Chapter 17
Yelena had a bad night the day that the Wakandan’s were coming to pick them up. She had a total meltdown and dissociated for nearly an hour. She felt off and grumpy and snapped at everyone and everything.
She’s full of anxiety about going to a place she doesn’t know with people she’s unfamiliar with and the only safe person there being her sister.
Wanda helps them pack but it’s only because Yelena refuses to let go from where she had wrapped herself around Natasha.
Yelena curls into her sister, pressing her face into the crook of her neck, and lets herself be surrounded by the safety that is her sister.
MJ had already left because she had to get going back to school. She made Yelena swear to call and video chat with her.
At times like these, Yelena wishes that she still had her vest. The deep, army greet was comforting both in color and in weight. It was her security blanket and her armor and she took it everywhere.
She still had a vest. This one was deep red and plated to prevent bullets. Tony designed it specifically for her. The weight wasn’t the same but Yelena still donned it after her hard night.
Four guard members were sent to pick up Natasha and Yelena. Yelena is immediately startled at their appearance, each one identical in uniform. Their faces are hard and they grip spears tightly. Natasha urges Yelena onto the jet.
Yelena sits right next to Natasha, pressed as closely against her as she can. She knew that these people were dangerous and much more well versed in fighting than any old Hydra guard.
“My name is Ayo,” One of the guards speaks, her accent thick. “I am part of the King’s guard known as the Dora Milaje.” Her eyes fall onto Yelena. “You are Yelana Beloveda?” She stumbles over the pronunciation.
Yelena lets out a small nod and Natasha runs a hand over her hair. “Yelena Belova.” Natasha corrects when Yelena doesn’t.
The guards remind her of widows, the thought suddenly struck her. She wondered if they too were trained from childhood to be the guard to the king.
Yelena can’t sit still. She keeps fidgeting and shifting and with every movement she makes, Ayo glances at her.
She decides to fuck all means of composure when they’re flying steadily in the air and crawls into her sister’s lap.
She needs her sister more than she needs to keep up an image.
Natasha hums quietly to her, her hands gliding over Yelena’s arms and back to give her the reassuring touch that she needs. Yelena counts her heartbeats and tries to match her breathing with Natasha’s. Natasha takes slower, deeper breaths when she notices.
It’s not safe to sleep but Yelena does burrow into her sister’s touch and closes her eyes. The ride lasts five hours and Yelena only moves out of Natasha’s lap when the older woman admits that her legs are falling asleep.
“Before you can leave the jet, you must leave all weapons behind. They will be returned to you at the end of your journey,” Ayo tells them as they’re landing. She holds out a small container for them to surrender their weapons.
Yelena knew it was a test. Still, the feeling of having no weapons on her terrified her. Natasha goes first, unstrapping each weapon she had on her and surrendering it to the bin. Yelena slowly starts to follow, hesitating at the last knife strapped to her.
“All of them,” Natasha chides and Ayo narrows her eyes at Yelena. Yelena finally relinquishes the last of her weapons and admits that she has more in her bag. Ayo gives her a curt nod and they are guided off the jet.
Yelena squishes herself against her sister’s side. Wakanda is beautiful but Yelena cannot lean back and take a moment to observe the beauty.
“Ah! You must be the broken white girl I am to fix!” A teenager leans toward Yelena, visibly exerting way more energy than Yelena had. Yelena shrinks away from her, looking her over.
“You are… princess Shuri?” Yelena asked quietly, Tony having given her a brief rundown on the important people. Shuri’s face lights up as she bobs her head in a nod.
“I am, I am!” She grins. “Please, call me Shuri.”
Yelena doesn’t know whether to bow or thank her or if she is even allowed to call her Shuri or if that was just pleasantries.
Yelena settles for a nod, her fingers curling into Natasha’s shirt. She feels like she might just shut down soon. She already feels a little fuzzy.
Shuri is babbling a mile a minute as she guides them up to the large palace they passed while flying in. Yelena tries to listen but she can’t focus. It takes a few seconds to realize that Shuri is staring at her, probably having asked a question.
“I’m sorry?” Yelena tries to give her a polite smile but Shuri’s brow knits in concern.
“You must have had a long flight,” Shuri abruptly changes paths. “I am sure you are eager to rest.”
Yelena and Natasha follow her. Yelena tries to sing a song in her head and focus on that but she keeps getting the lyrics jumbled.
“Are you okay?” Natasha whispers into her ear. Yelena can feel the stares of the other guards.
“I think I’m starting to dissociate…” Yelena murmurs quietly.
She feels Natasha’s arm move from around her shoulders to around her waist, feeling her sister stick two fingers barely under her shirt and tap against her bare stomach.
“What am I spelling?” Natasha whispers into her ear and Yelena focuses on the tapping of her sister’s finger in morse code.
It helps slightly, Yelena tapping the words back onto her sister’s back. She’s sure by now that at least one of the guards trailing behind them can see what they’re doing.
“And this is where you will be staying. Double rooms next door to each other,” Shuri announced, clasping her hands together.
“Thank you, your highness,” Natasha tilts her head forward briefly in a nod of appreciation. “But my sister and I share a bed.”
Shuri paused, glancing between them. “You’re sisters?” She double-checks with a frown. Ayo reaches out and flicks Shuri’s arm with a single finger. “Right, sorry.” Shuri shakes her head. “I can arrange for a bigger bed if you’re willing to wait for it.”
Yelena needed a secluded space in order to for her to not make a fool of herself in front of the princess. She taps onto her sister’s back quickly.
- AM. UPSIDE. DOWN.
“If you wouldn’t mind us occupying this room for right now, please? It’s been a long journey,” Natasha taps back on Yelena’s stomach.
YOU. ARE. DOING. A. GOOD. JOB.
Shuri nods her head. “Of course. It is of no issue. Your bags will be returned to you within the hour.” Shuri gives them a polite smile. “I shall come and find you after dinner and we shall talk then if that is acceptable.”
Natasha smiles and nods and Yelena focuses on the tapping on her stomach.
ALMOST. THERE.
She doesn’t even realize that Shuri and the guards are gone until Natasha is tugging her inside the room.
“There we go,” Natasha kissed Yelena’s forehead, twisting to pull Yelena’s back against her front. “Look at the room. Tell me what you see.”
Yelena takes a deep breath before she starts to list everything that she sees. Natasha repeats each item listed with a series of taps against Yelena’s stomach.
The fuzziness slowly starts to fade and Yelena sinks into her sister’s hold more and more with each minute. She had never successfully prevented dissociate before but she thinks this was the first.
“Are you still with me?” Natasha asked her, kissing her cheek and Yelena let out a soft sigh of content.
“Yes…” Yelena finally closes her eyes. “Thank you. I didn’t mean to get overwhelmed.”
“It’s okay to be overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed,” Natasha reassures her. “We’re in a new place with new people and new customs. It’s okay to feel whatever you’re feeling.”
The bed is full-sized but Yelena doesn’t care and wants nothing more than to curl up with her sister which she expresses vocally.
Natasha and Yelena leave their shoes by the door and Natasha climbs into bed so Yelena can curl on top of her. The bed smells like floral detergent and herbs. She thinks one of them was lavender.
“Think you can nap some?” Natasha asked Yelena and Yelena denies it because she truly thinks that she can’t.
She’s proven wrong when she wakes up a few hours later to a knocking on the door.