Chapter Text
They got in pretty late. Kate swung by the Rogers' apartment to update them and assure them Ada had done fine and hadn't gotten so much a paper cut. Wyatt had been tired after two long flights, so she sent him to bed. By the time she got to her apartment and showered he was fast asleep. She'd kind of been hoping to unwind after the mission with him, but didn't have the heart to wake him. So she tucked herself in next to him and fell asleep.
She woke the next morning to an empty bed and the smell of bacon being fried. Stretching out, she took a moment to appreciate the joy of a day with nothing to do. Which gave her an excellent idea. Digging around in her nightstand, she found the little toy she'd splurged on and went to the bathroom to get dressed.
Wyatt was trying to get Lucky to beg for a piece of bacon when she came out in jeans and a t-shirt.
"Oh, just give him the bacon," she said, sliding her arms around him from behind.
He tossed the bacon to the dog, and turned to wrap his arms around her. “Good morning.”
"Hi." He dipped his head and kissed her and she sank into it. It was funny, all the things they'd done together and his kisses could still curl her toes. "I thought we could have a nice, lazy day.”
“Mmm, how lazy?”
"Well," she drawled out. "We could do a few things." Leaning back, she took one of his hand and place a little black remote into it.
“Oh. Well.” He leaned in to kiss her again. “You know how men feel about remotes.”
Hands now empty, she sank her fingers into his hair. "And that one controls something way more fun than the TV.”
He hit the button, and she felt the vibe come on. It was the lowest setting, but the little harness it had come with held it right against her clit, so even that little tickle sent heat through her. She sucked in a sharp breath, hand tightening in his hair.
"Yeah," he murmured, turning it up a little. "This is fun."
She swayed into him. "I thought you'd like it. Playing with me a bit." She kissed his jaw. "I'm never going to be okay with getting tied up. But power play stuff interests me."
"You should wear this during the day." He bent his head to kiss her neck. "It would certainly liven up briefings."
Her cheeks flushed at the idea. "I could be convinced."
He turned it a little higher. "Random elevator rides. Target practice. What's the range on this thing?"
It was getting a little hard to focus on the conversation. "Um. The package says fifty feet, I think."
She felt his teeth on her earlobe. "Do you need to sit, honey?"
Sitting, sitting was a great idea. She managed to get out, "Uh-huh," but it sounded like a whimper.
She could almost feel him hesitate, then he said, "Too bad."
Kate shuddered, feeling oddly proud of him. This was probably scary territory for him. Running a hand down his chest, she looked up at him through her lashes. "Please?"
He rested his forehead on hers, and turned it up again. He whispered, "No."
Fisting a hand in his shirt, she tried locking her knees and a knot started to twist low in her belly. Her hips rocked as if riding an invisible lover. The pressure and speed was almost perfect. Just a little more and she'd be gone.
Instead, he turned it off.
She gasped, lurching a little as if searching for the stimulation. Her body was all but humming, but the knot that had been tightening dissipated, leaving an ache. Blinking, she looked at Wyatt to find him watching her carefully, like he was still uncertain she was on board for this.
Wanting to reassure him, and make sure the game lasted, she mustered a smile and kissed him. "Breakfast?"
He grinned widely. "Have a seat."
She did so and he served her bacon, followed by toast and perfectly fried eggs, plus a cup of her current favorite tea. Twice during the meal he hit a button, making her gasp, but he didn't bring her as close to the edge as he had before.
"We could take the dog for a walk," he said casually. "Or just sit around and watch some TV."
The thought of him teasing her that way out on the street caused a rush of heat to pool in her and nerves flutter in her stomach. "Maybe a short walk, but I do have laundry to fold." She met his gaze. "What would you like best?"
"There is something strangely appealing about tormenting you while you do boring household chores." He turned the vibe back on. "I've heard things about girls and the spin cycle."
"I wouldn't know," she said, managing to sound almost prim, despite the heat pulsing through her. He grinned and she forced herself to saunter off and gather up the dirty clothes in her room and start a load. She heard Wyatt give Lucky a treat and settle him in the spare room to give them some privacy.
When she came out with a basket full of clean clothes to fold he was settled on the couch, queuing up the next episode of the crime series they'd been watching on Netflix. It was about the unsexiest thing she could think of. But when she sat on the couch next to him, it pressed the vibe snug against her clit and she couldn't stop the little moan that came out of her.
He leaned back and propped his boots up on the coffee table. It was a very him pose, and reminded her of the day they met. He grinned at her and cranked the vibe up.
