Chapter Text
Kate Bishop is undeniably a skilled individual. It's a shame she's going to die inside this dingy bathroom.
She can almost see the headlines: Olympic Medalist, World Archery Champion, and Amazing Dog Parent Kate Bishop Found Dead in Downtown New York.
On the bright side, if she dies, then she won't have to finish that paper for her economics class.
So, here's the situation: she's trapped inside the bathroom of this range twelve minutes before the tournament begins. As if that weren't bad enough, her phone is dead, the window is too small to escape through, and her desperate cries for help have gone unanswered for the past ten to fifteen minutes.
As a last resort, she contemplates using the soap to make her shoulders slippery enough to squeeze through the window. If it sounds like a stupid plan, it's because it is, but she's certainly done stupider things and—
Wait. Is that someone trying to open the door?
Kate's undignified squeak of surprise echoes inside the small space, and the doorknob suddenly stills. She scrambles to her feet to press her face against the door.
"Hey!" she calls out, projecting her voice to be heard through the wood. "Don't leave! I'm stuck in here. Could you get some help? Please?"
She keeps her face pressed against the door, her heart racing. For a terrifying moment, there's no answer and she's so scared that the person on the other side has left that she's on the verge of screaming again.
“You are… stuck?”
Kate almost passes out with relief.
“Yes! The doorknob is jammed. I can’t get it to open—” as if to prove the truth to that statement, Kate tries to shake the handle again without success.
“Okay,” the woman says so quietly Kate has to strain to hear. “Give me one minute.”
Everything is quiet for a second, and Kate assumes the woman may have left to get help, but then she hears something scratching against the door. The doorknob wiggles a little, first in one direction and then in the other until it makes a soft click. The door slides open a moment later.
Kate can feel herself blushing in embarrassment. Was it really that easy?
She looks up, and her brain blue screens.
Kate is sure she’s staring like an idiot and that might be because the person who’s holding the pocket knife that was apparently used to break her out is a five-foot-nothing blonde wearing a fur coat and patchwork jeans. She's also, unquestionably, the most beautiful woman Kate has ever seen in her life.
“Are you okay?” the blonde asks, giving Kate a curious look at the same time she folds the knife back with a flick of her wrist.
“Uh,” Kate finally says oh-so-intellectually. That’s what the best education money can buy gets you in the face of a beautiful woman. “Sorry.” she shakes her head and pushes her shoulders back while metaphorically trying to find her foot in this conversation. “Yeah, no, I’m good? I’m great. Thank you for”— she gestures to the door with one hand—“breaking me out. By the way, how did you even do that?”
The woman smiles, shrugs noncommittally, and hides the knife in a pocket Kate can’t see. “A, Not the first place I have gotten in or out using this knife, and B, does this door look broken to you?”
“No. Of course not. That is so cool, though. That you can do that.”
It takes a moment for her to remember she’s still standing inside the bathroom, and yes, she's well aware she's making a fool of herself. One thing you should know about Kate Bishop is that for all her cocksureness and bravado, she always gets a little dumbstruck when faced with someone this striking.
A loud bang sounds from somewhere before the woman can say anything else, and Kate's brain finally kicks into gear. She's reminded that she will be late and automatically disqualified if she doesn't hurry. By her count, she only has a little longer to get to the second floor, where the actual tournament is about to begin before it's too late.
“Thank you so much for breaking me out! Really. I really wish I could stay and talk because wow, you seem like you’re awesome, but I gotta get to the other side of this joint.” she starts to turn in the direction she’s pretty sure will lead to the stairs but then pivots back, putting on her most charming smile for this woman. “I don’t know if you’re here to watch the tournament, but maybe I could find you after?”
The woman, whom Kate realizes she's never got the name of, stares blankly at her, not at all impressed. But hey, what's the saying? You miss every shot you don’t take.
“No.”
“Okay, then,” Kate smiles back sheepishly, ignoring that she was shot down so spectacularly. She salutes the other woman before running to the competitor's area, where she left her bow earlier.
As soon as she’s in gear, bow in hand, and quiver on her hip, Kate joins the competition lineup, and all thoughts of pretty blondes are put to the back of her mind.
When it’s all said and done and Kate has been presented with yet another medal and a small cash prize, the only thing she truly can think about is getting her dog and going home to her bed and finally getting some sleep.
Between her usual training schedule, this tournament, and the Vegas Shoot last week on top of the spring semester that just started, Kate has been running herself more haggard than usual, and she's starting to feel it.
Her phone, which had been charging in a power bank inside her bag, chimes in once and then twice in quick succession, and Kate knows her plans of a quiet night in are ruined. She pulls the phone out with a sigh, though her frown quickly morphs into a genuine smile when she realizes who the texts are from.
Clint: So, this is what the greatest archer in the world does on the weekends?
Clint: You should at least give everyone else a fighting chance.
Clint: Maybe miss once on purpose or something.
Kate: Maybe everyone else should try harder to hit the gold sometimes.
Clint: Yeah, that's fair.
Clint: And since you just wiped the floor with everyone else, dinner is on me. You chose the place.
Kate frowns at the words, looking up to scan the crowd mingling inside the range. There are still some people leaving the place, competitors with their families and spectators alike, so it takes her a few moments to place him.
A huge smile breaks through her face when she does, and the next second, Kate is weaving through the small crowd to reach her old mentor.
Clint Barton had been Kate’s archery coach for only a couple of years when she was still starting, but he had been the best. He was the first to point out her potential; the one to suggest that she could be Olympic-level good and the reason she fought so hard to become the best.
There are more people close to the exit, and Kate loses sight of Clint for a moment, although she's not too worried about it. Stopping to let a family pass by, Kate checks her phone again. There are a few notifications from college friends, but she only opens the one from Grills, automatically smiling at the picture he had sent of Lucky sitting in front of a TV playing the YouTube broadcast of the championship.
She ignores a few more notifications but stops with her thumb over the ones from an unlisted sender with a long-suffering sigh.
212-178-4888: We watched the competition on the website.
212-178-4888: Congratulations, Katie!
She swipes the notification away, considering if she should save the number as try too hard guy, but decides it's a bigger fuck you if she leaves her stepfather's number as unlisted. Before she can lock the phone, a couple more texts comes in.
212-178-4888: Your mom is a little busy right now, but she says to tell you that she’s proud of you!
212-178-4888: Let’s do dinner sometime this week. Let me know.
Kate throws an exasperated glance at the phone screen when it buzzes on her hand again.
212-178-4888: It's Jack, by the way :)
Great, so now she feels a bit guilty. Jack's obviously trying, and she's running out of reasons to dislike him; she can't hold the “got engaged to my mom without telling me” over his head forever.
Thankfully, before Kate can make the mistake of texting Jack back, she catches sight of Clint again and hastens to pocket her phone as she makes a beeline to him.
He pulls her into a hug as soon as she’s close enough.
“There you are, kid,” he says, ruffling her hair affectionately when he pulls away.
Kate pushes his hand away with a smile.
“Watch it, old man.”
Clint shakes his head but acquiesces, taking Kate's bowcase from her, which she hands him gratefully.
“I didn’t know you were coming to this.”
“We came to support a few of my students when we realized you were competing, too. Always a great time to watch you wipe the floor with half the competition.”
Kate scoffs. “Just half?”
“Oh, Kate, always so humble.” Natasha chimes in, startling Kate, who hasn't realized she is also there.
“I’m awesome and I know it.” Kate winks at Natasha, who rolls her eyes good-naturedly before tugging someone closer.
Kate's eyes light up with delight when she realizes who it is, though she manages to keep her cool this time. Barely.
“Hey, it’s you!” she says, either ignoring or not noticing the confused looks Clint and Natasha send her way.
Clint crosses his arms over his chest. “You two know each other?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
The two of them reply at the same time.
Kate elaborates, “We met before the tournament started. She helped me break out of the bathroom.”
Clint wisely decides not to ask. Knowing Kate's propensity for mischief, he's better off not knowing anyway.
“Sure. Well, anyway. Kate, this is Yelena. She's Natasha's baby sister,” he says, ignoring the glare Yelena sends his way.
“I’m hardly a baby, Barton.”
“Yeah, yeah. Yelena, this is Kate.”
Yelena, as Kate now knows, rolls her eyes. “Obviously.”
Kate ignores the sarcasm, amping up the charm to a hundred thousand and extending a hand that Yelena accepts reluctantly.
“Kate Bishop. It’s nice to meet you. And seriously, thanks so much for earlier.”
The only thing she gets is a small, polite smile back. Good thing Kate Bishop is not so easily discouraged.
“So, dinner. Kate, any requests?” Clint interrupts, dropping an arm over Kate's shoulders as he guides them towards the exit.
Natasha smiles, though Kate is under the impression Yelena is not as pleased.
Whatever. Thanks to Clint, Kate now has a whole dinner to make a better second impression of herself in front of this woman.
“How about Italian?” she suggests, thinking about pizza, but Natasha takes it a little too literally.
She hails a cab once they’re outside, and without really telling them where they’re going, directs the driver to the Bronx.
They stop outside a narrow, two-storied building with a bright coral façade that reminds Kate of pictures she saw of seaside villas in Italy. They don’t have a reservation, naturally, but Natasha doesn’t seem too bothered by that.
With a confident smile, she walks to the hostess and strikes up a conversation with her as if they were old friends, speaking in fast Italian. A couple of minutes later, they are being guided inside to a candlelit table for four on the terrace.
The place is small, though it's incredibly charming in that way that only family-run establishments can be. Kate takes the seat beside Clint and across from Natasha, smiling gratefully at the waiter who brings their menus and leaves a basket of breadsticks at the table. She's literally starving, though she does her best to remember she has manners and not shove the food in her mouth too eagerly.
Yelena, who is sitting beside Natasha, scoffs after the server leaves.
“You are such a show-off.”
“Why? Because I wanted to have a nice dinner in a nice place with my sister the one time she deems me worthy enough to come visit?”
“Yeah, that’s what this is about,” Yelena mutters under her breath. Kate chances a look only to see her frowning down at the menu and she averts her gaze, trying not to overhear what is obviously a private conversation. Not that it really matters since a moment later Natasha starts replying in Russian anyway.
Even if she can’t understand what’s being said, Kate still recognizes the bickering tone; she shares an amused look with Clint, who shakes his head at her.
“How are you, kid?” he asks lightly.
Kate shrugs. “You know me, always good.”
Clint leans forward with a frown; despite only seeing each other once or twice a year, he still can read her better than she’d like to.
“And how are your classes going this semester?”
“Good, I guess? I had to miss a couple of classes because of the Vegas Shoot schedule,” Kate says, sounding as tired as she feels. “I think I should have just run away with my diploma last year instead of having the great idea of staying in school for another two years.”
“Yeah, that was stupid.” he smiles wryly. “This was the last competition for a while, right? How’s that?”
“Oh man, I’m so looking forward to not having to hit the gym every day. And food! I’m gonna eat so much pizza. And all the junk food I can dream of,” she tells him wide-eyed. “And all the other greasy things my jiu-jitsu coach has expressly forbidden me from eating.”
Clint laughs. “Might want to reign yourself a little there.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Kate doesn't look at him as she says it, and once again, Clint finds himself frowning. She thinks maybe he is going to say something else, but then his phone chimes, his brows creasing in concern when he takes a look.
He pockets it quickly after typing a short answer and turns to face Kate with an apologetic expression that she knows all too well from her own mother's face. She knows what he will say before he opens his mouth.
“I’m sorry, Katie Kate. The alarm at the range went off, and they need us there ASAP.”
What else can Kate do besides give him the smile she perfected after years of using it with her mom. It's the one that's understanding and almost genuine if you don't look too closely.
She waves his apology away.
“Don’t worry about it,” she says and continues before he can protest, “I’ll take care of things here. I hope everything is okay.”
“Probably a false alarm.” he looks at her pointedly. “Or maybe just some kids breaking in to do some parkour.”
“You’re hilarious,” she deadpans, noticing Natasha is also getting up.
“I’m coming too,” she says to Clint before turning to Yelena, “Are you okay getting home by yourself?”
“Yes.” Yelena nods. Natasha graciously ignores the murderous glare she sends in her direction.
Before leaving, Clint promises Kate they’ll do a real dinner soon, once again ruffling her hair, just like she’s seen him do with Nate.
“And then there were two,” Kate says to Yelena, trying to disperse some of the awkwardness that sets in after Clint and Natasha leave.
It doesn’t really work.
Kate can see it on Yelena's face that she’s going to make some excuse to go, too, and honestly, the only thing worse than this would be to be left alone in a restaurant to have dinner by herself.
“Would you like to stay?” she asks hastily. “I mean, only if you don’t have to be somewhere else, too? Since we’re already here?” Kate tries not to sound too desperate but assumes she’s failing terribly. “Dinner’s on me. And anyway, I still have to thank you for saving me earlier.”
Kate watches the different emotions play on Yelena’s face as she makes a decision, holding her breath until she says something.
After a moment, Yelena presses her lips together but nods her head once. “Fine.”
Kate's smile could light up Times Square for a week.
“Sweet.”
The server returns with their drinks soon enough and take their orders with a polite smile.
“So,” Kate begins in an attempt to fill the not-not-awkward silence. “Do you mind me asking where you're from? I mean, what part of Russia you’re from. I don’t think I ever asked Natasha that.”
“Saint Petersburg.”
