Chapter 9
Tony has known Natasha for a long time. Before the Avengers Assembled. Back when she was just Natalie Rushman.
He liked her. He figured out who she was pretty quick but kept her around because he liked having her around.
He has learned what makes her tick and how to quickly calm her down to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. He was very good at ticking people off.
That’s how he knew that she was about to blow up at the others. The kid, MJ, had been sent home with Happy driving. Now Natasha was throwing wrenches as hard as she could against the explosion-proof walls of his lab. They bounce off harmlessly and clatter to the floor.
“It’ll be okay,” Tony finally pipes up when she takes a moment to collect her breath.
Natasha whirls around to look at him, grief painted on her face. “It’s not okay!” She tells him, pure desperation on her face. “I keep failing her!”
Natasha’s voice cracks in a way that Tony had never heard before. He watches her bring her hands up to her face to hide her shame.
“I keep failing her…” She repeats, her voice trailing off as she reigns in emotions. “I just wanted her to have the childhood I didn’t. She deserves that. She deserves everything. But every time she needs me, I’m not there.”
“That kid adores you,” Tony interrupts her self-loathing session. “She can’t even walk by you without touching you in some way. I’ve seen her flop into your lap and curl up and you don’t even give you shits. I’ve seen her nuzzle her nose into your neck and you get a smile on your face that I have never seen before because you are smiling genuinely.”
Tony finally approaches her when she stops throwing wrenches at the wall. He dares to grab her by her shoulders to make her face him. “We’re gonna get her back, Natasha. We will find her and we will bring her home.”
Natasha ducks her head, tears dripping and landing on Tony’s lab floor.
“I forgive you,” Tony tells her. “For the fight. For turning on me. For letting Barnes and Rogers escape.”
“Why?” Natasha’s voice is a breathy whisper.
“You are not a bad person, Natasha. If your childhood was anything like Yelena’s then I understand better why you did what you did,” Tony squeezed her shoulder gently. “We are gonna bring Yelena home. I swear this to you.”
Natasha has seemingly run out of steam, leaning forward to press her forehead against Tony’s shoulder as if she was going to fall over at any moment.
“I don’t know what I would do without her,” Natasha whispers the confession.
“What did you do before she wasn’t around?” Tony asked her.
Natasha is quiet for a few moments. “If she dies then I will never forgive myself.”
“Hey, no,” Tony pushed her away briefly to look at her. “She’s not dying.”
Natasha is staring up at him. “What if she does?”
“She won’t,” He tells her firmly because he’s not having another death on his hands.
Yelena squirmed into his heart. She had looked up at him, given him a genuine smile, and he was hooked.
That kid was his responsibility. He set up the papers and the security for his tower and should have noticed suspicious activity.
“Go get some rest, Nat,” Tony tells her and Natasha glares at him. “Before you get all huffy, remember that you can’t go and get her if you’re running on no sleep.”
“How can I sleep if my little sister is being tortured?” Natasha demanded.
“Try,” Tony turns to look at his workshop before looking back at her. “I want to show you something.”
Natasha blinks in surprise and steps after Tony as he leads her over to a hologram. He searches through the files and then throws a picture up.
“How did you get that?” Natasha’s voice was quiet, not angry like Tony thought she’d be.
It was Natasha in the living room, Yelena curled up on her lap fast asleep. Yelena’s nose was pressed against her collar as her head was tucked in the crook of Natasha’s neck. She was curled up tightly in a ball, Natasha’s arm wrapped around her waist as the other pet Yelena’s hair. Natasha was smiling.
“You need to sleep because you have this waiting,” Tony points at the hologram.
Natasha reaches out to brush her fingers against Yelena’s sleeping face, frowning when it distorts under her touch.
“Go to sleep, Natasha,” Tony tells her softly.
“Okay…” Natasha turns to leave but her eyes stray to the picture again.
“I’ll send the picture to you,” Tony promised, his fingers moving to send it. Natasha looks down at her phone, a small smile coming across her face when she sees her sister’s face.
Natasha finally leaves the lab and Tony looks back at the photo still on display.
“Just hold on, kid,” Tony mumbles. “We’re coming for you.”
The next time Tony sees Natasha, she’s wearing Yelena’s vest. He knows that it smells just like her and Yelena has draped herself across Natasha enough times for the fabric to feel familiar.
The others try to ask questions.
Tony doesn’t let them. Just because he invited them back to deal with Ross and now they have a bump in the road, it doesn’t mean that he forgives them.
There can be no forgiveness if there is no apology.
Tony knows he should take the high road and forgive them.
