Chapter 19
She was right there. Natasha was only a dozen feet away from her and Yelena had to pretend that she didn’t know her.
“An Avenger?” Layla raised her eye at Yelena after shutting and locking the door. “You have the Avengers after you? What did you even do?”
Yelena glances away, hiding within the borrowed hoodie she had. She hears Layla approach her before the woman sits down on the couch with a sigh.
“Look at me,” Layla said and Yelena turns to peer up at her. “What mess has Khonshu gotten you into?”
Yelena straightens up. “He didn’t get me into any mess.” She defends him. “The Avengers are mad at me because I killed some SHIELD agents.”
Layla blinks in bewilderment. “Why?” She demands. “I thought you were all about vengeance and--”
“I am not killing innocent people!” Yelena jumped up, insulted by the insinuation. “That was vengeance! I was avenging all of those--” Yelena abruptly cuts herself off because she didn’t owe anyone an explanation.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Layla said calmly, eyeing Yelena worriedly. “I only want to understand. Would you like to know what Tawaret has me do?”
Yelena blinks in confusion at the ready exchange of information. “Okay.”
“I protect women and children. Sometimes it’s something as simple as placing a phone call to the police or cps. Sometimes she has me step in when it’s in public. Sometimes she has me break up bigger matters. I once broke up a small human trafficking ring,” Layla explained to her.
“Can we just call a meeting already?” Yelena grumbles, looking away to save herself from having to explain. “You said that we should wait until the morning. I followed your vow and didn’t run away. I slept on your couch. Can we just get this over with?”
“Not until you eat and find something appropriate to change into,” Layla retorts and Yelena lets out a groan.
“You’re like Khonshu,” Yelena mumbles, and Layla raised an eyebrow. “Always telling me to take care of myself because he needed me in peak condition.”
“I don’t need you in peak condition,” Layla replies, standing up from the couch and heading to the kitchen. “I just need you to function like a human being. It’s like you’ve been around gods so long that you forgot that you’re human.”
Yelena eyes her as she follows Layla to the kitchen. “I know I’m human.”
“Then act like it,” Layla says, reaching out to yank the hood down from the hoodie she wore. “You can show your face here. Nobody but me is gonna see it.”
Yelena scowls at her, folding her arms but ultimately does nothing retaliation for the manhandling.
“Now, are you allergic to anything?” Layla asked her, opening the fridge.
“No,” Yelena murmurs, watching as Layla starts to pull ingredients out and set them on the counter.
“Good. Then you can chop,” Layla shoves a knife into Yelena’s hand and steers her right in front of a cutting board. “Dice these please and thank you.”
Yelena blinks a few times, looking down at the large knife in her hand. Layla had just given her a tool to kill her with and didn’t care. Yelena slowly reaches out to start cutting.
“No, no, no--” Layla stops Yelena a few minutes later. “You’re doing it wrong. You’re decimating them!” She reaches out to grab Yelena’s hand. “You’re twenty and you’ve never diced an onion?”
“No.” Yelena glowers at her. “Who would have taught me?”
“Didn’t your parents teach you to cook?” Layla asked and Yelena stiffens at the question.
“I don’t have parents.” She replies harshly and Layla paused.
“Oh.” She said quietly before shaking her head. “You have to learn sooner or later. Here, scoot over and watch me.”
Yelena relinquishes the knife and lets Layla dice the onion. Yelena watches closely and replicates it the best she can when Layla passes the knife back.
“Wow,” Layla inspects the onion. “You pretty much nailed it on the first try.”
Yelena had to learn to grasp new concepts quickly. It helped her survive in the Red Room. Those who adapted fast survived.
Layla then proceeds to show Yelena how to make chicken curry. It takes a while and Yelena’s pretty sure that Layla is just stalling at this point because she doesn’t want to call a meeting.
Layla makes Yelena a heaping bowl and sets it in front of her, pointing the spoon covered with sauce still gripped in her hand at her. “Eat.”
Yelena had watched the whole thing be made. She knows that there is nothing nefarious in it and if there was then she could just wear the suit to filter out the poison. Yelena slowly picks up her spoon and takes a bite. She had been living off of essentials with Khonshu for so long that she had forgotten what well-seasoned food tasted like. The curry was spicy and sweet.
Yelena thinks the last time she had a homemade dish like this was the last night she lived in Ohio. Even then she didn’t get to finish her food.
“You like it?” Layla questioned, eating her own serving. Yelena slowly nods her head and Layla grins at her.
“Why did you cook for me?” Yelena asked her and Layla scoffed.
“Who says I cooked for you? I cooked for me. I just made extra for you,” She says but her refusal to hold eye contact tells Yelena that it was a lie.
“I don’t understand you,” Yelena admits to her. Layla glances at her in confusion. “You’re nice.”
“Are you not used to that?” Layla asked her and Yelena glanced away. “You look like you’re a baby, how are people not nice to you!”
“It is just how it is,” Yelena says quietly. “I am an assassin. I don’t have time for relationships and anyone who tries to be nice cannot be trusted.”
Layla lets out a huff. “You need to get a life.”
Yelena bristles slightly at the jab and Layla quickly spoke again before Yelena could protest. “And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just… your life doesn’t have to revolve around your patron. You’re still young. You can go out into the world and just live a little. Maybe get a hobby.”
“I don’t need a hobby. Khonshu is all I need,” Yelena doesn’t mention her sister or how she was the Avenger that showed up on Layla’s doorstep mere hours ago.
“You need actual human beings in your life,” Layla retorts although her voice is soft. “You need friends and family--”
“Khonshu is all I need!” Yelena repeats, her spoon clattering into her bowl as she drops it. “He has protected me and looked out for me for the past five years! That’s longer than anyone else bothered to stick around!”
Layla looked startled at the new information. “I’m sorry. I-- I didn’t realize--”
“Not everybody is perfect. I didn’t do my research on you out of respect to Tawaret but I could easily find out about you. You probably had a perfectly fine childhood with loving parents. I didn’t get that! I learned when I was six that nobody ever cared about me and I learned to be okay with that!” Yelena wasn’t meaning to raise her voice but she was so frustrated and upset.
“Yelena--” Layla starts but Yelena can’t help but let out a frustrated yell. Layla rounds the kitchen island and wraps her arms around her. Yelena squirms, trying to shove Layla off of her but Layla doesn’t let her go. “It’s okay. You’re alright. You’re here now, you got here. You made it. You survived.”
Yelena clenched her jaw, tears burning at her eyes as Layla holds her close. She can’t help but give in, sinking into the comfort that Layla had given her.
Layla didn’t understand. She didn’t need a life outside of Khonshu. Khonshu was enough for her. Khonshu has never hit her. He’s never yelled at her, belittled her, called her names, betrayed her, or abandoned her of his own free will. Khonshu has stayed around longer than anybody else.
Khonshu was her god. Her family. The only person she’s got. She was his.
She didn’t need anybody else (even if she would really like her sister)