Is this late? Yes, but it is technically still Tuesday because it's before midnight here. Did I check this chapter? No, so it probably has mistakes. If you do see one, no, you don't. Is this also the length of two chapters because I don't know when to stop? Yes :) Anyway, enjoy!!

June 25, 2028

Katya

When Katya woke up at seven, Natasha was still fast asleep beside her. Looking positively disheveled—red hair everywhere, tangled together, one strap of her tank top hanging off her shoulder, and her mouth slightly agape—it was cuteness in its purest form, and Katya couldn't help but postpone her plans of going to their home gym for a minute of staring at the scene.

Natasha looked warm, she noted, her cheeks and nose red, the bedcovers pooled around her hips like she'd kicked them off in the night. Usually, her body was immune to warmth or the cold.

But all that may have to do with the visitor that snuck into their room overnight. Liho had taken advantage of the open door and the fact that Natasha lay on her back, and had spread her long, pitch-black body out on the woman's chest. The cat looked more than content, her head stuffed into the space under Natasha's chin, a paw resting on her cheek.

Katya chuckled quietly. Liho was a real mama's girl, always looking for attention from her favorite human, pushing her head or butt into Natasha's face to demand cuddles. And the brunette knew the animal felt really smug with herself for claiming this premium sleeping spot, but her wife looked like she was about to overheat.

Carefully, she slipped out of bed, trying to rustle the bed as little as possible. Natasha surprisingly didn't move a muscle. "Liho," Katya whispered, surprised to see the cat pick up her head for once, though sleepily. "You're suffocating my reason to live. Come on. Food."

That was the key word.

Katya held her breath as Liho lazily scrambled off Natasha's chest, afraid it would wake her up. The redhead's face scrunched up, an incoherent mumble slipping past her lips. For a moment, she shifted in the bed, dropping one of her hands to her stomach in a half-conscious gesture, but then she sunk back into the mattress, motionless.

Katya breathed out.

Stuffing her feet in a pair of socks, she followed after Liho, silently closing the bedroom door behind her.

After feeding two supposedly starved cats, she came back. Natasha and her still-red cheeks had not moved an inch. Her slow, even breaths filled the silence every five seconds or so, and Katya listened closely as she tiptoed around the room, freezing whenever there was a break in the pattern. But Natasha never woke up.

Very slowly and very carefully, Katya removed the covers from Natasha's feet to hopefully help cool her down a bit, and then slipped out the room. She felt strangely proud of herself as she walked down the stairs for the second time that morning, knowing her wife got some well-deserved rest while she got ready for a morning of her absolute most-hated thing: cardio.

Surprisingly, she also got through that whole training undisturbed. It neared eight, and usually, Natasha didn't lie in bed alone for more than thirty minutes, max. By now, she'd been asleep alone for more than an hour.

Worry bubbled in Katya's stomach as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel and kicked her sweaty running shoes off. Only Liho and Mimosa greeted her in the kitchen, watching with their big eyes as she stumbled up the stairs, legs tired.

Natasha had turned to her side, and it was only now that the room had gotten brighter that Katya saw the sheen of sweat on her forehead.

It wasn't that warm in here, was it?

Turning the AC up, Katya made sure the new airflow wasn't too cold before stepping in the shower.

It didn't sit right with her. Something was off. Natasha only got red when she blushed because of emotions, never the weather. Warmth bothered her as little as the cold did.

Katya had just decided that she was going to wake her when she found Natasha sitting up in bed, scrolling through her phone. Tightly securing the towel around her body, she exhaled in relief. "Oh, finally. I was starting to get worried."

"You miss me?" Natasha smirked annoyingly.

Katya ignored her tone, her eyebrows creasing at the slight rasp in her voice. "Are you feeling okay?"

Natasha shrugged, returning her attention to her phone. "Perfectly fine." Her tone was too casual, like she tried too hard to sound believable. Ironically enough, her own body betrayed her.

Full credits to the woman for trying to smother her cough and somewhat succeeding, managing to make it sound like she was just clearing her throat. But the sniff to contain her runny nose rattled in her nose, betraying just how full it was.

Katya stopped and raised two eyebrows. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Natasha asked innocently, subtly trying to scoot away when Katya sunk down on the edge of the bed. But hands grabbed her cheeks before she could get far. "Get off of me." She scowled weakly, trying—and failing—to jerk her head loose or nudge Katya away.

Now that she saw it, Katya didn't know how she'd missed it. With a compassionate, worried frown, she concluded, "You're sick."

Natasha jerked her head away, scowling more intensely at the bedsheets. "I'm not." But her voice broke halfway through the sentence and her cheeks darkened.

Katya sighed sadly, gently brushing a strand of oily hair from Natasha's sticky forehead. Surprisingly, that was allowed, although the skin burned under her fingertips. "Baby, you have a stuffy nose, a scratchy voice, a cough, and I'm pretty sure you have a fever too."

"That's bullshit."

There was really no other option.

With a defeated sigh, Katya slid her hand behind Natasha's head to keep it in place and used the other to cover her mouth. The trick was to keep her nose free. If Natasha felt "perfectly fine", then she should be able to breathe through her nose just fine.

They both knew she wouldn't. Natasha's eyes widened slightly, her body stiffening as she knew what trick this was. But she refused to give in, stubborn as she was. Even in the light of defeat, she accepted the challenge, holding her breath in what would be a doomed attempt.

Katya knew her wife's record of holding her breath. 4 minutes, 32 seconds. She liked to brag about it to the team. But that was with clear lungs and a focused brain.

Nevertheless, she had to give it to her; Natasha put up a decent fight. Not once did she stop glaring straight into Katya's eyes or show any signs of an internal struggle. Impressive, but no surprise with the torture training they received in their youth.

Katya was sure that if she could, Natasha would have chosen to pass out instead of giving up and admitting she was sick. But did you know it is physically impossible to die from holding your breath?

A minute and a half, that's when Natasha ripped the hand off her mouth and gasped for air. She doubled over, heaving loudly, ending in a coughing fit that Katya actually felt incredibly bad for. Natasha's lungs were as full as her nose was.

"I'm sorry, baby," Katya said, handing her a tissue. She wished she hadn't been right about this, but unfortunately, her wife was as sick as she'd suspected.

"Was that really necessary?" Natasha complained, falling back into the pillows. With a lot of noise, she blew her nose, trying to catch her breath. Her face fully matched her hair now.

"You're too stubborn for your own good." Katya tucked the blanket tighter around her hips and legs, tossing the dirty tissue away. "I cannot remember the last time you were sick. I don't think you've ever been sick."

"Maybe the concoctions they shot us up with are finally starting to wear off."

Katya stiffened slightly. "Don't get your hopes up."

She tried not to think about the possible long term effects of the vaccinations and shots she'd gotten as a child, pretty sure none of those were ever tested on humans before. Definitely not long term. Who knows, they could be giving her and Natasha some serious illnesses as they got older. It wouldn't be surprising with the trash that got shot in their bodies.

She shook her head to clear it, standing from the bed. "Lie down. I'm getting the thermometer."

"It's just a cold," Natasha protested, watching her with interested eyes as she dropped the towel from her naked body. At least she admitted she was sick now. The humiliation from before left her with no choice.

"Probably." Katya shrugged, tugging a pair of underwear up her legs. "Or the flu. Lie down."

"Yes, doctor," Natasha mocked, making no move to follow orders. Her green eyes started to sparkle childishly. "Oh, we could do like a role—"

"Absolutely not. Down," Katya killed her fantasies, glaring beratingly.

Natasha pouted angrily and finally sunk down, grumbling incoherently as she stared at the ceiling. Pulling a shirt over her head, Katya refrained from laughing at her behavior.

"There you go. I'll be right back."

Completely convinced she'd be sitting straight up in bed when she came back, Katya left to grab the thermometer from the kitchen and filled the kettle with water, letting it boil for some hot tea.

This wasn't the first time she had to nurse Natasha back to health, but it was the first time dealing with the common cold. All other times had been physical injuries; stab wounds, gunshot wounds, broken bones, torn or strained muscles and ligaments.

