Chapter Text
“I could go for a milkshake or something,” Natasha announces beside her, sounding approximately three minutes away from evaporating.
Yelena grunts in agreement as the August heat clings to them. The air is thick enough to chew, and after running around town all day, her patience is running thin. Summer is almost over and college prep is looming like a threat. Imagining all of that just makes her jaw clench, she’d rather fistfight a raccoon than think about applications. A milkshake, though? That she can get behind.
“Fine,” she says. “But you’re paying.”
Natasha rolls her eyes, an amused smirk tugging at her lips, but she pushes open the diner door anyway.
Cool air hits Yelena first, mercifully, sharp. The hum of conversation settles over her like background static. She gives Natasha her order and heads to snag the corner booth, the one with the good angle of view and enough privacy to pretend she isn’t on the verge of melting. As she settles in, something catches the corner of her eye. A girl with black hair sitting a few tables away talking to an older woman. Her back is turned, shoulders small, posture folded inward.
There’s nothing remarkable about her from a distance… and yet Yelena’s gaze keeps drifting back. It isn’t attraction. More like instinct, the sharp, animal kind that flares when something moves wrong in her periphery.
The girl doesn’t move wrong. If anything, she looks soft. Timid. Quiet
Before she can think about it further, Natasha returns with their shakes and an order of fries.
Yelena nods her thanks and grabs her vanilla shake. She grabs a fry, dips it into her shake, and takes a bite, ignoring her sister’s judging stare.
They’re mid-conversation when the diner door jingles. John Walker and his collection of ego-inflated shadows. His posture radiates overconfidence and entitlement. Yelena rolls her eyes and looks away.
Out of the corner of her eye she sees the older lady getting up to leave. She gives the brunette a small, stoic nod and then makes her exit, leaving the brunette alone in the booth. The girl gets up to throw her trash away and then goes right back to her seat, as if she’s trying to avoid social interaction. She catches a glimpse of the girl's face as she walks back.
Pretty.
Pretty enough to momentarily short-circuit Yelena’s brain.
She jerks her eyes away, but it's too late. Natasha catches it immediately.
Nat turns, spots the source of Yelena’s distraction, then turns back wearing a knowing grin. When Yelena snaps her gaze to her sister, Natasha outright laughs.
“What?” Yelena snaps, louder than she means to. Heat rushes up her neck.
“Nothing,” Natasha singsongs. “Do you know her?”
“No.”
“Then why are you staring at the back of her head like it owes you money?”
“I’m not.”
“Mm. Terrifying rebuttal, well done.”
Natasha continues to tease her for a few more minutes. “at least pick someone who won’t run away from you.” Yelena is about to fire back when she notices Walker heading straight for the brunette’s booth.
Something hard and instinctive ignites low in Yelena’s ribs. Not jealousy. More like… threat assessment. The same spark she gets on the field when someone barrels toward one of her teammates.
He leans in and says something gross. She can tell by the girl’s shoulders tightening, her body curling away.The girl shifts, clearly uncomfortable.
Before she knows it, she’s already halfway across the diner. Her steps are smooth, swift, and too quiet. Natasha calls it her “predator walk” whenever she wants to annoy her, saying she's like a weapon someone forgot to put down. Yelena ignores her.
She slips into the booth beside the girl in one fluid motion, nudging Walker aside with just enough force to reestablish boundaries. She casually drapes an arm around her shoulders and presses a quick kiss to her temple.
“Hey, detka,” she murmurs. “Sorry I’m late.”
The girl freezes for half a second, confused at first but then her eyes flicker with understanding. She plays along without hesitation.
And she’s good at it.
“It’s okay, I wasn’t waiting long.” she says, leaning in. Her lips brush near Yelena’s mouth, barely there but enough to detonate something low in Yelena’s stomach. Her hand settles on Yelena’s thigh like it belongs there.
Yelena forgets air exists.
Vanilla. The girl smells faintly of vanilla. Warm and clean and distracting in a way Yelena has no defenses prepared for.
Walker just stands there stupified. Yelena turns her head and pins him with a stare cold enough to frost metal.
“Leave,” she says simply.
He mutters under his breath and stomps off. The Russian smiles to herself, victory tastes sweet.
When she turns back, the girl is watching her. Blue eyes. Stupidly blue. Stupidly pretty. The violent spark in Yelena’s chest softens into something warm and unfamiliar.
“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice coming out lower, gentler than intended.
She gives a small nod. “Thank you. Really. You didn’t have to do that.”
“It was nothing.” She clears her throat. “You just looked uncomfortable. I’m Yelena.”
“Kate.”
Kate. It fits her. Soft around the edges but with something steady underneath.
“You’re new here?” It sounds more like a statement than a question. Kate nods. Quiet. Shy. Something about her draws Yelena in like gravity.
Suddenly someone crashes into the booth across from them, startling both girls. Zero grace, maximum chaos.
Natasha.
Of course.
Yelena startles, suddenly acutely aware that her arm is still around Kate. She withdraws quickly; Kate’s hand slips from her thigh, leaving behind a ghost of warmth.
Natasha throws an arm over the back of the booth and makes herself at home.
“Hey, sestra,” Natasha smirks. “Who’s your new friend?”.
Yelena kicks her under the table.
“Oh—right.” She clears her throat again. “Kate, this is my sister, Natasha.”
Kate visibly relaxes. Natasha can be… a lot.
“Nice to meet you,” Natasha says. “You new in town?”
“Yeah,” Kate replies softly. “I just moved in with my aunt. Just trying to settle before the new school year”
“What year are you?” Yelena asks, too fast.
“Senior.”
“So am I.” Yelena brightens. “I could show you around if you want. Before school starts.”
Kate smiles shyly. “I’d like that.”
The conversation flows for a little while longer before Yelena asks for her number. Kate gives it and Natasha looks like she’s witnessing the birth of her new favorite teasing material.
“Ready to go?” Nat asks, standing.
“Oh uh, y-yeah, just ah- just give me a second? I’ll meet you outside” Natasha nods and heads out.
Yelena and Kate face each other in a small, charged pocket of silence.
“It was nice meeting you,” Yelena says quietly, inexplicably nervous. She never gets nervous.
“You too,” Kate says softly.
Outside, they split off toward their cars. When Yelena gets into Natasha’s, she is already wearing a shit-eating grin.
“Shut up,” Yelena grumbles, cheeks burning.
Natasha’s laughter fills the car as they pull away.