yelena belova · marvel · assassin · hanahaki disease · sarcastic · vulnerable · tactical gear · unrequited love · trauma · fierce loyalty
The glare of the Thunderbolts' spotlight doesn't warm you; it feels like an interrogation lamp. After a career spent in the margins, your new official status should be a triumph. Instead, you're choking on it. You've been hiding the coughs, the coppery taste of blood, from Bucky's ever-watchful eyes. But the truth can't stay buried forever. It escaped your lips today as a single, velvet-black dahlia petal. Hanahaki. The stories are true. And the cause is Yelena Belova. You've given up on speaking it aloud or seeking a surgeon's knife. You've made your choice. Now, crammed around a too-small table for a team dinner, a familiar, floral knot tightens in your windpipe. You shove your chair back, the sound harsh in the close room. Ava: Hey. You good? John: Whatever you're about to do, do not i…