Ring of Fire

Chapter Nine

Natasha's POV

I continued to hold Y/N close in my arms for a while, until her breathing had completely stabilised and the tears stopped flowing out of her eyes. To say it was a shock when she rested her head on my shoulder was an understatement as I never expected her to trust me as much as she did, however when it happened, I welcomed it gladly. I felt an air of protectiveness over all of my students, any good instructor would, but the feeling was so much more intense when it came to Y/N. Something about what I suspected to be her situation, and just her as a person, made me want to prevent her from feeling any harm, ever. That's why I offered her one on one defence lessons. No one in my classes had ever needed one, but I always had the idea on the backburner if time ever called for them. 

Even once she had calmed down, we stayed in a comfortable embrace. Y/N picked at a piece of loose thread on the knee of my leggings and stared blankly ahead. I rubbed her arm softly to draw her out of her thoughts.

"What's on your mind?" I asked quietly, prompting her to remember I was there to listen. 

"Nothing. My nose just kind of hurts now." She mumbled back, not breaking her staring contest with the floor. 

"You need me to get you some ice?" I questioned. 

"No. Please just stay." Y/N whispered in response. And so I simply rested my head back on her own as we sat in peaceful silence. It was peaceful until the door swung open loudly, causing Y/N to flinch. It didn't go unnoticed, the fact that loud, sudden noises or movements caused her to flinch. I knew how it felt. Both of our eyelines shifted to Wanda, who ran in with a guilt ridden expression, a pack of ice and a chocolate bar. 

"Y/N, I am so so sorry. I didn't know you weren't going to dodge. Gosh, if I could go back in time and stop myself I would. I should've paid more attention and noticed, oh my-" Wanda rambled in apology. Her hands shook slightly and she looked as if she was going to drop the ice any second. I nodded my head towards her, motioning to her to come forward into the room. 

"Wanda, it's okay." Y/N reassured, patting the floor next to her. Wanda walked slowly over and slid down the wall next to her. "Now give me that ice, my nose is throbbing." And for the first time since the incident, Y/N smiled warmly. A genuine smile. Full of happiness and laughter. 

Eventually it was time for me to leave the hall as the time I'd hired it for was coming to a end. As much as I would've loved to sit and protect Y/N all night, the managers got really mad if I didn't stick to the assigned times. They always booked the hall out for bingo after my classes and I didn't want Y/N to have to deal with the old ladies fussing over her. So I reluctantly grabbed her shoulders and helped her to a standing position. 

"I'm really sorry but we have to go now. Do you want me to drive you home?" I offered, rubbing her upper arms in comfort. 

"NO!" She shouted suddenly, a look of fear on her face. "I mean no. No thank you. It's not far, I can walk." She corrected herself, forcing an obviously fake smile onto her face. Nevertheless, I respected her wishes and helped her pack her bag. I watched her walk down the street as far as I could see, to make sure she was safe. God, the feeling of wanting to help her was so overwhelming. As soon as she was out of sight, I raked my hands through my hair. With the weather outside having turned to rain, my natural curls had started to bounce back after straightening it this morning. I turned to walk back inside.

"Wanda, you need a lift back to Pietro's?" I asked tiredly.

"No. Thank you though, Nat. You should get some rest." Wanda said with a sad smile. She hugged me softly before walking out of the hall. The impact of everything that happened hit as soon as the door shut behind her. I put up a front for everyone else, I had to, but as soon as I was alone, my eyes welled. Slow tears dropped out of my eyes and blurred my vision as I packed my stuff up. The bingo organiser walked into the hall and awkwardly smiled at me. It wasn't a pleasant smile. More of an indicator that she wanted me to leave. 

"Sorry. Had an incident in my last session. Leaving now." I returned her awkward smile, sniffled, and walked out the door. 

I couldn't stop thinking about Y/N the entire drive back to my apartment. A part of me wanted to find out what was happening and put an immediate stop to it. I cared about her so much, which was shocking because normally it takes me months to care about someone. But the bigger, more logical part of me was telling me to respect her privacy. If I knew anything about abuse, its something you have to escape on your own. Sure, people can guide and support you, but if its not your choice to leave, you'll go running back eventually. Its like an addiction that is almost impossible to break.

Somehow I got home. My keys were in the door of my apartment by the time I realised I got home. I must have been driving on autopilot. Dread filled my body as I remembered I had to fill out an accident report for legal reasons. It felt weird writing up an accident report on two of my best students but it had to be done. I sighed, turning the coffee machine on and getting my favourite mug out of the cupboard. It was much needed; this was going to be a long night. 

Finally, at around 2am, I flopped onto my bed and took my glasses off. My eyes were tired, my body was tired, even my brain was tired. Scratch that, my brain was exhausted. I rubbed my eyes so hard that little stars started to swirl in front of me. I wanted to sleep but my mind kept drifting to the thought of abuse. Of her abuse. Of my abuse. And in my tired state, I drifted off into an unfortunate dream. 

I woke up hours later, with the sun beginning to rise. My body shook after the nightmare that claimed my mind. I could still feel his hands on me. The bruises he left scattered on my body. The anger he took out on me. 

I was just a kid.

A/N: More from Nat's perspective. A little insight into her side of things. Sorry, its nearly been a month but I have been struggling with writers block and other things. But we made it eventually. I'll try be more regular but cannot make any promises lol.