She could easily have leaned back right then and gotten lost in it. But the point of the game was to get teased. So she leaned forward and pulled out a pair of jeans to fold. After a few pieces of clothing he turned it up again and she shuddered, nipples tightening against the thin fabric of her shirt.
The next time he turned it up, she dropped the shirt she was folding and arched her back, gripping the arm of the couch. She half expected him to turn it off again, but he didn't. He did say, "Keep folding."
Shuddering, she managed to peel her hand off the couch and pick the shirt back up. The knot was forming again and her body felt hot and languid. Breathing hard, trying not to grind into the couch, she folded the shirt and set it on the coffee table, then picked up the next one. She didn't know how long she stayed like that, hovering right near the edge. It probably wasn't much more than a minute or two, but it fell like an eternity. And then finally he said, his voice a little hoarse, "You want to come here, Katie?"
Nodding frantically, she shoved the basket away and lurched towards him, movements clumsy. She found his mouth in a rough, desperate kiss. He dropped the remote as both arms came around her, turning it down in the process, but it was still running. He plunged one hand into her hair, and clutched her shirt with the other, yanking at it like he wanted it off but couldn't remember how.
She leaned back and pulled it off for him, dislodging the hand in her hair. Her nipples were swollen and sensitive. The first brush of his thumb had her all but coming out of her skin. His other hand was fumbling with her jeans. The vibe was still going and it was almost more than she could take.
She cupped a hand over the front of his jeans and found him hard, pressing against the denim. The touch stopped his fumbling, gave her a moment to breathe, she she tugged his zipper down and freed his erection. She was a little impressed he was that hard, just from watching her squirm. Clearly the game worked both ways. All she had to do was get her pants off and they could be fucking.
But there was something she'd really wanted to finally try and she owed him a little torment. So after giving him one firm stroke, she bent and licked the head of his cock before closing her mouth around him.
Blow jobs had long been on the list of things she'd never done. After having sex she'd been determined to keep nothing off the table and, with no other ideas, had gone to Tess for advice. And discovered someone with a medical degree and a healthy sex life was actually a pretty good advisor. Her tips had mostly boiled down to use your tongue, don't worry about anything but the first couple inches, and teeth were an advanced technique.
Oh, and look up at him, if you can. They really like that for some reason. I think it's a porn thing.
Flipping her hair to the side, she took him a little deeper and looked up to watch his face. He stared back at her, looking rather dazed and dumbstruck. She sensed he had some sort of never ask list in his head and this was clearly on it. He reached down to brush her hair out of her eyes, and there was something incredibly tender about the touch.
She gave him an exaggerated wink and shifted to give herself a better angle and ease the pressure from the vibe on her clit. Focusing him for a little bit helped, too, though she didn't have nearly the patience she would have normally. Well, probably better to have the first time be more of an appetizer.
When he actually lifted his hips a little, she figured he was officially as wound up as she was, and let him go with one last, long lick.
"Okay," she breathed, sitting back on her heel and unbuttoning her jeans. "Now you can fuck me."
"God," was all he managed. She stood to peel her jeans off, taking her underwear with it. She left the vibe on, because why not. Then he reached for her, puling her into his lap. She kissed him, with as much affection as need, then went up on her knees. It took only a nudge to get him lined up with her entrance. The feel of him sliding against her slick folds made her moan. She was probably as wet as she'd ever been, so she was able to slip him inside and lower herself onto his length in one thrust.
The feel of him filling her was almost enough to send her over the edge. Her body clenched eagerly around the intrusion, and the pressure made the still buzzing vibe even more intense. "Jesus," he growled. "I can feel that."
Kate grinned. "Good." She started to move, rolling her hips so the vibe ground into him on the down strokes. "Fuck," she whispered, head tipping back. She could feel her orgasm building impossibly tighter and increased her pace, chasing it.
He thrust up to her in short, hard strokes. "Honey. . .I-I can't—"
Her knee hit something hard and she looked down to see the remote sitting on the cushion. Scooping it up, she found the intensity button and cranked it up, thrusting down hard as she did.
The climax poured through her, arching her back and tensing every muscle. She was pretty sure she screamed when it hit. Then she was aware of nothing but the endless waves of pleasure and feel of him buried inside her.
He must have come, but she was too lost to pay attention. She just knew when she collapsed against him, he was still except for his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He managed to get out a reverent, "Holy shit."
