Chapter 1
MJ was waiting for Yelena when she steps off the plane and doesn’t hesitate before telling Yelena “catch me” and jumping onto her.
Yelena grins, hugging her close as MJ wraps around her like a koala.
“You’re never allowed to leave for that long again,” MJ murmurs. “I seriously missed you so fucking much, Belova.”
Yelena can’t keep the smile off her face as she lets out a snort. “I missed you too, Michelle.”
MJ then has to duck out and get back to her parent’s house before they find out she snuck away to go greet her child assassin best friend instead of going to the library to study with Peter.
To be fair, Peter was there too and while he didn’t climb Yelena as MJ did, he wraps her in a tight hug enthusiastically.
Yelena introduces the extra person that they brought back. Toni wore her Taskmaster helmet the whole time and Yelena loves her people just a little bit more when nobody asks her to take it off or asked why she wore it.
Natasha takes Toni to one of the guestrooms to cool down when the woman becomes overwhelmed with all of the new people. Yelena entertains the others in the kitchen.
“So--” Tony sets one of Yelena’s favorite juice pouches in front of her. “A little birdy told me that you’re officially gonna be a Romanoff.”
Yelena nods her head, pulling the papers from where she had carefully folded them up and placed them in her pocket. “They finally signed it. There is nothing left tying me to them but memories.”
“Good for you, kid,” Sam hums and Yelena pokes the straw in the top of her juice pouch.
Tony shoves one of the papers at Peppers before glancing at Yelena. “I seem to notice that your emergency guardian pages are blank.”
Yelena busies herself slurping from her juice pouch, watching as he squirmed anxiously. Finally, she replies. “Because you know your own contact information better than me.” She can’t help but laugh when Tony’s face lights up and he rips the page back from Pepper and pulls a pen from nowhere.
“Totally knew it, Barbie. You love me,” Tony grins before poking her with the cap of the pen. Yelena swats his hand away and he gasps. “Hey! Don’t abuse your poor godfather!”
Tony then turns to look at Pepper who was watching them fondly. “She’s beating me up, can you believe that? People who beat me up don’t get spoiled rotten.”
Pepper raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him but her lips are quirked up betraying her amusement. ”There are two spaces under emergency contacts.”
Tony rolls his eyes with a grin. “Yeah, yeah.” He flaps his hand at her. ”You get first dibs.”
“So, imagine if you had more blank spaces for emergency contacts,” Wanda pipes up with a small smile. “You’d have all of the Avengers as emergency contacts.”
Yelena huffs, finishing her juice pouch. “I’m pretty sure that people wanted by the government cannot be put down as emergency guardians for a child.”
Tony is scribbling away at the paper like a madman and Yelena watches him for a few moments.
“You don’t have to do this--” She said suddenly before she can catch herself. Tony froze, his hand pausing in his scribbling as he glances up at her.
“Do you… do you want me to stop? Do you not want this?” He gestures toward the papers in front of him. “We can-- we can find other emergency guardians for you. I’m pretty sure that Peter’s Aunt May--”
“No!” Yelena quickly shakes her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
The room was quiet and Yelena appreciates the time to gather her thoughts and put them into words.
“I… I still have Ross coming after me. And SHIELD. And other people who don’t like me because I either killed somebody important or they want revenge. I’m dangerous and I have a lot of issues…” Yelena rocks on her feet, her fingers fiddling with her empty juice pouch. “I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t want a tether attaching you to me. You have a whole business. I’m a risk.”
Pepper steps forward before swatting her shoulder. Yelena is still surprised by just how badass Pepper was. Only Pepper can fondly swat a child assassin with no fear. “You’re just as bad as Tony sometimes.”
Yelena blinks up at her in surprise, looking up at her. “What?” Hadn’t expected her to say that.
“Honey, take a look around you,” Pepper’s hand settles on Yelena’s shoulder. Yelena obliges, glancing around the room at the others. “These people care about you.” She gesures to Tony. “We care about you.” She settles her other hand on Yelena’s other shoulder. “I care about you.”
Yelena ducks her head down, feeling chastised. “I know that… I just forget sometimes… I’m still getting used to that.”
Pepper’s face softens. “We don’t have to worry about you being stuck with us. You’re the one stuck with us now.”
Yelena glances up at her. “Even though I seem to bring nothing but trouble?” She asked quietly, insecurities gripping her tightly.
“Honey, have you seen who you live with?” Pepper teased her softly, squeezing Yelena’s shoulders gently. “We want you, Yelena. Tony and I want this. And if you want this too then Tony will finish and we’ll get the papers officiated.”
Yelena shuffles forward and is grateful that Pepper understands the unasked question, pulling her into a hug.
That’s what Yelena did when words failed her and she didn’t know how to describe what she was feeling.
Six months ago, Yelena would have stabbed anybody that tried to touch her nevertheless if they tried to give her a hug. Six months ago, Yelena was on the run from the Red Room and all alone in the world.
Six months ago Yelena was content with dying as long as the Red Room didn’t gain control of her mind again. Six months ago Yelena thought that her sister hated her, her mother was dead, and her father was loyally serving General Dreykov.
Six months ago Yelena didn’t have a family. She does now. She has her people. She has her sister and she has the Avengers and she has MJ and Peter and Toni.
Six months ago Yelena Belova was an angry assassin that couldn’t sleep in anything but jeans and a vest and bit anybody that got too close to her. Yelena Belova was a name then. A name for a faceless soldier in a long line of Widows.
Yelena Belova is a person now.