Chapter Text
Kate jumps when she hears the rap of knuckles against her front door. Yelena stands behind it, grin wide and easy, taking Kate’s breath away for a moment. It’s a complete contrast to the tears she had been sporting the night before. "Kate Bishop,” she says, sliding past her into the apartment. “I hope you haven’t made the macaroni yet.”
“No,” Kate says, swallowing down her nerves. “I haven't.”
“Good, I’ll make it. You sit. Tell me about your day.”
Kate raises her eyebrows at her. “You want me to tell you about my day?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Is this not what people normally do? Eat dinner and talk about their days?” Yelena turns around to give Kate a look as she heats up a pot on her stove. At Kate’s unimpressed stare, she sighs. “We have much to talk about. I know. But before we get into the heavy stuff, can we just pretend for a minute?” Kate watches her retrieve the macaroni from her cupboard and a spoon from her utensil drawer, moving across her kitchen with familiarity. “I wanna hear about your day, truly. I know it is my fault I’ve missed out on your life these past few months but still, I’d like to hear it about. Start with the easy stuff first before the rest.”
There’s righteous fury still burning in Kate. There’s nothing easy about this. She doesn’t want to make this any less difficult for Yelena. She wants her to sit in the discomfort, in the unpleasantness. She wants her to feel at least a modicum of what Kate has felt these last few months. But Kate’s tired. She’s been tired ever since Yelena left her apartment and she doesn’t have the energy to fight. At least, not yet. They hadn’t even made dinner.
It’s a Saturday so Kate’s day has been relatively uneventful. She mentions the phone call with her mom and Yelena’s eyes widen almost imperceptibly.
“You and your mother talk now?” she asks.
Yelena’s right. She has missed out on a lot of Kate’s life these past few months. Kate fills her in on her initial visit with her mom and their subsequent, semi-regular phone calls.
“She’s doing good, well, good for being in prison,” she says. “Jack visits her all the time. I try to go with him when I can.”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” Yelena says, bringing two bowls of macaroni over to the table.
They eat in moderately companionable silence for a few seconds before Kate gets antsy. She just wants to kick the elephant in the room already. “I was so mad at you,” Kate says. She figures she might as well be the one to start. Patience had never been her strong suit. “I'm still so mad at you. And I was-” she struggles to think of a word to encapsulate everything she felt the past few months. “Devastated.” This kind of blatant honesty and emotional directness makes Kate very uncomfortable. But if everyone in her life had been telling her one thing lately, it was the importance of honesty and communication. It was a neat thing that most of the adults in her life were in some kind of therapy or another.
“And I didn’t understand why you didn’t want me around, why you didn’t call me. For the first few weeks, after you left, I rationalized it as you needing to be with your sister without any distractions, nobody from the outside. I understood that.” Kate takes a breath as she feels her chest tighten. Every word is a chore but she has to go on. She needs Yelena to know. “But then the months went on and neither you or Clint told me what was going on. Laura could text me that you two were fine and would call me as soon as you could but it didn’t really mean anything after two months of the same stuff. So, yeah, I moved on,” Kate can’t help but sound a little petulant. She’s earned the right. “I didn’t know when or if you were coming back so I went on a few dates, tried to move on with my life.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Yelena says. “I’m in no place to be upset.”
Her face doesn’t give Kate anything. Her voice and her expression remain composed and the anger that Kate has tried to keep at bay flairs up in her chest again. Every grievance Yelena has caused her flashes through her mind. “Still kinda fucked up how you stalked me by the way. Were you there every time?”
“Yes,” Yelena nods.
“Yeah, I still can’t understand how you could do that rather than just talk to me.”
“I am trying, Kate.” The utterance of only her first name trips her up. As does the anguish beginning to leak into Yelena’s voice. “Normal, casual interaction has never been something I’ve been good at. Reconnaissance, espionage. These are the things I was trained in, how to watch and manipulate rather than participate in genuine human connection. Some modern social customs still elude me. This-” Yelena gestures vaguely between them. “This was something I had never experienced before. Not really. It was safer to do what I was used to.” Yelena glances away from her. “Observe, form strategies, execute.”
“Form strategies? What kinda strategies did you form from watching my dates?”
“Nothing useful. They all involved breaking -” Yelena puts air quotes around the word. “Into your apartment but I know you don’t like that.”
“My window was open during my last date,” Kate says, furrowing her brow. “I didn’t open it.”
“Yes, that was an accident.” Her voice has returned to an impassive tone but she’s still looking away from Kate. She’s nervous.
“You accidentally broke into my apartment?”
“I never came inside, I was only at the window.”
Kate raises a brow. Yelena would never make a mistake as avoidable as accidentally opening a window. “Why did you open the window?”
Yelena shrugs, picking at her macaroni. Kate scoffs. “We’re supposed to be honest with each other,” she says. “That’s the deal.”
A faint blush begins to appear along Yelena’s cheeks. Kate tries hard not to be endeared by it. “I knew Lucky would notice. He would bark and you would stop kissing the nelepaya model'.”
“What did you just say?”
“I said model.”
“You knew she was a model?”
Yelena scoffs. “It’s not exactly hard to find out. All your dates have been active on social media. All public accounts.”
Kate backtracks to her initial question. “Wait, so you were trying to cock block me?”
Yelena grimaces. “Do not use that phrase.”
“But that’s what you were doing?”
“I suppose.”
“Yelena.”
“Fine, yes, I didn’t want to see you kiss her.” Yelena throws her hands up, exasperation clear in her voice. “Is that wrong? I never expected you to wait for me but my feelings never changed.”
Kate’s stomach clenches. She swallows down the sudden dryness in her throat. “What feelings?”
Yelena brings her eyes back to Kate, holding her gaze. “You know the feelings, Kate Bishop.” Her eyes are wide and vulnerable, a dark swirl of unhidden emotion. Kate can see exactly what feelings Yelena is talking about.
Too much. This was too much. Kate sits up, away from where she had unknowingly leaned closer to Yelena. Her chair drags against the floor with a brutal screech. Kate watches Yelena’s mouth dip into a frown, her brows furrowing with confusion and concern. Kate wishes she didn’t feel the simultaneous urge to smooth out the frown with her thumb and to run as far away as she could from this table.
“I’m sorry, I-” Kate swallows roughly, trying to get her words in order. Yelena was making an effort. Kate’s text was an olive branch. This dinner was an attempt at…something. Kate had hoped it was reconciliation. A rebuilding of their previous friendship. But she had made a miscalculation. This was too much. Too fast. All the progress she had made in the last couple months, she could see it going down the drain as soon as she forgives Yelena. “This was too soon. I’m sorry, I-”
Yelena raises a hand up to silence her. Her eyes are pointed away from Kate, angled somewhere near the center of the table. “No need to explain yourself, Kate Bishop,” she says. A sad smile that looks more like a grimace spreads across her face. “I will go.” She stands up from the table, still not looking at Kate. “You can call me when you’re ready, if you wish.”
