Chapter 29

Yns pov:
My eyes flutter open softly, as i look around my room, the warm sunlight settling on our faces. I roll over, nuzzling my head into the crook of yelenas neck. She groans, waking up not so elegantly, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes before tightly wrapping her arms around me like i might be taken if she doesnt. She draws soothing circles on my arm as she clises her eyes, soaking in the moment. I cant help but smell her lavender shampoo, the smell mixing with the coconut of mine. Its a concoction i didnt know i needed, but i feel like i cant live without. “How long do you think we can stay like this?” Her raspy morning voice makes me smile softly as i focus on the vibrations of her words.

“It depends, what time do we start training?” I outline her collarbone wih my finger, lightly trailing it over her chest, just feeling her bare skin, feeling the goosebumos and how she reacts to me.

“Ive been given strict orders to start no later than 9am.” I feel her shift beneath me when she reacges blindly for the bedside table, finding my phone. She squints at the screen for a moment before sighing tiredly. “Its 7, we have to get up. We also have to get a photo of us both together to set as your lock screen. Im gonna ask the others to just follow us around with a camera.” I chuckle and just nuzzle in closer, until yelena taps my shoulder, signalling the end to this perfect moment. “Okay, come on, we really need to get up now.”

I groan, placing a small kiss on her neck before rolling over and moving towards my closet. I glance over at the shower, thinking about yesterday, an involuntary smile pulling at my lips. “I guess i shoukd get dressed for training.” I pull out a sports bra and sweatpants before starting to change. Once i finish i turn to look at yelena who is on the verge of falling asleep again. “Seriously lena? You just told me to get up!” I throw a hoodie at her and she jumps slightly. “Not to mention that your hot girlfriend was naked right in front if you and you didnt so much as glance.”

She chuckles lifting up the hoodie, her eyes tracing the design. “Who says i didnt look, your back was turned away from me.” Her eyebrows knit together as she rubs her eyes, looking closer at the hoodie. “Hey, this is mine! Im taking it back.”

“Feel free.” Ill just steal another one later. She discards the hoodie on the bed as she stands up, finally looking at me properly. Her face falls and her eyebrows pinch together, concern etched deeply in the lines between them. “What? Whats that look about?” She moves closer, still naked and not even bothering to put clothes on. She brings her fingers up to the area surrounding my eye, gently prodding, making me flinch back at the pain blooming under her touch. “What the hell?!”

“Yeah, my question exactly. How the hell did you get a black eye?” Oh shit. Peter. It makes sense, he does have superstrength. I just never thought that would be an issue for me. Lenas gonna kill him if she finds out. Like actually might pull out some of her badass redroom skills just to get to him.

“Its nothing, dont worry about it.” I answer casually, but my heart is close to beating out of my chest. I dont want him to get in trouble. He didnt mean it. He didnt mean to hit me.

“You didnt have that last night, so what the hell happened?”

“If i tell you, you cant lose your head, okay? It was in the heat if the moment, it was an accident.” Yelena can be a bit protective sometimes, but then again, she kept her head when my dad was hitting me, so maybe everything will be okay.

“Who did it.” Its not a question, its a demand. Her words are stern and theres no room to push back. Her hands have settled firmly on my waist like i might try and flee this conversation.

“Pete.” It comes out a whisper. Like it i say it quiet enough, it will make it less true. I see anger flash through her eyes as she takes a deep steadying breath. “He really didnt mean to, everything was going south so quickly and when he did it, i just couldnt comprehend it. Neither could he.”

She narrows her eyes, swallowing her emotions and speaking with a practiced lethal tone. “How many times did your dad do it ‘by accident’ before you realised what it was?” Shes not angry with me, but her tone would suggest otherwise.

“Its not the same lena! Promise me you wont say anything.” Her eyes dart over my face, checking for any more injuries before her mouth parts slightly, hesitantly.

“Hes punishing you for being the parent he never got, how is that fair on you?” Theres a hint of something else under the anger, something stronger, something shes trying to hide because it feels to vulberable. Fear, maybe?

“Lena, just promise me.” She moves past me, grabbing some of my clothes for herself as she debates it, knowing what her answer has to be.

