“Kate Bishop.. what makes you think this is a joke?”

“Sorry I thought um.. lets just forget I made fun of your car.”

[just an idea my friend and I had while we hc cars for the mcu characters.. argue if you want but I believe 100% that Yelena would own one of these beetles, though Kate would believe she did it as a joke.. and as we can see it’s not.]

I’m not the killer that little girls call their Hero | Part 2

Summary: after learning the girl who he loved, maybe he still loved was alive. Shang-chi didn’t waste to form a plan to save you.

A/N: Here’s part two! If you haven’t read part one, you can click here.

Warnings:trauma, ptsd, blood and gore, violence, angst if you squint hard.

Tag list:@itshouldvebeensangwooo@mischiefmanaged71@omgsuperstarg@luthientinu

“Are you sure that this will work?” Shang-chi asked her as his eyes set on the red dust in his hand.

“I promise,” Yelena answered. “Because it released me from the mind control, and what I know of, she’s still trapped,” Yelena replied as she watched his eyes look on the antidote in his hands.

“Listen, I don’t know how you know her, but I can tell that the two of you have known each other long enough. She’s not the same girl as she was before,” Yelena warned him.

He furrowed his brows and looked at her. “What do you mean?” He questioned. “The Red Room does that to a person, she’s changed,” Yelena responded. Shang-chi didn’t say anything and watched her leave before he thought for a moment when he stopped her.

“How do you know her?” He asked her as Yelena stopped.

“We trained together,” She answered. Shang-chi didn’t ask any further questions since he knew that meaning had a deeper purpose.

-

Yelena’s eyes drifted towards Shang-chi as he stood in the crowd of people. She knew that you weren’t there to kill her, and your goal was to kill him. It was a distraction.

He continued to walk before she heard the familiar whistle. It was the same whistle where Natasha taught you how to do it when you were younger.

Her eyes widened and Shang-chi looked confused. She turned around and saw you hit her on the face. You turned around and flipped down as you landed in front of him.

Shang-chi looked at you as he tried to dodge your attacks while Yelena ran from behind. You grab the knife from your waist and try to hurt one of them. Yelena knocked you down so you dropped the knife. She kicked the knife away so you couldn’t reach it.

You looked at her before you ran towards her and both of you landed on the ground hard. You placed your hands onto her neck and choked her.

Yelena grunted and tried to free from your grasp but she remembered the antidote. She tried to reach her pocket and before you knew it, red dust was sprayed into your face.

-

You watched as Dr. Bruce Banner was checking on your vital checkpoints in the lab. Yelena stood next to you. “Why are you here, Y/n?” Yelena asked you as Shang-chi and Xialing approached you. “No ‘hi, Y/n How’ve you been?” You asked her with an amused expression on your face.

Yelena rolled her eyes. “Why are you here?” She repeated as you looked at Bruce. “She’s fine,” He responded and looked at them with a nod, and disappeared out of the lab. “I’m here to kill him,” You answered and looked at Shang-chi.

He widened his eyes and frowned towards your answer. “And I thought you were here to kill me,” Yelena asked you. “Well, I was hired to kill both of you,” You answered with a bored tone in your voice.

“Why?” You let out a chuckle.

“You know why, after the red room saw that Dreykov was destroyed and Natasha destroyed the whole building and when they saw you working for the rest of the Avengers, they weren’t happy,” You told her.

“The Red Room exists? I thought we destroyed-”

You let out a laugh. “Wait, you thought Dreykov was the only one?” You asked her. “You’ve really gone soft, Yelena,” You snickered as she looked at you. “Then why are you here to kill him if the red room wanted me dead?” Yelena asked and gestured towards Shang-chi.

He had been quiet ever since they’ve taken you at the compound, and you’ve avoided looking at his eyes when Yelena sprayed at you with the red dust. You couldn’t bear the thought of breaking down.

Because all of him reminded me of why you survived in the first place. “Your father had to do something with the red room, for a while, he supported it and now they want revenge on you because of something he did,”

“I don’t know what he did, they wouldn’t tell us,” You told them before silence took over a while. “Where did you think I was all the time?” You asked her and met her eyes. “Living a life that you always wanted,”

“I didn’t know where they took you and I assumed that they released you,” You pursed your lips into a thin line and nodded.

