Chapter Text
“They really like you,” Kate pointed out to Kara as they walked in Central Park. They had stopped by a shop to buy her a long coat which covered her red and blue suit. The trees were bright with leaves, and squirrels were running around the meadow. It was nearly two o’clock.
“They’re fun to be around,” Kara shrugged.
Kate’s friends had forced Kara to promise to come back to see them again some day and the girl had gladly accepted.
“You guys all live in New York ?” the blonde girl asked.
Kate shook her head. “Most of them still live with their family. For example Shuri’s from Wakanda and Cassie’s from California. Mr. Stark lets us have rooms in the tower but there’s usually not as many of us at the same time.”
“The entire tower is for the Avengers ?”
“Yep. Pretty cool, huh ?”
“How long have you been one of them ?”
“Almost a year. I kinda forced Clint to let me be one.”
Kara laughed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me ?”
They kept on walking, in silence, for a little while. They reached the end of the park and started to walk in the New York streets. Kate was desperately looking for something interesting to say. She’d never had that problem before — she usually just said whatever came to her mind but in that moment… she simply couldn’t find the right words to say to interest Kara. The blonde girl seemed lost in her thoughts anyway.
“Do you often go to space ?” Kate asked the girl on her left. That’s a good thing to say, she thought to herself.
“Yeah, like all the time. I could take you sometime.”
“Really ?” Kate replied hopefully.
“Totally ! It’ll be super fun.”
The flow of people around them was continuing. Considering the fact that they were in New York there weren’t that many people in the street — but then again most people had gotten back to work. Out of the blue, someone bumped into Kate’s shoulder.
“Sorry,” the man muttered. Kate turned to him with a frown. He was wearing sunglasses, a cap and a long coat.
“Wait till we get to Holzherr,” Kara was saying. “There’s some amazing bars over there… My last birthday… I turned 23 there and I—”
“I’m also 23 !” Kate said excitedly. “That’s insane ! I thought you would be like three thousand years old !”
Kara laughed with a raised eyebrow. “Why the heck would I be so old ?”
Kate pointed her finger to the sky. “‘Cause you’re from space ?”
“I’m not even—”
“Help ! Somebody help me !”
The two girls immediately turned their heads toward a woman who was shouting, ahead of them. She was surrounded by three men wearing black balaclavas. There was also a girl with red hair, being held by both the woman and one of the criminals.
“Let’s go of her !” the woman shouted.
Unconsciously, Kate did what she was trained to do : she ran toward the small group.
“Hey !” Kara called, running after her. “Wait for me !”
But one of the people, a short man, pulled a gun out of his pocket and aimed it in the air before shooting. With a frightened gasp, the woman lost her claim on the girl and let go of her. She was yanked away by the person holding her and let out a scream.
Two of the men started to run away, while the other one shot in the air again. “If anyone follows us, I’ll kill ‘em !”
The threat didn’t slow down Kate and Kara. The two men who were ahead entered some building on their right. Kate started to regret her decision of taking nothing but her phone and her wallet with her. The man with a gun was slow and the two girls quickly reached him. Kara ran faster and she went past the man ; she jumped on a street light and twirled around it. Without a word having been exchanged between the two girls, Kate knew exactly what to do. Kara’s legs hit the man in the chest and he was propulsed backward, straight into Kate who tackled him.
“Rahhh,” he screamed as he fell down. Kate kicked away the gun he was holding and Kara stepped on his stomach.
“Go find the girl !” she shouted to Kate. The mother came running after the girls, tears on her cheeks.
“They took my girl. They took my baby girl !”
Kara grabbed the man by the collar and held him up ; his feet dangled above the ground. “What are you after ?” she asked menacingly.
Kate didn’t linger to hear the answer ; she ran into the building, opening the door widely with a push of her arm.
She was at the bottom of a staircase — probably the emergency exit of the building. The door silently closed behind her. Hiding on the side was one of the men, who jumped on her. The other man and the girl were nowhere in sight. Kate ducked to avoid the man’s hit and sent her fist straight into the side of his head. The man groaned loudly but turned around and attacked again. He tried to hit Kate on the side of the head but she grabbed his left arm with both hands. The man smirked and punched her in the ribs with his other hand.
