Chapter 27
Yelena asks Peter to come over and then asks if he wanted to hang out on the roof.
Yelena just wanted a place to talk where they could shout without anyone being alerted.
Peter doesn’t know what Yelena had planned. He chatters on about a LEGO project he had been working on as he follows her to the roof.
Yelena remembers jumping and falling off the roof. She remembers Spider-Man swinging and saving her from certain death.
“Peter--” Yelena interrupts whatever Peter had been rambling on about. Peter paused, giving her a moment to speak. “Do you have a crush on MJ?”
Peter blinks a few times in surprise before his face turns bright red. “What? Pfft. No, what makes you say that? You’re crazy. Insane. Seeing things.”
“Peter, I read body language for a living,” Yelena reminds him and Peter’s face turns a darker shade of red.
“So what?” He folds his arms. “I’m allowed to feel however I want!”
“I know.” Yelena hadn’t meant to make him snap at her. “Are you jealous of me?”
Peter scrunches his face up. “No.” His body language betrayed the fact that he had lied to her.
Yelena raised an eyebrow, mimicking his stance as she folds her arms. “Why are you lying to me?”
“Why are you prying into things that are none of your business!” Peter snaps back at her. “Just drop it.”
Yelena takes a moment as she thinks about dropping it. “I don’t want you to be jealous of me and MJ.”
“Fine, I won’t then!” Peter huffs. “Are we done? Did you drag me all the way here just to throw accusations at me?”
Yelena frowns. Peter had never been one to get angry. “I’m not accusing you of anything.”
“I’m happy for you and MJ, why can’t you just let me be!” Peter questioned loudly. “Why are you prying?”
The words get stuck in Yelena’s throat. She wants to tell him that he’s her friend. She’s worried about him. If she’s uncomfortable with her and MJ then she won’t show MJ physical affection around him. She wants him to be happy. Instead, she says “because I’m a spy.”
A myriad of emotions flickers across Peter’s face before he lets out a loud huff. “Yeah. I know that. Your whole big mysterious past that leads to you getting kidnapped by the government.”
Yelena swallows hard. It’s much more difficult to judge the emotions of your friends and family, she finds. “I don’t want to fight, Peter.”
“They why did you take me up here? Seems like a good place for a fight to me,” Peter spreads his arms out. “Why can’t you just let me say I’m happy for you and be done with it?”
“Because you’re my friend. My first friend. You’re uncomfortable with the thought of me and MJ,” Yelena rocks on her feet slightly, nervous about his reaction.
Peter wrinkles his nose. “Whatever.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I like MJ. There, I said it. Are you happy?!” Peter demands. “Do you want to know why I’m jealous of you?”
Yelena frowns, having thought MJ was the reason he was jealous. She nods her head hesitantly.
“Because you’re dangerous!” He spat out the word and Yelena shrinks in on herself slightly. “She was already in a shootout with you! She could have died!”
Yelena knows that. This conversation is getting out of hand very quickly. “I know that…”
“You have the government kidnapping you left and right! What if she gets hurt?” Peter eyes her. “What if she gets hurt and it’s your fault?”
Yelena wants to retort and tell him that she wouldn’t let MJ get hurt but she couldn’t make that promise to him. She doesn’t know what to say.
“Nothing to say?” He scoffs and Yelena frowns.
“I think we need a moment--” She starts because Peter was getting very upset and angry. Yelena didn’t want that. She didn’t want this.
“No! You wanted to talk about this! I wanted to ask MJ out!” Peter points at himself. “I have liked her for years, Yelena! Years!”
“Then why didn’t you?” Yelena raised her voice back. “If you wanted to then you could have. You can’t be mad at me for making a move when you never did.”
“Because it wasn’t safe. It’s not fair. It’s not fair that you can date her and I can’t--” Peter kicks at the ledge.
“What are you talking about?” Yelena demanded, confusion on her face. “If you wanted to date her then--”
“It’s not safe because I’m Spider-Man!” Peter screams, throwing his arms in the air.
All Yelena sees are hands moving and she violently flinches away, stumbling over her own feet and falling back onto her butt.
It’s quiet other than the sound of the wind whistling, whipping their hair around.
They’re both breathing heavily from shouting, fury burning in their veins.
Yelena climbs to her feet. “You’re just as dangerous as I am.” Yelena points out to him, unsure whether she wants to hug him for saving her all those times as Spider-Man or shut down and leave. “You could have dated her if you wanted. You’re dangerous too.”
“Yea, well, at least I don’t kill people!” Peter spits before his eyes grow wide. “Wait--” He realizes that he went too far.
Yelena can pretend that it’s the wind and dry air that’s making her eyes water. She can’t help herself when she punches him in the face.
Peter retaliates with a hit and they quickly descend to blows.
Yelena doesn’t want to fight Peter. She’s just so angry and upset, she can’t help herself.
The door to the roof opens and there’s a brief yell before Peter is hauled off of Yelena.
It takes less than a minute for Natasha to appear. Yelena’s trying to lunge at Peter again because her heart hurts and she doesn’t know how to deal with that. James is grabbing Peter and Natasha quickly moves and wraps her arms around Yelena’s waist to yank her away.
“If you keep running all your life then you’ll have nobody left!” Yelena yells at Peter.
“I don’t need anybody and I certainly don’t need you!” Peter yells back.
“What the hell is going on here?” Tony appears and both teenagers immediately go quiet, sinking into the hold of the person restraining them. “Well?”
Peter’s face crumples first, his eyes watering as he sniffles. He has a bruise forming on his face from where Yelena got one good hit in.
Seeing Peter cry finally breaks Yelena and her breath hitched, a sob crawling out of her throat.
Natasha’s grip on her shifts so that she can pull Yelena closer, worry on her face. Yelena turns to press her face into Natasha’s shirt so she can cry.
She didn’t mean for things to go so far. This whole fight was her fault. She wanted to talk, not argue. She wanted to work things out and set boundaries instead of fighting.
Tony ushers Peter inside, James following after them. Yelena is left sobbing into Natasha’s shirt.
Peter was her friend. The first friend she made that she didn’t have to worry about killing.
Yelena cries harder. She doesn’t want to lose Peter. She didn’t mean to hit him. She’s very sorry but all she can think about is how Peter is going to be angry.
Betrayal among friends wasn’t uncommon in the Red Room. No matter who the Widows sought comfort with among each other, they all fought to earn the right to eat dinner and they’d kill each other without hesitation when asked.
Yelena’s ribs might be bruised from where Peter had shoved at her to push her away. Natasha’s trying to ask questions and understand what happened between soothing words and soft shushes. Yelena can’t feel anything but the throbbing in her abdomen.
She focuses on the pain. She deserves it.