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Chapter Text

As reckless as she might be, Kate Bishop at least had enough self-awareness and empathy to know when she wasn’t wanted. She wouldn’t impose herself on others against their will, no matter how much it would hurt her. One would often argue that Clint was the exception, but to be fair, Kate always felt the old man needed a friend, and her instincts had rewarded her a mentor whom she would always cherish.

The White Widow was mysterious, alluring, and held a certain vulnerability to her that no one else could see. The Halloween party was proof enough — Kate even thought she understood her. She thought she would be able unlock a side of her that everyone else rarely saw, only for her to shy away and seal herself behind an impenetrable wall once more.

The way she treated her should have been enough to turn her away. Any other normal person would have moved on, forgotten about her no matter how mind-blowing the sex might be. But the confusion turned into a restless night of pondering, wondering what could have sparked her sudden coldness. Yet, no answer could come to her.

She was conflicted – Yelena’s intentions towards her were obvious enough, but she could not dismiss their interaction during the party as a tactic for the White Widow to seduce her. It made no sense. Cold and unfriendly she may be, but she would never be so deceitful.

After many nights of silence she finally texted her, and Kate was genuinely surprised to say the least. It felt even stranger when Yelena asked to meet at her own room, and the archer frowned. As much as she would love to have another round with her, Kate knew the sensible thing to do was to politely decline – she was not interested in a sexual relationship that wouldn’t go further.

In the end, she was only a woman. Who was she to resist those sweet, plump lips when she kissed her so hard Kate thought she might be devoured alive? Even in that moment she applauded herself with her self-restrain, and thank god she did, because having an icy and unforthcoming assassin break down in front of her was simply the last thing she would ever expect. But thank god she did.

When Kate gave herself to her for the comfort she sought, that was when she knew. Yelena did have a heart, but it was covered by so many protective layers that she simply did not know how to give herself willingly to others anymore.

How much pain could a person bear, until the dam breaks and they unleash it on everyone around them? Kate was unprepared, but she knew how to react. She did not understand the gloves or her reluctance to be around people, but she understood she only needed comfort and safety at that moment, and so Kate did what she could.

Yelena laid asleep next to her that night, her short blonde hair fanned out over Kate’s arm as she pressed one cheek close to her bicep. She was quiet even in her sleep, with her lips parted slightly and eyebrows furrowed just a little. Kate Bishop could not help but just watch her, her hand running through the blonde tresses with enough softness to not wake her. The archer wasn’t tired, so she didn’t bother to sleep.

She knew better than to overstay her welcome. If she was wanted, Yelena would have made it known. Pressing a small kiss to the widow’s forehead, Kate slowly slipped her arm from under her head before pushing a pillow underneath. Then she put on her clothes and left before morning came.

The lack of sleep would kick her ass later that day, and so Kate figured she should at least have an espresso just so she could make it through. As she whistled a tune, she did not even realize a presence behind her due to the loud rumbling of the coffeemaker, until someone spoke.

“Rough day, Hawkeye?”

Kate jolted like a startled cat, then whipped around to see the Black Widow standing behind her with the cup held daintily to her lips. She sighed, then clasped her hand over her chest to calm her racing heart.

“Natasha! You scared me!”

“What, because you’re hiding something?”

She knew it was pointless to lie to a Black Widow, but Kate did it anyway. “Like what? If it’s about the pizza party then yes, I stole a box back to my room so Lucky and I can enjoy it,”

Natasha gave a knowing smirk. “If you say so,”

Kate reached for her coffee, and sighed in relief when Natasha did not press further.

“So,” the Avenger started. “Did you enjoy your time with my sister?”

She stuttered as she began to answer. “Y-yes, she’s pretty fun to be around,”

“Really? That’s odd. You both hardly speak anymore since the party, I thought there might be a feud between you both,”

The archer could have made another witty remark, or a joke to keep the Black Widow off her scent. But Kate realized there was actually no point pretending anymore. Yelena’s intentions were clear, and she had to respect her wishes if things were unlikely to progress further. Whatever humour that was on her face ebbed away, replaced by sadness over what could have been.

Natasha must have caught on her look, because she rested her mug on the table behind her and shot Kate a sympathetic gaze. “Things didn’t go well?”

“I think Yelena’s going through something, and maybe I’m not the right person to help her right now,” she admitted sadly.

“What makes you think so?”

“I…” Kate stammered, then shook her head as she curiously asked. “Sometimes it feels like she knows what I am thinking, and what she told me yesterday… she wasn’t the victim, but she described it as if she went through the same experience herself. I know I can be ignorant sometimes, but the way she spoke it… it sounded too personal to seem as if she wasn’t just a bystander,”

Natasha’s eyes lit up, but she couldn’t tell how she was feeling. The archer continued.

“Maybe I was dishonest, and I didn’t realize it. Maybe she felt my intentions were impure,” Kate shrugged, but she took her losses with a smile. “But that’s fine, really. She knows better than anyone else what she needs for herself,”

The Black Widow grimaced. Perhaps the Avenger knew something she didn’t – after all, they were sisters.

“Listen, if Yelena gave you a hard time –”

“She didn’t,” Kate interrupted, and it was the truth. “She’s just doing what’s necessary to protect herself, and I understand if she isn’t ready for a relationship at the moment. It’s just... if she needs a friend, I can be that, someone who would support from the side-lines,”

Natasha stared at her curiously, and her gaze was starting to feel uncomfortable, making the archer shuffle her feet mindlessly.

“Have faith, Kate. Sometimes Yelena doesn’t realise what she needs is already right in front of her,”

The archer fell silent. She could not understand what it meant, or to be exact, she did not want to understand the meaning of those words.

Moments later, Natasha’s lips curled with a soft smile, as if she had some good news for her.

“The assessment results came back, by the way. You and the Young Avengers passed with flying colours,” Kate lit up instantly, her sadness seeping away, and the Black Widow’s smile was just as radiant as hers. “Congratulations, Hawkeye. The Young Avengers will be put on higher threat-level missions soon,”

“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Wait, does Clint know?”

Natasha nodded. “He’s the first to know. But call him again to tell him, will you?”

“Yes!” Kate squealed, and it should have sounded embarrassing to do so in front of an Avenger but she could not care less. “Thank you so much! We will do our best!”

“As expected from the ragtag group that put Kang in his place,” Natasha smirked.

Before Kate could answer, a figure appeared at the door. Kate’s heart leapt to her throat the moment she noticed blonde hair and black gloves, but her face was neutral as their eyes met. Time seemed to stand still for a while, with Natasha’s voice droning in the background, and Kate struggled on how to greet her, not understanding how Yelena would feel in the morning after.

In the end, she opted to share the good news at least. In other words, she chose to pivot, possibly for their own good.

“Good morning, Yelena. Natasha and I were just talking about how we could put the Young Avengers on more high level threat missions, maybe we would be working together soon,”

Part of Kate expected her to huff and ignore her just as she would when they first met, which was why the archer was genuinely surprised when Yelena’s lips curled into a small smile as if she was genuinely happy for her.

“I’m happy for you, Kate Bishop,” she said. And that was it. Full stop. Nothing else.

It was probably for the best.

Thank god Natasha broke the awkward tension by asking for a moment alone with her sister. But as Kate left, she kind of wished she was alone with Yelena, just so she could know if she was actually feeling better. I hope you’re doing okay, the sentence hung on her lips, but they were unsaid.

As the archer brushed past the White Widow she felt a tinge of sadness marring the good news she just received, nonetheless she kept telling herself the same thing over and over.

It was for the best.

Days passed, and Yelena could tell the archer was clearly avoiding her. It hurt a bit, but she understood it at least. She just dumped all her traumatic experience on her on a single night and they barely knew each other, that was bound to scare anyone off no matter how kind they might be.

In the end, Yelena was only human. Of course she felt a sting in her chest as Kate Bishop purposely turned around when she saw her in the hallway. And deep down, she thought she might as well do her a favour too. She stopped using the gym the Young Avengers would frequently use. She hid around the corner the moment she heard that familiar laughter in the area. She would purposely walk a longer route so it was less likely for her to bump into her in the compound.  

With the gloves pulled on, Yelena’s heart was closed off again. Whatever tender moments she shared with the archer, they were fleeting at best. And like all good times Yelena knew they were never meant to last. With that, she hoped at least her thoughts of the archer would be a distant memory soon, but only time could tell.

Yet, fate could be quite cruel sometimes.

Natasha would often come by her room, claiming she had loads to work but still wanted to spend time with her. And by work she meant reviewing the mission reports of the Young Avengers. Clearly, Yelena could not tell her anything, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it was intentional that the Black Widow wouldn’t stop commending Kate Bishop’s performance. She would only answer with a hum or a nod, pretending as if the mere mention of her name didn’t just tug on her heartstrings.

She had to admit, the archer was quite impressive. She took a quick peep whenever Natasha was reviewing the mission videos, and while the widows’ way was clean, brutal and swift, Kate Bishop's was graceful, acrobatic and elegant. And her leadership was not to be taken lightly – on the battlefield, the leader was all seriousness with not even a smile to be seen, her eyes sharp as a hawk’s with her goal clear in sight. Every move she made was calculated with her teammates’ best intentions in mind, and Yelena realized these were not just ordinary teenagers playing pretend – they were the real deal and could even face threats sometimes the Avengers would have trouble with.

Nonetheless, she felt a stir within her at the way Kate Bishop would rest her slender fingers on her bowstring, the way her biceps would flex as she drew it to her cheek, the way her eyes glimmered as she aimed and breathed. She was witnessing an expert marksman at work, and it was true when people spoke of how beautiful and deadly archery could be.

It irritated her to the core. There she was, trying her hardest to forget the irresistible soul that was Katherine Elizabeth Bishop, and there she was, finding herself unable to look away every time a clip of her surfaced. Yelena could not tell her sister to fuck off, obviously, but she couldn’t help but feel as if she was doing it on purpose. Her finger itched horribly in the confines of her gloves, struggling not to slam her sister’s laptop shut and angrily toss it out of her window.  

Then Clint Barton finally returned from his Sabbatical, and that man despite his age and disability hopped straight back into work with newfound resolve. Within a week, Hawkeye organised an operation that would require the expertise of an elite spy, and of course the White Widow was called in.

Standing in the briefing room clad in her widow’s equipment, Yelena took in the gruff and sombre appearance of Hawkeye himself. His salt and pepper beard was trimmed short, putting his bitter scowl on full display. It was like heaven and earth comparing the mentor to his protégé, but still appearances can be deceitful. Best to remind herself that this man was also her sister’s best friend.