But Yelena had come across him one night in the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning, both of them awake from their demons. They admitted small things that kept them up with a silent promise to keep the secret safe.
“You know,” She had said. “Natasha taught me you don’t have to forgive those who hurt you.”
So he didn’t.
As soon as the kid was back home and Ross was no longer an issue, then he was kicking them out. If they helped then he’d consider getting them pardons. But they were no longer welcome in his tower.
Natasha and the kid? They could stay.
The other kid, MJ, comes around with Peter. They want to help.
Tony won’t let them. He can’t have more kids being kidnapped.
Unfortunately for him, they’re sneaky little shits and they appear during meetings anyway.
Spider-Man is seen far outside of his usual patrol area. Tony tries to ground him but the kid looks at him with desperation.
“Please, Mr. Stark,” He said. “I need to do this.” He’s staring up at him. “She’s my friend.”
Peter’s face is red from overworking himself and the tears falling down his face and Tony totally does not hug him close because he’s afraid of losing him too.
On the third day Yelena is missing, morale is low. Tony does not give up. Tony was gone for three months in Afghanistan but still clung to life.
Natasha searches sixteen hours every day, only returning to sleep. Peter and MJ miss school.
Finally Tony receives a call. He’s surprised to see that it’s Maria Hill, former Deputy Director of the original SHIELD. Former SI employee. “Now’s not a good time.” He answers the phone.
“I need the number for Natasha Romanoff,” Maria didn’t even greet him.
“Wrong number, goodbye,” Tony moves to hang up the phone.
“Stark-- Tony, please,” Maria’s voice held a lilt of desperation. “I wouldn’t call you if I wasn’t out of options. Do you have a way to contact Romanoff?”
“Can I take a message?” Tony asked her sarcastically.
Maria lets out a long sigh. “Does she know a kid named Yelena Belova?”
Tony’s pretty sure his heart skipped a few beats. He feels like he’s doused in ice-cold water as he pulls his phone away to ensure he wasn’t hallucinating before pulling it back up to his ear. “Where is she?” He demanded.
“Tony--” Maria sighs and Tony cuts her off.
“You do not understand. I am her legal guardian when Romanoff is indisposed of. That kid is mine and I will rain hell and fury down on you with everything that I have,” Tony hisses into the phone, getting FRIDAY to try and track the location. “Where is she?!”
It was quiet for a moment. “Where is Romanoff.”
“For fuck’s sake, Maria!” Tony feels like he’s going to hit something. “Where the fuck are you!?”
Maria tells him before asking for Natasha again.
“I will be there in three hours,” Tony replies, moving to hang up the phone when Maria pleads for Natasha again.
“I could care less about her status as a fugitive at the moment,” Maria interrupts whatever he’ll say. “The kid needs someone-- something--”
“What did you do?” Tony immediately demanded. “Are you so fucking low to hurt a kid?”
“Where is Romanoff,” Maria repeats, and Tony marches toward Natasha’s bedroom. Natasha is staring at the photo on her phone, looking up when she sees him.
“Here. Here is Romanoff. Tell her what you just told me” Tony shoves the phone out and Natasha reaches out to take it hesitantly.
“Romanoff… Natasha,” Maria’s voice softens but Natasha’s eyes flicker between the phone and Tony’s furious face.
“Do not dare tell me that you kidnapped my sister,” Natasha hisses into the phone and it was quiet for a moment.
“We didn’t know it was your sister,” Came Maria’s weak reply.
“I thought SHIELD was above kidnapping children,” Natasha paces the room. “Put her on the phone. Now.”
“I can’t--” Maria starts.
“I am not playing around, Hill,” Natasha’s voice was cold. “Put my sister on the phone or so help me god I will string everybody up, gut you, and leave you to die.”
That was a promise.
“I can’t. She’s unresponsive to stimuli,” Maria finally manages to get out and Tony watches Natasha halt in her pacing.
“What the fuck did you do?” She demands, fury on her face.
“She tried to seduce--” Maria starts but Natasha shakes her head, unable to listen more.
“Shut the fuck up,” Natasha orders and Maria stops. “Put the phone on speaker and hold it out to her. Now.”
Tony watches Natasha as Natasha waits for the confirmation before her voice softens.
“Yelena, little one, it’s me,” Natasha’s voice was low and soft. Tony has FRIDAY send the translations up to his earpiece so he can understand. “It’s your sister. It’s Natalia. Can you hear me? You’re going to be okay. I’m coming to get you, sweetheart.”