“Ow !” Kate complained as she released the man to place a hand on her side.
Before he could take advantage of his hit, she threw her leg in his direction. But the man grabbed it and pushed her away from him. Kate tumbled against the wall behind her ; the man didn’t wait for her and took the stairs — probably to join his other friend.
Kate didn’t let him escape. “Where do you think you’re going ?” She ran to him, grabbed his ankle as he was moving up and yanked him down. The man let out a small shout and fell all the way down the stairs.
Kate heard a tumble above her head. “Hurry up !” shouted a voice a few floors higher. The girl passed her head over the headrail to look up. About four floors ahead, she saw two figures walking quickly. But before she could move, something grabbed her ankle. It was the man she had pushed down the stairs.
“Are you kidding m—”
The man brought her down the exact same way she had five seconds before. But as she slid down the stairs, Kate raised her leg up and kicked the man in the face. He grabbed his nose with a wail.
Suddenly, the door opened again and Kara entered the building.
“They want money !” she told Kate as she grabbed the man between them and pushed his head against the wall. The man went numb and fell at her feet.
“So do I,” Kate muttered as she stood up and started to run up the stairs. She frowned when she saw that instead of following her, Kara was looking up from the ground. “What are you doing ?”
Kara smiled and bent down slightly before jumping. She took off and started to fly through the staircase.
“I’m so jealous right now,” Kate said as she kept on running up the stairs, a hand on her rib.
Kara disappeared and Kate accelerated when she heard the sound of a fight.
“No ! Please no !” the third man screamed. Kate leaned over the landrail and was nearly decapitated by the man falling through.
“Looks like you didn’t need me,” Kate said with a smile as she reached Kara who was crouched in front of the little girl.
“Of course I did, I wouldn’t have had the time to get the other guy if it hadn’t been for you.”
“That flying thing…” Kate started.
“You’re an angel,” the little girl cut off, staring at Kara with wide eyes.
The blonde winced a little. “Not exactly.”
A little bit.
Kate wanted Kara to be as impressed by her as she was. In a way, it reminded her of when she had first met Yelena. But that time was different, because she didn’t want Kara to simply admire her. She wanted something else. Something more.
“What ?” Kara laughed.
Kate directed her gaze elsewhere when she realized that she had been staring at Kara without a word for at least five seconds.
“Nothing,” Kate mumbled. “Just making sure the girl’s okay.”
You don’t even really know her, Kate, she thought.
Kara slowly nodded before turning to the young girl. “Let’s bring you to your mother.”
“Emily ?” asked a careful voice from down the stairs.
“Mom !” the little girl exclaimed, running down to her mother.
Kate and Kara slowly followed, Kate still holding her ribcage. Outside of the building, they heard police sirens getting closer.
“So they kidnapped the girl for money ?”
“Yeah,” Kara nodded. “The mother told me that they’re probably her rich husband’s enemies or something like that.”
“The usual,” Kate sighed.
“Thank you ! Thank you so much !” the woman said from the bottom of the stairs, her daughter in her arms.
“That’s our job,” Kate said with a small smile, as though it was nothing.
“Her job,” Kara corrected, pointing at Kate.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” the woman said.
“It’s really nothing,” Kate laughed.
“Great,” Kara said. “We can go now.”
“What ? No,” Kate protested.
“Why not ? They’re fine.”
“Yeah but we can help them more,” Kate replied with a raised eyebrow. The woman watched the exchange with confusion
“That woman’s older than us, she doesn’t need babysitters.”
Kate opened and closed her mouth, looking for something to answer that argument. Not finding anything she turned toward the mother and the daughter. “Do you need anything else ?”
“I think we’re okay now,” the one on the left replied. “Thanks for the help. I think you can listen to your friend. The police are right outside anyway.”
“Byeee,” Kara sang as she went to the door and stepped outside without looking back.
Kate trotted after her. “That was nice.”
“What was ?”
“Being a superhero with you.”
Kara glanced at her sideways. “Yeah… It wasn’t too bad,” she smiled.