A bed-ridden Natasha was whiny, stubborn, impatient, but also very soft and vulnerable when she finally gave in and let herself be cared for. Even for just a short moment. Those were Katya's favorite bits, where Natasha admitted to not feeling well by resting a head on her shoulder as they watched TV in bed together. Or tried to distract herself from the pain by asking Katya question after question about her day, just to drown it out with the sound of her voice.

It was the most adorable thing.

"Hey."

Surprised, she spun around. The whole thing with Natasha nearly made her forget there was a third person in the house. "Oh, hey."

"Where's Mama?" Maya yawned loudly, collapsing on a barstool.

Katya's shoulders slumped. Being the bearer of bad news was the worst. "Nat's not feeling so great," she said regrettably, her eyebrows pinched. "Think she has a bad cold."

The girl's face fell, the sleepiness punched out of her body immediately. "Oh, no. Really?"

"Mhm. Stuffy nose, cough, you know the drill." Katya hung her head. "I'm really sorry, baby, but I think we're going to have to cancel on today. I was really looking forward to going with you, but I can't leave her alone when she's not feeling well."

The disappointment on Maya's face was a slap in her own. But she wouldn't be their daughter if she let bad news set her back. "Don't worry, I understand. I'll just go alone with Lyn."

Katya knew she understood, but the first time going to the Pride Parade together, only months after Maya came out, was supposed to be special. They could hardly blame Natasha for it though. "I'm sorry, I know you were really looking forward to going together."

"It's okay, Mom," Maya assured her, already smiling again. She hopped off the stool, and to Katya's pleasant surprise, wrapped her in a sleepy hug, burying her face in her neck. "I love you."

Exhaling the worry out of her body, Katya hugged her back. She was warm and smelled like shampoo. "I love you too."

They stood there for a while, both needing a good hug and savoring the moment. As she got older, Maya would need less and less hugs from her, especially once she'd moved out of the house, so Katya took all the chances she got.

"I can make her some ginger tea,'' Maya suggested eventually, hearing Natasha cough upstairs. ''I read it's good for when you have a cold."

Katya smiled, running her thumbs over her daughter's cheeks. "Good idea."

One thing Maya didn't know, though, was that Natasha hated ginger tea. As soon as she saw Katya walk in and smelled the steam coming from the cup, her whole face turned sour.

"Not ginger tea. That's disgusting," she croaked.

"It's good for you," Katya said simply, placing the mug on the bedside table.

"I don't care. Get that away from me. It's making me actually sick.'' Natasha scowled, trying to scoot away as if it was toxic. If her nose wasn't stuffed, she would probably be pinching it childishly too.

Katya shrugged casually, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Okay. I'll tell Maya that the tea she so lovingly made for you, poured her whole heart and soul into, is going right down the drain."

She pretended to be too focused on turning the thermometer on, but saw Natasha's glare intensifying from the corner of her eye. She knew that would get her to give in. Must be frustrating to have your weak spots played like that, by someone who knew all of them and happily used them. Katya mentally laughed.

"I can still physically fight you," Natasha told her empty threat.

"Don't doubt it for a second." Katya scooted closer, ready to stuff the thermometer in her ear. But the redhead moved further away, pulling her head out of reach and watching her warily. Another sigh—the nth one this morning—fell from Katya's lips. ''Do I need to tie you down?''

''Depends, are you going to try and suffocate me again?''

''Yes, Natalia.'' Katya deadpanned. ''I'm going to stuff this thing down your throat.''

''Kinky.'' They stared at each other for a moment, Katya's exasperated look against Natasha's suspicious one, nobody moving. Until the latter sighed and shuffled closer, coughing once more. She was probably too tired to fight for long. ''I'll behave.''

''Thank you.'' As gently as she could, Katya turned Natasha's head and placed the tip of the thermometer in her ear. It was an unusual feeling and the woman stiffened a bit, but stayed perfectly still as they waited for the device to beep. Katya took this moment to slowly shake her head, softening her features as she brushed some hair away from her wife's sweaty face. ''I'm just trying to help you, baby.''

Natasha's eyes flickered downwards. ''I know. I'm sorry.''

''It's okay," Katya assured, playfully squeezing her chin. It wasn't either of their faults that accepting to feel "weak" was so hard, and Katya wasn't out to shame her.

''Do I look bad?" Natasha asked, chewing on her dry bottom lip.

''You look warm,'' Katya said sadly, Natasha's obvious discomfort breaking her heart.

''I feel warm.''

The thermometer beeped. They both held their breaths as Katya read the numbers, not sure who was more nervous. ''100.4 degrees.'' She breathed out, carefully smiling. ''That's barely a fever. That's good.'' Even Natasha smiled a bit as she put the thermometer down. ''What would you like? A bath? Something to eat? Are you nauseous?''

Natasha shook her head, scrambling to hold one of Katya's hands and squeezing it in thanks. For now, she had given in. ''Definitely a bath.''

''Okay.'' Katya pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and stood, her hand sliding free.

She would make the best bath ever made, like it was the last thing she ever did. It wasn't often she had the opportunity to care for Natasha like this, and silently, she loved it. Not that Natasha was sick, of course, but showing her love in different ways than she was used to.

After running the water at the perfect temperature, she dove head-first into the cabinet under the sink. Pepper gave them bath salts a few years back and they never used them. Katya liked foam better, the bubbles weirdly fascinating for some reason. But, she vaguely remembered the salts were lavender-scented, perfect for relaxing a tense Natasha.

As she dug around, moving long-forgotten bottles and creams aside and listening to constant coughing and sniffing, a knock sounded in the other room.

"Can I eat my breakfast here with you?" It was Maya, her voice quiet. Katya smiled to herself. Their daughter was so sweet, checking in on her sick mom. Her caring heart was so big.

"Sure, honey. Come sit."

The door closed and the bedsheets rustled, a spoon clanking against a bowl. Cereal, oatmeal or yoghurt. "How are you?"

"I'm alright. Just a cold," Natasha reassured her, an audible smile in her cracking voice.

"Did you like my tea?"

"It's very thoughtful, thank you." Katya didn't miss how she technically swerved around the question, and was quick to change the subject, to distract Maya from the fact that she hadn't even touched the tea.

"I already texted Lyn that it'll be just me picking her up. So don't worry about today."

"What?" Natasha sounded surprised. "No, I can still go. I'm fine."

Scoffing, Katya picked her head up to tell Natasha off. But she'd forgotten her head was stuck inside a cabinet. With a painfully loud thud, it banged against the underside of the marble sink.

"Ow!"

Hot pain flashed through her head, a throbbing starting at the spot her hard skull collided with even harder stone. Falling back on her butt, she carefully rubbed her head, face contorted in pain.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Natasha weakly called out, worried. Katya didn't blame her. The collision sounded like her skull was cracked open.

"Fine!" She called back, her voice reverberating painfully in her skull. "Think my last two brain cells died, though."

"RIP Brangelina."

Katya burst out laughing, only to wince and then laugh some more at the idiocy of the situation. "Stop making me laugh. It hurts."

Natasha attempted to laugh too, although that only ended in more coughing that loosened the slime in her lungs. Maya stopped her own giggling to scold her for it. "Do I need to kiss it better?"

"Fuck off." Katya chuckled, carefully hoisting herself back on her feet. Screw the bath salts, they weren't in the cabinet. Foam and bubbles it was.

It startled her just how tired and sickish Natasha looked when she came back to the bedroom. Those green eyes of hers sparkled with liveliness and mischief, but it also looked like they were struggling to stay open, and her skin was an awful pale color.

Katya's heart broke, the amusement draining from her face at the thought of Natasha insisting she felt good enough to go out. It was frustration at her stubbornness more than it was anger. Couldn't she see and feel that that was an irresponsible, self-harming decision?

"Were you serious about going?" Katya asked, hands on her hips. Anyone else would have reconsidered their answer under the influence of her sharp eyes, but sometimes Natasha knew no fear.

"Yes, I'm fine, I can go," she insisted.