“Fine, i promise.” My shoulders drop, relaxing at the thought of protecting my brother. “But if he does it again, i will tell everyone who walks by.” I just nod, that seems fair.

I kiss her gently before walking to the bathroom to finish getting ready. After a few minutes, she joins me, using the toothbrush i keep for her. Its a mundane thing, just brushing our teeth together, but it makes my heart explode in a way that i dont understand. After everything thats happened to me this year, moments like this matter the most to me. I love closely at the darkening purple bruise that surrounds my eye. Its definitely noticeable and definitely reason for the team to worry. Once ive finished getting ready (before lena) i head downstairs to the kitchen.

When i walk in, the conversation immediately quiets and then dies out as i move around them, getting some breakfast. Tony speaks first, breaking the tense realisation that i wasnt safe here. “What happened?” His voice is smaller than ive ever heard it, like he doesnt want to face the fact that someone in this little family was capable of giving me a black eye.

I glance at peter who hasnt even acknowledged that im here, nevermind the fact that he gave me a black eye. His face is apathetic, no shimmer of guilt. “Its nothing, its just from training yesterday.” I shrug my shoulders, but i keep glancing back at peter, hoping for some kind of reaction, some kind of realisation that im still his big sister, the one who protected him all of those years. But it never comes, its almost like he just expected me to cover for him which is a bigger punch in the face than yesterday.

“I never hit your face.” Wanda offers shyly from the corner of the room. Its like she doesnt quite know where she fits anymore, since the team found out she cheated.

“You did, you probably didnt notice because of how chaotic everything was.” I flash her a quick smile, hoping that helps to put it to rest, but i think the smile just made her worry more. Especially given my current hostile behaviour towards her.

“Yn i played on your injuries, i aimed for them, i made it a point not to hit your face.” Oh shit, well there goes my cover story.

Tony jumps in, surprisingly supporting wanda. Or is it just to protect me? “Yeah and besides, a bruise that nasty wouldve started to show before you left the lab yesterday.” He moves closer, his face pulling togegther in confusion as he studies the evergrowing bruise on my face. You would think after years of being beaten by my dad, pete would know not to go for the face. “Whatever did it, hit you with a lot of force.”

I take a step back, feeling caught out. “Nothing did it, it was an accident.” I pause and everyone just stares at me, waiting for more, waiting for the truth. “In training. It was a training accident.”

“Yn, did someone hurt you?” Nat moves closer, pressuring me to give an answer.

I groan and look back at peter. Hes still pretending i dont exist, his nose still buried deep within the pages of his textbook like the world is dead to him. Well not the world, but me. Maybe i dont need to prptect him. He said it himself, i failed to protect him, he still lived through it all. “It was an accident.” It sounds almost haunted, like im trying to convince myself more than the others. My eyes never move from peter as i just stare at the lack of care in his eyes. The last time i saw that look, i begged my dad for an apology, for some sign of remorse. Maybe its just the parker curse to become like my father.

Tony follows my line of sight, settling on peter. “Pete?” His head finally pops up like someone who matters is finally speaking. “Arent you gonna say anything?”

He shrugs, looking back at the words in his textbook like it matters infinitely more. “She said it was an accident, lets just leave it at that.”

“Pete, did you do this?” His eyes flicker down to peters hand thats wrapped firmly around the book.

“What? No, why would you think that?”

“The fact you came in this morning with bruised knuckles.” The room stills. Everyone is either staring at peter or at me, just waiting for one of us to react. The only problem is that pete has that whole not caring thing down.

A few minutes pass in awkward silence and i feel a supportive hand settle on my lower back. Yelenas finally come in and she knows exactly whats happening. Is this why she didnt fight me much this morning? “It was in the heat of the moment, it was an accident, leave it alone.”

“But did he do it?” Yelenas hand moves to mine swueezing it gently. When i look at her, she gives me an encouraging nod, one that tells me shes here if she needs to help me pick up the pieces of whatever is about to happen.

“Yeah, but it was an accident.” The tension in the room feels like an unbearable weight on my shoulders. Ive already tuined one avengers reputation and now theres another. Is this all my fault? Would things be easier if i were gone? That feels like ive been mentally winded. Ive not thought like that much since i met yelena, so to suddenly feel it again, it makes me feel like im in a haze.

