Chapter Text
Yelena laid awake in her darkened room, staring up at the ceiling, imagining a starry night sky to help her drift off.
She took deep breaths, just wanting to wake up the next morning, to ease the anxious tension in her chest. She couldn’t lie comfortably, rustling around in her sheets.
The watchtower is dead silent, the thick walls blocking out the noise from the bustling city outside.
She suddenly jolted up at a knock at her door.
“Uh, come in?” She yawned.
The door creaked open and bob stood there in the doorway awkwardly.
“Sorry to wake you up, I couldn’t sleep.”
“Me neither.” She smiled and shuffled over in her bed to make room for him.
He closed the door softly and shuffled over to her bed, carefully climbing in and laying next to her.
“Nightmares?” She asked, rolling over onto her side to face him.
“Yeah, they’re getting worse again.”
She grabbed his hand and cupped it between hers, slowly stroking his palm with her thumb.
Bob felt his chest tense up, his stomach jolt as she stared into his eyes.
“Thanks for always looking out for me.” He smiled, inching closer.
“It’s my job, that’s what we do for each other.” She pat his hand and laid back onto her back, letting go off his hands.
Bob sighed, disappointed from letting her go of him.
He felt so safe around her, protected. He could feel her warmth.
He slowly slid his hand over to Yelena’s and laced his fingers around her’s. She looked over to him, their gazes meeting with a warm smile.
They both knew there was something between them, an unspoken tension. Nobody acknowledged the sneaky looks, the holding hands under tables, him sneaking into her room when he couldn’t sleep. They knew that if someone spoke of it, everything would fall apart.
But, Bob suddenly felt a tinge in his side. He felt the urge to speak on it.
As their gaze continued, he could feel the thoughts piling up. He couldn’t stop the words from spilling out of his mouth.
“What are we doing?”
Something shifted in the room and Yelena’s face suddenly changed.
“What do you mean?”
“What is this? There’s something here, we both know it.”
He didn’t know why he was saying all this. They both had silently agreed that this was nothing.
He was pushing the limit.
Yelena exhaled and her face lit up with the warm look he loved.
The calmness behind her eyes that he loved gazing into.
She rolled back onto her side and pushed closer to him. He rolled over to her too and she held his hand close to her chest.
Their breaths graced across each other’s skin and the tension suffocated them both.
“I know what you mean.” She replied and the it softened.
“Should we talk about it?”
“This is slowly killing me.” Yelena softly laughed, covering up the rawness of the emotions, playing off her need for him.
His fingers brushed against her cheek and he cupped the edge of her jaw.
Was this finally it?
Ever since he had met this mysterious, brooding woman in the vault, he felt drawn to her. He wanted to see her how she truly was, what her soul looked like.
When he peered into her memories in the void, seeing her exposed, it felt unnatural, too personal. But it somehow felt right, like the pieces of a puzzle coming together.
Ever since that moment, they’ve been inextricably linked.
“I wanna see where this takes us.” She whispered, their faces almost touching.
They could hear each other’s heartbeats, feel each other’s souls interlinking.
Bob slowly drew into her, their eyelids flickering closed.
It almost felt like they were moving in slow motion as they leaned into each other.
Their lips met and it felt so right.
They pushed in closer as their lips moved against one another’s. Their breaths forming into one.
Yelena tangled her fingers through Bob’s hair and he moved his hand to the arch in her back, holding her tight to his body.
They kissed for what seemed like hours when only it was a few minutes and after, they slowly pulled away.
As their eyes met again, they both couldn’t help but smile.
Bob cupped her cheek and slowly traced circles on her skin as she sank closer into him.
She placed her hand onto his and held it onto her face as they locked eyes.
“Can I try something?” He asked.
Yelena nodded and they both closed their eyes.
He focused in and a low humming sound filled the room and suddenly, a picture grew in their minds.
They saw their future.
He honed in on one of the future memories and they laid there, seeing into their minds.
They saw themselves in a sun-lit kitchen, birds chirping and quiet music playing in the background. Yelena was cooking something on the stove whilst Bob hugged her from behind as they laughed and flirted with each other.
Their minds drifted to the next future memory, the two lying in bed, playing with each other’s hair and then blended into the next one.
Their minds explored these thoughts, peaceful domestic life where all they had was each other and that was all they needed.
They slowly opened their eyes again to see them both staring back at one another.
“Is that our future?” Yelena softly grinned, brimming with repressed excitement.
“I think. It’s a new power I’ve been developing.”
“I like that future. I want it. With you.”
Yelena drew back in and kissed him slowly. Each push into him felt intricate and delicate. The kisses felt fragile. Each time their lips parted and returned, it felt like breathing, they felt whole.
That night, they drifted off to sleep in one another’s arms. Bob cradled Yelena, softly tracing her skin as she nestled her head into his neck.
Finally, the silence had been broken.
The simmering, painful silence had been replaced with a calming, resolved silence. One they both had been waiting for.