"You're not fine. You have to rest."

"Yeah, you need to stay home," Maya chimed in.

Natasha didn't expect to be teamed up against. It took her aback momentarily, her gaze flickering between two disapproving faces. "Guys, it's just a cold."

"And a fever. Which you should take a little more seriously," Katya said more sternly this time, her eyebrows set.

"Oh my god, I'm not dying," Natasha groaned, throwing her head back. "I've done missions feeling a million times worse than this."

"Yes, missions, where it was life and death for innocent people. Not a silly parade you join for fun." Katya would not budge, crossing her arms over her chest. Natasha looked her dead in the eye.

"It's Maya's first time going, so I'm going."

"The answer is no, Natalia."

The full-name drop caused an immediate silence to fall over the room. Natasha knew she was in real trouble now.

"Damn," Maya muttered under her breath, quickly spooning another mouthful of oatmeal in her mouth when Natasha glared at her. In any other situation, Katya would have laughed.

The redhead set her jaw, but the fire faded from her spirit. "That's not fair." She pouted angrily.

Katya's arms slipped free, dangling by her sides, as she realized she could have done this a better way. Arguing with a stubborn Natasha never led to anything. It just made her more determined to win.

Fighting fire with fire did not work with them.

The right way was to counter with the opposite, put that fire out, to soften her. And when you're Katya Romanoff-Petrova, that usually only took a few well-placed words and the softest expression she could muster.

Exhaling deeply, she sat on the bed, very aware Maya was watching them both silently. "I just want to protect you from yourself," she said softly, the back of her hand smoothing down the side of Natasha's face.

Maya was quick to back up her mother. "I think what Mom is trying to say is that we're looking out for you, like you always do for us. You wouldn't allow me or her to go if we had a fever, would you?"

Natasha didn't say anything, but the tension faded from her body and the anger from her eyes. The answer was no, and as suspected, she showed defeat incredibly quickly after shifting tactics. Katya almost felt smug.

"Now, baby, please let me take care of you." She stood, extending her hands and then wiggling her fingers when there was no movement from the patient. "Come on, you're going in the bath. I used your favorite bath foam."

Natasha grumbled in protest but threw the covers off her legs. With an amusing scowl—like a child who didn't want to take a shower—she let Katya hoist her up and guide her to the bathroom. Her feet stumbled, but neither of them commented on it.

Stubbornly, she stayed standing as Katya ran her hand through the bathwater and poured more foam into it. The brunette knew this was just another way of insisting that she was fine, but it took Natasha serious effort to support her own weight. From the corner of her eye, she saw her sway, her shoulders hunched over, and her deep breathing filled the silence.

It only took half a minute before she broke.

"You were right." Natasha said suddenly, her voice small. "I really don't feel so good."

For her to admit that, especially after just arguing that she was fine, it must be very bad.

Worried, Katya spun around, only for her eyes to widen. Natasha looked so pale she could pass out any second. All the blood had drained from her face, her once lively eyes were hazy, and her body looked unstable on her own feet.

Like it was a life or death situation, Katya sprung into action. She helped Natasha to the edge of the tub, ran to crack open the small bathroom window, ran back, sat down next to her wife to catch her in case she would faint, and then watched carefully as Natasha tried to stop the room from spinning by closing her eyes.

Usually, she loved an 'I told you so', but not in this situation. No, this situation broke her heart into a million pieces. Natasha looked like a heap of misery, curled in on herself.

"Are you nauseous?" Katya whispered, eyeing the closed toilet cover.

Natasha made a dismissive sound. "Just lightheaded." Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, giving the woman next to her a weak side-eye. "You're kind of a dick for using my weak spots against me when I'm sick."

Katya's eyebrows shot up, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, so you are sick? Thought you were fine."

Natasha looked far from impressed as she accepted the tissue handed to her and blew her nose loudly. "Why do you always have to be so smug?"

"I don't have to use your weak spots against you if you just listen to your smart, knowledgeable, caring wife who knows what's best for you."

Half-heartedly, Natasha rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fight off her own smile. "If I agree to do that, will you wipe that grin off your face?"

"Will you not fight me anymore?"

"I will still complain."

Katya didn't expect anything else. Asking Natasha not to complain was a step too far. Chuckling, she said, "Complaining is fine, but no struggling."

For a moment, Natasha pretended to think about it. But what other option did she truly have than to give in to being babied? Clearly, she couldn't even stand on her feet for a longer period of time, so how was she supposed to take care of herself?

Reluctantly, she grumbled, "Fine."

Katya lit up. "Thank you." No more struggles or arguments, she could finally start to take care of her. Starting with a bath.

Standing, her knees bumping against Natasha's, she gripped the hem of her pajama shirt and carefully tugged it over her head. Natasha helped by lifting up her arms, her very messy braid thudding against her spine when it slipped out of the neckhole last. Multiple short strands of baby hairs stood straight up on her head.

"I am able to undress myself," she said dryly, shivering when her bare skin was exposed to the air. It had to be the fever, because it was really warm in the bathroom. Her arms wrapped around herself, huddling for warmth.

"I know. I just do it so much better," Katya grinned, folding the shirt on the sink. Natasha rolled her eyes again, a small smile back on her lips.

She held on to Katya's shoulders as she tugged her pajama shorts and underwear down her legs and gripped her hand tightly to step into the bath. Her legs were wobbly and her body out of balance, but as soon as she sank under the surface of the water, a sigh left her lips.

It did Katya the world of good to see her relax. The cough, the stuffy nose, it could all get fixed later, but getting her warm and trying to break her fever was more important.

Filling a glass with cold water, she set it on the edge of the tub, ordering Natasha to drink it all—slowly—and then sat her own ass down on the closed toilet lid. Strangely, it felt like a whole day had already passed, when it was only a few hours.

Natasha eyed her over the edge of the glass. "You don't have to supervise me."

"I do. What if you pass out and drown in the tub? Now that's an embarrassing way for the Black Widow to die." Katya chuckled.

"My savior," Natasha managed to say sarcastically, right before bursting out into another coughing fit. It lasted long enough for her face to turn red.

Before Katya could, it was Maya who came to the rescue. She politely knocked first before sticking her arm through the gap in the door. "Here, Mama, you forgot your tea. For your throat."

Katya smirked, looking her wife dead in the eye as she said sarcastically, "Oh, no. I'd drink it quickly before it's cold."

She got back the most powerful glare Natasha could muster, which wasn't very intimidating with her ghostly skin and fiery red cheeks. She probably thought she managed to dodge the ginger tea by "forgetting" it in the bedroom. Unfortunately, her lies came back to bite her in the ass.

But in the end, she could not upset her daughter. Upsetting a country by killing their president? Sure. But refusing tea her daughter made in fear of disappointing her? Not an option.

Holding back gags, she finished it slowly, cleansing her mouth with water after every sip. She could have poured it down the drain, but facing Maya and lying to her face afterwards was not within her capabilities.

Katya decided to take pity on her then, taking the elastic out of her braid and washing her hair for her. First shampoo, then conditioner, leaving it in to soak as she massaged her wife's tense shoulders. Natasha tipped her head forward and let out satisfied sounds, occasionally wiping the bottom of her nose.

It gave Katya flashbacks to the first time she did this with a sick Maya, a year or so after she came to live with them.

The flu had gotten to her, and three nights in a row she spent puking her guts out. Katya didn't mind any of it. She didn't mind rinsing the bucket, wiping Maya's mouth, swapping her soaked-through-with-sweat pajama shirts, sleeping on the floor of her bedroom and not getting any sleep.

Because it was her daughter, because she finally had the privilege of taking care of a child like that as a mother. Her child. She wanted the complete parent package, and ticking off this box made her feel strangely complete.

After rinsing the conditioner out, she then washed Natasha's whole body for her—under protest, of course—and pulled the plug. As the tub drained, Katya stood ready with the biggest, fluffiest towel they had, wrapping Natasha in it like a burrito before she could start to shiver.

