visitor
Natalia doesn’t call again the next day and Yelena tries not to focus on it but that just makes her think about it more. It becomes all she can think about.
Yelena’s thoughts are nagging at her in the back of her head, telling her that Natalia and Clint could be hurt or even worse, dead. Why wasn’t Maria worried? Was the affection she held toward Yelena’s big sister just a ruse to manipulate her?
Skye tries to help take Yelena’s mind off of things. She really liked watching Scooby-Doo and kept trying to coax Yelena to watch it as well. When it seemed like Skye really didn’t know what to do, she’d fetch one of the Reese’s candies from the kitchen and split it with Yelena but the treat just makes Yelena think about Natalia even more.
While Yelena really appreciates Skye, she doesn’t want to stop thinking about her sister. She can’t. Her mind just won’t shut up and all these dark thoughts and extreme emotions are tiring her out. Yelena’s only gotten one good night’s sleep the whole time while she was here and she was exhausted.
Then Coulson shows up and because he was Natalia and Clint’s handler, a brief stab of panic surged through Yelena. Then she remembers that he’s Skye’s guardian and when she sees him interact with Skye, she longs for Natalia.
Maria then tells Skye and Yelena that Coulson is there to go over the frame she has set out for the new rules and guidelines concerning minor SHIELD assets.
Yelena hesitantly questioned if they should wait for Natalia because if Coulson was there as Skye’s guardian then shouldn’t Natalia be there as Yelena’s?
“This is just the frame. You guys can comment on changes you want to make. I’ll present the final version to Natalia before it’s submitted and ask for her thoughts,” Maria said. “Are we good so far?”
Yelena only gets a few bullet points in before she bolts to the bathroom, overwhelmed and frustrated.
Yelena sits in the empty tub in the bathroom, her knees drawn to her chin as she wishes for her big sister to just call her and let her know that she was safe. That’s all she wanted. To hear Natalia’s voice and the reassurance that she was alive.
Yelena doesn’t know long she sits in the tub for. She was surprised that nobody had knocked on the door to ask her if she was okay or if they could come in, not that she’d let them.
Yelena’s butt is starting to fall asleep just as there are three brisk knocks on the door, the voice following surprising Yelena.
“Knock knock, kiddo,” Bobbi comments, her voice muffled through the door. “Mind letting me in?”
Yelena scrambles out of the tub to cross the bathroom and flings the door open, the thought of it being a trick in the back of her mind as she mentally chastises herself for her foolishness.
But there Bobbi stands in all her glory and the woman doesn’t even manage to get a greeting out before Yelena nearly knocks her over with how hard she crashes into her to hug her.
Bobbi lets out a grunt but doesn’t hesitate to hug Yelena back. “Bottling up a lotta big feelings, huh kiddo?”
Yelena doesn’t answer her, burying her face into the crook of Bobbi’s neck. “Pressure?” She whispers. She’d missed Bobbi more than she realized. It was the longest Bobbi had been away from her since she had been assigned her temporary SO.
“Aw, kid,” Bobbi murmurs, knowing that it must be bad for Yelena to need someone to take control. Still, the woman moves her hand to cup the back of Yelena’s neck and squeezed gently. Yelena sinks against her, curling her fingers into Bobbi’s SHIELD uniform that she hadn’t even changed out of, meaning that she had come directly from whatever she was doing.
Bobbi is warm and Bobbi is safe. Yelena trusts Bobbi nearly as much as she trusted her big sister.
“Natalia won’t call,” Yelena whimpers out into Bobbi’s shoulders, the emotions she had hidden and buried from Maria and Skye were starting to spill out now that she was with someone she trusted to be vulnerable with.
“I’m sure she wants to but can’t for some reason,” Bobbi says, moving her free hand to gently rub Yelena’s back. “Maria called me.”
A flicker of guilt surges through Yelena. “You didn’t have to come.” She mumbles.
“Hey, look at me,” Bobbi pulls away slightly to grip Yelena’s chin in her hand and pulls the teenager’s head up to look at her. “You needed me. That’s okay. I will always come when you need me, Yelena.”
Yelena swallows hard, her face feeling hot as she nods. “Okay.”
Bobbi smiles at her, the hand grasping Yelena’s chin moving to cup one side of her face. “What can I do to help you? I know you’re really overwhelmed right now.”
Yelena ducks her head down, knowing what she wanted and thought would calm her down but feared sounding childish. She wasn’t a child, she was a Widow. All of these emotions were exhausting but if she was in the Red Room they’d order her to forget about them.
“Yelena?” Bobbi prompts. “I know that you need something from me. I want to help you feel better and anything that you ask of me isn’t silly.”
“Hold me.” The words leave her lips without her meaning to but Bobbi smiles at her. Yelena’s too emotionally exhausted to care when Bobbi scoops her up into her arms like when Yelena was sick.
Yelena will not admit to anyone that she cried into Bobbi’s collar. Bobbi sways in place, something that Natalia doesn’t do but Yelena finds comforting all the same.
Despite the fact that Yelena must get heavy, Bobbi doesn’t put her down, not even when Yelena finished crying and was too embarrassed to take her face out of Bobbi’s shoulder.