Kate watches her open and close the front door without looking back, still seated in her chair. The click of the door echoes painfully throughout the apartment.
***
“Not that I don’t love talking about your love life but maybe you should start seeing someone. Like an actual therapist.” Matt is sweating through his t-shirt as the sun beats down on them. He twists off the cap of a beer bottle with little effort. "Don't get me wrong, I love our little talks but I think a professional could help you more than me. I can refer you to the woman me and Karen go to.”
This was the second time someone suggested Kate go to therapy within the last couple of months. Maybe she should actually look into it.
Kate lines up her bow with the row of empty beer bottles that had accumulated between her and Matt that afternoon. She had a broom and dustpan ready to clean up the glass lest the building manager get on her case again.
“Wouldn’t it be weird for all three of us to go to the same therapist?” Kate asks.
“I don’t think so. I think it’s weird that you’re in love with a Russian assassin whose sister came back from the dead.”
“Aren’t several of your exes assassins?”
Matt nods, red lenses glinting in the sunlight. “Fair point.”
“I just don’t know what to do.” Kate lets the arrow slide past her fingertips, striking the glass with satisfying force. “If I forgive her, is that me letting her off too easy? If I don’t, am I being too harsh? I mean, she apologized but that doesn’t mean I have to forgive her, you know. But, I mean, she sounded really genuine when she apologized-”
“Kate,” Matt interrupts. “You know what I’m gonna say.”
Kate rolls her eyes, turning towards the bottles again. “Yeah, only I can decide, blah blah blah.” Kate nocks another arrow. “Aren’t you supposed to give me spiritual guidance or something? You’re Catholic.”
“You’re thinking of priests. But, okay, let me ask. What are you afraid will happen? If you forgive her?”
It should be a testament to Kate’s emotional growth how easily the truth comes to her lips. “That she’ll leave me again. That everything I’ve done and gone through the past few months will have been for nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
Kate sighs, watching another arrow explode into glass. “All the shit I’ve had to do just get through the day without her. Being friends with you, Karen and Foggy. Reconnecting with my mom, Jack, Greer. I did it all on my own, without her or Clint around, to prove that I didn’t need them around, that maybe I was better off.”
“You forgave Clint.”
“Clints’ different. He has his own family, his own home, he didn’t leave me like Yelena left me.” Kate takes a swig from her beer bottle, mouth dry from all the talking. “But Yelena? If I let her back in, doesn’t that mean I was wrong? That I was just kidding myself into thinking I didn’t need her?”
Matt takes a slow sip of his beer. “Yeah, I think therapy would do wonders for you.”
“Matt.”
“Yeah, I hear you, Kate. I get it. Needing people is scary, especially when you’ve been let down before. But that’s just one of the things about being human, we need other people. We need people who love us, respect us, who we trust. Will she hurt you again?” he shrugs, raising his hands in the air. “I don’t know. But, even if she does, I know you’ll get through it because, everything you’ve been through, it doesn’t get wiped away just because you decide to forgive her. Hell, I’m pretty sure forgiveness is supposed to be a part of the healing journey. At least, that’s what my priest tells me.”
“So I should forgive her?”
Matt shakes his head. “Kate, no matter what you choose, you’re gonna be fine. You’re strong and resilient. And you have people in your corner to pick you back up again if you need it.”
***
As wise as Matt’s words were, Kate needs a second opinion.
“Dude, she's so hot." Greer holds Kate’s phone in her hand, looking at the one picture she had of Yelena, taken during a moment of drunken movie watching. Kate sits across from her, in a diner down the street from Greer’s dorm.
“I know.” If Kate sounds sad about this fact it’s because she is.
“No, seriously, she’s like one of the hottest women I've ever seen. She could kick me in the face and I would say thank you.”
“She kicked me in the ribs once.”
“Lucky.”
Kate shakes her head. “I don't know what to do about her.”
“I mean, what is there to do?” Greer snatches a fry from Kate’s plate. “You're gonna forgive her.”
Kate furrows her brow. “Why do you say that?”
“I mean, for one, look at her.” Greer gestures to Kate’s phone as if she didn’t already have every pixel of that photo burned into her brain. “But also, you’re not a grudge holder, Kate. You're a forgiving person. And you obviously are in love with this girl so you're gonna forgive her.”
“Okay, I never said I was in love with her. Everyone has got to stop saying that.”
“Listen, she did a fucked up thing, yes, of course, I'm not saying she didn't and that you shouldn't totally make her suffer for it. I’m totally down to egg her car or something. But I'm just saying that you shouldn't make yourself suffer for it either.”
“Meaning?”
“If you want her, go get her. Doesn't mean you have to forgive her right away. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Trust can be earned again. I mean, you didn't talk to me for two months and here I am, listening to your unbelievable ass talk about assassins and Avengers.”
“Former assassin,” Kate says. “But I see your point.”
“Listen,” Greer leans in closer, dipping a fry into the ketchup on Kate’s plate. “I think you want to forgive her. So forgive her. Or don’t. I promise, no one will be mad at you either way. You’re a grown up, you make your own choice.”
“You’re right,” Kate says. “I am a grown up.”
“Yeah, you are,” Greer says, nodding vigorously.
***
Even though Kate is a grown up, she has one last stop to make.
“Katie,” Jack says, smiling wide as he opens the door. “What a pleasant surprise, it’s not Thursday yet, is it?”
“No, it’s not, sorry,” Kate follows him into his foyer. “I just had to ask you a quick question.”
“Okay,” Jack says, a little confused but smiling still. “Ask away.”
“How did you forgive my mom?”
Jack’s eyebrows lift into his hairline. “Oh, well,” he pauses, his face a lot more nonchalant than Kate had expected. He shrugs. “I just did, I suppose.”
“You just did? What does that mean? She framed you for several felonies.”
Jack’s expression remains cheerful and calm. “I love her. She apologized and I believed her. I guess I just saw no reason to stay mad.”
“That's it?”
“Yes, pretty much.”
Kate groans and turns back towards the door.
“Are we still on for dinner Thursday?” Jack calls after her.
“Yeah.”
***
Kate ends up calling Matt to ask for his therapist’s number. She sets up an appointment for next week and feels a little proud of herself. Greer was right. Kate is a grown up. And she needed to trust herself. She needed to give herself permission to fuck up, to be okay with getting things wrong sometimes. She hadn’t allowed herself that privilege in a long while.
As she nears her apartment, Kate thinks about what she really wants to do. It’s been there at the back of her mind ever since Yelena showed up in her apartment. But she’s been afraid. Fuck it, she thinks, taking out her phone from her pocket. She fought Kingpin and lived to tell about it. She visited her mom in jail last week and didn’t even cry. She could do this.
***
Yelena is less confident this time when she enters Kate’s apartment. The ease from her last visit is absent. In its place is uncertainty, clear in Yelena’s face, as she sits across from Kate.