She mumbled something she hoped sounded like agreement, then turned the vibe off. Her body shuddered at the sudden loss of stimulation. But he was still firmly inside her, which was nice. He stroked her back and she closed her eyes, relaxing against him. "I love you."
"I love you," he replied, then added, "I adore you. I want to build a bronze statue of you in Central Park, and possibly set up a shrine of some sort at its base."
She laughed, then groaned when it made her flex around him. "So this was a good game that we will repeat in the future."
"Yes. I saw stars. I think I saw God. That or I accidentally bought the wrong kind of mushrooms for the omelets."
It made her laugh again, and she lifted her head to kiss him tenderly. "And the blow job was okay?" she asked, studying his face. She was pretty confident in his answer, but everyone liked a little positive reinforcement now and then.
"Yes," he said emphatically. Then he added. "If I'm honest, particularly because I'd assumed I'd had my last."
She ran her fingers through his hair, suspicions confirmed. She was going to make her own statue in the park, for the best boyfriend in the world. "I didn't want to bring it up till I was sure I could do it. I think I needed to get used to you first. But it was not as weird as I'd expected." Grinning, she admitted, "It was actually a little fun."
"I assure you, that's not a situation you will ever find me objecting to."
"Good to know." Winding a lock of his hair around her fingers, she asked, "What will we do with the rest of our day?"
"Doesn't matter. This can't be topped. The day has peaked."
"Careful, baby. I'll take that as a challenge."
"Explain to me how that's a bad thing? Unless we die of sex. That would probably make the others sad. Jealous, but sad."
Challenge accepted. Kissing him again, she slowly started to ease off of him. "I am going to take the vibe off. And then I'm going to get you a snack. And then I'm going to show you a trick Tess told be about with ice and hot tea."
"It'll be a good death!" he called after her as she walked toward the bathroom.
By the afternoon they’d worn themselves out. They even managed to share a shower that was barely R-rated, and ended up curled in a damp pile on the bed. Her hand went wandering and he said, “Uh uh. No more sex today.”
Kate made a grumbling sound. “None?"
“You’re going to end up sore, and you have bad dreams when your lady parts are uncomfortable.”
She pouted, but kissed his shoulder. "I like that you know that.”
“I know you,” he replied. “In many, many ways.”
"You do." She lay curled against him, listening to his heartbeat. This was the kind of day she'd once thought lost to her. Naked and experimenting with her boyfriend. She probably would be a little sore and her sleep would be troubled. Maybe tomorrow she wouldn't be able to stand being touched. But it had been worth it. It gave her hope for all those next steps they'd talked about. Living together, marriage.
"Darcy found me the contact information for that girl from NYU," she said softly.
“Are you going to call her?”
"I don't know. I keep going back and forth. I want to make sure I'm doing it for her, not me, you know?" She sighed and trailed her fingers along his ribs. "I keep trying to remember what I felt like back then, if getting a call from someone like me would have made a difference. I don't know if it would have, but then, not everyone reacts the same. And then I think, what if she doesn't give a shit? Not everyone likes or cares about the Avengers. Then I'm just intruding on something really private. But if she does care then that might be a source of strength, to not be alone in it. And around I go.”
“Why don’t you send her an email or a letter?. Then she can reply if she wants or ignore you if she doesn’t.”
She hummed, considering it. "That's a good idea. Give her some agency. And the official letterhead and return address might assure her I'm legit.”
“If you want my opinion, it’s not about that you’re famous, it’s about that you’re a fighter. There’s this toxic perception that it’s a victim’s fault for not fighting hard enough. My friend from the Navy is like six feet tall and combat trained. It can happen to anybody.”
"I talked to Clint about it. He said if I went hunting I needed to use a gun because the arrow was too distinct." Clint was nothing if not practical. And perfectly willing to help her track down the guy and kill him. "It got me thinking. In the four months it took me to find the men who hurt me, about five hundred people were raped in New York City. Four people a day. And when they died, no one knew why. They mourned them as friends and brothers and sons. One of them had a memorial set up in front of his house. Because he was really good baseball player." It had taken all she had not to set that pile of flowers on fire. "I can't hunt down everyone. So I just. . . I feel like I need to find some other way to fight.”
“You could hunt them and out them.” He shifted so he could look at her better. “It’s crazy what Nate is capable of. Remember those assholes that were sending Kamala racial slurs and inexplicable dick picks? He somehow got their names legally changed to Pakistani slang words for penis.”
