Chapter 5

We speak a little about random things when we decide to play a game. I think she said it was called slaps. Which tests your reflexes as you take it in turns to try and slap each others hands. We play a few rounds and she manages to beat me again “HA! You suck!” I feign offence whilst she lets out a cute chuckle. “I bet youre nicer when youre sober.” “And i bet your prettier when your face isnt so beat up.” Blush spreads up my face and i look away. “So who did you beat up?” “My dad. It was self defence” she looks me up and down warily. “Your small and have terrible reflexes, no offence, but how did you manage to pull that off?” “He was drunk.” She finally puts it together in her delayed mind plagued by alcohol. “Oh im so sorry, how long has he…?” “Since i was born, it doesnt matter too much but the stubborn fucker wont die.” She actually cackles at that. Like evil witch cackles. She quickly covers her mouth before she speaks. “1. That really caught me off guard, 2. I dont know what that sound that came out of my mouth was.”

Suddenly a loud buzz sounds and our conversations hits a dead end when an officer handcuffs us both and lets us know we’re being bailed out. I look at him confused. “I didnt know i could be bailed out?” “Yeah neither did we.” I shake it off and look towards the girl. “Wait i dont know your name” she holds out her handcuffed hand “im yelena” i smile and shake her hand slowly. “Im YN” the guard huffs and separates us to be booked out. When he takes me to the front i stop dead in my tracks when i see the woman from earlier in the waiting area with the same man. “Who are you?” She gives me a small smile. “Nat, i work with peter. At avengers tower.” I look between them suspiciously. “Why are you helping me?” She chuckles a little “You arent used to nice people, are you?” “Thank you.” She looks behind me and speaks again. “Coincidentally, you were at the same station as my sister.” She nods behind me and i turn around to see yelena. She strides over excitedly “We have to stop meeting like this” i roll my eyes. “You couldnt have thought of a better line?” A slight frown appears on her face. “Hey i only had a split second – it was the first thing that came to mind.” Nat looks between us dumbfounded.”you both know each other?” “For a whole 4 hours. She’s basically my new best friend” she replies. Nat smirks at me “i can hold her back while you make a run for it.” Lena glowers at nat and the guy just stares, like hes seeing a baby take their first steps. “I have never heard you speak before”. Lena acknowledges his existence for the first time. “I dont waste words on people i dont know.” “But you speak to her?” He points at me and butterflies flutter in my stomach. She speaks to me, what does that mean? I thought she was just nice. “Yeah well we just sat in a really small room together. And she is interesting.” I fail to hide my smile and realise this has been the best day ive had for a long time.

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Nats POV:
Something feels odd between them. Almost like nothing bad has ever or will ever happen. Its light hearted and airy. I keep looking at them trying to figure out what makes them click so well. I think i stare for too long because yelena pipes up, “Why you staring at me for? I wasn’t gone that long, i know i have a pretty face but you cant have missed it that much.” I bet yn would. We usher out of the now crammed station and head for the car. “So yn, how was your night in jail?” Steve innocently asks. “It was same old, same old. Get booked in, they decide you need to be searched. You make a friend.” She looks at yel and yel blushes a little under her gaze. I feel a little repulsed that someones ‘subtly’ flirting with my sister and a little happy that shes finally opening up. “Wait did you say same old?” Steve questions. “Yep. Not my first rodeo.” I look at her in the car mirror “how many ‘rodeos’ have you had exactly?” She thinks for a moment, “including this one…just 3 i think.” My eyebrows shoot up my forehead “just? Thats a lot for normal people.” She gives a small smile “ive never been convicted though. I was arrested all 3 times for assault and battery, but there was insufficient evidence.”  We arrive bacj at the tower and peter comes out and hugs her, panicking. “Im so sorry, i didnt mean for you to get arrested, you shouldnt have taken the blame.” Yelena raises an eyebrow and clears her throat. “I thought you said you attacked him?” Yn gives a sheepish grin “i didnt know who you were then. I didnt know if you would snitch.” Yel feigns offence and turns away from her. I see yns face grow visibly morbid. “We should get back, see if hes home.” Its like the life is sucked out of the room. I turn to them. “You dont have to go back there. Not after what he did to you” She schools her features. “He didnt touch us….some guy jumped us on our way back.” I give her a disbelieving look and fold my arms. “Oh. Really? So how did your dad get hurt?” Shes told this lie many times before, i can tell by the way it rolls off her tongue. “It was a simple misunderstanding.”

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Yn’s POV:
I feel the panic sink into my heart as i hope she lets this go. “We havent said anything which would tell you otherwise.” Nat knows im lying but she doesnt say anything. I chance glancing in lenas direction and my heart breaks seeing her little frown before she speaks “you told me” “i told you nothing. You made an assumption but wasnt clear, i thought you were talking about his drinking habit.” I hope she sees the same pain and sadness in my eyes that i do in hers, so she knows how much i regret this already. “If youre all done making false accusations, then me and my brother need to leave.” Everyone looks at me with an eerie quiet but nobody protests.

We make our way back to the apartment and i can sense peters disappointment. “I know your gutted, but its better this way.” He shoots me a frustrated look “how? How is you getting beaten nearly every day better?” “Because if i can take it, then he wont go after you. The police will never believe us. No one will.” He starts to raise his voice. “THE AVENGERS WILL!” “nobody does Peter, i tried. Many times. Even mom didnt believe me”.

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Yelenas POV:
“Why did she do that?” Nat gives me a reassuring look “dont take it personally, she thinks shes keeping them safe” a frustrated grunt escapes me before i retreat to my room. Its a dull plain room. No decoration. No fun bedding. Nothing personal. All i can think about is the charming girl in that jail cell. How can someone so nice and funny have so much going on? I could go back to my old ways and murder him. But i dont think she would be okay with that. I try to block her out of my mind but somehow my thoughts always wander back to her. Giving up on sleep, i go for a walk to distract myself. I turn a corner and see wanda in the kitchen messing with the stove. “Whats that?” She startles and guilt washes over me. Stupid spy training. “Oh its mac n cheese. You want some?” I nod hesitantly. Im still deciding if i can trust these people, its a leap of faith hoping they can make good mac n cheese. “Can i ask you a question?” Shes visibly shocked at my wanting to talk, but i decide not to retreat back into myself when she gives a friendly smile. “Sure”, “how do you get someone out of your head?”. She gives me a large grin from ear to ear. Its so large i start to question if i said something funny. “You have a crush!” “I do not!” She laughs not backing down “oh you so do! Dont worry its normal. But theres not much you can do unfortunately. Maybe ask her out” i shake my head and go to leave, “forget i asked, it was stupid.” She gasps and stands in my way “do you want your mac n cheese or no?” “Are you blackmailing me?” I recieve an odd look “its mac n cheese, its not quite serious enough to be blackmail.” I give in and sit down, listening to her ramble about feelings and emotions and mush. I find my eyelids drooping as she places mac n cheese in front of me. “No thats okay thanks you have extra, youve made me too tired to eat.” Thats a first. Ive been awake for literal days and still eaten. Turns out ill do anything to escape this conversation.