Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sunday was supposed to be her day off from any bullshit.

During the week she would deal with whatever was going on at Bishop security, having taken over the role as CEO after her mother had been thrown in jail. She then hired a bunch of people Clint helped her find to help run the company because Kate knew she was incapable on her own, and honestly didn’t want that amount of responsibility, anyway. 

At night she would keep an eye on the app Ned had coded for her a year or so ago, and head off if there was anyone who needed help, or if there were any crimes being committed. 

Saturday’s were spent working on her arrows, using the tech she had acquired from Avengers tower, which hadn’t been sold like Clint had told her, but passed down to some unnamed hero. 

Clint got her a nanotech bow that was just a watch on her wrist until she summoned it, and a few arrows that Kate would upgrade every so often, but she also needed non-nanotech arrows, ones that folded and clipped onto her belt inconspicuously, allowing Kate to always have her bow and arrows with her. 

But Sundays, those were the days she spent recharging, walking around central park with Lucky, or going for coffee at her favourite places, going shopping, just anything that would relax her mind. 

So, she wasn’t supposed to be dealing with being told that she had completely forgotten someone who had apparently come to be very important to her on a Sunday afternoon. 

She was walking Lucky in central park when he started pulling, tail wagging like he had spotted someone he knew, or someone who had pizza.

“Lucky, chill out,” Kate grumbled, but he kept pulling, right to this kid sitting on a bench, hunched over his phone, his whole demeanour screaming someone who was weighed down by the world.

He jumped when Lucky was suddenly all up on him, licking at his face in a way Lucky would only do with people he knew.

Kate frowned at the boy laugh softly, scratching his ears. “Hey, buddy, fancy meeting you here.”

“Do you know him?”

The boy’s head shot up, his mouth opening as if to say something, but there was something in his features that gave Kate pause, like he knew her .

“Uh, no. No, I guess not.”

“He doesn’t like people, but he came straight over to you.” 

“Maybe he just knows when someone needs a little pick me up.” Peter gave a half smile with a shrug.

“You alright?” Kate frowned. 

Peter huffed out a little laugh, looking back down at his phone. “It’s just been a year .”

“I feel that,” Kate hummed, something odd settling in her chest, and urge to just protect this kid. "You wanna talk about it?”

Kate ended up sitting beside him for a few hours, both trading stories, Peter giving her a funny look when she mentioned being partnered with Clint Barton.

“You know Hawkeye?”

“I do, do you?”

Peter swallowed, shaking his head as she started down at his hands, then he shrugged.

“You’re only telling me half truths,” Kate pointed out, because that had been plenty obvious with the stories Peter had told, he had left out a lot of little details. 

“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “Can we get pizza and I’ll tell you everything?”

Lucky’s head shot up at the mention of pizza. “Sure, Lucky loves pizza.”

Peter didn’t say anything as they finished off the pizza, or for a while afterward.

“Would you believe me if I told you we know each other?”

Kate looked at the boy, no older than eighteen but the turmoil in his eyes showed someone who had been through so much, too much for such a  short lifetime. He looked sincere, also a little like he was pleading with Kate to just give him a chance, so Kate found herself nodding.

“I don’t- I have no idea who you are but yes.”

His shoulders seemed to sag at that, like he hadn’t actually expected Kate to say yes, like her saying yes was just a weight lifted from his shoulders. 

“You’re going to have to give me a little more, though, Peter. Why do I not remember you?”

Peter spent the night telling her everything, from when they met, to everything that went down that night at the Statue of Liberty, a fight Kate didn’t remember, but she did remember the news saying the Statue fell apart due to shoddy construction work, and how he had to make it so everyone forgot who Peter Parker was. 

How he had lost his aunt May, his girlfriend, his best friend, “And you,” He sniffed, motioning to Kate. “You were like a sister to me. I just- I lost everyone. I didn’t have anywhere to live, no job, I didn’t finish high school. Everything just- I have nothing left.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kate placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“I have, uh,” Peter sniffed, digging around in his pockets for his phone, messing around with it does a few seconds before turning it to Kate, showing her a photo of the two of them, perched on the counter of Kate’s kitchen, leaning against each other, both grinning big at the camera. “That was taken not long after Christmas, we were working on that.”

Peter pointed to the watch wrapped around Kate’s wrist, the watch that materialised into Kate’s bow when prompted.

“Does it still work?” 

“Perfectly,” Kate hummed, her eyes still not leaving the phone as her fingers traced the watch. “Peter, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine, I fucked up and paid for it.” Peter sighed. “I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to just throw myself back into everyone’s life, I ruined a lot of things for people.”

“I’m glad you told me.” Kate said. “Do you have a place to stay now?”

“Kind of, maybe not after this month because I do not have enough for rent.” Peter let out an embarrassed little laugh.

“I have a place, one I haven’t touched since my mother was taken, you can stay there.” Kate offered.

She didn’t remember this kid, not really, but something in her gut was telling her he was important to her, something was telling her that he needed her help right now, needed someone to help keep his head above water.

“What? Kate, no, you don’t have to do that. I know how much that place means to you, I couldn’t-”

“I haven’t been back since before my mom left, I can’t face it, but I would rather it got some use, especially by someone who needs it.” Kate said. “Come on, Peter, you help everyone else every time you put that mask on, you’ve given up so much, let me help.”

Peter swallowed, then laughed sadly, eyes dropping to his hands. “You’ve said that to me before, when you wanted to help with the guys who came through the portal, I didn’t want you to help because I was scared you would get hurt but you insisted. You said that to me, almost word for word.”

“I don’t remember that fight,”

“No, Strange wiped everyone’s memory about it, because there were multiple Spider’s and they saw my face on the news during the fight.” Peter explained. “You were so good, though, took down the Lizard.”

“You’ll need to tell me about that another time,”

“It was really cool, until the end.” Peter hummed. “I’m sorry for dumping this all on you, I really didn’t expect to reconcile with anyone from before.”

“I’m glad you did, the thought of you out there on your own.” Kate shook her head, her stomach sinking, heart aching for the boy, out there on his own, no one in the world on his side. “We will figure it out. MJ, Ned, Happy. Everyone, we will figure it out, okay?”

Peter nodded, Kate wasn’t sure if he believed her or not, and she wasn’t sure how they would fix it, but they had to at least try.

–

Peter was just kind of always there after that, whether it was while Kate was out at night dealing with whatever had come up, or at work when he would swing onto her balcony with food and keep her company while she deal with whatever fuck up was currently going on, or in her apartment with his textbooks, studying for whatever exam he had coming up.

And Kate kind of loved it, while she still had a few people who were there for her, and people still knew who she was, she was lonely, so it was nice to just have Peter around.

It did take her a bit to get used to coming home from work to find Peter hanging upside down from the ceiling, book in hand.

