#i never see it until it's too late ✌️😔

[hnnny]

Another magma session with art pals :)

[imagine-knowing-a-name]

The Kingdom of Yerffej

Summary: You’re a knight of the kingdom, Natasha is the Princess, and Jeff is the unexpected visitor you can’t help but love

Word Count: 4326

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: Bullies try to hurt Jeff 😔

A/N: A while ago, @natsfirecat posted a Jeff fic based on a challenge set by @wolferine ​ to include every trope she’d labelled as S-tier. Since I was also challenged, here’s a fic that includes Humour, Fluff, Gen, Hurt + comfort, Mutual Pining, Friends to lovers, and as a Royal AU :)

Also I’m in exam season so I stayed up way too late doing this after I finished studying✌️ excuse any errors. It is also heavily based on Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword because I love that game.

—————————————————

Yerffej was a peaceful place. The small settlement had been founded lifetimes ago when the ancient people, let by the Romanoffs, had sought refuge from attackers, and the mountain cluster that would go on to become the Yerffej was the only place where the attackers did not follow. The present-day King was still a Romanoff. His ancestors had founded the kingdom, build houses for the other refugees, and built bridges between the mountain peaks, providing easy connections to all parts of the kingdom. They were a respected dynasty, responsible for the integration of the community and the prosperity of the land; but they were also known for their benevolence to the citizens, and never regarded themselves as above their subjects.

For that reason, the King decided against a tutor for his only child, Natasha Romanoff, although he could afford it. Instead, he sent her to the Academy, a free school he had founded for any child in the kingdom to attend. It taught the basic skills, such as maths, writing, and reading, but it also provided extra classes for students to specialise in, giving them a chance to become proficient in a skill of their choosing. 

Princess Natasha was in your year, and you had bonded the moment you had met, much to your parents’ shock. She was perfect in every way, and the whole kingdom wanted to get to know her, yet in the very first class, back when you were both 4 years old, she had chosen to sit next to you. You talked a lot, telling each other your favourite colours, the names of your favourite toys, and a little bit about your families, though that was of little importance compared to talks of stuffed toys.

She had sat next to you in the next class, and you talked some more. And then it happened again, and again, and again, until years had passed and it became rare to see one of you without the other. 

Of course, at the end of school she would return home to her palace, and you to your very much not-palace home, but it wasn’t uncommon for you to have sleepovers at the others’ house. When she stayed at yours, she never commented on how different it was; she treated your parents with kindness and politely accepted whatever food they offered her. 

The King always prided himself on being equal to his subjects, putting in a lot of effort to make sure his daughter felt the same. Despite being a ruler, it was clear that he did not see himself as above his people, and so he welcomed you happily into his house, as just his daughter’s friend, and you built up a good relationship over the years. He tried to keep the two of you entertained when you visited and, as king, he had access to plenty of activities. The Royal Guard in particular spent a lot of time babysitting you and Natasha, letting you watch them spar and even letting you handle some of their wooden practice swords, very slowly taking you through the basics of sword-wielding. 

It was that relationship that influenced your decision when you came of age to pick your specialist class, joining the knights. It was the first time you and Natasha would be separated at school, as she had to take a class on royal etiquette and history instead. Though you still had the other classes together, some of the students began to exploit the fact that she wasn’t by your side. On top of her royal status, they had begun to see her beauty, and they were jealous of how close the two of you were.

They couldn’t attack the Princess, nor attack you in front of her, knowing she would defend you; so they waited until you were alone. Plus, a class on fighting was the perfect time for them to get away with it. No matter how little they paid attention in their other classes, the bullies were smart enough to know the head knights were fond of you, and that attacking you outright would end badly for them. Instead, they resorted to hitting harder than necessary, or faster than you could dodge, managing to knock you back and leave bruises and cuts, before stepping away as soon as the trainers got close.

Natasha noticed your injuries of course, and it wasn’t difficult for her to work out the cause of them, but you shrugged them off as accidents and dangers of your field of study. She’d tut at you for getting injured, and likely for lying about it, but never confronted the bullies themselves since you so clearly didn’t want interference. Instead, she’d patch up the wounds, and do her best to make them better, before warning you to be more careful next time. The cycle lasted for years, but it helped you to become a better fighter, learning to dodge or defend against their attacks as the years went by, and making you top of the class at graduation.

