look after you × winterwidow & oc

VI. guilt

italics indicate russian, all translations can be found at the end of the chapter.

"NATASHA!" someone yelled and then she saw Clint at the bottom of the stairs, ready to run upstairs with horror written all over his face.

"What's going on?" she asked but he was already going back.

"It's Katya, I think she's having a vision but I never saw something like that-"

Natasha didn't hear anything he said after her daughter's name. She pushed in front of him and run to the living area when she found everyone gathered around Katya, aside from Laura who was trying to get Cooper and crying Lila out of the room. Horrified Tony stood a few feet away. There was something else on his face but Natasha didn't have time to think about it. Clint followed up to her and she felt his hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, as she froze completely looking at her daughter's skinny body shaking on the floor.

All her muscles tensed up as the convulsions raked through her body, slightly arching her back off the floor. Bruce was holding her head so she wouldn't hit it on anything. Blood streamed from her nose and down her cheeks, leaving traces behind on her fair skin. Her eyes rolled back so hard they were white.

"Should we do something?" someone asked "Nat?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she took a few steps and stopped next to Bruce, and kneeled down, suggesting she wants to take his place. Banner didn't protest and let her take over.

"Should we call an ambulance?"

"No." Natasha snapped immediately.

How would they explain this? She had some idea of how Katya acted after attacks like that and saying she has epilepsy wouldn't help. Also, everyone would probably have to hide and leave Laura with Katya as explaining the presence of the Avengers would be even harder.

"Natasha-"

"I said no," she said, not taking her gaze off Katya's tensed-up body. "It'll pass soon."

Only after a while, she realized that her voice cracked. And then felt wetness on her face. Tears suddenly started streaming down her face, but she didn't pay any attention to them, as she waited for the shaking to stop and tried her hardest not to yell at everyone to stop staring. She didn't want them to see her like that, to see Katya like that. She felt bad for Lila and Cooper, they must have been so scared, but she wanted to yell anyway.

At some point, Natasha started to whisper some comforting words and phrases, mostly in Russian, even though she wasn't sure if her little girl could hear her. Romanoff had no idea how much time had passed, but Katya started to finally calm down and loosen up a bit.

"Ty v poryadke" she kept muttering as she started to caress her light hair. Tears kept falling down splattering on her shirt and pants. "Vse budet khorosho, mama zdes'."

The girl lay completely still for a while, aside from exaggerated chest movements, accompanying her every heavy and wheezing breath, like there was something in her throat. Soon, her eyelids started fluttering, but she had trouble opening them for a while.

"Prosnis' malyshka" Natasha asked softly.

She started to move the girl so she could hold her closer like she would hold a toddler. The girl was laying between her crossed legs, her head supported by one of Natasha's arms, as she hugged her close to her chest while the girl's legs were thrown over her thigh.

"Mama?" she murmured and Natasha despite trying her best to keep her cool, couldn't contain her tears.

"I'm here," she assured, caressing her cheek.