not how it's supposed to go

sorry, i can't see facts through all of my fury (you haven't met the new me yet)

gonna drop the rest of this book i think

Yelena takes one look at her and leaves.

The room goes so quiet that it makes Natasha want to scream.

She stands up off the couch and looks over at the rest of them, "Give me a minute, I'll talk to her."

Kate's still in front of the door, now guarding it, and Natasha gives her a look.

"Let me through."

"Listen, I would, you're literally the epitome of female badass and after Clint, you're my favorite Avenger, and I know you're her sister, but you've really fucked her over in the past and I'm not going to be one to increase her hurting," Kate rambles quickly, moving with Natasha when she tries to go through.

Natasha glares at her, "She's my sister."

"She's my girlfriend," Kate glares back at her, "and my best friend. And we have two dogs together."

"I grew up with her," Natasha retorts, irritated now. She really doesn't want to force this girl out of the way, but she will. She has to talk to her sister.

Kate only glares harder, "For three years."

"And how long have you been in the picture?" Natasha's over this, she's so close to punching this girl to get her out of the way, girlfriend or not.

Kate coils a little bit, "Six months."

"Seems like a pretty big difference," Natasha says, but Kate still doesn't move. Natasha's sure if she wasn't directly involved in this situation that she'd find it impressive.

"Do you know how to calm her down?" Kate asks, leveling Natasha a new stare with a new intensity, "Because I do."

Natasha's taken aback by that, she hasn't had to calm Yelena down since they lived in Ohio. She didn't know Yelena still needed to be calmed down, the Red Room was pretty efficient at getting rid of that response.

"I need to talk to her," Natasha insists again, irritation scratching at her skin as she tries to look past Kate and for Yelena, "Please."

"Malyshka, it's okay," Yelena's voice breaks through and Natasha gives Kate a look that she knows looks a lot like I told you so. Yelena appears behind Kate, "If she pisses me off, I know I can handle her, anyway."

"Okay," Kate doesn't let off on the guard dog attitude as she lets Natasha past, and by that time Yelena's settled herself on the steps up to the patio.

"She your girlfriend or guard dog?" Natasha asks, hoping to lighten the mood some.

"You were about two seconds away from beating the shit out of my girlfriend," Yelena states slowly, staring at her fingers instead of making eye contact with Natasha. "You hurt her and I will have to hurt you , and that's not something I like doing anymore."

Natasha's not used to being rendered speechless, but hearing her baby sister essentially threaten her isn't something that she will ever be ready for.

"What is up with you?" Natasha asks, hating that little bit of hostility in her words as soon as it comes out of her mouth.

"I really don't want to talk to you, Natasha."

"Well, I'm here anyway," Natasha retorts, crossing her arms and waiting for Yelena to look up at her.

She doesn't.

"ни хрена," Yelena says with a humorless laugh. It almost sounds empty . (No shit.)

"You're not even going to look at me?" Natasha asks, trying her hardest to keep a level head. She's normally good at that, but something about Yelena has always thrown that off.