-

Staring through the window, you let out a sigh towards the light-up well city in front of you. You haven’t got any chance to sleep because you were still paranoid that some of the leaders will find you.

Besides, you couldn’t sleep since your mind wandered about him. The boy you still loved, or maybe you still had feelings for him even after all that had happened to you.

Both of you were so young that you know that he probably won’t even remember. A knock disturbed your thoughts and you turned away. Walking cautiously towards the door, you looked through the peephole and saw Shang-chi.

You sucked in a breath and embraced yourself as you opened the door. You met his brown eyes when he saw you open the door. “Hey,” He commented. “How are you feeling?” He asked you with a tight-lipped smile. “I’m fine, feeling better,” He nodded.

“Can I come in?” He asked after a short silence. You debated for a second but let him in. “What is it?” You asked him as you closed the door and crossed your arms over your chest. “I don’t know, I just…” Shang-chi began to say but paused in mid-sentence.

You looked at him and you knew that he didn’t know that you were gone. “Where did you think I was after all this time?” You asked him and tilted your head. Shang-chi stared at you.

“Living a life, a normal for one that,” He answered as you nodded and pursed your lips into a thin line. “Well, you’re wrong, your father handed me over to the Red room,” You answered.

Shang-chi looked at you, as he saw the girl in front of him when he was younger. If he should’ve known all of this he knew that he would’ve stopped his father for sending you away. But now it is too late to fix the broken relationship and he knew that he had to let you go.