Upon noticing her, Clint Barton’s tired eyes lit up. He walked around the large table at the centre, his hand already out in greeting for a handshake. Yelena was surprised by his eagerness, then shook his hand out of courtesy.

“You must be the White Widow,” Clint said, but his tone was serious and firm. “Glad to make your acquaintance, Natasha and Kate spoke very highly of you,”

Natasha, she could expect. But Kate? Yelena raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised Kate would even talk about me, we had never worked together before,”

“Your reputation precedes you,” Clint explained. “So far, you have quite a record of successful missions, with no civilian casualties or catastrophes that needed cleaning up. Very clean work, but I would expect nothing less from a former widow,”

Yelena gave a curt nod from the praise, before getting right into business. “What’s the mission directive?”

“Illegal freighter detected, said to be containing contraband. And by contraband, could be dangerous alien materials that would prove devastating if put in the wrong hands. I have arranged a Quinjet to have you lead the mission – you will intercept the freighter along with a small team led by their own leader, have it grounded and the contraband confiscated. Trigger evacuation once the contraband is secured,”

Yelena had no questions about the objectives, but her brow raised at the mention of a small team. Looking around the armoury, she realized she was still alone. Clint Barton obviously understood her confusion.

“You will be supported by the Young Avengers, so your question earlier about not getting to work with Kate Bishop... well, here’s the opportunity,”

Her heart plummeted, but she kept her face neutral. She wondered if he noticed her jaw clenching so hard her molars almost broke.

“Why them?” she tried her hardest to mask the bitterness in her voice.

“Their skillset is right for the mission,” Clint said, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “And believe me, they might seem inexperienced, but they are stronger than you think. Natasha and I personally supervise them,”

Speak of the devil, a trio entered the room, already fitted in their suits and gear. Kate Bishop stood at the front and centre, her collapsible bow strapped to her back along with her quiver of trick arrows. Wiccan and Hulkling flanked her on both sides, but Teddy was in his original form with green Skrull skin and tousled blonde hair, while Billy wore his red cape and silver bandanna. They all looked just as shocked to see her there, but Kate’s reaction was what made her heart crumble.

The archer was astonished, but then her forehead creased with a frown and she looked momentarily at her mentor. Yelena knew what that look meant – she wanted to run, to escape from her, and the widow tried her hardest to not let her hurt show. But Kate quickly put on a front, giving her a polite smile that the widow did not reciprocate. Instead, Yelena was fuming.

“Ah, a double date,” Wiccan blurted out, and it came out as a whisper, but Yelena heard it well enough. Teddy replied with a light smack against his chest.

Clint obviously did not hear it and just kept staring at stacks of files and notes. “Hulkling will be piloting the Quinjet. Wiccan and Hawkeye will be providing recon and remote support while the White Widow infiltrates the aircraft. Intervene if you need to, and signal might be choppy since we would be in international borders, do what you must if you lose contact with the ground,”

The trio nodded. Yelena’s lips curled into a grimace. Once Barton adjourned the briefing, the Widow stormed out of the room, heading straight to the Quinjet without even waiting for the Young Avengers.

Quick footsteps sounded behind her, and she walked faster, hoping it would deter them but to no avail. When the person caught up to her, she growled.

“Yelena –”

“We are just colleagues, Kate Bishop. If it is about the mission, speak your mind. Otherwise, there is no reason for us to talk,”

Kate sighed, struggling to find her words, before she continued. “How are you doing?”

The widow narrowed her eyes into annoyed slits, but the archer was unperturbed. It irked her even more, when usually one glare alone was enough to keep people away from her, but Kate was persistent.

“What did I say? Do you not fucking understand me?”

“Listen. I’m here if you need anything, that includes any kind of support —”

“Does support include avoiding me at any given moment? You don’t want to be around me,” Yelena snapped, keeping her voice low to avoid eavesdroppers.

Kate’s worry turned into shame, and her expression alone was confirmation for what she had been doing these past few days. It stung deeply, and at the same time her anger grew.

The archer took a while, licking her lips because she did not know what to say, then she shook her head and tried again. “Are you mad at me for leaving you that night?”

“You knew what you were doing,” she said through a clenched jaw.

“I thought I wasn’t wanted, have you forgotten how you threw me out after you just fucked me brainless? After the night we spent, when I thought we shared a connection?” Kate snapped. “I was hurt too, but you needed help and comfort that maybe I wasn’t suitable to offer you. And that’s fine with me —”

“I called you back,” Yelena cut in.

“Because you needed help,” Kate rebuked.

“You couldn’t even look me in the eye after that, after Zheng,” Yelena retorted, spitting the name venomously. “So what does that say about me? That I am broken and unlovable, is that it? That you were only with me because you fucking pitied me!”

“I thought you needed space!” Kate shouted to match her tone. “I don’t want to force you! And you aren’t exactly forthcoming either, you hated being close to other people. That’s the reason why, isn’t it? The very thought of it makes you so sick you have to cover yourself and keep yourself miserable, because you can’t stomach the thought of another person loving you!”

Yelena had no response for that. In fact, even Kate’s eyes widened as she realized the gravity of her words. But it was too late. It felt like a hard slap on the face for her, and the widow hated how true those words were.

Kate blinked as she came to. Her eyes turned apologetic. “Yelena, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to —”

“Go,” she mumbled under her breath. Her throat was burning, her jaw clenched hard from the hurt and anger. She couldn’t even look at the archer at that moment, but Kate Bishop took a step forward.

“Please listen —”

“Just leave me be!” Yelena took a step back and shouted, making the archer flinch. Her hazel green eyes were brimmed with tears, and she would hate to break down right in front of her. But Kate only looked more worried, words unsaid hanging on her lips. In the end, her gaze fell and she kept her hands to herself, and whatever realization the archer came to, Yelena could not find herself to care.

“I’m sorry,” she said again in a small voice, swallowing hard before leaving. Yelena stood there in the empty corridor, watching the archer’s back before she disappeared through the entrance to the hangar.

Devastated, Yelena Belova could barely suppress the sob tumbling from her lips, but she reminded herself that she was on a mission. There was work to be done, and so she furiously wiped the tears from her eyes, and the White Widow surfaced to take over, her mind sharpened to concentrate on the mission.

She was brave, she was a lone wolf. She had always been, she had to be. How else would she survive?

Rejection and loss were not foreign to her, she told herself. I will get over it, the White Widow spoke like a mantra. After all, it was the only way to keep herself from falling apart.

She half expected the tension to be thick on the Quinjet, but Kate and Billy just talked about the mission on-board while Teddy piloted the jet, their game faces already on. Whatever discussion they had, it seemed heated, and she had never seen them both being this serious. A good thing really, at least they knew how to be professional during a job.

“I can cloak the entire Quinjet,” Wiccan suggested.

“They have sonars,” Kate warned.

“We would still have an element of surprise, we just need to figure out how to send Yelena in,”

Billy gestured at her, and Yelena joined in their discussion, briefly tearing the archer’s attention away from her teammate.

Kate Bishop’s eyes stayed on her for a while, but her expression was guarded, and soon enough she tore her gaze away. The White Widow pretended she did not notice, staring down at the blueprint of the alleged aircraft as they figured their best ways to break in.

“You’re the expert, Yelena,” Wiccan said. “What do you think? I think the lower latch of the freighter has a gap big enough for you to squeeze through, Kate disagreed,”

Hawkeye shook her head. “It’s a crawl space, if something goes wrong she will be trapped in between,”

Yelena studied the blueprint, looking at where Billy pointed. She gave a confident nod. “I can sneak through here, I have done worse,”

Kate frowned, clearly against the idea but she said did not protest further. “Fine. Wiccan will teleport you to the wheels of the freighter. There’s a small ledge there which would grant you access to the latch –”

“You’re the wizard,” Yelena crossed her arms, staring at Wiccan with a frown. “Why not just teleport me straight into the deck?”

“My spells don't work unless I know what the destination looks like,” Billy shrugged. “We have been monitoring the freighter from afar, this is the safest place we can send you in,”

Yelena said nothing, Kate cleared her throat before continuing.

“Once you’re inside, you will report on the whereabouts of the contraband. Then distract the guards, Teddy will send the Quinjet close enough so we can intercept,”

“Sounds easy enough,” the widow shrugged.

“Hopefully it is,” Billy gave a sheepish smile, then handed over a parachute to her. “Just in case. I can levitate, but I can’t catch you quick enough if you fall,”

Yelena nodded, swinging the parachute over her back. She double checked her gauntlets, her arsenal of weapons strapped to every part of her body. The widow was about to turn away, warming up before the incoming fight, until Kate called her when Billy went to the cockpit.

“Hey, Yelena,”

The widow turned towards her, but she said nothing, only acknowledging her with a firm gaze.

“Good luck,” the archer said with a small voice, then a tight-lipped smile that did not reach her eyes.

Yelena gave no reaction except for a polite nod.

Ten minutes later, Teddy announced from the cockpit. “Spotted an aircraft, it matches the freighter we are looking for,”

The White Widow was ready, but they waited as Wiccan sat cross-legged, levitating in the air. His hands and eyes glowed neon blue as he mustered his power, the lights in the Quinjet flickering briefly before he let off a blast that spread to the rest of the aircraft. The lights went back to normal, and from the windshield and windows they could see the freighter cruising at altitude speed right below them, completely unaware of them.

Wiccan let off a huff, dusting off his shoulder and standing on his own feet as if he didn’t just cast a complicated invisibility spell over a giant aircraft. “You ready, White Widow?”

Yelena grimaced, but she nodded.

And when Wiccan cast his teleportation spell, Yelena felt a warmth encompassing her. The light blinded her briefly, and she expected a bit of vertigo perhaps, until she felt strong winds whipping against her face, her hair flying in all directions. When the light dimmed at last, Yelena clutched the wall tightly, her gloves holding fast to the ledge right below the targeted freighter. The wind was starting to hurt her throat and nose, so the White Widow quickly climbed through the lower latch, sneaking in successfully.

Being small and nimble, she was able to get through the crawl space easily. She took her time studying the surroundings, finding herself staring right at the deck patrolled by goons everywhere. Two were at the cockpit, and everyone else was armed to the teeth. But what was impossible to miss was a giant escape pod in the middle of the cargo deck, clearly reinforced with indestructible walls to protect what was inside.