Tony gestures for Natasha to follow him as he heads to get ready to get Yelena. Natasha continues to talk to Yelena in Russian, following Tony to his fastest car. It only held two people but they were going to get there fast.
Seven minutes after they leave, Natasha finally gets a reply.
“Natalia…” Came the breathy whisper with the same Russian accent that Tony had come to know.
“It’s me. I’m here,” Natasha’s eyes closed as she holds the phone close.
“I’m sorry I’m so bad,” The voice was tiny. “I’m a monster.”
“Oh little one, you are not a monster,” Natasha argues softly. “You are my sweet baby sister.”
“I wasn’t strong enough,” Yelena lets out a small whine that is quickly muffled. “I couldn’t stop him.”
“You are my strong and brave baby sister. I am so proud of you,” Natasha’s voice was soft.
There’s a muffled sob. “I want to go home.”
Tony pushes the car as fast as he can and arrives at the underground base within two hours. He will not mention how Natasha softly sang Yelena songs for the second half of the ride.
There’s an agent waiting for them. Tony can see that Natasha is full of anger that is barely contained. She storms down the hallway after the agent.
They stop in the infirmary and the door opens to one of the rooms. Tony watches as Maria steps away from where she was standing at Yelena’s bedside side.
Yelena… looks horrible. Her front is coated with blood. There’s crusted blood on her wrists. There are bloody straps still attached to the bed. She doesn’t even notice Natasha until the woman reaches out to gently smooth some of her hair back.
Yelena jerks up, takes a few seconds to look at Natasha’s face and determine if she was real, before she bursts into tears and throws her arms around Natasha’s neck, bawling.
Maria moves to leave the room but Tony steps in front of the door. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Tony glances back at Natasha who had picked up and is holding her sister that is clinging to her with every fiber of her being.
Tony takes his earpiece out. He doesn’t need to listen in on the conversation now as Yelena manages to get out choppy Russian words. Natasha’s focus is entirely on the girl in her arms. Natasha is whispering softly in Russian, swaying in place and rubbing Yelena’s back as she pressed soft kisses against the girl’s forehead.
When Yelena is no longer sobbing and has settled her face into the crook of Natasha’s neck, Natasha turns to look at Maria. Natasha has Yelena’s blood on her shirt and part of her neck and pants. He can see Maria go still.
Tony knows that face. That’s Natasha’s murder face. One that promised pain.
Natasha glares at Maria and hissed out one word. “Explain.”
Tony watches Maria search for an explanation.
“Maria, we were friends. I’m not the low-level agent I once was. Tell me the truth. Now.” Natasha demands, her voice changing in an instant when Yelena lets out a small whine. Natasha whispers something soothing in Russian.
“It wasn’t my call. I didn’t know she was a child,” Maria starts and Natasha glances up at her. “We’ve been tracking the assassin for years. We finally got her.”
“And the fact that she was a child didn’t dissuade you?” Natasha raised an eyebrow before scoffing in disbelief.
“She still killed plenty of people,” Maria argues back.
“She’s a child. What child do you know willingly decided to be an assassin?” Natasha’s voice was calm but it was only because any time her voice got rough then Yelena became unsettled. If Yelena wouldn’t have a meltdown, Tony would have offered to take her to give them room.
“She claimed to be from the Red Room,” Maria scoffs.
“She is,” Natasha looks Maria right in the eye. “We didn’t take down the Red Room. Dreykov survived the explosion.”
Yelena tenses up at the mention of the name Dreykov. Natasha whispers to her softly and Tony finally gets a peek of the haunted look on Yelena’s face.
“She said she’s your sister,” Maria then states.
“She is. I adopted her recently,” Natasha pulls Yelena closer. “She’s mine. You fucked with what was mine. You hurt my kid. I find that unforgivable. The only reason that you are not dead is that I once trusted you to have my back.”
“She said that part of us is Hydra. That’s impossible,” Maria shakes her head. “We were careful this time.”
Natasha looks down at Yelena and Tony supposed that she was asking Yelena a question. Yelena’s voice was tiny as she mumbled a reply and Natasha looks up at Maria.
“There’s only one. The one who promised to bring her in quietly,” Natasha has no doubt that Yelena was telling the truth. Tony believed Yelena. “He…” Natasha looks murderous again.
“Where is Fury,” Tony steps up as he demanded, looking down at Maria. “We want to talk to him because it’s obvious that you don’t have the answers.
Maria bristles but doesn’t argue his statement. She glances at the two of them before her eyes fall into the kid clinging to Natasha with everything she has.
“Follow me,” Maria turns and Tony lets her out the door and they trail after her.