Yelena Belova is one of the assassins everyone knows in the Red Room.
Anya remembers hearing how Yelena Belova will be fighting and her blood running cold. The atmosphere would change even though they were already under the guise of the mind control.
She was on a mission when the Red Room fell. She remembers her mind suddenly going quiet. It stayed like that for years - her basically running on autopilot - until Sonya found her. She doesn't exactly understand how she survived.
Yelena isn't what Anya expected. She jokes around with Anya and drinks iced coffees by the gallon and has a million rings that she plays with constantly.
The laughing is what catches Anya off most. Widows are supposed to be marble, but here's their most deadly weapon, a human being who laughs.She also has a dog, who warms up to Anya pretty quickly, but still stays stuck to Yelena's side and rarely barks.
The room in the safehouse that Yelena dubbed hers is too nice. It has blankets and pillows and the blankets feel like nothing she's ever felt before. They're nothing like the blankets in the red room that were just there to make sure that they didn't die. They're actually warm and really fuzzy. She likes rubbing her face against them. Not that she'd ever do that in front of Yelena, though.
Yelena and Sonya share a room. She hates that she's almost jealous of that, but she is. Back in the Red Room, no one had a room to themself. It was just the way things were and it was comforting to know that even if she got her ass handed to her, she'd come back and all of the girls would be in a silent solidarity.
She doesn't really know what's to come for her future, and she knows that Yelena doesn't know either. But she hears talks between Sonya and Yelena through the walls about the next steps and it makes her head hurt. She never really considered having a future, yet setting that into their hands seems wrong.
Yelena keeps coming back to taking Anya with her to the states, mentioning that Natasha took her in and it probably wouldn't be a bad solution until they find a more permanent solution. Anya's not sure how she feels about that - she's known about the Black Widow Natasha Romanoff most of her life and the legend that surrounds her. The idea that she can just be homely feels out of place. Then again, most of Yelena feels out of place.
It's late now, maybe two or three in the morning, and Yelena and Sonya's talking has long ended. Anya's sure they're asleep.
Anya slips out of bed, as quiet as ever, enjoying the fact that they didn't cuff her to the bed. She never enjoyed being so confined in the Red Room.
She has vague memories of her life before everything went so wrong - an older brother that played games with her, a mom brushed her hair a little too hard but hugged her warmly after, a dad that was rarely home but always made his presence known with kisses goodnight when he was home. Part of her thinks she dreamt it up being that it was so long ago, and to be fair, all of her memories are fuzzy.
She quietly pads into the kitchen fingertips dancing over the smooth countertops as she contemplates finding something to eat. Normally that's what people do in kitchens late at night, right? Midnight snacks?
She opens the fridge, seeing it mostly empty until her eyes fall upon something in the drawer. She quietly opens it, finding a smattering of different kinds of chocolates from all over the world. There are Cadbury bars and Hershey bars, Brazilian chocolates and Swiss chocolates, everything a chocolate lover could ever want is in this drawer. It's not stocked nicely, either, they're all kind of shoved in tightly, but Anya can't help it. She grabs a Hershey bar before closing the fridge and slowly opening it.
"Hershey?"
Anya's head snaps up and dread washes over her. Was she not supposed to take this? She was told to help herself and Yelena promised that she wouldn't hurt her.
But now, she sees Yelena, and in the darkness, she can't read the woman's emotions very well. Is she upset? Please don't let her be upset.
"I prefer Cadbury, but to each their own," Yelena says quietly, rubbing one of her eyes before swinging open the fridge with an audible thunk. Anya jumps, what if someone catches them? She doesn't want to get in trouble again.
Yelena loudly pushes around the chocolates in the drawer, humming to herself as she finds what she's looking for. She sets a Cadbury bar on the counter while closing the fridge with her foot, a little smirk on her face.
Caramel-filled is on the wrapping and Anya can't help but make a face.
"You don't like caramel?" Yelena asks, taking the unopened package in her hands and carefully snapping it in the wrapper, "I think it's fun. It's all gooey. My sister's the one that showed me gooey food in the first place, very weird. I think it's mostly in America but..." she shrugs, opening the package and grabbing a piece, "it's good nonetheless."