“Hawkeye,” Yelena tapped her earpiece. “I’m at the deck. There’s an escape pod at the centre, I think the package is within,”

“How many men?”

“12 from where I can see. 2 more in the cockpit, probably more in the cabin,”

“We are approaching slowly from above. Once the sonar detects us, you need to cause a distraction,”

“Anything ideas in mind?” Yelena asked, though she already had ideas of her own.

After a brief pause, Kate Bishop said. “I trust your judgment, White Widow. Just be safe,”

She blinked, but she did not reply after that. Sitting in the air vent, Yelena waited. However cramped the space might be, it was still better than the solitary confinement cell back in the Red Room. The widow took the time to watch each and every opponent, memorizing their faces, reading their movements.

It didn’t take long when someone shouted from the cockpit. Russians. Yelena sighed — it couldn’t get more predictable than this.

Also, there came her signal. The Quinjet was spotted.

The men began shouting commands, rushing everywhere and arming themselves. Some looked frantically through the windows, and Yelena knew from their reaction alone that they only detected the Quinjet but not where it was — Wiccan’s spell was a marvel.

The widow took her cue, then kicked the vent off its hinges.

Three men stared up at her. She dropped on one, kicking him in the face and feeling a wet crunch beneath her combat boots. Then she swung around to gain momentum and slammed another enemy in the face with her knee. The third man scrambled for his rifle, but Yelena easily disarmed him, before striking his throat with the butt of his own rifle. He choked, clawing at his throat, and was easily put down with a punch in the head.

All eyes were on her, and the Russians went into positions, their guns already cocked and ready to fire. Yelena stood menacingly with her white suit, heaving as her blood surged with adrenaline.

Suffice to say, shit would hit the fan soon enough.

Standing in the centre of the cargo deck, Yelena felt right in her element. She drew her twin batons, connecting them at the joints to form a staff.

Their guns fired, and Yelena leapt behind cover, bullets striking the crates and containers all around her. Even when surrounded, the blonde widow was fearless, drawing two daggers and holding them by the tip of the blade. She stared at the reflection of the goons approaching, estimated the distance, then tossed a dagger backwards straight towards one of them. Seconds later she heard an undignified scream, and when they were all distracted briefly, she peeked from her cover to throw another dagger.

She noticed one man running towards the pod, and Yelena quickly fired a charge of Widow’s bite at him. He seized and fell to the ground, not even reaching the panel.

I can do this all day, she thought triumphantly, feeling the thrill coursing through her veins. She threw dagger after dagger at them, deflecting two men who tried to strike her by melee from behind. Another two men went down, and she briefly thought maybe the Young Avengers didn’t have to board the freighter after all— she could easily hijack the freighter herself.

Her face blanched when one of the henchmen emerged with a bomb strapped to his chest, a disturbing grin on his face as he leered at her.  

They would rather go down with the plane as long as the contraband wouldn’t be stolen.

She fired a charge at him, but he blocked it with a wooden crate. Briefly distracted by another goon, the bomber armed the bomb on his chest.

The timer began ticking, counting down with 200 seconds remaining, and she hissed. One of the goons pounced onto her back and began pummelling her head with a crowbar just as she tried to throw him off, before she quickly fired a charge at the assailant. He went down easily, but more goons rushed her.

The bomb kept ticking. She had no choice now. Yelena Belova drew her own gun, with the safety lifted.

“Hawkeye, a bomb is armed! Secure the package!” Yelena shouted in her comms, and fired three successive shots at the men who charged at her. Two dropped dead on the ground, another one only staggered as it struck his helmet. He rushed in again, with more men joining him.

“Approaching. Hang on a sec,”

Her eyes flitted to the safety pod where the contraband would be. She had an idea, but she had to work quick.

Right on time, two energy blasts struck the hydraulics that held the cargo deck shut. The platform of the deck began lowering, and the sudden drop in pressure sucked one man out of the freighter, Yelena held fast, using the pod as leverage to keep herself firm on the ground.

The bomber charged towards her. She swung her staff and it missed his head, but it struck the control panel outside, opening the door of the pod instantly. She frowned upon seeing the interior of the escape pod — it was well furnished, even with a pantry and a toilet with a couch and a table at the centre, as if this was designed to be an ejectable bomb shelter. But secured in a transparent safe within the escape pod was a glowing blue cube, but Yelena knew well enough what it was.

It was just odd since she thought the Tesseract had been secured by the Avengers long ago.

The entrance was facing the outside of the freighter, and the cloaking spell was already lifted, revealing the Quinjet right outside.  

“Yelena, I have visual,” Kate said. “Tagging the contraband. In 5 seconds, step aside,”

Five seconds later, Yelena rolled to the side. A grapple arrow zipped through the deck, reaching straight into the escape pod and clung onto the box securing the Tesseract. The ticking of the timer was starting to annoy her, but she ignored it and fired quick shots at the goons trying to snap the grapple arrow. Within seconds, the grapple drew back, taking the contraband back to the Quinjet.

Six men cornered her on all side, and Yelena could only depend on her staff to keep them from closing in. But before she could charge at the closest one, something whistled through the air, and two arrows struck through each ankle of her nearest enemy, pinning him to the deck as he screamed in pain.

The White Widow turned, and there the Hawkeye stood – her tied black hair whipping wildly in the wind, a harness strapping her to the edge of the deck to keep her from being sucked out. Her collapsible bow glinted under the sunlight, and Yelena was dumbfounded with how elegant and suave Kate Bishop could look at that harrowing moment. Her form was straight, her arms steady with the weight she bore, but it was the look on her face that took her breath away – the piercing, electrifying gaze of Artemis herself, and a matching leer reserved only for her enemies.

Without warning, she fired two arrows quickly, this time pinning the bomber to the deck. When one tried to fire a gun at her, she nocked, aimed and let the arrow loose, shooting him right in the wrist as the gun fell uselessly to his feet. Yelena was shaken out of her reverie by their roar, and swung her staff at the head of the man trying to unleash an entire clip from his rifle. Kate Bishop advanced fearlessly, resorting to close combat with her bow whenever someone got too close.

But the ticking could still be heard. How long had it been? A minute? Her stomach fell when the bomber pulled out both arrows buried in his ankles, and he had a string of grenades in his grasp.

Yelena’s eyes widened. She looked at the escape pod briefly, and knew what she had to do.

The mad-eyed bomber pulled a pin from a grenade.

“Watch out!” Kate shouted, already aiming an arrow at someone behind her, but the widow was already pointing her bites at the bomber, with the grapple ready to fire.

Kate let the arrow fly, just as Yelena discharged a grapple to pull the bomber towards her. She pivoted just in time to kick that man into the pod, but not before he grabbed her collar and pulled her along as well.

The archer’s arrow missed, and she leapt on the goon that tried to stab Yelena from behind. They struggled to gain the upper hand, falling to the ground and trying to choke each other. But Yelena had her eye on the grenade, gripping the handle before the bomber would let it loose. It became a tug of war to see who would let go of the grenade first, and Yelena had to rely on her legs to subdue the bomber.

Angered, the bomber howled. The bomb strapped to his chest ticked wildly – 30 seconds left!

He grabbed her again, and with wild strength he slammed her into a panel. Something shattered, making her shout in pain, and suddenly the pod’s door began to close, lowering in slow speed.

“Initiating ejection sequence,” a voice announced. “Please buckle your seatbelt as the pod will be ejected from the aircraft,”

“You’re going down with me, thief,” the man grinned wickedly, one hand on her throat, the other trying to pry Yelena’s fingers off the grenade.

Plenty of things happened at once.

The door jammed, and the White Widow noticed her dropped baton placed underneath the door to keep it from closing. The archer slid through the gap, before firing a grapple arrow at the bomber. She knew Kate couldn’t give a damn about mercy anymore, as the grapple arrow pierced right through his left thigh before the rope was pulled taut, with the archer already swinging the other weighted end of the grapple out of the pod.

Yelena was fast, ripping the grenade from his slackened grip and punching it straight into his mouth. Then she sent a kick into his chest just as Kate withdrew the grapple. He flew back and straight through the gap like a slingshot, screaming as the bombs exploded instantly once he was out of the pod. The door shook and was dented from the impact, blowing the baton right off just as the shockwave threw both the archer and the widow off their feet. Kate Bishop crashed into a wooden table, while Yelena only slammed right into glassware which she had no idea why they were there in the first place.

The whole pod rumbled. The door with the sizable dent slammed shut. Kate groaned, and Yelena got to her feet just to lose her balance again when everything shook.

The freighter was coming down. Explosions sounded right outside, and she struggled to reach for something to strap herself in. She did not have time to react at all the moment she heard the announcement again.

“Ejection sequence complete,”

She only had time to watch the archer get up on shaky legs, before a great force threw the whole pod downwards. Before they could get their bearings, they were suspended in mid-air again. Every furniture was lifted, and the lights flickered wildly before they went out completely.

They were falling, and Yelena could feel her stomach drop. But quickly she fastened a harness to her belt and threw one onto Kate’s, keeping them strapped to one surface just as the pod plummeted. The archer let off a grunt when her back struck the roof, but she stayed there with Yelena as they continued to fall.

Impact came, and Yelena felt every bone of her body shake along with it. But it felt soft, hardly destructive. She waited for a second impact, possibly one that might turn them into mush, but it never came.

A loud splash of water was heard, and they were plunging into the depths. It took a while before the pod was on the right orientation again, and Yelena sighed, unfastening her harness and lifted Kate off the ground. The archer stood on shaky knees, sighing as she scanned her surroundings.

“Shit,” Kate cursed. “Is there a way out?”

Without another word, Yelena went to the door and looked for any openings. The door was sealed shut, and the locks destroyed the moment pod was ejected from the aircraft.

“Looks like we’re sealed in,” the widow hissed, then she counted the seconds, measuring the rate at which they were sinking into the depths. It wasn’t long before the pod stopped sinking, so she figured the sea level wasn’t that high. At least the pressure of the wouldn’t be enough to cause an implosion. “We are on the seabed, even if we get out, we would have to swim,” 

When she turned around, Kate was clutching her ribs and leaning heavily on one side, her breathing laboured. Yelena’s face turned as pale as Kate’s when she noticed blood seeping through her fingers. It was noticeable even when the pod was dimly lit with the damaged lights.

“You’re bleeding,” she rushed to her side, gloved hands reaching for her wound. Kate dismissed her concern with a wave, but she shivered and slid down the wall as her knees buckled. The widow propped her up, wincing at the amount of blood soaking through her purple suit.

