whipping boy
Yelena feels like she’s back in the Red Room.
The freedom she had been granted on the helicarrier had been stripped from her and she and Natalia were not allowed to go anywhere unless they were guided by someone of a higher rank, usually always Clint.
Yelena spent a lot of time being guided around like a prisoner.
And she wasn’t naive enough to assume that all of her misdeeds were forgiven. She knew that she was still on a trial run, just like Natalia.
Yelena wasn’t even an actual agent yet. She was a ‘rookie agent’ which was just a fancy way of saying she was too young and inexperienced to be an actual agent.
That was their thoughts, anyway. Word spread about what Yelena did on the ship by the higher-ups that Yelena had fought with.
Natalia had her monitoring anklet removed to do missions but Yelena still kept hers on. It was a way that they held control over her. Both Yelena and Natalia knew that even though they promised to keep Yelena safe, they also kept her hostage.
Yelena could run if she wanted to. She could cut the tracker off and disappear.
But she wouldn’t. She had ties here now. Bobbi was her friend. Natalia wanted to stay and do good.
Yelena wanted to also but she was struggling. She’s not allowed to leave the helicarrier or the base. She just wants to be able to have some of the freedom that Natalia promised when they left the Red Room.
“You are free now, little sister,” Natalia had whispered to her, cupping Yelena’s face as the teenager shakes from a recent beating she got. “You and me against the world. I’ve got your back.”
Yelena trusted Natalia and followed her without a doubt. She’d follow Natalia to the ends of the Earth.
She feels the eyes following her, the whispers of agents who haven’t quite learned or just don’t care that she can hear them.
They call her Black Widow’s kid. Yelena rolls her eyes because there’s only a five-year age difference between them, it’s not like Yelena was ten years old.
Still, anybody who had been wronged by the Red Room or the Black Widow herself turned to Yelena, who they assume is innocent and naive. They don’t believe the rumors of her killing eight intruders with her bare hands.
They think Yelena is some child, an easy target. They make assumptions.
Things like that will end up getting them killed.
Yelena trains with the recruits when Bobbi is busy. Bobbi ends up busy a lot and will sheepishly smile at Yelena as she apologizes that she can’t train her that day.
Yelena understands. Even if she doesn’t like it, she knows that she’s not Bobbi’s priority. But the new recruits think she’s fresh meat.
Yelena doesn’t even bother in training with them. She goes last and will finish quickly and quietly. She lets the other win when they spar merely because she doesn’t feel like putting in the effort.
These new recruits are much cockier and rub their wins in Yelena’s face.
“I beat Black Widows kid,” They boast and Yelena watches them with a bored sigh.
She doesn’t realize that she made herself a target until she’s cornered in the locker rooms and there are hands gripping her gym uniform and limbs to lift her up.
Yelena squirms, disgruntled and annoyed but she doesn’t want to bring bad attention to herself.
Being able to play the innocent card is something that Yelena tries to hold close. Being underestimated is something she needs.
But they carry her toward the toilets and blood rushes to Yelena’s head as they dangle her over one of them and try to lower her into the toilet bowl.
Yelena tries to catch herself on the lip of the toilet but they push her down.
“Stop it!” Panic grips Yelena’s chest, a vice squeezing her heart as her breath hitched. “Lemme go!”
Hands grip her arms to pry them away and Yelena snaps.
There’s a crack as her foot connects with one of their faces and Yelena twists until they drop her. Yelena hits her face against the rim of the toilet before she pops to her feet and lunges at the group of six recruits.
They put up a good fight but Yelena is at the end of her rope and knocks them all out within a matter of minutes.
When she finishes, she looks at the pile of unconscious recruits around her, breathing heavily.
Yelena slumps against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit on her butt and curled up. Her cheek throbs from where she hit it against the rim of the toilet.
Yelena sits there and stares at the bodies until the instructor comes to look at why nobody was leaving the bathroom.
She takes one look at Yelena before looking at the unconscious students and lunging forward. Yelena lets the woman haul her to her feet, listening as the woman screams obscenities in her face before grabbing Yelena by the back of the neck and marching her out of the bathroom, hissing at the nearest agent to get medical into the bathroom.
Yelena keeps her eyes on her feet as she’s yanked through the halls. Eyes land on her in confusion as the instructor keeps up her tirade of scolding.
Yelena tenses up as they get closer to the Director's office. The woman knocks sharply and has to wait a moment before she’s called in.
“Your little pet project has gone too far!” The woman snaps at the man and Yelena stares at one particular spot on the wall as the woman rants.
“That is enough!” The Director finally said and the woman falls silent. “Remove your hands from her.”
The woman’s hand leaves Yelena’s person and Yelena shuffles a few inches away from her immediately.
“Leave. Go do what you need to clean up the mess and then return here,” Fury tells her firmly and the woman glances at Yelena before giving a curt nod and leaving.
Yelena is left standing alone in Fury’s office.
“So,” Fury leans back in his chair. “I’ve heard her side of things. Tell me what happened.” He orders.
Yelena is frozen in place. She messed up big time and she was alone in this. No May, no Bobbi, no Natalia.
“Rookie agent Belova?” Fury prompts and Yelena sucks in a sharp breath.