She looked positively adorable. A little Russian burrito, dripping water on the heated floor tiles, pouting slightly as Katya wrapped her hair separately. The brunette had to resist the urge to squeeze her to death in a hug, reminding herself to get Natasha warm as soon as possible. But it was so hard when she looked so soft and smelled so great.

Forgoing a bra, she shoved a hoodie of her own over Natasha's head—one she had the tendency of stealing often—and found the comfiest sweatpants to go on the bottom. Complete with fuzzy socks in the middle of summertime, she looked extremely cuddleable. Katya then slowly led her to the bedroom and parked her on the bed.

Cross-legged, her eyes starting to droop, Natasha watched her walk around and disappear into the bathroom again, where she rummaged through the cabinets to find the products she needed. A yawn ripped through her, and Katya knew it wouldn't be long before she got sleepy. Warm showers and baths always made her tired.

When Katya came back, she crawled behind her and gently took the towel from her head, lowering her hair down. It had gotten long again, the curls heavy in her hands and a darker shade of red now that they were wet. In the light, they were even more mesmerizing, because then it became clear that there wasn't just red in there.

Blonde strands, black, copper, orange, brown, even the occasional grey one—although Katya would never say that—all mingled together to make the perfect red. More copper in the summer, more dark burgundy in the winter.

Her hair was Natasha's pride and joy, and Katya watched her enough times to know what products went in when and how during the sometimes hour long process. Curl gel, curl cream, a leave-in conditioner, she didn't need any instructions, and Natasha showed no signs of distrust as she got to work.

As time passed, Natasha leaned more and more into her hands, enjoying her hair being played with. Sometimes, she'd hum, other times, she'd twitch as Katya's fingertips brushed a ticklish spot on her neck, which made Katya smile. And between all of that, she'd sniffle or reach up to wipe her nose with the tissue Katya pressed into her hand beforehand.

By the time Katya was done with the hair and was just lightly massaging Natasha's scalp to relieve the headache she knew she had, the woman's body had gone completely limp. She'd given in to the touch, to being pampered, any leftover tension seeping out of her body. Her breathing was slow enough to be on the edge of falling asleep, and her whole body's weight hung into Katya's hands.

"I love you," she croaked out, the drowsiness making her voice extra raspy.

Katya's heart swelled. She was glad her stupid, happy grin was hidden. "I love you too."

When her fingers started to cramp up, her movements slowed down. Natasha made noises of protest, but as Katya's arms snuck around her waist to pull her closer, those quickly subsided.

Their hands blindly found each other, lacing together over Natasha's stomach. The redhead's were warm, softened by the water, her metal wedding ring a tad bit warmer than her skin.

Katya held her tightly, snuggling her face into the crook of her neck and gently swaying her body like a tired baby. It was truly over for Natasha, who leaned even further back into her chest and closed her eyes. She exhaled deeply, enjoying the feather-light kisses on the warm skin of her neck.

They sat like that for a while, in their own little bubble. Sometimes Natasha had to wipe her nose, but she'd fall right back into Katya's warm embrace. It worked to relieve the discomfort of her stuffy nose, her pounding head, and the cold shivers trailing down her spine.

It worked a little too well, actually, when she got suspiciously quiet. Katya reluctantly picked up her head to sneak a peek at her face, and smiled when it was completely slack. Natasha had dozed off.

"Tasha, you can't sleep like this. Your neck will get stiff," she mumbled, lovingly nudging her nose against her rosy cheek.

It was enough to pull Natasha's consciousness back to the surface, a weak scowl flashing across her face as she stubbornly snuggled further into Katya's hold, intending to sleep exactly like this. She'd pulled her knees up, curling into the fetal position for more warmth like her skin wasn't warm enough to the touch already.

Katya smothered her chuckle, her thumbs brushing over the ticklish skin of Natasha's palms. It was extremely rare to see her wife like this, but it felt like an honor of sorts to be a place of comfort, where Natasha dared to be her needy self—after some encouragement and arguing.

"What about breakfast? You want something to eat?" Natasha didn't respond, either too stubborn or too far away, so Katya trailed a line of kisses from her shoulder up to her ear to whisper, "Baby."

"Hm," Natasha grunted, twitching her shoulder.

"Breakfast?"

Anything outside of the comfort of this moment felt like a disappointment to have to think about. Moments like these were so rare, after all, and should be savored. But a sick body needed fuel to fight the virus tormenting its system, and if Natasha was honest with herself, it would be very nice to taste anything other than her own snot for a while.

With effort, she spun her head around, enough to look at Katya's face. Her eyes were so sleepy, glazed over by sickness and sleep. "Eggs?"

Katya smiled, her heart melting. "You want eggs?" An odd choice when sick, but something was better than nothing. "Okay. Anything for you." Her lips found Natasha's forehead for a lingering kiss. The redhead's eyes slipped closed again, humming as she enjoyed the touch, but then all at once, Katya's warmth was gone.

Natasha's eyes flew open again, displeasure surprisingly strongly burning in them as she got ready to complain and whine about it. But Katya was prepared for it. Faster than Natasha's slow brain could comprehend, her wife stood before her, their hands once more intertwining. It wasn't a warm embrace, but it was enough for now.

"Come, let's get you something to eat."

Slow and steady was today's motto. Natasha nearly fell off the stairs when she had a sneeze attack in the middle of them, but they made it to the living room's couch safe and sound, Katya pressing a box of tissues into her lap, which Natasha eagerly used to blow her nose, again.

Liho, who usually adored her mother, now stared at her warily from a safe distance, deciding it would be safer to stay away. Even Mimosa jumped up and ran away at the sound of her loud, elephant-like nose blowing.

Katya worked overtime tucking Natasha in on the couch, using all the pillows to support her back, her sides, and pulling the coffee table closer so she didn't have to reach far for the water she was about to get her. "Comfy?"

Natasha nodded, shoving her dirty tissue in Katya's face as a way of telling her to get rid of it.

"Ew. Play nice or I'm leaving you to take care of yourself," Katya scolded her, taking the crumpled-up tissue between the very tips of her fingers and moving to toss it in the kitchen trash can.

While she was there, she rummaged through the cupboards for their medicine supply. The only reason they got all the stuff was for Maya, to be prepared for any pain or discomfort she may have. But she was a healthy, strong girl, so Katya had to check the dates on the packages she grabbed to make sure they hadn't gone bad over time.

She dropped it all in the space between her and Natasha on the couch, a glass of cold water in her hand. "Okay, I got aspirin for your headache, honey pastilles for your throat, syrup to dissolve some of the slime in your lungs—"

"That's disgusting," Natasha interrupted with a whine, watching the syrup like she'd just been told she had to drink more ginger tea. It's exactly the response Katya expected.

"How would you know?" She answered, popping an aspirin pill out of the strip and placing it in her palm. "You've never had to take it."

"I was curious and tried some," Natasha admitted with a sniffle. She took the glass of water and swallowed the aspirin down with a simple few sips, wiping her mouth with her sleeve afterwards. At least she did that willingly.

Katya decided not to question that information. Natasha was being dramatic anyway. It didn't taste bad at all

"Don't make me take this. Please," she whined, making her eyes as pleading as she could. "I don't need it." Right then, she fell into another coughing fit. It kept going and going until tears burned in her eyes and Katya feared she was going to puke, but it settled in time.

Annoyed at her body for betraying her, Natasha scowled weakly, slumping back into the pillows surrounding her and blowing her nose once more. Her hand rubbed at her forehead, her headache flaring up. Katya took pity on her. She truly looked so uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, darling." She frowned sadly, unscrewing the cap from the small bottle with some difficulty. Damn child locks. "But I want you to get better."

"I'll hate you for a week," Natasha threatened weakly, flipping the hood of her sweatshirt over her head and tugging on the strings in an attempt to hide. Only her red nose and mouth stuck out of the small, round opening. The sleeves of the hoodie were already ruined with snot.

Katya chuckled at her childish behavior, carefully pouring the right amount of syrup into the small container that came with the cap. "Only a week? You truly are sick." She reached out to pull the hood down, but Natasha wasn't budging. "Nat. Take it off."

