Chapter Text
You're not the only monster on this team.
Several bombs decimate the building. Civilians had been evacuated thirty minutes prior, but Natasha was not sure if everyone made it out.
“Are there any survivors?” Steve’s voice sadly rings out through coms.
Natasha’s eyes scan the debris. Despite the clouds of dust swirling in the air, she does not see any movement.
Tony does a flyover using his tech to see if he can find any vitals on anyone.
A few moments of silence pass. “I found a girl,” Wanda’s voice shakily replies. “She’s hurt.”
“I’m coming, little witch,” Natasha responds. She senses Clint following her, not that Natasha minds. She is just glad he could join the Avengers on their first big mission since Ultron. He had taken some time off to be with Laura during her final days of pregnancy and the birth of Nathaniel.
Natasha quickly finds Wanda kneeling down next to a girl. She wastes no time approaching them and assessing the girl’s injuries.
“Her leg was trapped,” Wanda tells her. Wanda must have moved the debris by using her magic. The small girl has quiet tears streaming down her face. Her face is littered with cuts and scrapes, a noticeably large one on her right temple.
“We’re going to help you,” Natasha kneels down, brushing her shoulder against Wanda’s. She could tell this little girl’s injury was affecting her more than she is letting on.
The girl locks eyes with Natasha, fear evidently displayed in them. Her eyes travel down to Natasha’s belt, the red hourglass. The little girl’s eyes furrow, then as if something clicked in her mind, she urgently attempts to move away.
“Don’t move,” Clint tries to stop her, but Natasha motions for him to back up.
“ You are hurt . Let us help you .” Natasha speaks her native tongue. This causes the girl to stop moving and her breathing becomes a little more labored.
“ Widows are made of marble ,” the girl robotically answers. Natasha’s heart plummets. How would someone so young know that phrase? The Red Room was taken down seven years ago.
“ Come with us. We will keep you safe.”
“ He will come for me . If I fail my mission, he will kill me ,” the girl begins to panic. Natasha shakes her head.
“ Where’s your tracker?” the redhead asks coldly. “ Tell me now .”
The girl points to her uninjured leg, right on her thigh. Wanda and Clint share a confused look. Natasha grabs her knife.
“Nat, what are you doing?” Clint asks while grabbing her arm.
She fiercely shakes him off. “Removing her tracker. Get evac ready. I will carry her to the jet. We need Bruce to look at her injuries immediately.” She responds as she feels for the tracker and cuts it out.
The girl lets out a cry, but quickly tries to stifle her obvious pain. Natasha hears Clint barking orders to the other guys. She carefully picks the girl up and sees the Quinjet in the distance.
This mission just got a whole lot more interesting.
When they make it to the jet, Bruce has already cleared the med table for her. Tony and Steve are starting up the jet, ready to head back to the compound.
“Lay her here,” Bruce points to the table as he grabs some supplies, preparing them for use.
Natasha gently lays her down, the girl fading in and out of consciousness. Bruce begins to work, and the redhead finds herself glued to the girl’s side.
“Nat, why don’t you come sit down with me and Wanda,” Clint suggests. She chooses to ignore him, causing him to sigh but he walks back over to calm the little witch.
She stayed by her side even as the Quinjet landed and Bruce began to roll the stretcher-like table down the ramp towards Medbay. Tony must have called ahead to inform Dr. Helen Cho of the severity of the girl’s injuries.
Natasha barely registers when Bruce tells her that she needed to have surgery. She is not allowed to go into the operating room.
Natasha is pulled out of her thoughts when she feels a small hand slip into hers. “Nat?” Wanda looks at her with tears in her eyes. Natasha pulls the little witch into a tight hug. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Natasha replies as she ever-so-slightly sways them back and forth. “How about you?”
Wanda sniffles, “Just worried for her. She is so little, and I haven’t seen someone get that hurt since…”
“I know,” Natasha places a gentle kiss on her forehead. They had gotten extremely close in the few months of training they have shared together. Wanda needed comfort after losing Pietro, and Natasha was ready to help her however she could. “You did good today. I’m proud of you.”
This causes the teenager to blush. “Thank you, Nat.” Her stomach growls, causing both of them to pull away from the hug.
“How about you go shower and eat something. I’ll stay here with her,” Natasha’s eyes fall back on the Medbay doors.
Wanda nudges her, “You need to do that too.”
“You sayin’ I smell bad?” Natasha smirks.
Wanda’s eyes widen. “Yes, yes, she is,” Clint jokes with a hint of seriousness laced in his tone. Natasha rolls her eyes at her best friend. “Seriously, Nat. At least grab something to eat. Bruce said she would be in surgery for a few hours. FRIDAY can alert you of any changes.”
Natasha takes a deep breath in. “Fine,” she relents.