“You know the sofa is perfectly comfortable, don’t you?” Kate muttered, launching a pillow at Peter, who easily caught it, throwing it back on the sofa. 

“I think better like this,” He said, lowering his book to look at Kate. “How was that meeting?”

“Fine,” Kate sighed, running her hands through her hair as she moved to the fridge to grab a beer. “Some of the people in the place are morons though, the IT guy got caught funnelling funds. Even I know how to cover my tracks with that kinda shit, he didn’t even bother, probably thought I was too dumb to notice.”

“Did you fire him?” Peter asked, landing soundlessly on his feet and moving to the kitchen, grabbing the leftover lasagne to heat up for them. 

“I did, as soon as he transferred all the money back.” Kate leaned back against the counter, yawning. “It was just a long day.”

“Sounds like it.” Peter hummed. 

“You any good with IT stuff?” Kate asked, Peter hopping up on the counter alongside her. 

“What, like, fixing computers? Or software stuff?”

“Both.”

“I’m good at fixing things, okay with software stuff.” Peter shrugged. “Why?”

“Do you want a job?” Kate offered, and Peter snorted, frowning when he realised Kate was serious.

“As if a company like yours is going to hire a high school drop out.”

“Well, lucky enough I know the owner, and she needs more people she can trust.” Kate said. “I know you’re busy with studying for the GED, and with the spider stuff, so if you don’t want to that's fine-”

“No, I do.” Peter cut in. “I could actually really use a job, I don’t have any money, I eat all your food and whatever I get free while on patrol.”

Kate nodded. “Perfect, I can take you in tomorrow and show you around, have one of the guys show you the ropes.”

–

Kate had nightmares, quiet often, and, really, not much had happened to her when compared to Peter, so she wasn’t surprised when she woke up one night, having learned to add alarms to her windows after Yelena happened, to a sheepish Peter in her living room and a blaring alarm through her apartment.

“Pete?” Kate squinted sleepily at the boy, dressed in clothes far too big for him, dark circles under his eyes, exhausted and small looking . “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry,” He muttered. “I get nightmares, and tonight's was a lot. I just- I feel safe here, I wanted to just crash on your couch. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“You’re fine, it’s okay.” Kate assured, padding down the stairs and over to the boy, pulling him in for a hug. “Come sit, do you want to talk about it?”

“I just- I was back there, on Titan, and everyone was there; Aunt May, Ned, MJ, you, everyone I care about and I was trying so hard to save them but I couldn’t. And he killed everyone, one by one. I couldn’t- why couldn’t I save her?” Peter looked up at her, tears pulling in his eyes, filled with grief, and Kate knew this wasn’t about the dream, this was about May. “Why can I save all these strangers but I couldn’t save the one person who meant the most to me? Someone I loved.”

“I know, it’s not fair.” Kate nodded, nudging her head toward the sofa. “Let’s go sit.”

Kate put the TV, Golden Girls reruns playing in the background, neither of them really watching, just staring unfocused at it. 

“I’m sorry for waking you,”

“That’s okay. I learned pretty quickly after Yelena to put alarms on my doors and windows.” Kate chuckled.

“Yelena?” 

“The one who tried to kill Clint? Natasha’s sister,” Kate clarified, she had mentioned her briefly in her stories at the park, though not by name. "She broke in one night, we had mac and cheese, it was odd.”

“Sounds it,” Peter nodded. “Have you seen her since?”

“A few days later, we fought. Kind of? That was odd, too, I know she was a widow, she could have easily taken me down but she didn’t. I asked her to go for drinks during the fight.”

Peter whistled playfully. “How very romantic of you,”

“Oh, shut it,” Kate gently pushed his head, making him laugh softly. 

“What did she say?”

“Yes, but after she killed Clint.” Kate snorted. 

“Cute,” Peter teased, smirking when Kate rolled her eyes at him. “Natasha was nice to me. Showed me how to fight a little better, some tips and tricks. Really helped me get better, I was just a bumbling teenager before that.”

“You’re still a bumbling teenager,” Kate shot back, laughing when Peter grumbled. “Yelena loved her, I could see that very clearly.”

“Is this just what life is like for people like us?” Peter questioned. “Losing people we love?”

Kate shrugged, again, in the grand scheme of things, Kate hadn’t lost much. Her mother was still alive; a criminal and made sure Kate knew she was dead to her, but alive. Peter lost everything he knew, Yelena her only family and, from what Clint had mentioned of the Red Room, her childhood. 

“Maybe? I don’t know.” Kate sighed. “I think when you do the right thing, even when it isn’t the good thing, you are bound to lose people.”

“Do you think it’s worth it?”

“Yes,” Kate said. “If I was to go back, I would still call the police on my mom.”

“If I was to go back I’m not sure I would help those men.” Peter admitted quietly. “It cost me my aunt. I don’t- Does that make me a bad person?”

“No, not at all.” Kate shook her head. “I think our situations are very different.”

“I almost killed him that day, the Goblin. I wanted to, would have had one of the other Peter’s not stopped me.” Peter swallowed thickly. “He didn’t know what he was doing. Osborne, I mean, when he was the Goblin he had no control, he didn’t even remember the things he did. But even then, when it was just the man and not the Goblin, I wanted so bad to kill him.”

“He took someone you loved away from you, you shouldn’t be ashamed of the anger that caused.” Kate placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “But don’t let it consume you. Don’t let what ifs and if I coulds rule your life, that will only cause you pain.”

Peter nodded, solemn. 

“You’re good, Pete. Your heart, soul, is good. You protect people, even if they don’t deserve it. You shoulder so much and still keep fighting, you should be proud of yourself for that.” Kate said. “You are allowed to feel things; anger, pain, you’re allowed to feel that. And you will screw up, but what defines you is how you fix it.”

Peter nodded again, melting back into the sofa. “Thank you.”

“Any time,” Kate promised. “You know where the blanket and pillows are, help yourself.”

Kate got up, making her way toward the stairs.

“Kate,” Kate turned back to see the boy peeking over the sofa, chin resting on the back, looking far too young for what he had been through. “Seriously, thank you.”

“Of course, Pete.” Kate smiled. “Goodnight, kid.”

“Night,”

–

Kate had to wonder if saying Yelena’s name somehow summoned her, like the Candyman or Beetlejuice. She honestly felt a little guilty, for not briefing Peter on Yelena fully, but she really didn’t think she would ever see her again.

So, when she came home from work on Friday, ready to just sleep the week away, and found Peter tied up with his own webbing against the railing of the stairs, tape over his mouth, a cheerful Yelena on the sofa with Lucky, she honestly almost turned around and when back to sleep on the sofa in her office.

“What- Yelena, what did you do to him?” Kate sighed, moving to Peter, who’s eyes were wide, looking entirely frazzled. 