Yelena's clipped reply is not enough to scare off Kate.
“Oh, that’s cool. I lived here in New York my whole life.”
Yelena doesn't say anything to that, and Kate gets the hint that small talk is not the way to go. She drums her fingers as she takes a look around the terrace and racks her mind for a less boring conversation topic.
She notices an elderly couple at a table near them talking closely together with secretive smiles, instinctively smiling, too.
“Stop that.”
Kate’s eyes snap back to Yelena’s face.
“Stop what—oh, okay.” she laces both hands together to curb some of her nervous energy and focus back on Yelena. “So, what do you do for work? Natasha mentioned you live in London, right?”
“I am an art advisor.”
“Cool. I think my mom hired one of those when she was renovating the office. Do you get to travel a lot?”
Yelena sighs, eyes focusing on Kate’s face for once. “How old are you, Kate Bishop?”
“Oh. Uh, I’m twenty-three. Twenty-four next month,” she replies with a smile that Yelena chooses not to acknowledge.
“And you are in college, no?”
“Yeah, I actually graduated last year. I'm just getting my master’s in business administration now.”
“Fascinating,” Yelena says in a tone that implies it’s anything but. “To answer your question, yes, I live in London. I am also way older than you and not interested. Do you know where I am going with this?”
Kate swallows and looks away in embarrassment at being caught. “I wasn’t—”
“Do not lie, Kate Bishop; you're bad at it. I can see on your face that you think I am attractive, just as I saw you checking me out earlier. So, I will only say this once,” she pauses for a beat to make sure Kate is paying attention, “This is not a date, and I am not going to sleep with you. No offense,” she adds as an afterthought.
Kate scrambles to think of something to say to defend herself; she's unsure if she's blushing or just her face that’s on fire. She’s obviously not as subtle as she thinks.
At least she can appreciate Yelena's bluntness.
“Okay,” Kate says, easily surrendering. “Not a date. Got it.” she smiles lightly, trying to disperse the mood. “All that apart, I meant what I said. I really want to thank you for what you did earlier. And for staying, too. It would suck to have dinner here by myself. That’s not to mention how pathetic it would also be.”
Yelena allows herself a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.
“You are welcome, Kate Bishop. On both accounts.”
“You know you don’t have to keep saying my full name, right?”
“Yes, I am aware. Kate Bishop.”
Kate chuckles good-naturedly, she doesn’t mind it one way or another. She will never admit it out loud, especially now, but she enjoys how her own name sounds in Yelena’s accent a little too much.
Yelena smiles back, infinitely more at ease now that everything is clear between them.
If she’s ever questioned under gunpoint, Yelena might admit that dinner with Kate Bishop is nice. Enjoyable even. At some point, after the food arrives, Kate moves to sit across from her, and that’s how she learns a lot about Kate—mostly against her will—but finds she doesn’t hate all of it.
If anything, Kate strikes her as a very driven person, even if Yelena maintains her opinion that archery is a stupid sport.
They find common ground on martial arts, though Yelena, a black belt in multiple combat sports, is hardly impressed by Kate’s skills.
Yelena doesn't know how or why, but she even finds herself sharing a bit about her job and the fact that she would like to have a dog but travels too much for it to be possible. That is the turning point in their conversation.
Kate’s face lights up at that, abandoning her fork to grab her phone to show Yelena something.
The waiter brings their desserts, but suddenly, Yelena is way more interested in Kate's screen.
Her entire gallery consists of a million pictures of her one-eyed golden retriever, with which Yelena delights herself by flipping through pictures and more pictures of Lucky in varying poses and places.
Lucky lying on his back on the grass; Lucky curled on himself taking a nap on a couch. She flips to the next picture to see Lucky wearing a hat and smiling with his tongue lolling out of his mouth, and then to a few videos of Lucky chasing a tennis ball or a frisbee somewhere.
Ten minutes in, Yelena is already in love with a dog she has never met, and Kate is having the time of her life watching all of the faces Yelena makes.
But all too soon, everything good must come to an ending, and the waiter brings out the bill. As promised, Kate pays for everything without a fuss, leaving a nice tip on the table before they leave.
Once outside, they stop under the awning. Despite Yelena's earlier sentiments, she still feels a pang of disappointment at the thought of spending the rest of the night alone while Natasha is out gallivanting with Clint Barton.
“Thank you for staying,” Kate says, adjusting the strap of her bow case over one shoulder, the eager look on her face telling Yelena just how sincere she’s being.
“You are welcome, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says, then presses her lips together in thought. “I suppose I should thank you for showing me pictures of your cute dog. And dinner, I guess.”
Kate’s whole face lights up when she smiles, vividly reminding Yelena of a puppy.
“Are you taking an Uber back? I could wait here with you,” Kate offers, again, entirely too eager.
Yelena leans against the wall to pull out her phone.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Ouch,” Kate winces playfully. “You really want to get rid of me, huh? But yes, I do have to go pick up Lucky soon.” she checks the time on her phone. “I can wait here with you for a few minutes if you want, though.”
At the mention of Lucky, Yelena perks up. “You are getting him right now?”
“Uh, yeah. Grills' is just about"—Kate looks around, trying to figure out where exactly they are in the city—“half an hour from here, I think.”
“Let’s go, then,” Yelena says, pushing away from the wall and staring expectantly at Kate when she doesn’t immediately start to move.
“Uh, you want to come with me?”
Kate is a little mystified. A second ago, she's sure all Yelena wanted was to ditch her as fast as possible. Not one to look the gifted horse in the mouth, though, she starts walking down the street anyway with Yelena following.
“I just spent the past hour admiring the pictures of your dog; what makes you think I would not want to meet him in person?”
Kate shrugs, doing a poor job of hiding her smile.
“I wouldn’t mind the company,” she says, mentally patting herself on the back.
Wouldn’t mind the company? She would very much walk barefoot through glass just to keep talking to Yelena for a little longer.
As if reading Kate’s mind, Yelena scoffs. “Cute. I’m still not sleeping with you, Kate Bishop”.
Kate blushes, but Yelena’s rebuttal isn’t enough to knock the smile from her face. “Yeah, that’s fair.”
Kate guides them through the busy streets until they get to the nearest subway entrance, telling Yelena tidbits about herself or some place or another they pass by.
“Past that building, there's a warehouse I used to go to with some friends when I was in high school,” she says unprompted after they walk out of a station somewhere in Manhattan. “We were just starting to learn parkour. It’s where I fell and broke my collarbone, couldn’t hold my bow for three months…”
She learns a lot about Kate that way and, in return, gives as little information about herself as possible, not because of anything in particular, but because that's just how Yelena works.
What she can make of Kate from all that is that she's as young as she seems, reckless and privileged. She's still half-decent company in the lack of anyone else.
Soon enough, they reach their destination; a small residential building in a quieter street. Kate's friend is already waiting for them outside, and Lucky pulls on the leash excitedly as soon as his one eye lands on Kate.
“Thanks for watching him,” Kate says when they get close enough, her face breaking into a smile as she crouches down to greet Lucky.
Grills smiles back, handing Kate the leash and a small bag. “My pleasure, as always. And congratulations, by the way. Not that we had any doubt about who'd hit more bullseyes.”
Kate scoffs, and although she always projects an air of cockiness when talking about archery, Yelena still notices how she shrugs the compliment away.
“Grills, this is Yelena,” Kate says when she stands back up. “Yelena, meet Grills, my dog sitter.”
He offers one hand for Yelena to shake. “I have an actual job as a firefighter."
“Nice to meet you, Grills, the dog sitter firefighter.”
“Funny,” he replies in good humor. “Kate, as always, it was good to hang out with this dude. But I gotta run. People to see, things to do, you know how it is.” With a last handsome smile and a salute in their general direction, he gets inside his truck, pulling away from the curb a moment later with one last wave to them.
With a shake of her head, Yelena finally focuses on the dog that seems to be watching her just as curiously as she's doing him.
“Hello, mister,” she says, mimicking Kate’s stance from earlier and dropping down on one knee to greet him properly.
It takes Lucky one sniff at her outstretched hand to deem Yelena worthy, his face breaking into a doggy smile as he eagerly lets himself be petted. Before she knows it, Lucky’s tongue is trying to lick her face.
Seems like the love at first sight was mutual.
“I was going to take him to the park before going home,” Kate says to Yelena a few minutes later when she finally manages to disentangle herself from Lucky. “Let's go, Yelena No-Last-Name.”
Yelena gladly takes Lucky’s leash from Kate’s hand, once again following her through one rowdy street after another.
The park, as Kate had said, is actually Central Park, and it's way nicer now at night than the first time Yelena had come with Natasha during the day.
For one, there aren't throngs of tourists hanging around taking pictures. They wander through the well-lit paths unbothered until they find a mostly empty area. Kate instructs Yelena to drop the leash, though she doesn’t unhook it from Lucky’s collar, explaining that it's easier if she needs to grab him in a hurry.
Lucky is good, though; he barks once as soon as he’s free and bounds forward to explore but doesn’t wander too far from them, seeming to enjoy just running from one side to another, roaming the space and stopping every once in a while to sniff some bushes.
Yelena doesn't take her eyes off him, just in case.
“What happened to his eye?” she asks when they sit side by side on a bench.
“I don’t really know,” Kate says, only elaborating when Yelena gives her a look. “I found him outside a hotel where I was with my mom one night; he ran into traffic, and I just ran after him,” she shrugs. “That was about a year ago. I took him to the vet, but she couldn't do anything since whatever happened had already healed. He's perfectly healthy otherwise.”
Yelena nods. “Why the name Lucky? Because he is lucky there’s some woman crazy enough to run into New York traffic to get him?”
Kate chuckles.
“No. Clint said I couldn’t keep calling him Pizza Dog.”
“Pizza… dog.” Yelena faces Kate with a scowl. “Tell me you do not feed pizza to your dog, Kate Bishop.”
“Fine, then I won’t tell you.”
“Kate Bishop.”
Lucky returns just in time; Kate uses the excuse to escape Yelena’s scolding, reaching into the bag for a tennis ball.
“What did you want me to do? When I got home, it was the middle of the night, and the only thing I had in the fridge was pizza. Would you prefer I let him starve to death?”
Yelena grabs the ball from Kate, waiting for Lucky to sit down before throwing it for him to chase. She watches in delight as he takes off after it like a bullet.
“I don’t even have a pet and I still know it's not good to feed pizza to dogs, Kate Bishop.”
Kate huffs in defiance. “Chill out. I already got this lecture from the vet; how was I supposed to know it would become his favorite food? I mean, he used to eat garbage, Yelena."
“Kate!”
It’s the first time Yelena has ever used only her first name in a sentence, and it sends a thrill down Kate's spine. She laughs to hide how the sound makes her shiver.
“Relax. Herman learned how to make a dog-safe pizza just for him, alright? And I don't feed it to him that often, just every once in a while. As a special treat. When he's especially a good boy.”
“I have a feeling that is more frequent than not,” Yelena says with pursed lips that immediately morph into a smile when Lucky brings back the ball.
“Good boy,” Yelena tells him first, then throws the ball back again. She watches him run after it every time, and sure, Yelena will admit she has a soft spot for dogs and might be a little biased, but this one just seems especially charming.
She plays fetch with him until Lucky tires himself out. The next time he brings back the ball, he simply slides down to lie on the grass, panting happily.
From the bag, Kate takes out one of those collapsible dog bowls and a bottle of water to fill it, leaving it next to Lucky for when he decides to drink.
“Is this your first time in the city?”
“No.” Yelena shakes her head. “I have been here a few times before, but it was for work. I did not have a lot of time to explore.”
Kate hums, leaning back on the bench to look at the sky. “What did you want to see?”
“Hm. The Empire State Building. Oh, the Statue of Liberty, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Rockefeller Center, too. But like you said, you have lived here your whole life. What are some of your recommendations?”
“Well,” Kate says, still looking at the sky in thought. “Those are good choices. The High Line is always a winning bet, too. However, I recommend seeing the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center during the day when you have time to enjoy it. And the Statue is closed already. But,” she looks back down at Yelena with a hopeful glint in her eyes, “If you're not in a hurry to get rid of me yet, we could do the next best thing?”
Yelena considers Kate’s offer. It’s not late yet, barely past eight; she has already walked all over New York with Kate Bishop and had an okay time so far; especially after being introduced to the most adorable dog in the world. Now would be a good time to end the night, Yelena thinks. She could say goodnight, get in a taxi, and return to Natasha's apartment.
But there's no text back to the one she sent Natasha, and Yelena, who came to New York specifically to spend time with her sister, finds herself reluctant to leave Kate’s company only to stay inside alone.
She could go somewhere else by herself, too, of course, but finds she just doesn’t have the energy. Both options are pathetic if she's honest, and Yelena is always honest with herself.
So, what if she wants to enjoy her time in a different city with someone cool? And in the absence of that, she supposes Kate Bishop will have to do.
“Fine,” she agrees at last, and Kate's face lights up with another smile. Yelena frowns.
“This is still not—”
“A date.”
“Yes.”
“Gotcha.”
Yelena grabs Lucky's leash from the ground, which immediately gets his attention. He stretches as he gets up, shakes himself, and then sits back down to stare at Yelena, his tail wagging softly.
“Does this place we are going allow pets?”
“Um,” Kate opens her mouth to say something but then thinks better of it. “Kind of? Don’t worry about it. Do you want to get an Uber?”