“Okay, let’s do this again,” Kate starts. “We didn’t finish our last conversation.”
Yelena studies her face, attempting to hide whatever she’s feeling behind her familiar mask of cool composure. “No, we did not.”
“I need to understand why you stayed away.”
Yelena runs a hand through her hair, glancing away from Kate for a moment. She doesn’t answer immediately. Kate doesn’t speak, just waits for Yelena to figure out whatever it is she wants to say. After a few moments, she brings her gaze to Kate again. “Have you ever known someone who suffered a traumatic brain injury, Kate Bishop?”
Kate shakes her head.
“I haven’t either. But Banner explained that, what Natasha was experiencing, the closest thing to compare it to was a TBI. That’s what he called it. She wasn’t-” Yelena pauses, twisting the ring along her thumb. “When I first saw her, she wasn’t really there. I know she recognized me but she was confused, could barely even speak.” Yelena shakes her head, as if remembering. “She was different. She hit me once. It wasn’t the first time she’d hit me but it was the first time I didn’t hit her back. I couldn’t, I knew it wasn’t her fault.” She swallows and Kate can see her eyes becoming glassy as she stares down at her hands. “She’d get confused then angry. We’d have to hold her down to sedate her until it passed. I was never angry at her, only at myself.” She takes a breath, still fidgeting with her rings. “Sometimes, I would think ‘did I really get my sister back?’ and feel worse than a lifetime of killing could ever make me feel. Then I would think of you. I felt so helpless and undeserving of you, your kindness and affection.”
“Yelena,” Kate’s hand covers hers. Yelena shakes her head.
“I’m not looking to excuse myself. I came back because Natasha got better. She got better and I stopped hating myself. And my feelings for you, they never changed. Even when I was at my lowest, I still-”
Yelena looks unsure, her eyes not quite meeting Kate’s eyes.
“You still what?” Kate asks. She rubs her thumb along Yelena’s knuckles as she remains silent. “Yelena.” Her voice is softer than it’s been all night. She doesn’t want to push her but Kate feels like she’s balancing along a cliff’s edge right now. Yelena’s eyes flicker down to her lips then back up to her eyes. Everything in Kate is clenched tightly, holding its breath. “I like you, Kate Bishop,” she says, voice still shaky. “If we are being completely honest, I think I am in love with you. I have never been in love with anyone before but it is frightening.” Her hand turns off in Kate’s to intertwine their fingers. “Makes me feel like I’m not in control and you know I don’t like that feeling.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“I have mistreated you,” Yelena says. “And for that I’m sorry, more than I can say. But I want to be in your life again, if you’ll have me. I can’t promise not to leave you again, I don’t believe in making promises you don’t know whether or not you’ll be able to keep. But I can promise that, as long as I’m alive and cognizant, you’ll know whether or not I’m coming home. That is all I can offer you. I know it isn’t much but-” Yelena’s sentence tapers off into a confused groan as Kate lurches across the table, bringing their lips together. Her confusion only lasts for a second before she’s matching Kate’s intensity, licking into Kate’s mouth. “Sorry,” Kate says, pulling back to rest her forehead against Yelena’s. “I know we have a lot more to talk about but I’d been holding myself back since you said you were in love with me.”
Kate can feel Yelena chuckle against her lips. “Kiss me as much as you like, milaya .”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“You should learn Russian then.”
***
Kate feels like a little kid. All the apprehension from before has mostly faded. She’s curled up in bed with Yelena. They haven’t done anything other than lazily kiss in between bouts of talking about nothing and everything. She’s excited and nervous in a way she hasn’t been in a long time. It’s a soft kind of giddy, a warm buzz that she feels from her toes up to the crown of her head where Yelena is pressing gentle kisses. There is still residual anger and other feelings, messy feelings, that Kate has to deal with. But she hasn’t indulged in anything this nice in a long time. She wants to get lost in it. At least for the night while they have time before real life catches up with them. She wants to savor this carefree moment, to bask in the easy warmth before tackling the harder conversations they have to finish.
All Kate can feel is every place where her and Yelena’s body touch and how much she’s missed her. It’s all exacerbated by Yelena’s murmurings along her skin, whispered in the limited space between them. A lot of it is in Russian but the parts in English, Kate can understand. She gets bits and pieces like: “-beautiful, milaya .” or “-missed you so much, lyubimaya moya .” Even with the parts Kate can’t understand, she melts into Yelena, feeling inexplicably light and heavy all at once.
***
They start slow. Even after their night of intense pillow talk, they both agree it’s probably best for them to ease into a relationship. They also agreed that they both wanted a relationship. A long-term, committed relationship. (Kate’s face gets real goofy when Yelena tells her this.) Kate fights against her natural instinct to throttle head first into whatever she wants to do. Slow and steady, she thinks. As slow and steady as her and Yelena can manage to be, realistically. They had already said they loved each other and had practically lived together, it was a bit hard to gauge what were reasonable relationship milestones to be engaging in at this point. Kate tries hard not to overthink it.
There’s still a lot they need to talk about but they can’t cover it all in one night. Kate just tries to be open and honest about where she is and what she needs. Yelena does the same in turn. “I’ll do whatever you need me to, Kate Bishop,” Yelena murmurs against her collarbone.
Kate tries not to swoon.
***
The next day at work, she doesn’t know how Matt does it (she still doesn’t understand the full scope of his abilities) but as soon as she plops into the chair behind her desk, he lifts his head from his coffee mug. “You talked to her,” he says, a knowing smile spreading across his lips. “It went well.”
“Very well,” she says. She sounds like a dreamy teenager and she’d be embarrassed if her phone wasn’t buzzing with texts from Yelena, wishing her a good day at work. Kate feels like her heart might melt in her chest.
Karen enters the room, phone in hand. “I got a new girl for you,” she says. “Her name is Morgan, she’s a lawyer at this nonprofit-”
“Save it, Karen,” Matt says, smirking behind his mug. “Kate has a girlfriend.”
She looks from Matt to Kate, her brows furrowing. “You have a girlfriend? Since when?”
“Uh, last night? I mean, we haven’t exactly used that word yet but-”
“And you didn’t tell me? After all the dates I’ve set you up on.”
“It just happened last night,” Kate says, glancing at Matt for help. But he’s still just smiling into his coffee. The jerk.
“You have your phone on you all the time, you could’ve texted.”
“Okay, well, I’ll remember that next time.” Not that Kate thinks they’ll be a next time she gets a girlfriend. But that’s a train of thought that only brings trouble so she discards it as quickly as it comes.
“Well, when can I meet her? You gotta bring her out for drinks with us sometime,” Karen says, leaning onto the edge of Kate’s desk.
“Yeah, we’d love to meet her,” Matt says.
He can’t see her but Kate hopes, somehow, he can feel her glaring at him.
