𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮'𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀/𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁

Chapter 21: Its dry (The helicopter 2016)

Natasha's point of view:

Everyone carry's on with their conversations and small talk while I turn back to Lena who looks very at peace, as she's just staring off into the distance but I'm a big sister so it's my job to be annoying. So I break that peace.

"You seemed to alway love your Birthdays in Ohio" I tell her and she nods "Do you remember them" I ask curiously.

"Yeah I remember thinking it was odd because we had picture day and then on my actual birthday that you told me about. Melina and Alexi pretended like it wasn't a thing so I didn't think it was a ' birthday' as such but I know that one year you um got some money from what I assume was Alexi's wallet and you bought a cake from the super market and Mac cheese and we ate the whole thing on your bed room floor." She smiles a coating of memories over her eyes.

I'm a little taken a back at what and how much Yelena remembers, I remember buying that cake and getting the one with pink roses and hoping the Alexi and Melina would see me with in knowing that wouldn't have ended well for me or Yelena. The way her face lit up when she saw it was brighter then thousands of fireflies. I had bought trick candles and she wasted so much air trying to blow them out and we both tried together.

"We can do something a little bit better and more important this year Yelena" I reassure her but she sternly shakes her head "On my birthday I want to do it like we did then all over again just you and me and some very annoying candles." She says smiling me.

"But I want it to be special for you Yelena" I tell her quietly she just laughs a little "It will be special Nat it was special back then and it's special now just getting to celebrate with you the way we did back then with Mac and cheese on your bed room floor" she tells me clutching both my hands and I feel a little special.

"What about Melina and Alexi" I ask knowing that they'd probably be mad if they found out we did something without them "We'll do something with them the next day" She says and I nod.

I think about how old Yelena is now shes nearly 30 and I still see her as 6 all the 21 years I missed that she didn't get to celebrate her 10th, her 13th her 18th and her 21st. "You grew up really fast" I state and she drops her hands a little bit "Yeah No sh*t, well you know I guess you and everyone else kind of missed it" She lets slip and looks a little sorry after she says it but I try to brush it off "Yeah I know I did" I remark and let Yelena have her peace.

I sit there with my thoughts for a minute before I move closer to Clint and listen to him chuckle about something Nathaniel said. Even though he's a traitor you can't help but love the little guy. God I'm going soft.

"Hey Nat" Clint chuckles when he turns to me laughter playing around his eyes. I smile because he is.

I'm happy getting to see Clint today since he's been off in Iowa with his family and I've been here in New York and I called him every few days but I'm happy he's home we're he's happy.

"Hi" I say hoping he can't smell the vodka and the cigarette in the back of my breath. Somehow he seems to know everyone maybe it's the fact that he's a dad.

He looks at me with concern but pushes it down for a second. Sh*t. "Are you ok I saw Melina follow you" He asks with a deeper question behind it he's done this since we first met it makes me feel more comfortable.

Clint has always made an effort to make me feel comfortable to talk to him.

Once we got back to a safe house out of Budapest in 2008.

I had drunk us out of house and home and was smoking three packs a day and just wasn't eating or sleeping anymore.

"Natasha" Clint asked when he opened the closet door to find me sitting on the floor smoking surrounded by ash trays and an empty bottle. I made an attempt to hide the cigarette and tried to fix my hair to look together.