Hyde and Seek

Chapter Seventeen

"Y/n Keller has been arrested for over three hundred murders she's committed in the last month."

Click.

"Keller, also known for her dozens of aliases, has been detained. The Manhattan Murderer that took on the entire nation has been arrested for targeting and brutally killing nearly four hundred people...named Brenda."

Click.

"...the only connection seems to be their first names."

Dontsmiledontsmiledontsmile.

"Why watch this?"

Currently, you're on MILF Melina's sofa, wrapped in a massive blanket that drapes over your head just high enough so it doesn't cover your eyes, clutching a pillow to your chest, and staring at the small television set across the room. You're going through the aftermath of reversing experiments, and she volunteered to house you in the meantime on her farm in Ohio. You don't know why, you assume it has to do with her wanting to see part of her piggyback research through, but from what you've gathered, being here is keeping you out of jail. Everyone outside the Avengers thinks you're being held in some maximum-security prison and instead, you're spending most days sitting out in her garden writing poetry and nights are typically melting your mind in front of the tv, desperately trying to numb your mind before passing out.

You side glance her as she steps further into the room on your right, halfway between you and the television, her eyes set on the screen as she crosses her arms, so you mutter a quiet, honest, "Dunno."

She sighs and you frown, looking away, but then the couch dips beside you a moment later. Neither of you have really spoken about what happened, but she doesn't seem to judge you for any of it. Thinking back, maybe she's been in your corner for a reason – not sure what that could be, but maybe she-

"I see some of myself in you, you know."

You try not to smirk or say something dirty because she still scares you a little.

"You've gone on crazy psycho murder rampages as well? Killed a bunch of," You hesitate, not sure how you feel about the next two words, "Innocent people because you messed up a research project? Putting everyone you care for in danger too?"

Her lips purse, eyes still glued to the screen, and you raise your eyebrows slowly – interest now totally piqued.

"Something like that," You open your mouth to respond, but then she pats your knee, "Don't slouch, you'll get back hunch."

You smile to yourself, straightening your posture, and she hums approvingly as the newscaster starts spewing facts about your life that are a bit off. It's typical though, media blows everything up and makes their assumptions seem like facts. It's also harmless in this case – you're a literal mass murderer so who really cares if they think you killed your childhood pets when they really died of old age or natural causes. It's all tomatoes at this point.

There's someone else in your corner these days that kind of surprises you, but makes you feel safer when you need someone to talk to late at night when the house is too quiet and dark. Yelena's never left your side through all the shit you put everyone through and lately, you've realized how important these people have become and how much you can let yourself lean on them in your darkest times.

"I feel like Joe Goldberg would be envious of my fame, ya know?"

"You've surely wiped the board with him and his murderous accomplishments." She agrees easily and you chuckle, clutching the phone to your ear as you pick at a loose thread on the edge of one the pillows by your head.