***
They walk along the High Line for their first date. Yelena shows up on her doorstep with flowers (for Kate) in one hand and pizza (for Lucky) in the other. She doesn’t get many words out before Kate has her pressed up against the kitchen counter. Kate only gets to ravish her for a few minutes before Yelena drags her out of the apartment, adamant about not missing the sunset during their date.
They hold hands the whole time. Yelena talks about how Natasha is doing, what it's like being surrounded by her family again, meeting the Avengers. Kate talks about work, transferring to NYU, her bouts of vigilantism.
“What a big hero you are, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says, her arm wrapped around Kate’s. “Saving women and bodega stores.”
Kate tries not to preen but fails. “Yeah, I guess,” she says, a blush burning its way up her cheeks. Yelena’s eyes glint dangerously in the fading sunlight, causing Kate’s stomach to clench in anticipation. “Wanna make out on that bench?” she asks.
“Yeah, sure.”
***
While Clint is in town, they spar in Kate’s archery room. She's satisfied to see how well training with Matt has improved her technique. She’s pretty sure she couldn’t have landed Clint on his back before meeting Matt. She won’t lie, it’s a bit satisfying to see him on the ground.
Clint groans, his face scrunched up in surprise.
“Where did you learn that move?” He asks. Kate bends down to give him a hand up.
“It’s something Daredevil taught me.”
“Hmm,” Clint hums, standing up and stretching his old man joints. “So is he your partner now or?”
“Why, jealous?” Kate means it as a joke but Clint looks away, avoiding her eyes.
“Of a guy who runs around in a devil customer? Course not.” He puts on an air of indifference as he catches his breath. But Kate can see right through him.
“Relax, no one can replace you, partner.” And Kate means it. As much as she loves and appreciates Matt and all he’s done for her, Clint still remains her inspiration for taking up a bow and arrow in the first place. Even though he was a dick for not texting or calling, he still put his life on the line for Kate before he even really knew her. He was the first person to make her feel like she was actually cut out for her dreams, like she could actually be in the same league as her idol. And for all those things, Kate would always be grateful. Her partnering with Matt wouldn’t take away from Clint’s position in her life, everything they were trying to rebuild.
Clint bows his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Kate, I really am sorry-”
“Save it,” Kate says. “You don't have to apologize every time you see me. Just don't fuck up again.”
Clint holds her gaze, nodding. “Understood.”
***
With the amount of people Kate’s reintroduced back into her life, she becomes pretty skilled at honest and productive communication. Her and Clint were almost back to normal at this point. He still felt guilty and she still harbored some latent hurt feelings but that was to be expected. They talked about it whenever they needed to. Same with Yelena. But, with the help of her new therapist, Margaret, Kate was learning to trust herself and the people close to her again. She would never know if anyone would ever leave her again. Margaret, in their recent session, had been hammering home how no one knew what tomorrow would bring. Tragedy or mere whims could strike at any minute. People could disappear from your life at any time. She was helping Kate come to terms with this. They also worked on finding the joy in being with the people in the moment, rather than flashing through worst case scenarios months or years into the future.
Kate’s days continued on like they had before Yelena’s return. She went to work, left later than she should have, sometimes met Matt at the gym after, sometimes went out for drinks with Foggy and Karen. Most nights, Yelena was already in her apartment when she got back home. Her outings with Daredevil had lessened a bit with Yelena’s return but, the nights when Yelena stayed at the Avengers compound with her family, Kate was out alongside him, still chasing that familiar high that taking down bad guys in a cool outfit with a bow and arrow brought her.
“This Daredevil, he’s your new partner?” Yelena asks one night over dinner at her apartment. “You finally dropped Barton?”
“No,” Kate says. “Course not, he’s just a new friend is a all.”
“A new friend dressed up like the devil?”
“He’s theatrical.”
***
Kate doesn’t mean for them to meet. But they do.
Stolen debris from the Avengers compound is still circulating the city. Matt and Kate have been trying to keep track of it all, get it off the streets and into the proper hands. But it’s been slow progress with just the two of them. Still, they remain vigilant. The city is dangerous enough without criminals or kids getting their hands on weapons powerful beyond their comprehension.
Whenever they find anything, Kate always calls Clint. He sets up the pickup and disposal. Matt usually takes off, not too keen to stay around any crime scene, especially with government agents he’s not familiar with. But after the fourth time they run into Avengers gear that shouldn’t be in the hands of common thugs, Matt says he wants to talk to Clint. Kate doesn’t like the clear irritation radiating off of him. “Why?” she asks although she has an idea.
“I just need to understand how this keeps happening.” Which is fair. Kate would also like to know. But it’s not like she’s on familiar terms with the current roster of Avengers. And Clint only knows so much. But still, she figures it’s better if he talks to Clint himself.
Walking onto the scene, Clint raises a brow at the sight of Daredevil standing besides Kate. “Hey,” he says as he approaches. “You must be Daredevil.”
“You’re Hawkeye,” Matt says. Kate coughs beside him. “The other Hawkeye,” he adds.
“Yeah, look,” Clint says. “I already told Kate that these weapons are coming from an unknown source that S.H.I.E.L.D’s been unable to track. But they're doing everything they can to trace the heat signatures all over the city. They’re just moving too fast and the Avengers are kinda dealing with something at the moment-”
“You don’t have to send the Avengers,” Matt says. “Just send us.”
“What?”
“Whenever the heat signatures go off in the city, Kate and I can go retrieve them. We’d just need S.H.I.E.L.D to share their intelligence with us.”
“Ah, yeah, I can probably arrange that,” Clint says.
“Thank you,” Matt says. With that, he walks off.
“Huh,” Clint says. “I thought he’d be a bit meaner.”
“No, it’s just the outfit,” Kate says.
“He seems cool.”
“Yeah, he’s alright. You know, I think you guys would actually get along great if you just hangout.” Once the thought strikes Kate, she can’t let it go.
***
Kate is a bit apprehensive inviting both Clint and Matt over for beer and target practice. She might’ve been too hopeful in thinking that her two partners would get along just because they had Kate in common. But, nevertheless, they show up. Surprisingly, Kate doesn’t actually have to do much to get them to talk to each other. Whatever anxiety Kate felt is gone the instant Clint admits to being a fan of Daredevil. It only gets better from there.
“-so I was in Budapest, only in a bed sheet, with my bow on the roof ten stories off the ground,” Clint says. They trade war stories back and forth for a while. Kate doesn’t contribute much since the bulk of her adventures have been in the presence of either Clint or Matt. But still, she’s happy just to see them getting along. Kate wonders if Clint has any friends around his age besides the Avengers.
***
“I told my mom about you,” Kate says, lulled into deep comfort by the rhythm of Yelena’s heart beneath her head. She feels her shift beneath her and hum. “Did you?” She asks.
“Yeah, she called today. She wants to meet you.”