Dating Yelena Belova Would Include…

• You met Yelena after everything.
• After the Blip, after Natasha, after everyone came back.
• Perhaps that was why Yelena was so drawn to you.
• Both of you came back from ashes to a terrible, strenuous fresh start.
• You knew nothing of the Red Room
• and Yelena knew nothing of the life you left behind.
• All you had were the memories of your past lives and relatively clean slates when you met.
• There was a park, near where Natasha was buried.
• After Yelena would visit her sister’s grave, she would sit on a bench to people watch.
• Sometimes Val would accompany her, gift her with some new bounty
• other times, on rarer occasions, they would just sit in silence together.
• Most often, Yelena was alone,
• eyes flicking around the playground, to watch mothers and fathers corral their children, to the wide open field next to it, watching owners corral their dogs.
• Fanny would watch too, ears perked.
• Sometimes the shepherd mix would whimper, wanting to play with her fellow furry friends.
• “Not today, Fanny,” Yelena cooed, scratching the pups head.
• Yet, one day, Fanny continued to whine.
• Big, brown eyes flicked up to Yelena, distracting the blonde from her surroundings.
• “What is it, baby?” Yelena cooed, “what’s wrong?”
• Spurred on by her voice, Fanny got to her feet and turned her attention towards the dog park.
• Yelena followed her dog’s gaze but saw nothing.
• Nothing until a ball of white, curly fluff hurled towards them both, pink tongue poking out from tiny jaws.
• Yelena almost started laughing when the miserable little thing stopped short of Fanny and began to yap as threateningly as it could.
• The creature was bordering on annoying when you rushed up.
• You looked wild, arms outstretched towards the little white dog in a vain attempt to hold it back and away from Fanny.
• “I’m so sorry, I don’t-I’m dogsitting! Bubbles, stop it!”
• “Bubbles?” Yelena asked, a laugh slipping past her lips. “It’s name is Bubbles?”
• You too began to laugh, a melodious sound that rung out, even over Bubbles’ incessant yapping.
• “Yeah, his owner said it was ironic,” you explained through a chuckle, picking up Bubbles and holding him to your chest.
• “Ironic cause he’s not so bubbly?” Yelena asked and you nodded.
• “Exactly,” it was then your eyes landed on Fanny, “what’s that cuties’ name?”
• “This,” Yelena said, patting the shepherd’s head, “is Fanny.”
• “Fanny,” you echoed with a smile, “I’ve never heard that one before.”
• “It’s a family name,” Yelena added, though her smile began to die, victim to memory.
• “That’s sweet.”
• A moment passed, with just you and Yelena staring at each other
• all the while Bubbles wormed around in your grasp.
• Yelena was struck by how soft you looked with the park and sunlight cast behind you.
• There was no harshness in your face, not the kind she was used to.
• “Do you…do you and Bubbles want to sit?”
• “Uh, yeah, yeah. Thanks.”
• You fell into the seat at her side and, almost immediately, Fanny went to sniffing at Bubbles who still wormed around in your lap.
• “Sit, Fanny,” Yelena warned, “be nice to our guests.”
• “It’s alright,” you said, tilting your head towards Bubbles. “He seems to be less angry now that he’s so close.”
• “All bark, no bite, huh?” Yelena asked, holding out a hand for Bubbles.
• There was a gentleness in her manner that caught you, that reminded you that you didn’t know this lovely person’s name.
• “I’m Y/N, by the way.”
• “Yelena,” she returned with a smile.
• “Nice to meet you.”
• “Likewise,” Yelena returned, “and that extends to Bubbles as well.”
• You laughed, just as you did for the next few hours.
• Together, you and Yelena (along with Bubbles and Fanny) wasted time together, got to know each other, and laughed.
• It had been so long since Yelena had laughed
• and since you returned from ash, it had been so long since you had allowed yourself to be comfortable around someone.
• Spending time together was easy.
• You both bonded over being gone in the Blip, how you came back to empty homes and lost loved ones.
• You explained how you came back unemployed, with a family far older than when you left them.
• “It was hard, getting back to things. Hence the dogsitting.”
• “Hence the dogsitting. Is Bubbles your only client?”
• “Right now, yeah,” you admitted, much too shyly.
• “Well, my work tends to take me out of town. You could watch Fanny.”
• “Really? I’d love to! She’s so well behaved!”
• Yelena swallowed hard and, for the first time in her life, struggled to muscle up some courage. “Is…Is there a number I should call?”
• “Here, you can just use my number.”
• You gave Yelena your number and gave her a smile.
• “But, enough about me. What about you? How were things post-Blip for you?”
• A heavy sigh slipped past Yelena’s lips.
• “You don’t have to…”
• “No, I…I want to. It’s just a lot.”
• “Well, Bubbles isn’t due back for a while,” you said with a smile, “so take all the time you need.”
• Eventually, Yelena told you.
• She told you about her training, in the vaguest of details.
• She told you about Natasha, in the vaguest details.
• “I’m so sorry,” you whimpered, resting your hand on hers. “Have you talked to anyone about it?”
• Yelena met your gaze and felt her heart twinge at the concern in your eyes.
• “Just you, really.”
• “Oh, well. I’m glad you feel that you can.”
• “Sorry for just dumping that on you. You have your own things and…”
• “No, don’t be sorry,” you pressed, “it’s alright.”
• You and Yelena sat on the bench until the park began to close until dusk kissed the sky a pinkish-orange.
• “You probably need to get back, yeah?”
• You glanced at the sky, then your phone, before turning back to Yelena. “Yeah, I better be going.”
• “Let Fanny and I walk you out of the park at least,” Yelena said, standing.
• You couldn’t refuse, you didn’t want to refuse.