“Don’t worry about it, we need to get out of here,” she groaned.

“There is no way out, except to wait for help,” Yelena said, already reaching something in her utility belt. She pulled the parachute off her back, ripping shreds of fabric from it since it was no longer needed

“Well fuck,” Kate said breathlessly, then looked over Yelena’s shoulder with worry. “They better hurry up,”

Following Kate’s stare, Yelena blanched when she noticed water seeping through the cracks between the walls. There were leaks everywhere, but mostly from the dented door. It flowed in like the gush of a river, and while the pod was huge, time was running out.

The sensible thing to do would be to patch up the leaks, but within the pod there were only useless rooms and pointless furniture. Something crashed to the floor behind her, and Yelena panicked when she realized Kate could no longer hold herself up. Half of her suit was turning red.

“Fuck,” Kate was shivering, sweat beading her forehead from blood loss. She had to help her first, and so Yelena fashioned a bandage quickly, pushing it to the sizable wound at her ribs while ignoring the rising water level around them.  

“How did it happen?” Yelena grunted, feeling the blood soaking her gloves and white suit.

“He stabbed me, when I tousled with that guy,” she huffed. “I think... some of the shrapnel got me too. I’m not sure,”

The cold water was already soaking through their suits, and she could feel Kate tremble even harder from the chill. The dripping and sloshing of sea water filling the pod was loud, but it was nothing compared to the rush of blood in her ears.

“Where else are you hurt?” Yelena hissed, racking through her brain for a solution.

“Cold...” the archer said in a daze, unable to think clearly. Yelena did not even hesitate when she took off her gloves, ready to rest her palm against her cheek before Kate grabbed her sleeve with a dead grip.

“Don’t,” Kate pleaded. “It hurts like shit, I don’t want you to –”

Kate knew. Of course she did, she was more empathetic than most, second only to Natasha.

“I need to know where you’re injured,” Yelena said softly, clutching her wrist firmly but gently. The archer merely took a shuddering breath, her lips and face already turning pale when Yelena reached up to cradle her cheeks. Kate let her, and her fear doubled when the archer only sank even further into her hands.

Hot searing pain coursing through her entire body, but it hurt most in her right side and under her thigh , along with multiple cuts and bruises all over . The latter would be tricky – what if she nicked an artery? Other than that, a deep unshakeable chill had settled in her bones, one that made her shiver violently. Despite the pain and cold, there was also worry on her mind, and Yelena was surprised for whom it was reserved for.

For her. Kate was worried for her. Even when she was bleeding out on the floor and possibly drowning to death soon, Kate was actively looking for ways to get her out.

She didn’t even realize tired blue eyes were staring at her, and Yelena forced a smile. “You will be okay, I promise,”

“Not unless you are,” Kate shook her head and said.

“Kate, stop being stubborn –”

“If you pry open the parts where water is coming in, you can swim to the surface,” she shook, and Yelena could feel herself getting colder as well. “You can make it out of here,”

She understood clearly what she meant. “I am not leaving you here,”

“I’m dead weight,” Kate slurred. “I will only pull you down. One of us alive is better than both of us dead,”

Her lips curled into a bitter grimace, and Yelena shook her head. She would not even entertain the thought. “Not a chance, Kate Bishop. I’m staying with you. Wiccan and Hulkling will get help, we just need to be patient,”  

Kate sighed. “We are in an ocean, it would take them a while to locate us,”

The water was now reaching their chest, and even stuck close together the archer was trembling like a new-born foal in her arms. If the others do not hurry up, they might as well die of hypothermia, before Kate might succumb to blood loss.

It seemed the odds were not in their favour. She had no idea if the other two Young Avengers could even make it to them in time. Death could be imminent.

It never bothered her previously. But right then, with someone she cared deeply bleeding out in her arms, Yelena found herself vehemently rejecting that notion. She wanted to live, just for her. The very epiphany brought tears to her eyes.

Fuck it, Yelena thought. She threw all doubts and hesitation to the wind, and wrapped her arms around the archer whose lips were turning blue at that point. Kate said nothing, her head only resting limply in the crook of her neck, the water now reaching their chests. She thought of what she would be missing out if she were to die there, and Yelena began to mourn a life she might never live.

“I’m sorry,” she said tearfully, but she wasn’t sure who it was for. Kate’s shaking was the only sign that she was still alive.

“Toilet...” the archer mumbled.

“What?”

“The toilet,” she said again.

“Damn it, Kate, now isn’t the time!”

“An air pocket...” Kate’s body shook from a coughing fit. “The toilet...”

Yelena drew back, and could only see her unfocused gaze fixed on something behind her. Looking around, she saw a sealed space where the toilet would be, but the water level within did not match with its outside.

“The toilet... might have an air pocket,” Kate said in delirium, and the widow’s eyes lit up when she finally caught on her meaning.

With one arm wrapped around Kate’s waist, she began trudging through the water, pulling the heavy and tall archer along. She opened the door by only a sliver, then pushed Kate and her into it. The space was cramped, and Yelena had no choice but to stick close to the archer. Miraculously, the water did not rise within the toilet, and the widow sighed in relief knowing they could hold out longer. At least until the oxygen within the pocket runs out.

It was pitch black inside. She could not see how the archer was doing, and so she pressed her hands to her skin, her face, her neck. The widow had to keep her panic in check when she felt the archer drifting away, slowly being lulled into unconsciousness – being anxious would only drain their air quicker, so she tried her hardest to calm her racing heart.

“Kate, stay with me,” Yelena shook her, Kate only groaned while resting her forehead on her neck.

“I’m so cold...”

She wished her abilities could work both ways then, that she might share her warmth with the archer at least. Yet all she had were words, and bandages that were already uselessly soaked through.

“Help is coming,” she said, though she was unconvinced herself. “If you survive this,” Yelena licked her lips, before adding. “I’ll go on another date with you,”

Kate chuckled, as if she didn’t believe it. “But do you want it?”

“Huh?”

“Do you want it?” she repeated with a weak voice. When Yelena did not answer, Kate continued. “I think I’m falling hard for you, Yelena,”

The gurgle of the water outside the toilet was loud, but Yelena swore she could hear her own heart beating even louder. Completely stunned, she could only gasp, and she knew without a doubt the archer was telling the truth.

“You are misunderstood. You have so much love to give but no place to give it to, because no one understands you. You just need someone to show you how,” her words were slurred, but Yelena could hear her well enough. “But I don’t want to force you. I’d rather stand aside and just be your friend if you prefer to keep your distance, that is fine with me,”

The widow shook her head, but Kate’s eyes were already closed at that point, her breathing becoming more laboured. Every breath she took was a rattle.

“I would love to go on a date with you,” Kate Bishop said in a rushed whisper, her strength waning. The widow could no longer hold back her tears. “Only if you want to,”

She nodded, again and again, arms tightening around Kate Bishop as she kept them both afloat. The thought of losing her before she even had her frightened her to the core, and she would not have it. Realizing she could not see her, Yelena tearfully blurted out. “Yes. Yes, I want this. I want you, Kate Bishop, all of you. I want to wake up with you next to me, so please, hold on for me,”

When she did not answer her, Yelena nudged her, but she did not even budge. She gasped in panic, and desperately patted her cheeks with her bare hands, hoping for any feeling of pain, despair or longing, but all she could feel was nothing.

As a final resort, she placed two fingers against her neck, and gasped in relief when she felt a weak, thready pulse. Hope was not all lost, but whoever was coming to help need to hurry up.

She did not stop, murmuring in her ear and pleading her to wake. The air pocket was becoming thinner, the water slowly rising to her mouth, and she could no longer distinguish if the wetness on her face was from her tears or the water around her. Yelena was already on the verge of giving up, when the whole pod jostled suddenly, startling Yelena and almost throwing them to the side.

She waited, eyes darting everywhere around her within the darkness. Then it shook again, before she could feel it being lifted upwards.

“Kate,” Yelena called out. “Kate, help is coming!”

Only dead silence answered her.

When the pod stopped moving, the sound of a energy blast cutting through the steel could be heard. Water stopped leaking into the pod around her, and she knew they were out of the depths already. It wasn’t long before an incredible force ripped the door apart, revealing the impressive form of Hulkling standing in the doorway.

Water poured out of the pod, but Teddy held fast like a boulder. Yelena kicked the toilet door open, wrapping Kate’s arms around her own neck to carry her, and Teddy’s eyes widened upon spotting them.

“They are alive!” Teddy shouted.

“Agent down!” Yelena called.

“Billy! Get the medics now!” Once all the water was drained, Teddy walked in and offered to carry her out, but Yelena declined.

“Tend to Hawkeye, I am unharmed,”

Hulkling did not protest, reaching down and scooped his fallen teammate into his arms easily. Yelena was cold and exhausted to the core, but only Kate mattered at that moment – everything else was white noise.

There was a fervent rush around her, and she realized they were lifted back into the Quinjet once more. She spotted Clint Barton rushing towards his protege, with medics in white uniforms coming to the archer’s aid. Someone approached her with a blanket, but Yelena’s eyes were only on the limp hand hanging out of the stretcher.

“She’s bleeding out,” Yelena protested weakly, her teeth chattering from the cold. With the blanket around her it didn’t seem to help either. She wanted to stand up and go to her, but every atom of her body was shivering violently, refused to obey.

All she could remember after that was her sister running towards her, and she only moved mutely as she was guided towards the stretcher by worried hands. She said nothing when questions were being asked, only sitting next to Kate on the floor and holding her cold hand tightly, searching for whatever emotions the archer might have. In her dismay, only silence answered her.  

Everything was white noise to her.

She watched the paramedics on the ground rushing in when the Quinjet landed, immediately administering treatment to the Hawkeye who was pale as ash. Yelena stepped aside, watching in silence while Kate’s wound was packed with fresh bandages, an adrenaline syringe injected into her forearm, and her body slowly carried onto the gurney. Yelena’s hand was torn from hers, and whatever connection she felt with Kate ended abruptly.

She followed them back to the infirmary, hearing only the steady beep of her heart rate monitor and seeing only her pallid face and the way her oxygen mask fogged with her rhythmic breaths. Natasha mentioned something about checking her for wounds, but Yelena said nothing.

Her gloves were ruined, completely drenched with blood. Her sister slid a fresh pair over her bare hands, but Yelena felt did not react. Her eyes did not move, her lips remained sealed.