“Hitting someone isnt an accident, its a choice.” Yelenas words rattle in my head, focusing me and pulling me from the haze. She squeezes my hand again as a steadying gesture that helps me stay upright. I didnt want this to happen. I didnt want them to find out in case they turn against him.

“So who cooked breakfast today?” I ask as though nothing happened. But thats because it didnt. Ive been hit before, much worse than this. This is nothing. I take a bite of the pancakes that melt in my mouth, they are coated in golden syrup and bacon and its such an amazing combination. I couldnt tell you the last time i had pancakes. We could never really afford to make them and the avengers like to make healthy breakfasts – i know, what a surprise. The guys who fight for a living want to stay in shape. “These are really good! Did wanda make them?”

Nat sits up a little straighter, her chest beaming with pride. “That was all me.” Nat cant cook to save her life, theres no way she made these, but im glad about the change in topic.

“Ha yeah right, these actually look good.” Yelena beats me to it, snatching my fork off me to try some. She only gets a bite in before i take it back.

“I followed a recipe. It turns out its not as difficult as i thought. I never used a recipe before because i always classed it as cheating.” I look at her dumbfounded as i continue to eat my pancakes. Who doesnt use a recipe? How is it cheating? Is this why shes such a bad cook then?

“Damn romanoff, we might get you to cook more often.” Sam jests, nudging her with his elbow.

She just stares him down with that lethal widow look as he awkwardly backs off, sitting as far away from her as possible. “Is that because im a woman and i belong in the kitchen?” Sam has this thing where hes terrified of offending women. It would be sweet if he wasnt so…Sam.

“What- no, thats not- no- romanoff im sorry, i didnt mean – ill cook next time. I beling jn the kitchen not you-“

“Oh is that because women are too useless to do anything that resembles work?” His face is so red, im worried he may have contracted a disease. He fumbles over his words as he stands up backing even further out of the room. He knows shes messing with him, but he doesnt want to come off as a woman hater to anyone else.

Just before he leaves the room he mutters under his breath, “Im gonna get you back for that romanoff.” I hope he means it, sam is notorious for his pranks but i havent actually seen any yet.

“That was mean.” I joke looking at her as my eyes crinkle in the corner. “But oh so fun to watch. How often do you do that?”

“Whenever he bugs me. He usually leaves quicker than that, i really need to up my game.” A small chuckle builds up my throat. When i look around i notice that petes already gone, probably to school, but no one said goodbye. This is all my fault, i knew nothing shouldve been said, i tried to get them to drop the subject. My smile falters as i think about what happened. No, this isnt my fault, yelenas right, ive never hit anyone by accident, i hit my father but he pushed me over my limit, that was reactive and defensive. This is different. If he wantz me to stop trying to protect him and stop keeping him in the dark, thats exactly what ill do.

I feel a hesitant hand lightly graize my shoulder and i turn to see pietro there. Hes lacking his normal confidence and its a terrifying thought. It sucks the life out of the room for just a moment. “Im sorry, i sent pete to apologise, i figured it was just a normal sibling argument. I didnt think it would lead to this.”

I give him a warm smile – ive not really spoken to him, but he seems nice, hes my age but he has that youthful naivity about him. One that tells me life hasnt completely destroyed him yet. “Thank you for trying pietro, it was a kind gesture, but if things are gonna be resolved, petes gonna have to want it to be resolved. At the minute he doesnt care either way.” He just nods, not entirely convinced. I put a hand on his, the one thats resting on my shoulder. I look him in the eyes so that he knows i mean my words. “It wasnt your fault.” That seems to settle his mind a bit as he traipses off. I take the last bite of my pancake when i put my plate in the sink and smile at yelena. “You ready for training?”

She copies my actions having just finished her breakfast too. “If youre sure youre ready, your injuries got aggrivated yesterday, remember?”

A small smirk plays on my lips as i lean in to whisper in her ear. “After our activities last night, i would say my injuries were healing pretty well.” I lean back, seeing the faint blush that spreads up her neck and cheeks. I give her a satisfied grin before i walk past her, heading to the gym.

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Authors note:
Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter, this felt like the natural. Also sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes, i am dyslexic and it can be difficult sometimes.