Little!Bob and Little!Yelena: First Times Regressing with the Team
Been cooking up this post for a couple weeks after watching Thunderbolts! Did I shed (many) tears when Alexei told Yelena he doesn’t see her mistakes when he looks at her, and instead the happy little girl she used to be? Absolutely. Aside from that, YES Bob is a little and YES Yelena is too! Let me know if you’re interested in seeing more of them. I wanted this post to be essentially two separate little stories of Yelena and Bob regressing in front of the team for the first time!
Russian translations:
Lenochka (Nickname for Yelena used for kids)
Moya devochka (My girl/daughter)
Malen’kaya devochka (Endearing term for little girl)
Malyshka (Used for very young children, roughly translates to a version of “baby” like “cute tiny one”)
Little!Bob
Bob regresses around the team before Yelena does. Realistically, he’d already been regressing for years — and had technically regressed in front of them for the first time when he woke up in the OXE Vault in pyjamas that swamped over his form, making him feel small — but the first time the team realized what was going on was after a long press day.
Valentina had the team out all day posing for photographs to be plastered over cheap merchandise and cereal boxes, attending charity events, and visiting animal shelters. The day dragged on and on, with Ava and Bucky grumbling, John and Yelena bickering, and Alexei telling a thousand humourless jokes.
Bob was quiet, not unusually so, but started getting antsy near the end of their expected duties. He flinched every time Alexei’s booming laughter erupted near him, pushed a concerned Yelena out of his space at the animal shelter, and then cowered in the backseat of the SUV carting them back to base with tears dripping down his face.
“Hey, hey, Bob — what’s going on with you, huh? Too much today?” Bucky’s sharp senses picked up on the mere change in Bob’s breathing as he sat next to him, careful to make his tone of voice as gentle as possible. He already knew Bob was a regressor anyways — the innocence the young man carried that shifted his depression into something manageable was as clear as day.
Bob squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away from Bucky, as if ashamed to be seen crying and scared of being reprimanded. “S-sorry, ‘m not trying to — to be annoying.”
“Annoying?!” Yelena piped up in offense before Bucky could respond, whipping her head around from her seat in front of them, obviously having been listening to their exchange. “You are not annoying. Walker is annoying. Alexei is annoying. You are just little.”
“Little? I mean, he’s not as tall as me, but I wouldn’t call him little,” John said quizzically, only to earn a punch in the arm from Yelena.
“He’s young,” Bucky cut in before Yelena could continue bickering. “Is that right, Bob?”
Bob’s shoulders were up to his chin now, all eyes in the van on him. His gaze darted around anxiously before he finally nodded and then covered his wet cheeks and teary eyes with his arms.
“Ohhh,” John said dumbly.
“Yes, ohhhh. Now stop staring at him. He’s scared.” Yelena rolled her eyes at John and turned back around in her seat.
“I can help,” remarked Alexei from the front seat of the van, looking in the rear view mirror at Bob’s very sad outline, “Lena is sometimes still my itty bitty Lenochka—“
“Not the time!” Yelena balked, sinking in her seat when Ava and John exchanged knowing looks. However, Alexei’s statement worked enough to get Bob’s arms to retract from his face and look wide-eyed at the back of Yelena’s head, especially as Alexei kept going on, halfway between Russian and English.
“There is nothing wrong with it, malen’kaya devochka. It is as good a time to tell as any. And look, Bob is curious for the small Lena!”
“I thought we shouldn’t look at him,” Ava joined the already overstimulating conversation, but luckily for Bob, Bucky picked up on his growing anxiety.
“Is there anything I can do for you, Bob?” Bucky asked quietly and carefully, not sure what the boy was comfortable with. What they had all seen and heard in Bob’s trauma rooms, the harsh hands and words of his father, the mocking utterances of “Bobby,” made Bucky want to treat him gently.
Bob squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, but anxiously clutched at his shirt. Unfortunately for him, he was finding it harder and harder to keep his emotions in check. A rather strange whimper forced its way out of his throat, and his shoulders jolted with a sudden sob.
“Look, you made him cry,” Ava said dryly to Alexei, earning a loud protest from the man while Bucky was quick to jump into action.
“Bob, I’m going to touch you, alright?” The older man stated before placing a hand on Bob’s back. He wanted to put an arm around the boy but didn’t know how he would act.
Bob jolted on instinct but took the gesture gratefully, leaning against Bucky and burying his face into the older man’s shoulder.
“There we go. You’re alright,” Bucky chuckled a little, wrapping his arm all the way around Bob’s shoulders and holding him.
Alexei glanced into the rear view mirror as the van pulled up to the Watchtower. “We are home! Do you need a hand with the little one?” He was practically giddy, every fatherly instinct in him oozing out for everyone to see.
