Grin and Bear It

"You should be dead." It was the first thing Bruce Banner said to you when you opened your eyes in what was becoming the all too familiar Avenger's medical facility. You really needed to stop ending up here, you thought, opening your mouth to tell him as much.

But before you had a chance to form a single syllable, your throat filled with searing pain and tears pricked at your eyes. You closed your mouth as quickly as you opened it and stared at Bruce in fear and confusion, begging him for an explanation.

"Like he said, you should be dead." You turned your head, surprised to see a tall, dark-haired woman in a suit sitting on the bed next to you. She coughed a few times, her voice raspy, before continuing. "It was an acid aerosol hidden in the vent. One of the hired guns probably triggered it when they realized how badly they were having their assess handed to them."

The woman started coughing again before taking a long drink from a bottle of water. Finally, she extended her hand, and you shook it. "I'm Maria." You opened your mouth to say your own name but quickly closed it again as the first pricks of pain bloomed along your windpipe. Unless Maria was as telepathic as Wanda, this was going to be a challenge.

"It's okay," Maria said, a look of sympathy on her face. "I know who you are, Y/N. I'm an old friend of Nat's."

You must've made some kind of face upon hearing Nat's name because Maria quickly filled you in on what happened back at the apartment. "She's fine. Just got hit with a little of the acid through the door like me. Nothing that won't go away in a day or two. It's Wanda we have to thank. She sensed you were losing consciousness and that's when she got us all out of there."

Maria watched your face as you filled in the gaps between sitting on the bunk bed and waking up in the Avenger's compound. But there was something you were missing. You started searching your pockets, but they were all empty. Where was it?

"If you're looking for the Polaroid, Natasha has it." You stopped your frantic search, confirming to Maria that's what you were looking for. "Actually, if you're feeling up to it," Maria said, catching Bruce's eye across the room, "you're medically cleared. I'm sure Natasha and Wanda would like to see you."

Bruce sensed his cue, appearing by your bedside holding a large smoothie. "This should help with the pain while meeting at least some of your calorie needs." You gave the smoothie an appreciative sip; it was delicious, and the cold felt like heaven on your burning throat.

You followed Maria through the compound, grateful she didn't try to engage you in a one-sided conversation. Instead, you replayed Nat's admission that she was responsible for killing your mom on a loop. At the time, you'd felt numb. Now, all you had were questions.

After what felt like a maze of corridors and elevators, Maria finally opened the door to the roof, leading you to a cozy outdoor patio complete with dance floor, bar, and grill. String lights gave off a golden glow. Clint tended a fire pit while Wanda roasted a marshmallow. Steve flipped hot dogs and Nat mixed drinks at the bar with Tony. It was a charming, domestic tableau that put you immediately on edge.

Maria stifled a chuckle as your shoulder's clenched. "Nat was worried the team made a bad first impression. This is their attempt at a do over."

Wanda spotted you first, wandering over with her marshmallow still smoldering on her stick. "Hey, Y/N. How are you doing?"

It was the first time you were grateful Wanda could read your thoughts and you shot back a sarcastic reply. "According to Bruce, I should be dead. So, by that metric, I'm doing fantastic."

Wanda frowned, clearly not sharing in the humor. "I was really scared, Y/N. Please tell me you'll stay. That you'll let us protect you."

"Protect me from what?" Thanks to Bruce's smoothie, it took a second to realize you'd spoken aloud, even if it only came out as a whisper. But then the pain hit, and you grasped at your throat.

Maria's hand was on your shoulder, guiding you towards the fire pit. "Maybe you should sit down."

You felt the team's eyes on you as you settled onto the bench. "Why do I feel like I'm walking into an intervention?" you asked Wanda, making extra sure that you weren't speaking aloud.

Wanda sat down next to you, twirling the roasting stick between her palms like it was the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. "Please don't think of it like that, Y/N," she spoke into your head without taking her eyes off the stick.

That was the second time Wanda had talked to you so pleadingly and –– coming from the same woman who had mentally tortured you only days before –– worried you more than any threat of arrest or imprisonment ever could.

Nat joined you, purposefully sitting a few seats over, undoubtedly unsure how you were processing her earlier confession. "How are you feeling?" she asked in a raspier than normal voice, prodding the fire with her own stick.