“Really?” Yelena adjusts her body so she’s facing Kate. “Why?”
Kate smiles. “She wants to meet my girlfriend.” That’s a word they’re using now (having gotten confirmation from Yelena) and Kate couldn’t be more stoked.
“I can’t imagine she’s too happy about you to be dating a former assassin. Especially one she hired to kill your idol.”
Kate shrugs. “It’d be kinda hypocritical considering she hired you, like you said. She’s trying to be more open minded, rebuilding our relationship one step at a time. That includes meeting the woman I’m in love with.”
Yelena smirks. “Oh, the woman you’re in love with? That’s how you describe me to your mother, Kate Bishop? The love of your life?”
Kate’s grin widens. “I didn’t say that exactly, but-”
“But it’s what you meant, yes?”
Kate chuckles. “Basically, yeah.”
Yelena closes the gap between them. Kate’s hands tangle in her hair while Yelena’s skirt along the hem of her t-shirt. Kate feels her fingers slide underneath the fabric, hot along her skin. But they stay anchored on her waist. They’ve been wrapped up in each other since Kate accepted Yelena back into her life, making out against every surface in and out of Kate’s apartment, but they’ve never ventured further than that. Yelena hasn’t brought it up. And Kate’s been too nervous about this particular topic to bring it up just yet considering she can’t exactly remember the last time she had sex. But, with Yelena’s thigh slotting in between Kate’s, now seems as good a time as any to talk about it.
“Hey, so, I was thinking-”Kate’s breath hitches as Yelena shifts, a sudden pressure between her legs.
“What were you thinking, lyubimaya moya ?”
After a botched attempt at google translate, Kate had scoured the internet for hours to try and find a sensical translation but, not knowing the proper spelling, the results were disappointing. Earlier that day, she finally had Yelena translate for her with a promise to learn Russian in the near future. (“It was something I heard as a kid,” she said. “It’s cheesy but I thought it was fitting.”
“What does it mean?”
“In English it would be something like my darling, my one and only sweetheart.”)
The memory wraps around her heart and beats in tandem with the growing heat between her legs. “Would you, uh-” Kate clears her throat. “Would you wanna, maybe, have sex? With me?”
“With you?” Yelena’s eyes are full of amusement as they peer down at Kate.
“Yes.”
Yelena’s fingers slip further along her stomach, dancing across her ribs. “Are you sure?”
Kate nods, playing with the hair at the back of Yelena’s neck. “Yeah, I mean, if you want to, yes, I’m very sure.”
Yelena smiles, the affection in her eyes almost overwhelming Kate as she leans down to pepper kisses along her jaw. “Okay,” she says. Kate’s breath hitches again with another shift of Yelena’s thigh. “Okay.”
***
Kate’s body is the most relaxed it's been in a while. Her head is nestled against Yelena’s collarbone, studying her skin with intense interest. She nibbles at a bruise that she had left at some point during the last couple of hours.
“Ready for another round so soon, Kate Bishop?”
“I have amazing stamina.”
Kate can feel her chuckle reverberate within her chest, beneath Kate’s own. She raises her head to meet Yelena’s eyes. “Or we can just lay here. I can hold you. That’s cool too.”
Yelena smiles up at her. She tucks a strand of hair behind Kate’s ear. “Just give me a minute to recuperate, lyubimaya moya .” The pet name sends a shiver down Kate’s spine.
“That’s fine with me,” she says, nestling back into Yelena. She angles their bodies so Yelena’s back is slotted against Kate’s chest, an arm wrapped around her stomach. She traces the skin of her hip and feels lighter than she’s ever been. They lie in silence for a while until Yelena speaks.
“How’s therapy?” she asks, surprising Kate.
“Uh, it’s good,” Kate says, unsure of what to say. “I mean, it’s therapy. Kinda gets worse before it gets better.”
Yelena turns in her arms so she’s facing Kate, head still resting on her pillow. “What do you mean?” she asks. She looks so soft and relaxed Kate almost wants to forget the question and bury herself as close to Yelena as she could get, until Kate didn’t know where her body began and where Yelena’s ended. But she puts that thought aside as Yelena stares at her, waiting for an answer.
“It’s, um,” Kate tries to think of how to word what she means. “It’s like, before you get better, sometimes you have to strip back all the defenses and unhealthy coping mechanisms you’ve used to avoid your issues. And then you have to confront your trauma and stuff head on in a way that can be really painful, sometimes.”
“This is what you do in therapy?”
“ ‘S what we’ve been trying to do, yeah. Turns out I have a lot of trauma to work through. Can’t go through it all in only three sessions.”
“But it makes you feel better, yes?”
“In general, yeah. It’s nice to talk through things, especially things I might not be able to talk to anyone else about.”
“Do you talk about me leaving?”
Kate lowers her eyes. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing.”
“I know. I just need you to know.”
“I know.”
“I wish I could promise you that I’ll stay with you forever but I can’t.” She leans forward to place a kiss on her jaw. “You can’t promise me that either.”
“I know. We can’t predict the future. My therapist is trying to help me be okay with that.”
Yelena rests her forehead against Kate’s. “I can promise that as long as I’m on this Earth, and as long as you want me, I will always try to make my way back to you, Kate Bishop.”
Heat starts to build behind Kate’s eyes. Yelena leans up to kiss her eyelids. “Ugh, I didn’t mean to cry,” Kate says. “I meant to have sex with you again but I probably ruined the mood, right?”
Yelena chuckles against her cheek. “No, you didn’t ruin the mood. Let me kiss you better than we can have sex again.”
***
Kate takes Yelena out to an axe throwing place for their second date. Of course, Yelena is amazing at it. Which ruins Kate’s attempts to be romantic by pressing her body up against Yelena’s to teach her proper form. But it doesn't matter. Yelena lets her snuggle close anyway.
Walking back to Kate’s apartment, Yelena invites her to a party.
“A party?” Kate asks. “What kinda party?”
Yelena entwines her arm with Kate’s as they turn a corner. “The Avengers are throwing some kind of celebration for the end of the summer. A big party, I’m told. I want you to come.”
“Like at the Avengers compound?”
“Yes.”
“Who’ll be there?” Kate knows it’s a stupid question and she can guess the answer but she still needs to ask.
“Everyone.”
“Everyone ?”Kate asks. “Like all the Avengers and your family?”
“Yes,” Yelena raises a brow. “If you don’t want to come, I under-”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just- It’ll be my first time meeting Natasha and your parents.”
“They’ll love you. They’re already excited to meet you.”
“They know about me?”
“Of course, I told my parents about you ages ago, before Natasha came back.”
“What did you say?”
“That you’re a very, very good friend of mine.”
Kate smiles, quirking her brow. “A friend?”
Yelena meets her smile with a grin of her own. “Months ago, I told them you were a good friend of mine. They guessed we were something more a long time ago. Same with Natasha.”
“Do they know about us? Like us us?”