Thank God the hospital was quiet — it gave her time to mull over her choices, her thoughts, the future she wanted. She did not want to be alone, she did not want to be sad forever, but she liked it even less if Kate were to be with someone who was as emotionally unavailable as her. She would be wary of her eventually, for sure. One could only endure so much after all.

I think I’m falling hard for you, Yelena.  

But she would be lying if she said she did not yearn for her. Every time the archer walked past, Yelena longed to reach out to her.

She remembered waiting in the hospital, hiding in a corner while the Young Avengers and Clint Barton waited outside the surgery room. She waited until the doctors came out, paying attention to the relieved faces of the people waiting for her, and read the doctor’s lips to understand her condition. She waited until the ward was clear, watching the visitors leave before she emerged from her hiding place. It was way past visiting hours, but it wasn’t hard for her to sneak into the ward.

Her eyes drifted over all the whites that covered Kate Bishop, and she thought briefly how much the colour did not suit her. The archer’s face was pale, a saline drip attached to one hand, little bandages covering the cuts on her face coupled with the yellow and black bruises all over her skin. Yelena sighed, and silently sat by her bedside, just watching and taking comfort in the steady rise and fall of her chest.

The night was quiet, permitting her to just think. It had been a stressful day – she should be asleep, putting her troubled mind to rest. But she was contented to just stay by the unconscious archer’s side, revelling in the silence that was so unlike her.

“I want to be with you,” Yelena said suddenly, but no one could hear her. “Please wake up, I know you are stronger than this,”

The archer did not even move. Curiously, she wondered. What are you dreaming about, Kate Bishop?

Her movements were slow, but deliberate, just as she pulled a single glove off. She shivered when her fingers touched the cold air, and despite her hesitation Yelena laid a palm against Kate’s motionless one, avoiding the needle embedded in her wrist. The blonde closed her eyes and breathed deeply, searching for her, wondering where the archer was hidden within her own mind.

And when she felt her, her lips lifted in the most gentle smile.

Floating. The archer was drifting, her mind high in the clouds. A craving for… pizza? Was it for her or Pizza Dog? A dull throb of pain interrupted her thoughts briefly, making Yelena wince, but it was easily overwhelmed by an odd sense of affection, and realizing who it was for, it made her gasp.

Worry. Even in her dreams, Kate worried for her. And there was something comical about how the archer’s thoughts and feelings were easier to manage only when she was unconscious. When they were together, they felt so… loud.

And also endearing, curious, and pure. They did not make her wrench her hand away feeling overwhelmed. Instead, she only wanted to keep listening, despite her constant rambling and excitement.

Yelena knew well enough to leave before other visitors would arrive. Fanny was temporarily under Natasha’s care, so she would spend the night with the archer in the hospital. She would hold her hand, just listening and watching out for her, resting a comforting hand over her forehead to smoothen the creases whenever she was plagued by a nightmare, or run her thumb over her knuckles when Kate dreamt about her. She only felt closer to her when she wore the jacket Kate gave her, and for the first time ever, she felt tranquillity in her troubled, reclusive life.

When Kate woke, she would tell her. She felt no dread, only excitement and impatience to see those wonderful, handsome blue eyes once again.

When Kate Bishop opened her eyes, she winced at the white lights blinding her.

Her head throbbed with a dull pain, and her body felt wound tight, as if she was cut to pieces and sewn back together. All the muscles in her body felt sore, and Kate groaned as she slapped a hand over her forehead.

She was in the hospital — after all she was no stranger to this place.

“Oh God....” she moaned at the throbbing in her head. “What is it this time? Did I drink too much again?”

A warm chuckle sounded next to her, and Kate was a little annoyed – she was suffering and someone had the audacity to laugh at her!

“You were stabbed, Kate Bishop, and almost died from hypothermia and shock,”

Eyes shot open, she drew her hand away to find herself looking at Yelena Belova sitting by her bedside, arms crossed over her chest and hands tucked within a jacket. The archer then faintly recalled a mission going awry, them trapped in a cramped space, and her bleeding out...

And Yelena was holding her. Tightly.

Was it a cruel dream or was it the delirium from the blood loss? She remembered saying certain things to Yelena, things that sounded like a confession. And did she say yes?

The White Widow appeared unamused, arching an eyebrow as Kate struggled with the thoughts racing in her head. The frown on her face must be deep, because Yelena finally asked.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“I remember we were almost drowning... and an air pocket?”

“Brilliant idea, by the way,” Yelena praised, even looking impressed herself. “Bought us enough time for Billy and Teddy to help us,”

On any other normal day Kate would have a shit-eating grin on her face after being praised by Yelena, but she couldn’t help but be bothered by the blur of events that came right after she got stabbed. There was something important she was supposed to remember…

After mulling over it, she sheepishly asked. “What happened right after?”

“You don’t remember?” Yelena asked, and she sounded disappointed.

“I...” Kate struggled, not sure if they were appropriate to even be uttered. I remember clinging onto you, you holding me like your life depended on it. I was cold but also warm, and then... you mentioned a date if we live?

Instead, she blinked and shook her head. “I don’t remember,” she lied.

“Hmm,” Yelena shrugged, tucking her hands even deeper into her jacket, and only did Kate realize it was her jacket, the one she gave her. Warmth bloomed in her chest, but she knew the White Widow was only here out of courtesy. After all, Kate Bishop took a stab for her.

“You don’t have to stay here if you’re cold,” Kate said. “I’m okay now,”

Yelena’s face still seemed guarded, and at the same time wounded. “What makes you think I don’t want to be here?”

“I just assumed –”

“And now that you’re alive,” Yelena said, but her eyes looked elsewhere, a faint red colouring her cheeks. “I suppose I owe you a date,”

Kate’s brain stopped working, her jaw slackened as she stared at Yelena in stunned silence. The widow still refused to look her in the eyes, her chin stuck close to her chest, and that was when Kate realized she was embarrassed to be the one to initiate.

Her mouth kept opening and closing, but no words could be formed.

Yelena raised an unimpressed brow then. “Are you sure you’re fully awake?”

Kate shook her head, gathered herself and said again. “Y-Yes, I’m just… so it was real? Back there when I was dying and I…”

Yelena nodded slowly.

“I confessed?”

“You did,” Yelena affirmed, and when she finally met Kate’s eyes they were softer, devoid of the usual coldness she held to keep people away.

“I…” Kate stammered, not knowing what to say. In the end, she yielded and simply sighed, finding herself foolish to even have such notion in her mind. “I’m sorry, I was delirious and I didn’t know what I was saying,”

“So it wasn’t true?”

The archer was surprised to see the hurt on her face. But she had to be honest with her, and so she shook her head. “Everything I said was true. But my intentions… I don’t want to force you into something you’re not ready for,”

The widow blinked, her arms hugging herself even tighter. Kate continued.

“Is it stupid of me to say that it would be enough if I can even be your friend and your partner on missions?” Kate chuckled, but it sounded hollow. “You are so fascinating to me, and deep down I know you’re a good person. But if you aren’t ready for a relationship, I understand that too. If I can be a friend to you where I can share your burdens, be a shoulder to cry on or someone you can vent to, that would be enough for me,”

Yelena contemplated her words for a long time, her face looking… dissatisfied? Then she drew her hands that were tucked within the jacket, revealing bare skin that wasn’t covered by gloves. Kate’s brows shot to her hairline.

“There is something I need to tell you,” Yelena started, looking at her own hand. “About this special thing I’ve had since I was born,”

“Okay?”

“When I touch certain things, I can feel the emotions left by other people. Like if you’re in pain and you’re lying on this bed,” Yelena pressed her palm to the bedsheets, and she winced slightly. “I can feel your pain as well,”

Kate listened raptly, but she did not interrupt.

“Same thing for living beings. If I touch you, I can feel what you feel – joy, sadness, pain, grief,” she paused. “Shame, guilt, regret,”

“So you can tell a person is lying just by touching them?”

Yelena nodded.

“That’s amazing,” Kate smiled genuinely. “You’re amazing. This ability could help so many people but… if you were to ever touch someone who was hurt –”

“I would feel their pain too. And I think deep down, you already knew this. Back on that pod, you kept me from touching you,”

Kate said nothing.

“I kept this thing hidden since I was a kid because I see it as a curse. When I was thrown in the Red Room, all I felt was darkness, and it infected me. I never recovered from it and I never will. And honestly, I am content with being alone for the rest of my life.

“Then I met you, Kate Bishop. I always thought everyone except Natasha would be out to get me, that they always have ulterior motives. I thought no one would ever want to understand me, that they would only pretend to be nice to me out of courtesy. But you were kind, time and time again. You never cease to surprise me.

“So, believe me when I say this. I want to do things I would usually be afraid to do. I want to be with you, Kate Bishop. I want to fall in love just like you did for me, and I am already attracted to you. Being with you, touching you, I felt…” she struggled to find the next words, and after taking a deep breath, she continued. “Safe, at peace, wanted. No one has ever made me feel that way,”

After finishing, Yelena looked up at her, and Kate realized she was flustered. The great, fearless White Widow was flustered while tucked in her jacket, and the archer would have had her tongue tied in knots if this was her a few weeks ago. But now she understood everything – the reason she was closed off, the reason she refused to be around people. Kate only wondered how long she had to suffer this way while constantly wishing for some form of connection with other people, only to be disappointed each time.

Without another word, Kate Bishop reached a hand out to her, but she did not force it onto her. She was patient, because she realized being with Yelena was a lesson about consent. “Can I hold your hand?” she asked tenderly, an invitation that she would have been fine even if the widow rejected.

The blush on Yelena’s face was gone, and her worry and shame was replaced with a radiance that Kate rarely saw. She answered by putting her bare hand to hers, lacing her fingers with hers. But Kate was cautious – she waited for some kind of unwanted reaction, some sign that she might pull away. She would have respected it, but when Yelena didn’t, Kate smiled just as brightly.

Hand to hand with their fingers intertwined, it felt more intimate than anything else they could have done on a bed. And Kate Bishop’s heart soared so high even her pain was briefly forgotten.

For the following days in the hospital, Kate Bishop had plenty of visits from her friends, including Natasha and Clint. The blonde widow was smart enough to avoid them, visiting only when she was finally left alone. Sneaking through the window was child’s play for a former Black Widow after all.

Knowing her gist, Kate made sure to stay awake past visiting hours, her grin reaching from ear to ear whenever she showed up. They would talk in hushed whispers until it was deep into the night, with Kate rambling about the nurses and the doctors and the funny stuff she saw on TV that day. Yelena would smile and just listen, occasionally laughing at some silly anecdote and teasing her. Sitting by her bedside, they would fall asleep together with their hands held, but Yelena made sure to always disappear before the nurses’ next shift, leaving no trace that she was ever there.

