Bye-bye Sissy
You used to wish your sister hadn’t forced you to escape. There was a time long before the present, before your beloved Sissy became Black Widow, when the Red Room wasn’t even a concept, and the two of you were just children. For you it was a beautiful memory that sometimes haunted your dreams. Because despite how beautiful it was it could never be that way again. She was Black Widow and you were just a ghost. Slinking about doing what needed to be done and staying alive. If you had stayed in the Red Room it would have been hell but at least you could have remained together. As it is the two of you live worlds apart.
“Get down!” shouts a male voice as bullets rain from above. You flit about the room taking out men as you go and staying to the shadows where you’re invisible to most. It was inevitable the Avengers would arrive but still when Iron Man flies in from above blasting gunmen down you feel a surge of relief. Dread quickly follows as you realize that if they’re here that means Nat is too.
Whirling around you see her and Hawkeye coming in with Captain America. With a low chuckle you stick to your own plan and take care to remain unseen by both sides of the fight. Your people won’t be coming in after you on this one but the jobs done so all that left is to get the hell out of dodge. Yet something prevents you from cutting out and instead you stay and continue to fight as the chaos continues.
“Nat watch out!” you hear Hawkeye shout and you turn in time to see a man aiming right at your sister. Time seems to stop as you see him fire as Nat turns to see the man. She fires back but that won’t stop the bullets. As you’re about to cry out you see Captain America’s shield swoop down in front of her, efficiently saving her from the bullets. You let out a sigh of relief.
Nat laughs, “Thanks Cap.”
“Anytime, ma’am.” He gives her a sault before moving off to handle another set of incoming attacks.
For a moment you stand back and simply watch the coordinated fighting style the Avengers have as they take down countless enemies. You envy them their effortless teamwork and feel a pang of jealousy that you’ll never have that. No matter how much you crave to be part of a team, to be with your sister, you never will be. That just isn’t in the cards for you. A long time ago you accepted that but it doesn’t make you want it any less.
“Oi incoming baddies on your six!” You hear Iron Man shout and turn to see a swarm coming in through the door. With a sigh you decide you can do your share of the fighting then leave. No one will be the wiser that you were even there, just how you like it.
It’s easy to take out your share of bad guys and soon enough you’re panting, leaning back against the wall hidden in a dark corner. Nat is behind a crate some ten feet in front of you and it’s the closest you’ve gotten to her during the whole battle. A smile lights your face as you see how easily she takes down guys out. Your sister - the badass.
“NAT!” you hear Captain America yell and turn to see him running towards her. Turning back you see the guy with the gun stationed where no one can stop him from shooting Nat. There’s no one to stop the bullet this time. No Captain America with his fancy shield.
You don’t even think.
You just move.
One second you’re safely hidden in the shadows and the next you’re flinging your body in front of Nat’s while shooting the man as you do. It’s all over in a minutes as you fall to the ground bullets littering your body. Somehow you manage to pull yourself up into a sitting position.
“No, no, no,” Nat pleads as she sees your broken form swaying from your seated position on the floor. “Guys I need some help over here! She’s been hit!”
“What who’s been hit?” You hear Iron Man ask.
“No,” Nat moans while trying to put pressure on the worst of your wounds. “Sofia, (y/n), my sister she’s been hit.”
You push her hands away and cup her cheek in your bloody palm. “It’s okay, Sissy. Everything is okay.”
She’s crying now as you cradle her face and wipe her tears away only to smear blood on her cheeks. “I love you,” she whispers in a broken voice. “I always loved you and I’m sorry you were alone. But it’s okay you aren’t going to die. I won’t let you.”
“Shh,” you whisper as you pull her into your embrace. “You saved me, Sissy. You always saved me. And it was time for me to save you.”
The fighting is dying down and you can see the other Avengers trying to make their way toward you both. “We’ll get you help. It’s going to be okay just stay still,” Nat says soothingly as she tries to get you to lie down only for you to force yourself to stand.
“No don’t stand you’ll only make it worse,” she tries to yank you down but you pull away from her.
“I’m not going to die here in your arms.” You state pulling her in for one last, long hug.
She clings to you, “I’m not letting you go.”
With precision that comes with years of practice you slip out of her grip and manage to start limping away toward the shadows. “Bye-bye Sissy.”
“NO,” she lunges towards you but a spray of bullets to her right distracts her as she starts returning fire. Soon enough she’s caught up in the fight again too busy to notice as you stagger away. Blood drips from your wounds and each step costs you dearly. There’s no conceivable way you’re going to survive these wounds. The shadows welcome you back like an old friend and soon all you see is darkness.
After the battle has ended Nat finally starts looking for you. She finds the place where you were shot and follows the trail of blood leading to an area hidden in the shadow of a giant stack of crates. When she clicks on a flashlight to follow the rest of the trail she nearly drops the light in shock. The trail has gone dead. The darkness has swallowed you up and Nat can’t follow.
Her eyes brim with tears and a few spill over as she drops to her knees, “Goodbye little one… May we meet again someday, in this world or the next.”