“Yes, I told them that you were making an honest woman out of me.”
Kate laughs. “And what do they think?”
“They want to meet you.”
“I would love to meet them,” Kate says. But anxiety hammers in her chest at the idea of meeting a family made up of Russian assassins. But then Yelena kisses her on the cheek and it doesn’t seem so bad.
***
The party takes place during the last weekend of August. Kate starts Fall classes in a week. Only two classes so she qualifies as part time. She’s trying to pace herself as best as she can.
Yelena tells her it’s a casual dress code so she wears a pair of jeans and an NYU archery t-shirt Greer had gifted her as a gag gift upon her acceptance to NYU. She looks like an average college student. Yelena, on the other hand, looks like a rockstar when Kate opens her front door. Dressed in jeans and a crop top, not that different from Kate, but distinctly more fashionable somehow. She kisses Kate in greeting as soon as she steps into her apartment. Kate quietly takes that moment to appreciate that this is something they now do without question.
“Are you ready?” Yelena asks.
“Yes,” Kate says, reaching for her hand.
***
With every mile that they get closer to the Avengers compound, the nerves in Kate’s gut twists tighter and tighter. All of the Bartons will be there, Kate knows. She takes some comfort in that but not enough to stop her leg from jiggling against her seat as the building comes into view. Yelena’s hand moves to rest on her knee. The shaking ceases. “You’ll be fine,” she says.
Kate doesn’t say anything. Only lets Yelena take her hand as they exit the car Tony Stark had sent for them.
The compound is massive, larger than Kate had anticipated. They pass through several hallways and high ceilinged rooms before Kate hears the small roar of a party. Voices and music commingling over one another. Yelena grips Kate’s hand tighter.
There’s not a lot of obvious head turns when they enter the room. But Kate’s spent enough time with Matt to learn how to pick up on the most subtle shift of movement and tone. Kate can tell everyone in the room knows that they’ve entered. And they all probably recognize Kate as the single newcomer, the nervous stranger. Best way to not spook someone is to avoid looking at them as soon as they enter a room. Still, Kate can feel the almost imperceptible shift of eyes and heads as they make their way further into the room. Everyone in the room, apart from the Barton kids, are some kind of operative or at least have the training. Subtle observation was to be expected.
Luckily, Kate doesn’t have to worry about all the eyes not directly on her for long. Nate runs headfirst into her legs, wrapping his arms around her knees. “Kate!” he exclaims, vibrating with excitement. Kate bends down to pick him up, warmth flooding her chest. She hasn’t seen the youngest Barton in a long time. He’s missing a tooth. “Hey there, big guy,” Kate says. “Where’d your tooth go?”
He brings his hand up to finger at the gap between his teeth. “I lost it jumping from the barn.”
Kate’s brows rise into her hairline. “You jumped from the roof?”
“No, just the landing,” Laura says, appearing in front of them. “Still too dangerous though. Luckily, he landed on a bunch of old rags and spare cushions we left in there.”
“That’s pretty dangerous, dude,” Kate says, looking at Nate. He only shrugs. “It was fun.”
Laura rolls her eyes but is smiling nonetheless. Kate puts Nate down as she comes in for a hug. “It’s good to see you,” Laura says. Kate returns her sentiment. Her hugs are still the best.
“Hey, Yelena,” Kate hears Nate say to her girlfriend.
“Nathaniel,” Yelena says in an affected formal tone. “Can we play in the gym again?” he asks.
“Not right now, Kate has to meet everyone. But later, after the party, I promise.”
“Play in the gym?” Kate asks once Nate has run off with Laura trailing behind him. Yelena shrugs, similar to how Nate shrugged moments ago. “I let him sit on my back while I do push ups sometimes. Or hang off my legs when I do pull ups. He enjoys it.”
“Can we do that?” Kate asks. The image is all too appealing to her.
Yelena’s grin already has desire pooling in her stomach. “Sure, whenever you want, lyubimaya moya .”
Kate still couldn’t help the thrill that went through her whenever she spoke Russian.
They’re making their way to the bar when a large man walks into their path. She hears Yelena let out a resigned sigh beside her. “Kate Bishop,” he says, “I’ve heard so much about you.” Then Kate is being enveloped in a very tight hug. She can’t exactly move her arms to reciprocate it even if she wanted to. He eases back and Kate sees Yelena rolling her eyes beside them.
“Kate Bishop, this is-”
“Alexei Shostakov,” the man says, shaking Kate’s arm out of her socket. “Or the red guardian,” he adds with an abundance of pride in his voice. “Whichever you prefer.”
“Nice to meet you,” Kate says. “Uh, sir.”
A woman appears beside him. “I’m Melina,” she says, also extending a hand. “Yelena’s mother.” Kate quickly accepts her hand and tries not to look as nervous as she feels. Knowing herself, she isn’t succeeding.
“It is very pleasing that, of our two daughters, one is an avenger, and the other is dating an almost avenger,” Alexei says. “Not that Yelena isn’t impressive on her own. No, she makes us very proud. The youngest child assass-Ow.” He gets interrupted with a firm swat to the arm from Melina. She turns to Kate, smiling as if apologizing for Alexei. “We are glad that Yelena has found such a capable partner,” she says. “And so pretty too.”
“Okay,” Yelena cuts in, taking Kate’s arm. “That’s enough.” She begins to drag Kate away.
“But wait, we haven’t even shown her the baby photos. Your cute little baths in the sink,” Alexei calls after them. But Yelena doesn’t stop walking.
“Hey, I wanna see those,” Kate says.
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not? I’ll trade you, show you my baby pictures.”
Yelena glances at her, contemplating. “Maybe.”
***
Kate isn’t sure where they're going but they turn a corner into a small hallway. At the end of it is a large balcony with two figures standing along the railing, their features blurred by the sun shining tall in the sky. Kate doesn’t recognize their silhouettes until they’re almost at the entryway of the balcony. Oh, I can’t do this, she thinks.
Clint stands opposite Natasha. They turn around to face the incoming couple as they walk out onto the balcony. Kate’s body is still holding residual nerves from her brief encounter with Yelena’s parents. At the sight of Natasha, Kate almost turns around but she knows she’d never live it down if she did.
This is the first time she’s seeing Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, in person. She’s intimidated, for sure. But not because she’s meeting the Black Widow. Mostly because she’s meeting Yelena’s sister and Clint’s best friend. The woman in front of her just smiles. Clint is also smiling, almost smirking, as he watches Kate squirm. “Hi,” Kate starts. “I’m-”
“Kate Bishop,” she cuts in. “I know who you are.”
“Right, of course. Sorry,” Kate says. She’s already crashing and burning. But she feels Yelena’s hand strong and steady on her back nonetheless. “Tasha,” she says. “Be nice.”
“I am nice,” she touts back at her before addressing Kate again. Her expression is friendly and open, if not a little amused. “Sorry, this is the first time I’ve gotten to mess with my little sister’s girlfriend during a first meet. I don’t know if I’m ever gonna get to do this again.”
