𝐞𝐒𝐠𝐑𝐭.

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CHAPTER EIGHT:



After the fiasco with the pig (yes, a pig) at the dinner table, the conversation went on.

"Dreykov has chemically subjugated agents planted around the globe." Melina tells us.

"And do you know who they test it on?"

"Hmmm...." After a moment she continues. "No. That's not my department."

"Ah, come on, come on." Alexei urges. "Don't lie to them, hmm?"

"I'm not lying." 

"You're Dreykov's architect, huh?"

"What were you? If I was his architect, you were his partner. You were his business partner." 

"No, no, no. I was patsy-" He bangs the table. "Don't give me that, he sell me ideology-" They continue but I'm barely even in the conversation, zoning out.

"Shut up!" Nat says suddenly. "You are an idiot." She says to Melina. "And you're a coward. You're a coward." She tells Alexei. "And our family was never real, so there's nothing to hold on to. We're moving on."

"Never family, huh?" Alexei begins. "In my heart, I am simple man. And I think that for a couple deep undercover Russian agents I think we did pretty great as parents, huh?" 

"Yes, we had our orders, and we played our roles to perfection." Melina agrees.

"Who cares? That wasn't real." Nat says.

"What?" Yelena asks, I can hear the hurt in her voice and I don't like how this'll go. 

"That wasn't real, who cares?" Nat repeats.

"Nat-" I begin.

"Don't say that." Yelena says. "Please, don't say that. It was real... It was real to me." She turns to Melina. "You are my mother. You were my real mother. The closest thing I ever had to one. The best part of my life was fake." Too late to ask for another shot of vodka? She exhales deeply and bangs on the table softly. "And, none of you told me." The whole table is silent as they all, for once, listen. "And those agents you chemically subjected around the globe?" She asks, back at Melina. "That was me." She then turns on Nat. "And you, you got out. Dreykov made sure no one could escape. Are you gonna say anything?" Total silence. "No." She stands up and Melina goes to grab her hand. "Don't touch me." She grabs the bottle of vodka before walking away from the table.

"Yelena-"

"No." She slams the door behind her and I reach over, having Melina's shot of vodka.

"What?" I ask when I see the glare on her face. "I'm not the one who faked being a mother." They all stay there silently before Alexei gets up. 

"I'll go talk to her-" He says. I take the shot and look over at him.

"Are you dumb?" I ask. "Actually- don't answer that." They all stay there, a little awkwardly. "Look: I've had many arguments with my parents in the past. The first three minutes straight after an argument is always better to be left alone. After that it's a little less- hostile. Also- yeah great idea. You just sent her over the edge, she's got vodka in her system and you're gonna go and talk to her after less than thirty seconds of the argument." I put the shot glass back in front of Melina. "You made the mess. Not me." 

I put my feet up on the table, moving the plates and glasses around a little and Alexei sits back down in his seat. I look over at him. "You see, the problem is, the only thing you've shown to care about is the stupid glory days you've had as the Russian Captain America, you'll tell the stories as many times as you like- but no one cares." I say before turning to Melina. "You were meant to be the mom. And moms usually are there for their daughters. And yes, you weren't her real mother- maybe you liked to live that lie you lived in Ohio, but Yelena didn't deserve to also be made to think it's real."

"Go talk to her." Nat says quietly, looking down at the table. 

"She's not gonna like it-" I begin.

"I meant you." She says looking over at me. I exhale sharply and look over at the other two, both looking just as depressed. Sorry not sorry, I guess. "Aerus..." 

"Okay... Okay..." I take my feet off the table and I get up slowly, walking away and towards the door Yelena had gone through. I open it up and walk through to a voice.

"I came in here because I didn't want to talk." She says sternly.

"Right- I'll go-" I go to walk back before I even take a glance over to wear I'd heard the voice.

"Wait-" I look over and see Yelena sat next to the bed, on the floor. "You can stay. I thought you were going to be Alexei." I close the door again and give a small smile to the girl before sitting next to her. She unscrews the top of the vodka and uses the plastic top as a shot glass and takes it before closing it again. "You shouted at them didn't you?"

"I wouldn't say shout-" 

"I meant your parents." I look over at her and furrow my eyebrows. "If you'd shouted at them, I would've heard, no?" 

"How would you know about the parents?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Seems right. The waiting a few minutes. The staying quiet unless you really want to say it. All adds up."

"Dad worked overland, some tech company, never really cared too much about me or mom. Mom worked six days a week in the Emergency room. Whenever dad got back from a trip, there'd be arguments. I guess I just always saw it coming. From the way mom tapped her feet in the kitchen as the music played to the way dad held his phone." I shrug.

"And when you were eighteen you left and went to S.H.I.E.L.D?" She says.

"Hill. Agent Hill. Came to my fencing competition. Told me about S.H.I.E.L.D and I never looked back."

She nods and we sit there in silence. "But, you would prefer the arguing between your parents, the not seeing them pretty much at all, over this." 

"The arguing, for a teen, was hell. But, if I'd known what I was getting into, maybe I wouldn't have gone to that fencing competition, at all."

"I guess there's always a farm in Ukraine you can get." She says, we both lightly chuckle. We sit there in silence and after a while, she leans her head on my shoulder. "Is this okay?" She asks. I nod silently. "This is really fucking depressing." She says and I snicker a little. "What's your favourite song?"

"What sort of a question is that?" I ask her, a little confused.

"A valid question." She says, I can almost hear her smile without looking down at her. 

"I don't have a favourite song." I tell her.

"Ha! Bullshit." She calls on me.

"It's not bullshit." I say.

"Well, you must at least some music." She says.

"I dunno, maybe some Arctic Monkeys?" I say, the last time I'd taken the time to listen to music was on our way to the German airport where we were fighting against our own friends. 

"Who?" I look down at her on my shoulder. "I guess I'm missing out on something then..." 

"What about you?" I ask, nudging her a little.

"I never got to pick a favourite song." She shrugs.

"There must've been something from Ohio." I say. "There's no way you guys just didn't listen to music at all." She's silent and I take the guess that maybe I was wrong. 

"I can't remember if I cried, when I read about his widowed bride." She signs it down to a whisper that even I can barely hear it. "Something touched me deep inside. The day, the music died." I hear her voice crack a little and I glance down at her hand for a moment. "And they were singing. Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. Them good old boys drinking whiskey singing- this will be the day that I die." I reach down and I hold her hand. To my surprise, she didn't snatch her hand back, slap me, or anything like that. She held it tightly, squeezing it a little. "This'll be the day..." 

The lights go off suddenly and I furrow my eyebrows looking up at the light. She leans over to turn the lamp on but it doesn't. A light shines through the window and I get up, letting go of Yelena's hand. I go to take a sword out when I stand up, only to see a dart go to my chest through the window. I stare down at it for a moment and mutter a curse before taking it out and dropping it to the floor.

"We should get out of here. Now." I tell Yelena. She stands up and I guide her through the door quickly, before either of us could get shot by another dart. I was feeling a little weak from whatever drug was in the dart, but either than that I was alright, at least in the moment I was. A sudden zap of electricity makes me fall to the floor and I don't even get a glimpse at who it is, however I do hear a voice. 

"I'm sorry." Melina says, after that, I blacked out.


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