You glanced over at Wanda. "Mind translating?" you asked via your telepathic bond. Wanda gave a slight nod and a few seconds later she was reciting your words back to Nat.

"Y/N says she's doing fine. Apart from not being able to talk and all. But she does have a lot of questions she'd like answered." You accented Wanda's relative monotone with a small smile, hopeful it showed Nat your questions were born from curiosity, not anger.

Nat nodded; her face serious. "I hoped we'd be able to talk in private, Y/N. But after discussing with the rest of the team, I agree that everyone should know what's going on so we can all be prepared for what likely happens next."

You didn't need Wanda to translate the look of confusion that flooded your face. Clint sat next to you as the rest of the team either filled in the remaining seats or hovered on the nearby periphery. Yeah, this was a trap alright. And you wandered right into it.

Wanda laughed and all eyes flew to the Sokovian, who immediately blushed. "Sorry," she muttered. "Y/N just had a funny thought."

"Well, I'm glad one of us finds this hilarious." The voice belonged to Steve, who stood on the edge of the circle, arms crossed. Whatever was happening, Captain America was pissed. That couldn’t be good.

"Nat, why don't you begin?" It was Maria, who'd been so quiet you forgot she was there. All eyes settled on Natasha, and you were shocked to see apprehension on her face as she cleared her throat.

"Y/N, you already know I was responsible for killing your mother." Nat handed you the Polaroid and you stared at it as she continued.

"Her name was Lydia, and she was a Black Widow like me. At the time, all Widows were expected to follow three rules. One, don't fail the mission. Two, don't get caught. And three, don't get pregnant. When the head of the program, Dreykov, found out Lydia was expecting, he was furious. His best Widow had betrayed him. So, he sent me to... take care of the problem. Except, he had very specific instructions. He ordered me to wait until after she'd given birth, so she'd be forced to watch as I killed you first."

You forced your eyes up to Nat's, surprised to find them filling with tears. And even more surprised when you felt tears form in your own eyes in response. "But you were a child," you whispered, ignoring the fire that immediately erupted in your throat.

"Technically. But in the eyes of the Red Room, I was behind in my training. Lydia took me under her wing after I returned from an undercover stint in Ohio. Dreykov knew we were close. Ordering me to kill her -- and you -- was the final test before I became a full Widow."

"Unfortunately," Tony sighed, standing up from the bar, drink in hand, "our little preteen assassin couldn't finish the job." He strolled over to the group, gesturing at you with his free hand. "She fakes it with a baby doll and drops real you at a fire station, figuring you'll end up with some mild-mannered professor and his secretary wife. Instead, you end up with two doses of vibranium-crushing super serum and a target on your back the size of Texas."

You turned your attention back to Nat for confirmation. She nodded slowly; her face set in a troubled frown. "Tony's right. After today, I have no doubt Dreykov not only knows you're alive but is starting to piece together your abilities. In his eyes, you're still the property of the Red Room. He's going to come for you, Y/N, try to force you to work for him. And if he can't have you, no one can."

"Which is why you need to let us protect you," Wanda chimed in, aloud this time. She looked around at her teammates for their support.

"Wanda's right." Clint was the first to speak up. "I know in a lot of ways, this is our fault. If we knew what we know now, we probably would've done things a lot differently these last few days. You have every right to be upset. But Dreykov's a real threat. You can't just punch your way out of this. He's cunning, manipulative. A real sonofabitch."

Clint cast his eyes to Steve, who still stood with his arms crossed and his jaw set. "It's gonna take all of us to figure out a plan to keep you safe. But that's what we do. We don't let the bad guys win."

Steve sighed, relenting as his arms fell to his side. "He's right, Y/N. Dreykov is smart and has HYDRA behind them. I have no doubt both would love to add another super soldier to their ranks. But we're not going to let that happen."

You looked around the patio, from Steve, to Clint, to Wanda, and finally settling on Nat. The tears were gone but the apprehension was back as she waited impatiently for how you'd react.

You took a sip of your smoothie, using the temporary reprieve to speak two words as loudly as you could. "I'll stay."