𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐄━︎━︎ Marvel ✓︎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER TEN:
❝︎A Work In Progress❞︎

SLEEP NEVER CAME TO HER. She had cleaned her room over and over again until it smelled like nothing but chemicals, numbing her senses of guilt and fear that she felt clawing at her stomach. Dark circles had made a point to settle underneath her eyes, more prominent than they usually were during the day. Her blonde hair was a ragged messed, having simply thrown it up into a messy bun with stray hairs escaping and curving around the frame of her face. Her skin was paler than usual, letting her know that she needed to step out in the sun for a little while and get some vitamin D to sink into her skin.

A tired sigh fell from her lips as she pulled her blonde locks down, taking it upon herself to actually run a brush through her knotted hair, wincing at each knot the brush would manage to ram it's way through. She pulled her hair up into a high pony tail, turning on her bathroom sink and filling her hands with water and splashing her face with it. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before drying her face and changing into exercise clothes.

She made her way down to the floor that would allow her to make it outside. She watched with squinted eyes as some of the agents trained, and then after a moment she took it upon herself to start jogging around the entirety of the building. She forgot how exhausting it was to such a simply task, or maybe she was simply exhausted from the lack of sleep she had experienced the entirety of her life. Either way, when she came to stop after thirty minutes of non-stop running, she felt like she was going to pass out.

She was bent over, hands on her knees, deep raggedy breaths falling from her lips as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was running at a thousand miles per hour, and she felt like at any moment she would have heart attack. Her limps felt like Jell-O after suddenly stopping without giving her body so much as a warning―︎she was surprised that she was actually standing at the moment. Her ears were ringing from the wind that had flown through them, so it had taken her a second before noticing footsteps approaching her.

Liliya Petrova made her way over towards the other blonde as soon as she had seen her double over as if she were in pain―︎but now that she was closer it looked more like she wanted to throw up. Liliya came to a stop behind her, cocking her head slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest, patiently waiting for the woman to notice her presence. She watched as the other female took deep breaths before standing up straight, placing her hands on her hips as she looked up to the sky, almost as if she wished it would rain so that she could cool off.

"Hello?" Her accent was thick, startling Raelynn from her breathing exercises that she had been doing in order to keep herself from doubling over on the ground in a puddle of her own vomit. She turned to look at Liliya, swallowing thickly as she forced a small smile. "Darling, are you alright? You're looking a little pale. And like you're going to throw up your breakfast." Liliya took a step forwards, placing a gentle hand around Raelynn's biceps to keep her from toppling over.

"Breakfast." Raelynn breathed, swallowing in attempts of getting moisture in her mouth. "Thank God I didn't eat breakfast. Or you and I would be experiencing something very disturbing."

Liliya watched the blonde for a few moments before a small smile started to pull at the corner of her lips. She held out her hand, "I don't think we've officially met. I'm Liliya Petrova. However, you probably know me as―︎"

"Steve Rogers' girlfriend." Raelynn nodded, cutting her off as she reached out her hand in order to give Liliya's a small shake. "Uh, Raelynn Quinn. Aka, the reason as to why one of your people is currently unconscious in the hospital wing right now." She slowly pulled her hand back when the smile on Liliya's face slowly started to fade and morph into one of confusion. She understood why Steve liked the woman, she was adorable when she looked confused. Raelynn nodded her head. "Yeah, uh, I'm the woman that has the sleep walking demon attached to her without any way to control it. It's a. . . it's a work in progress." Pursing her lips, Raelynn nodded her head again awkwardly, rubbing a hand up and down the back of her neck as she waited for Liliya to respond.

"Well, then if it isn't in your control, I don't have much of a say do I?" Liliya hummed, which a response that Raelynn hadn't been expecting at all. Liliya almost laughed at the look of confusion that crossed Raelynn's features. "You know of me, but you don't know me. Darling, we've all been through things that we can't control. Mine being taken and trained into a murderous assassin and then later on being taken by HYDRA and being experimented on. The only reason I'm still here is because of these people. Of this team that's like a family. Because of Steve. If you think I'm going to judge you because you have a so called sleep walking demon attached to you, then you better think again."

"This escalated from puking up our guts to judgement really fast." Raelynn huffed a laugh. She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't get it. I put one of your people in the hospital. Have killed other agents. Yet, Natasha still took it upon herself to forgive me, and now you won't even judge me."

"That's because we don't judge you. We judge the thing inside of you. It wasn't you that did those horrible acts. All you were trying to do was get a wink of sleep. It was that creature that did them. And you can't blame yourself for that." With that, Liliya offered Raelynn a gentle smile before walking away, leaving Raelynn to stand there alone, with a confused look following Liliya's retreating figure.