“Nothing, he is fine.” Yelena waved her hand dismissively, going back to petting Lucky.

Kate pulled the tape of his mouth, apologising when Peter winced. “How do I get rid of the webbing?”

“You can’t, it dissolves after a while.” Peter glared at Yelena, who was peeking over the back of the sofa at them, much like Peter had not a week ago. “Why was she coming in through the window, there is a door, you know.”

“There was a strange boy in the apartment, I had to make sure you were not robbing the place, the security here is awful.” Yelena tutted, motioning to Kate. “You run a security business, Kate Bishop, why does your security suck?”

“She has a point,” Peter hummed, looking sheepish when Kate glared at him. 

“I- No, she doesn’t.” Kate snapped, glaring at Yelena. “ You shouldn’t be breaking into my place.”

“I did not-”

“Break anything, I know.” Kate sighed, running a hand over her face. “If you’re gonna be there for a while I will get you a pillow to sit on.” 

Kate grabbed the pillow beside Yelena with a glare, which Yelena simple smiled in response, looking entirely too pretty in her green sweatshirt and black jeans. "That's not cool." Kate snapped, jabbing her finger toward Peter. 

"He shot first,"

"I did not," Peter argued. 

"Did too."

"She pulled a gun," Peter said to Kate, lifting himself up so she could slip the pillow under him. 

"But I did not shoot," Yelena pointed out. 

Peter huffed, resting her forehead against the barrier and peering up at Kate, who pouted almost teasingly. 

"Don't worry, bud, it happened to the best of us." She said, ruffling his hair. "She threw me off a roof."

"Ah, good times." Yelena smiled, like she was reminiscing, Peter flashing Kate an incredulous look.

"Why are you here, Yelena?" Kate asked, going to get Peter a can of Dr Pepper, slipping a straw inside and setting it a few stairs up for him to reach. 

"You owe me a drink, no?" 

"That was months ago," Kate frowned. "And I know you have my number, you could have just called."

"I wanted to surprise you," Yelena tutted. "Where is your flair for the dramatic, Kate Bishop?"

"The last time you broke in you were trying to kill me,"

"No, I was trying to kill Barton, which we sorted. Come on, keep up."

Kate sighed, moving to sit on the armchair across from Yelena. "You come through the window?" 

"I did,"

"You should really keep that alarm on," Peter offered. "It's useless otherwise."

"He makes a good point," Yelena pointed back at Peter. 

Kate was just too tired to deal with whatever the fuck was happening, or wherever it was going. 

"I'm gonna order pizza," She muttered, fishing her phone from her pocket. "Pineapple good with you two."

She knew Peter's answer so she didn't even have to look to see him nod, her eyes on Yelena instead, honestly expecting her lips to turn up in disgust, hoping for it as a small screw you to her for breaking into her apartment. 

Kate was slightly disappointed when Yelena beamed, smile unabashed and far too cute for someone who, by all intents and purposes, had a teenager tied up a few feet away. 

Kate turned on the TV after ordering, like she was just hanging out with old friends. "Why did you tape up his mouth?" Kate questioned passively.

"He is a lot like you, Kate Bishop. Talks too much." Peter scoffed, grumbling something under his breath. 

"Fair enough," Kate hummed, shrugging when Peter narrowed his eyes at her. "How did you manage to get his hands tied up? Was it like a stop hitting yourself kinda thing?"

"I don't know what that is,"

"Like, where you take their hands and make them hit themselves. It's bullying, really."

"He used his webby thing to get my gun so I used my Widows bite to incapacitate him then tied him up." Yelena shrugged, turning back to Peter, whose cheek was squished against the railing, eyes on the TV on the wall. 

Peter was finally able to get his hands free just after the pizza arrived, sitting on the opposite end of the sofa from Yelena, as far away as possible, and helping himself to the food. 

Kate should really ask some questions, why there was an assassin in her home, was she here to kill someone? Was she here to kill Kate? She really shouldn't be just having Pizza and watching Brooklyn 99 reruns like they were old friends. 

Peter headed home after eating, checking to make sure Kate would be okay without him, but Kate waved him off, Yelena wouldn't spend so long around the scene if she was going to murder her. 

"Text me later?" He said, eyeing Yelena as he made for the window, mask half on his head. 

"I will, see you tomorrow."

Peter nodded, scratching Lucky's head before thwipping out the window. 

"You hang around with a lot of super heroes, don't you?"

"Two," Kate clarified. 

"Two more than most people,"

"Why are you here?" Kate asked again. "You just disappear into the night then show back up four months later."

"If you are mad I tied up your boyfriend I already said I am sorry."

"First of all, you didn't apologise, but you should." Kate said.  "Secondly, absolutely not. He's not my boyfriend, he's like a little brother."

Yelena hummed, nodding slightly. "I was in the city, though I would stop by and make sure you were not getting into trouble."

There was more to it than that, there had to be, because they weren't friends, acquaintances at best, but Kate wouldn't even go that far. 

Yet, here Kate was, having had an awful day at work, anxiety -which was new to her, she had never dealt with it prior to Kingpin- through the roof before she got home, sitting entirely at ease. 

"There's more to it than that." Kate said, eyeing Yelena carefully. 

"Okay," Yelena hummed, nodding, and Kate waited for her to tell her she was on a job, that she needed help with a job, that Kate was her job. "I do not have any friends, it is not a luxury afforded to someone like me, but it kind of felt like maybe it could be."

That threw Kate, so far from what she had expected that she just blinked at Yelena for entirely too long, eyebrows raised in surprise. 

"I can leave if you would rather," Yelena offered, but Kate could see it, even if it was just for a split second, the disappointment, sadness, as she attempted to stand. 

"I didn't say that," Kate said quickly, stopping Yelena from getting up. "I just- I guess I don't understand. Why, of all places, you'd come here."

"Part because I do not really have anywhere else to go, no one else to go to. I only had Nat, and my relationship with my parents is strained at best." Yelena explained with a little shrug, but Kate was able to read between the lines. 

She was lonely. 

“But I also wanted to check in, make sure no one had killed you yet.”

“I appreciate it.” Kate hummed. “Do you have a place to stay? The sofa is comfortable if you need it.”

“Sweet, but no thank you, I have a place.” Yelena said. “I have finished what I needed to finish, I don’t have anything lined up. I think I want to spend some time doing something for myself, I have never had the opportunity to do that.”

“So, you’re planning on staying in New York?”

“For a bit, sure.” Yelena hummed. “You seem to have a lot of issues here, why is it all the supervillains come to this city?”

“I wish I knew,” Kate shrugged. “Why anyone lives here is a mystery.”

Kate stood with a groan, Lucky lift his head to watch her disappear into the kitchen.

