The Color Of You

Chapter 23

As Yelena's golden hair danced in the wind, you felt your heart race like a war drum in your chest. Sweat trickled down your back as you pressed forward, determined not to lose sight of her once more. Natasha's desperate cries echoed in the distance as the sky opened up and rain hammered against your body.

With each step, your breaths grew heavier, the thick rain hindering your progress, soaking you to the bone. But something was wrong. This rain felt different, sticky, and heavy like syrup. Confusion mingled with fear as you wiped the wetness from your face with trembling hands, only to find them stained red.

The air was heavy with the metallic scent of blood, the red rain relentless in its downpour. Desperately, you tried to clear it from your face, but it kept coming, coating your tongue with a taste of copper with each gasp you took. Spluttering, you fell to your knees, the screams around you drowning out all other sound. Whose screams were they?

In the darkness, the screams intensified, blending with the pounding of your heart until it was all you could hear, you covered your ears as you rocked against the damp ground. Images flashed before your mind's eye—Yelena's frightened face, the sinister figures of the guys who had nearly taken her, their taunting laughter blending into the deafening noise.

You hurled forward as you tried to reach out to her, to save her from the clutches of the darkness that threatened to swallow her whole. But no matter how hard you fought, she slipped further away, disappearing into the shadows.

The rain kept pouring, relentless in its assault, turning the ground beneath you into a mess of mud and blood. You crawled forward, each movement a struggle against the weight of your own fear.

And then, just when you thought you couldn't bear it any longer, a voice pierced through the chaos—a voice so familiar yet distant, calling out your name.

Slowly, the nightmare began to dissolve, the screams fading into the background as consciousness reclaimed its hold on you. With a gasp, you jolted awake, blinking away the remnants of the nightmare as you found yourself back in the safety of Natasha and Wanda's bed. A soft body was holding you close and you knew those hands that caressed your face so gently.

"Sweet girl, my darling girl," Wanda murmured softly. "It was only a nightmare. You're safe. You're safe here." she shushed you gently.

"I... I couldn't save her," you choked out, the nightmare so fresh in your mind that you were unsure what was real and not.

"Yelena is safe in her bed. And I promise I won't let anything bad happen to either of you."

She pulled you closer, arms curling around your form to hold you firmly against her chest. She hushed you softly, when you burrowed your face into the crook of her neck.

She hummed softly against the crown of your head while her hand caressed your back in soft comforting strokes. Eventually you were completely relaxed in her arms, and you dared to open your eyes to look up at her and found her eyes already gazing down at you. Her lips tugged up as she continued to hum softly.

"Thank you," you whispered, in the dim room.

Wanda's eyes crinkled at the corners and her warm lips descended on your forehead so gently it brought tears back to your already strained eyes.

"No need to thank me, I want nothing more than to take care of you," she murmured quietly, as her fingers wiped away the remaining tears on your cheek.

"How are you always so good at that?" You asked, your voice soft with emotion.

"Of what, sweetheart?" She looked at you with a raised eyebrow, amusement tainting her words.

"You always know how to make me feel better when I'm upset or sad," you explained, your voice still carrying the tremors of the nightmare.