“Do New York drivers take dogs?”
“They do if you offer them a good enough tip. Double the fare usually does it.”
Wow, Yelena thinks. Why are rich people like this?
“Is it far from here?”
Kate shakes her head. “Not really. We could take the subway, I guess.”
The night air is crispy as Kate leads the way out of the park. She stops them a block away from the subway, taking the bowcase from her shoulders to lay it on the ground. Yelena is about to ask what she needs a bow for when she grabs something else from inside and quickly closes it again.
Before she can ask, though, Kate is already unfolding a dog harness and motioning Lucky closer to put it on him.
She only gets a good look at the vest once Kate straightens up. It’s bright red with a patch that reads NYFD THERAPY DOG.
Yelena arches one eyebrow, lips parted slightly.
“Is this fake?”
“Uh—not really? Grills took him to the fire station once when the kids from the school district were visiting. He doesn't know I borrowed it, though, and we will need it to get into where we are going.”
“That is…”
“A crime?” Kate asks, wincing slightly.
“I was going to say it's kind of impressive, but your word works, too.”
Kate relaxes a little at that. Yes, she’s aware this is wrong in so many ways, but she has only used it on one occasion before and totally meant to return it to Grills but forgot about it until now.
For subway rides, she usually puts Lucky in an IKEA bag with holes for his legs. However, just this once, she thinks the benefits of getting Yelena and Lucky to see some tourist spots far outweigh the risks, which include a fine plus jail time.
Some people stare fondly at Lucky, who doesn't seem uncomfortable with the attention at all, but no one actually engages them. Kate gives Yelena a teasing look as if to say, see?
Yelena does tell a bit about herself during the ride, though mostly about her work and some of the places she has seen in New York with Natasha so far.
Which is more than she thought she would. Kate seems to like listening to her talk and doesn't interrupt, even though it's clear to Yelena that all the art talk is way beyond her grasp.
Eventually, she’ll have to reassess her initial impression of Kate Bishop.
Yelena shakes her head. She doesn't know why she's thinking about Kate Bishop like they could be friends or something because the truth of the matter is that she has no intention of keeping in touch after this night. Nothing against Kate; it's just not going to happen.
Lucky woofs once, and Yelena is pulled out of her thoughts to see Kate nod at the door; Yelena gladly gets to her feet to follow her out and towards the Whitehall Ferry Terminal. Kate's reasoning being that this way, Yelena can at least see the Statue of Liberty illuminated at night; it’s the best she can do since it's already closed this time.
They board relatively quickly since it’s late, and Kate guides them to the right side of the ferry and upstairs to the outdoor deck to get a good place along the railing.
Slowly, the ferry pulls away from the shore, and Yelena's excitement becomes almost palpable. Kate tries to reel in her feelings as she entertains herself by watching Yelena watch the skyline.
She tries to answer Yelena's questions as best as she can while pointing to some landmarks she can make out. There’s The Brooklyn Bridge, then the One World Observatory before they finally can catch the first glimpse of The Statue.
Kate says nothing the closer they get, leaving Yelena to bask in the sight; the Statue seems to almost shine against the dark horizon of the city in the distance. Even Kate, who has seen it many times before, can't help but crane her neck to take in the figure's full height.
Yelena gasps as she leans as close to the railing as she can. Kate hurriedly grabs the back of her coat just in case.
The view is almost ethereal, and as the ferry keeps going and the image slowly recedes into the distance, Kate's shoulders brush against Yelena’s and she finds herself reluctant to leave the moment.
Once they arrive at St. George terminal, they have to wait half an hour to take the ferry back to Manhattan. Kate stops by some concession stands to get them ice cream cones—just the cone for Yelena, please—as they watch the live entertainment by locals until it’s time to board again. She feeds Lucky the last bite of her cone, and does her best to ignore Yelena’s disapproving glare.
On the round trip, Kate guides them to a similar place on the deck so that Yelena can see the sights on the other side. This time, though, Kate doesn't stay quiet, making her best impression of the most obnoxious tour guide she can think of as she points to random freighters and makes up bogus historical facts about each one, earning herself a glare from some British tourists. It's worth it when she gets to hear Yelena's throaty laughter.
“Where to now, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asks once they are back in Manhattan. Kate can still see the remnants of her laughter clinging to the way she crinkles her eyes.
The Top of the Rock is their second stop on the Kate Bishop Extraordinary New York Tour. A compromise on the Rockefeller Center tour, Kate explains as she guides them back to the Subway.
Yelena makes a passing comment at the Art Deco of the lobby though she is much more interested in taking the elevator to the Observation Deck than anything else.
They stop on the 70th floor; Kate had wanted to go to the 69th, but Yelena slapped her hand away before she could press the button.
From their vantage point, they have an unobstructed view of the city in all directions, which is always a little dizzying for Kate. Yelena, however, is not at all bothered with the height as she takes in the view and all the bright lights that it’s Manhattan at night.
Skyscrapers twinkle in the distance like stars along the Empire State Building and the Hudson River silhouettes. Even Central Park if they squint a little, which clearly pleases Yelena.
At nighttime, the feeling of being on top of the world as the city stretches as far as the eye can see is breathtaking, perhaps even more so than when the sun is out. But for all that, nothing comes close to being as stunning as the sight of Yelena's face lighting up as she takes it in the view, so enraptured that nothing else seem to exist.
Below them, the streets buzz with life, but from up there, it feels almost peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
It’s all a little magical, Kate thinks, but if she spends more time studying Yelena's profile than the skyline view, then that’s nobody's business but her own.
Yelena feels like she’s stepping out of another world once they leave the building. Like earlier, she thinks this would be a good place to end the night. She checks her phone; still not a word from Natasha.
Picking up a random direction, Yelena starts walking without a destination in mind, Lucky in tow and Kate scrambles to follow, jogging the small distance Yelena had put between them.
“So. Who is Herman, and why does he make special pizzas for your dog?” she asks when Kate catches up, picking up the thread of their earlier conversation. Lucky's ears definitely perk up when she says the word pizza, and it's as adorable as everything else he does.
Kate frowns. “Wha—Oh. Right. Herman’s Hearty Slice. He has the best pizza in New York, seriously. I mean, I’m a bit biased but like, he makes real pizza, you know? Not the fancy stuff, just real New York pizza. Crispy, thin crusty, the perfect amount of cheesy.” she sighs dreamily for a second before catching herself.
“Are you always this passionate about your pizza, Kate Bishop?”
“Uh—”
“But why does he make special pizza just for your dog?”
“Herman likes Lucky, I guess.” Kate shrugs, not mentioning the fact she lives above his pizzeria.
“Well, if it’s that good then I guess I should try it.”
“Oh yeah.” Kate nods. “You definitely should.”
“Let’s go then, Kate Bishop.”
“Um. You want to go to Herman’s right now?”
“Yes, now, Kate Bishop. It is open, yes?”
And just like that, not even half an hour later, the three of them walk through the glass doors of Herman's Hearty Slice.
It's close to midnight, and Herman seems to be getting ready for closing time, but he still smiles when he looks up to see Kate and Lucky.
“There he is! Lucky Bishop, my favorite customer,” Herman says, friendly, Italian, and boisterous all at once, just like Kate had described him on the walk over.
Kate rolls her eyes playfully. “He also likes Lucky better than he likes me.”
“It seems to be a pattern, yes.” Yelena nods her head, resisting the urge to laugh when Kate pouts.
“Good thing Herman’s is Lucky’s favorite pizza place, too.”
Yelena thinks that’s precisely the right thing to say as Herman puffs his chest with pride. His eyes find Yelena, and his smile widens.
“Oh. And who do we have here?”
“Um, Herman, this is Yelena.”
“Ah, that’s a lovely name. Please be very welcome to my humble establishment, I'll be taking your orders tonight. For Kate and Lucky, their usual, of course.” Kate nods her head in confirmation, and Herman turns to Yelena. “And for you, my pretty lady?”
Yelena definitely shouldn’t be this delighted by the man, but there’s something charming about his boisterousness.
She barely takes a look at the menu before ordering two slices of the pepperoni, and Herman disappears inside a door on the back.
They sit at one of the tables and it doesn't take long before Herman returns with their orders, placing a plate in front of Yelena and another with some four slices in front of Kate. Lucky gets his own slice on a paper plate on the floor.
Yelena takes a big bite of her slice, which is just as good as Kate had said. She looks up to say as much only to watch in mild disgust as Kate shoves a whole slice in her mouth and then struggle to chew it, her cheeks puffed.
“Wot?” Kate asks, swallowing with some difficulty. “If you must know, I hit the gym, like, five times a week.”
“That is not remotely close to what I am concerned about.”
Kate shrugs. “So, how does one decide to become an art history major?” she asks, shoveling another slice in her mouth. Yelena half regrets sharing that small piece of information about herself already.
“Well, Kate Bishop, truth be told, I wanted to be a veterinarian.”
“Really?”
“Yes. But art history was a close second. I wanted a job that wouldn't keep me trapped in one place forever, and I knew I liked art, but I'm not an artist, so this was a good compromise.
Kate smiles, but it's a bit sad. If Yelena notices, she chooses not to ask. She doesn't know what she'd choose to do given the chance. Kate loves archery to death, but it's not something you have to get a degree to do. Besides, computer science and business are the perfect degrees for the job she'll get at her family company once she graduates.
It makes sense, even if she’s not particularly passionate about either subject.
“That sounds awesome.”
Yelena agrees.
“Truth is, I do get to travel a lot. There's always some place to be, and the money is good, too. I get everything I ever wanted,” she trails off, a distant look in her eyes; she doesn’t notice it when Kate leans closer, not until a finger taps the back of her hand.
“Not everything,” Kate says softly.
Yelena's eyes snap to her face.
“No?”
“No.” Kate shakes her head. “You said you also wanted a dog.”
Yelena holds Kate’s gaze for a beat before smiling.
“One day, when I am not traveling so much, Kate Bishop.”
“And then you will have everything you ever wanted.”
“Exactly.”
After they eat, Kate pays and says goodnight to Herman, who looks puzzled when they leave, but thankfully doesn’t comment on it.
For the third time that night, Yelena finds herself in the position to choose whether to say or go.
Fortunately for her, Kate doesn’t look that eager to put an end to the night either.
“Let me see; it’s just past midnight,” Kate says. “But it's cold, and I don't want to keep walking. I guess we could go to a bar or something?” Yelena scrunches her nose, and Kate smiles slowly as an idea hits her. “Well, how would you like to learn to shoot a bow and arrow?”
Yelena tilts her head, scratching her eyebrow with one finger, but doesn't shoot the idea down immediately.
“And where would we be doing that?”
Kate sheepishly points up with one finger. “The roof.”
“Herman allows you to use his roof to shoot arrows?”
“Well, no. I kind of live here? In the apartment on the second floor. The rooftop is part of it.”
Yelena's mouth parts slightly in shock. “Was this an elaborate ruse just bring me to your apartment?”
Kate holds both hands up. “Look, in my defense, you're the one that asked to come to Herman's. Besides, my place has seven different kinds of messes going on right now. I wouldn't show it to you if you asked me to.” she pauses for a beat. “Also, I only invited you to the roof; you're the one asking to see my apartment.”
“I did not ask that.”
“You kind of just did.”
“You are so annoying, Kate Bishop.”
Kate concedes that point.
“So, what you are saying is that you wouldn’t bring a hookup to your place because it’s messy, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asks once Kate unlocks the glass door for them to get back inside since Herman is nowhere to be seen.
“I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t want you to see the mess. And you’re not a hookup, so there.”
Kate leads them up the stairs to the roof, not even looking toward the apartment door when they pass it by.
The first thing Yelena notices once they emerge on the roof is that it's not that big. A dog bed sits in one corner, while some targets are mounted against the side wall that connects the roof to the neighboring building.
Kate hands Yelena the bow case she has been carrying around the whole night and tells her to wait a second while she runs back inside.
Yelena passes the time by watching Lucky stretch himself near the dog bed and she takes pity on him, finally ridding him of the harness and leash. Lucky woofs softly when he's free, shaking his whole body before circling the bed a couple of times and dropping on the cushion to curl into a lump.
When she looks up, Kate is already back, with another bow in one hand and a hoodie draped over her shoulder.
“Sorry, I needed to string the bow.”
She hands Yelena the hoodie first, explaining that it will be easier to shoot wearing it than the coat she currently has on and takes great care on hanging Yelena's fur coat on the back of the access door while she puts on Kate's hoodie.
It’s a nice hoodie, Yelena decides; thick and warm but comfortable to move in. It definitely smells like Kate Bishop, too; like expensive men's deodorant, earthy and woodsy. She doesn't comment on the BISHOP written on the back in big, bold letters or how high school the gesture is.
Wisely, Kate also chooses to keep her mouth shut when she notices how big her hoodie looks on Yelena.
“I am guessing you spend a lot of time here, yes?” Yelena asks.
“Not as much as I’d like,” Kate says, inspecting the new bow she had brought. “It’s easier to stay on campus most of the time. But when I can, I come here.” she looks up at Yelena then. “To me, archery is like, um, like meditation, you know? Whenever I have a lot on my mind, I can pick up my bow, come up here, and shoot some arrows for as long as I need and at the end, I'll have a clearer head.”
It makes sense, Yelena thinks.
