Cold as Ice - WinterWidow One-Shots

a disaster: the sequel

Summary: part two to the last chapter: meet the parents.

Italics represent Russian.

By the time Natalia's wrist has been taken care of and James's nose is set straight, he's completely forgotten about the lingering threat of Alexei and Melina but he hasn't forgotten about Yelena, the interloper who has apparently decided to stay in New York for a few weeks. Natalia isn't sure how long she'll be around, but she knows it's going to be a while.

"And that's normal?" James teases when she tells him.

"Yes." She sounds so completely sure of her answer that James decides she must be speaking from personal experience.

"How have I never met your sister before?" he asks, more to himself than to her. Natalia still graces him with an answer.

"You were in Beirut the last time she visited," she says, "and the time before that, she showed up at the Tower."

He wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary, then, if Natalia had spent a couple weeks at the Tower. The Beirut mission had been about six months ago, though, so if it's really been that long since the sisters have seen each other, he imagines Yelena is going to stick around much longer than he realizes.

"So she's met the rest of the team," James deduces, "just not me."

"No, she hasn't met anyone."

He turns to look at her and even though he's driving, all his attention is on her.

"But you said―"

"I know what I said." She's grinning. "You're the first person she's met. Aside from Clint, but she also tried to kill him―put him in the hospital and everything―so I haven't tried reintroducing them."

"You're telling me your sister got into the Tower," James says, "and spent weeks there without anyone noticing?"

Natalia shrugs. "Tony probably did, but he didn't say anything."

At the very least, Yelena is impressive (but he doubts he'll ever say that to her face). Sneaking into the Tower is no small feat and the team is nothing if not nosy. Staying unnoticed for weeks in the Tower is near impossible.

When they finally arrive back at Natalia's apartment, James's whole face hurts and Natalia's looking a little woozy from the pain medicine they gave her at the Tower. On the one hand, he's glad Tony figured out a strong enough painkiller to keep even supersoldier serum from running through it. On the other hand, he wishes Natalia were more awake.

As soon as they step into her apartment, James remembers Alexei and Melina. Natalia seems to remember them too, but aside from the small smile on her face, she doesn't react much. The medicine is really starting to kick in and James knows she won't be much of a buffer between him and her parents.

"―plate goes there or Natasha will kill―"

"Don't shout at your mother."

"I'm not shouting!"

Already, James has a headache and he hasn't even seen the three people that he knows are in Natalia's kitchen.

With Natalia tucked into his side, they both make their way into the kitchen.

James braces himself to come face to face with another gun, but instead, he's met with the sight of Yelena sitting on the countertop with a disapproving frown as she watches a dark-haired woman cook something. Sitting at the table is a very round man with a beard who looks as jolly as a photo of Santa Clause in a department store.

"Natasha!" the man exclaims, throwing his arms open excitedly.

Thankfully, Natalia doesn't move from his side (though part of him thinks she might trip over her own feet if she tried to).

"Oh, hello, Natasha dear," the woman says. She doesn't look up from her cooking. "Yelena says your partner broke your wrist."

Yelena smirks at James and Natalia sighs.

"Did she tell you that she tried to shoot him first?" Natalia retorts. Yelena's smirk turns into a scowl but Natalia is unfazed. "She also broke his nose."

Yeah, which is definitely not the best way to meet the parents: with bruises covering half his face and Natalia's arm in a sling across her chest. He's trying to remain optimistic.

"He attacked me."

James decides not to argue and risk worsening his first impression, but Natalia is quick to take his side.

"He did not," she says shortly. Then, turning back to the woman, she says, "I'll introduce you if you'd stop staining all my pots with your cooking."

"I am not staining your pots," the woman replies. She turns off the stove and turns around nonetheless. "So this is your partner? He looks very nice, Natasha."

"He has a metal arm," Yelena tells her.

James freezes and even Natalia seems to pause. Yelena notices immediately which, unfortunately, means that the other two do as well.

The round man seems to be the least unnerved and, with the thickest Russian accent James has ever heard, he says, "The Winter Soldier. You are friends with Captain America, yes?"

Of all the things to be asked after the words 'Winter Soldier' were uttered around him, that was not usually the first thing out of someone's mouth.

"Don't answer that," Natalia tells him quickly.

"Tell me, Winter Soldier," the man says eagerly, "did Captain America ever tell you about his fight with the great Red Guardian?"

A look from Natalia makes him think that he shouldn't answer, but James is much too confused and curious to see what harm it would do.

"No."

Immediately, the man curses and starts shouting in Russian, followed quickly by the woman and Yelena. The noise is so overwhelming that James can't make out what any of them are saying, but he stops trying to when Natalia buries her face in his chest.

"Did I do something wrong already?" he asks her quietly.

"We try not to encourage his Captain America fantasy," Natalia mutters in reply. Turning her head to look up at him, she says, "They'll shout for a bit then remember us."

Shortly after she says so, the shouting dies down and all the attention is back on them.

"At least introduce us, Natasha," the woman says with a small frown. "We cannot call him Winter Soldier."

James doesn't want them to anyway, but Natalia doesn't make a move to speak.

"I'm Bucky," he offers.

"Oh god." Yelena rolls her eyes. "Are you seven?"

"Yelena, shut up." The woman swats her and Yelena whines, but her mother has already turned her attention back on James. "I am Melina and this is Alexei―"

"The great Red Guardian!" the man exclaims.

James still isn't sure what that means, but he just nods kindly.

"Will you all be staying here?" he asks. Natalia is mostly asleep at his side even if her eyes are partially opened, so he's suddenly forced to take on the role of host.

"Yes."

Melina says it so simply that James can't find a reason to argue with it. Not that he was going to try to.

"Right." The kitchen falls into an uncomfortable silence as they all stare at each other. "I'm going to take Natalia to her room," James tells them.

"Don't come back," Yelena tells him.

Still tucked under his arm, Natalia mutters a curse at her in Russian that makes Melina scowl at her. Before her mother can scold her, though, James ushers Natalia out of the kitchen and to the safety of her room where both of them stay for the remainder of the night, even when there's a loud crash in the kitchen and James hears Melina shout a thousand colorful insults at Alexei.