#aroace bob

“You know.. I’ve never really had a crush on someone before. Maybe like once, when I was in middle school, but that’s it,” Bob sighed uncomfortably, worried that Yelena would think it’s weird.

“Huh,” Yelena mused, tying her hair into a messy and small ponytail, serving no other purpose than switching things up. She paused as if she was collecting her words.

“Well growing up with the red room never really gave me any opportunities to ‘crush’. In the red room, sex and dating were weapons. We were taught to use our bodies to complete an objective.. I think I really just don’t care for the idea of a relationship. Not after all that at least.”

Her eyes smiled softly, genuinely seeming unbothered, like she'd accepted this long ago.

Bob slouched slightly, bringing himself to Yelena’s eye level. Carefully he reached his hand to Yelena’s. Their fingers gravitating towards each other. For a moment he flinches back, second guessing himself, wondering if this gave off the wrong impression, anxiety creeping up to his chest. His hand moves more and more closely to his chest, and he reunites it to his other, defaulting back to fidgeting. Yelena just exhales in amusement, cocking her head. “Bob, I like you. I like you a lot. It may not be romantic or anything, but I'm comfortable with you. Your touch brings me comfort, because I know that you don’t have any hidden intentions about it, and I know I don’t either.”

She gently prys Bob’s fingers apart, stopping him from picking at his skin, and holds onto both hands firmly, like that of a hug. Bob’s lips quiver, realization hitting him like a truck, and flooding over into his eyes. He does his little lopsided smile, and tears start to overflow down to his chin. “I like you too, Yelena.” He lunges forward, quickly hugging Yelena to feel her oh so familiar warmth, the light that she is illuminating his soul. All she does is embrace him back, squeezing him in acknowledgement.

They could probably snuggle for hours if they wanted to, if they had the time. But after a few minutes of hugging and laying down beside each other they get interrupted by a blaring alarm. The pair jolt upward in an instant and clamor away from each other. “Ack, sorry,” Bob murmurs, his voice low and quiet. Yelena just grins and whispers into his ear, “We can continue when we get back if you want”. And just like that, she bolts out of the room, grabbing her weapons on the way.

It feels quieter now. In his brain. It’s a welcomed phenomenon, something Bob doesn’t have the pleasure of very often. Usually it’s buzzing, like all his worst tendencies are trying to claw their way out. Before the New Avengers, before her, he would’ve just turned to drugs and such. But now, after everything, he feels those urges less and less.

He lays back down smiling to himself. He feels as if something he didn’t know was missing was returned back to him. Like this small, almost unnoticeable weight has finally been lifted, and despite how tiny it is, it’s still weight he doesn’t have to carry anymore. His whole life, on top of everything else, he always worried that his lack of well, desires (both sexual and romantic), was just another thing wrong with him. That he was less than human. But now, he has Yelena, the most human person he knows, telling him he’s not alone. Again.

Bob starts to float upward, but not by decision of his own consciousness, no. This is something different. Emotional. He thinks back about what his therapist told him a few sessions ago. Your powers are not evil, Bob. It can cause a lot of harm, yes, but it also does good. It all depends on your intent.

This doesn’t really have any intent, not really. He’s just floating because he’s relieved. And maybe that’s a good thing. It’s still uneasy to use this power. Fear creeps up unwanted, and he drops down, bouncing off the bed slightly before becoming static again. But he doesn’t hate what happened.