Kate doesn’t know if she understands the implication. Yelena says something in Russian then, pretty aggressively, and Natasha answers back in the same language and tone. “It’s cool,” Kate says. “I’m just really happy to meet you. You’re like the most important person in Yelena’s life so it’s an honor.”
Natasha’s smile is warm as she pulls Kate in for a hug she definitely wasn’t expecting. “Hurt her and you die,” she says against Kate’s shoulder. She notices then that Natasha is several inches shorter than her, similar to Yelena. But they both carry themselves as if they towered over her.
Natasha pulls back, still smiling. “Figured I don’t have to give you much of a shovel talk. Almost everyone who cares about Yelena has killed people professionally.”
“Yup,” Kate says, nodding her head. “Totally.”
Natasha stares at her for a moment before bursting into a cackle. “Oh, this is gonna be fun,” she says.
***
Yelena disappears from Kate’s side at some point during her conversation with Wanda Maximoff. Ever since she joined the team, she’s always been one of Kate’s favorite avengers, only second to Clint, obviously. Kate is so enamored with her it’s embarrassing which is probably why it takes her a minute to notice her girlfriend’s absence. “Excuse me,” she says.
After venturing down a couple halls with no clue where she’s going, she comes upon a large, cavern of a room. Mats occupy a large bulk of the floor. There’s gym equipment in the corner. What looks like a large agility course takes up one side of the room. Various bars, ropes and several obstacles to scale. Swinging along a set of tall monkey bars is Yelena. Holding onto her waist, screaming with glee, is Nate. Below them is a wide net so there’s no real danger to be found. Not that Yelena would let anything happen to the youngest Barton. Watching Yelena interact with Nate, she can tell she has a soft spot for the kid. It's so sweet, Kate can barely stand to look. She turns back towards the party, not wanting to intrude.
***
Alexei finds her beside a spread of hamburgers and hot dogs, filling her plate. She finally gets to see pictures of a tiny Yelena bathing in the tub. She’s cooing along with Alexei over her little toes before she’s being roughly dragged away towards the opposite side of the room, Yelena yelling something in Russian at her dad.
“He’s so annoying,” she grumbles.
“I like him,” Kate says, still warm over the picture. “You were a cute kid.”
“Kate Bishop, you must not encourage him.”
***
Kate can’t tell if it’s Natasha fucking with her again or if its just a genuine gesture but she finds Kate by the bar sometime later. Yelena has left to go to the bathroom, leaving Kate alone. She asks Kate to take a shot with her. They end up doing two, back to back. Because she’s Natasha Romanoff, she’s not affected. Because Kate is Kate, her throat is burning and she’s already tipsy. Clint is on her other side, looking incredibly amused. Laura appears beside them. She takes in the shot glasses on the table and Kate’s red eyes. She tuts at Natasha and Clint, putting her hands on Kate’s shoulders to guide her away from them. “Oh, you guys are such bad influences.”
“We’re just having some fun,” Natasha laughs.
Laura rolls her eyes, smiling. “You leave your sister’s girlfriend alone.” Laura is walking Kate to a different corner of the room when Yelena approaches. “Kate Bishop, are you drunk?” She asks.
“Not yet.”
“Clint and your sister were ganging up on her.”
“We just did some shots,” Kate says, defending her mentor and the sister she’s trying to win over.
“Do not drink with my sister,” Yelena says. “She will make it a competition and you will not win.”
Kate pouts. “Don’t pout at me because you can’t hold your liquor,” Yelena says, putting a finger on Kate’s lips.
“I want your sister to like me.”
“Trust me, she does.”
“Does she?”
“Yes, if she didn’t, you’d be dead.”
“I can’t tell if you’re kidding.”
“I’m mostly kidding. She doesn’t kill people anymore.”
***
Because Kate’s life couldn’t be anymore unbelievable, and she hasn’t embarrassed herself enough already, Sam Wilson approaches her after Natasha has talked her into another shot. Kate is just trying to keep up with her girlfriend’s sister, maybe even impress her, but Kate’s poor alcohol tolerance seems to be having the opposite effect.
“Hey,” Sam says, extending a hand towards her. “I’m-”
“Captain America.”
He laughs, thankfully not turned off by Kate’s starstruck behavior. “Sam Wilson,” he says.
“Kate Bishop,” Kate says before he can even ask. Her mind is working fast tonight.
“Clint’s told me a lot about you,” he says. “Yelena too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They heard I was putting together a new initiative and thought you might be interested.”
All thoughts leave Kate’s head. She swears she’s about to pass out. But she restrains herself because Sam is still talking. “-your number so expect a call from me soon. We can talk about it more then. Think about it, alright?”
Kate nods her head, doing an impression of someone not losing their shit. Or, at least she hopes she is. “Will do,” she says.
Yelena walks up to her after Sam has left, holding a plate of chips and a cheeseburger. “Did you just become an avenger?” She asks.
“Maybe,” Kate says. She can’t believe she’s being so chill about this. “I think so.”
“Impressive, Kate Bishop.”
“You think so?”
“Not really but I’m proud of you nonetheless.” Kate scoffs, smacking at Yelena’s shoulders. “You know what I think of the costumes and the posing and all that,” she says, grimacing. “The Avengers are ridiculous but I’m happy if you’re happy.”
“You know, I think you’re the only person on the planet who has no problem trash talking the Avengers at their own party.”
“I only speak the truth,” she says. Kate plants a quick peck to her forehead, feeling an intense burst of affection.
“Sam says you mentioned to him that I might be interested in the new initiative.”
Yelena shrugs. “Just because you have bad taste in heroes doesn’t mean I won’t be supportive of your dreams.”
“I don’t think I have bad tastes in heroes,” Kate says, placing kisses along Yelena’s hairline. “I chose you, didn’t I?”
Yelena hums against her jaw. “You’re right. Maybe your taste isn’t all bad.”
Kate pulls back as a thought pops into her head.
“Do you think they’ll let me ‘avenge’ and still patrol with Daredevil?”
Yelena shrugs, attention focused on the food on her plate. “I don’t see why not. They’d be fools not to take you.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” Yelena attempts to bring a chip up to her mouth but Kate blocks it by covering her lips with her own. “Mmm, Kate Bishop, as much as I love to kiss you, I am trying to eat.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”
“Wait till after the party then you can ravish me at your apartment.”
Kate’s face goes red as her hands circle around Yelena’s waist, leaving enough space between them for Yelena to eat. Kate buries her face in her hair. “Do you think I should tell your dad I’m an avenger?”
“Why?”
“Cause he said I was an almost avenger before but now I’m about to be official.”
“ Milaya , please don’t worry about impressing my father. His opinion is of no consequence to you.”
Kate hums into the sweet smell of Kate’s hair. She definitely used Kate’s shampoo this morning. “I think I’m gonna tell him. And your mom.”