When Kate is happy that the bow and string are in good shape, she finally hands it to Yelena. “You’re right-handed, right?” Yelena nods and Kate takes her left arm, expertly strapping something on her wrist over the hoodie’s sleeve. “This is an arm guard,” she explains, “to protect your arm from the string when you release it.”
She nods for Yelena to hold the bow with the other hand, passing her a small leather thingy that she helps her put it on, too.
“This is a finger tab; it's the smallest one I have.” she turns Yelena’s hand this way and that before nodding to herself, satisfied. “I think it fits alright. This is for the fingers you’ll use to pull on the string.”
“Anything else?” Yelena questions, half-amused.
“Nope. I think we’re ready.”
“Finally.”
“This one is called a recurve bow,” Kate starts, “It's one of my oldest ones, so I think the draw weight should be alright for a beginner, and it's a good size for someone your height, too.”
“Kate Bishop,” Yelena gasps indignantly, “Are you calling me short?”
Kate shrugs one shoulder, though she still takes a step back. “I call it as I see it.”
Yelena laughs. She likes this version of Kate, who is no longer trying too much to impress her to give as good as she gets. “You’re on thin ice.”
Kate’s only reaction is to smile back. “So, as I was saying, this one is called a recurve bow. It’s the classic one for a good reason. You will want to hold it like this." she takes the other bow from the case to demonstrate. “Plant your feet like this, and stay relaxed.”
She shows Yelena how to properly nock the arrow and with a long inhale to center herself, Yelena does her best to hold it just like how Kate had done, with Kate just once needing to nudge her hand into the proper place.
“Good, now pull the string.” Yelena does so, noticing that it's harder than it looks. She has to put her muscles into it, but it's nothing strenuous. From the corner of her eyes, she sees Kate nodding to herself as she watches her. “Not too hard?”
“No.”
“Okay, pull the string a little more until it stops on the corner of your mouth, but don’t let it go. This is called anchoring, and you want to keep it consistent with every shot you take.”
“Like this?”
Kate clicks her tongue. “Hm.”
“Do I not look good, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asks, her arm taught, eyes on the target.
“Oh, no. You definitely do.”
Yelena rolls her eyes but smiles all the same. “Thin ice, Kate Bishop.”
“Is it okay if I touch you?” Kate asks, stepping closer but keeping her hands to herself until Yelena says something. “Just to adjust your position, promise.”
Yelena ponders it for a second; she is well capable of breaking both of Kate's arms if she tries anything, but so far, Kate hasn't given her any indication that she'd do something Yelena wouldn’t like. Deciding there’s no harm in doing so, Yelena nods her head once.
“Fine, but no funny business, Kate Bishop.”
“Scouts honor,” Kate promises, an earnest smile on her face as she holds three fingers up for Yelena to see.
And she keeps her word. Stepping behind Yelena like a solid presence, Yelena can feel the heat emanating from her body, though Kate's front never touches Yelena’s back. Kate makes sure to always keep a distance between their bodies as she adjusts Yelena's elbow into the correct position.
“You’ll naturally want to bend your elbow, but you need to keep it straight. This bow has a sight,” Kate says, close to Yelena's ear, but not in a suggestive way, as she points to something right above Yelena’s hand on the riser. “It helps with accuracy. Now, when you aim, there are two things you want to do. First, remember to move your whole body with the bow, not just your arm.”
Kate Bishop has big hands, Yelena's brain supplies uselessly when Kate lightly drops her hands to her waist. Her hold is warm, even over the fabric of her hoodie, but still light and respectful.
“Say you're aiming at a target above you; you'll move your body back to aim up. Got it?”
“Yeah,” Yelena replies. “What’s the other thing?”
“Right.” again, Kate positions Yelena's body in the right way. “Don’t focus too much on aiming, but remember that how you release the arrow also affects your accuracy, so don’t jerk your arm or the bow after release.” Yelena hums her understanding. “To release the arrow, what you will want to do is just drop the string at once; it's not going to snap you in the face. Breathe in, and then drop it when you exhale.”
Then she lets her hands fall away from Yelena, taking a step back to give her space. The cold from her sudden absence feels so jarring that Yelena lets go of the string without meaning to, gasping as the arrow flies and hits the right top of the first target stand, nowhere near the target face.
“Hey, that’s pretty good for a first try,” Kate cheers. Once again, Yelena feels the urge to roll her eyes, though she can’t help but smile a little.
She nocks the next arrow under Kate’s supervision. This time, she doesn't give Yelena any pointers, letting her figure out what feels natural on her own and for the next half hour or so, Yelena shoots arrow after arrow with varying degrees of success.
Yelena has to admit that archery is both simpler and more challenging than it seems. Once she gets the hang of what she's doing and gets into a good rhythm, Yelena finally understands what Kate meant when she said it feels a little like meditation.
Eventually, her arms get tired, her shoulders sore, and Yelena is grateful for all the times she and Sonya hit the gym together to train. Otherwise, she would have bowed out long ago. She gives up on hitting a bullseye for now, though she does manage to hit the yellow circle—or rather, the gold, as Kate had called it —a few times.
With a proud smile, Kate tells her she did a good job, and as Yelena looks at all the arrows she has put on the targets, she has to agree.
“Okay, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says as she hands the bow back to her. “It’s your turn to impress me with your archery superpowers now.”
Kate nods solemnly. “Impress you, I shall. This reminds me of this one time when I went to a farm with a few friends from the archery team, and we actually had the space to try all these cool trick shots we could come up with.” she abandons the bow Yelena had been using on the ground in order to pick up the other one from inside the case, her face lighting up as she turns to Yelena. “I jumped from the roof into the pool and still hit the frisbee Franny threw.”
Yelena stares blankly at her. “That’s sounds exactly the kind of stupid thing you would do.”
The only reply she gets is a shrug as Kate gets a roll of tape from her back pocket, wrapping it on each of the fingers on her right hand before getting in position. Kate barely takes a few seconds to aim before releasing the string, hitting the target perfectly in the middle of the innermost yellow circle.
This time, Yelena does roll her eyes. “Fine, you are good.”
Kate smiles, the bright one that lights up her whole face that Yelena is getting used to. “Oh, no. I was good several years ago,” she says as she nocks another arrow without looking, her eyes firmly on Yelena and not the target as she releases the string. “Now I’m actually the best.” the arrow flies right into the nock of the other one; Kate still doesn’t look. “That one is called a Robin Hood. Cool, right?”
“Cute,” Yelena says with a challenge. Kate smirks.
“No, this is boring. I wish I could show you some real trick shots. Like, I bet I could really blow your socks off.”
Even as she says it, she nocks two arrows together and quickly releases them, each hitting a different target right in the middle.
Kate pointedly looks at Yelena before turning sideways, closing her eyes, and shooting the last arrow with her body parallel to the target. Unsurprisingly, it lands exactly where it should.
Fine, Yelena will hand it to her; Kate Bishop really is good. Doesn’t matter that Yelena already knew that early when Kate actually won a gold medal for doing precisely the same thing.
Except, like this, Kate Bishop exudes the type of confidence that in any other person would be beyond obnoxious, but she makes it work somehow.
Yes, she’s still a little annoying, but she’s also charming and charismatic in a magnetic way that makes Yelena enjoy her company despite not wanting to.
The truth is that Yelena likes how Kate pays attention to her and how she still tries to impress Yelena even when she knows this is going nowhere. It's intoxicating to be in someone's orbit like this. Yelena has no doubt that if she were anyone else but herself, she would already have fallen on Kate's bed by now.
The loud ringtone of Yelena's phone cuts the moment like a knife, and she shakes her head as if to shake away her thoughts. The clock on her lock screen shows that it is just past two, and Natasha is calling her.
She swipes up to answer the call, and Kate moves to collect the arrows from the target. Yelena tries not to sound too angry when Natasha asks her where she is, quickly switching to Russian while telling Natasha she’ll be back soon.
By the time Yelena hangs up, Kate is already finishing to gather both bows and her arrows.
“I’m guessing you have to go?”
“Yes.”
Kate’s smile is a little subdued now, but she still calls for Lucky, waiting for him to get up slowly and stretch his body before lazily coming over.
Wordlessly, Kate takes Yelena’s coat from the back of the door to hand it back to her. She doesn’t mention it when she notices Yelena slipping on the coat over the hoodie.
“So…” Kate starts, for once not sounding so self-assured, one hand rubbing the back of her neck as she stares down at Lucky instead of Yelena. “I know you're only here for a few more days, but, um, if you’re ever back in the city and want a tour guide, we could do the tourist spots for real. Like the Empire State Building and the Statue…you know.” she shrugs, aiming for nonchalance and landing squarely on awkwardness.
Yelena sighs.
“Look, Kate Bishop, tonight was fun, no? So, let me just thank you for the girls’ night, but that's it. This”—she gestures between them with one hand—“it’s not going to happen.”
Kate nods once, looking dejected for one second as she chews on her bottom lip before the confidence from earlier slips back on her face like a mask. She puts both hands up, like before, going for innocent but not fooling Yelena in the least.
“Okay, I get that. But hear me out; what if you gave me your number?”
“Kate,” Yelena reprimands, walking back to the door that gives access to the roof.
“No, seriously.” Kate jogs to intercept Yelena before she can get to the door. Yelena's annoyance flares for a moment until she realizes Kate just wants to open it for her, not stop her from leaving. “I one hundred percent understand what you're saying, but I'm not asking for anything here.” Kate waits for Lucky to follow her through the door before pulling it close behind her and following Yelena down the stairs.
"You are not?"
“No. I mean, I am kind of asking for your number, but I mean it like, in a platonic way.”
Yelena gives Kate one long look that tells her she’s not buying it.
“I mean it. You said it yourself, we had fun tonight. I think you’re really cool and you must like me a tiny little bit or you would have ditched me already. Seriously, all I’m asking here is friendship. No hidden agenda.”
By then, they are already back on the first floor, and Kate stops to unlock the door while Yelena picks her phone back again to order an Uber; Lucky sits at Yelena's feet while they wait for the driver once they're outside again.
Kate waits, looking both eager and earnest and one second way from actually pouting.
“Think about it. I take about five hundred pictures of Lucky every day. Wouldn't you love to get a notification and then look at your phone and realize it's a picture of an adorable golden retriever wearing a hat and sunglasses?”
Yelena shakes her head, biting her lip to keep from making any sort of expression that would indicate to Kate that she's convinced already. Her phone chimes in with a notification that her driver will be arriving soon.
She takes one look back at Kate’s face and then down at Lucky, sighing in defeat before extending one hand to take Kate’s phone.
“Fine,” Yelena says, “but this is exclusively for Lucky’s pictures.” she tries glaring at Kate, but the effect is lost as Kate pumps one fist up, not even trying to hide her enthusiasm.
“Yes, ma'am.” Kate actually salutes her. Even as she types her number on the keyboard and saves the contact with her name, Yelena still can't believe she's doing this.
She ignores Kate in favor of crouching down to give Lucky some pets, rubbing his soft fur while trying to avoid his doggy kisses at the same time. She kisses the top of his head before standing back up.
When the car pulls up, Kate pulls the back door open for her, and Yelena turns her gaze upwards in mid-exasperation.
“Goodnight, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says as she slips inside the backseat wordlessly, only talking to the driver when he asks for confirmation of her name. She then looks pointedly at Kate, who is still holding the door open.
“Oh, right. Bye, Yelena."
She waves one hand, still smiling as she closes the door.
Kate waits on the curb until the car pulls away and only jumps up in celebration once it has turned the corner on the street.
Kate: Hey!
Kate: It’s Kate.
Kate: Bishop.
Kate: Kate Bishop.
Kate: Anyway, I just thought I should text you so you can have my number, too.
Kate: And to ask if you would text me when you get home?
Kate: Just so that I know you're okay, promise.
Kate: And I’ll stop texting now.
Yelena gets the notification just when she's about to unlock Natasha's door, and she stops outside, looking at her phone for a moment as she considers if she should text back.
A part of her wants to be annoyed, but another thinks this is kind of sweet, and that's the part that wins in the end. With a sigh, she quickly types a message back before putting the phone on silent and slipping it back into her pocket.
Yelena: Yes, I'm fine. Just got to Natasha's.
Kate: Cool
Kate: Goodnight :)
“Where the hell have you been?” Natasha asks as soon as Yelena unlocks the door to the apartment, and she snaps her head up, almost startled.
"None of your damn business, Natalia," Yelena replies in Russian as she kicks her shoes off, all her good mood suddenly replaced by her simmering anger.
“Oh, real mature, Yelena,” Natasha scoffs. “I was worried about you.”
“Worried?” Yelena asks, jutting her chin, fists clenched at her side. “You’re the one that abandoned me to go out with your precious Clint Barton when I came here to visit you.”
“It was an emergency, Yelena. The alarm at the range went off; we thought someone was trying to break in.”
“And I bet Barton could have dealt with it by himself.” she forces a smile that's more bared teeth than anything else, and Natasha doesn't know how to answer for a second.
“We’re partners, Yelena. I can’t just—”
“And I’m your sister, but you can’t just never make time for me.” Yelena shakes her head, making a beeline to the guest bedroom. Natasha hot on her heels. She frowns when Yelena suddenly starts picking up random items of clothes from the top of the bed and shoving her things back into a suitcase.
“What are you doing?”
“I don't know why I came here. It's always the same thing with you and Melina and Alexei.” Yelena shakes her head. “Actually, I don't know why I bother with any of you.”
