Hugs

Carol Danvers & Yelena Belova - To Speak/Whisper to Them in a Soft Voice

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Yelena's voice suddenly whispered near Carol's ear as she got up on her tiptoes just a little to try to reach her better. Yelena's arm was quickly around Carol's waist, and Carol was honestly surprised at the contact. However, despite her shock, she did not waste time in wrapping her own arm around Yelena in return.

"What's that?" Carol replied, doing her best to hold back on a sarcastic comment about Yelena needing to pile up some books or something to actually reach her. Yelena's arm around her was actually progress and Carol knew that, so she was not about to jeopardize that with some sarcastic comment right off the bat.

Yelena and Carol had been right in the middle of a meeting with the other Avengers, and while Yelena had sat with Natasha for the entirety of the meeting, Yelena had come over to talk to Carol after the meeting had finished.

"I'm thinking that Natasha needs a prank played on her," Yelena finally dropped her bomb. Carol raised her eyebrows almost instantly, but as she realized that Natasha was looking over at them curiously, she tried to control her expression and instead look over at Kate where she was heading over to Natasha.

"Well, as fun as that sounds, short stack, I'm afraid that I try not to make a habit of messing with Nat."

"Are you a coward or something?" Yelena questioned, her voice gentle despite the obvious barb in it intended to spur Carol into action. Carol scoffed as she softly fingered the edge of Yelena's vest around the armholes, glancing over at her as she largely kept her gaze concentrated on the floor.

"No. I'm just not her sister. Plus, I've just got good sense all around," Carol told her, the final part of her sentence coming out as more of a huff of disbelief and slight laughter.

Yelena rolled her eyes, her arm still around Carol's shoulders as well as she could reach as she softly shifted her positioning. Carol was growing increasingly tempted to just wrap her arm around Yelena's waist to lift her up a little more to actual human level rather than whatever elf height she was working at.

"You're literally an invincible super-weirdo."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence."

"I am serious!" Yelena insisted, and Carol raised an eyebrow as she pulled back just enough to look Yelena directly in the eyes.

"Aww, that was almost a compliment, pancake," Carol pointed out, her voice warm as she barely raised it over a whisper. Yelena rolled her eyes, and Carol was almost sure she was going to pull away. Instead, Yelena just shifted her arm somewhat uncomfortably but kept it in its same position.

"Do not get too excited, Boomer. You and I both know I have an ulterior motive," Yelena waved off Carol's attempt to make the comment into something more sentimental.

Carol just shrugged, grinning as she returned her head to its previous position where the side of her head was facing Yelena. Yelena's arm tightened around her, and Carol felt her step on her shoe as she tried to gain height. Carol rolled her eyes as she barely held back a hearty laugh at Yelena's current predicament.

"So? What do you say?"

"I say that you need a stack of books to stand on so you can actually reach beyond the height of elves," Carol finally could not resist joking and expressing all of the thoughts she had been having since the beginning of this exchange as she glanced down at Yelena's foot on her own. Yelena just growled under her breath, her voice almost a whine.

"Come on! It could be fun!" Yelena insisted, and Carol just huffed, glancing over at Kate where she was talking to Natasha with a giant grin.

"Why don't you ask Kate to do it? You can guilt her into anything," Carol suggested, and Yelena raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, so guilt is how I will get to you?" As soon as Yelena uttered the words, Carol started to try to back up, knowing that she would not win this if Yelena really tried to guilt her into it. Carol had been on a trip to space recently and the time away would doubtlessly be the topic that Yelena would choose to guilt-trip her with.

"Now I didn't say that—"

"No, it is alright. I suppose I could just ask Little Bishop. I just thought that after your trip to space—"

There it was.

"—that you might want to spend some time together. But I understand you being too busy or something. I'll just go and ask her," Yelena declared, stepping off of Carol's foot.

Carol grumbled under her breath, keeping a grip on Yelena as she refused to let her slip away and leave. Yelena remained as Carol tugged her back against her side, tucking her close as Carol now had her arm wrapped around Yelena's shoulders as she trapped her there.

"You are such a royal pain," Carol complained as her thumb rubbed along Yelena's bare shoulder affectionately despite her own slight aggravation at the shorter girl for succeeding in her efforts to make Carol feel bad.

"Does that mean you will do it?" Yelena asked, her eyes ever-presently on the prize.

Carol groaned deeply.

"Yes."

Yelena instantly grinned widely, full of self-satisfaction at her ability to change Carol's mind.

However, looking to reduce a little of that pride, Carol could not resist smiling a bit herself as she more fully wrapped both arms around Yelena and lifted her up. Yelena instantly started squirming and trying to get away.

"Anything for my little buddy!" Carol almost squeaked as she held Yelena tightly in her arms and tried to keep her voice quiet so Natasha would not ask questions.

"Put me down, you idiot!"

"Not until you feel better about me forsaking you, you poor little weasel," Carol declared, her voice a little louder so Natasha would hopefully think that the entire conversation just then was about Carol leaving for space. It was also funny to see the terribly embarrassed look on Yelena's face.

"Wh—I was not really upset!"

"Sure. I know you missed me," Carol insisted, her voice carrying across the room where all remaining Avengers from the previous meeting were lingering. Yelena, noticing their glances in her direction, instantly looked at Carol with something akin to panic.

"Shut up!"

Carol finally let loose with the laugh she had been holding back.

Yelena was definitely her little buddy.