There was a long ceremony, with the King praising the year’s cohort of new soldiers, before congratulating you all individually. You got a few days off after that to celebrate; at home, in the city, and even at the palace with Natasha and her father, before you were set to work. The knights filled several roles around the kingdom, from helping civilians, to guarding the walls. And for the experienced ones, guarding the palace and training new knights. You had to work your way up to that though, so your role, for now, was simply to stand by the kingdom walls, just in the viewpoint of the guards on either side, and keep an eye out for anyone who may be trying to sneak into the kingdom.

With the height of the kingdom and the steep mountains that had to be climbed to reach it, there was rarely ever a cause to call the alarm, certainly, nobody had made the trek in all the years you had been alive. Which is why it was the job given to rookie knights only; it provided adequate training without the risk of failure… plus it was too boring for any senior knight to want to participate in.

But, somehow, nothing boring ever happened in your life. The first day of your new role and somehow something showed up right by your section of the gate. Great. 

The previous year’s cohort had taken you through the rules of procedure, though admittedly with little vigour or care, since the expectation was that it would be as uneventful a year as always. You were to stop the passer-by and ask for their business; if they wished to enter the kingdom, you would escort them in and towards the palace, informing the other guards to watch out for your place. If they had no desire to enter the kingdom, then you were to redirect them and inform them of the simpler routes down the mountain.

This, however, was not something you could easily interrogate. You watched the small silvery creature scrabble over the final ridge and enter your view. It seemed a little too early into the job for you to be having hallucinations, so you squinted in the hopes of gaining more details. The smooth, spherical body was shaped much like a dog, stout and close to the ground, with four little legs. The small being also had a protrusion on its back, and a tail split in two, much like the fish you had seen in the palace pond, but much larger and far less fragile looking. 

The creature startled when it saw you, much like you did upon seeing it, but then slowly approached, tail wagging side to side. You kept a hand on the hilt of your sword, just in case the animal was violent, though you hesitated to draw it. Something in the way it looked made you trust it and put your bets on it being friendly. This was further reinforced when it flopped into a seated position right in front of you, opening its mouth wide and letting its tongue loll out the side. Rows of sharp, jagged teeth should have set you back on guard, but it was such a genuine smile that you took your hand off of your sword instead.

You crouched down, against all better judgement, and found yourself face to face with the being. “Hello there”

It said nothing. You took a look to your sides, glad to see that neither of them had looked in your direction, nor caught sight that you were talking to this animal. “Ummm… what’s the purpose of your visit?”

“Mrrr”

The small purr was unexpected, but then you broke into a smile. If this was the first day, then maybe it wouldn’t be such a boring year after all. “Oh, you’re here for mrrr are you?” you joked. 

The animal huffed in reply. 

“Not a fan of that joke, huh?”

“Mrrr.”

“Okay, how about you stay here until the night guard switches in, then I’ll bring you to meet the Princess, she’ll love to meet you.”

“Mrrr,” it nodded, confusing you, could it actually understand what you were saying? It seemed to. It stood up, turned around, and then sat down again; this time sitting up straight and facing the same direction as you as if it were an active guard on duty.

You kept talking to it, though not understanding any of its responses, but it passed the time and finally you could switch. You bundled the creature into your bag before your replacement came out, and carried it past the kingdom walls, heading straight for the palace. 

The guards weren’t at all surprised to see you, letting you through without any checks and telling you that Natasha was in her room.

You practically ran upstairs (though you had to slow down after some indignant ‘mrrr’s sounded from your bag) and rapped quickly on her door. 

“Come in”

“Hi Natasha,” you gasped

“Y/N! How was your first day?”

“I want you to see this, I met it outside the castle walls,” you explained, already shrugging the bag off of your shoulder and tipping it onto her bed, the creature inelegantly tumbling out.