“No, Yelena. Wait,” Natasha panics, coming inside the bedroom to stop her before she’s done packing. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, I'm still getting used to having you back in my life, and sometimes I don't think. I asked you to spend time with me, and you came, and I have just been—I know I'm not doing this right, but you don't have to leave, please.”
Yelena's shoulder sags as she abandons the shirt she's folding before sitting on the bed, though she avoids looking in Natasha's direction.
“Maybe this is just not a good idea. We are not the same people as when we were kids, Natasha.”
“No,” Natasha says, shaking her head as she sits beside Yelena, their shoulders brushing together. “I know this is tenuous at best, but don't give up just because I'm doing a bad job showing how much I want you in my life.”
Yelena chews on the inside of her cheek. “Maybe I’m overreacting, no? It was an emergency.”
Natasha drags one hand down her face, admitting defeat.
“No, you were right, Clint could have dealt with this by himself. I shouldn’t have just left you with Kate at that restaurant.” she frowns then. “Did you stay for dinner? Were you with her until now?”
Yelena doesn't know why, but she doesn't want to tell Natasha where she has been for the past few hours, even if there's nothing wrong with what she has been doing.
“Yes, I stayed for dinner. But no, I wasn’t with Kate Bishop. I was just seeing some sights.”
“Oh, okay. Did you see anything cool?”
“No.”
Natasha laughs. “We could have brunch at the place I told you about in the morning, remember? And then do something together. Catch up on each other's lives? Make a list of the places you want to see in the city; we could go to a few.” she suggests hopefully, and Yelena takes a moment to ponder the offer.
“Okay, but I want mimosas.”
“Deal.”
It takes more than a week until Kate texts Yelena again.
Right when Yelena is almost starting to think that she won't.
Don't get her wrong, she doesn't care whether Kate Bishop texts her or not; that's preposterous. However, Kate doesn't strike her as a patient person—despite her claim of being “generally pretty chill”—so the fact that it takes her this long to text Yelena again is a little curious.
The first text Yelena gets is a picture of Lucky sitting on the roof of Kate's building; she can even see part of a target in the background. And, of course, it’s an adorable picture. Lucky looks like he's smiling, the sun falling behind him in the perfect lightning, but it's also a bit too artsy, and Yelena can see right through Kate's attempt to impress her.
Yelena doesn’t reply, but if there's something to know about Kate Bishop, it's that she can be obstinate as a mule when she puts her mind on something. She doesn't add a single word to the pictures she sends, nor does she try to text Yelena about anything else, but every other day or so, Yelena still gets a new picture of Lucky.
The pictures get increasingly sillier as time passes, and Yelena gets more captivated by each one.
There are pictures of Lucky in sunglasses and a fishing hat like Kate had promised. Lucky inside an IKEA bag in the subway; Lucky on what is obviously a park, midair, mouth open comically wide to catch a frisbee.
Another picture of Lucky walking on the sidewalk. One of him on top of Kate's bed, right next to a pile of laundry. Lucky taking a nap on the floor, belly up, and then one hour later, a grumpy Lucky after being woken up from said nap.
Through it all, Yelena remains silent and doesn't send a single text back or comment on how adorable Lucky is, even when she knows that Kate can see she's opening the pictures.
Yelena doesn't think too much of it when her phone chimes this time. She opens the phone to another text from Kate, though the picture she gets this time is a little different from what she’s used to.
The picture is obviously taken from a front door, though Yelena can't see much of the apartment behind Lucky because the image is beyond blurry.
Lucky seems to be jumping up towards the camera in greeting, looking absolutely thrilled. Yelena checks the time on her phone, quickly doing the math and realizing it’s barely six a.m. in New York.
Yelena: Is this a drunk text, Kate Bishop?
She’s not expecting Kate to actually reply right away. She probably was getting home from some party or something, though Yelena should’ve known better.
Kate: I’m sorry, who's this?
Yelena: Ha. You are funny.
Kate: I try :)
Kate: Anyway, if you must know, I am not drunk.
Yelena: Do you always get home not drunk at 6 in the morning?
Kate: You know what they say about assuming things, right?
Kate: But since it's you, I don't mind ;)
Kate: And no, I don't usually do this; I just got held up at the library.
Yelena: You leave to do the work until the last possible moment?
Kate: Ugh
Kate: Yes, but just this once.
Yelena: I believe you, Kate Bishop.
Kate: I’m serious. I just got caught up helping out a friend with some last-minute training.
Kate: And then I forgot this assignment was due today.
Kate: I hate doing this.
Yelena feels a pang of something in her chest, maybe sympathy or contrition. She is quick to judge when it comes to Kate for some reason, and it doesn't always land. Kate does strike her as someone who works hard, and from what little she knows about her, Kate Bishop also seems like the type of person who would neglect her coursework to help someone else.
Her laptop pings with a new email and finally draws her attention away from her phone; Yelena has somehow just wasted ten minutes texting Kate Bishop like a schoolgirl with a crush.
With finality, she puts her phone on silent and decides to focus on what she should actually be doing.
She only texts back when she gets home in the afternoon, all the while considering if she should leave Kate on read.
Yelena: Did you take a nap already, Kate Bishop?
It takes Kate a few minutes to reply, and Yelena busies herself by watering the two plants she keeps in her apartment. She spends more time traveling than actually there, and Sonya, her roommate, spends even more time at her boyfriend's, so it's a wonder those particular plants have survived this long. Still, her mama says it's good to have plants at home, so she's making an effort.
Kate: God, I wish.
Kate: I had to get to class and then come to the office to go over some things with my mom.
Kate: The good news is that Red Bull is my new best friend.
Kate: The bad news is I'll probably be getting wings soon.
Kate: Question: Is there a thing when you can actually get high on too much caffeine?
Yelena: Maybe.
Yelena: I do know that sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations.
Yelena: So, watch out for that one.
Kate: Nice.
Kate: That means the giant pink bunny watching me from the corner is not real, right?
Despite her best judgment, Yelena still chuckles at the lame joke. And fine, now that they're an ocean plus five hours away, she doesn't see the harm in engaging Kate Bishop occasionally.
Like Kate had said, they could be friends. And Yelena likes that idea, especially if said friend feeds her need for new pictures of adorable golden retrievers.
Yelena can admit that talking to Kate is entertaining. She's witty and snarky, and she is obviously still a little bit intimidated by Yelena, which is always a plus. Besides, if Kate Bishop ever gets too annoying or clingy, Yelena can always block her number once and for all. Easy.
Kate: Tell me why I chose a 7 am class on a Friday.
Kate: Why is it an option anyway? Shouldn’t there be a rule against this type of thing?
Yelena: You chose it because you lack the ability of thinking forward.
Kate: Don’t be mean to me. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.
Kate: Do you ever drink coffee straight from the pot?
Kate: Shit. Burned my mouth.
Kate: Forgot to ask yesterday how that meeting went.
Kate: The one with the client you were telling me about.
Yelena: He bought the sculpture even if he said it was “gauche”.
Kate: At least he bought it.
Yelena: He should have better taste.
Yelena: And why are you texting? I thought you were supposed to be training.
Kate: Why do you sound like my coach?
Yelena: Are you being serious?
Kate: As a heart attack.
Kate: That's what's happening on Dancing with the Stars in Poland.
Yelena: And they really went to Egypt?
Kate: Yep.
Yelena: How do you even know about that?
Kate: Wouldn’t you like to know? ;)
Yelena: Yes, that is why I asked Kate Bishop.
Kate:Guess who hates baths but now will have to take one?
Yelena: Make sure you wash behind your ears, too.
Kate: Ha. ha.
Kate:You’re hilarious.
Yelena: I know.
Not a second later, Yelena's phone chimes several times in quick succession, and she sighs in resignation before unlocking the phone again.
Yelena recognizes the park Kate usually jogs through with Lucky in the first picture; there's a pond in the background and upon looking closer, she can also see some ducks there.
The second picture is from a bit farther away; in this one, Lucky is sitting on the grass intently watching the ducks. The third and fourth pictures are of Lucky mid-jump into the pond and a zoomed-in image of a woman glaring at him from afar, respectively. Yelena can't help but snicker at the image.
The fifth picture is her favorite, though she can’t tell exactly why. It’s a selfie of Kate in a long-sleeved tee; she's sitting on the grass, her face all scrunched up. A bit to the side, a blurry Lucky shakes the water from his fur.
Almost an hour later, she gets two more pictures. The first is of Lucky sitting inside a bath with the same expression of someone being tortured for information. Yelena scrolls down to the second one and smiles. In this one, Lucky has a towel hanging over his back, still looking cranky but not as miserable as before.
Yelena: This is animal abuse.
Kate: I don't understand how someone can jump into a dirty pond for fun.
Kate: And then look this grumpy when taking a perfectly nice and warm bath.
Yelena: Why are you texting me at 3 in the morning, Kate Bishop?
Kate:I have to tell you about the dream I was having.
Kate: Why? What time is it for you?
Kate: Wait. You’re 5 hours ahead, right?
Kate: Anyway. In my dream, you were back in NY just to steal Lucky from me!!
Yelena: This is not bad idea.
Yelena: Are American people really that obsessed with true crime podcasts?
Kate:??
Yelena: Sonya told me to watch this tv programme, and now I am curious.
Kate: Ooh, right.
Kate: And to answer your question, yes.
Kate: Which one are you watching?
Yelena: There is more than one?
Kate: Yeah, it was this whole thing for a while.
Yelena: And then you complain when I say Americans are weird.
Yelena: I am watching one with some old guys.
Yelena: I don't remember what it's called.
Kate: Wait, I know this one.
Kate: How many episodes have you watched yet?
Yelena: Only the first one. Why?
Kate: Stop right now.
Yelena: What?
Kate: I just got home from my run. Give me ten.
Yelena hits pause on the episode, but only because she was meaning to get some snacks anyway, not because Kate Bishop told her to.
She pops the popcorn and gets a light blanket for herself on the way back to the couch, and by the time she makes it back to the living room, Kate has already texted her again. Yelena unlocks the phone to find a picture of a laptop open on top of a bed with the screen paused on the intro of the same show Yelena has been watching. She can see one long leg covered in sweatpants on one side of the laptop and Lucky lying on the other.
Yelena presses her lips together to stop herself from smiling at Kate’s antics and picks up the remote before curling on the couch and texting Kate that she’s starting the episode.
They manage to watch half the season together until Sonya gets home and starts annoying Yelena.
Yelena: Stop feeding garbage to your dog, Kate Bishop.
Kate: Excuse you.
Kate: He eats better than I do.
Yelena: He is literally eating a hot dog in this picture.
Kate: Yeah, well, then you can come over here and try to say no to those puppy eyes.
Yelena: It should not be so hard, he only has one.
Kate: That's what makes it harder!
Yelena: Why are human beings so annoying, Kate Bishop?
Kate: Is this about me, or are there other humans bothering you?
Kate: And do you want me to kill them for you?
Yelena: No.
Yelena: I can do it myself.
Yelena: But thanks for offering.
Kate: You know it :)
Kate: Seriously, tho. Do you wanna talk about it?
Yelena: You will not believe what this woman just said to me.
Kate: So, hypothetically.
Yelena: No.
Kate: I didn’t say anything yet.
Kate: I want to ask you something.
Yelena: Fine.
Kate: Would you come to see me if I was attending an archery thing in London?
Kate: Not a competition or anything. Very low-key.
This one gives Yelena pause. Every once in a while, she gets it into her head that she's been texting Kate too much, especially when Sonya catches her doing it and arches an eyebrow. She hasn't asked anything yet, but Yelena knows it's just a matter of time before she stages an intervention or something.
And now Kate Bishop wants to come to London. Is it just a ploy to see her? Yelena thinks she has made it perfectly clear to Kate that she is not interested in her romantically or otherwise, but now she questions if Kate really knows that.
Yelena bites the inside of her cheek as she thinks of an appropriate reply.
Yelena: That depends. When will this be? I might not be in town.
Kate: The weekend after this one
Kate: But I'm only really participating Sunday.
Yelena purses her lips; she does have a trip scheduled for that week and most likely won't be able to return until later on Sunday.
It’s a real business trip, too, not an excuse. But then why does Yelena feel bad about not being able to go see Kate all of a sudden?
Yelena: I will be in Barcelona that weekend.
Yelena: I'm sorry.
Kate: It’s okay.
Kate: It was a long shot anyway :)
Kate: So, Spain, huh.
Kate: Business or pleasure?
The fact that Yelena can hear the question perfectly in Kate's voice is quite annoying.
Kate doesn't bring it up anymore and doesn't seem particularly disappointed by the fact Yelena won't be attending either. However, for some reason, it still bothers her to the point that she starts to get frustrated with herself.
Is it because Kate had invited her or because she knows there won’t be anyone else there for Kate? From their conversations, Yelena knows Kate’s mom doesn’t come to these events to see her anymore, not since Kate was fifteen or something. Her stepfather actually makes an effort to watch the broadcasts, but still.
Kate is not even competing, she explains over text; so it's not that big of a deal.
Yelena looks up the details of the event one night, and it only serves to make her more unsettled.
From what she gathers, it’s the type of event archery ranges put up during the summer to introduce the sport to the public in general and hone in on new clients.
As one of the World Cup Champions last year and an Olympic medalist, Kate had been invited along to some other athletes, including a few South Korean champions and one Daniela from Colombia—Kate’s biggest rival apparently.
