Mind Games (Avengers Wrong Number Fugitive [Natasha Romanoff x teen])

14. Killing a Killer

A/N HIII It's ma bday today!!

As always, translations at the bottom!

Natasha's POV

I still suspect Augustine is Pillow. But after the incident with the phone I'm not so sure. It was completely broken and wouldn't turn on no matter Tony's best efforts. It must've been broken more than just two days ago when we found it. Although it was the phone the signal was coming from.

The problem is, I haven't brought up the incident with Pillow herself, and she seems to have forgotten about it. That just brings up more questions. 

Last night, before Pillow went to sleep, most of the people on the chat she's on did a Swiftie Check. Only two questions before she got so tired she was done. Her first one was asking about favorite Taylor songs. Another suspicious detail was saying her's was 'august'.

There's so much evidence backing up that she is Augustine Miller. She is Manifest. But what's a bunch of clues without hardcore evidence? What's to say this all adds up to nothing? Just friendly coincidences?

It's ten AM as of now, and everyone is just sitting around drinking coffee and watching old Simpson's cartoons. It's peaceful, which I'm grateful for. 

Days like today, where no missions take place but everyone's too exhausted to do anything are my personal favorites. It's the days to refresh. Take a long hot bath, order an in-house massage therapist courtesy of Stark. Binge watch a season or two of Modern Family. Cuddle with your lover, Maria Hill.

"Hey," I say, my voice still raspy with morning. 

Maria looks back at me with a curl of her lip. "Hey. Seems like you slept in today."

I roll my eyes slightly. "I'll still go down for some target practice later. I'm not ruining my streak."

"Of course. Neither am I."

"Tell that to Duolingo. Как твой русский?"

"Я могу говорить по-русски!"

"Едва."

"Сука."

I push her shoulder with my hand, a light smile brightening up the room. "Watch your language!"

"Alright... Steve!"

Is Maria Pillow? Because she said 'Steve'? Anyone's a suspect now. 

Though maybe I'm a little rash, I can't be far off. Somebody I know is Pillow. All roads can lead to anyone in the wrong lighting which is the scariest part.

Maria and I cuddle for the next hour, watching whatever we're in the mood for. Including each other. I sigh, staring at my lover. I'm in love, I know that. That's what's so scary.

But no good moments last forever. No pause button exists in real life.

I hear her scream before I see it. August running backwards as Hydra agents ascend on her. Like that one sword fight from Peter Pan. Except with fists in Avengers Compound Family Room.

"Manifest?" I say, worry and anger laced in my voice as one.

"Oh, um, hi! I found a Hydra attack targeted towards Avengers Compound. I thought I could help out, but there's more than anticipated!"

There's a lie somewhere. Something isn't adding up exactly right, but I know she does want to fight Hydra. They messed with her, she has no sympathy for these mindless agents.

Then there's the "AHHHH!" 

Peter swings in, holding two of the agents in his arms. He swings them into the wall, where Stark will pay for the damage a teenager he's obsessed with caused. 

"Thanks, Spider-Man. Widow, you joining? You too Commander Hill?" 

Names and names. How does this girl know Maria's name?

"Yeah, yeah. Coming." I respond.

So the fight happens. The Avengers all join, fighting without thinking. This fight is much too low for all our skill sets. Including Manifest and Spider-Man's. But it's a fight nonetheless. I throw punches, and tag team with Augustine. We ignore the tension in the air from the last time we saw each other. She thinks she gave away too much, which in some aspects she did. But I did too, and she knows it. We learned awful things about each other, and our given personalities faltered simultaneously. We believe the other hates us, and I think we're both right. But she doesn't know what I did to get alone time with her. She might never know.

Wanda keeps open a telepathic link to all Avengers, and the plan is to catch her after the fight is over.

So as it continues, August and I somehow end up alone in the kitchen, fighting side by side. I know it's her doing, but I don't know her plan.

When the last Hydra goon is killed, I turn to her to thank her for her help, but she has a gun drawn. Where did it come from? Where's my gun? 

"Avgustina, Что ты делаешь?" I ask her, switching to Russian before I can think. I know she understands though.

"Нет. You killed my family! YOU left me alone, with no one! Then without- no." She pauses, like she's going to say something she shouldn't. Before she continues she sucks in a shaky breath. "I had no one, and then I had Hydra's nonsense in my brain. I was turned into a murder at your hand! Where were you? You guys didn't even take me to be killed. I wanted to die, I was holding on by a thread your spider web weaved me into. I wasn't even taken... but I didn't choose to be a weapon. So yeah, least I can do is kill you. Get a little bit of revenge for the Miller's." 

She unlocks the gun, although she can't think it's that easy to kill me. 

But then I see Wanda, and red wisps surround her fingers. Right as August is about to shoot, Wanda puts her to sleep by her temple. 

It's not that easy, kid. Life's not easy, and neither is taking it away from the Black Widow.

Manifest falls to the ground, and I see Peter try to hide his worry and his sadness. He knows August? Okay, okay. He's neither a traitor nor a teammate with that information.

He comes over and carefully picks her up. 

"Put her in holding, she'll be interrogated soon." I order, and he lowly nods. They definitely know each other.

We'll see how this interrogation goes. If she didn't voluntarily work with Hydra, but she wasn't outright taken brings up so many more questions. 

Who is Augustine Miller, really? What's her story?

Как твой русский?:
translation: kak tvoy russkiy?
meaning: How's your Russian?

Я могу говорить по-русски:
translation: YA mogu govorit' po-russki!
meaning: I can speak Russian!

Едва:
translation: yedva
meaning: barely

Сука:
translation: suka
meaning: bitch

Avgustina: - Russian version of the name Augustine

Что ты делаешь?:
translation: chto ty delayesh'?
meaning: what are you doing?

Нет:
translation: net
meaning: no

A/N Happy my birthday, everyone!