“What is this? He’s beautiful” Natasha said, leaning closer to inspect it. The animal preened at the praise, showing itself off for the Princess. Yup, it definitely understood you all. “Is it a he? I just assumed but I don’t know” she continued.

“Um, I’m not sure, I’ve never seen anything like it before, does it even have gender?”

“Mmmm” it nodded

“You do?”

“The animal has a perception of gender?” Natasha whispered, and you turned to see her writing her observation down. She loved to gain as much knowledge as she could, about the nature within the kingdom, the history, and the culture of it all. There were many times where you could just sit in the gardens with her for hours and listen to her explain each flower, or tree, or insect in detail. It was far more information than you could even retain.

“Mrrr!” drew your attention away from Natasha and back towards the creature, who was tilting its head quickly between the two of you. Natasha cleared her throat, and looked back at the creature, having had her attention drift to you at some point. You hoped she hadn’t caught your staring.

“So is saying ‘he’ okay?”

“Mrrr,” he nodded.

“Well, that’s settled then, unless there’s anything else?” He shook his head. “Do you have a name for it?”

“I was thinking Jeffrey”

“You took the name of the kingdom and spelt it backwards? And that’s what you’re naming this?”

“It’s as good a name as any,” you shrugged. 

“Fine, but how about we shorten it, like Jeff?”

“Mrrrr”

“I think that’s a vote for Jeff. From Jeff.”

“Jeff it is.”

You decided to take Jeff on a tour of the kingdom, since he seemed set on staying with the two of you, venturing out until town with Natasha, and the small creature between you. You tried to explain the landmarks and help it learn its way around. But it was to little avail as it focused on the ground, hopping from stone to stone to avoid the cracks. 

After a while it was clear nothing was getting through to him, so you made yourself content to just walk alongside Natasha, listening to her talk through all she had learnt in her classes since you'd last asked. She would often go on tangents upon seeing certain buildings, explaining their history and the significance of their placement. You tried not to interrupt, save for occasionally wrangling Jeff back to your side, but other people had different ideas. 

Realistically, you shouldn't have brought Jeff past the walls, since you had no idea what kind of threat he might have posed, nor did you have any idea what his motives might have been. But you trusted him, and you'd also seen him fall headfirst into the lake, too entranced by the fish to realise how far over the bridge he was tilting. You decided, while wading out of the lake with dripping armour and a slippery creature who wanted to get back into the water on your shoulder, that Jeff did not have any ulterior motives, his focus did not seem to extend far enough to have them. 

But when your newly knighted classmates saw him, that was not the exact line of thought they had. They saw him as a threat instead, and a way to win Princess Natasha's heart. 

Brock was the first to draw his sword, pointing it directly at your newly acquired friend, but his friends soon followed suit. Jeff wasn't looking in their direction at all, but by stepping in front of him you gained his attention, and he noticed the predicament. He let out a small yelp, and when you turned to look behind your legs, he had curled inwards, trembling. 

"Leave him alone Brock," Natasha said firmly, simultaneously stepping forward and putting her hand atop yours, stopping you from unsheathing your own sword. 

"Princess," he grinned, quickly running a hand through his hair to (unsuccessfully) smooth it down. "You don't know what that thing is. Y/L/N brought it in from the outside, you don't even know how it got up here" 

"And do you?" she questioned back without wasting any time, "no. So leave us alone and continue on our way"

"I'm just looking out for you, Princess" 

"I'll be fine. If I need anything, I already have Y/N here, so your presence and concern are unnecessary" 

At the mere mention of your name, you were met with a glare from every member of the trip, as if they had forgotten you were there and were just now remembering that they hated you. 

"Let's keep going Y/N" Natasha grimaced, pacing off and expecting you to follow behind, which of course you did, but only after you scooped Jeff up and let him bare his teeth at your bullies. 

"I don't understand why they're allowed to be knights" Natasha huffed

"because they fight well?" 

"but they're not nice people. They're the ones who bully you, are they not?" 

"they are" 

"Then they shouldn't have been allowed to pass" 

"Princess-" 

"I also didn't like them calling me princess"

"I'm sorry" 

"No, I don't mind when you- I only like it when you call me Princess. The way they said it was different."