But Natasha persisted, so they fought over it. They fought over the hood like a bunch of children. Natasha tightly held on to the strings and Katya tried to pry her hands off. They would not let go, no matter what she tried. And to her utmost annoyance, Natasha seemed to find amusement in it as well, her lips tugged up in the corners.

"Come on." Katya grunted, surprised by her wife's strength. "You said complaining, no struggling. You're acting like a spoiled child!"

"Uh..." Both women froze at the third voice, their heads snapping in that direction. Even Natasha's, who couldn't even see anything with the fabric covering her eyes. Katya was practically on top of her by now, being smart by trying to take the whole hoodie off her body instead. It definitely looked like a compromising position to Maya, who grimaced. "Yeah, I don't even want to know."

"Maya! Come back here!" Katya desperately called after her when she left. "Tell your mother she's being childish."

"I was never here!"

Frustrated, Katya sighed, sitting back on her calves as she contemplated her next move. "I should hate you for a week," she grumbled. Natasha still kept quiet, and Katya just knew she was enjoying riling her up. "You're drinking the cough syrup. I don't care if it happens the easy way or the hard way. For your information, the hard way is me pinching your nose until you have to open your mouth and swallow it if you don't want to choke to death."

"I'd rather choke."

An ear-deafening groan of frustration echoed through the house. Katya gave up. If Natasha wanted to cough up her own slime all day and enjoyed her lungs being full, then she should. She was tired of arguing with her.

Natasha pulled the hood up to free one eye, closely watching Katya when she stood. "Where are you going?" She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Seriously, the tissues were right there.

"To make you the eggs you wanted," Katya answered with a sigh, screwing the cap back on the bottle of cough syrup. Ironically, at that moment, Natasha slid the hood off her head. "I may want to rip my hair out, but I love you."

"No, wait!" Natasha exclaimed, only to end up in another coughing fit.

Katya's body flooded with concern. She was annoyed at her wife, but that never stopped her from caring. "Baby, take it easy," she said gently.

Natasha's hand was tightly wrapped around Katya's wrist to stop her from walking off as she tried to catch her breath. When she did, and reluctantly looked up, her watery eyes were defeated yet annoyed. "I'll take it, on a few conditions."

Katya raised her eyebrows. Natasha wasn't in a place to ask for conditions, but if that would get her to finally give in, it was worth it. She sat back on the couch, awaiting those "conditions", Natasha's hand lacing with her own.

"I get all the cuddles I want today," she started slowly. Which was more than fair. "We watch Real Housewives." The show Katya wasn't too keen on, but Natasha loved, so she nodded. "And I don't have to drink it again."

Katya opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it again. To get Natasha to take it at least once was better than not at all. Because this fight, she felt she couldn't win. Not today, not tomorrow, or any other day. Would it work after just taking it once? Probably not. But the only person who felt the consequences of it, was Natasha herself.

Reluctantly, she eyed her pouting wife, who knew she'd gone too far in fighting Katya who only wanted to help. "Sure." Katya agreed.

At first, Natasha looked happy, taking this as a win. No more cough syrup after today! But then, when Katya brought the tiny measuring cup to her lips, her disgusted expression returned. She kept her lips pressed together, glaring at Katya a final time before opening her mouth the tiniest bit. Katya didn't waste a second and tipped the cup forward, the thick syrup sliding past Natasha's lips and over her tongue.

The redhead sputtered, trying to jerk her head away when the taste invaded her senses, but Katya kept her jaw firmly in place until she swallowed it all. "Oh my god! That's so fucking gross!" She gagged, coughing and diving for her glass of water, downing it in one go, anything to get rid of the taste on her tongue.

Katya snickered at her behavior, leaning over to press a kiss to her sticky lips. It didn't taste anywhere as bad as Natasha made it sound. "Good girl," she muttered in amusement, getting a fairly dangerous side-glare back. "I'll make you eggs now. Relax, I'll be right back."

Defiantly, Natasha huffed, aggressively rubbing at her mouth to get the taste off. Katya left her to deal with her big emotions, taking the syrup with her to the kitchen.

Katya one, Natasha zero.

Natasha hadn't clarified how she wanted her eggs, but her favorite was a simple baked egg with herbs and spices on top. So Katya cracked two eggs and let them sizzle in the pan, keeping the yolk soft.

It stayed silent in the living room, to her surprise. She expected Natasha to drag her in for a season of Real Housewives immediately, as a form of payback. Or maybe she was glaring at the black screen.

"Do you want your eggs on bread with ham?" Katya called out over the noise of the extractor hood, getting a plate from the cupboard. She stilled to wait for an answer, but more silence followed. "Honey?" With a growing smile, she put the plate down and went to check. "I know you're angry with me—"

Natasha was fast asleep on the couch.

She lay on her side, her head on the armrest, knees bent, pillow clutched to her chest. Her mouth was open so she could breathe, and the air made a light wheezing noise as it traveled through her dry throat.

She usually never fell asleep so fast. Katya had only been in the kitchen for a minute of five. All the arguing and fighting must have taken up her energy.

But this was good. Her body could use all its energy fighting off the virus, and the medicine could peacefully start to work.

It was so difficult not to climb behind her in the small space and spoon her, to hold her close, to bury her nose into her neck, but that would wake her up for sure. Katya checked to ensure she was comfortable, pressed a lingering kiss to her temple, and then left to turn off the stove before she messed up a good morning nap.

The wait was awful. It was impossible to tell how Natasha was doing while she slept. Her cheeks stayed the same color pink for the whole hour, and while she made some noises in her sleep, Katya didn't know if they were because of discomfort or pain or dreams, if the cold was getting better or worse.

Natasha didn't move much besides the occasional shift of a leg or hand, drooling into the pillow below her head. She didn't shiver, she didn't push the pillow away because it was too hot. Occasionally, Katya measured her body temperature with the simplest method of all; a hand to her warm forehead. But there were never any changes.

The book on her lap was super exciting, nearing the climax of the story, but Katya couldn't focus on it. Instead, she spent the majority of the time Natasha slept watching her, thinking of everything she knew about curing a cold.

Finally, the redhead stirred, her sticky eyes blinking open. She pushed up on an elbow, looking around disoriented, her gaze eventually locking onto Katya in the lounge chair.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead." She smiled. An indent of the pillow stood in Natasha's cheek, the hair on that side of her head having dried weirdly.

"Di–" Her voice broke, only a wheezing sound coming out. Natasha frowned, clearing her dry throat and trying again. "Did I–" The last syllable squeaked so high it hurt her ears. "I fe–" With a huff, she snapped her mouth shut, glaring at Katya helplessly. Her voice was gone.

Katya couldn't help but tease her as she sat on the coffee table and handed her a glass of fresh water. "Finally, silence."

Natasha glared at her some more, taking eager sips from the water. "That's some good syrup," she managed to croak out with some difficulty. Of course, the first thing she'd say would be sarcastic as hell.

Katya chuckled, gently taking her face in her hands. "How are you feeling?" She asked, brushing her thumb over the indents in Natasha's cheek and the bit of dried drool in the corner of her mouth. It was the least sexy she'd ever looked, yet somehow still very cute. Warm breath fanned over her hands when Natasha let out a sigh.

"Shit. Stuffy," she grumbled, and then her eyes turned pleading. "I want to cash in a cuddle."

Who knew Natasha Romanoff could be so clingy?

"You need to eat first," Katya told her gently, smoothing her hair back and away from her face. She knew that wasn't what Natasha wanted to hear before she even said it. Cuddles were supposed to be delivered instantly.

An annoyed frown etched its way into her features. "I eat, you cuddle," she demanded.

Katya sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "Sure, honey."

Natasha brightened up like she'd never been angry in the first place and puckered her lips for a kiss. With a chuckle, Katya pressed her lips on it. Twice. She didn't care if she caught the cold next.

"I'll be right back," she promised, her fingertips smoothing down Natasha's face.

In record time, she made new eggs and new tea. The eggs she put on some bread from the bakery down the street with a slice of ham in between, and the tea she dumped a shitload of honey in. Then she brought all of it back to the living room, where Natasha impatiently waited for her.