She chuckled. "I remember that." Reaching up, she started to idly play with his hair. If he ever cut it she'd probably cry. "I don't know. I feel like even with outing them, there's going to be people who defend them, you know? The story becomes slandering this poor boy instead of the awful thing he did. Any excuse to change the narrative, right?" She wound hair around her fingers, picking out tangles for him. "I want to be able to turn on the news and not hear about how short her skirt was or how much she'd had to drink and how girls shouldn't take pictures of themselves if they don't want creepy guys to steal them and post them online.”
“Well, that’s certainly a worthy fight to take on.”
"Yeah." She chewed her lip, turning that over. Most of them didn't do much with their fame. The Grownups had various causes they'd stand up for, but her team kept mostly out of the limelight. Kamala was "the Muslim superhero" and seemed to own that, and Nate did some outreach to kids in juvie. Maybe it was time she started a different kind of fight. "I think in the morning I'm going to have a meeting with PR.”
“You want me to come with?”
Her first instinct was to insist she was fine to go alone, she could handle a meeting. But this was a sore subject for her and would almost certainly require telling strangers about what happened to her. And the point of having a partner was not having to do hard things on her own. So she said, "Yeah, that might be good.”
He tugged her closer. “It would be an honor.”
*
The meeting with PR had been. . . interesting. PR wasn't sure what they thought about an Avenger getting involved in "such a hot button issue." Which had, of course, only made Kate more determined to do something. When she'd made it plain she would do it with their guidance or without it, they conceded and started putting together some sort of public address.
She spent the better part of a week writing what she wanted to say. Nat came over a few times and helped her. She'd been the Avengers unofficial public face pretty often in the old days and knew how to handle herself in front of cameras.
Tuesday afternoon they crowded into one of the more photogenic meeting rooms with what seemed like a dozen cameras and twice as many people. Kate sat at the table surrounded by people doing her make-up and giving her pointers while Wyatt stood on the sidelines with Clint and resisted the urge to go shoo them all away.
"She's come a long way," Clint said quietly, watching the chaos with an unreadable expression.
“She’s told me bits and pieces of what she was like back then. I think she’s still working on it. Probably always will be.”
"Probably. Nat still had bad days, now and again, and she's almost thirty years out of the Room." He crossed his arms. "You seem to help.”
His voice and face were neutral. “Is that a bad thing?” Wyatt asked.
"It wasn't what I had in mind when I hired you." He shrugged. "But she's always had good instincts. And she deserves to be happy.”
“Wasn’t what I had in mind when I came here,” he replied. “And, yes, she does.”
The crowd around Kate had thinned a bit and she was just talking to the PR person who was organizing it. He could see in the way she fiddled with the papers in front of her she was nervous, but it was the only sign of it. Then the woman stepped away and asked for quiet and it was just Kate, lit on all sides and surrounded by cameras.
Someone counted down and pointed at Kate. She straightened her shoulders, looked at the cameras and said, "My name is Kate Bishop. You know me as the leader of the current Avengers team. I'm talking to you today because I want to change the way we talk about rape in this country."
She paused a beat and took a deep breath. "Twelve years ago, I was walking through a park at night. Four men blocked my path, attacked me, and raped me. I was wearing a short skirt, I had had a few drinks and I had had sex with my boyfriend earlier in the night. None of those things meant I wanted or deserved to be raped.
"Afterwards, the adults in my life convinced me not to press charges. 'You'll be the one on trial,' they told me. As a teenager, I was willing to be convinced because I just wanted it to go away. As an adult, I think it's disgusting that that is how we treat rape victims."
She went on to talk about the media coverage of the NYU student. The short sentence of a convicted rapist in California. And the overall message sent to girls and women about how it was their job not to get raped rather than the men's job not to do the raping.
"This needs to stop," Kate said, in Leader Voice, still staring the cameras down. "And I am making it my mission to stop it. So to all the victims of rape and sexual assault - both men and women - I say this: I am your voice. If there is a statement you need read, a message you want sent, I will read it for you. I am one of you. I have been where you are and I survived it. So can you. A phone number and website will be provided at the end of this video offering help to any who need it."
Clearing her throat, she shifted a little in her chair, looking for all the world like a cat watching prey. "And to all those in media, who insist on talking about what a victim was wearing, or drinking, or doing. I'm going to be watching you. Rape is a crime. We do not blame a mugging victim for getting mugged or a murder victim for being killed. So I'm putting you all on notice. Every news anchor or talk show host or entertainment reporter implying that a skimpy top and some sexy pictures on your phone mean you wanted to be violated, know that by spreading that sort of sexist, misogynistic, victim-blaming message you will have made an enemy of an Avenger." She smirked. "And you will have been asking for it.”
