Natasha/Scarlett one shot 2

Confused Mind N.R

Third POV
"Y/N? I'm back." Natasha shouted from the door as she took off her shoes and walked further in the house. Y/N was sitting on the couch watching a movie before she heard someone entering. "What are you watching so engrossed in?"

"Jess? What are you doing here? You cannot be here!" Y/N stood up and started asking Natasha to leave.

"Y/N? What are you talking about? I'm your wife, Natasha!" She looked at Y/N carefully, taking a tentative step before getting pushed away.

"You cannot be here! She's going to know! Get out! Get out!" Actions were getting bigger as she tried to push Natasha closer to the door and eventually out the door.

"What are you doing? Let me in!" Natasha started banging on the door as you locked the door. Her keys were still on the table and now she had no means of entering. Of course, if she really wanted to enter, she could, but she would rather not when Y/N was so vehemently against her entering. And who was Jess? As far as she knew from Maria, Y/N was always in her office rushing to complete the paperwork.

With one last try to enter their house and getting shouted at by her wife from behind the door, she started walking back to the compound. No doubt Natasha felt that their marriage was going in a downward slope recently, but the sudden outburst from Y/N was still unexpected.

Natasha thought this was going to pass, given that Y/N's life went as per normal when she wasn't here. There are a few days where she managed to enter the house without getting shouted at but the atmosphere was different. It was a lot more like they were strangers. They didn't have anything against each other, but it felt uncomfortable.

Then, one day, it got worse. Y/N was so angry that Jess was in her house again that more violent actions were used. "You can't tell my wife about our relationship!" She tried pulling a punch on Natasha but was stopped expertly.

"I'm sorry about this, Y/N." Natasha knocked Y/N out before paying Bruce a visit.

"Can you find out what's wrong with her? She keeps calling me Jess like she's been having some sort of an affair with a phantom but she only calls Jess when I'm around." Natasha told Bruce what she was facing while looking at Y/N. She was still unconscious, giving Bruce the chance to conduct a check.

"Did she hit her head recently?" Bruce asked as he tried to figure out what's wrong. 

Natasha thought for a moment before replying. "Yeah, a few weeks ago. Maria said she hit her head once when she was on a mission. But everything was fine when she was checked." 

"I'll try to find out what happened but I have an idea." Bruce started the machine to scan your brain.

While waiting for the scan to generate, Natasha moved you to her room in the compound to be more comfortable. "I'll find out what's wrong, I promise." She whispered.

"Alright, so looking at the scans, I can tell that she's suffering from an aneurysm here." Bruce said while pointing at the scan. "An aneurysm at this location causes an illness called Capgras syndrome which is characterised by a delusional belief that a person has been replaced by an imposter."

"How can we fix this?"

"We just need to perform a surgery around the area and remove the aneurysm." Nevertheless, a surgery around the brain made Natasha worry about her wife. It would never be a low risk surgery when dealing with such a complicated organ.

"Do you know why she only sees Jess when she's with me?" Natasha asked tentatively, if there was a scientific reason, it would be better to hear it from Bruce than Y/N.

"Unfortunately, I can't give you an answer for that. But I can tell you how to get the answer."

---

"How are you feeling?" Natasha asked Y/N when she finally woke up. "I know it may be confusing at the moment, but we are in my room. You fainted and the doctors think it's best if you are treated immediately."

"Jess? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take care of you." As Y/N tried to sit up, Natasha went to adjust the pillows behind her back to make it comfortable for her. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do! I love you so freaking much! I love you a lot." Y/N announced excitedly and reached out for Natasha's hands.

"I want to ask you something. And I want you to answer truthfully." Natasha's heart was thumping hard against her chest. It may be better off not knowing the answer but she knew that her marriage will never be the same if she doesn't know the answer. "Why... why did you decide to have an affair with me?"

When Y/N didn't answer, she urged that she wanted the truth.

"I was lonely. Natasha was already really busy with being Avenger and SHIELD so it's understandable when she's tired when she comes home. But after the one gathering we held in our house, I was so excited to spend some alone time with her finally. I love our friends, but sometimes they don't know what time to go home. But Natasha was already on the bed sleeping. I never felt so lonely and disappointed. So I stopped any advances. Our time spent together no longer held any meaning. I was alone at home when I was watching the TV, you were there and you asked me a question. You addressed me by my name and asked if I was lonely. It has been a while since I felt seen by someone."

Hearing your answer, Natasha felt so guilty. It's true that work has been a lot lately, and she has completely neglected Y/N. She went against the vows she said during the wedding and felt like she had betrayed your trust. "Between me and your wife, who would you choose?"

---

The surgery went without any problem, and Bruce told Natasha that Y/N would wake up anytime soon. Whether or not the surgery was successful, Y/N would have to wake up to find out. About an hour passed before Y/N showed signs of waking up.

"Y/N... can you see me?" Natasha asked as she rose from her seat, keeping her voice low so as not to startle her.

"Nat? What... happened to me?" Y/N asked as she felt her limbs too heavy to move.

"It's a long story, but I'm glad you're back."

---

"Between me and your wife, who would you choose?" Natasha asked.

"My wife, she means the world to me." 

Written on 5 April 2023
Posted on 16 Aug 2023

Inspired by Brain Work (Korean drama)