“Beer?” Kate asked as she passed the back of the sofa. 

“Sure,” 

Kate grabbed two and twisted the caps, handing one off to Yelena.

"Does this count as that drink?" Yelena asked, eyes on Kate as she fell back into the armchair, tired groan leaving her lips.

"If you want it to,"

It was silent for more of the night after that, both just watching TV until Kate called it a night not long after midnight. 

"You can crash here or let yourself out," Kate said as she stood. 

"I should be getting back anyway," Yelena stood with her, heading for the window while Kate went for the stairs. "Thank you for the girls' night, Kate Bishop."

Kate turned back to Yelena, who looked genuinely grateful. "Are you going to tell me to not get in your way again?"

"I hope that's not the case," She said, tethering herself to the ground as she hopped up onto the windowsill. "Goodnight, Kate Bishop."

Chapter Text

Kate didn't expect to see Yelena again, at least for a while, so when she woke up on Sunday morning to a light knock on her door and opened it to Yelena leaning against the doorframe with two coffees in one hand and a brown bag in the other. 

Kate squinted sleepily through one eye, scratching the back of her head as she tried to register what was going on. 

"Your Spider boy isn't here I hope, I only got two coffees."

"Huh?" Kate stumbled a little to the side when Yelena brushed past her. "Come in." Kate muttered. 

"Why are you asleep at this hour?" Yelena tutted, setting the cup holder down on the table and opened the bag. 

"It's nine am," Kate scowled. 

"Yes," Yelena nodded, like Kate still being asleep at this time was the most outrageous thing she'd ever heard. 

"It was a long week," Kate answered simply, falling down onto the chair by the table, chin in her palm. 

"It's just black," Yelena said, setting the coffee drown in front of Kate. "You seem like a vanilla latte kind of girl, though."

"Actually, black is perfect." Kate said, taking a sip of the coffee, a little satisfied when Yelena gave a little impressed eyebrow raise, taking the pastry out of the bag and setting it down in front of Kate, tutting when Kate eyed it suspiciously. 

"It is not poisoned, Kate Bishop, come on."

"What are you doing, Yelena?"

"What do you mean?" Yelena frowned, sitting down directly beside Kate, not across the table, but the chair right beside her at the small table, their knees knocking together. 

"We fight, you try to kill my partner, and then you disappear for four months. You show up out of nowhere, tie up my best friend then just show up with coffee and pastries."

Yelena frowned, looking down at the coffee and food. "Isn't this what friends do?"

Kate blinked at that. "What part of our history pointed to us being friends?"

"We bonded over mac and cheese, no? And we sparred that night, you asked me to go for drinks."

"You warned me to not get in your way again, that wasn't sparring, I was trying to stop you from killing Clint. And the drinks, again, was me trying to stop you from killing Clint." Kate clarified, surprised to see Yelena frown, her eyes drop to her coffee -white, to Kate's surprise-.

"Oh," Yelena sounded genuinely surprised, and maybe a little disappointed, and Kate felt her stomach twist at the tone. "But you didn't shoot."

Again, that comment surprised Kate. "Yeah, I don't know why." She said honestly. 

She had thought about it, played that moment over and over in her head, wondering if she should have shot. Why the fuck she didn't. Clint's words just kept replying in her mind at the time, the shot I didn't tak e, and there was clear turmoil in Yelena's eyes on that roof, pure, feral rage that only reared its head in specific situations.

Kate knew there was more to it than someone just hiring an assassin to kill Clint, this was personal, and for some reason that made Kate pause. 

"Right, okay," Yelena nodded, slow, like she was processing this. "Okay, I won't bother you anymore."

Yelena stood, and Kate felt panic rise in her chest, because she didn't really want her to leave, she just didn't understand why she was here in the first place. 

"Wait," Kate said before Yelena had even moved from the table, lifting her eyes to Yelena, little smile pulling on her lips. "If you're going to bring me pastries you can't just not bother me again."

Yelena assessed her for a short moment, long enough for Kate to arch an eyebrow and motion to the chair Yelena had been sitting on.

"Sit, please. It's just a little weird, I didn't think I would see you again." Kate offered. 

Yelena nodded, a little smile on her lips as she sat back down. "I just saw on those American shows that you bring coffee and pasties for friends in the mornings."

"Maybe not so early on a Sunday, day of rest and all that."

"Noted," Yelena nodded once, lifting her eyes to Kate, little smile pulling on her lips. "How you can drink black coffee, I do not understand."

"I would expect you to drink your coffee black, seems like a blood thirst assassin kinda drink." 

Yelena laughed at that, hands clasping together, and Kate felt that panic and anxiety melt away.

—

Kate came home the following Friday to Peter and Yelena on her sofa, Lucky and Fanny at their feet, playing Mario Kart, the smell of something cooking swirling around the apartment. 

It wasn’t weird for one of them to be there, Kate had already become accustomed to Peter being around most days, and Yelena had already stopped by twice this week, but to see the both of them there, hanging out like they were friends, was a little weird.

Peter huffed when he lost again. “It’s not fair, you’re a trained assassin, your senses are heightened.”

“You are a lateral superhero,” Yelena pointed out, hanging over the back of the sofa, smiling at Kate. “Hello.”

“Hey, people who don’t live here.” Kate hooked her jacket up, scratching Lucky and Fanny’s head when they bounded over.

“We thought we could have a movie night,” Peter said. “I suggested James Bond, Yelena has never seen them, which is weird considering it’s basically her life.”

“I have been told James Bond is a sleaze and a ladies man.” Yelena glared at Peter, though they could both tell there was no bite behind it. 

“You not a ladies man, Yelena?” Kate grinned teasingly at her, moving into the kitchen to grab a beer.

“I can be when I need to be,” Yelena shrugged.

“There is some Russian thing cooking,”

“Golubtsy,” Yelena clarified. “It should be ready in half an hour.”

“You cook?” Kate moved to sit on the arm chair, feet kicked up on the coffee table. 

“I do. And bake, too. There is a medovik there waiting to go in but I will put it in after dinner.”

“You made this?”

“We both did,” Yelena motioned to Peter, and Kate found it hard to imagine these two working together well enough to bake together. “Peter was the muscle, really.”

Peter flashed a big grin. “It looks so good,”

“Looks,” Yelena scoffed. “Like I did not see him eating the batter when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

Kate found herself smiling at the two of them, Peter looking sheepish, Yelena rolling her eyes almost fondly. 

Peter got called away a bit into their second movie, all lounging on the sofa, full from dinner. It was a fire Downtown, something Kate would be no real help with, so he hopped to her feet, flashing a little smile and promising to be back soon, before slinging himself out the window.

“You didn’t tie him up this time.” 

“Great observation skills, Kate Bishop.” Yelena let her head fall to the side to smile up at Kate, slouched down on the sofa. 