"It's your title Nat, it's what they're supposed to call you for respect" 

"Then why did it not sound respectful? I could probably get them kicked off" 

"Tasha, it's alright. In case one day we ever do get attacked, we need them, they're good at what they do. So you have to put the kingdom's needs above your feelings about them" 

She dipped her head towards the ground, and you watched as a smile began to spread on her face, "you sound like my teachers," she giggled, "are you sure you haven't been going to my classes instead?" 

"Well, you would have seen me there surely? Unless you've been going to my knight classes?!" you laughed back. 

"Well maybe I have," she said smugly. Then, quickly, she grasped the sword from your side and ran off, laughing as she went. "Then I suppose I'll have to show you the skills I've picked up" 

Jeff turned around from where he had been sniffing in the bushes and, upon seeing Natasha, burst into a run after her. 

"You shouldn't run with that!" you yelled half-heartedly, not that she paid you much mind. Then you gave in, doing what she'd goaded you into and chasing after her to wrestle it back. 

—

It was another few days before the bullies dared approach you again. This time when Natasha was elsewhere. You still had Jeff though; the creature had been following you non-stop and keeping you company as you worked. He was a nice addition to your life. 

But it was while you were on guard that they attacked, leaving their own posts to come and corner you. 

"Fancy seeing you here, Y/N, and with the beast too, how lovely" 

"What do you want, Rumlow?" 

"Ooh, you're talking mighty tough, bold words when you don't have your precious Natasha here to defend you" 

"Don't worry," one of his lackeys said, "we want nothing from you. But that- that is a threat" he finished, pointing at Jeff. 

"Jeff isn't a threat to anyone" 

"You think his teeth will never cause harm? That this abomination is completely innocent? how about we test that theory?" 

"Don't you dare touch him" 

"Or what? what're you gonna do?" 

Your answer did not come in the form of words. It came as a punch to Rumlow's face, making him stumble back into the others.

"Fine, if that's how you want to do it." 

You knew you were in serious trouble, with the three of them teaming up against you and nobody else around to witness it. You held off as best you could, dodging their punches, but with three of them around you, there were only so many attacks you could avoid before they started to wear you down. Despite a few good punches against them, you were getting hit more and more frequently, each punch sending you closer to curling up fully on the floor. You were winded and in pain, only to get worse when you heard the 'shink' of metal being drawn, and caught a glint of a dagger. 

"Oh, now that's not fair" you groaned, right before it became embedded in your shoulder. 

Jeff had been holding back, growling and snapping at the bullies, but never attacking, so they paid him no mind. Your collapse onto the floor beside him changed that, and suddenly he lunged, nipping lightly enough to cause pain, but nothing to cause long-lasting injuries. 

It did its job, and soon the bullies were scurrying away, claiming 'that was the plan after all'. 

It might have repercussions for Jeff if they showed off their injuries, but that was the last thing on your mind at that point. Your injuries would get them into far more trouble than Jeff. 

The creature himself whined, nudging at your side. You winced as he came into contact with the cut and he jumped back, stared at you for a second, and then ran from you, as quickly as his legs could carry. 

"Great, " you sighed. All alone, bleeding and in pain, and even your loyal Jeff had disappeared. Your injuries were critical, just painful, so you sat back against the wall and hoped nothing more would happen until the end of your shift. 

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately?) your hope did not go fulfilled, as Jeff returned, with Natasha in his wake. She rushed to your side in an instant, checking the injuries on your body and mumbling about the many things she was going to do the next time she saw the bullies. Jeff, meanwhile, circled the pair of you, tail wagging proudly at accomplishing his mission. 

"I'm fine," you reassured Natasha, but she was having none of it. 

"No you're not, and no matter how good at fighting they are, there is no place for them in the Royal guard, and that is my decision."

"It's your father's actually" 

"He'll agree when he sees the state of you. Now keep still, I need to patch you up." 

You nodded, but Jeff settled beside you shortly after, and you couldn't help but pat his head, stretching the skin which had been torn by the blade in the process. 