"Here ya go."

"Thanks," she squeaked, pulling the plate onto her lap. Then she pointed at the TV.

Her demands had turned silent. If Katya asked, she'd blame it on her throat, so she didn't ask and put on Real Housewives like a caring wife herself.

Cuddling on the couch wasn't the easiest, especially when Natasha was eating, but they made it work. Katya just squeezed between her back and the back of the couch, slipping her hands under Natasha's hoodie to rest them on her stomach and draw circles into her skin.

The redhead sunk into her, watching the TV as she devoured her sandwich. She barely noticed when Katya stuck the thermometer in her ear again, so entranced, like she was a baby watching those dancing fruits sensory videos.

Her temperature had gone up only minimally, by .1 of a degree. It was a relief. Her sickness seemed to stick to a simple cold. Nevertheless, her body temperature needed to go down, so Katya reached over and pulled her warm socks off.

"No." Natasha came alive with a whine, trying to push her hands away. "I'll get cold feet."

Katya snatched her hand and trapped it against her stomach, effectively stopping her struggle. "I know, I know, but your body temperature needs to go down a bit," she shushed her, pulling her flush against her front and kissing her hair in an attempt to distract her.

It worked. Natasha let out a huff but gave in, relaxing her body. "You're so mean." She sniffed.

Katya laughed softly into her hair, releasing her hand so she could eat. "Yes, I know, I'm the worst wife ever."

"Not the worst..." Natasha mumbled around a bite of her food, afraid she'd hurt her feelings.

Katya grinned like an idiot at her antics. "Eat your eggs," she ordered. She listened to the sniffles and the occasional squeak of her lungs as Natasha ate and watched TV, peppering kisses all over the skin she could reach, her hands smoothing over Natasha's stomach.

Their lives were fairly busy. If not with work, with Maya or friends. So there weren't very many days like these, where they sat down and did nothing, cuddling and enjoying each other's company. Katya would be lying if she said she didn't secretly enjoy it.

They were on episode two—or so Katya thought, she wasn't paying any attention to the screen—when Maya stepped in front of the TV. Quite confidently, as if she knew she needed to be to get paid attention to.

"I need your help."

"You're in front of the TV," Natasha deadpanned rudely.

Maya glared at her. "I don't care."

Well, this was certainly new. Katya applauded her for countering Natasha's attitude with her own, and she felt now taken aback the woman in her arms was as well.

Natasha grumbled angrily, aggressively pressing the pause button on the remote. But Maya had what she came for; her attention. "What?"

"Hey, be nice," Katya scolded her wife, pressing a kiss to her head to settle her down. It didn't really work. "What can we help you with, honey?"

Maya's glare disappeared as she held up two t-shirts. One with horizontal rainbow stripes all over, and the other black with a simple rainbow on the front. "This shirt, or this one?"

Katya felt Natasha tense in her arms. "That's what you–!" she started, until Katya slapped a hand over her mouth. Snot dripped on it, but she didn't care. If Natasha had to choke on her own snot as punishment for a bit, then that was her own fault.

Astonished, Maya raised her eyebrows. "Did you force her to take the cough syrup?" She asked Katya, humming in understanding when she nodded. "That explains a lot."

Forcing Natasha to do something she didn't want to, despite it being for her own benefit, always made her grumpy. The sickness didn't help in this case either.

"Uh..." Katya tilted her head, looking between the two t-shirts as Natasha weakly tried to pry her hand off her face. "What is Lyn wearing?"

"This one." Maya got her phone from her pocket and showed the picture her girlfriend sent over. It was a simple white crop top, but the front read in a rainbow font; "here and queer".

Katya snorted loudly. "That's amazing." She'd have loved to have that shirt a few years back and wear it around the Tower.

Natasha mumbled something from under her hand. They'd been ignoring her, and she didn't like that.

"Is it something rude or mean?" Katya asked her, narrowing her eyes when the woman shook her head no, putting on the most innocent eyes ever. She didn't trust her in the least, but chose to give her the benefit of the doubt anyway.

Natasha gasped for air when her mouth was freed, throwing Katya a glare for nearly suffocating her again, but she knew better than to say something mean about it. Katya would push her off the couch. "The striped one," she told Maya, reaching for a tissue.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Mimosa jumped when she blew her nose loudly. A pile of tissues was starting to form a mountain on the floor. "Now get away from my TV."

Katya could only shake her head when Maya looked at her for help on what to do. There was no putting a stop to her wife's rudeness, so it was best to leave her alone as she pitied herself. And she did, like a man with the man-flu.

Katya let her watch TV for an hour longer, until Natasha's eyes started to droop again and her body got more and more limp. Whatever virus it was fighting, it took every last bit of energy. She could be Avengers-level fit, but a cold knocked her right down to eighty-year-old woman who needed to pause after climbing the stairs.

"I think you need another nap," Katya whispered, carefully running her fingers through Natasha's now-dry hair. A motion that should relax her further. Instead, the redhead sat up straighter.

"I'm fine."

Katya ignored her lies. "I'll get you some fruit and set up the lounge bed outside." The fresh air, though pretty warm, should be able to do some good.

But if she thought she could get away easily, then she didn't know her own partner very well. Natasha resisted heavily, pushing her body back into Katya's chest and trapping her arms around her body. It would turn into another hood-situation if Katya didn't outsmart her this time.

Natasha thought she won when Katya relaxed, humming satisfactorily, but she didn't know it was just a waiting game. It didn't take very long either. As soon as the expected sneeze wrecked her body and lowered her defenses, Katya was gone. Way too fast to comprehend.

"No!" Natasha whined, falling back awkwardly. Her sad frown was a needle stab into Katya's poor, soft heart, but everything she did was to get her wife healthy as quickly as possible.

"I'll only take ten minutes or so. Then I'm right back to being your pillow," she promised, kissing her head and dodging the hands that wanted to pull her back. Natasha sighed loudly and disappointedly.

The lounge bed in their backyard was part of the outdoor set they bought when they moved in. It was basically a wooden bed frame with removable pillows. Like a sunbed but for two. It was so nice to tan on, lie back and read a book.

Storing the huge mattress-like pillow was a pain, but they kept it in the plastic cover in the garage, standing up against one of the walls. Katya called Maya to help. Not because it was heavy, but because it was huge, and handling it alone was impossible.

"You look amazing, sweetheart," Katya told her as they carried it into the backyard.

Besides the rainbow striped shirt, Maya had also pulled on denim shorts and put two space buns in her hair. On her feet were her rainbow-bottom Vans, her cheekbones glistened with glitter, and a million colored bracelets were wrapped around her wrists.

She looked so gay, and Katya was so proud of her. And also so sad she couldn't go herself.

"Thanks, Mom." The girl smiled, tossing the cushion onto the wooden bed frame. Katya helped her adjust it, securing the corners by flipping the elastics to the bottom.

"I know figuring out who you are is a very long and tedious journey, but I'm proud of you for owning who you are so proudly."

"It's easy when I have you and mom as an example."

Tears burned in Katya's eyes. She was quick to abandon the cushion and pull her precious daughter into a hug, careful not to mess up her hair. Maya may not be aware, but she saved her life more than once. That's not the job of a child, but she did anyway, just by being who she is. It was a privilege to see her grow up.

"Good luck with Godzilla while I'm gone, by the way," she mumbled into Katya's shoulder.

A laugh reverberated through the yard. "This is just her way of dealing with feeling unwell," Katya said, unraveling herself from the hug.

It was moments like these, where she had her hands on Maya's shoulders and looked her in the eye, when she realized how tall her little girl had gotten. Only an inch or so and they'd be the same height already. Time moved too fast.

"Before, there wasn't any time or space to do so. It was always, "Push through, keep working. I don't care if you're sick, these hostages are not going to wait for you to get better"," she mocked in Fury's voice, although he'd never actually said those words. Maya laughed. "It's a mentality she adapted outside of work as well. She's never napped on the couch when she felt unwell before. I'm long happy she's letting herself be sick."