It struck Kate then that Kate had never seen her like this before. Any other time she was composed, still somewhat guarded but Yelena here, right now, was just so at ease, so relaxed, not a wall or barrier in sight. 

Kate had to wonder how many people got to see her like this.

"How did you end up baking with him?"

"He was here when I got here, he was standoffish for a while but then he mentioned Natasha, and told me a few stories about her." Yelena said. "He was blipped, too. He was on a different planet when it happened, helping fight Thanos."

"Yeah,"

"He is just a kid," Yelena frowned. "Even now, he is just a kid, but Thanos was two years ago, to us, he would have been sixteen."

"He had been through a lot." Kate hummed. "He lost everyone. His aunt died, his girlfriend and best friend forgot who he was."

Yelena frowned at that. "Forgot?"

"Mm, it's a whole story, but everyone forgot who he was, including me." Kate explained. "He messed with some things he shouldn't have, it ended with some magic dude having to make everyone forget who he was, or the multiverse would've been entirely torn apart."

"Multiverse?" Yelena's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Apparently so," Kate nodded. "He's been through too much for someone his age."

"It is so easy for people to just take someone's childhood." Yelena shook her head. "He said Tony Stark recruited him, he should not have, not when he was so young. A childhood is important, no?"

"I would say so, yes."

"And yours? How was it?" Yelena questioned. 

"Generally good," Kate shrugged. "I lost my dad when I was ten, my mother was always kinda cold but it wasn't bad."

"That is good," Yelena nodded, eyes turning back to the TV, but her eyes were unfocused, 

"Can I ask about yours?"

Yelena blinked, tilting her head back to look at Kate again. "I did not have a childhood. Well, until I was six I guess I did, but not really, it was all just part of a mission. Then I was in the Red Room from six years old. My first mission was when I was nine, to poison a defector."

"At nine?"

Yelena nodded. "I was in a different program from Nat, she was brainwashed, broken down and conditioned. My program, it was mind control. They chemically altered our brains enough that we would comply, but not enough to erase us completely."

"You were just a kid,"

"Mm, it's easier to rear the best assassins if you start them young." Yelena shrugged. "Nat had already been through the Red Room, when we were pretending to be a family, she tried to stop them from taking me, but apparently I was one of the best they'd ever seen. They do a test on infants, something to do with genetics I don't really know, but I was one of the best they'd ever seen based on that."

"How can they tell, just by your genes?"

"I never questioned it, couldn't." Yelena said. "I remember the day they took us, Nat pulled a gun on the guards and begged Alexie not to take me, because she knew how awful it was."

Yelena picked one of the strawberries off the plate, pulling off the green top. 

"They were right, I was good at it, the only person who I could not beat was Nat." Yelena smiled, not quite happy. "You know, it is probably really fucked up, but sometimes it was nice, to just not be in control, to not have to deal with the consequences of what I had done. And now, sometimes instincts just take over, like that night on the roof, I didn't fully feel like I was in control. That scares me, now, not being in control."

"You had control," Kate frowned. "If you didn't you would have killed everyone on the roof there and then. Me, Maya and Clint would be dead right now. But we aren't, because we weren't your mission, Clint was. That's control, right?"

Yelena chewed the inside of her lip, nodding slightly. "I guess, I just felt-"

Yelena shrugged, like she wasn't sure what she felt. "Grief,"

Yelena was thoughtful for a second, then nodded, something barely there but Kate was so focused in on Yelena that she saw it.  "I did not know how to grieve her, I thought killing Clint would do it but that would just have ended with someone she loved dead, and more people without a family."

Kate was quiet, knowing she had nothing to add here. 

"The Red Room, they train you to not make bonds, to not get attached but that's just- it gets-"

"Lonely," Kate whispered, prompting Yelena to pull her eyes to her, giving the slightest nod. 

"Yeah," Yelena said, equally as quiet. "And I do not like it. I do not like feeling like I'm alone. Before I was released from the Red Room I never felt like this, and I hate that I miss that, sometimes. I miss feeling nothing."

"I can understand that," Kate nodded. "Feeling nothing would be easier."

"Aren't heroes supposed to have something profound to say in situations like this?"

Kate huffed out a laugh, humourless. "I'm no hero."

"Being a hero just gets you or people you love killed, anyway." Yelena reasoned.

"Yeah," Kate sighed. 

"I am nothing like this хуй," Yelena grumbled, motioning toward the TV, still playing James Bond. "He is an amateur at best. I am going to punch Peter for even suggesting I am this awful."

Kate chuckled, because, yes, Bond had nothing on Yelena. 

Chapter Text

Kate’s Sundays went from just her walking Lucky in the park, to Peter tagging along most of the time, to Peter, Yelena and Fanny tagging along almost always.

Lucky loved it, having Fanny to play with, as well as Peter, who had just as much energy as the dogs. 

She would join Peter on patrols sometimes, Yelena even tagging along a few times, complaining the entire time. 

Both Peter and Kate knew she had fun. 

"MJ leaves for college in a month." Yelena said as she strolled into Kate's office from the balcony. Kate didn't even ask how that fuck she got up this high. Peter, yes, he could crawl on walls, Yelena could not. Kate figured she came from the roof, which was extra even for Yelena.

"Did you come in that way because Pete does and you don't want him to be cooler than you?" Kate grinned at Yelena, chin resting on her fist. Yelena looked offended at that. 

"I am cooler than Spider boy." She scoffed. 

"Mm," Kate hummed, turning her attention back to the file she was reading, a new contract that would expand them up north into Canada. "How do you know MJ?"

"Peter mentioned her to me a few weeks back and I decided to look into it." Yelena said, sitting down on Kate's sofa. "We have a month to get them together again."

Kate frowned, dropping her pen onto her desk and looking up at Yelena. "Is that a good idea?"

"He loves her, no? And she loved him?" Yelena nodded when Kate did. "Then we can't let him let that go."

"I wouldn't have pinned you as a romantic," Kate laughed at the horrified look on Yelena's face. "No, not a romantic. You just care about Spider boy."

At that, Yelena launched a pillow, which Kate easily caught.

"You take that back, Kate Bishop."

"I can take it back but it doesn't make it any less true." Kate smirked, throwing the pillow back and picking up her pen again. "What's your plan, then?"

"I don't have one, I was thinking we could get food and figure it out." Yelena shrugged. 

"Mm, and you just so happened to come by at dinner time knowing I wouldn't have eaten all day, huh?" Kate commented, eyes back on the page.

"Weird coincidence," Yelena hummed, distracted by her phone. 

"Mm, keep pretending you don't care, Belova.” 