So, Yelena makes up her own mind that it’s both not a big deal and a really big deal at the same time.
She looks over her calendar to see if she can shuffle some things around to come back one day earlier and chooses not to examine why she's rearranging her whole schedule just to watch Kate Bishop play Robin Hood with some kids for a day.
Yelena: It would be more impressive if you could hit the target anywhere else.
From her vantage point, Yelena watches as Kate pulls the phone from her pocket to read the text, and a soft smile lighting up her face. Yelena's heart stutters inside her chest.
Kate: I don’t know what to tell you.
Kate: I’m just that good.
Kate: Are you watching on YouTube? I thought you’d be at a beach by now ;)
Yelena: You just like to imagine me in a bikini, Kate Bishop.
She takes immense pleasure in watching Kate blush from the tip of her ears down to her neck.
Kate: Rude. Now I’m really imagining that.
Yelena: Stop blushing like the schoolgirl and meet me outside when you are done.
Kate: Wait. What?
She stays only long enough to watch Kate look around in confusion before making her way out of the park, along with all the other people leaving.
Yelena can see the exact moment Kate spots her across the park gates. Her face breaks into a bigger smile than before and she starts taking quick strides to close the distance between them, weaving through all the other people walking at a normal pace.
“Hey!” Kate says breathlessly while still a few meters away. “You’re here. How?”
“There are things called planes, Kate Bishop.”
Kate looks almost flustered for a moment but recovers quickly, tilting her head to the side.
“Did you see the whole thing?”
“Yes.” Yelena starts walking, and Kate easily falls into step besides her. “The kids think you are Katniss Everdeen.”
“Psh, I’m way better than her.”
“Your ego is also bigger.” Kate just keeps smiling unabashedly, and Yelena sighs. “Fine. I thought that your talk was nice. I'm sure many people will go out with a desire to become Legolas, too.”
“That’s a compliment. Thank you.”
“Where’s your bow?” Yelena asks when they stop at a crosswalk.
“Oh, I didn’t bring mine. The range provided all the equipment.”
Yelena hums. “That’s better than keep carrying that bulky case.”
“Yeah.” Kate nods her head, stopping once to take a look at their whereabouts. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know. Where did you want to go?”
“Well, I’m hungry. So, somewhere we can eat?”
Yelena thinks for a moment before changing directions.
“Fine, but don't think I will visit the tourist spots with you.”
Kate shrugs. “I’ve seen most of them anyway.”
“Of course you have.”
A few blocks later, Yelena is guiding them through the busy lanes of one of London's many street markets, and they are hit with a cacophony of delicious scents coming from all directions almost immediately, everything from spices to freshly baked pastries and brewing coffee.
Kate’s stomach growls.
They follow the smell to some stalls of street food and get some Afghan wraps so they can eat and walk around. However, not even five minutes later, Kate makes them stop to sit at some nearby benches to watch a few barges pass through the canal.
“This is nice,” Kate comments when she’s done eating. “I’m so full.”
“Maybe two wraps were too much?”
“Nah,” Kate says and then pats her stomach with one hand. “Archery burns a lot of calories.”
Yelena shakes her head as she raises to her feet, pulling a reluctant Kate up by the arm.
“Let’s go, Kate Bishop. Lots of places to see here.”
“I don’t wanna walk.”
“Too bad.”
Despite her objections, Kate does enjoy following Yelena around the large market streets. She seems familiar with the place and its winding streets, and for a while, Kate is happy to tag along a few steps behind to just watch her as she passes from one stall to another until she finds one she likes, and Kate finally catches up.
The stall is one of the most colorful booths, selling all types of handmade and imitation jewelry and gemstones to even dream catchers.
Kate takes a looks around, but nothing really catches her attention. Yelena, though, likes to check out just about everything, distractedly running her fingers over some bracelets and rings until she stops at a brass-colored arrow pendant that hangs on a braided faux leather chain.
Yelena’s eyes sparkle with mirth as she hands it to Kate. “You should get this one. Is very you.”
Kate runs her fingers over the pendant for a moment. After some deliberation she decides that she enjoys its rustic look; it could easily go with her usual style even when she hardly ever wears jewelry.
“Isn’t it a bit on the nose, though?”
“No.” Yelena shakes her head. “It goes around the neck.”
“Funny.”
Kate gets the necklace anyway.
She points her chin to some pins, and Yelena takes a curious look. She chooses one of a toucan in gold and black and holds it against her shirt to take a look at the small mirror hanging close to the necklaces. She picks it up along with a couple of choker necklaces, too.
When they hand their purchases to the artisan behind the stall, a friendly older woman, she nods at Kate’s choice of necklace as she wraps it before making a passing comment about how it is a nice gift for a boyfriend. Kate can't help but smirk as she gives Yelena a pointed look.
They stroll further into the market, passing stalls selling vintage clothes, artworks, and other types of antiques that Yelena likes to stop to inspect. Kate wanders away for a bit into a stall filled with old vinyl records that she finds interesting to look at.
As Kate scans the boxes of records, she thinks about getting a turntable; there are so many LPs from all the classic rock bands that she remembers her dad listening to when she was young, but in the end leaves without buying anything.
Yelena returns to some of the stalls they had seen earlier to pick a vest she liked, and Kate insists on carrying the one bag.
“... and she actually beat me one time in Tlaxcala.”
“And that’s why you call her your greatest nemesis? Sounds like you have a crush on her, Kate Bishop.”
Kate blushes, stammering a little. “Yes, well, enemy to lovers is a trope for a reason.”
“Lovers,” Yelena snickers. “Have you even talked to her outside of these championships?”
“Yes,” she says confidently. Yelena stares at her for a beat. Kate deflates. “No. But she actually has a boyfriend, so it doesn't really matter.”
“Poor you,” Yelena says without an ounce of sympathy as she directs them inside another stall, this one selling handcrafted hot sauces.
She seems to know the seller by name, and Kate hangs back a little, her eyes watering just by looking at the heat levels on some of the bottles of sauce. Not that she doesn't appreciate hot sauce, but in moderation; the humble sriracha is enough for her.
Kate ends up picking a jar of chilli jam just so Yelena won't judge her too much.
Their last stop is a bubble tea shop. That's when Yelena's phone rings, and judging by the way she purses her lips when she looks at the screen, she’s not too pleased with the call.
Kate doesn't ask; instead, she makes her way to the counter to order while Yelena finds a table for them to sit at.
She orders two of the day's specials for them and waits at the counter to give Yelena some privacy, making small talk with the young guy manning the cash register while she waits for the drinks.
Only when she has no more excuses to hang back, does Kate amble back to the table and Yelena’s wraps up the call, speaking fast in Russian; the only word Kate catches is Natasha’s name.
Yelena at least smiles a little at Kate’s choice of drink after she takes a sip.
“Are you okay?” Kate asks after a while of them sipping their teas in silence.
“Yes.” Yelena's answer is clipped, but Kate's under the impression that she's not the person Yelena is annoyed with.
“So, uh. You and Natasha, it seems complicated.”
Yelena presses her lips together in thought.
“Yes,” she says after a moment. “She is once again bothering me to go visit our parents with her next month. She thinks I can just drop my work and come to a farm hang out with the pigs.”
“Well, couldn't you?”
“Yes. But I do not want to.”
Kate smiles. “Like I said, complicated.”
“And you know all about complicated relationships, yes, Kate Bishop?” Yelena says drily, immediately regretting it when Kate’s shoulder sags.
“I think I'm not expressing what I mean well.” Kate avoids looking at Yelena as she fiddles with the paper straw of her drink. “Family is always complicated. But you know, it seems nice to have a sister. Someone you can always count on to come when you ask. It feels like you just get a built-in best friend; like you're never alone, you know. I'd kill for that when I was a kid.”
Yelena feels a pang in her chest when she admits to herself that she once again got Kate wrong.
“It is kind of like that and is also not,” Yelena admits with a heavy sigh. “It’s not always rainbows and sunshine.”
“No, I know.” Kate suddenly feels like curling in on herself; she looks away again. “It's still something, is what I'm saying, I guess.”
“How about close friends?”
“I don’t have that many friends,” Kate says, and then she clears her throat, still not looking at Yelena. “I grew up pretty sheltered; my dad used to be my best friend until I was ten. Then, after I took up archery, I didn't have a lot of time to meet new people and make friends. Once I was thirteen? I think? It was about when I started going away for tournaments; there was this one kid. We were mostly going to the same places, so I guess she was my best friend for that time.”
“What happened?”
“I don't know. We just kind of lost touch.”
“Okay, Kate Bishop. That's incredibly sad; that's what it is.”
Kate laughs, but it’s weak. "It's not that bad."
“Hm. Now, tell me, what is really bothering you?”
“No, I just made this whole conversation about me.” Kate says before slurping noisily, and it has the desired effect of dissipating the mood that has fallen over them. “Your turn to tell me something about you.”
Yelena thinks about deflecting and changing the subject, too, but instead finds that she wants to talk about this with Kate.
“You are right. My relationship with Natasha is complicated. We have been trying to get closer to each other, but it’s…” she trails off, pulling a face.
Kate understands what she means.
“You weren’t always close?”
It’s Yelena’s turn to avoid Kate’s eyes. She smiles a little, but there’s no humor in it.
“No. I used to worship her when we were kids, but that was when we still lived in America. Then we had to return to Russia.” she doesn’t elaborate; Kate doesn’t push.
Yelena clears her throat, her eyes focusing back on Kate after a moment. “We only met again a few years ago. That’s why it is still so weird between us sometimes.”
A warm hand lands tentatively over hers, and when she looks up, Yelena finds Kate's eyes full of understanding. She knows Kate can see through her in this moment, but she's grateful when she doesn't say anything.
Surprisingly, to no one more than herself, Yelena is also grateful for Kate's company right now.
“I know how much Barton means to her. It's just that it always feels like she's choosing him over me, which is unfair, but it's how it feels. You saw them at dinner; where one goes, the other goes. It's always been like that and I don't expect it to change.”
Kate scoffs, but not at Yelena.
“I know what you mean; it would be nice to be chosen first for once, right.”
They lock eyes for a beat and then two, and suddenly, Yelena bursts into laughter.
A second later, Kate joins in.
“Oof. We are being pathetic right now, are we not?”
Kate snorts with laughter but nods her head all the same.
“Alright, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says as she pushes herself up from the seat and extends a hand to help Kate do the same. “We will not spend this beautiful summer night feeling sorry for ourselves. Let’s do something fun.”
Kate lets herself be pulled up, not moving away once she’s standing and they’re face to face.
“Anything in particular that you have mind?”
“Not yet. Let’s go.”
Kate is the one to grab their bags as Yelena guides them out of the market. They walk through the streets without a destination in mind for only a few minutes until Kate first hears what she assumes is live music, and she leads them in towards it only to stop in front of a bar.
Yelena eyes the sign above the door skeptically. “Karaoke, really?”
Kate leans close, ostensibly so she can hear her above the sound of the music. Her pulse races when Yelena doesn't immediately pull away.
“I mean, no one is sad at Karaoke,” Kate says breezily.
Yelena will have to take that at face value, though she still follows Kate inside.
There's a small bar to the right and some high tables and booth seats to the left and Yelena drags Kate into an empty one, pushing her into the leather seats before taking a place beside her; only after that does Kate get a good look at the front.
A small stage is mounted with a couple of microphone stands and a big TV and soon enough, the familiar intro to Evanescence's Bring Me To Life starts to play as someone to Kate's left gets up to get to the stage.
The man must be in his thirties, with a long hipster beard and wearing a beanie even in England's balmy June weather.
And then he starts singing.
Kate winces as she exchanges a look with Yelena. She's gotta be honest, he's not very good. But to compensate for it, he is incredibly passionate about the whole thing and everyone, including Yelena, to Kate's surprise, joins in to sing the chorus with him.
When the song is over, and the dude bows his thanks to the energetic applause he receives for murdering a perfectly good song, Kate turns to Yelena, smiling too big and thus proving her own point.
Next up is a woman singing Total Eclipse of the Heart and Yelena declares she’s getting them drinks.
“You are old enough to drink, right?” she leans over the booth to ask with a cheeky grin that causes a rebellion of butterflies in Kate's stomach.
Before Kate can come up with a retort, Yelena is already walking away.
Three friends are doing a horrendous rendition of Breaking Free—yes, the song from High School Musical—when Yelena returns with a bottle of beer for herself and a cocktail glass for Kate.
“So, what’s your song, Kate Bishop?”
Kate chokes on her drink.
“My song? What do you mean by my song?”
Yelena rolls her eyes. “Your song that you are going to sing in the place where people sing songs.”
“Uhh—do I have to?”
Yelena gives Kate one long look. She can almost hear the what do you think? out loud.
“Oh boy, I'm gonna need a lot more of those if I’m going to sing in front of all these people.”
Yelena nods her head, but gives Kate a pointed look. “Fine, but I am not taking care of you if you get too drunk.”
“I can handle my alcohol, thank you.”
“Right,” Yelena says. “You also cannot sing anything from, let's say, the past two decades?”
Kate frowns, taking a look around. “Is that an actual rule here?”
“No.”
“Then what do you have against recent music?”
“Nothing. I just do not want to make it easy for you.” Yelena smiles proudly at herself as she says it, taking a sip of beer right after.
Kate can’t even be mad at her when she looks so adorable like this.