Sometimes she would already be asleep when she arrived, but she knew she still waited for her from the way the blankets were loose around her, hand clutching her phone as if waiting for her call. The sight tugged on her heartstring, seeing how she was still exhausted from her injuries.

Yelena did not mind. She would just pull the phone from her grasp and tuck the blankets up to her chin. She was fine to just sit by her side and watch her sleep.

She knew it was inevitable – if she wanted to be with Kate, they would have to go public soon. People at the compound would find out eventually, but since they were at the start of their relationship, she would rather just relish the privacy for as long as she could. She quite enjoyed the quiet moments with the archer, a small space they carved out just for both of them.

A week after she was admitted, Kate could finally be discharged from the hospital. Her whole team showed up to help her. And Yelena only watched from afar, sitting by the cafe opposite the hospital entrance, sipping on her coffee as the band of young superheroes bumbled about. The colour had returned to her cheeks, and Yelena could not hide her smile seeing how radiant she glowed compared to the time when she was brought to the hospital. The images of her pale and blue would soon be a distant memory, though she knew she would be haunted by them for weeks to come.

Before Kate entered the car, she looked around, feeling as if someone was watching her. Until their eyes finally met. Yelena kept the eye contact, refusing to look away.

And Kate Bishop’s grateful smile was hard to miss. They stared at each other, just from afar acknowledging each other with a quiet nod, even though Yelena knew they both wanted to close the distance and just embrace each other. But Yelena was patient, and she hoped the archer would be too.

Kate’s attention was drawn away when someone honked them, and so she gave her one more yearning stare, before climbing into the car to head home. Minutes later, Yelena’s phone buzzed with a message from her.

Meet me tonight? :)

Yelena had never replied so fast.

Yes. I still owe you that date. Since you’ve been such a good girl at the hospital, I’ll let you decide what you want to do tonight.

Her mind drifted elsewhere, conjuring thoughts where she and Kate would be naked in bed. She cleared her throat to dispel that erotic thought, and patiently waited for Kate’s next message as the speech bubble popped up.

Cool! I’ll meet you at your room?

Yelena frowned. Date night in her own room did not exactly seem like an ideal date, but the widow wouldn’t mind, to be honest. She wondered perhaps she might suggest she head to Kate’s instead so she wouldn’t have to walk all the way to her dorm, but since Kate insisted, she decided to just agree with it.

Having nothing to do for the rest of the day, Yelena just stayed in her room and waited. Natasha offered to head out for dinner or a beer, but Yelena politely declined, simply saying she was too tired for anything else. Her thoughts were fully occupied by a purple-clad archer, and she waited in anticipation as she played with Fanny on her bed, who was now big enough to be held with both arms. The TV played in the background but she paid it no heed.

The door knocked, and she shot out of bed so quickly Fanny gave a startled yip. Kate Bishop was dressed in a purple hoodie, her face still covered with butterfly bandages and fading bruises, but her grin was bright as she held up boxes of pizzas and a bag of snacks and soft drinks. Yelena’s mouth gaped at the sight before her.

“Good evening!” Kate said cheerfully. “I hope you’re hungry!” an excited bark sounded behind her, and the archer stepped aside to reveal her one-eyed golden retriever, and Yelena suddenly understood the little eyepatch he wore as his Halloween costume. “And I brought Lucky too, I hope you don’t mind,” Kate gave a sheepish grin.

“I don’t,” Yelena chuckled, and Fanny gave a small bark too, announcing her presence. “He can be playmates with my dog, Fanny. Come here, Fanny,”

Her Akita trotted to the door, and Lucky hung his head low while wriggling his rear in excitement. Both dogs then rushed into the room, and their owners looked on endearingly at the sight of them chasing each other’s tail. Lucky almost hopped onto Yelena’s bed, until Kate barked a quick command. “Behave, Lucky!”

The golden retriever listened, sitting on his haunches and looking at her eagerly with his tongue flapping around.

“You trained him well! He’s a very good boy,” Yelena closed the door, then helped Kate with the food and drinks.

“I have to, else he’s always eating up the pizza before I even realize it,” Kate said, before reaching in to ruffle Lucky’s muzzle, and he huffed happily in response. She then turned her attention to Fanny, who seemed withdrawn at a new human stranger in the room, but curiously she reached in and sniffed Kate's fingers, before sneaking under the blanket again. “She’s adorable. How did you get her?”

“A gift from Natasha,” Yelena said, teasing the golden retriever. Lucky, however, wasn’t shy at all and stood on his rear legs with his front paws stuck close to his chest to lick Yelena’s hand. The widow giggled and thought, just like your owner. “What about Lucky? How did this happen?” she asked, rubbing a thumb over the sweet dog’s closed eye.

“I don’t know, I found him like this,” Kate sighed, tickling Lucky under his chin. “He was running from someone and hopped straight into traffic. I jumped in to save him. Kept him with me ever since,”

The widow gave a small smile. It was a very Kate Bishop thing to do, to jump straight into New York traffic to save a dog.

They both sat on the couch, watching whatever shows that were on TV while they gobbled up the pizza. The dogs laid down by their feet, with Fanny demurely staying close to Yelena’s legs, and Lucky occasionally staring at his owner with a pitiful gaze begging for another slice.

After finishing their food, they simply cuddled on the couch. She did not know when, but some time during the movie the archer snuck close to the widow. Yelena did not seem to mind at all, even shimmied closer to her until Kate’s arm was around her shoulder, and warmth bloomed instantly in her chest. From their closeness alone, the blonde could smell the peppermint scent of her body soap, and the heat from her hands briefly reminded her of how cold they were when she was dying in her arms. Yelena grimaced, then curled into the archer until she was spooning her. Her eyes watched as the movie played, but her mind was elsewhere, and she was tempted to turn around to just look at Kate Bishop’s face.

Her breath hitched when Kate placed a soft hand on her bare arm, her thumb running back and forth on her skin. The contact should have made her flinch or draw back, but surprisingly she found herself relaxing into her hold. She gave a soft sigh and sank further into Kate’s chest.

“How did this happen?” Kate asked softly, warm puffs of her breath tickling the shell of her ear. Yelena looked down to where her fingers touched, and there it was – a puckered, faint scar that faded but remained marked on her arm. She continued to rub soothing circles on the scar.

“Training session at the Red Room,” Yelena answered. “They made us fight against each other to death sometimes, and that day… it was supposed to be close quarters combat. But the girl got desperate and pulled out a shiv she was hiding, and she started attacking me like a feral animal,”

Kate’s hold on her tightened instinctively, and Yelena felt worry and fear overwhelming her. She flinched a little, but gathered her composure just in time so Kate wouldn’t notice her unease, reaching up and patted her hand lightly to assure her she was fine.

“I’m sorry,” the archer said with remorse. Yelena blinked, unprepared with her reaction. What was she sorry for?

“It was long ago. And I’m fine now. I survived,”

“No one should ever have to go through something like that,”

“You’re right,” Yelena whispered. “But it happened, and we made sure they would never do it to other kids again. That’s the only comfort I can find in this misery,”

The archer sighed, reaching down to kiss her on the neck. Her heart swelled with affection, and she knew the feeling was hers, and not something she felt from Kate. It startled her a little.

Wanting to lift the mood, the widow turned around with a playful grin. She tapped the archer on the nose, making her crinkle it as she burst into giggles. “What about you, Kate Bishop? What scars do you have?”

“Which one would you like to know?” Kate gladly obliged. “I have one on my arm here, almost the same spot. I broke it when I was six,”

“Oh yeah?” the widow raised an eyebrow. “Did you save a cat from a tree or something?”

Kate snickered. “If only it was something that badass! No, I tried to climb the Christmas tree and fell. Simple as that,”

Yelena guffawed, a loud hearty sound that just emerged from her throat. “What? Really!”

The archer was obviously surprised when she laughed like that, but she composed herself quickly, and laughed with her as well. “Really, I have done plenty of embarrassing shit when I was a kid. But hey, I thought I was invincible,”

Yelena only laughed even harder, her mind conjuring image of young Kate crawling up the tree like she was Spiderman only for the tree to topple and crash right into the sofa. Her stomach cramped from laughing too hard, and she keeled over while holding her abdomen, tears leaking from her eyes.

“Huh, didn’t think it would be this easy to make you laugh,” Kate said, pretending to be annoyed. Still, her lips curled with a small smile, and when Yelena finally regained her composure, she realized the archer was staring at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“I have a small scar above my lip,” Kate said. “Wanna come closer and see it?”

She was coy, but as usual nothing could get past Yelena. The widow huffed, narrowing her eyes at her.

“If you want to kiss me, you could have just asked,”

“Oh yeah?” Kate said playfully. “Would you say yes?”

Everything stood still. The blonde’s gaze softened, and the little crooked smile with her laughing ocean eyes were enough to make her sigh. She did not say anything. Instead, they leaned closer, their nose almost touching.

Kate caught on, but she blinked and waited for Yelena to give her permission. Something woke deep within her.

“Can I?” Kate Bishop asked, despite the desire in her eyes. Yelena leaned her forehead against hers, hands cradling her jaw as her eyes flitted to her lips briefly. Their breaths mingled, and this was the level of intimacy she did not think she would ever have the chance to experience.

“Yes,” it came out as a whisper, and when Kate still did not move, Yelena reached in and slanted her lips against hers. Oddly it felt as if this was their real first kiss, or perhaps that was always how it felt to kiss her. Sweetness filled her whole being, and she refused to let go until she had to draw back to take in air. Kate had a giddy, love-drunk smile.

This time, Kate chased her lips, tasting her as if she needed water in a desert. Yelena’s hands roamed, sneaking underneath her hoodie and ran her fingers over her uninjured side. She felt it then – arousal, heat pooling beneath there.

“Yelena,” Kate gasped. The widow hummed questioningly, nipping her cheek as she held her close. “I need you,”

“You’re still recovering, Kate,” Yelena frowned, even though she wanted it too. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Kate didn’t even hesitate, her eyes hooded with lust. “I don’t even care if sex would land me in the hospital again,” she said quickly, reaching for her mouth once more.

Yelena drew back, her frown deepening. “I would care. What will we tell the doctors?”

Kate shrugged. “That I fell?”

The widow was unconvinced, throwing her a side-eye.