“I knocked out six recruits,” Yelena finally says, bowing her head and clasping her hands behind her back. “I apologize for my insubordination and will accept any punishment you bestow upon me.”
She can feel Fury eye her. “I want you to kneel.”
Yelena goes rigid, her heart skipping a beat as panic grips her. But she doesn’t dare disobey, sinking to her knees.
“Look at me,” Fury stands, moving toward her.
Yelena tenses up, hunching in on herself in anticipation as she hesitantly tilts her head up to look up at him.
“What am I?” Fury orders and Yelena swallows hard, her mouth dry.
“The leader.” She whispers, curling her fingers into her shorts.
“Get up,” Fury orders and Yelena rises to her feet. “I am the Director but I am not a dictator. You do not kneel for anybody here, not even me. You are a person and you have a voice, do you understand me?”
Yelena’s still reeling over the fact he hadn’t made her do sexual favors for him while kneeling or hit her yet. “Yes, sir.”
“Do you really?” He raised an eyebrow and Yelena dares to look him in the eye.
“Agent May told me that too. She says I have a voice,” Yelena said quietly and Fury inclines his head.
“SHIELD is not a dictatorship and you are not a whipping boy,” Fury looks down at her. “What happened that made you feel the need to render six recruits unconscious?”
Yelena’s eyes flicker away at his stare. “How do you know I didn’t do it just because I could?” She demands, hesitant with his question.
She’s not a snitch.
“Did you?” Fury said and Yelena can either lie to his face or admit it.
“No…” Yelena replies, clasping her hands behind her back again.
“Did you feel threatened?” Fury inquired and Yelena shrugs slightly before stopping herself. “Rookie agent Belova, did you feel threatened and cornered?”
Yelena clenches her jaw before giving a curt nod.
“You have a right to defend yourself if you are being threatened,” Fury tells her and Yelena tilts her head to the side in confusion.
“I do?” She asked quietly and Fury was silent for a moment.
“Recite to me the rules that you are following as part of your service to SHIELD,” Fury finally moves away and paces in front of his desk as Yelena obediently recites the rules.
“--I am under no circumstances to harm my fellow colleagues or superiors--” Yelena is cut off by Fury.
“New rule,” He tells her and Yelena’s mouth snaps shut so she can listen. “You are under no circumstances allowed to harm your fellow colleagues or superiors unless you feel as though bodily harm may occur to yourself. No permanent maiming or killing.”
Yelena stares at him before nodding. “Yes, sir.”
“Repeat the new rule,” Fury orders and Yelena recites the amended rule. “Good. Now--”
There’s a familiar chirp from nearby and Yelena turns on her heel to look at the orange cat now on Fury’s desk. “Goose!”
Yelena had been worried in the fight on the helicarrier that Goose had gotten hurt. She makes an aborted move toward the cat before remembering where she was.
“You’ve met?” Fury arched an eyebrow and nodded toward the cat. Yelena takes that as an okay to approach.
Yelena scoops the cat up, a small smile crossing her face as Goose nuzzles against her affectionately. “I was worried she’d gotten hurt.”
There’s a beep from Fury’s computer and he glances at it before looking at Yelena’s tracker. He lets out a slight grunt as realization flickers across his face.
Yelena watches, her fingers stroking Goose’s fur.
“Who does Goose belong to? I can’t find any SHIELD members named Danvers,” Yelena dared to question Fury when he doesn’t demand she set the cat down.
“A friend of mine. I’m looking after Goose while she’s out of town,” Fury said before glancing at the collar on Goose’s neck. “There’s a signal jammer in her collar. That’s why your tracker keeps disappearing.”
Yelena looks down at Goose in surprise before nodding. It made sense. “She’s really sweet.”
“She trusts very few people,” Fury tells Yelena and the teenager looks up at him in surprise. “There are three people who know about her existence and that she lets around her. There is only one who can dare to hold her as you are now and that is Danvers.”
Yelena blinks before moving to set the cat down. “I didn’t mean--”
“If Goose didn’t want you to pick her up then you would know,” Fury interrupts Yelena. “She has a very good sense of judgment.”
Yelena rests her cheek on the top of the cat’s head as she takes in his words. “I’m not a good person.”
“Goose seems to think differently,” Fury replies. “Tell me what happened in the bathroom.”
With Goose purring away on her chest, Yelena feels safe enough to tell him. Yelena focuses on running her fingers over the soft orange fur as she explains that some of the recruits had been harassing her for merely being associated with Black Widow. “Did you redact the information from my file? I’m a Widow too. I’m just as dangerous as her.”
“You’re seventeen,” Fury retorts. “Your file is redacted for your safety. Your sister negotiated her terms. As far as they know, all you are is some kid that decided to tag along for the ride with the Black Widow.”
Yelena nods her head, displeased but understanding. “What’s my punishment?” She asked quietly.
“You’ve already been punished,” Fury said and Yelena looks up at him in confusion.
“What? I--” Yelena paused, trying to think of how.
“Many would find just being in the office with me as sufficient punishment,” There’s a quirk in Fury’s lip. “Put Goose down and follow me, I have some rookies to yell at.”
Yelena sets Goose down onto his desk and brushed the orange fur from her shirt before following him out of the room.