Chasing Ghosts | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 112: Queerness Is A Virus ~ Yelena Belova

May 27, 2028

Maya

"I can't believe they got to you, too."

Maya looked up at her laptop screen. "They?"

"The gays." Yelena's expression was a combination of disappointment and annoyance. "It's like a virus. If you come into contact with them–"

"That's not how it works." Maya laughed. She took no offense whatsoever.

Her aunt had a lot of internalized homophobia because of the way she was raised. She really tried to be accepting, and she was, but sometimes she didn't think before she spoke. Luckily, Maya was confident in herself, and the comments didn't bother her in the least.

That Yelena's response to her news was a dragged out, disappointed, "No", had even made her laugh. Leave it up to her to be honest instead of happy for Maya first.

"I thought you of all people could escape it."

"Sorry to disappoint." Maya grinned.

Her phone lit up beside her, a new notification blocking part of her Mimosa and Liho lockscreen photo. It may sound ridiculous, but she always hoped it to be one specific person. Someone whose contact name had a cliché purple heart behind it.

Sometimes the texts she got barely made any sense or were really random, but those were Maya's favorites. Whether it was about a pretty bird that landed on Brooklyn's windowsill, a line from a book that called to her, or something funny her dad said, the girl's first instinct was to tell Maya about it. And that made her feel incredibly special.

"Hey! Just checking that you're still picking me up tomorrow."

Maya smiled and quickly tapped a message back, aware of Yelena's rambling in the background. "Yess I'll be there at 8."

The three dots appeared immediately.

"Kay :)"

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since they officially became girlfriends. And Maya got crazier about her by the day.

They had another date last week where she took her to the New York Aquarium, and Brooklyn loved it. Wide-eyed, she'd watched all the different fish, seals, and sharks swim above her head. But what had blown her mind was the surprise Maya had—a penguin encounter, where they spent thirty minutes with a zoo keeper and a penguin, learning all about it, feeding it fish, and carefully petting it if it let them. Incredible how happy a forty dollar experience could make a girl.

In the giftshop, Brooklyn got Maya a small, black-and-white penguin plushie that she now protected with her life. It was her new favorite and sat in the middle of her bed.

"Whatcha doin?"

Maya could hear her playful voice in her head and intuitively smiled wider. "FaceTiming my aunt."

More like texting you while completely ignoring my aunt.

"Which of your hundred aunts?"

It was an ongoing joke, how many aunts and uncles she had. Right before it slipped out, Maya caught her snort. "Yelena."

"Oh! Say hi from me. And that I'm a fan."

It was true, Brooklyn was a Yelena fan. It didn't take much either. Maya just told her a story once, and from that point forward, she perked up every time the name was mentioned. Apparently, Yelena's 'I don't give a shit'-attitude, and the loads of dry sarcasm dripping from every word she said made her very admirable. Not the worst person to be a fan of.