Avengers Assistant - Avengers x Reader

chapter 8

TW: Implied SH & Drinking

10:00 pm

Eleanor had spent the day buried in her work, trying to catch up on the tasks that had accumulated due to her absence that morning. The weight of the situation with the "Winter Soldier" project lingered in the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside, focusing on the immediate tasks at hand.

Just as she was about to close her laptop and call it a night, her phone buzzed with an incoming call. The caller ID displayed "Unknown," but she had a sinking feeling that she knew who it was. Taking a deep breath, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Eleanor Thompson," the voice on the other end was unmistakable – Nick Fury. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Eleanor's heart raced as she tried to maintain a composed tone. "No, not at all. How can I help you, Mr. Fury?"

Fury's voice was as stern as ever. "I need an update on your progress with the Winter Soldier project. We're running out of time, and we need your assessment."

Eleanor glanced at the clock and realized it was later than she had anticipated. She knew she couldn't keep this secret from Natasha forever, but she was still trying to protect her from the dangerous truth. "I'm making progress, Mr. Fury. I've been analyzing the data you provided, and I'll have a preliminary assessment by tomorrow."

Fury's patience seemed to wear thin. "Tomorrow might be too late, Thompson. We need your insights now."

Eleanor bit her lip, torn between her duty and her concern for Natasha's well-being. "I understand, but I need a little more time to ensure the accuracy of my assessment."

Fury let out an impatient sigh. "Fine, but make it fast. Lives are at stake here."

The call ended, leaving Eleanor in a state of heightened anxiety. She knew she couldn't keep this secret forever, especially now that Fury was pushing for results. She looked over at Natasha, who was peacefully asleep beside her. Eleanor's heart ached at the thought of the truth coming out and potentially endangering Natasha.

Natasha stirred in her sleep, sensing Eleanor's distress. She blinked open her eyes and looked at Eleanor with concern. "Hey, is everything okay?"

Eleanor managed a weak smile, but her unease was palpable. "Yeah, just work stuff. Don't worry about it."

Natasha sat up, her expression serious. "Eleanor, I can tell when something's bothering you. You don't have to hide it from me."

Eleanor sighed, as she dismissed Nat's request to talk to her. "It's about work. It's fine, you don't need to worry about it."

Natasha just looked at Eleanor with a broken look, then turned her back and went back to sleep.

Eleanor finished up the paragraph she was on and saved her work and forwarded it to Fury then went to bed, craving Natasha's comfort and warmth but instead was met with the cold shoulder.

Not wanting to wake Nat up, El just turned over and slowly drifted off to sleep.

However, the following morning brought an unexpected twist. As Eleanor woke up, she reached out to find Natasha's side of the bed empty. Panic and confusion began to creep in as she checked her phone, finding a series of missed calls and messages from Natasha.

The messages were increasingly frustrated and accusatory. Natasha had discovered that Eleanor had received a call from an unknown number the previous night and had apparently been evasive when asked about it. Natasha's messages indicated that she felt betrayed, thinking Eleanor was hiding something – possibly talking to other people about the sensitive project.

Eleanor's heart sank as she read Natasha's messages, realizing the extent of the damage that had been done. She quickly tried to call Natasha, but her calls went unanswered. She left frantic voicemails, trying to explain that it was Fury who had called, that she was just trying to protect Natasha.

Hours turned into an agonizing day as Eleanor waited for a response that didn't come. She felt a sense of helplessness, torn between her duty to the project and her desire to salvage her relationship with Natasha.

As the day drew to a close, Eleanor sat on her couch, her head in her hands. She had lost Natasha's trust, and she wasn't sure if she could ever regain it. Natasha was so special to her even though she only knew her briefly but their connection was undeniable and Eleanor would go as far as to say that she would die for Natasha.

The door to her apartment creaked open, and Eleanor looked up, her heart pounding. Natasha stood in the doorway, her expression a mix of frustration and hurt. Eleanor rushed over to her, words spilling out in a desperate attempt to explain.

"Natasha, I swear, it was Nick Fury who called. I was trying to protect you, I didn't want you to get involved in something dangerous."

Natasha's gaze was icy as she looked at Eleanor. "You should have trusted me enough to tell me the truth. Instead, you shut me out, and I was left thinking the worst."

Eleanor's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, Natasha. I never wanted to hurt you. I should have been honest with you from the start."

Natasha's expression softened slightly, but the hurt was still evident. "Trust is a fragile thing, Eleanor. It's not something you can easily mend. I need time to figure things out."

Eleanor nodded, her heart aching as she realized the depth of the damage she had caused. "I understand, Natasha. I'll give you the space you need. Just know that I never meant for any of this to happen."

With a heavy sigh, Natasha turned and walked towards the door. Before she left, she glanced back at Eleanor. "I hope you find the answers you're looking for, Eleanor. Just remember that actions have consequences."

And with that, Natasha walked out of Eleanor's apartment, leaving behind a profound sense of loss and regret. Eleanor sank onto the couch, her tears falling freely. Her only real connection was shattered and Stark was now blowing up her phone demanding answers to her absence.

Eleanor was tired, and sick of everything being stripped from her and everyone leaving her.

As she lay there all she could think of was the slim chance of Nat ever regaining her trust or ever meeting someone like Natasha ever again.

Eleanor had horrible habits, horrible, horrible habits. Habits that were destructive and painful but this was a way for her to cope and no, she didn't blame Natasha or Fury or anyone because she truly believed that she deserved everything that was given to her.

That meant the good and the bad. Mostly the bad though.