It simply wasn't in her system to slow down and admit she wasn't 100%. Especially when all she's known for was being the strong one, always.

"Well, now I feel bad for calling her Godzilla," Maya joked with a grimace.

Katya chuckled, tucking a stray strand of hair back in one of the space buns. "It's our secret."

They finished setting up the lounge bed under the shade of the surrounding trees—to not get Natasha's body temperature up higher—and then Maya helped her cut up some fruit in the kitchen. Natasha's eyes were burning holes into their backs, willing them to hurry up.

She'd pulled her socks back on, because of course, when did she ever listen? And kept coughing up her lungs, grabbing at her head like it hurt. Katya eyed the clock, seeing it was acceptable to give her another aspirin, and did so wordlessly, receiving a look other than a glare for it.

"I hope we don't run into people we know," Maya said softly when Katya returned to the kitchen.

Surprised, the brunette turned to her. "Why?"

"Because I did something embarrassing..."

Katya relaxed. For a minute there, she worried Maya was ashamed of being seen at the Pride Parade with her girlfriend. "Oh? I'm intrigued." Especially because the girl's face slowly turned red.

With a defeated sigh, Maya placed her knife down. She knew she didn't have to explain, but if she started the conversation, it must be something she wanted off her chest. "I saved some pictures from Lyn's volleyball team page on Instagram and forgot the admin can see that. She knows."

"Oh."

"Yeah, "oh"." She eyed Natasha as she got off the couch and shuffled into the room. That gleam in her eyes, fiery mischief, was worrying. "But I shouldn't have to explain Instagram to you, should I? Katyas_wife?" Surprise flashed across the woman's face. It wasn't easy to catch her off guard, but Maya looked very pleased with herself. "Yeah, I know."

"How?" Natasha breathed, her weak body looking for support by the counter. Katya watched her with concern.

"Lyn showed me," Maya said proudly, her nose in the air. "Apparently, everyone already suspects it is you. You're the only one who could have taken those pictures."

Clearly, Natasha never planned on being found out, her eyes wide as teacups. But once the shock faded, so did the fucks she gave. With a shrug, she wandered to Katya. "Well, unlike you, I am not embarrassed to show others that I'm in love.'' She gently took Katya's chin between her thumb and pointer finger and tilted her head up, looking deep into her eyes with a fond shimmer in her own.

Despite her worry, Katya smiled back with a dopey smile, loosely wrapping her fingers around Natasha's wrist to keep her close as they got lost in each other for a moment.

When Natasha did finally kiss her, it was painfully light, a lingering brush of their lips. A promise, more than anything. Katya hummed lightly into it. Snotty nose be damned, she'd always kiss her wife if the opportunity arose.

''Okay! I get it.'' Maya's voice broke them apart, and Natasha chuckled lowly at her grossed-out expression, letting Katya's face go. They'd been cuddling all day, but finally Katya understood why Natasha complained when she pulled away. ''And I'm not embarrassed that I like her. It's embarrassing that I stalk her and people found out."

Natasha shrugged again, her features softening. ''So you think she's attractive when she plays volleyball, so what?'' Maya blushed.

''Being weak for your lover is an attractive trait, not an embarrassing one. I know.'' Katya smiled amusedly, gazing at her wife with never-ending fondness. Blindly, she searched for her hand, lacing their fingers loosely together when she found it.

''Ugh.'' Maya gagged at their lovesick behavior.

Katya laughed, giving Natasha's hand a squeeze before letting it go. ''What did Lyn say about it?'' She asked, getting back to the topic.

''She laughed first and then said it was cute..." Maya admitted, coloring red again.

"Then I see no reason to stop doing it. Screw what other people think."

Reluctantly, Maya nodded. She didn't sound very convinced. Struggles of a teenage girl navigating the social order. "Why the Insta page?" She changed the topic again, looking at Natasha for an explanation.

"So I have all the photos in the same place. If I need to cheer myself up, I can be reminded of who exactly I have waiting for me at home." Natasha gazed at her wife. "And I'm not the type to deny others the pleasures of sheer beauty."

Katya blushed heavily, averting her gaze to the ground. "Stop it.'' She was going to explode if Natasha didn't stop the praising and flirting right this moment. These mood swings Natasha had were confusing, but this one was absolutely her favorite. Harder to deal with than the rudeness, though.

''Hi!'' Brooklyn's voice came from the front door.

Maya shot up like an alarm had gone off. ''Oh, thank god. I was about to puke.'' She snatched her crossbody bag off the floor and ran for the hallway. ''Let's go," she ordered Brooklyn, undoubtedly grabbing her hand or wrist.

''Are you not going to let me say hi to your parents?'' Katya heard a baffled Brooklyn ask. She always said hello, even if she was just picking Maya up to go to the movies or something. Harry raised her right like that.

''No. They're disgustingly in love today. Trust me, you do not want to see that.''

''But– Okay. Bye, guys!''

''Bye! Have fun!'' Katya yelled back. Silence filled the house when the door slammed shut. Then, she turned to Natasha. "What are you doing on your legs?"

"I need to pee." She pouted.

"Go on, then. Or do you need help with that as well?" Katya teased, patting her ass to urge her towards the hall.

"You did say you were better at undressing me."

Katya laughed, giving her a stronger push. "Go, idiot."

Once Natasha was gone, she quickly ran upstairs to grab a t-shirt for her. One of her own, obviously, for ultimate comfort. She waited by the bathroom door when she came out, sliding her hands under her hoodie and pulling it off her body. Natasha was stunned, to say the least, her torso bare before her brain understood what was going on.

"If you wanted to see my boobs—"

"Just changing your shirt, or you'll be too hot outside," Katya cut off her fantasies, throwing the snotty hoodie over her own shoulder.

Natasha pouted. "You know, they actually kinda hurt."

Katya snorted, shoving her head through the neckhole of the t-shirt. The pout wasn't gone when her face appeared again. But she refused to look at it. Natasha was a master manipulator and that sad pout was strong. "Nice try."

"They do!" She whined, letting her arms be guided into the armholes.

"I'm not massaging your boobs."

"Meanie."

After Natasha ate her fruit and Katya checked her temperature again—it hadn't changed—they settled on the lounge bed. The weather was beautiful, sunny but not too warm in the shadow-filled backyard. It was better than lying upstairs in bed.

Katya had barely laid down when Natasha pounced on her. Clearly, this is what she'd been waiting for.

She crawled into her side, her hands grabbing her shirt like her life depended on it, throwing a leg over her body. Katya smiled when she felt her adjust herself to be closer to her chest, rubbing her face against her shoulder until her cheek fit perfectly into the dip right below Katya's shoulder joint.

She was already as close as she could be, but it wasn't enough. She shifted and shifted, their bodies flush against each other until finally, she decided it was good enough. Her breath came out gurgling as she exhaled, body going limp in the comfort of Katya's warm embrace. She clocked out instantly.

Katya pressed kisses into her hair and onto her forehead as her hands ghosted over Natasha's body, any part they could reach. Hip, thigh, arm, waist. Natasha's breath tickled her skin, but it was okay, because her heart was about to combust. She loved her so much. So much.

It was five minutes in that she realized she should have brought something to entertain her as Natasha slept. No phone, no book, nothing lay within reach. But watching Natasha sleep was like watching a baby sleep, entertaining because they were so cute, despite them drooling into your shirt.

Every flutter of her eyelashes, every twitch of a muscle, every emotion that flashed across her face, Katya saw it all. And eventually, despite feeling awake, she fell asleep as well.

The sun covered the bottom half of her legs when she woke up. Disoriented, she looked up at the sun. It moved quite a bit, so at least an hour or two had flown by. She changed positions in her sleep as well, spooning Natasha with a hand resting on her lower stomach.

Katya didn't like losing time during the day. It was an old fear of hers, especially if Natasha was unconscious too. It was... not irrational, because it did have a cause, but maybe odd, because during nighttime, she didn't have it.

She calmed her spiking anxiety by pulling Natasha closer, snuggling her face into the back of her neck. Her hair smelled nice, her skin was soft, so she tried to focus on that. Much to her chagrin, though, her movements woke Natasha. She wanted her to have a good rest.

