Warning: small mention of sexual abuse and miscarriage
Ever since you joined the Avengers as sort of like a comfort person, you've been known as the 'cuddler'. Tony saw how the team was struggling so he hired you to be their ball of sunshine if you like. You make them food, you clean up after them, you let them tell you how they are really feeling- you're kind of like a therapist and a maid at the same time.
Each of the Avengers have been through their own trauma and sometimes they just need someone to hold them and make them feel safe- and you're more than happy to do that. They all love it, you especially Wanda, she normally ends up sleeping in your bed most nights, you're the closest thing she has to a mother figure. (Wanda is only 18 in this).
The Avengers are all extremely tough, but each of them have a soft side when it comes to you.
Each of them have a different position they like to be held in.
Steve likes to lay in between your legs with his head on your stomach, his hands around you and he loves his hair to be stroked. When you run his neck, he'll be asleep within minutes.
Bucky likes to spoon you from behind, he normally has his arms really tightly wrapped around you and he buries his face into your neck whilst you reach back to stroke behind his ear.
Natasha likes to be hugged like a koala, something about have your body heat surrounding her brings her peace. So, she lays directly on top of you, her face in your neck, and your legs wrapped around her waist. One of your hands stroking her jaw whilst the other gently tugs her red locks, instantly soothing her to sleep. If her nightmares are really bad, she likes to have you either hum or gently sing 'American Pie', because it makes her feel safe and close to her sister.
Sam likes to lay his head on your lap, laying with his face tucked against your stomach whilst your stroke up and down the side of his face and rubbing small circles on his back.
Thor doesn't like too much attention, but if he had a bad day, he'll wordlessly lay his head on your shoulder and allow you to play with his hair until he is content.
Wanda is literally a baby. She'll end up falling asleep tucked away against your chest, her arms tightly wrapped around you and she snores softly. But then you'll wake up with her head under your shirt because she craves skin to skin contact, you don't mind it except the fact her hands are always freezing cold.
Tony always goes to Pepper for attention because he's loyal. Bruce doesn't like people touching him, so he only occasionally gives you a quick hug but nothing more.
Carol, when she's actually on Earth, likes to sit with her back against your front and her head against your shoulder, having you gently scratch up and down her bare arms with your nails whilst softly telling her all about your day and everything she's missed.
Clint is the same as Thor. He loves Laura and nothing can match her cuddles, but when he misses her, he'll lay on your shoulder and tell you stories about his kids. You'll happily listen to him ramble on about them for hours.
Peter, not to be biased, but he's one of your favourite people ever. Not only is he adorable, but he is so kind hearted and you love that about him. He's also super cuddly, and has no problem curling up in your hold in any position he feels comfortable in. He'll sleep like a baby for hours once you start to stroke behind his ear, it's his weak spot.
Loki doesn't like to be coddled so you just sit with him instead and allow him to ramble on about whatever is plaguing his mind.
And finally, if Maria ever needs some loving, she'll come to your room in private and burst into tears. She'll tell you how stressed she is about work, and you'll just pull her to lay against your chest until her cries turn to quite sniffles until they turn to soft snores.
So yeah, you quite often end up losing a lot of sleep to help them feel better, but you don't mind.
Everything was going great, until a certain Russian blonde assassin came into your life and quite literally flipped it upside down.
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You were in the kitchen one afternoon, cleaning up after the mess the boys had made from lunch when Wanda entered the room with a pout.
"Hi, sweetheart." You greet and kiss her forehead. "What's up?"
"You should make them clean up after themselves." She says, her accent thick. "It's not fair on you."
"It's okay, lovely, I don't mind. You're all very busy, and Tony hired me to basically be a pillow and a cleaner." You joke which makes her smile slightly.
You turn around to wash the dishes, but as you do so you feel Wanda cling to your back. Her face nuzzled into the back of your neck and her arms tightly wrapped around you.
"Are you okay, Wands?" You ask softly.
"I keep thinking of him," Wanda whispers. "It makes me sad."
"Pietro?" You ask which makes her nod. "The dishes can wait, what do you say to a movie and cuddles?"
Wanda nods again so you dry your hands before taking hers and pulling her to the movie room, you put one of her favourite sitcoms on before sitting down and letting her cuddle into your chest like she always does.
After a couple episodes, you hear her stomach growl which makes you chuckle.
"Hungry?" You ask which makes her nod against you, her hands now against your stomach under your shirt, becoming desperate for skin to skin contact. "Stay here, I'll go make you a grilled cheese."