Yelena ordered them Mexican food, both sitting on Kate’s sofa, entirely too close on the tiny two seater, which, okay, shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

But the thing is, Kate kind of couldn’t stop thinking about Yelena recently. Which wasn’t hard, Yelena was around a lot, and when she was around Kate found herself watching her fairly often, getting flustered whenever Yelena would catch her. She would also get a little flustered whenever they would touch, which usually was just hands brushing together while they walked, or knees pressed together -much like they were now- while they watched movies.

Kate wasn’t dumb, she knew Yelena was hot, she had eyes, even when she was trying to kill her Kate could admit she was hot, but that was all it was. Kate could deal with pretty girls, pretty girls didn’t fluster her like they used to in high school.

But Yelena wasn’t just hot, that much was becoming clear to Kate the more time she spent with her. The more time she spent watching her tease Pete in the way a sister would while always checking in with him while he was on patrol. How she was cuddle up on the floor with Lucky and Fanny while they watched a movie. Or how she would cook for the two of them after Kate had gotten in from a shit day at work and Peter had been patrolling all day. 

She was caring, and funny, and Kate would spend far too much of her work day just at her desk thinking about her, not getting anything done.

Yelena was charming, in this roguish way that Kate had never experienced before, and she was entirely powerless to it.

Of all people, it had to be the deadly assassin that Kate ended up with a crush on, maybe Kate did have an affinity for trouble.

Kate jumped when Yelena snapped her fingers in her face. “Have you been listening to a word I have said, Kate Bishop?”

“Sorry,” Kate shook her head slightly. “What did you say?”

“We lock them in a cupboard.” 

Kate snorted, entirely too enamoured by the proud look on Yelena’s face, like that was the best idea she had ever had. “Absolutely not.”

And then Yelena was pouting that too fucking cute pout she would do when she wasn’t getting her way. “Why not? It works in all the movies.”

“This isn’t a movie,” Kate pointed out, snagging one of the jalapeno poppers from the container. “It won’t work in real life.”

“So what do you suggest, Kate Bishop?”

"Let's just force Pete to go for coffee there," Kate shrugged. "He managed to bumble his way through getting her to fall in love once, I'm sure he can do it again."

"That's boring," Yelena grumbled, her pout far too cute. 

"Not all plans need to be explosive, Lena."

"Says the girl who destroyed a beloved Christmas tree." Yelena shot back, cackling when Kate glared at her. 

--

Peter tried to turn around and walk away when he realised where they were going for coffee, but Yelena had a grip on his wrist, not nearly as tight as she had with Kate in the elevator, stopping him dead. 

"It is just coffee, Peter Parker." Yelena muttered into his ear, and Peter straightened, jaw tense as he nodded. 

"Right, yeah. Coffee." Yelena released his wrist, hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

"She loved you once, you can force her to do it again." She said before entering the building, Peter turning to frown at Kate. 

"That was her being supportive." Kate clarified. 

"Oh," Peter nodded. "She should work on that."

"She's trying," Kate shrugged, motioning toward the door. “Stop stalling.”

Peter huffed, and followed Yelena inside.

Yelena was already at the counter, having said something that made MJ laugh. 

If Kate had any sort of wits about her she would have teased Peter for the dreamy look on his face at the sight of MJ in the moment, but she didn’t really have a leg to stand on, because she probably had the exactly same look on her face when Yelena looked over her shoulder at them, smile big, eyes shining, brushing hair out of her face.

Pretty. Far too fucking pretty.

“Ah, speak of the devils,” Yelena motioned to them, snapping both of them out of their little daze.

"Kate, hey," MJ greeted, her smile turning softer at the sight of Peter. “Peter?” 

Peter perked up that MJ actually remembered who he was, Kate nudging him with a little smile.

“Hey, MJ, right?” Peter moved to sit down beside Yelena, elbows resting on the counter, a nervous little smile on his face.

Kate moved to sit down on the other side of Yelena, hand finding her lower back as she leaned in to murmur in her ear while MJ and Peter were distracted. “What did you say to her?”

“Just mentioned Peter,” There was a glint in her eyes that told Kate there was more to it then that, but Kate didn’t push, settling in beside Yelena.

It went well, after a while it was just Kate and Yelena left at the counter sipping on their below par coffee while Peter was off to the side, hunched over a laptop with MJ and Ned, who had shown up raving about his MIT project.

Kate found herself watching Peter, noting just how young he seemed in that moment, giddily going over the project. How, even though MJ and Ned had no idea who he was, he seemed to just fit right back in with them, laughing and joking in a way Kate remembered them doing before all this.

Kate had her chin on her palm, little smile on her face as she watched them.

“He seems happy,” Yelena said, pulling Kate’s attention to her.

“Yeah, he deserves it.” Kate hummed, nudging Yelena with her elbow. “This was a good idea.”

Yelena shrugged. “No one deserves to lose someone they love. If you can mend it you should.” 

“You’re a big softy, Lena.” Kate smirked, playfully poking her side.

Yelena scoffed and caught her hand. “No. This just means he will not be bothering me as much.”

“Yeah right, you like it when he bothers you.” Kate knocked their shoulders together, chin then resting on Yelena’s shoulder. “Come on, admit it.”

“Never,” Yelena tilted her chin up stubbornly, but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips that told Kate everything she needed to know. 

“Yeah, you like us.”

“I do not,” Yelena shook her head once, her lip twitching ever so slightly, and a large smile bloomed on Kate’s lips. "You are both huge pains in my ass."

“You totally enjoy spending time with us.”

“That is slander,”

“He’s totally like a little brother to you.”

“You will be hearing from my lawyers.” 

Kate laughed, and that was enough for Yelena to break, rolling her eyes as she smiled, ducking her head. “Your secret is safe with me, Lena.”

Yelena hummed, side eyeing Kate as she took a sip of her coffee. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Kate Bishop.”

And Kate felt like her face was on fire at those words, even the very tip of her ears.

Kate and Yelena ended up excusing themselves, having waited a little over two hours for Peter finish up and be ready to leave, after it was clear he wouldn't be, they said their goodbyes and headed out. 

"Do you want to grab the dogs and go for a walk in the park?" Yelena asked, hands in the pocket of her zipper. "I will even buy you one of those gross Street hot dogs if you're lucky."

"You sure know how to treat a lady," Kate teased with a little grin. 

"I can show you how well I know how to treat a lady, Kate Bishop." Yelena shot back. "I may not be James Bond but I know how to show a woman a good night."

Kate was definitely blushing, definitely more than a little flustered, but she managed to play it about as cool as she did any other time she was a little overwhelmed. "You talk big when no one can back you up."

"Well, maybe I will show you one night," Yelena arched an eyebrow at Kate, smirk sharp. "Then you can back me up."

Yelena, thankfully, didn't wait around to tease Kate about the small oh that left her lips, simply tilting her head with an entirely too innocent smile before striding off toward Kate's apartment. 