Anya nods in acknowledgment, not wanting to express her distaste for caramel. She doesn't really like the taste too much.
"Eat your chocolate," Yelena tells her, "Chocolate's the best midnight snack."
Anya complies, breaking off a piece and putting it in her mouth, avoiding eye contact as she eats her chocolate and instead looking out the window over the sink. The city's glowing but quiet and it's nice and peaceful.
She finally looks at Yelena, who's looking out the window too. She tentatively taps the counter, getting Yelena's attention.
Why are you up? she signs, hoping Yelena won't freak out at her for it.
"Well," Yelena hums, "I was hungry. My sister hates it, she doesn't understand how I just wake up, eat something, and then go back to bed. Also, I was going to take some ibuprofen, my knee hurts."
Why?
"I've broken it a couple of times," Yelena says with a small shrug, "Both of them, actually. Never at the same time."
Anya nods. She remembers the weird rules of the Red Room, like injuries that bad would normally warrant an elimination from the program, but Dreykov played favorites and those favorites would receive the limited medical assistance they had. Yelena was one of the legends of the Red Room, no wonder she was allowed to live.
"How old were you when they took you?" Yelena asks softly, popping another piece of chocolate in her mouth.
Anya holds up seven fingers, hoping Yelena gets the message. Of course, she does, she's a black widow, but Yelena nods regardless.
She grabs a glass out of the cabinet and fills it with water, "I was six. Well, probably younger, but they normally start training at four and I was on a mission at that time," she rolls her shoulders back, a fond smile on her face, "My earliest memories are with my family. Mission family, but family nonetheless."
Anya nods, not bothering to spill about her little family. She wonders what happened to them, she can't seem to remember. One day everything was fine and the next... she was being trained to be a murderer.
"You weren't there too long, were you?" Yelena grabs a bottle out of the cabinet that makes a noise every time she moves it, "You're fifteen now, so... three years?"
Anya shrugs, she never really counted. She just knows that she got out five years ago and there was a point at which she evaporated for a second and an additional five years had passed. She thinks it was called the blip.
Yelena's quiet, but Anya can feel her eyes on her. She focuses instead on finishing the chocolate in front of her, savoring the way it melts in her mouth and tries to melt on her fingertips. It's been too long since she's had something so good.
It's a few minutes until Yelena gently taps her shoulder, and Anya looks at her.
Yelena slowly signs, You going back to bed soon?
Anya nods. She's not exactly lying, she will go back to bed. Sleep is another story.
Yelena takes the answer anyway, "Goodnight, Anya."
Night, Anya signs back.
Yelena smiles this time, throwing out her chocolate bar and disappearing into the bedroom.
The room falls silent once again and Anya's left with the second half of her chocolate bar.
It's weird.
-
Natasha blinks when she feels a gentle shaking on her arm. She shifts, not really wanting to wake up yet. She's warm right now and the world feels like a little too much for her right now.
"Nat, wake up."
Natasha whines, "No. I'm comfy."
She doesn't have to open her eyes to know that Wanda rolls her eyes at that - she rolls her eyes every time Natasha doesn't wake up. Something about "you're a master assassin that can't wake up to her alarm clock, how does that happen?"
Natasha tends to ignore that criticism and instead combat it by sleeping more. Wanda also tends to say that if she slept more at night that she wouldn't have to nap so much, but Natasha enjoys naps. Something about the lack of structure of a nap is really fun for her. If she really thinks about it, she thinks it's because her life has been so structured and refined and naps are a (relatively) harmless rebuttal to that. She does know, however, that when she and Wanda expand their family, she might have to adapt to a more normal sleep schedule.
But, as Yelena says, she'll probably die before she proposes, so she probably shouldn't get too far ahead of herself.
"Natasha."
Natasha finally opens her eyes, catching the look of her girlfriend and glaring at her.
"I was comfy."
"Congratulations," Wanda replies dryly, "C'mon, we're here. You spend any longer in this car and Laura will probably drag you out of it herself."