Wanda whines when you get up but allows you to, mumbling for you to hurry up. You kiss her head before making your way back to the kitchen, frowning when you see it's spotless.
You then see a blonde looking around in the fridge. You walk over to her and gently tap her shoulder, yelping when she spins around and punches you in the throat before throwing you over her shoulder and pinning you to the floor. She holds a gun to your forehead whilst you gasp for air, holding your throat as you feel your windpipe crush.
"Yelena!" Natasha shouts in shock and rushes over, freezing when Yelena pulls the hammer back, the click making you whimper.
"это кто?" The blonde spits out. (Who is this?)
"Y/N." Natasha replies. "That's Y/N. I told you about her, remember? She's like our therapist-"
"подушка." Yelena cuts her off with a small frown. (Pillow)
"That's right. She's our pillow." Natasha confirms.
You huff and look up at Natasha with a small glare. "Really?"
"Sorry." Natasha says sheepishly.
You smile fondly before locking eyes with the blonde who still had a gun to your head. "Привет, приятно познакомиться." You greet. (Hello, nice to meet you)
"Since when do you speak Russian?" Natasha asks.
"I started taking lessons when you began to break down a lot and only talk on Russian. I needed to understand you so I could help you calm down. I learnt Wanda's native tongue as well." You explain.
"Откуда мне знать, что ты не лжешь?" Yelena asks cautiously. (How do I know you're not lying?)
"We both know that you won't be able to trust me, but all I can do is promise you that I would never hurt anyone. But you really need to let me up because I have a child waiting for me who is on the tether of a breakdown." You tell her seriously, rubbing your sore throat.
"Елена." The blonde mutters which makes you smile. (Yelena)
"It's nice to meet you, Yelena." You say softly.
The blonde softens and puts her guns way before climbing off you and pulling you up.
"Sorry." She apologises, her accent thick and her voice deep- it sends shivers down your spine. "You should put ice on that." She advises and prods your extremely sore neck.
You wince slightly. "I will." You reassure.
You turn to Natasha who frowns apologetically but you brush it off.
"I'm making Wanda a grilled cheese, do you two want one?" You ask and pull everything you need out.
"Sure. Yelena, you want one?" Natasha asks.
"I've never had one." Yelena frowns innocently. "Only rice and porridge." That was all they're ere allowed in the red room, that and a couple bits of fruit.
Natasha looks down guilty.
"It's a sandwich with cheese inside, but you toast
it so it melts." You explain. "I'll make you one."
Yelena looks at you wearily.
"Why don't you come stand by me whilst I do it? That way you know I'm not poisoning you." You offer.
Yelena frowns in shock but comes to stand next to you. "How did-"
"You're Natasha's sister. She talks about you quite often, she never uttered a name, but you fit her description perfectly. I helped Natasha through a lot when she came out of the red room, and one of those things was her watching me make her food so she knew it wasn't poisoned." You explain as you start to make the grilled cheese.
Yelena doesn't say anything, she just looks at you gratefully.
Wanda comes into the room a few minutes later, her pout still on her face.
"Y/N," she whines.
"Everything okay, sweetheart?" You ask and look over at her.
Wanda walks over to you and, like she had done before, drapes herself over your back.
"Taking ages." She mutters.
"Sorry, lovely," you say. "It's almost ready."
Yelena stares at Wanda, trying to figure out who she is, her hand itching for her gun but Natasha's hand gently pushes it away.
"This is Wanda, also known as the Scarlett Witch. Wanda, this is Natasha's sister." You introduce, refraining from using her name because you know that's something she would want to give out on her own terms.
"Hi," Wanda sniffles, her eyes thick with tears.
Yelena's frown deepens. "Why you sad?"
"I miss my brother." Wanda says. "He died last year."
"Oh. I'm sorry." Yelena says. "What was his name?"
"Pietro." Wanda replies. "His hair was bright likes yours."
"I knew a Pietro once. He was very fast." Yelena says which makes Wanda pick her head up from your shoulder. "I was in sokovia for a mission, a building was taken down. A bit was stuck under some rubble, so I helped him. He said his name was Pietro, and he needed to find his sister. So I helped him search until we found her-"
"Yelena?" Wanda asks suddenly.
"How do you know my name?" Yelena asks.
"That was us. My brother, Pietro, was the boy you helped. I-I remember you know. You helped us find shelter, gave us your jacket to keep us warm and stole us food. You gave me this necklace, you said your Mama gave it to you when you were small, you said it had magic powers, so when we were sad we just had to squeeze it and it would make us feel better. I've been squeezing it ever since." Wanda frowns as she remembers. "You saved our lives."