“Please, Yelena?” she pleaded, and Yelena scoffed when she used those puppy eyes on her. “I really need this, I’ll be careful. Promise,”

Sighing, the widow relented. “Let me lead?”

Kate’s face broke into a gleeful smile. “How can I resist?” she was about to take off her hoodie, until Yelena lightly smacked her hands away. The widow took charge instantly, and straddling Kate Bishop’s hips, she leaned in close and whispered huskily in her ear.

“Do as I say, then maybe you will be rewarded,”

She could feel Kate shiver under her touch, and she nodded, swallowing hard. Yelena stood, pulling Kate to her feet, and they both gingerly stepped over their dogs sleeping by the couch. Slowly, she tugged on Kate’s bare hand and led her to the bed, feeling her arousal grow along with her excitement. Kate followed, her eyes turning from desire to yearning to awe, before giving herself entirely to her.

She laid her down on the bed, her hold firm to keep her from falling and gentle to not leave bruises on her skin. Green eyes were locked on electric blues, and Kate’s breaths were deep with anticipation. Her face and neck were already flushed red, when Yelena played with the hem of her pants, pulling it lower and lower until it was below her hips.

“I’ll take care of you,” Yelena whispered. “I will stop if you’re in pain,”

She cradled her cheek, thumb running back and forth just at the tip of her cheekbone. Kate could only nod impatiently, letting off an excited sigh, but Yelena could already feel her excitement, her joy, her arousal. She could feel her clit throbbing just as Kate did, and despite the overwhelming sensation that flowed through the palm of her hand, Yelena yearned for more.

“Stay still. I’ll handle everything,” Yelena warned.

“Okay, but I feel guilty not helping,” Kate protested weakly. “You need to feel good too,”

“Don’t worry,” Yelena winked, her hand tracing the curve of her cheek, before she kissed her beauty marks one by one while enunciating every word with the most husky voice she could muster. “I can feel everything you feel. Your rush. Your pleasure. Your orgasm,”

Her blue eyes darkened, and Kate’s mouth parted in a moan when Yelena nibbled her neck. Slow and sensual, she undid Kate’s pants, pulling it off carefully to avoid the swath of bandages under her thigh. Her panties were already wet, and the widow playfully rubbed the inside of her thigh, and through the touch she could feel her pleasure and excitement spike. As if her squirming wasn’t good enough as a sign that she wanted to be touched there so desperately.  

Next, she reached for the hem of her shirt, but Yelena kept her eyes on her. Kate laid still just as she instructed, letting the blonde lead. And so the widow stripped her slowly, taking her sweet time while feeling Kate Bishop’s breaths getting heavier.

She made quick work of her own clothes as well, and soon she was as bare as Kate. They both took a good minute just admiring each other, eyes drifting over her entire body, while Kate’s was beneath her obediently waiting to be pleasured. Sighing, Yelena reached forward and pushed back the raven locks that fell over Kate’s face, searching for any signs of pain. But all she could feel was want, completely sidelining the sting of her stitched wound.

“Are you okay?” Kate asked with a bit of concern. Yelena only smiled, completely besotted.

“Just admiring,” Yelena admitted. Kate daringly lurched forward to kiss her fully on the mouth, and her breath hitched when she could feel her nipples on her chest. Cradling her face with both hands, Yelena pressed her back on the pillow again, and kept laying kisses down her face, her neck, her collarbone. She spent a great amount of time on her breasts, hearing the music that fell from the archer’s lips, and she could feel herself shuddering just as Kate did. Drifting her hands lower and lower, Yelena danced across the inside of her thighs, feeling her leaking down there already. Kate’s moans only intensified, her legs bending as she squirmed under her hold, and it was the first touch on her clit that almost made Yelena keel over, screaming along with her girlfriend.

It was intense, euphoric and overwhelming, as if a jolt of electricity coursed through her own clit. Her legs clenched just as Kate did, and the widow had to grit her teeth to keep the pleasure from throwing her off the edge. Kate comes first, she thought, and she was determined to make her feel good.

Giving the nub another few intense rubs, Yelena slipped the tips of two fingers in between her pink folds. Kate hissed, her beautiful neck arched and stretched for her to kiss, and so Yelena reached in to claim her prize. Two fingers slipped deeper into her folds, feeling the archer clench around her just as she felt her own walls quivering rhythmically. Every thrust and caress numbed her mind, set her heart on fire, and made colours explode behind her eyes. It wasn’t long before she slipped another finger in, and Kate's cries turned into breathless screams, her long legs writhing and her stomach clenched.

Yelena was careful – her eyes drifted to the stitches on her ribs to ensure she didn’t bust them open. But the way her abs flexed only made her fingers move faster. Kate gasped, teeth bared and jaw clenched just as she arched into the air with her fingers buried to her knuckles, and Yelena knew she was almost at her peak. The climb reached its summit, and unable to withstand the frequency of the pleasure Yelena slotted her lips over the archer’s, swallowing each other’s love-drunk moans as they both crashed with their climax.

Her clit was throbbing hard, and Yelena felt her own wetness rushing forth just as her fingers were soaked completely. Kate shuddered with the aftershocks, and reached up to caress the back of her head while they both tried to recover from the mind-blowing pleasure. The widow was careful not to lay on her completely, tossing herself to the side while catching her breath, and at the same time throwing an arm over Kate Bishop's chest.

“Jesus,” Kate gasped. “I feel like the luckiest person alive,”

Yelena hummed, running her hand up and down her chest. She was addicted to her, and she wanted to keep feeling her, touching her, drinking in her pleasure and pain while she unravelled her. When the archer turned around to stare, her eyes were hooded with further arousal, and Yelena smirked knowing she craved her just as much as she did.

“More?” Yelena breathed heavily.

“How can I say no?” Kate chuckled.

“I’ll let you pick this time,” Yelena climbed over her again, filling her vision with just her. Kate gazed up at her with anticipation, her chest still heaving from her climax just minutes ago. “How do you want it? Hmm?”

“Strap,” Kate did not even hesitate.

Yelena arched an eyebrow, still waiting for something. It took a while for the archer to catch on her pause.

“Please?” the archer added sheepishly, and the widow smirked. She got off the bed just to retrieve the harness, the only one she often used on her partners, skilfully fastened it to her hips and walked back to the bed slowly like a predator approaching its prey. Kate Bishop's breaths deepened upon seeing the strap, swallowing hard as her eyes turned hazy and aroused once more. Yelena climbed over her, every movement deliberate and slow, and reached down to nudge the generous girth at her entrance, making her twitch and spread her legs wider.

“Shit,” Kate shuddered, her breathing picking up pace.

“Relax. If you break open a stitch, we are stopping at once,”

“No way you’re gonna leave me hanging like that,” Kate boldly said.

“Don’t test me, Hawkeye,” she gave her a reprimanding glare, but Kate only giggled as if she was full of herself. But the laugh was cut short by a gasp, when Yelena slipped the tip of the length past her folds, nudging it a little. The widow could feel the same pleasant insertion on her own body as well, but from the way Kate froze at the sensation, Yelena reached down to give her a passionate kiss.

She laced her fingers with Kate’s, pinning her hand next to her head as Yelena went deeper. Kate’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open as it entered, and her legs bent so the girth could touch every wall and every erogenous spot. Yelena moaned when she could feel the tingles and pressure inside as well, her legs quivering as she struggled to maintain control. When their hips touched, the widow could barely separate her thought from Kate’s, and this was the most intimate she had ever felt with the archer.

She waited, and when the archer felt ready, Yelena began to pull. Then push back in. Kate’s breaths hitched.

The bed squeaked along with their rhythm, but the widow was gentle, keeping a slow pace so the archer wouldn’t be overwhelmed. She wanted to take her time to love her – their previous intercourse felt like desperation, chasing a high that they were afraid would be gone forever. But now Yelena wanted to make love to her, to show her how much she appreciated her for staying, to display her affection and devotion in its barest form. Every roll of her hips coaxed a moan out of the archer, and soon her eyes were half-lidded, hips and legs moving along with every thrust. But Kate kept them open just so she could watch Yelena pant as she worked their way to the top. It felt like a toy being wound too tight, ready to unravel at any moment, and as her pace quickened it was out of her control. Kate’s breaths and moans picked up speed as well.

The sounds of skin slapping filled the room. And soon Yelena had to steady herself with a hand grasping the pillow tightly. Kate let the rhythm overtake her, her body being hammered into the mattress while her breasts heaved from the motion. Soon enough, she felt it climbing again, and both of them braced for the second climax.

“Yelena,” Kate gasped, and the widow cried when one particular spot made her mind tingle. “Yelena I –” her words were interrupted by an exquisite moan, as she reached a hand behind her back and clawed her. The widow hissed from both pain and pleasure.

“I know,” Yelena nodded frantically. “I’m coming,” her hips stuttered, sliding back and forth and trying to reach as deep as possible. It was coming — the fireworks, the breakage of the dam helplessly holding back a tide of pleasure.

And when it came, the widow was unprepared. She slumped over Kate, her body arched up awkwardly so she wouldn’t press on her injury. But they both cried in pleasure, body shivering from the impending climax.

Kate could barely keep herself awake this time, and Yelena could feel exhaustion  creeping up on her as well. Tugging her close, the archer whispered soft nothings in her ear, and it made her heart swell with love. Before Yelena could smile and kiss her again, they both fell into a deep sleep, bodies so close it was as if they were melded together.

This time, neither of them left. They stayed together until it was morning, and that was the start of something truly beautiful.

At this point, sleeping at Yelena’s room was already a common occurrence. Some other Young Avengers would show up at her room (to her chagrin) if Kate wasn’t in hers. The White Widow often rolled her eyes whenever someone spoke highly of her relationship with Kate, but when people were not watching, the archer could see the barest of smiles surfacing when she thought no one was looking.

Kate would never ask her to sleep in her room, especially with how sensitive Yelena was. She would hate to make her uncomfortable in a foreign environment, so Kate would rather walk all the way across dorms to Yelena’s. Plus, the coffee in her block’s pantry tasted better anyway.

That night was no different, both of them naked under the sheets while Kate’s arm was thrown loosely around Yelena’s waist. Exhausted, the archer fell asleep easily with the bundle of warmth in her arms, but was shaken awake by something moving about.

When she opened her bleary eyes, she noticed Yelena’s brows were scrunched in agony, her head drawn so close to her chest she was curled like a shrimp. Her hands twitched, and instinctively Kate withdrew hers so she wouldn’t be touching Yelena at all – she realized her girlfriend was in a nightmare.

