tall child
When Yelena joins Coulson for cheesy bread on Tuesday, Natalia was still facing punishment.
“What’s my question today?” Yelena sits at the table, frowning slightly when Coulson pushes the plate of cheesy bread toward her first.
“How old are you?” Coulson asked and Yelena stares at him for a moment.
“How old do you think I am?” Yelena inquired.
“At least eighteen,” Coulson replies with a deep frown. “I think I’m wrong about that.”
“What’s wrong with not being eighteen?” Yelena shoves the plate of cheesy bread aside as she mimics his frown.
“I didn’t think Fury would willingly employ a minor,” Coulson said, looking troubled by the new information. “Are you at least older than sixteen?”
“Are you worried about child labor laws?” Yelena laughs but her grin fades when Coulson doesn’t laugh as well. “I’m seventeen.”
Coulson lets out a long, tired sigh but nods his head. “I appreciate you being truthful.”
“Did you want me to lie and say that I’m twenty-one so I could drink with the big kids on Fridays?” Yelena raised an eyebrow and Coulson rewards her with a small smile.
“No drinking for you until you’re eighteen and only if we’re flying over where it’s the legal age limit,” He said.
“I’d like to see you try to stop me,” Yelena retorts with a grin.
“It makes sense why Natalia’s age was in her files but yours wasn’t,” Coulson taps his fingers together before pushing the plate of cheesy bread back toward her. “Eat.”
“Did you really not know I was seventeen?” Yelena asked, taking a bite of the cheesy bread.
“No.” Coulson frowns before shaking his head. “But let’s not focus on that. Tell me about your day.”
May seemed distant and distracted when they trained. Yelena was able to knock May down with very little resistance.
“Is there something on your mind?” Yelena asked, offering May a hand up for the third time.
“I was under the impression that you were eighteen,” May comments, accepting the hand up.
“I’m almost eighteen. I don’t have a birthday because the Red Room burned my birth certificate but I picked sometime in November,” Yelena glanced at her.
“I don’t train children,” May then continues and Yelena froze.
“I’m not a child,” Yelena glances away. “I haven’t been since I was six.”
“Biologically, you are. You’re seventeen,” May said. “I have a problem with that.”
“I don’t see the issue!” Yelena stares at her. “You’ve been training me for months now! It’s never been an issue!”
“I thought you were eighteen!” May raised her voice and Yelena clenches her jaw.
“I’ll be eighteen soon anyway. I don’t understand.” Yelena drops her stance to look at May.
“I can’t--” May cuts herself off. “We’re done for the day. You’re dismissed.”
Yelena stands there for a moment, disbelief and betrayal surging through her.
“I said you’re dismissed,” May repeats when Yelena doesn’t move.
Yelena can only think that she was such a fool to trust May. A fool for daring to think that her superior could be different than the others.
Yelena gathers herself up and leaves the room.
She storms down the hallway, unsure of where she was going because he sister and Clint weren’t on base.
She turns to head to the empty office to see if she can’t get a glimpse of the cat again.
Yelena wedged herself back into the corner behind the bookcase and curls in on herself.
Goose finds her and Yelena shifts so Goose and hops up onto her lap.
Goose lets out a purr, rubbing their face against Yelena’s stomach.
Yelena lets out a sigh, running her fingers along the soft orange fur. “I miss my sister.” She murmurs as Goose curled up on her abdomen. “I need her right now.”
Goose lets out a chirp, nuzzling their face against Yelena’s hand.
“I got stupid. I let my guard down around my superior,” Yelena continues quietly, scratching the top of Goose’s head. “Natalia warned me. I am a Widow, I am made of marble.”
Yelena frowns when her vision blurs with tears. “I was a fool. I thought… I dunno…” Yelena clenches her jaw and leans against the wall.
Yelena goes quiet, focusing on the comforting feeling of Goose purring on her stomach. “You’re a good kitty. I wonder who your owner is.”
Goose licks their paw and Yelena enjoys the warmth against her chest and stomach.
Yelena finds Bobbi later on. “How old do you think I am?” She demands.
“Probably not old enough to do whatever assassin things you can do,” Bobbi replies. “I didn’t think about it, why?”
“How old do you think I am?” Yelena folds her arms.
Bobbi raised an eyebrow but answered her anyway. “Nineteen?”
Yelena throws her hands in the air. Maria knew how old she was. The Director knew. Clint knew.
“Wait-- how old are you?” Bobbi asked her.
“Seventeen,” Yelena folds her arms, and Bobbi nods.
“That… makes sense,” Bobbi slowly said. “What’s with the sudden question.”
Yelena shrugs. “Don’t worry about it.” She moves to continue down the hallway toward Maria’s office but Bobbi grabs her upper arm.
Yelena twists and pins Bobbi to the wall. “Don’t grab me!”
“You need to chill out. Where’s your sister?” Bobbi asked, not at all bothered at the fact that Yelena was shoving her up against the wall.
“On a mission!” Yelena growls out and Bobbi nods her head.
“Okay. Please let go of me,” Bobbi said calmly and Yelena backs up. “You’re upset. What happened?”
Yelena lets out a huff, her fingers curling into fists. “Does me being seventeen change our relationship?”
Bobbi raised an eyebrow. “No. Who said it did?”
Yelena tries not to let the emotion show on her face but she hadn’t felt this betrayed since she was six.