• You wanted to spend more time with Yelena,
• and she wanted to spend more time with you.
• So, you walked and talked, took the long way through the park until you reached the exit.
• “So, uh, give me a text, when you need Fanny to watch. Or just text me whenever.”
• “I will,” Yelena replied with a smile. “Thanks, for…for sitting with me.”
• “Thanks for offering the spot,” you returned.
• That day, you and Yelena went your separate ways but became attached forever.
• Throughout the next few weeks, you and Yelena exchanged texts.
• Simple ‘Hello! How are you?’ and ‘Might need your dogsitting services soon’.
• Each time you got a text from her (or vice versa), a larger conversation would take hold.
• Digital message by digital message, you and Yelena peeled away parts of yourselves.
• It got to the point where, when the time finally came for you to watch Fanny while Yelena went away to work, itfelt more like meeting a friend.
• You met up at the park, near the same bench where you sat together when you first met.
• Anxiety drove you to leave earlier, far earlier than you needed to.
• You arrived fifteen minutes earlier than you needed to, but it seemed Yelena did as well.
• A smile crept along your features when you saw her and Fanny making their way towards the bench.
• She smiled at you in return and Fanny, much to your surprise, picked up her pace and pulled Yelena faster towards you.
• “Hey!”
• “Hi!”
• Fanny nipped playfully at your extended hands, her puppy-like excitement making you laugh.
• “Someone’s happy to see me again, huh?”
• “I am too,” Yelena chuckled, “Fanny just likes to show off.”
• Your face burned in the soft heat of her compliment before you straightened your posture and bid Fanny to settle.
• “Speaking of seeing people again, how long is this work trip of yours?”
• Yelena’s beaming expression shifted at your question; her eyes grew almost darker, lips fell from her smile and into an unreadable flat line.
• “No more than four days.”
• Suddenly feeling the need for levity, you added in a chuckle, “short trip, huh?”
• “I’m good at my job, so I only needfour days.”
• You smiled at Yelena’s confidence, and she smiled too when she noticed your expression.
• Though, you were not so lost in her softness to realize that you had no idea what Yelena did for work.
• “What do you do?”
• “I…meet people. See how they act if they’re good. Good for business.”
• “Like a networker?”
• “Sure, a networker.”
• Another moment of soft silence fell over you and Yelena.
• Though, when Fanny began to lick lovingly at your palms, your attention diverted to the pup.
• You cooed at her, tried to get calm down…to no avail.
• Yelena let out a huff of amusement at the sight that brought your eyes back to hers.
• You swore you saw her cheeks pinken before she flicked her gaze to her wrist, which had a very tactical-looking watch wrapped around it.
• “I have a flight to catch so…”
• “Oh, yeah, sorry,” you said, nudging Fanny towards her owner.
• Yelena crouched down so that she was eye-level with Fanny.
• Her hands reached out, cupping the dog’s face before scratching behind her ears.
• “Now, you behave. Listen to Y/N, make sure you leave a good impression for me, okay?”
• Fanny licked her jowls and tilted her head up to Yelena’s as if to agree to her terms.
• Satisfied, the blonde stood up and met your eyes again.
• “I texted you my address so when you’re done with this walk you can drop her off. She doesn’t need to be in her crate, but it’s there if she gets too…too rowdy.”
• “What about her food?”
• “It’s in the laundry room, on the shelf. It’s the room at the end of the hall with the door shut. Two scoops after every walk.”
• “Okay, great. I’ll text you if I run into any problems.”
• Yelena smiled and nodded before her expression melted into stark realization.
• “You’ll probably need this,” she said, rummaging through one of her pants pockets to pull out a copy of her keys.
• “And this, probably,” she added, holding out the handle of Fanny’s leash and her key.
• As you reached out towards Yelena’s extended hand, your fingertips brushed together
• and the touch sent a wonderful, tickling shock through your body.
• Quickly, you pulled your hand away, scared you might give too much away.
• Too much of what, you weren’t sure;
• all you knew was that you weren’t ready for whatever it was to come out yet.
• “Well, uh,” you cleared your throat, “have a nice flight, and fun…networking.”
• “Thanks, and thanks for taking care of my girl.”
• “It’s my pleasure,” you returned, smiling at the affection Yelena had for her companion. “She’s a good one.”
• Yelena nodded before she turned her back and speedily walked down the street.
• You watched her go for a long moment, watched until her blonde head of hair disappeared out of the park.
• When she was gone, you glanced to Fanny who, with big brown eyes (that strangely reminded you of her owner’s), looked up back at you.
• “Miss her already?”
• Fanny wriggled at your side.
• You took that as a ‘yes’.
• “She’ll be back, sooner than you know it,” you said, leaning down to scratch her head. “C’mon, let’s finished up your walk.”
• For the next two days, Fanny was a perfect angel.
• You would walk her in the mornings, at midday, in the afternoon, and once more at night.
• Each time, you would take her back to Yelena’s apartment and marvel at the little home the young woman had made for herself.
• Yelena’s apartment was sparsely decorated but warm.
• Dark red furniture rested on hardwood floors, which looked in need of refurbishing and surrounded an ornately detailed rug.
• A few neglected house plants dotted the windowsill and were tucked into dusty corners.
• Ferns in the kitchenette that, you imagined, was once full of green leaves long since dried into a terrible, motley brown.
• The kitchenette was also sparse, not that you snooped.