"Your heart is racing. Did you fall asleep?" Natasha croaked out, looking over her shoulder. She must have felt Katya's pounding heart against her back and knew what was going on. "Do you want to hold my boobs to calm you down?"

Katya let out a surprised laugh. Of course, Natasha knew exactly how to distract her. "No." She drew circles on her stomach. "For the last time, I'm not massaging your boobs."

"Fine," Natasha grumbled, fully turning around to come face to face. At least, that was the plan. Before she could, she burst out into a coughing attack. She had to sit up to avoid choking on snot and sputtering all her germs over Katya. Her lungs didn't sound any better than this morning.

"How are you feeling?" Katya asked, her brows furrowed with worry as she rubbed Natasha's back and handed her a tissue. It hurt so much to see her like this, even if it was just a simple cold.

The woman sighed heavily, tired from coughing, her chest probably hurting. "Still pretty shit, but at least my headache is gone." She cleared her nose into the tissue. Or at least tried. It was stuffed.

"That's something," Katya muttered. It did little to take away her worries.

Natasha turned to her, her eyes slightly red, her nose very red. "Can we do something? Play a boardgame or something?" She sniffed, running the tissue under her nose a final time before crumpling it up.

"Sure. What are you feeling up for?" Katya pressed a kiss to her shoulder, slipped her hand under Natasha's shirt to rub her bare back.

"How about chess?"

A bold choice with a slow brain, but not one she'd criticize. Maybe it would be good for her to need full brain capacity so there was no room to think about how unwell she felt. "Okay."

Katya came back with more than just their chessboard. A bottle of water, the throat pastilles, her phone—which she checked for any messages from Maya, there were none—a hair tie, more tissues.

As she set up the chess pieces—white for her because Natasha insisted she go first, always—Natasha gratefully popped one of the pastilles into her mouth and tied her hair back with the hair tie. Something told Katya they were in for a long haul.

The first twenty minutes were pretty uneventful, as usual. They were both too smart to make mistakes, to leave any gaps open. But that made it so much fun to play. They couldn't try to outsmart the other in combat training anymore, so this board had become their new playing field.

Natasha reached for the bottle of water after moving her Horse. "Thank you, by the way, for taking care of me. I know I haven't been easy today," she said softly, sounding far more apologetic than she should.

Katya looked up from the board, surprised by this sudden gratitude. "It's okay, baby. We all have our bad days. I like taking care of you." She reached out to squeeze Natasha's knee and kept Maya's comment about Godzilla safely locked in her brain.

She didn't think Natasha was that bad anyway. Just a woman whose illness was validated for the first time in her life. Gratefully, Natasha smiled and squeezed her hand back.

An hour into the game, Katya wasn't feeling so gentle anymore. She was losing. Somehow, Natasha had two more pieces left on the board. Two useful ones as well.

She was so into it that she jumped when her phone rang. It was Tony.

''What do you want, Stark? I'm playing chess and I'm losing. I need to focus," she grumbled, her brows furrowed in concentration.

''Show me the board," Tony said, sounding distracted.

So Katya switched to FaceTime and showed him, hoping her best friend could help. After all, his IQ was even higher than hers. In a shock betrayal, though, he gave Natasha some very good pointers on how to win.

''Dude! I could still win!" Katya exclaimed when her wife started smirking, envisioning how she was going to play this out. "I expect something to make it up to me now.''

''Pepper found a vintage Valentino in her closet last week that she wants to donate, how about that?" Tony smiled smugly. "I think it'll fit you, but I don't know how beefy you've gotten.''

''There's so much muscle," Natasha said dreamily, her hungry eyes taking in Katya's bare arms. "It's really hot.''

Katya blushed, unconsciously covering up her biceps with her hands, much to Natasha's dismay.

"Uh, why do you sound like a chainsmoker?"

"She's sick."

"I'm fine," Natasha countered, ending up in a staring contest with Katya. Tony heard the tension through the phone.

"That sounds like a discussion I want nothing to do with." Smart man. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'll have Pep send over measurements or something, cause Romanoff, you're not exactly objective when it comes to your other half.''

Katya ripped her gaze away from her wife and to the phone, offended that Tony thought Natasha had exaggerated her strength. ''How much can you deadlift, then?" She challenged.

''Uh... I don't know, like, 250?'' Tony said casually. The number was so absurd that Katya let out a loud laugh.

''In your dreams, man. No way.''

''And what, you can?''

''260 actually," she corrected, lifting her chin proudly. "Did it last week.''

Her breath hitched when she caught Natasha's gaze. Her pupils were dilated and she looked hungry, like she wanted to jump her bones. Talking weightlift numbers, knowing her wife was that strong, got her horny.

Usually, Katya would go for it, especially with Maya out of the house, but getting coughed in her face or in other places while getting down and dirty didn't sound very sexy. Subtly, she shook her head, and if possible, Natasha looked the saddest she did all day.

''Are you going to keep comparing sizes, or can I win this game? What did you want, anyway?'' She snapped at Tony.

"To congratulate you on raising my favorite niece right."

Both women frowned at the same time, wrecking their brains on what he could mean. "You talk nonsense, like usual."

"I assume you're not at the Parade then?"

"Yes, Tony, we're playing chess on one of the wagons," Katya said sarcastically. A ghost of a smile tugged on Natasha's lips.

"I realize how dumb that question was. Check the website of the New York Times.''

He didn't sound worried. Quite the opposite, actually. But even if Maya started a riot or ended up in jail, he'd be proud. So Katya scrambled to type in the newspaper's website faster than usual.

''Why? What's on there?'' She stood and sat next to Natasha so she could see it as well, their heads close together. Tony was undoubtedly getting a good angle of their faces.

''Something that makes this uncle very proud.''

And yep, there it was. The main page.

"PROUD: the two sides of Pride." The headline of the article read. Under it, a full-screen picture of two girls kissing in front of a small crowd with banners and signs reading all kinds of homophobic things.

Protesters. They were there each year. Every sign was more homophobic than the next.

But Katya wasn't focused on those, because she knew that striped t-shirt and those space buns, that big birthmark on her leg and the dimples in her cheeks. And she recognized the piercings in the other girl's ear from miles away, glistening in the sunlight.

The picture was nothing short of magical, everything a person could dream of having one day. The way Brooklyn dipped Maya, Maya's hands on her girlfriend's cheeks, their bodies pressed together... They were so in love.

It was everything Katya had hoped, prayed, manifested for her to find. That special person who understood her without words, who helped her be confident and love herself. Because everyone deserved an epic love, and Maya even more so than most. Her life deserved to be as full of magic as she was.

"Thanks, dickhead. You made me cry." Katya sniffed, brushing her tears away with the back of her hand. Natasha wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her head on her shoulder as comfort, but Katya felt her getting emotional as well. They couldn't stop looking at the picture despite that.

Not accepting hatred, standing up for what was right, Maya had taken a good look at her moms and decided to not look the other way when confronted with injustice. Maybe she had taken to heart Katya's earlier words, about being proudly herself. But whatever it was, she found her strength.

"I love her so much," Natasha whispered. Katya couldn't find her voice to agree, but of course, she did. She loved that girl more than life itself.

"I can have it printed and framed for you?"

"I want it tattooed on my body," she muttered.

"That'll be awkward if they ever break up."

"They won't," Katya said distantly, resting her cheek atop Natasha's hair. Her gut feeling was strong on this one. "They're endgame."

~~~~~~~~

A/N: sooo... this was nearly 13000 words. Hope you enjoyed my poor attempt at a sickfic anyway hahaha. Also, the original book is at nearly 2 million reads??? That's so insane to me. My brain can't comprehend that. I will write a full emotional paragraph about it when it does, but right now, I want to hear your ideas on what I should do to celebrate it? Because I do want to do something. It can be anything :) 

Thank you for always being so patient with me and uploads. Life's just busy, but it means so much to know that you're all still here every time to support. I love you guys more than I can say <3