Yelena friend slightly. "I do not remember it all. I do not remember much of anything."
"You don't remember me?" Wanda asks.
"I was under chemical subjugating, I had no control over myself and I don't remember my past. It's all coming back slowly." Yelena explains.
"'оставайтесь сильными, маленькие воины'." Wanda says which makes Yelena look up. "That's what you said to us before you left." (Stay strong, little warriors)
Yelena's face then brightens. "Maximoff twins."
"Yes! That's us!" Wanda says excitedly and throws her arms around Yelena flinches wildly and her eyes widen.
Natasha instantly moves forward and gently pulls Wanda off her sister. "Easy, Wands, she's a little
fragile."
"Sorry." Wanda says.
"I was beaten black and blue when dreykov found out I went off course. He made me strip in front of loads of men and then he beat me with his belt until I was too weak to move. Then he left and allowed his men to have their way with me. That was my punishment for being distracted." Yelena says. "I was only 17, so I hadn't had my hysterectomy yet and I ended up pregnant, when dreykov found out, he beat me until the baby was dead."
Everyone falls silent. Wanda's face crumbled. Natasha's jaw was clenched and she had unshed tears in her eyes. You were in shock, you had learnt of Natasha's past but it was not to this extent.
Yelena shakes her head and looks up. "What?"
"Yelena," Natasha whispers. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"You had escaped a couple weeks before, so I couldn't." Yelena says with a shrug. "4 months I managed to hide it from them, one of the men had taken pity on me and helped me deal with it. He gave me secret appointments, ultrasounds, but he was killed along with my baby."
"You were gonna have a baby?" Wanda asks.
"Was. Past tense. I can't anymore." She shrugs off.
You wordlessly put the grilled cheese's onto three separate plates before turning around gave them.
"It was girl." Yelena whispers emotionally, the feeling hitting her all over again. "I was going to
name her 'Natalia'."
Natasha's lets out a choked sob and pulls Yelena into her arms, crying softly. "I'm so sorry, malyshka. If I hadn't left you, maybe I could of saved her."
"It is not your fault, Natasha. I don't blame you." Yelena reassures. "No more talking about it, please." Yelena requests and pulls away. "What's done is done."
Yelena subtly wipes her cheeks and turns to you.
"Which one is mine?"
•
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You were dozing off to sleep later that night, just on the brink of falling asleep when someone knocks on your door.
"I've already told you, Wanda, you don't have to knock." You call out and slip out of her, walking over to your door and opening it. However, it wasn't Wanda. "Yelena, hi."
"You're the human pillow, yes?" She asks, her voice wavering slightly.
"If that's what Natasha has been calling me, then yes." You chuckle.
Yelena lets out a shaky breath. "I've only been here and day but I know I can trust you."
"Ok," you nod, letting her know you're listening.
"Remembering Wanda today meant I had to remember Natalia, and it hurts." Yelena admits with teary eyes.
You immediately soften and step aside to allow her into your room. "Would you like to sleep here tonight, Yelena?"
"I haven't been held since I was 6." She says. "I don't-"
"It's okay, I'll lay down and you can take as long as you need to join me, ok?" You suggest which makes her nod.
You go and lay back down in your bed, pulling the covers down and patiently waiting for her.
You have no idea how long it takes her, roughly near an hour. She kept coming closer and then backing away until she finally joined you, holding her breath as she laid down on top of you, exactly how Natasha does.
"I'm going to put my arms around you, ok?" You warn, waiting for her nod before your arms and legs wrap around her body. "There we go." You coo, pulling the covers over you both.
"You're warm." Yelena comments, her face buried in your neck.
"I've been told." You smile. "You know, this is exactly how Natasha likes to be held."
"It is?" She asks.
"Yes, it's something about the heat around her that calms her down." You explain.
"The heat is nice." Yelena agrees.
"She also likes this," you say before putting one hand on her neck and the other in her hair, gently tugging and stroking her locks.
"I see why." Yelena sighs contently.
You smile and start to gently hum 'American Pie'.
"Oh, this is nice." Yelena whispers.
"Sleep, I won't let anything harm you." You reassure and kiss her forehead.
Yelena falls asleep almost instantly, and for the first time since she was 6, she did so without any nightmares.
Turns out, all she needed was someone to comfort her. Maybe that's just what we all need.