Widow Sisters and Friends (Restoring Our Broken Hearts)

I Heal by Your Touch

Summary: Natasha and Yelena have not been reunited for too long, but they have already grown extremely close. Which is why Natasha is utterly confused when Yelena refuses to allow herself to be seen in even a sports bra when it is roasting outside and Yelena is burning up. Natasha worries that she herself has done something to keep Yelena from trusting her, but Yelena explains the reason. Unfortunately, the true reason is so much worse.

   "Why is it so hot?" Yelena whined as she suddenly flopped down on the couch not too far from Natasha where she was sitting in the corner of it, looking at her phone peacefully. The redhead raised an eyebrow before her other brow followed as she realized that Yelena had sweat coating her face and neck as she placed her head not too far from Natasha's lap.

It was the middle of summer, and the little, old house that Natasha and Yelena had to themselves just had a really bad habit of not getting cool enough to satiate Yelena's need for relief as a result of her already predisposed tendency to feel hot. Yelena had spent so much of the summer complaining that Natasha was starting to consider asking Tony to install a thermostat in the house. If anyone could pull it off, it would be him, and he would likely enjoy the work since he liked to tinker with things and push his technological knowledge.

Natasha looked down at her, and Yelena shifted her gaze to meet Natasha's. She had a bit of that signature frown on her face as she pouted unhappily with the heat that was so obviously plaguing her. Natasha reached down, running a hand along Yelena's practically roasting face, and Yelena immediately leaned into the touch, her nose pressed into her palm.

"Mmm... How are your hands so nice?" Yelena muttered, and Natasha shrugged with a light laugh.

"You know me... My hands are always cold," Natasha told her gently with a small laugh, and Yelena just pressed her face harder against her hand, trying to fit her entire face into it. Natasha shook her head with a grin.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked with a warm chuckle, feeling her heart swell with Yelena's endearing silliness.

"Trying to get cool," Yelena stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Natasha rolled her eyes affectionately, teasingly reaching down and grabbing the hem of Yelena's shirt and lifting it up a little to expose a bit of the toned stomach beneath.

"Take your shirt off, then," Natasha encouraged, gently patting the bit of Yelena's stomach that was showing. Strangely, Yelena suddenly looked much less comfortable and at ease as she reached down and pulled the hem back down to its normal position.

"No, that's okay," Yelena replied, and Natasha furrowed her brow, tilting her head.

"It's just me. And I've seen a bra before. I happen to wear one every so often," Natasha teased a little, trying to disguise the concern coming over her with the sarcasm in her latter statement. Yelena shrugged somewhat awkwardly in reply.

"It's okay... I'm not that hot," Yelena attempted to dismiss, and Natasha looked down at her baby sister and her entire world with some concern as she ran her hand along the side of Yelena's neck and felt precisely how sweaty she was.

"You're sweating a river, and you're trying to tell me you're not that hot... Is something wrong?" Natasha questioned concernedly, trying to muster all of the genuineness that she could in an attempt to get the girl to talk to her about this.

Yelena shook her head, leaning her head and neck in the direction of Natasha's touch.

"It's fine. I'm fine," Yelena responded quickly. Knowing that it was obviously not fine and that something was apparently wrong, Natasha hesitantly let go of the subject, allowing Yelena to discuss it on her own.