• Well, you did but…you just needed water on the third day, for the plants.
• There was hardly anything in Yelena’s fridge or food in her cabinets.
• You resorted to tap water, poured it carefully out of a measuring cup and into the plant pots.
• So, along with taking care of Fanny, you began to take care of Yelena’s fauna.
• You thought you were a little late on that front, that Yelena would be back the next day and your idle watering would do nothing.
• But then, Yelena didn’t come back.
• You texted her late in the next evening, worried.
• Sat on her couch, with Fanny resting her head on your lap, you waited to hear from the Russian blonde.
• At some point you fell asleep and, at some other point, you resigned to your new role as Fanny’s (and the plant’s) extended caretaker.
• You stayed over at her place most nights, worried that Fanny may realize her missing momma.
• In that time, you also grew to know Yelena, in a way.
• You had a feeling her favorite color was yellow, based on the decor in her bedroom; that she liked poetry; that she, seemingly, didn’t have much family.
• Walking the dog and watering the plants became fixtures in your life for the next week.
• You went to the police station to file a missing person report, but they had no file or record of any Yelena Belova.
• At the start of the second week, you began to research what else you could do, how else you could try to locate her.
• When you hit a wall and your gut grew too heavy with dread, you pulled away from your computer.
• To distract yourself, you walked over to the plants, checked the soil, smiled, bittersweetly at the newly green leaves.
• Just as you brushed your fingertips along the edges of the ferns, the front door of Yelena’s apartment burst open.
• You yelped and jumped around to stare at the intruder.
• Fanny barked but suddenly stopped.
• You understood why for, when your eyes landed on a haggard-looking Yelena, you felt your own jaw go slack.
• “I’m home.”
• Fanny darted towards her, knocking the blonde to the ground.
• “Hey girl, hey,” she said, wincing as her furry companion stepped on her legs and torso.
• Wordlessly, you walked towards the reunited unit and tried to coax Fanny away so Yelena could stand.
• “Thanks,” the blonde said, barely looking up at you.
• Again wordlessly, you reached down a hand towards her.
• Yelena took it and you helped her to her feet.
• It was then she met your eyes.
• Purple and angry, a bruise painted the side of her face.
• You gasped but the surprise of splotch did nothing to dull the shock of relief that raced through you.
• You reached out to hug her, but your lips knocked against her as you did in a terrible, teeth-knocking excuse of a kiss.
• “Oh, sorry!” you exclaimed, immediately stepping back.
• Yet, Yelena had other plans, her hands reached out for you, your hips pulled you back to her.
• The next time your lips met was softer, slower, with no knocking.
• Your hands curled into fists, gripping the material of her thick jacket.
• When she pulled away, Yelena sighed, “I’m sorry I took so long.”
• “Getting back or kissing me?”
• “Both.”
• Yelena didn’t lie to you then, about what it was that she did as a ‘job’.
• And she apologized for lying before.
• “Telling people that I…it’s…does it change…things? Change…”
• “This?” You asked, gesturing at yourself then at Yelena, “no, not really. I’d still like to know you, help you figure a way out.”
• “Y/N, a way out is dangerous, not possible, not really.”
• “But you said you broke free before, with the help of your sister.”
• Yelena’s sad eyes brightened and a smile, small but there, spread along her lips.
• “I can help, like how I helped with your plants. Alright?”
• “Alright.”
• Then was the start of a new sort of life.
• Life became softer but sharped all at once.
• Yelena would take you out on dates to expensive places, places that never seemed to fit quite right with the two of you (except for on special occasions).
• Most of the time, you would research a new dive in some downtown area that you and Yelena could waste together in over dinner.
• “See, better than the snails, right?”
• “I still don’t understand why someone would want to eat a snail.”
• You laughed, but not at her sincerity.
• That was one of the many things you loved about Yelena,
• she was always honest.
• You surmised that was why she was the first to say it.
• One a nightly walk to the park, with Fanny trailing alongside, Yelena pulled you over to the bench you both sat on the day you met.
• “Why are we stopping? It’s a bit chilly out.”
• “I could give you my coat, if you want.”
• “Don’t be silly,” you pressed, “then you’ll freeze.”
• “I want to keep you warm,” she said, her free hand reaching up to cup your face.
• The fabric of her glove scratched lightly at the skin of your cheek, but it felt like home nonetheless.
• You looked into her eyes and saw only sincerity.
• “I love you,” she murmured, her voice nearly hidden in the Autumn breeze.
• “I love you too.”
• Walking Fanny together through the park, to the place where you met became a tradition after that, nightly little escapes into each other.
• Though, due to her line of work, things weren’t always so great.
• Sometimes, all you had was Fanny’s company and the silent rustling of the plants in Yelena’s apartment when she was away.
• Seeing her with bruises never got easy,
• nor did missing her.
• But she always came back to you.
• Spending the night over at Yelena’s also became a tradition,
• more like a habit that you couldn’t break.
• A habit that you didn’t want to break.
• You would end the night tangled in her embrace and wake up the same way, with kisses being pressed to your neck, your collar, your jaw.
• “Morning.”
• And what a good morning it would be.
• It always was
• for despite the wildness of Yelena’s life, the danger, it was Yelena’s.
• Yelena was yours and you were hers.