Peter didn't end up coming to Kate's place until we'll after eleven, a skip in his step as he landed in through the window, Kate and Yelena peering over the back of the sofa at him as he pulled his mask off, hair dishevelled, grin massive. 

"You need a haircut." Kate said. 

"How did it go?" Yelena asked in a sing-songy kind of tone.

“I’m booking you in for a haircut next week.” 

"So good, we worked on Ned's project together and I helped them improve it, and we did the handshake, which Ned remembered by the way, and MJ kept looking at me and doing that shy little smile she does." Kate couldn't not smile as she watched Peter rant on, visibly vibrating as he paced, hands flying everywhere. 

The ranting went on for about ten minutes before he fell into the armchair with a content sigh, Yelena immediately pressing a now cold container of orange chicken into his hands, and he tucked in without any question. 

"And they want to hang out again." He said around a mouthful of food, Yelena playfully batting the back of his head as she passed, with a do not talk with your mouth full . 

Kate's heart felt so full at the sight, her smile entirely too soft as she watched Yelena wander to the kitchen to get drinks. 

Peter was watching her when she finally pulled her eyes away from Yelena, his head tilted, curious little frown on his face.  

"What?" Kate muttered, sounding entirely too defensive, which apparently told Peter everything, his eyebrows raising in surprise, little grin pulling on his lips. 

"No," he gasped, his eyes moving from Kate, to Yelena, and back again. " No."

"Shut up," Kate hissed, smacking him repeatedly with a pillow as he laughed and defended his food. 

"Children, come on," Yelena scolded playfully, handing Kate a beer and Peter a can of sprite, uncapping her own fruity cider with her ring. 

Yelena settled down beside Kate, her bent knee resting over Kate's thigh, arm running across the back of the sofa behind Kate as she started asking Peter questions about MJ, teasing him every so often. 

Kate was just so focused on not letting her hand rest of Yelena's knee. 

Chapter Text

 Kate had been in a meeting when Peter called.

She glanced down at her watch, noting Peter’s big goofy smile taking up the screen and knew immediately something was wrong. Peter knew she had a meeting, he wouldn’t have called her otherwise.

Kate excused herself, handing the presentation off to Cassie Lang, her CFO, and quietly left the room.

“Peter?”

“Hey, hi.” He sounded breathless, the sound of gunshots resonating through the phone. “I need a little help.”

“Where are you?” Kate made sure she had her arrows on her belt, like she went anywhere without them, heading for the elevator.

“I have kind of been snooping around the Snakeheads affairs,” he sounded sheepish as he said it. “I may have gotten caught.”

“Where are you, Pete?” Kate asked again.

“I’m in an underground carpark in Chinatown, under the bridge. I will send you my location.” 

Kate pulled her phone from her ear, Peter on speaker as she pulled up Yelena’s number. 

Little bird: Chinatown, warehouse under Manhattan bridge

Pete needs help

Yelena’s reply was almost instantaneous.

The bigger spider: I will be there in ten

Kate got there before Yelena, heading up the side fire escape and creeping inside, hood up, bow materialising in her hand, following the sound of gunshots.

She got the drop on them, telling Peter to join her on the upper platform through coms before she shot a stun arrow into the group of goons. 

Peter headed back down into the confused group as Kate picked them off from above, Yelena appearing out of nowhere a few minutes later, dropping from above on one of the larger men.

“What have you been up to, Peter?” Yelena questioned through coms.

“Nothing,” 

Kate snorted. “He has been snooping.”

“It’s what I do,” Peter defended, giving Kate a little thumbs up when she shot an arrow into the shoulder of the goon coming up on Peter. "On your ten, Lee."

Yelena acted accordingly, swinging blindly in the direction Peter had instructed, knocking out one of the guys before grabbing another around the neck and throwing him to the floor. 

Kate was so focused in the moment, but once everything calmed down, all of the goons taken care of, the three of them hopping in Kate '56 Ford thunderbird, she couldn't help but think how well they worked together for it being the first time. 

Yelena was in the back, prying a bullet out of Peter's shoulder. 

"Don't get blood on my seats," Kate glanced in the mirror at the duo, Kate noting just how gently Yelena was being with Peter, her thumb smoothing over his shoulder in a calming gesture.

"Thanks, Kate." Peter grumbled, hissing when Yelena poked a little too hard. 

"You have your little tingle, how are you the only one who got shot?" Yelena had a teasing tone to her voice, light, trying to put him at ease. 

"It was either me or a gas canister that would've blown us all up," he said, voice strained, and Kate reached a hand back, one still on the wheel, for him to grab onto.

They settled in Kate's living room when they got in, Peter's shoulder patched up. 

"Why were you poking around one of the more dangerous gangs in New York?" Yelena asked, handing off a beer to Kate, a bottle of water for Peter. 

"They've got a new head guy, but no one knows who he is. They've been importing a lot of weapons as well as some drug, I don't know what it is but it's apparently dangerous." Peter shrugged. "I was just trying to figure it out."

"Next time loop us in and we can help," Kate said, her hands resting on Yelena's legs when she threw herself on the sofa beside her, head against the armrest, legs thrown over Kate's. 

"I think we worked pretty well together," Yelena said, taking a sip of her cider. "Which is weird because I do not work well with anyone."

"No? You've always struck me as a team player." Kate teased, sputtering when she went to take a drink of her beer and Yelena tipped the end with her toe, causing it to go up her nose. 

She couldn't really be mad when she glanced at Yelena, looking a little too proud of herself, and with Peter cackling, she couldn’t stop the smile that pulled onto her lips.

—

Yelena showed up at her door two weeks later, knocking and waiting for Kate to open, which threw Kate completely, to open the door to a grinning Yelena, instead of her just sauntering in. 

Then Kate noticed that she was dressed in form fitting black dress that stopped just above her knees, strapped only one shoulder, her hair pulled up into one of her pretty braids, and for some reason Kate’s first thought was I wonder if she has any weapons on her.

“Uh, hi,” Kate managed, but only barely, her throat dry, eyes wandering like she was a fucking teenage boy.

“Hi,” Kate didn’t need to look at her face to know she was smug, she could hear it in her voice. 

“What- I mean- You look amazing,” Kate finally brought her eyes to Yelena’s just in time to see her smug smile change into something softer. “Like, wow.”

“I have a date,”

Those words hit her like a kick to the face, but she managed to stop herself from visibly reacting other than frowning, her head bobbing slightly. “Oh, that’s- yeah, good for you.”

“No, good for us,” Yelena corrected, holding up a small rose to Kate, stem short. 

Again, Kate kind of felt like she had been kicked in the face. “Huh?”