She held herself like she was made of steel. He knew it was a skin, and what was beneath was still very fragile. But right then he was so, so proud of her.
A few people applauded, making her smile. She waited to get her mic unhooked before standing and walking over to him and Clint. "How'd I do?”
“You were fantastic,” Wyatt said.
Clint reached out to touch her arm. “I’m so proud of you, Katie-Kate.”
She beamed. "Thank you." She reached out to hug first Clint, then Wyatt. "Thank you," she repeated softly, just for him.
He held her, and kissed her shoulder. “I got your back.”
For a few moments they just held onto each other, heedless of the crowd. When she leaned back her eyes were bright, but she was smiling. "Let's see who's lurking in the common room, go get some dim sum or something.”
“They’re all in there watching on TV,” Clint said. “I wouldn’t let them stand in the hall.”
"I appreciate that. You're a good wrangler.”
“I’ll have Darcy find a dim sum restaurant we can buy out for the evening,” Clint said.
Kate tilted her head. "Invite the Grownups. We'll make it a party.”
“They’re all in the common room, too,” Clint said, something mildly exasperated in his voice.
She laughed and shook her head. Weaving her fingers with Wyatt's, she reached over and took Clint's hand, too. "Come on. Let's go join the party.”
Clint was right, they ended up taking over an entire restaurant, like some sort of impromptu party. The kids were even running between the tables. They ate dim sum and Wyatt draped his arm over the back of her chair. At their table Tess and Amanda talked about the treatment Eli was starting, and Lani Wilson ate her body weight in shrimp while her husband paced in circles around the table, their brand new baby sleeping on his shoulder. She kept holding up bites of things for him to eat as he passed behind her.
Kate had used rubber bands and folded chopstick wrappers to rig up trainer chopsticks for the kids at their table. Once word got around, the rest of them showed up for the same treatment. Somehow Maggie Rogers ended up in Kate's lap eating rice one grain at a time. Wyatt had kind of expected Kate to nudge her off eventually, given the crowd and her stressful morning. But she gamely ate around the toddler and even helped her spear a couple of dumplings.
"We have a good village," she commented, leaning back on his arm.
Days like this did remind him of home, now that he thought about it. “We do.”
She ran her fingers through Maggie's hair, looking thoughtful, then turned to him. "For a long time I didn't like thinking about the future. But I'm looking forward to a future with you.”
That made him smile. “See? We fit.”
Resettling her head on his shoulder she gave a sigh of contentment. "Just perfectly.”
“You were magnificent today. Did I tell you that?”
"I thought it would be harder," she said quietly. "Saying it. But now that it's out I feel. . . lighter. Sometimes it feels like I'm walking around with weights tied to me and today I cut one of the ropes. I felt like that after I told you I loved you. And after we-" She glanced at Maggie, still perched on her knee. "After Alaska," she finished carefully.
“I wish I could free you from all your weights,” he said. “I know I can’t. But I do my best to help you carry them.”
"You help. Don't ever doubt you help. Even when I'm having trouble showing it, you help.”
He rubbed the back of her shoulder. “I see you better than you realize. And am happy to do so as long as you’ll let me.”
"That'll probably be a long time. I don't have the energy to break someone new in.”
That made him smile. “You do have quite a learning curve to you.”
"I keep telling Clint to write a manual but he says it's a hands on apprenticeship thing.”
“It is. Don’t worry, I’ll train the kids.”
She grinned. "Starting them young will probably help.”
He stretched to kiss her temple. “You’re worth it.”
"I'm still not sure about that," she admitted quietly. "But you're starting to convince me.”
“That’s something I will also do as long as you’ll let me. And sometimes even if you don’t.”
She studied him. "And what can I do for you?”
He blinked, surprised by the question. “Do for me?”
"You do all that for me. You're patient and understanding and you keep my head on straight for me. Relationships are equal give and take. I was wondering if there was something I did for you.”
“Make me laugh. Protect me from bandits. Do things I can’t say in front of Captain America’s preschooler. And you. . . settle me. I’ve been restless my whole life. Didn’t know what I was looking for until right now.”
That made her smiled widely. "Okay. I'll do all that for as long as you'll let me.”
“Could be a long time. It’s a pretty sweet deal.”
"Well, I'm a sniper," she told him. "I have a lot of patience."