A Lesson - Yelena Belova

It’s Yelena’s kind-of-day-off, yet she always seems to find a way to weave her work into her free-time. Sometimes, like this time, it works out in your favor.

“Come back to bed.”

“Shush,” Yelena waved a dismissive hand at you, her back still turned to you and the bed. “I thought I heard something.”

With a defeated sigh, you fell back against your pillow to wait for her eventual return. Early rays of sunlight peeked through the window of the room the two of you rented out the night before and shone almost directly into your eyes. To escape it, you pressed your face into the pillow and turned away from the light. As you moved, you noted how the glow exposed the less-than-lovely water stains on the ceiling and the fine layer of dust that covered the small table in the corner of the room. At the sight, your nose scrunched up as if to block the threat of a sneeze.

Despite that, the room was not the worst place you and Yelena had been housed in. Though, you had stayed at farfiner establishments. At places where specks of dust were viewed as vermin to be exterminated. There were times where you missed the luxury that came with that level of care and cleanliness.

But you knew better than to ask for an upgrade. The first, and last, time you dared to question the quality of your and Yelena’s housing, Val shut you down with a mere glare. After that, you never even endeavored to ask whyyou stayed at a certain location. Granted, most of the time, the advantage was clear.

For instance, you once camped in the concrete skeleton of an abandoned apartment complex, situated across the street from Yelena’s mark. While you never quite grew used to the presence of rats, the target never saw the end coming. Yelena was able to watch him through the windows, stalking along the cement ridges and metal frames that would be deconstructed by a demolition crew soon after you left.

Then, there was the time you and Yelena slept in the silk sheets of a highrise suite. You don’t remember leaving that bed all too often during that mission. If you and Yelena did venture out beyond the edge of the California King mattress, it was to lounge on the balcony to listen and watch the life flowing through the city until sunset. Yelena always worked best in the dark.

There was no balcony at this motel, aside from the one that the stairs led up to reach the second level of rooms. You and Yelena were booked a room on the first floor, with a neighbor above you that insisted on stomping while they packed for their early morning departure. Even with one ear pressed against numerous layers of fabric, you could hear their thumping around.

“It’s probably the person upstairs,” you grumbled into the pillow.

Yelena shushed you again as she peeked inside the adjoining bathroom. A long, too quiet moment passed and you felt a shock of nerves settle in your stomach. Tentatively, you pushed yourself up and off of the bed. Fear guided your feet silently to the carpeted floor as you craned your neck to look for Yelena. It was tooquiet.

“Lena?” You called out softly, your voice cutting through the sudden quiet.