“I think he’s got it,” John remarked, throwing the van door open and climbing out with Ava hot on his heels.
As everyone piled out of the van, Yelena hung back to keep an eye on Bob and Bucky. The need to help itched away at her, especially because she knew how Bob might be feeling. The young man clambered out of the vehicle with Bucky behind him, sniffling and stopping in his tracks as he saw Yelena waiting. All it took was for Yelena to open her arms for him to run into them, curling into her and letting out a contented sigh.
Bucky smiled softly at the scene, and Yelena grinned back at him. She wasn’t alone in her regression anymore.
Little!Yelena
Yelena was ashamed about her regression at first, embarrassed to be small around Alexei because he really was her dad — but when he told her he still looked at her and saw her as the little girl she once was, everything fit together perfectly. She had known this feeling of littleness for years, but had finally put the pieces together with Alexei.
Her regression came on for the first time with the team around while fooling around with Alexei. Being with her dad made her feel small in general, like her body was remembering some semblance of happiness she’d experienced with him in her childhood that her mind couldn’t recall. Sometimes she would be devastatingly sad, weepy, and upset, calling out for her daddy to come save her from the red room with its sharp knives and biting memories. But other times, she would feel happy and light, small and giggly. Much like a warm summer’s day spent with Nat, back when the lies were real.
When the team first experienced it, little Yelena was playing a game where she would attempt to sneak up on her dad without him noticing and launch herself onto his back. Her bright laughter and energy bounced off the walls of the tower, and she didn’t care when Ava and Bob showed up after she tugged on Alexei’s beard and he roared and covered her in tickles. The team knew there was this side to Yelena anyhow, the fact common knowledge after Bob’s van escapade.
“Daddy!” Yelena squealed with joy as Alexei picked her up by the middle and tossed her on the couch of the Watchtower’s main living room.
An amused smile appeared on Ava’s face as she watched the pair play fight, and she nudged Bob with her elbow cheekily saying, “Care to join them?”
Bob laughed a little but tugged on his hands in embarrassment, shaking his head. “I’m okay today.”
At the same moment, John came thundering in, barrelling past Ava and Bob and pushing his way between Yelena and Alexei. “Why are we fighting?” He exclaimed in all seriousness.
His sudden appearance did nothing except make Yelena fall to the floor laughing, only to be intercepted by John catching her by the arm. The action made Yelena dangle off his arm for a split second before he came crashing to the floor with her.
“Oh no, do we need to—“ Bob gasped, ready to step in and help, only to be stopped by Bucky’s hand on his shoulder, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Bob jumped a little, but settled when Bucky gave his shoulder a squeeze.
“Nope,” Ava nodded to Yelena who was completely silent, not because she was upset, but because she was in such a state of humoured hysterics that no sound was coming out.
Alexei had his hands on his knees, laughing at a very confused and dazed John and leaning down to pick Yelena up and set her on her feet.
Yelena hung onto Alexei instead of standing up, and her dad chuckled at her antics and settled her as comfortably as possible in his arms as she caught her breath and wiggled happily. She wasn’t typically this little, usually closer to seven or eight than four or five, but the presence of the team was making her regress further.
John got up swiftly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly and muttering out a strained apology. “I heard fighting… Not that it matters, but… Sorry.”
Yelena piped up before Alexei could or Ava could interject with a teasing remark. “S’okay! You’re funny.”
Her innocent voice made everyone’s hearts squeeze in their chests, especially Alexei who placed a big kiss on her cheek. “Malyshka, you are so sweet. Like a little candy.”
“You might want to rethink what a fight sounds like, Walker. Friendly fire.” Bucky remarked, giving Yelena a small smile before slinking away.
“I said sorry,” John grumbled and moved to escape the room. However, as he did so, Yelena held her arms out for him.
Alexei exclaimed in surprise, “You want Walker, Lenochka?”
Yelena nodded, and her words made it all make sense. “Don’t feel bad, Johnny!”
Alexei saw the little girl on the soccer field again, the one that cared more about others than herself. John, on the other hand, looked both fearful and reluctant to take the usually bristling Yelena. Despite his experience with regressing soldiers, Yelena being one herself was new to him.
Yelena reached out again and John took her in his arms. It lasted about two seconds as she climbed over him and decided to hang onto his back instead. He hooked his arms under her legs for stability, and sensing her mood took off running.
The laughter resumed, echoing exuberantly down the halls of the Watchtower.
Cg!John Walker who carries like a super big, camo, heavy duty back pack that everyone assumes is full of like beef jerky and knives but no! It's actually full of snacks, a board book, some fidget toys, and a extra stuffie!
Dramatic little who just wants a bit of attention but doesn't know the exact right way to go about it, so as soon as they get a boo-boo they dramatize it to the max, meets John F "Welp, looks like we'll just have to cut it off!" Walker!