"I said stay still! I swear sometimes you're so stubborn" 

"And yet you still love me" you teased with a grin. Though she did not match the energy. Her eyes immediately averted to the ground, and her hands faltered midway through applying the bandages. 

"Natasha, are you okay? I meant love, like, platonically, that's okay right?" 

She sighed again, biting her lip as if about to speak, so you waited. Until finally she spoke, at a volume just louder than a whisper. "And what if I mean it in a non-platonic way?" 

"Then that would be cool" 

Her stiffness dropped in an instant, returning to the 'are you serious right now?' demeanour you were so, so used to seeing. "That would be cool? really Y/N?" she sighed, "I'm baring my heart to you and-" 

"Just try it" you interrupted, "say the- if you really mean it- say the thing again. Properly this time" 

"Alright, fine," she muttered. Then cleared her throat, "I love you Y/N, in a non-platonic way" 

"and I love you too Natasha" 

"you do? you're not just saying that to make me less embarrassed?" 

"Of course I love you, Nat, I have for years. I loved you as a friend but you're so effortlessly kind and beautiful, you patch me up whenever I get hurt and never retaliate purely because I ask you not to, even though I know you would love to. And when you talk, god, I could listen to you for hours. How could I not love you? non-platonically." 

"You really didn't have up specify non-platonically at the end of that"

"Just thought I'd make it extra clear" 

She smiled at you, the whole world seemed to pause as she did so. Like there was no one but you and her. 

… And your shared Jeff, who used the opportunity to walk directly in front of you. He was bored of the conversation and decided to ruin the mood instead.

"Let's get you to the Palace, I'm sure another guard can come to take your place early. But you should rest properly and… maybe we could discuss this some more?" 

"I'd like that," you smiled. She hoisted you up, supporting a lot of your weight as you hobbled your way back into the kingdom, then up the stairs of the Palace so Natasha could lay you down on her bed. 

"So about this whole love thing…" you began, "are we dating now?" 

"I'd like to try it, if-if you're okay with it too?" 

"Yeah. I'm more than okay with it."

"Then can I kiss you then?" 

"Please do" 

And she did. It was inexperienced, neither of you ever having had partners before, but to do it with her made it feel like no other kiss could top it. You wanted to keep kissing her forever, but a knock at the door had you quickly pulling away and acting as if nothing had happened. 

"Come in," Natasha called, trying to sound as casual as she could. The king opened the door as soon as he had his daughter's permission, peeking his head in. 

"I just wanted to check on Y/N, I heard you got hurt. But uhhh, it seems like you finally got together, congratulations on that." 

Your face heated up instantly; you could only assume it looked the same as Natasha's blushed cheeks, if not worse. It felt worse. 

"How did you-" Natasha asked, 

"Finally?" you also said. 

"I know you two well, your faces gave it away. And yes, finally, your parents and I have been wondering when it would happen, Y/N, I'm sure they'll be delighted by the news."

"You talk about-" 

"Your love life is not often a topic of conversation, don't worry" he reassured, "but with how many lovesick whines I've heard from Natasha about you, I thought I'd bring it up with them, just to find out that they hear the same from you." 

If you thought your face was red before it was nothing compared to how it felt now. You felt like your face alone could provide lighting for the whole kingdom, but at least you weren't alone, knowing Natasha had felt the same about you all along. 

"I'll leave you two and your embarrassment be. But one more note, Yerffej is no longer in need of a kingdom animal. I have designated it as the land shark now, with repercussions from the crown if anyone causes harm or distress to one."

"Oh that's excellent" Natasha grinned, "but what is a land shark?" 

"It's a being I found reference to in some old nature books from the library, the ones that predate our arrival in these mountains. It is said to be a sign of good luck if you see one, and even better fortunes if you are the person whom it chooses to follow… and I believe your friend Jeff is the perfect example."

Jeff squealed, excited at the recognition of his species. He ran up to the King, then around the room, even leaping up onto the bed with you at one point. 

Looking between him and your new girlfriend, it certainly seemed like good things had already begun.

—————————————————

Jeff taglist: @unexpected-character (send an ask or mention it in the comments if you want to be added)