“Oh, kiddo,” Bobbi frowns. “Whose ass do I need to kick? You look like someone kicked your puppy.”
Yelena immediately pulled a mask over her face and Bobbi blinks before raising an impressed eyebrow.
“You’ll have to teach me how to do that,” Bobbi reached out and slung an arm around Yelena, ensuring the girl could see it before she touched her. “Come on. I know where we can get happy snacks.”
Bobbi takes Yelena to her quarters and texts one of her friends.
Yelena meets a man named Lance Hunter who had a stash of junk food that he dumps onto the bed in Bobbi’s quarters.
“You’re a tiny one, ain’t ya?” Hunter chuckles as he reaches toward Yelena to ruffle her hair.
“Careful, she bites,” Bobbi comments and Yelena flushed red at the reminder. “I’ve got her teeth tattooed on my forearm.”
Bobbi shows Hunter where Yelena bit during their first meeting and Hunter lets out a low whistle, his hand never making contact with her hair. “So, you Bob’s new attack dog?”
“Don’t be a prick, Hunter,” Bobbi rolls her eyes, picks up one of the snacks, and turns it over in her hands before tossing it to Yelena.
Yelena glances down at the bag of chips and opens it, watching Bobbi and Hunter closely.
“So,” Bobbi opens her own bag of chips. “What happened?”
“Ooh,” Hunter leans forward at the prospect of gossip. “Do tell.”
“May found out about my age and she says she’s not comfortable training me,” Yelena shoves a chip into her mouth.
“Are we talking about Melinda May?” Hunter squints at her. “I assumed that you just had a babyface.”
“I’ve been training since I was six,” Yelena tilts her head up. “May was fine with training me until she finds out I’m less than a year away from the legal age that makes me an adult in America.”
“Six?” Bobbi repeats and Yelena huffs.
“Barbara, listen,” Yelena said and Bobbi rolls her eyes at the use of her full name but nodded.
“Okay. I’m listening,” Bobbi said. “May telling you this obviously upset you.”
Yelena busies herself with her snack as she gathers her thoughts. “It does. I don’t know why but it does.”
“Talk to me. Maybe we’ll figure out why you feel this way,” Bobbi encourages and Hunter bobs his head in agreement before swiping some of Bobbi’s chips.
“I like May…” Yelena starts with the obvious, shifting to pull her knees to her chest as she thinks. “She’s the first superior who let me set rules and the pace. She lets me tap out and doesn’t get angry about it.”
Bobbi nods her head. “That’s good. What else?”
Spurred by Bobbi’s encouragement, Yelena continues. “It… upsets me…” Yelena paused, unsure if she was using the right words. “That she’s judging me based on my age when she already knows what I’m capable of.”
“Must be frustrating,” Hunter comments and Yelena shrugs.
“I don’t want another superior. I want May. But May--” Yelena lets out a long sigh. “May doesn’t want me.”
“I don’t really think that’s all that is going on here,” Bobbi tells her. “May wouldn’t just abandon you for no good reason. That’s not the type of person May is.”
“Then why aren’t I good enough for her to stay?” Yelena asked quietly, averting her eyes.
“Kid…” Bobbi shuffles to sit next to Yelena and wraps an arm around her. “This isn’t a matter of how good you are.”
“She knows that I can handle myself…” Yelena can’t help but lean against Bobbi, wishing for her sister. “Why is she judging me for something as stupid as my age? It doesn’t change anything.”
“You may not have noticed but you’re the youngest on the helicarrier by three years give or take. SHIELD doesn’t employ child soldiers. I can’t speak for May but she probably felt like she had to draw a line somewhere,” Bobbi gives Yelena a small reassuring squeeze.
“I don’t want another SO or to go back with the other recruits… I want…” Yelena hesitates before finally sighing. “I want May.”
“Come here, kid. I’m gonna hug you,” Bobbi said and twists to pull Yelena into a hug.
Yelena tenses up at first. She can count the number of people who have hugged her and lived on one hand and still have fingers left. But Bobbi’s hug is nice and Yelena doesn’t shove herself away.
“I’ll talk with May and we’ll figure something out, okay?” Bobbi said before pulling away.
“I will watch valiantly on the sidelines as May kicks Bobbi’s ass,” Hunter tacks on and Bobbi glares at him.
“Not helpful, Lance,” Bobbi said and Hunter shrugs.
“You never said I had to be helpful, you just said I had to bring snacks,” Hunter defends with a cheeky grin.
Yelena watches them as they bicker. “You two argue like an old married couple.”
“We do not!” They chorus and glare at each other before Bobbi points a finger at Yelena. “Don’t egg him on.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Yelena protests but Hunter winks at her and digs his fingers into Bobbi’s side.
“You fucking asshole!” Bobbi cried out as she descends into laughs. “Stop!”
“This is how you get Bobs to shut up,” Hunter tells Yelena. “Just poke your fingers into her left ribs and give it a little wiggle--”
Bobbi elbows Hunter and kicks Hunter’s knee. “You just gotta hit him hard enough to shut him up.”
“Ouch, Bobbi, my pride!” Hunter yelps.
“I’ll hurt a lot more than your pride if you give away trade secrets,” Bobbi hissed at him but there’s a grin on her face that Yelena can’t help but mimic as she watches the two of them blab to her about the others dirty laundry.