“What’s your song, then?” she asks Yelena when there’s a lull in the music.
“American Pie.”
It takes a moment for Kate to place the song, but she smiles when she does.
“The one like bye, bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the…” she fumbles the words as she trails off, not remembering the rest of the lyrics. Still, Yelena's bright smile is well worth it.
“That one, Kate Bishop,” she says softly.
Kate blushes for some reason as she turns back to watch the stage where another dude is starting to sing Bon Jovi.
“Wait. Isn’t that song, like, ten minutes long? You have to choose something else.”
“I will not sing it; why do I have to choose?”
“Because.”
Yelena sends Kate another dirty glare.
“You are so annoying,” she says, though she still pauses to think for a while, looking up at the ceiling as she does so.
Kate has never been more endeared by someone.
“Something by the Spice Girls, I think. But you are not making me choose one song.”
Kate nods eagerly, hungry for anything new that Yelena reveals about herself.
“The Spice Girls, huh. I didn’t know you were a fan.”
“You don't know many things about me, Kate Bishop.”
Kate chooses not to dwell on her cryptic tone.
“Wait, no, I know what I want to sing,” Kate says into her drink. Yelena leans closer to listen, but Kate shakes her head. “I’ll be right back.” she squeezes past Yelena to get out of the booth and walk to the counter to sign up to sing.
When Kate returns, she brings another round of drinks and an order of chips and salsa for them to share. She even remembers to ask for hot sauce on the side and everything.
“That's not fair, Kate Bishop. I told you my song.”
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
Yelena is absolutely not pouting. Kate is absolutely not staring at her lips.
An incredible cover of Another One Bites the Dust and a poorly but enthusiastic performance of Believe. Then it's finally Kate's turn.
Kate pales a little as she takes a look around the room, noticing it’s a lot more crowded now than when they had arrived.
“Are you scared?” Yelena asks, not unkindly.
Kate swallows.
“Yep.” she takes in a shuddering breath, downing the rest of her drink before rising to her feet. “Guess I’ll have to do it scared anyway.” she gives Yelena one last look before pushing her shoulders back and confidently marching towards the stage. How to not freeze once she gets there, it's something else altogether.
Kate’s painfully aware of the fact that she’s not drunk enough for this as she climbs the steps to the stage and stops in front of the microphone.
The first chords of the song play through the speakers, and Kate closes her eyes, taking a deep breath, already regretting her song of choice. She wonders if she were to jump behind the stage, would people really notice?
Above the crowd's chatter, Kate suddenly hears Yelena's throaty laughter, and she finally opens her eyes again; the sound filling her with enough warmth and confidence to start singing on the right cue.
You might been hurt, babe
That ain't no lie
You've seen them all come and go, oh
I remember you told me
That it made you believe in
No man, no cry
Maybe that's why
Kate puts into practice everything she has learned at theater camp that one summer. She's energetic and an expert at moving her body to the song's beat the right way to command the whole room's attention.
Before she notices it, people are singing along and that gives her another boost of confidence that makes her more at ease under the spotlight. By the time Kate sings the last line, she can't hold back her smile any longer, all signs of her earlier anxiety long gone.
It's all even more worth it when she climbs back into their booth and Yelena presses their shoulders together, shouting an excited “Kate Bishooop!” in her ear.
She asks again if Yelena wants to sing something, and when the answer is another solid no, Kate doesn’t insist.
They only leave a few hours later. Even though Kate doesn’t have the nerves to sing again, they thoroughly enjoy their time quietly judging people's choice of songs.
Yelena barely seems drunk despite having a few more drinks than Kate, who stopped herself after some cocktails and a beer, deciding not to take the chance to embarrass herself in front of Yelena. Still, she takes it upon herself to order the Uber for both of them to share.
Kate makes sure they don't forget any of their shopping bags at the bar when they leave, filling the silence of the ride back with comments about some of the performances of the night and how some people were genuinely talented, while in contrast, others clearly just wanted to have fun and how that all made up for a good time.
When the car stops in front of Yelena's building, Kate almost wants to ask the driver to keep driving so they can keep talking quietly to each other with their shoulders brushing in the backseat. Nearly a whole day in the presence of Yelena again, and Kate doesn't know what she'll do when they have to go back to texting only.
But if she gets a chance to extend their time together, even for just a few short minutes, she'll take it.
So, Kate offers to carry the bags. They're not even heavy; she just wants an excuse, as flimsy as it is, to walk Yelena to the door of her apartment.
Making up her mind, she hands the driver a few bills to wait for her and follows Yelena inside.
The elevator ride barely takes a minute, and sooner than Kate would like, they're on Yelena's floor.
For a second, she thinks that Yelena almost looks as reluctant to walk away as Kate feels. She takes her time getting the keys out but waits to open the door.
“Thank you for today,” Kate says, finally ceding hold of the shopping bags to Yelena. “Both for showing up and taking me out. It was nice.”
“It was,” Yelena agrees. She seems relaxed, playing with her keys with one hand while she leans one shoulder against her door.
Kate racks her brain for something else to say, just to stay for a few more seconds, but Yelena beats her to it.
“It was more than just nice, actually. Next time I'm in New York, I'll even allow you to show me to the Statue of Liberty.
Kate’s lips stretch in a smile. “The Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Center, too, I remember. Plus, the High Line. I bet you’ll love that. Oh. I’ll definitely take you to a frat party, too.”
Yelena's throaty laughter feels like winning gold at the Olympics for the first time. Like Kate is on top of the world.
Like she could do anything if she put her mind to it.
“Over my dead body, Kate Bishop.”
“C’mon,” Kate groans. “It’ll be cool.”
“We will see,” Yelena says enigmatically.
Before Kate can say anything else, Yelena is already pushing up on her tiptoes to press a kiss on Kate's cheek.
Yelena unlocks the door and disappears inside quicker than Kate can process what just happened.
She doesn't even remember how she gets back down and inside the cab or to her hotel room. Her cheek tingling on the spot Yelena's lips touched all the way back to New York.
Kate: Lucky says hi :)
Kate: Watch how fast he goes!!
Yelena doesn't even think about it when she presses play on the video Kate just sent and watches with a smile as Lucky chases a frisbee at the park. He makes an impressive jump to catch it with his mouth before running to bring it back, presumably to Kate, behind the camera, to throw it again.
Her smile widening as she re-watches the video a couple more times.
“So, what you are saying is that you have a new, long-distance best friend, and you have kissed her?
“She is not my new best friend. And I did not kiss her.”
“Damn,” Sonya says, leaning back against her chair and ignoring Yelena’s reply entirely. “I’d be mad at you for replacing me, but it’s obvious you don’t want just her friendship, so it’s fine.”
Yelena throws a fry that Sonya lazily deflects and huffs an annoyed breath.
“Stop it. I don’t want anything from Kate Bishop. I not even wanted to be her friend in the first place.”
“Is that why you only texted her three times since we sat for lunch half an hour ago?”
Yelena glares at her. Sonya puts both hands up.
“Fine. But tell me about this kiss, then. Was it a real kiss or just a peck? Was there tongue? Full-on make-out? Was she good at it? Cause I just know that if the kiss is bad, then the sex is even worse.”
“Sonya. No. Stop. I kissed her on the cheek.”
“Oh, that means it’s even more serious than I had thought.” this time, she can't deflect the balled-up napkin thrown at her. “What?” Sonya feigns innocence. “I just want to know. As your short-distance best friend, it's my job to look out for you.”
“The only thing you are accomplishing is being an ass.”
Sonya does ease up at that. “Fine. I’ll be serious now. Are you attracted to her?”
“No,” Yelena replies too fast, and Sonya tilts her head to the side, one eyebrow arched. Yelena huffs under her breath. “I do not know. To be exact, I have only met her twice, yes?”
“Yes. But how long have you been texting her?”
“Since March,” Yelena mumbles.
“What.”
“Mar—”
“No, I heard you. I just cannot believe this betrayal. You have been talking to her for months, but you do not tell your best friend?”
Yelena makes a show of rolling her eyes at Sonya’s dramatics.
“There is nothing to talk about.”
Sonya scoffs. “Yeah, right.”
“She came to speak to children about archery, we went shopping and then she sang a song at Karaoke. That's it,” Yelena relents finally. Sonya doesn't even try to hide her triumphant smile. “I barely know her.”
“You realize you can get to know someone just by talking to them on the phone, right? And from what I have seen, you two have been talking a lot. Oh, let me check something.” she grabs her phone, quickly starting to type while Yelena watches and suppresses a long-suffering sigh.
“What are you doing?”
“I just want to see—Oh…” Sonya trails off, eyes firmly on her screen.
“What?” Yelena asks again, more insistently, but Sonya doesn't reply, too focused on whatever she's looking at.
Yelena quickly loses her patience and makes a grab for the phone across the table but Sonya sees it coming and briskly pulls it out of Yelena's reach.
“I googled your friend.”
“Yes, and?”
Sonya looks up then, eyes widened theatrically. “Did you ever look her up on Google?”
“Why would I do that?”
Sonya hums noncommittally, going back to scroll down her phone. This time, when Yelena makes a move to take it, she willingly hands the device to her.
“If you are really committed to this idea of not sleeping with this woman, then maybe you could introduce me to her.”
“Ha! You are so funny. Let me hear what Thomas thinks of that.” impulsively she looks down at Sonya's phone, regretting it not a second later when she feels her face get warmer.
One thing Yelena doesn't know about Kate Bishop is that she once starred in a Calvin Klein ad campaign.
She ignores whatever Sonya is still saying, not even hearing the words as she clicks on another image.
Sweatpants and sports bras shouldn’t look that good on anyone.
She has so many questions. Why are the photos taken on a roof? Was it Kate's idea? And why is she shooting her bow in only boxer and a sports bra?
Yelena taps on another picture.
Well, another thing she didn't know about Kate Bishop is that she apparently has a six-pack. She really wasn't kidding when she mentioned that rigorous workout regimen.
Yelena hands the phone back to Sonya without looking, immediately grabbing her own, her last message to Kate still open on her screen.
Yelena: Who comes up with the poses for those photo shoots?
Yelena: And Calvin Klein? Really?
Kate: Are you googling me??
Kate: LOL
Kate: Hold on a sec.
Yelena stares down at the text with a frown. Hold on for what?
She doesn’t have to wonder for long, though; not a second later, her phone chimes in with a new notification that she clicks on it without thinking and goddammit, Kate Bishop.
Kate is apparently spending her morning at the gym. The picture she sends Yelena is one of her in front of a mirror, her purple sweatpants riding low enough to show the band of her underwear that proudly reads Calvin Klein. Kate is holding her phone with one hand while the other pushes her black t-shirt up just enough to put her abs on display.
Yelena can't help but stare for a moment, not expecting the quick shot of adrenaline that makes her stomach flutter at the image.
A few more texts come in after that.
Kate: It’s not as defined as when I took those pictures.
Kate: Because it's a bitch to maintain that.
Kate: But I still look pretty great right?
Yelena: No. You look ridiculous in that other picture doing pull ups in unbuttoned jeans.
Kate: ;)
Sonya unceremoniously snatches the phone from her hand, whistling low when she zooms in on the image and Kate’s pale, defined stomach fills the screen.
“Please tell me you at least got to touch those when you two kissed.”
Yelena drops her forehead to the table with a groan.
“You are not helping.”
“Helping with what?”
Yelena looks up just to glare at Sonya.
“Fine, I'll admit it. Kate Bishop is… pleasant to look at; I'm not denying that.”
“So? What is the problem?”
“Wha—! Sonya, the problem is that she’s twenty-four years old.”
Sonya frowns. “I still don’t see what’s wrong here. She’s an adult who likes you.”
“I am thirteen years older than her.”
“Yes, you are, Yelena. And guess what? Who cares? You are not taking advantage of her just because you are some years older.”
“Yes. But I—”
Sonya cuts her off before Yelena can continue.
“You are just looking for excuses. You either like her, or you don't, and you clearly do. You don't lie to yourself, Yelena.” Sonya’s eyes soften as she takes in Yelena's dejected expression. “What is this really about?”
Yelena heaves a sigh. “I don’t know. Everything?”
"I think I know." Sonya says, giving Yelena a pointed look. “You could just have fun, you know. Not every relationship has to be a serious one.”
“I know that.”
“I know you don't like anything casual, but if it doesn't work, then it doesn't, and you move on.”
“You make it sound simple,” Yelena scoffs.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Yelena stares down at the dark screen of her phone; a small part of wondering if Sonya may have a point.
"Yeah, right. As if anything was ever not complicated in our lives."
“Think about it. You are freaking out for no reason. Do you even have any plans to see her again?”
“No.”
“Then don’t think about it. If you really don’t want to, you can just stop talking to her.” Sonya pauses for a beat, making sure Yelena is actually listening. "But do not ruin something for yourself before even giving it a chance to see where it goes,"
Yelena purses her lips, sending a skeptical look in Sonya's direction.
“Maybe.”
Kate: Did you know it’s possible to get from London to Berlin in less than two hours?
When Yelena's phone chimes in with that one text, the last thing she expects is that she will be in Berlin two days later. Yet here she is.
In the history of all the stupid decisions Yelena has ever made in her life, this one might just take the cake, she thinks even as she waits behind a couple talking to the receptionist in a random hotel in Germany.
As she rides the elevator to the seventh floor and unlocks the door to her room, Yelena wonders who the hell she thinks she is fooling. Not herself, that’s for sure.