Now this was a delicate situation. She would not want to suddenly touch her to wake her, unintentionally passing her own panic and fear onto Yelena’s, as if she wasn’t experiencing enough already. But she was suffering from some phantoms she could not see, and the only way to dispel them was to rouse her.

“Okay...” Kate muttered under her breath. She conjured happy thoughts in her head – thoughts of Lucky running around the park chasing his own tail, thoughts of those times of joy she spent with her dad, thoughts of her mother looking at her proudly when she won some competition, thoughts of her own teammates who were pretty much her ride-or-die in every situation. With steady hands, she wrapped them around Yelena, and made sure their skin was touching.

The effect was instantaneous. Yelena froze, a silent gasp could be heard. Then she relaxed in Kate’s arms, and the archer only held on tighter, carding her fingers through her blonde hair just like she liked it. Yelena’s nose twitched a little, and she shuddered slightly before opening those sleepy green eyes to see Kate’s looking back at her, and the archer offered only a caring smile.

“You okay?” Kate asked.

Yelena needed a moment to take note of her surroundings, before fixing on Kate’s bright blue eyes. She smiled back at her as well, before reaching out willingly to hold her hand. That gesture alone might mean little to others, but to Kate it was enough to make her heart soar.

“I am now,” the widow said softly. “Thank you, Kate Bishop. You continue to surprise me,”

Of course, the archer could not help but smirk triumphantly, which the widow only snickered and reached in to kiss her nose. Kate giggled, and their hands only held on to each other tighter.

“But really, thank you,” Yelena said gratefully. “You didn’t have to deal with this –”

“I want to,” Kate said. “If I can get rid of the bad guys in your dreams, I don’t mind, especially since I would get my ass handed to me if I fight your villains in real life,”

That coaxed a laugh out of Yelena, and Kate could never be tired of that sound. She wanted to hear it again and again.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Kate asked gently. “I can’t feel things like you do with touch, but if you would like to vent or anything...”

“It’s just the bad days in the Red Room,” Yelena shook her head. “They... they did horrible things to us. And I don’t think I can ever shake them off,”

Kate smiled sadly. She could only guess what the widows had gone through, leaving her girlfriend so traumatised. Being stupidly valiant as she was, she would offer to take down those men responsible for her nightmares, but Kate was sure those men were long dead already. Yelena and Natasha would have made sure of it, no doubt.

The widow seemed to have picked up on her question through touch, and so Kate was pulled out of her reverie when Yelena laid a palm against her cheek. “They are gone, don’t worry. I’m safe now. Unfortunately the scars will remain,”

“You can even hear my thoughts?” Kate playfully asked. “Damn, I gotta wear a pair of gloves if I’m gonna lie to you,”

The widow chuckled. “Well, not exactly reading thoughts. But sometimes when the emotion is strong enough, I see... brief flashes of what the person is thinking of, enough for me to guess what they are thinking,” she paused, hesitating before continuing sheepishly. “Just like how I can see the man who used to be the source of your happiness,”

Kate’s hold on her slackened instantly, the smile dying on her lips. It didn’t occur to her that Yelena might see her dad through her thoughts alone, and she just realized how ridiculous she was to even think of him while touching her. What if Yelena missed her own parents? What if her thoughts only made her sad and longing for someone who was no longer around?

The blonde looked alarmed at Kate’s reaction, and desperately she withdrew her hand from the archer’s soft cheek. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to read your thoughts –”

“No, no, no,” Kate said, hating how she made Yelena feel guilty about her ability, and showed it by holding her hands once more. “I don’t mind at all, I wasn’t ready to tell you about my dad at all, it’s just – I was caught off guard, that’s all,”

“You deserve privacy too. Your thoughts, they are your own,” Yelena grimaced, as if disgusted with herself. “Maybe I should just put my gloves on –”

“Baby, look,” Kate cut her off, and the widow stared at her, shocked by the endearing term she used for her. “If I minded this, I wouldn’t have begged to be with you. I like every part of you, even your scars. And this ability of yours? It’s admirable to me how you have to go through all kinds of shit everyday while not having a proper place to let go of them all. That’s resilience, and if I can do anything to make you feel better, I want to do it. You don’t have to hide from me,”

Yelena was unconvinced. “What if... what if there are things you have to keep from me?”

“Then I will tell you, verbally. Because that’s how relationships work right? Communication,” Kate said. “And to answer your question, or you might have guessed it yourself, that man was my dad,” her voice cracked as she recalled the memory of the 2012 invasion. “He died when I was just a kid,”

The blonde’s eyebrows furrowed just a little. “I’m sorry,”

“Don’t be, it was long ago,” Kate assured her. “And I still miss him, all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mom too, but after I got her landed in prison I just... wonder what Dad would say about that,”

I hope they are proud of me, Kate thought. It was unsaid, just a random thought that came up suddenly, but the squeeze of Yelena’s hand and the glint of sadness in her eyes told her she knew. Kate gave a smile that did not reach her eyes, and held her hand just as tight.

“They are,” Yelena said, and the archer gulped at how it was like gazing at stars at night when she looked into her hazel green eyes in the darkness. “He would be so proud of the person you become today, and your mother too. You did the right thing,”

She could feel pressure in her eyes, but Kate would not cry, she didn’t want Yelena to see her that way. Still there was no hiding from her, and so the archer only reached forward and tucked her head into the crook of her neck, breathing deeply to surround herself with Yelena’s scent. The widow knew what she needed so she only held her close, and though blinded by the darkness they could still see each other’s affection just as brightly, with an occasional kiss on the head or the shoulder, and a tender caress on their skin.

Kate fell asleep with tear stains on her cheeks. She did not know how, but she had a feeling Yelena fell into a dreamless sleep with her too.

Sitting in front of the vanity and cursing when she couldn’t put on her earrings right, Yelena very irritatedly threw back the strand of blond hair that kept obscuring her view. In the bathroom, Kate was still showering, and her eyes flitted to the clock that ticked incessantly, reminding her that they were terribly late.

Chappell Roan blared loudly through Kate’s phone, and she had to admit – the songs were insanely catchy. ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ played loudly in the background, and while Yelena would have found herself swaying to the beat on a regular day, she was too annoyed to even hum along.

“Damn it,” she cursed in Russian. “Hurry up, Kate Bishop. My god, why did I even listen to you?”

“You agreed!” Kate retorted, the sound of water stopping and then the door was thrown wide, revealing Kate in a bathrobe. “You said it was a quickie!”

“Quickie my ass. You don’t know self restrain,” Yelena rolled her eyes, but her face flushed as she remembered how they were just eating each other out almost an hour ago, then letting Kate pound her relentlessly with the strap even though as Yelena insisted that was not part of the plan.

Kate took off her bathrobe, her whole body bare and beaded with water droplets from her shower. Yelena stopped her makeup and just stared through the mirror, and the widow’s breath was simply ripped out of her lungs. She swore to the heavens that Kate's lean and chiselled body was sculpted by a God, possibly someone from Nidavellir before deciding she was too annoying and threw her into Earth.

The archer picked her outfit from the wardrobe, but feeling her stare she turned towards her. The widow’s face must be flushed red, because Kate had that cocky, irritating, shit-eating grin on her face again. And while she could feel herself throbbing down there again, Yelena groaned in frustration, shooting her a glare when she refused to cover herself.

“No!” Yelena shouted, throwing her hands up in frustration and tore her gaze away. “No, no, no, no! Stop it!”

“Wanna go again?” Kate Bishop said with a suggestive smirk.

“You are so annoying, Kate Bishop,” Yelena grumbled, slamming close her makeup kit and continued to drew her eye lines. Kate only snickered in the background, but she finally put on a turtleneck shirt, before throwing on her midnight black coat.

“Your wish,” Kate whistled.

“We are very late for the Christmas party, the last thing I need is Cassie and my sister throwing stupid looks in our direction,”

Done with her own face, she gestured for Kate Bishop to sit down so she could do hers. The archer obediently listened, and every time she reached up to scratch her face Yelena would playfully smack her hands away. With the liner pen, Yelena accentuated Kate’s beauty marks, before moving to her eyes.

“You rarely wear dresses,” Kate’s eyes drifted down her sleeveless and bare-back white dress, which would go with a wool coat to shield her from the cold. “Not that I’m complaining,”

Yelena hummed. “Just trying something different. I know I will look good in either a suit or a dress,”

Kate chuckled. “That you do,”

“And this is our first official appearance together. I don’t wanna dress to impress, I want to dress to depress. I want us to look so good that I make people hate themselves,”

Kate laughed so hard Yelena had to stop with her pen for a moment. “Vying for the best-dressed duo aren’t you?”

“Don’t you want it?” Yelena raised a brow.

“I do. I’m tired of Billy and Teddy winning anyway,” Kate smirked, staying still when Yelena was done drawing her eye. “Oh, are you not putting on the gloves?”

The widow froze, looking at the long white gloves on the vanity waiting to be put on. When she looked back at Kate, the archer had a worried look.

“It’s quite crowded, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,”

Yelena thought long and hard. In fact, she hadn’t been wearing them much since being with Kate. Of course, she could still feel things that were out of her control, but with Kate around they did not bother her half as much anymore – she knew undoubtedly the archer would always be there to catch her if she falls.

But her girlfriend's concerned blue eyes were endearing to say the least, and grinning, Yelena reached in and pecked her on the lips. Kate’s cheeks were flustered, and it made her giddy how she still had that effect on Kate despite being together for a few weeks already. Running her thumb over the apple of her cheek, Yelena beamed.

Her ability might be debilitating sometimes, but she would rather keep it than stop feeling Kate Bishop altogether. She wanted her joy, her kindness, her pain and sorrows and insecurities, her pleasure when she clenched around her fingers, and finally – her love and devotion.

She knew she was in too deep, but she would not have it any other way. She could not imagine what it would be like to not feel Kate at all, and so she grinned as she reached for the gloves. Kate’s eyes widened in shock and awe when Yelena tossed them straight into the trash can.

The song continued to blare in the background, and one line resonated too well with her. Putting on a confident grin, she gently tugged Kate’s chin to draw her attention away from the gloves in the trash can, and with certainty she finally said:

“I will be okay, Kate Bishop,”

Kate only gave an appreciative smile, looking at her as if she was the only woman in the world. Without another word, they leaned in and shared a kiss once more, though Yelena had to keep it innocent so they wouldn’t tear off each other’s clothes again and undo all their makeup.

You’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling!