring at her like a child looking at a puppy.

"She did," Wanda said, seeing the same look I did and smiling warmly at the sight. "Only to those she really trusted. I guess I was lucky I was one of those people."

Yelena smiled to herself, looking down, and I rested my hand on her back to let her know I was there for her.

"Please, come in, I'll introduce you to my– well, Vision," Wanda said, and I gently nudged Yelena forward so she zoned back into reality and followed Wanda into the kitchen.

After being introduced to Vision, who was just as lovely as Wanda was, the five of us took to the living room where Wanda was serving us tea, coffee and finger foods with her telekinetic abilities. I was amazed, I wouldn't lie, never getting used to the way she'd flick her hand and a hint of red would come through, doing exactly as she wanted without moving an inch.

The conversation started off as a group one at first, mainly Yelena and I sitting back as Nat had a well-needed catch up with her friends. Then both sisters started helping themselves around Wanda and Vision's apartment out of curiosity, leaving me to get to know them better.

It was here that I learned about Wanda actually being Sokovian and only using an America accent to blend in, courtesy of Nat's help. And she gave me a brief rundown of how she got her powers and why she was stuck where she was now, hiding in Scotland.

Admittedly, it felt strange knowing she knew probably everything about me from what Nat had told her, but I knew nothing of her aside from the fact that she worked with Nat. Same with Vision. But I tried not to wonder why Nat hadn't told me anything about them and simply let myself learn for myself.

Our conversation eventually moved onto the topic of where I was living now, and that's where I found myself showing them both pictures of my home on my phone.

"It's a lovely little village in West Yorkshire," I explained as I scrolled through my photo album. "I've been slowly decorating the place and doing it up how I like."

"That is lovely, Y/N," Vision complimented, amazed at the pictures I was showing of my upcycled wardrobe.

"Yeah, it looks beautiful," Wanda added. "Do you prefer the quiet life?"

I sighed contently. "Yeah, I really do. I mean, all my life, it's been hectic and busy and I haven't had a say in any of it. But now I get to choose what I want, and living a normal, quiet life is something I've dreamed about for so long. It's just great to finally have that."

Wanda glanced up at me, smiling in agreement. "It seems to make you happy. I can't say I blame you. It's been the same with Vision and I."

"Our own little bubble, away from the rest of the world," Vision agreed, wrapping an arm around Wanda.

I smiled at how cute they were. "That sounds wonderful. And I get what you mean. It's been nice, the peace and quiet. Plus, I love my job and my home and my neighbours and– it's all so normal."

"Kinda perfect, right?" Wanda asked jokingly.

I nodded. "Yeah. It really is."

Before either of them could say anything more, Yelena's laughter echoed around the kitchen and made the three of us look up, seeing her standing next to a flushed Natalia and bent over laughing.

"What's so funny?" Wanda asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Nat shoved her sister away, who was still laughing hysterically, and made her way over to us with a drink in her hand. "Nothing. Just Yelena being an idiot as usual."

"Phew!" Yelena said, her laughter ceasing as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "God, Nat, who knew you were such a joker?"

I looked to Nat with confusion, who shook her head as if to say don't bother asking, then took a seat beside me.

"Anyway," Wanda continued, looking back to me, "I was going to say, there's some sights you have to see whilst you're here in Scotland. And Vision and I are happy to show you around tomorrow. They're the most normal people thing you'll get."

I chuckled. "Sounds good to me, Wanda. Thank you." I nodded to Vision. "You too, Vision."

"Anytime, Y/N," he said with a nod.

Yelena joined us all in the living room, jumping next to her sister on the couch, before looking to Wanda.

"So, apart from moving things with your hands, what other powers do you have?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, God...," Nat mumbled, facepalming.

Wanda laughed. "It's okay, Nat." She looked to Yelena. "I can read minds, too."

Yelena's jaw dropped. "No way."

"Yes way."

Yelena pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Tell me what number I'm thinking of right now."

"Please, stop," Nat mumbled between her fingers.

"Ten," Wanda answered.

"How about now?" Yelena asked.

Wanda tried not to laugh. "Six hundred and forty two."

"I'm begging you to stop," Nat complained.

Yelena crossed her legs with determination, never looking away from Wanda. "How about now?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "You're not thinking of a number. You're thinking about the letter W."

"Damn, she's good," Yelena was convinced.

Nat groaned loudly, leaning back into the couch.

"Drama queen," said Yelena, looking to me knowingly, "what did I tell you?"

I stifled a laugh when I remembered our conversation from this morning.

"I hate you both," Nat decided, shaking her head.

"No you don't," Yelena teased, slapping her on the knee.

We stayed there for the rest of the day, simply getting lost in conversation and spending lunch up until the early evening talking about the randomest of things. At one point, Yelena was questioning Wanda and Vision about what Nat was like to work with as an Avenger, and admittedly, I was interested, too.

"Very scary at first," Wanda had said, nodding. "Intimidating, too. I don't think she liked me."

"You were wearing my clothes," Nat said like it was explanation enough.

"They were given to me," Wanda replied, and it sounded like they'd had this discussion many times beforehand. She shook her head. "Anyway, she was scary at first, but she warmed up to me. Taught me how to be a better Avenger."

"Did she ever do anything embarrassing?" Yelena asked, making Nat glower at her disapprovingly. "I need all the stories, Wanda."

And that's when I was certain Yelena wouldn't make it out of Wanda's apartment alive.

Surprisingly though, she did, and after a long but fun day of chatting Wanda's ear off, we headed back to the hotel with plans of going out for dinner.

As usual, Yelena dibbed the bathroom before Nat and I could even step into the room, immediately pushing past us to go in. I chuckled as Nat grumbled petulantly, and jumped on the double bed with a content sigh. I heard Nat follow after Yelena, no doubt exchanging words, but I ignored them both and rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. And that's when I realised their bed was a lot comfier than mine. No fair.

"Okay, she refuses to hurry up and she's already talking about all the things she wants to test with Wanda's powers tomorrow," Nat said, walking back into the bedroom and falling onto the bed next to me with a sigh. "You'd think she'd grow up."

I chuckled quietly. "That's Yelena for you. And relax, we've got the whole evening to get ready. Are you super hungry?"

"I guess not."

"Patience is a virtue," I quipped, smiling up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, yeah..."

It went quiet as we lay there, staring into nothing above us, only the sounds of Yelena messing about in the bathroom and making as much noise as she possibly could to be heard.

"It was really nice meeting Wanda and Vision today," I said, breaking the silence. "They were really lovely."

"Really?"

Feeling her eyes on me, I tilted my head to the left and saw she was doing the same, watching me.

"Yeah... if they're any indication to what the rest of your Avengers family are like, then you've been in good hands. I'm glad."

She hummed, pursing her lips, and her gaze became distracted. I tried hard not to stare, though it was difficult since her lips were a bright pink, puckered and soft, and her eyelashes were delicate and long, fluttering with every blink, and her hair was a vibrant red, tickling her chin, and her eyes were a calm sea blue-green, so easy to get lost in.

"I'm gonna look up some restaurants nearby," I said suddenly, sitting up with a racing heartbeat.

"You okay?" she asked, but I didn't turn around.

"Yeah, yeah, perfect. Just hungry."

Stupid.

————————

Edinburgh was a wonderful place to explore, especially with Wanda and Vision as a guide.

We did the usual touristy things like visiting Edinburgh castle, going to the botanical gardens, seeing the art gallery... but we also explored the city on foot, merely appreciating how beautiful all the architecture was. I loved it so much and I'd never felt more ecstatic knowing I could do normal people things without having to worry about anything else. It was all I'd wanted.

At one point, after visiting the art gallery, we were let loose in the gift shop. I had a gander at what was on offer, wondering if it was worth buying anything or if it would just end up as clutter. I'd noticed that since being able to choose what I owned, I sometimes overthought it, like now.

A rack of postcards caught my eye and I took a look, amazed at how beautiful they all were, featuring some paintings I'd seen not long ago on the front.

"You gonna get one?"

I glanced over my shoulder, realising Nat had found her way to me, referring to the postcards before us.

"And send it to who?" I said jokingly, looking back to them, though it was true. "No, I'm not. But they're pretty to look at."

In particular, the one in my hand – a stunning painting of some flowers winding through the grass. It would've been nice to send to someone, since that was the whole point of postcards, but oh well.

"Probably gonna get a keyring," I decided, setting the postcard down and looking to Nat. "How about you? You gonna get anything?"

She shook her head, glancing at the rack of postcards. "I don't think so. The gallery was great though."

"Hmm, yeah, it was," I agreed, looking back to the postcards once more before nodding to the other side of the shop. "I'm gonna go find a keyring."

She nodded, giving me a small smile, and I walked away to do just that.

After we all left the gift shop, we went to grab a bite to eat at this cute little cafe that doubled as a bookstore. This was the perfect opportunity for Yelena to test Wanda's powers some more, to Nat's dismay and everyone else's amusement, and also the perfect chance for Wanda and Vision to share more embarrassing stories of Nat as an Avenger.

It was refreshing to hear, I wouldn't lie. Hearing about who Natalia was after she left felt like listening to stories of a different person. A bittersweet experience, but I felt like I was getting to know her more and more in a different way, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

After eating, whilst Wanda and Vision generously offered to treat us to the meal, Yelena dragged Nat and I to a photo booth in the corner of the store, begging to get some photos of us all because she wanted to remember the trip and had never used one before. I didn't mind, since she was too cute to deny, and I could tell Nat liked the idea, too.

Of course, after two of the five photos went off, Yelena got distracted like a child in a sweet shop and left the booth. Nat and I got through photo number three together, trying not to laugh, before Yelena called me obnoxiously loudly from behind the curtain. I told her one second, but she dragged me out as photo four went off and I was left to leave Nat alone for the final photo.

"What was so important, Yelena?" I asked, trying not to laugh at her impatience.

"Look how cute these hedgehogs are," she said casually, before pointing to a decorative family of bronze hedgehogs sitting on a bookshelf.

"Okay, they're pretty damn cute," I agreed, mumbling, and she put an arm around my shoulder cheerfully.

"See? I told you!"

I laughed, not bothering to hide it now. "You're crazy, Belova."

"I want my own set of hedgehogs," she decided.

I rolled my eyes just as Wanda and Vision approached us from the till.

"You all ready to go?" Wanda asked, before noticing the hedgehogs too and brightening up. "Cute."

"Oh, they are delightful," Vision agreed, squinting his eyes with amazement.

"See?" Yelena said, squeezing my shoulder. "I–"

"Told me, I know," I finished for her with a childish smile. "You said."

"Thanks for ditching me," Nat said, appearing behind us with an amused expression. "Really appreciate being left alone in a photo booth."

"Blame her," I said, nodding to Yelena.

"Just look at these hedgehogs," Yelena said to her sister, letting go of my shoulder to motion to the display once more. "Amazing, right?"

"Wow." Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes before holding out the photos from the photo booth to Yelena. "Forget something?"

Yelena grabbed it, narrowing her eyes as she looked them over. "These are just of you two."

"You left, idiot," Nat said with disbelief.

Yelena pulled a face before handing the photos back to Nat and looking to Wanda and Vision. "So, where to next?"

"I don't know about you ladies, but I could really walk this meal off," Vision said jokingly, patting his stomach.

Wanda rolled her eyes with amusement, knowing Vision hadn't eaten a thing because he was synthetic.

"Come on, let's go," she said with a hidden smile, tugging Vision along by his hand.

I was about to follow after them both, but Nat spoke up, stopping me.

"You should have this," she said, earning my attention and holding out the photos with a smile. "Maybe you can use it in your–"

"Oh my god, look at that dog!" Yelena exclaimed before slapping me on the arm and interrupting Nat's sentence. "Y/N, come on!"

Before I could retort, she'd already grabbed me and yanked me out the cafe, to the dog that was waiting on a leash by the street lamp.

I laughed, glancing at Nat to see her groaning but following along, then kneeled down beside Yelena to pet the dog.

Shortly after walking off our lunch, we came across an ice cream van and all got an ice cream each (save for Vision, obviously) before strolling through a green space in the open.

"Are you sure giving her sugar is the right move?" Nat asked me with a raised brow as she nodded to her sister.

"Let her have fun," I answered dismissively. "She's been working hard these past few months."

Nat gave me a knowing look. "Are you serious?" When she saw I was, in fact, serious, she scoffed. "You're the worst duo ever! I swear she brings out the worst in you."

"You're just jealous I prefer your sister over you, Natalia," I teased, tilting my head to study her.

"Keep telling yourself that," she said, rolling her eyes.

"It's true," I said, before licking my ice cream. "She's awesome."

"If you say so."

I smiled widely. "I do say so."

"She's lying, you're her favourite," Wanda cut in, looking between us with an entertained smile before settling on Nat.

Nat broke out into a grin, meeting my gaze satisfactorily. "I knew it."

My face grew warm as I avoided Nat's eyes. "In an ideal world, your friend here wouldn't be able to read my mind."

"Well, we're not in an ideal world," Nat said, and I could see her annoying grin from the corner of my eyes. She leaned forward, muttering, "Nice to know I'm still your favourite."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't get shivers at her raspy voice in my ear, but I would never admit that at that the time, so I simply rolled my eyes and ignored her smirk.