When Bobbi finally does set Yelena down, she pulls away and wipes away the tear tracks on Yelena’s face before the teenager can. “Feel better?” It’s not teasing but a genuine question.
“Yeah,” Yelena admits, missing Natalia desperately. “How long can you stay?”
“For however long you need me for,” Bobbi tells her and Yelena doesn’t mention that she’ll need Bobbi forever. “Maria said she had some things she wanted to go over with you and Skye.”
“She waited?” Yelena asked in surprise.
“Of course she did. This document is about you too and she wants your input,” Bobbi said, her hand settling on the back of Yelena’s neck and giving it a brief affectionate squeeze. “Are you ready to go out there?”
“You’ll stay?” Yelena double-checks and Bobbi sends her a reassuring nod. “Okay.”
Nobody mentions her disappearance. Skye had been sitting on the couch with Coulson watching cartoons while Maria typed away on her laptop in the armchair.
“Are you ready to continue?” Maria questioned her and Yelena nods, taking her seat next to Skye. Bobbi sits on the other side of her and it’s a tight squeeze with four people on a couch made for three.
Maria starts to go through the list she had.
“-- all minors will be required to see a psychologist regardless of their mental state--” Maria is interrupted.
“I’m not seeing some shrink!” Skye folds her arms, her outburst startling Coulson and Bobbi.
“All SHIELD agents and assets have mandatory sessions,” Maria tells Skye. “Even me.”
Skye glances at Yelena. “Do they make you do it too?”
Yelena glances away, feeling Bobbi reach out to settle a reassuring hand on the back of her neck. “Yeah. I’m supposed to be going three times a week right now but I’m staying with Maria.”
Skye points at Yelena. “That is not a face of someone who wants to go. Are you gonna force me to go?”
“We don’t want to use force,” Maria spoke before shaking her head. “But this is not something that can be changed or removed.”
“So I’m stuck seeing some wrinkly old fart that will just tell me all my issues are nothing and that I’m making things up for attention?” Skye demands with a huff, folding her arms.
It was quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t know what it is with shitty therapists but that’s not going to happen,” Maria tells Skye, the teenager narrowing her eyes at her.
“That’s not what is supposed to happen in those sessions,” Coulson tells Skye, concern in his tone. “SHIELD has vetted some amazing psychologists--”
“We’re hiring a child psychologist specifically for you and Yelena,” Maria interrupts and Coulson blinks in surprise, glancing at her.
Yelena also stares in surprise, having not known that bit of information. “I’m not a child.”
“You are until you turn twenty-one,” Maria retorts and Yelena wrinkles her nose.
“I thought that was eighteen,” Yelena said in confusion.
“Officially twenty-one in terms of how long the child psychologist would allow you under their care,” Maria shrugs slightly. “Which brings me to my next two points.”
Skye opens her mouth and Yelena reaches out to tap her hand to get her to quiet down and listen. Skye glares at her grumpily but closes her mouth.
“Each minor asset under the age of eighteen will have two guardians and an emergency contact to act as advocates for them both when dealing with training, work, medical care, therapy, and any education pursued,” Maria reads before glancing up at them.
“You mean make choices for us?” Skye scoffs, sinking down in her seat and gripping Yelena’s hand. Yelena doesn’t think she realizes she’s doing it.
“I mean stick up for you when you need someone on your side,” Maria tells them. “SHIELD isn’t catered toward children and you two don’t stick up for yourselves, surrendering yourselves to punishments that aren’t earned or inappropriate behavior from others toward you because of your age.”
Neither girl denies that she was wrong.
“Now, a little off topic but still relevant, I have a few therapists lined up who want to meet you before they agree to sign on with SHIELD,” Maria says. “There’s three of them and I’ve arranged for them to meet you this week.”
“You went over our heads to arrange this?” Skye sits up, shrugging off Coulson’s hand on her shoulder as he tries to comfort her. Yelena leans into Bobbi, taking a deep breath when she feels the woman gently squeeze the back of her neck.
“I was on a time crunch,” Maria spoke. “I apologize for going over your head and not involving you in the decision.”
Skye looked like she was ready for an argument on why Maria thought she could make decisions without their input. Skye deflates slightly, looking unsure and confused. She grips Yelena’s hand and Yelena squeezes back in reassurance.
Maria finishes going over her notes and tells them to think about it for a little bit and then ask her any questions or bring up any suggestions that they had.
“You’re exhausted,” Bobbi murmurs to Yelena, her thumb stroking the nape of Yelena’s neck. “Come on, you should take a nap.”
“I can’t,” Yelena can’t sleep like this.
“Come on. I’ll lay with you,” Bobbi coaxed and Yelena lets go of Skye’s hand, leaving her with Coulson as she reluctantly follows Bobbi into Maria’s office where her bed is set up.
Bobbi doesn’t even blink as Yelena clamps the handcuffs on, merely settling in the place Natalia usually would, having seen Yelena and Natalia together in bed once before.
And Bobbi is not Natalia but she’s someone Yelena trusts. Yelena doesn’t even have to ask as Bobbi starts to tell Yelena a memory she had of the time Hunter bought a cowboy hat because he insisted it would be great for undercover work.
Yelena falls asleep.