“Your obsession with parental approval is ridiculous. They already love you.”
“They could love me more if I was an avenger.”
“ I already love you plenty.”
***
Kate can’t tell if it's the alcohol or just Natasha. But, when Yelena leaves her alone at the bar again, Natasha finds her. She suggests that she and Kate spar in the training room that Yelena and Nate had just been playing in.
“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Kate can be reckless and prone to bad ideas herself but even she knows drunk sparring with her girlfriend’s sister, a former Black Widow operative, is a bad idea.
“Why not? I promise I’ll go easy on you.”
Kate can see Yelena approaching behind her.
“Natasha, leave her alone,” she says. But it’s too late. Natasha’s challenging words and teasing smile have ignited one of Kate’s worst flaws: her intense competitiveness. With Yelena’s concern (and her certainty that Kate would lose), it only heightens her latent need to prove herself, even to a renowned spy who could probably kill her in the blink of an eye.
“No, it’s fine. I can handle myself,” she says.
Natasha smirks and Kate hopes she hasn’t made a fatal mistake.
***
They line up opposite each other. Kate has traded her jeans for a spare set of sweats and an Avengers t-shirt (cause apparently they make their own merch). Natasha sports a pair of shorts and a tank-top that fit her much better than the spare clothes Kate has on. They get into position.
“Ready?” Clint asks. Him and Yelena stand on the sidelines, both wearing equally worried expressions that show how much of a bad idea they think this is. Luckily, no one has told Laura lest she (responsibly) try to prevent the drunken sparring match. Wanda and Sam stand on the other side of the mat, both wearing eager expressions. Kate really hopes she doesn’t embarrass herself in front of her possible teammates.
Kate and Natasha nod in unison. A beep goes off above them, signaling the start of the match. In the blink of an eye, Kate is getting the air knocked out of her lungs as her back smacks against the ground. She can hear Sam groan for her somewhere above her head.
“Okay, that’s enough-” Yelena starts to say, rushing towards Kate. But Kate puts a hand up, stopping her. “I’m not done,” she says, rising to her feet. She can definitely feel a large bruise beginning to form.
Natasha raises a brow at her but says nothing, simply getting into position again. “Kate, are you sure?” Clint asks. The concern in his voice just strengthens her resolve even more.
She nods, taking her position across from Natasha. “Don’t hold back,” she says. Natasha meets her eyes with a smile. “Don’t worry,” she says. “I won’t.”
Her reflexes were a bit stalled due to the alcohol in her system. But Natasha’s take down was a rude awakening to her nervous system. She feels her body catching up to what was happening on the mat. The cloudiness starts to fade from her brain. She does a quick run through of every encouraging thing Matt has said to her during their training. She hopes when she tells this story later that she makes him proud.
A beep goes off again. Because of Kate’s earlier delayed movements, Natasha lunges toward her, hoping to take her out by the legs. Kate manages to side step her reach before maneuvering behind her. Her arms wrap around Natasha in a headlock but she’s quick to insert an arm past the space in her elbow, breaking her grip.
She twists away from Kate and, before she can take a breath, Kate is quick to follow, swiping at her legs. She catches one of her calves but she dodges it easily. She comes at Kate again, sliding behind her and grabbing her arms in a sort of bear hold. But, using Natasha’s body weight, Kate flips them over so they slam against the ground, Natasha taking the bulk of the impact. Kate can hear her groan beneath her before Kate is scrambling to get the upper hand, throwing a leg over her to hold her down. But that only ends in Kate being flipped onto her back. Natasha is shorter than her so she’s sitting more on Kate’s stomach than her legs. She uses them to propel her body up, destabilizing Natasha as she punches her in the spleen. Kate immediately feels the need to say sorry but before she can Natasha comes back at her with a shot to the ribs. Kate blocks another and goes for a hook to the jaw that is met with a solid block of her arm.
It seems that now that Natasha has been made aware that Kate could actually land a hit on her, she feels free to return the favor. Before they were mainly grappling, trying to gain momentum over the other without actually throwing a punch. Now, Kate can see a fuller range of Natasha’s fighting style. It’s clear she prefers keeping her center of gravity close to the ground, going for the legs or the hips to get her opponent on their back. But, having trained in a boxing gym for the better part of a year, Kate’s propensity for hooks and jabs are showing through and Natasha meets her hit for hit.
Kate doesn’t know how long they go for but she knows her body is definitely gonna need to be iced when they get home.
The alcohol and the hits seem to be getting to Natasha. Her technique has been flawless so far, Kate unable to find many weaknesses in her stance. But, in the span of a second, Kate sees Natasha’s back foot stumble just the slightest bit and her other foot shift to pick up the slack. Kate takes the opportunity to sweep her legs. Her calves connect with a satisfying force. Natasha is on her back and Kate puts all her weight into pinning her to the mat. She looks up at Kate, expression blank. Kate’s stomach starts to twist, already regretting ever letting herself be goaded into this-
A grin splits across Natasha’s face and Kate’s grip eases on her wrists. “That was good,” she says. Kate slides off of her. Natasha takes the hand she extends as she stands up. “This was fun,” she says, stepping off the mat and walking towards the pile of her regular clothes.
***
Kate walks back to the main room, having changed back into her party clothes. She glances around for Yelena, quickly finding her and her family bundled in the corner. Everyone is wearing different expressions of agitation.
“Natasha, you cannot beat up your sister’s girlfriend,” Melina says
“Tattle tale,” Natasha says, looking at Yelena. She just sticks out her tongue in return.
“Ah, Melina, they were just having fun,” Alexei says, putting his hands on her shoulders.
“This is why Yelena never visits,” Melina says.
“I visit you plenty.”
A sudden burst of happiness wraps around Kate at the sight. She watches them bicker for a few more moments before walking over.
***
There are fireworks in the sky at end of the night, courtesy of Tony Stark. Everyone places themselves along the railing of the balcony, peering up into the sky. Kate is drunk at this point, just barely, but enough to where she’s not focused so much on the explosions in the sky but rather Yelena’s back pressed up against her front.
And it might be because she’s drunk but, regardless, Kate can see her life playing out someway similar to this. Celebrations with Yelena and the people who care about her. Clint and his kids included in that. It might be crazy to be thinking that far ahead, already planning out future celebrations and their life together. It’s definitely not following what they had said about taking things slow. But it’s Kate’s mind so she can do whatever she wants in it. And what she and Yelena have, it’s not perfect. But it’s a start.
Yelena tilts her head back, brushing her hair against Kate’s cheek. “What are you thinking about, lyubimaya moya ?”
“Us,” Kate says without a second thought. Her drunk brain lacks even less filter than her sober brain.
“You’re very sweet, Kate Bishop.” Yelena turns her head up towards her, her lips grazing her jaw. Kate’s arms tighten around her. “Take me home.”