We were wandering the green space with our ice creams, enjoying the summer heat and slight breeze, when the topic of what would happen next came up.

"Wanda and I quite like it here in Edinburgh," Vision was saying to us. "And we can't exactly go anywhere else, so we'll probably stay here as long as we can."

Wanda nodded in agreement, hugging Vision's side with a distracted expression, before looking to Nat.

"What about you, Nat?" she asked her friend. "Have you seen any of the others since leaving?"

Nat frowned, shaking her head. "No, I haven't... I keep in touch with Clint of course. He's with his family. Seems happy. But nobody else. You?"

Wanda shook her head, frowning, too. "I think everybody has already moved on."

Nat didn't say anything, but it was obvious that she had her own assumptions about the matter.

"Do you think you'll go back to them?" Wanda asked curiously. "To Stark?"

"Not right now," Nat said, wiping the last of her ice cream from her mouth with her napkin. "I can't, for starters. But I also don't think I should. I've been helping Yelena. There's still Widows out there who need freeing."

I wondered how she still had any fight left in her after this long.

"What about you, Yelena?" Wanda asked, looking to the blonde. "You still going to be doing that?"

Yelena hummed, chewing on the last part of her ice cream cone before answering, "They need help. And I'm here to offer it." She glanced at me, adding, "Y/N, you're always welcome to join us."

I offered her a small smile, feeling slightly guilty at the fact that I didn't want to. "I know... I'm just– I'm so tired of it all. The fighting. The missions. The secret. It's probably selfish, but I like my life now. I like where I'm at."

"Hey, it's not selfish," Yelena assured me, nudging me in the side gently. "I understand. But just so you know, you can always tag along if you want a change of pace." She looked to her sister. "Right, Nat?"

Nat nodded, green eyes flickering over my uncertain expression. She was agreeing, but she knew me well enough to know I wouldn't change my mind. Thankfully, she didn't say anything about it and I was glad, definitely not wanting to have to explain why I wanted something more than being a hero. Or less, depending on who you asked.

"We're all on different paths, but it's okay," Wanda said, looking between us all. "As long as we're happy, that's all that matters, right?"

Relaxing at her words, I nodded alongside the others. She was right. And I was happy. The happiest I'd been in a long time.

————————

"This trip wouldn't have been half as much fun if you didn't come, too," Yelena said before enveloping me in a hug. "Natasha isn't all that interesting lately."

"Not like I'm stood right here or anything," Nat said from behind us, and I couldn't see her but I could just imagine the incredulous expression she wore.

I smiled as I returned Yelena's hug tightly. "I'm glad I came. I really missed you, Yelena." When we pulled apart, I continued, "And look, I know that it doesn't mean much, but I'm really proud of you for all the work you're doing with the Widows. I wish I had half the strength you did."

She mirrored my smile, though I could see the way she tried to hide her embarrassment at my complement and it was very cute.

"Thank you," she said softly, before nodding to me. "I'm proud of you, too. For building a life after everything. It's not an easy thing to do. But you're my favourite example to give to the Widows when they think they can't do it."

I snickered, raising my eyebrows with surprise. "Really? You use me as an example?"

"You're basically famous," she played along, making me laugh.

"Well, I appreciate it, thank you," I told her earnestly. "Now go on. I'll leave you to say your goodbyes with Nat. Be nice, Belova. And stay safe."

"You, too." She grinned, before looking over my shoulder to say her goodbyes to her sister.

I left them to it, getting into the jeep that Nat was insistent on driving again. The trip had come to an end sooner than I'd wanted, to my surprise, but we'd promised it wouldn't be the end. I wasn't sure if it was just one of those things people said, but I really did hope I'd get to see Wanda and Vision again. They were lovely.

Soon enough, Nat joined me in the car and we waved our final goodbyes to Yelena before setting off.

"Part two of the Scotland road trip begins now," she said once we set off.

I breathed out through my nose with amusement. "Can't wait."

"Don't sound too excited."

A chuckle escaped my lips and I got comfortable in my seat, leaning against the door.

"Thank you for coming by the way," she said after a moment, earning my attention. "You didn't have to, but you did and Yelena wasn't wrong. You made the trip better."

My insides went warm at her words, nervous and exciting all at once. "Thanks for inviting me," I said nonchalantly. "It was nice to get out. I don't really get the chance to leave my town much. Plus it was nice to spend time with you again."

She glanced at me when I said this, lips pulled into a half smile. "I'm always down for a road trip if you are, Y/N."

