19. Finders Keepers

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Natasha's POV

All the teens are gone, my sister's gone, and August's no where to be found. I'm going to find them.

"Track them, Tony." I grumble as I walk into his lab.

He jumps at the sudden outburst, but sighs afterwards. "Maybe we should give them a little bit of time..."

"Tony, we don't know the capability of Manifest's powers. For all we know she could be a psychic! A mind controller!" My mind swirls in a whirlwind of thought, repeatedly releasing and succumbing into my thoughts.

"Nat..." he lowers his voice, and reaches out to hold my hand. "I saw the interrogation between you two. Are you scared of her, or are you scared for her?"

I talk like I was trained to. To lie. It comes out while I'm thinking, while I'm not in the room. 

August has trauma, and it's nothing like I've seen before. Such miscommunication and draining exercise on the mind and body calls for help. And though Auggie's hurt me, mind and body, something pulls me towards her time and time again. I'm smart enough to recognize that, it's been enough chapters in our book anyhow. But if I know this information, what is the cold hearted Black Widow going to do?

"Tony, I'm a trained spy. And I could read Augustine Miller like a book. I knew the best tactic was to get her heart to heart. She's dangerous, and hasn't seemed to have any remorse for any of her actions and associations with Hydra. Her and her friend have gotten under my skin, and even if she's not mind controlling our Young Avengers (and my sister), she's manipulated them onto her side. I don't care for her, I have a job to do and I'm not going to let up until I find her!"

Am I trying to convince him or myself?

"Alright, super spy. I guess you know better than anyone..."

He picks up his phone and goes to contacts, but instead of going to 'Pillow's' phone number, he goes to Peter's.

"Nat, I'm doing this my way, so in the most respectful way possible, leave."

I huff, feeling my face start to burn. Yeah- can't let the all famous Iron Man see the blocked-off Black Widow expressing, or even having, emotions.

I guess I'll make a call of my own.

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August's POV 

I'm still cuddled into Yelena in my treehouse when I come back to reality. She's quietly on the phone, though seems to be arguing.

"No! For the last time, Nat! I'm not out with them! I don't have any idea where August is! Maybe she's with the juniors, maybe she's not! I'm not in charge of her, wasn't that your job?"

Yelena's lying for me?

"Oh, she got out with the speedy kinda-Maximoff twin? Okay, okay. I'll be back soon. I fell asleep on a tree finishing a library book. I'll go return it and be back at the compound. What? Alright, where do you wanna go? You have stuff to talk about? Are you worried for Miller? No, of course not. Okay, I'll see you there. In an hour? Yeah- that'll work."

As the call ends, Lena sighs. I cuddle into her further.

"You lied for me." I mumble.

"Well, she kinda deserved it. She was a bitch."

"Why were you speaking in english if you're both Russian?" It's on the mind of everyone when we see the pair together, it can't hurt to investigate. 

She sighs, playing with my hair as she stares down at me. "I guess we're sometimes more comfortable speaking anything but Russian. When it's too hard for one or both of us. Just because we can doesn't mean we don't get thrown into our past on occasion."

Oh. Guess it's my time to share.

"Hydra and the Red Room are formed together in some areas. The- the main guy that messed with me was Russian. I get uncomfortable speaking it too sometimes, but when I'm angry I curse or scream in it."

She softly giggles, possibly pulling me even closer to her. "Come here, bug. I get it. You're safe now. You have so many people on your side."

I nuzzle further, yet again, into her comfort, trying to keep more tears at bay. I've been too weak already, and I do and do not like the emotion coursing through me.

"You're sister was part of my family's murder, Yelena. I still don't get why they couldn't have just taken me! Why couldn't they have taken me!? Not my family away- away from me!?"

"Hunny, you're throwing yourself into a frenzy. Sometimes, SHIELD is messed up too, and they make their agents do things they'd rather not do. You have no clue what was going through her mind. Maybe, when you're ready, you could talk to her."

I don't think before I talk. I'm used to that, I'm me of course. But I don't like what I say.

"I'll go with you. Wherever you're meeting her at. I'll go."

She pulls me out of her arms so she can look at me. She holds the back of her hand to my forehead as her eyebrows raise, then knit together. "Are you alright, lovebug?" A smirk cascades her features. "Drink enough water?"

"I- I am. I have to do this now or never anyway, right?"

"No, you don't, but if you want we can go back to the base and pull ourselves together. Natasha will be mad I lied to her, especially if you want to see her."

It's not about want, it's about need. I can't play cat and mouse forever. The mouse almost never wins.

"That's on you, Lena! Not me!"

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Natasha's POV

It's been an hour and fifteen minutes since I told my sister to meet me at this small café, Flower House. She's not a very punctual person, but she's usually around the five to ten minute late mark. But granted, it gives me time to think.

I am fond of August. I see too much of myself in her. 

I don't like August. She's a brat who can't choose a side.

I can't hate her, nor can I like her. I had something to do with the deaths of her family.

I'm... neutral with August? We avoid each other?

I check my phone, seeing as Yelena is now reaching the twenty minute late mark. I scroll through the temperature app, seeing as it's a clear night, I might want to take Maria out to stargaze, she's always loved finding and studying constellations. She even renamed the North Star Natasha Star.

And just as I get succumbed into my thoughts, the cowbell jingles as my sister and August walk in. Yeah, I thought Yelena was lying.

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I'm so sorry my update is SOOOO late! I've been busy with the end of school year and mental health <3 But I got this out!

This chapter is kinda trash, but angsty Nat vs Auggie has to be good, right??

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