Inexplicably, when Kate Bishop gets bored, she joins international fencing tournaments at the last minute, then spends two whole days with the stepfather she dislikes training for it.
And since London isn’t that far from Berlin, Kate decides to also invite Yelena to come watch.
Nothing wrong with that.
The problem, Yelena thinks, is that she actually came.
“Fencing, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asks when she meets Kate in the lobby after leaving her suitcase in her own room and changing into some more comfortable clothes so they can grab something to eat.
“Yelena, hey! Wow.” Kate stares, speechless for a moment; a miracle brought by Yelena's cleavage it seems.
Just this once, Yelena chooses not to comment on it. She clears her throat instead, and Kate's eyes immediately snap back to her face instead of the fitting of her cropped top.
“Wow. You Americans really love to use that word.”
Kate shrugs, blushing slightly, though she doesn’t seem too embarrassed about being caught staring.
Yelena also doesn't comment on Kate's attire as they leave the hotel, because she knows exactly what Kate is doing and she's not falling for it.
However, no one can blame her if she steals an appreciating look at Kate in her navy slacks and white dress shirt combo. Yelena is forced to admit that Kate Bishop can look good when she wants to.
Fine. She looks very handsome, actually. And a perfect gentleman, too, always opening the doors and pulling the chairs for Yelena. She's not even being subtle about it.
Yelena refrain herself from saying something about this too. It's a good thing Kate Bishop can ramble for the both of them.
Dinner is perfectly pleasant. Kate updates Yelena on Lucky's latest adventures at the park, including stealing popcorn from little kids and learning new tricks with Grills. Yelena even surprises herself when she shares little things about herself, too, but Kate know how to hum in all the right places and ask all the right questions to keep Yelena talking.
As lovely as it is, it still isn't a date.
In her mind, Yelena can hear Sonya's mockery.
They don’t talk about anything serious, though, like the fact that Yelena has flown from London to Berlin just because Kate has asked. Or how she's pretty sure Kate only registered in this tournament on the off-chance Yelena would come.
Yelena hasn’t decided yet if she should be mad yet or not.
Mad at Kate for taking the risk even when there was a big chance Yelena could say no, or mad at herself for coming anyway.
After dinner, they take the long way back to the hotel while Kate makes them stop to get ice cream cones.
“Just the cone for me,” Yelena says. The vendor turns to Kate with a bemused look as if asking if she is being serious.
Kate can only shrug.
“You don’t like ice cream? You did this last time, too.” Kate asks when they sit at a nearby bench, watching Yelena nibble on the waffle cone.
“Only when it’s in milkshake form.”
Kate nods. “Any particular reason for that or…?”
“Does it have to be a reason, Kate Bishop?”
“I guess not.”
“The cone is the best part. I don’t want the ice cream making it soggy.”
“Huh,” Kate takes a bite of her own cone. “Fair enough.”
Kate walks Yelena to the door of her room, lingering only long enough to press a kiss to Yelena's cheek, much like Yelena had done last time, though she makes sure to telegraph her every move so that Yelena can stop her if she wants to.
Yelena doesn't. When she pulls back, Kate has to bite her lips to keep her smile from getting to big.
“Go away now, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says, making a shooing movement with one hand that has Kate chuckling even as she takes a step back.
“Good night, Yelena,” Kate says when she’s almost at the elevators, both hands pushed into her pockets.
Yelena takes a long look at herself through the bathroom mirror when she comes inside, trying to reassess her own feelings.
She knows herself enough to know all the signs. It starts with the fact that she doesn’t mind all of Kate’s casual touches. More than that, Yelena finds herself even craving it sometimes, too, feeling a thrill every time Kate brushes her hand on the small of her back or bumps their shoulders.
As she turns on the faucet and runs her hands under the water, Yelena knows she needs to make up her mind, and she needs to do that soon.
The next time Yelena talks to Kate, it's right before Kate's last match the following day since all the participants had to be at the gymnasium earlier to get their equipment checked,.
Yelena tries to remember Kate's explanation from last night when Yelena finally confessed how little she knew about fencing.
Kate, like the nerd she is, did her best to explain it to her without going too much into the boring details—her own words—and Yelena is unwilling to admit how endearing it had been to listen to Kate ramble about blades and scoring systems.
At first, Yelena has to force herself to pay attention to each match. However, as the tournaments progress, she finds herself enjoying it more than she thought she would.
Everyone is dressed just about the same, of course, and the only reason Yelena is able to make out which one is Kate is because of her purple hand guard.
And yeah, even if Yelena doesn’t know much about fencing besides the basics, she still can see that Kate is actually good. She’s surprisingly lithe and fast on her feet, which makes it almost hard to keep up with her sometimes.
Not so surprisingly, though, is the fact that Kate beats every opponent she comes across; steadfastly moving up the pool's ranking. Sometimes, she makes her victories look almost too easy, though Yelena occasionally can see when Kate has to push harder for a win.
There’s a ten-minute break before the final match, the one that will decide who gets the first and second places, when Yelena’s phone buzzes in her pocket.
Kate: Are you having fun yet?
Yelena: I am not bored. It's different.
Yelena: But yes, it's very entertaining to watch people taking stabs at each other with swords.
Kate: I told you.
Yelena: Do you think you can win? The other man is very good.
Kate: Will you go on a date with me if I do?
Yelena smiles. This is a new thing Kate does now apparently, regardless of the fact she already knows Yelena's answer.
Yelena: No.
Kate: Worth the shot.
Yelena: I saw the posters for the movie theater across the street.
Yelena: There is a special showing of movies that turn 30 this year and I want to watch one.
Kate: You mean that old slasher?
Yelena: Yes.
Yelena: I suppose you can come with me. But you will have to win first.
Kate: Fine.
Kate: Bye for now. Gotta go win this thing.
Yelena: Overconfident much?
Kate: Nah. I just know how good I am.
Yelena rolls her eyes but pockets her phone to pay attention when Kate and the other man take their place on the strip, saluting each other and the referee before putting on their masks.
The last match is faster-paced than the ones before, and again, Yelena can barely keep track of Kate's moves.
Her opponent is a veteran, and Yelena can see it in his brisk moves; his strategy based on swift movements and unexpected changes in rhythm that keep Kate on the defensive for a good chunk of the first round.
In the end, it’s a very close match. Yelena finds herself leaning forward on her seat along with the rest of the audience as Kate and her opponent get quicker on their feet, dancing around each other with almost choreographed precision.
Just as fast, though, Kate executes a perfectly timed attack that her opponent is unable to counter, and her blade lands squarely on his chest. It's the move that finally grants her victory.
Kate makes a beeline to Yelena after she’s presented with her medal, their eyes meeting across the crowd.
“Congratulations, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says, directing a smile at Kate when she’s close enough. “Once again, that ridiculous overconfidence of yours is inflated.”
Kate cackles, looking down almost bashfully. “Can I hug you?”
The question surprises Yelena, more so when she finds herself nodding her head in confirmation. Kate steps closer confidently, knees bending slightly as she wraps both arms around Yelena's waist.
Kate squeezes her once before snickering to herself. Yelena knows what Kate will do before her feet even leave the floor and she allows it for some reason.
Kate's strong arms hugs Yelena tighter to her chest as she spins her around once, twice, three times before stopping and gently setting her back down.
”You brat! Do not do that again, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says, trying to sound pissed off but the smile she has to hold back ruins the effect.
Kate shrugs, not at all chastised. She looks around briefly, like she's deciding something, before removing the medal from around her neck and gently putting it over Yelena’s head. “I think this one belongs to you.”
Yelena stares down at the gold medal resting against her chest; the the embossing depicting two fencers in combat.
“What? Why?”
Kate shrugs one shoulder as she rubs the back of her neck, uncharacteristically bashful all of a sudden. “Yeah. I mean, you’re the reason I got it anyway.”
There she goes with the charm. Yelena clicks her tongue.
“Go change, Kate Bishop; we have a movie to go watch.”
“Oh, we’re getting matinee tickets? Can we get food after?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, fencer." she changes the subject before Kate can pout too hard. “How’s your German, by the way?”
Kate furrows her brows. “Uh, my name is Kate? she asks clumsily.
Yelena’s smile stretches in amusement.
She waits for Kate to figure it out by herself, which she does so quicker than Yelena thought she would.
As they walk inside the theater, the poster next to the entrance reads screi! and Yelena watches in real time as the gears start to turn inside Kate’s head.
Kate smiles as a couple passes them by to get to their seats before pulling a face at Yelena. “This movie is dubbed in German, isn’t it?”
"Did your fancy school not offer foreign language classes?” she asks in perfect German.
Kate pouts. “Sprache… that means language, right? I only took Spanish and French in school,” she says dejectedly.
Yelena almost pities her.
Key word, almost.
"Sucks to be you, Kate Bishop,” Yelena says with mock sympathy. “I could always watch it by myself.”
Kate scoffs, making a grab for the popcorn bucket they got to share as she sends Yelena her brightest smile.
“Guess you’ll just have to translate for me then.”
Halfway through the movie, Yelena is fighting to hold back her laughter.
Kate doesn't really need much translation, it turns out. She obviously has seen this movie before and remembers enough to piece everything together with context. What she chooses to do instead, since she is unable to sit still for two hours, is come up with her own English translations for what the characters are saying.
They’re at the height of the third act, right as one of the killers is stabbed with an umbrella, when Kate turns to Yelena and says, completely deadpan, “Guess he’ll have to take a rain check on that last murder, huh.”
This is only the latest commentary on a long list of similar ones, and Yelena finally breaks, cackling out loud before she can cover her mouth with one hand. Kate bites her lip, barely managing to keep herself from laughing out loud, too
Yelena can’t even get it in herself to be mad at Kate; it’s hard to remember the last time she had this much fun just watching a movie with someone else.
Once again, they end up getting dinner together, and Kate makes it a point to walk Yelena back to her hotel room. However, this time, she gives no indication that she wants to leave when Yelena unlocks her door. Instead, Kate leans against the wall and stares.
“Admit that you had fun,” Kate says with a smug smile that only works in making her face look very punchable.
“I will admit no such thing, Kate Bishop.”
Kate groans. “But you were laughing.”
“Yes, because you should come with a warning.”
“I do. That’s my middle name, actually. Kate Warning Bishop, you should have read the fine print.”
“You are ridiculous.”
Kate shrugs one shoulder, though the nonchalance she had been trying to project a moment ago is gone. She looks down at Yelena with some unreadable emotion that makes Yelena’s heart skip a beat inside her chest.
Yelena feels her mouth go dry.
Even when she already knows the answer, she still asks.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Kate Bishop?”
“Like what?”
Yelena's eyes meet Kate's, holding her gaze. “Like you want to kiss me.”
“You know why.”
“Kate…” Yelena holds her stance for a moment before averting her eyes with a sigh.
“No,” Kate interrupts her gently. “I know what you said before, and I respect that. I won’t ever do anything you don’t want to.” she takes a step forward, still keeping some distance between them. “But we both know I'm not a good liar, so I just want to put it out there, you know. On the off chance you ever change your mind. I wouldn't be opposed to being kissed by you.”
Yelena makes a show of rolling her eyes. “Ridiculous,” she repeats under her breath.
A moment later, she's the one to close the small distance between their bodies until they're chest to chest, Yelena on her tiptoes and Kate bowing her head slightly.
Kate stops when their noses touch, her mouth slightly parted as her heart races, but if Yelena really wants it, she will have to be the one to press their lips together.
She does, and it's everything Kate has ever wanted in life.
It’s better than the feeling of winning every single prize she ever won put together.
it’s the single best kiss she’s ever had in her life. Kate is addicted in one second.
Yelena pulls back just enough to touch her nose to Kate's again, her breath tickling Kate's lips. “Just this once, okay?”
“Okay,” Kate agrees.
To tell the truth, Kate will say yes to anything Yelena asks right now if only it means that she gets to keep kissing her for a little longer.
She knows it’s the right answer when Yelena fits their lips back together.
One of Kate’s hands finds the small of Yelena’s back while the other makes its way up to cup Yelena’s cheek.
Where the first kiss was tentative, this one is fire, burning Yelena into every little crevice of Kate’s body. She forgets everything else, from who to where they are, allowing herself to get carried away in the moment's intensity.
Yelena doesn’t know how or when it happens, but when they separate, her back is firmly pressed against the door, both of Kate’s hands on her waist while her own hands explore all the skin they can find under Kate’s shirt.
“Okay,” Kate repeats breathlessly.
“Don’t make it into something it isn’t, Kate Bishop.”
And despite everything, Kate still smiles at her, her eyes glancing at Yelena's lips even as she forces herself to step back. “I won’t, Yelena Belova.”
The words have the desired effect, and Kate watches as Yelena relaxes.
She takes another step back; Yelena pushes the door open but doesn’t go inside yet and Kate's smile grows as she slowly walks backward in the general direction of the elevator.
Neither of them is willing to be the first to look away even when Kate bumps into another guest coming out of the elevator.
The last thing she hears before the door closes is Yelena's laugh, and Kate knows whatever is happening between them it's only beginning.
Kate Bishop might be many things: stubborn; reckless; impulsive.
But she can also be patient when it matters, and if that means going at Yelena's pace, then she's more than okay with that.
Kate: How is it possible that there are 10 million more women than men in Russia?
Yelena: Why are you looking at Russia’s wikipedia page?