Chapter Text
“Has anyone seen Kate and Yelena?” Clint asked, changed out of that purple suit he was wearing before into a normal T-shirt and joggers. His hair was wet and he held a towel up to it, as if he was drying it, but it didn't really do much.
“Not since the mission started, no.” Steve said, flashing a look of deep concern into his eyes, one he carried quite often these days— what with dealing with the younger avengers and all. Especially Kate and Yelena. Which was ironic considering the fact that they were the oldest ones in that group.
“Of course they’re missing together.” Natasha laughed, still focusing intently on properly filing Iris’s parents into SHIELD’s database, while Iris watched— somewhat hoping she’d make a mistake and would have to release them, but mainly relieved.
No. They’re your family.
“Are this ‘Kate’ and ‘Yelena’ together?” The sad-eyed girl whispered to Wanda.
“Best friends.” She replied, too quickly.
“Those kids are gonna be the death of me.” Clint groaned. “Natasha, I blame you.”
Natasha just threw a pen at him, stolen from one of the incomplete files.
“So, they haven’t yet returned from mission?” Steve questioned. “We wrapped up almost twenty minutes ago; we’re going to have to leave soon. Why aren’t they back yet?”
“You think I know?”
“Well, we have to find them.”
“No shit, Sherlock.” Tony added from his corner of the quinjet, where he was tinkering with some holographic figure.
“Look, Cap, if you aren’t gonna be helpful—” Clint started, dropping the towel from his still wet hair in defeat.
“I saw them.” Pietro flashed by in a blink— so quick his voice only travelled after he left the place; and stole one of Clint’s energy drinks in the process. “Didn’t see that coming, did you, old man?” Pietro made another quick stop by to add, before disappearing in a sapphire blue blur.
“Wha— Pietro! I’d like some more information than that. And my energy drink back.” Clint called after, also muttering something under his breath about ‘kids these days’ and how they 'shouldn't be given any kind of super ability’ and how ‘it wasn’t fair that they had powers and he’s been stuck on this team for over 13 years without any’.
“God, I can’t wait to retire.”
“In your dreams, Barton.” Natasha laughed again.
“Yelena are you sure we should be doing this?” A girl with a high ponytail of black curls and big blue eyes said. “Clint is gonna be so pissed.”
“Which is exactly why we should be doing this.” Said a Russian accent— a blonde, with her braids tied up in an elaborate crown.
“See Yelena— he isn’t gonna take it out on you because well, he’s scared of you. But what he is going to do is take it out on me and probably take away my bow privileges. And we don’t want that.”
“Kate Bishop stop being such a worry. It’s fine. So what you don't have your medieval weapon for like a week? Just means we,” She grabs Kate’s arm, uncomfortably from the cramped position they were in, and starts shaking her, “can have more fun! Which you so obviously need.”
“I do have fun!” Kate was offended now, crossing her arms at her chest, yanking them away from Yelena’s freakishly strong grip. “You know what; it’ll be funny to see him so worked up and worried. Plus, we are using his hiding spot so he’s going to be even more annoyed. And Natasha will probably be entertained.”
The two girls were inside a small vent of the aircraft. Just perfectly fitting them both so that they could breathe sufficiently but their arms were touching. No— more like their arms were pressing.
From their position, they could see everything happening in the main part of the quinjet: Clint losing it over them being ‘missing’ whilst they were just above him, Steve and Tony fighting over God knows what, Sam and Bucky having what looked like a thumb war, Bruce looking fed up, Natasha looking entertained, and lastly a girl with beautifully sad blue eyes getting examined by a tired Stephen.
“Is that the hostage?” Kate asked, examining the scene below them intently, which she seemed to do a lot these days.
“Probably. Her eyes…”
“Yeah, I know. They reek of despair. God, would you look at her? She looks like she’s been through it. What do you think they’ll do with her?”
“Maybe Tony Stark will take her in. He seems to be collecting kids like infinity stones.” Yelena said, deadpan, which set off some laughter from Kate.
“Oh my god, are we part of his collection?” Kate added, still snickering.
“You know, we probably are, Kate Bishop. The oldest ones in his collection. Relics.” Yelena was also giggling now.
For a few minutes, the girls kept adding and adding to the joke, until it hurt them to laugh— until they couldn't breathe. Sounds of laughter and wheezing and the girls grabbing and hitting each-other for breath echoed in the metal walls, and through the railing.
“What’s that.” Clint looked up at the vent railing and the immense cackling arriving from it like a speaker. He knew.
“Shit.” Kate muttered, making one-sided eye contact with her mentor.
“What— oh yeah. Shit.” Yelena says, recovering from her laughing fit, and seeing what her best friend saw.
“He looks mad. Right? Yelena, do you think he looks mad?” Kate’s voice had a touch of panic in it.
“Well.” Yelena said uncertainly.
“Oh my god you think he’s mad. I’m so done. Goodbye my bow, you were good.” Kate kissed her top choice of weapon with a maternal look. Yelena scoffed.
“Girls. Come down.” Clint’s deadpan voice carried through the vents, echoing.
