Pulling Me

Part Five. Around Town

"About that..." they laughed, "It was ruined in a large fight with Spider-Man the other night. They're starting over completely. I heard it'll take another five to six months before it's fixed. You didn't hear about that?"

Yelena squinted, "I don't have social media."

"Ah... well I would've guessed that Brandy would update you on something like that. Things get pretty hectic here but that was the first incident in awhile." Y/N responded.

They thought about what the two could do and luckily, the perfect thought popped through. Without explaining, Y/N stood and motioned Yelena to follow them out of the shop.

Where they wanted to go away a few blocks away and would give them time to talk since there wouldn't be much room to when they got there. They walked alongside her in silence for a minute or two as Yelena took in the scenery.

Once again, she looked stunning. Her hair wasn't done in fashionable braids this time, which made Y/N feel much better about their choice of outfit. She'd allowed her hair to lay free and sported a yellow plaid jacket with tons of attractive gold jewelry.

"How long have you lived here, Y/N?" She asked while continuing to look around at the buildings and take everything in. The city was bustling today after recovering from that huge Spider-Man fight.

"Since January. Almost a year," they answered, "but I grew up not far away. Born and raised in Connecticut." She smiled hearing their answer, "Where are you from?"

Her pause caused Y/N to look over and make sure everything was alright. She'd just been looking around still, reading a large Stark Industries billboard,

"Ohio," she finally answered, "That's where my childhood was at least. We moved around a lot after that..."

They noticed how Yelena was thoughtful with her responses. It felt like she took time to think about everything she'd say, but they worried that might mean she was lying.

Nodding, the two continued down the stretch. A few blocks were still left to go.

On their way, they'd pass the Rockefeller Christmas tree that was finally put back up. Y/N smiled and showed Yelena who smirked as well, "A lot of fights tend to break out here it seems."

"Yeah. It's been relatively quiet since the blip though. The big fight and this gang incident were the first things I've heard of in awhile." Y/N noticed her bite the inside of her cheek after their response and wondered what she could be thinking. Instead of prying, they nodded down the street and continued their walk.

As they made their way, Y/N continued telling Yelena about the things they'd witnessed living in or around this area all of their life. The fights, invasions, all of it. Y/N had seen so much of it first hand.

Even the worst of it.

"I know they protect us, and I'm thankful for them, but sometimes the people caught in the crossfire are innocent. And you never hear about them, you know? Their name goes in the obituary but they don't get talked about. Just more people sacrificed by the Avengers to keep the world safe, I guess."

Yelena could tell someone close to them had been taken due to the Avengers. She sympathized, looping her arm in theirs and walking in sync with them.

The feeling of her so close caught them off guard. Their breath hitched, but quickly soothed as the two walked together.

It was sweet to Y/N. The feeling of someone just listening. She didn't ask questions or pry into their thoughts. She took in what they said and let them get out what they needed.

"I used to hate them you know," she started in response, "for the same reasons you just stated. Then I stepped back and thought about everything they'd done for the world after a talk with a friend. Without them, half of us would still be gone. They sacrificed themselves, too."

Y/N shook their head in agreeance. The Avengers really did do their best to protect us, "Yeah, I agree. I don't know if there's a way to really be careful during an alien invasion anyways."

The pair laughed as Yelena clung harder onto their arm. All of their conversations just felt so easy. Even the silence itself didn't feel weird. They felt so relaxed with Yelena.

"Alright, we're here!" Y/N said as they opened the door for Yelena to walk through. She followed as they grabbed tickets and bought some drinks.

Sitting down in their seats, Yelena looked over at Y/N, "Are you going to tell me what we're here to see or are you going to continue to let it be a surprise?"

She smiled, sending chills down their spine. Y/N continued trying to rack their brain and figure out why she struck a different chord with them, but they tried to bring themselves out of it to respond, "Full surprise. Guess you'll just have to see!" Yelena smiled, nudging their arm.

More people shuffled in over the next ten minutes as the pair waited for the lights to drop. In that time, Y/N had nearly demolished half the popcorn that they'd gotten for the two to share.

"The show hadn't even started Y/N and we're already almost out of popcorn," she laughed.

"Oh shit, sorry. I don't ever pay attention when I'm eating it," they laughed just as the curtains began to open and the lights dimmed down.

Y/N looked over to see Yelena wiggling her eyebrows in excitement. She leaned over to whisper, "I'm so excited!"

As the curtains opened, actors began flying across the stage. In time, Yelena had noticed this was a musical about the Avengers and the Battle of New York. A coworker had told Y/N it was a good show and that they should see it.

Knowing this is when they'd lost Gianna, Y/N felt like it would be good for them to go with Yelena. She'd keep their mind occupied. Maybe this would ever be helpful for them to process some of that unresolved grief they still have.

Black Widow ran into the spotlight and sang about taking on the aliens alongside Hawkeye. When Y/N looked over to see how Yelena was liking the show, they noticed some tears had started forming in her eyes.

Nothing had felt remotely tearjerking to Y/N, so they were unsure of why it would choke her up, but they laid their hand on hers just to console her. She interlaced her fingers with theirs and continued watching the show without making eye contact.

The show went on and Yelena stayed rather quiet throughout. Y/N worried that this wasn't a good idea but tried their best not to worry.

After about two hours, the curtains closed and the audience boomed with applause. The Battle of New York, seen in a new and bright light. It was a good show, but something about the glorification of their loss of Gianna felt off to Y/N.

Trying to forget that feeling, they looked over to check on Yelena. A smile was etched so deeply into her face that one would think it was permanent. Her eyes glossed with tears that would not fall.

"Thank you," she said while rubbing the back of their hand, "I loved this."