Natasha knows that's a genuine threat, Laura's stronger than she looks (she has to be with three kids around). She groans, begrudgingly stretching out her body and following Wanda towards the house. She's not sure as to why Wanda parked here instead of at their place, but she doesn't care to ask and is looking forward to seeing the kids more than anything.
She walks up to the front, opening the door and smiling when she sees Lila and Laura in the kitchen.
"Hey guys," Lila rushes over first, hugging her tightly.
Natasha hugs back, looking over Lila's shoulder at Laura. "Where's Clint?"
"Out with Kate getting Nathan," Laura replies, walking over and giving Natasha a hug of her own. She murmurs a quiet, "You look like shit" in her ear before leading Natasha into the kitchen.
Wanda's not too far behind, receiving her own hug from Lila and Laura before settling herself at the island. Lila sits down next to her and Natasha sits up on an empty counter, small-talk falling over the four of them.
There's catching up about what's been going on since Christmas (Wanda and Natasha decided to spend New Years in New York) and how Lila's been doing at school and Natasha can tell that Laura wants to ask about Yelena but is thankful that she doesn't.
"How long do you guys plan on staying?" Laura asks eventually, "Not that I don't enjoy seeing you, but it's good to plan ahead, hmm?"
"Sure," Natasha shrugs, kicking off her shoe before bringing a leg up to her chest, heel on the counter, "and I don't know. I can't stand being in the city knowing that Yelena's not."
"Well, you're going to have to go back eventually," Laura tells her, "and with no timeline on Yelena..."
"I know," Natasha responds, running her fingers along her jeans, "we'll figure it out."
"It's probably gonna be a week," Wanda chimes in, "we'll stay at the house, we're not here to step on toes or anything."
Laura smiles sweetly at Wanda, "You know you never do, don't worry. Anything you guys want for dinner? We were thinking pizza but the mexican place in town never disappoints."
"Pizza sounds good," Natasha says softly, head still buzzing with thoughts of Yelena. She wants to know where her sister is. Or at least hear her voice and a confirmation that she's safe.
Is this how Yelena felt all those years when Natasha didn't contact her? She didn't mean to keep in contact so infrequently, she just didn't... she doesn't know why she didn't contact her. God, she's such a shitting big sister.
She's brought out of her thoughts by the front door opening, revealing a very excited Nathaniel that comes running over. She gets off the counter, immediately scooping him into her arms, "Hey, traitor."
"Look who decided to show up!" Clint says and Natasha rolls her eyes, still holding Nathaniel as Clint hugs her.
Kate's standing awkwardly in the doorway, "Hey."
"Hey, Kate, how've you been?" Natasha asks civilly, hoping none of this is too weird. She knows what it feels like to be the outcast in the Barton family and can't help but sympathize with it. Kate needs the Bartons just as much as she's needed them, there's no use getting mad about that.
"Um, y'know," Kate shrugs, "archery, being Clint's partner, trying not to suck, the usual."
Natasha nods, switching back to Nathaniel, "How was school?"
"Good," Nathaniel says, completely content with her even though her arms are starting to burn a little, "We learned how to write our names. Sara was lucky, her name's short. Mine's long."
He makes sure to extenuate how long his name was by dragging out the word and opening his arms, making Natasha smile.
"Yeah, but it's a good name," she kisses his forehead, "I'm putting you down now, you wanna pick out a movie for you and me to watch tonight?"
He nods eagerly, scampering into the living room before Natasha turns back to the adults (well, except Lila and Kate, maybe) in the room, all of whom are conversating among themselves.
"What kind of pizza do you want, Nat?"
She looks to Wanda, who shrugs. That wasn't helpful.
"Cheese," Natasha responds, walking over to Wanda and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, whispering a quiet "love you" against the skin of her neck. Wanda holds onto her hands as if Natasha's going to fly away and it only serves as a reminder that even though everything kinda sucks right now, she still has Wanda.
And the Bartons.
And Kate, somehow.
God, her circle is bigger than she ever thought.