I laughed at the thought. Not because it wouldn't happen, but because I never could have pictured the two of us doing anything remotely similar to this. All I'd ever wanted when we were younger was to escape our lives and be normal, together, like this. And now we finally had it, a fantasy that once felt untouchable... it was amazing. And I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to it.

"I'll hold you to that, Natalia," I said between laughter.

The trip back was quite straightforward, with neither of us breaking off into petty arguments or winding each other up. We may or may not have stretched out the stops in between without admitting that it was because we wanted to make the time last as long as we could. Once I got home, she'd leave again and I knew I'd miss her.

Finally, we did reach my house and as much as it felt like home, sweet home, I already had bittersweet feelings towards our goodbye.

"Okay, this is everything," I said once I'd brought my things into my house. "You haven't left anything with me, right?"

"Not that I can remember."

"Then that's it," I finalised, before looking up to see Nat lingering in the hallway. "You know, it's a long way back for you. With the drive to the airport and the flight... are you sure you don't wanna stay the night and go back in the morning?"

She shook her head, smiling appreciatively. "I shouldn't. I've gotta return the rental, and have a few things to do before my flight. It just makes sense for me to leave now."

Breathing out, I nodded. "Okay... if you're sure."

"I'm sure." She looked up at me under long eyelashes, expression soft. "I'll leave you to it, Y/N."

I moved forward without thinking too hard about it, pulling her in for a final goodbye hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Nat. A lot."

She wrapped her arms around my waist, tugging me closer. "I'm gonna miss you, too. But you can always visit. You know that."

"I just might," I said as a joke, but when I pulled away and came face to face with emerald green eyes, I knew I would.

She flashed me her signature smile before letting go and reaching into her back pocket. "Before I forget... these are for you."

I watched with confusion as she pulled out a folded postcard – the one I was looking at in the gift shop – and the photos from the photo booth. She held them out to me and I raised my brows with surprise.

"I tried to give you the photos yesterday, but Yelena likes to interrupt quite a lot," she said lightheartedly. "But yeah. I thought that you might want to keep it. And also, you seemed to like the postcard and said you had nobody to get it for, so I got it for you. If you want."

"Nat, you didn't have to do that," I said, though I was touched at her thoughtfulness.

"I wanted to," she said with a shrug, but I noticed the pink dusting her cheeks. "And I thought you might wanna put them in your scrapbook or something. If you want."

I couldn't help but smile as I accepted the postcard and photos. Looking at the photos first, I loved that they were a complete mess. There was one decent photo of Yelena, Nat and I, another where Yelena got distracted, a decent one of Nat and I, a blurry one of me getting yanked out the booth and a final one of a grumpy Nat. So silly yet so heartwarming.

"I love this," I said with a stifled laugh, before looking at the postcard next. When I flipped it over, I realised she'd written a message and was surprised for the second time in that moment.

"Don't read it until I've left please," she insisted with a shy smile. "I'll probably melt into a puddle of embarrassment otherwise."

My smile widened as I nodded. "Okay, I won't read it until you're gone... thank you, Natalia." I shook my head, realising my mistake. "I mean Natasha."

"No, I like Natalia," she corrected. "Don't change it."

I sighed quietly, nodding, before pulling her in for another hug. "Last one, I promise."

She snickered and returned the hug just as tightly.

"Call me when you land, so I know you're okay," I said to her once she made it to the front door. "And text me when you're home."

"I promise," she said with a teasing smile. "Goodbye, Y/N."

I'd definitely miss seeing that annoying smile of hers in person for a while.

"Bye, Nat."

Once she was gone, the first thing I did was read the postcard. And I was left with a shit-eating grin on my face afterwards.

Dear Y/N,

I'm not sure if you'll think this is stupid or not, but I know you really liked the card, so I thought I'd get it for you. I just wanna say thank you for coming to Scotland with me, and for meeting Wanda and Vision. They're really important to me and it meant the world that you and Yelena were there to meet the other part of my life (even if Yelena was very annoying...).

I know that it must have been strange, especially since they're my family. But I just want you to know that you're my family, too. You always have been. And getting to spend more than two minutes with you in person, or fifteen minutes over the phone, was special to me. I hope it was for you, too.

Thanks again for putting up with me for so long. And sorry I'm sometimes a pain in your ass.

Lots of love,

your FAVOURITE Black Widow x

#marvel #marvel imagine #mcu #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #black widow x you #black widow #black widow imagine #scarlett johansson

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