Yelena and Kate stood guiltily in front of an incredibly angry looking Clint and a more disappointed Steve.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was?!” Clint snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut. Kate flinched at this slightly, and Clint lowered his tone in response. “You two are supposed to be the oldest of your team— you’re supposed to lead them— and here you are, being the most irresponsible of them all.” Clint began lecturing, while Kate and Yelena both looked down at the floor; and they didn’t have to look at each-other to know that they were both on the verge of losing it.
“Girls, look at Barton when he’s speaking to you. He makes some valid points.” Steve said in his authoritative voice again, forcing the girls to look up and bite down on their lips so they wouldn't laugh.
“Thanks Cap. I thought maybe you’d have been captured by Hydra— or maybe you—” he noticed that they looked like they were about to burst into laughter, which got him even more frustrated. “This is not funny! Kate— you don’t get to go out on missions for at least a week.”
“That’s not fair! What about Yelena?”
“Natasha can handle that.” And they all knew she wouldn't. Natasha was more entertained by this prank than anything. “And it is fair. You need to learn responsibility, and you won't do that unless you understand that there will be consequences to your actions.” Clint said, his tone softer now, as if he felt bad for yelling at her for the last ten minutes. He didn't mean for his words to come out so harsh. But they did anyway.
Kate groaned, handed over her bow, and felt something twist in her chest for a split second— it was gone before she could register it. Clint, when taking her bow in carefully, gave Kate a look that clearly asked, ‘You okay?’ Kate ignored it.
"Kate look at me." Clint said, his voice firm but soft. "Katie." That made her look up.
"What? You're not finished berating me?" Kate put up an annoyed facade. But deep down she was just upset at being yelled at. She hated being yelled at more than anything. Clint knew that— and the fact that he did hurt more.
"You know I just want what's best for you, right? I care about you, Kate. I know you think it's all fun and games— this gig. But it isn't. People get hurt. Badly. You know that. I just can't bare you getting hurt, okay?"
Kate didn't say anything, just looked down.
"Katie."
"Yeah. Okay." She mumbled, walking away, leaving Clint in his guilt.
She knew Clint didn't mean to hurt her— he was just terrified. But somehow, that weighed worse.
Her mood wasn’t too spoiled though, as she searched the room and found Yelena grabbing a drink of water and taking a seat next to the Maximoff twins.
Kate made her way over to the sleek plastic seats and plopped down next to Yelena.
"Oh, Kate Bishop, take that look off your face. It is not flattering.”
“Shut up.” Kate elbowed Yelena. “Hey, Wands, who’s that?”
Wanda opened her mouth to say something, but Pietro’s voice came out instead.
“Iris. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? I was assigned to chaperone her out of there, so basically, I saved her.”
“Er, we did.” Wanda corrected.
“Whatever. But warning— she doesn't take flirting nicely. She did not respond well to me.”
“Yeah, well maybe that’s ‘cause it was you.” Kate shot back.
Pietro rolled his eyes immaturely— an attempt to loosen the tension he saw Kate carry.
“Anyway,” Kate started, ignoring Pietro. “She looks… I can’t quite place it but her eyes—”
“Yeah, they're so sad. She looks like she's been put through a war-zone with her hands tied.” Wanda finished, offering Kate and Yelena the snack bowl. Yelena grabbed a Mars-bar. Kate's fingers twitched but she shook her head.
“No thanks. But yeah. ‘Lena and I were talking about this earlier. You know— when we were in the vents and everyone was all worried. Allegedly.”
“I wasn’t. I knew where you were.” Pietro said mid apple bite.
“How— never mind. Don’t wanna know. Don’t care.” Kate surrendered.
“Pietro Maximoff you are a little bit weird, you know that? Kate Bishop can stay oblivious if she wants. But I want to know, how could you possibly have known we were in the vents?”
“I saw you.” He replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“When?” Yelena seemed fed up.
“When you went in.” Pietro continued in his ‘duh’ tone.
“I didn’t see you when we went in. There was no one around.”
“Well of course you didn't see me. I’m fast.”
"Why on earth did I retire from assassinating and decide to join you guys?"
"Because I'm here." Kate said sweetly.
Yelena looked like she wanted to kill both herself and Pietro— she was done with this conversation, so she just rolled her hazel eyes while Kate laughed at the interaction.
“You think she needs saving? She looks done with those tests.” Kate joked, observing Iris and Stephen intently.
“She seems comfortable.” Wanda noticed.
“Yeah, with Doctor Strange, not the examinations.”
“I would hate being poked and prodded by a bunch of strangers too.” Pietro responded.
“Yeah, but she knows that we aren’t going to hurt her, right?” Yelena asked, now paying attention to the scene as well.
“Not sure. When I told her about the Avengers she had no idea who any of us were. I’m pretty sure she’s been kept in that lab for life.”
“Oh god.”
Words of sympathy which came across as pity echoed in the area, Kate zoned out, catching little bits while looking at Iris.
“Can we stop feeling sorry for her, please? This is ridiculous you all hate when someone pities you and you all do the same thing.” Kate snapped. Yelena looked at her sharply, surprised.
Kate got up and walked up to Iris, plastering a smile on her face.