When you got no reply, you padded closer to the bathroom door. Your fingers curled tight into your palms, creating a pair of perfect fighting fists. Yelena had drilled you on the proper form in the past. To defend yourself, she had said; though, back then, you never imagined a time where she wouldn’t be by your side.

Now, you were all too aware of how alone you were. Apprehension was your only ally as you called out again, firmer this time, “Yelena?”

Another long beat of silence surrounded you, overwhelmed your senses with nothingness, before the bathroom door suddenly flew open. The stopper on the wall met the metal handle with a loud thud that made you jump.

“What?” Yelena asked, face blank and unamused until her brown eyes fell upon your curled fists. Then, her lips quickly quirked upwards into a wide, mischievous grin. “Were you worried about me, dorogoy?”

Exasperated, you dropped your unclenched your fists, dropped them to your sides, and scowled. “You weren’t answering!”

“Izvinit’, sorry,” Yelena said as she stepped closer to you, her focus trained on your hands. “But show me the stance again.”

There was an edge in her voice that nearly sent a shiver down your spine. Luckily, Yelena seemingly didn’t notice as her fingers found yours and raised your hands up. When you met her eyes, you found her grin faded into a softer, less-teasing smile. Was it pride?

“Show me,” she echoed, her gaze unyielding. Her tone wasn’t forceful, but you felt yourself compelled to concede.

You raised your hands and closed them into tight fists once more, even going as far as to bring them close to your head. Between your raised arms, Yelena was perfectly framed. Her eyes drank in your stance, studied your pose, the placement of your thumb. You couldn’t help but smile at her intense attention to detail.

“What do you think?” You asked, putting on your best Russian accent. Yelena’s brow raised at your attempt and your smile widened slightly. “No good?”

“Your accent is terrible, beyond help,” she mused, hands reaching out to resituate how you held your arms. “But your stance is…it’s good. Could use some work, but it’s good.”

“Well, you’re the one who taught me, so,” you trailed off, leaving for words open as an invitation for training, for a lesson. Or a lesson.Yelena leaned back and gave you a knowing look before she began to circle around you, surveying you.

You could feel the heat of her eyes on you, analyzing your posture. Despite your desire to go back to bed and drag Yelena with you, you remained still. There would be time for that later. Plus, either way, you were with Yelena and enjoying time together. Either way, Yelena’s hands would be on you.

“You have to stand with your dominant side foot farther back and apart, so you can pivot when you punch. Here, scoot this back,” she said, tapping your foot with her own. You stepped back but Yelena shook her head. “No, too far. Now you’re vulnerable for a sweep.”

“A sweep? What is-”

“This,” Yelena interrupted, swinging her leg out to strike yours. There wasn’t any pain, only the feeling of your leg giving out beneath you.

Then, there was the falling. Red and dingey, the carpet of the hotel room floor rushed up at you. Just as a yelp of surprise began to slip past your lips, Yelena’s leg, the one that illustrated was a ‘sweep’ was, swung back around and bumped you again. With the strike, you were tipped backwards rather than forwards and to the side. Your change in direction gave Yelena the opportunity to reach out and catch you.

Her hands grasped your hips, pulling your body flush to hers. At the contact, your hammering heart slowed, calmed by the warmth of her arms around you. You fight whiplash to meet Yelena’s eyes and, when you finally met her gaze you saw that her grin has forced crinkles in the corners of them.

“That’s a sweep,” she beamed.

“Uh-huh,” you replied breathlessly, “I figured.”

Almost immediately, Yelena’s grin melted into an expression of concern. Her brow furrowed and her lips parted, while her hands squeezed your hips. “I didn’t hurt you did I, I was just-”

To silence her worry, you leaned forwards and kissed her. Your hands traveled up from Yelena’s arms to cup her face. The smooth skin of her cheeks filled your palms. That was what you loved most about her: she was soft despite it all. She loved and cared, despite being a Widow; despite being able to land you on your ass in an instant.

You pulled away slowly and smiled when Yelena’s eyes remained closed. “Thanks for the lesson.”

Yelena smiled then, her eyes opening wide enough to drink your look of pleased surprise as she lifted you off your feet and carried you back to bed, at last.