 “I said I would show you just how well I know how to treat a lady,” Yelena stepped toward her, placing the rose in her hand. “So here I am, go get changed, something fancy.”

Kate was so completely thrown off kilter that she could only comply, nodding slightly as she turned and headed back inside, Yelena on her heels.

“We have an hour before dinner, take your time.” She said as she took a seat on the sofa, giving Lucky all of her attention.

Kate headed upstairs, knowing she was going to put on one of her suits, so she picked up her phone to call Peter as she headed into the wardrobe.

“I saved a cat tonight and it scratched up my face,” He greeted.

“Yelena just showed up and told me she was taking me on a date.” Kate said, and Peter was silent for a long while before muttering oh. “I don’t think- I mean, we were joking the other week and she said she would prove she knew how to show a girl a good time, I think that’s all this is.”

“So go show her what being on a date with Kate Bishop is like.” Peter sounded entirely too gleeful. “You’ve been into her for a while, maybe it could work.”

“I don’t know, she doesn’t seem the type to settle down.”

Peter snorted, “We are talking about the same girl, right? The one that talks about getting a few dogs and a cabin in the middle of nowhere? Anyway, don’t get ahead of yourself, it’s just a date, go and enjoy it, you’re still somewhat young.”

“Fuck off,”

Peter laughed. “Don’t overthink it, it’s just Yelena.”

Kate kept repeating that to herself as she got dressed -settling for her forest green three piece suit, with a black shirt and black tie-, that it was just Yelena . 

But it was never just Yelena she realised as she headed downstairs again, Yelena looking back at her, her eyes running the length of Kate, lips parted ever so slightly, for the first time since Kate had met her she looked actually a little thrown of kilter as she stood, eyes not leaving Kate as she walked toward her, offering up her hand as Kate reached the bottom step.

“You looked very pretty, Kate Bishop.” 

Yelena was never just anything, she had always been something, whether that was the enemy or her best friends. Just was never a word Kate would use for Yelena.

“Will you stop using my full name tonight?”

“I will see how I feel,” Yelena offered up her elbow, allowing Kate to slide her hand through, Yelena giving her another once over, her smile sweet as she looked up at Kate. “Truly, Kate, you look beautiful.”

"Thank you,” Kate smiled, her cheeks warm, her tummy fluttering in a way that would have made her a little anxious if Yelena wasn’t looking at her like that.

The restaurant was fancy, even for Kate, who had grown up in this circle.

Yelena had a hand on her lower back as they were shown to their seats, pulling her chair out for her when they reached the table, and Kate had expected her to order wine, that was how it always went in the movies, and she was sure that’s where Yelena got most of her dating advice. 

But Yelena knew her better than that, knowing that Kate didn’t like wine, instead ordering them a beer as well as a glass of nice whiskey. Kate was oddly touched by that, by the fact Yelena knew her so well.

“I used to come places like this with my mother as a kid and I hated it,” Kate said as they scanned the menu. “All of the main meals were always obnoxious and my mom would never let me order a whole bunch of deserts.”

Yelena was smiling at her, something so soft and curious. 

“Well, маленькая птица, I think we should order everything off the dessert menu.” Yelena flipped the menu to look at the list.

“What does that mean?” Kate asked.

Yelena peered at her through her eyelashes for a short moment, little smile on her lips. “Little bird.”

“Oh,” Kate was embarrassed by how breathy that sound, by how much it made her fucking swoon. 

She was in so fucking deep.

They got funny looks when the waiter brought out a cart of deserts and alcohol, looks Kate was used to getting while at functions because, while she grew up in this world, she was different from most of them, and they didn’t like that.

Whether it was her outspokenness, or her bringing a girl to functions as her date, this nose-upturned, snooty glare they were getting from most around the restaurant wasn’t new to her.

Yet, she still found herself glancing around, head ducked enough to shield her face with her hair. 

Of course, Yelena noticed this, reaching across the table to place a hand over Kate’s.

“I sure hope when we are older we are not as stiff and boring as these people here.” Yelena said, loud enough for people around them to hear, and it definitely earned them dirty looks, but Kate didn’t see any of those, her eyes fully on a grinning Yelena, who had her chin propped up in her free hand, eyes looked especially pretty with the flickering light of the candle between them. “I have to say, маленькая птица, you are both the prettiest and the most handsome person here.”

“You don’t have to butter me up, you have already forced me on a date with you.”

“Kate Bishop, I would never butter you up, I have no need to.” Yelena tutted, her hand still on Kate’s as she took a piece of cheesecake on her fork and offered it up to Kate.

Don’t overthink it, Kate heard Peter in her head as she leaned forward to take a bite, eyes not leaving Yelena's, who was very much staring down at her mouth. enjoy it.

And she did. 

She got flustered more than once, butterflies in her tummy consistently throughout the night, but she relaxed, ignoring the people around them who seemed entirely too bothered that they were having fun, laughing and joking around as they ate desserts and pinned alcohol and shots.

Yelena was more charming than Kate had ever expected. She was attentive, full attention on Kate as she listened to whatever story she was telling, her fingertips tickling the back of Kate’s hand.

And the more alcohol Kate drank, the better she got at dealing with the attention, the better she was at dealing with being so flustered.

Yelena paid, tipping the young girl handsomely, which was enough to make Kate swoon for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

Kate linked their arms as they left, her jacket over Yelena’s shoulders to stave off the chill.

“This was fun,” Kate said, cheeks warmed by the alcohol, grinning down at Yelena when she stumbled ever so slightly into her.

“Oh, Kate Bishop, do you really think this is it?” Yelena shook her head, clicking her tongue. “No, it is barely nine.”

They went to a bar, one on a rooftop that overlooked the Hudson, pretty lights strung up along the outdoor rafters, and Kate couldn’t help but stare out at the water in wonder, a few boats on the surface, the lights of New Jersey bouncing off.

“Can I get you a drink?” Yelena asked, hand on Kate’s lower back, jacket still hanging from her shoulders.

“Whiskey is fine,” Kate finally pulled her eyes away from the view to look down at Yelena, “This is beautiful.”

“Yes, the photographs I saw definitely did not do it justice.” Yelena nodded, tipping up onto her toes to press a sweet kiss to Kate’s cheek. “I will be right back.”

Kate watched her go, her chest warming when Yelena glanced over her shoulder at her as she reached the bar, offering Kate a sweet smile and little wink.

They stayed by the glass wall that looked onto the Hudson as they drank, Kate telling Yelena about college, and the clock tower.

“What did you want to do?” She asked as the conversation lulled.

“Mm?” Yelena was leaning into her, enough that she needed to tilt her head back to look up at her. “Tonight?”

“No, before.” Kate clarified. “Like, when you were a kid.”

“Oh,” Yelena looked surprised at the question, which made Kate wonder if she should have asked it at all.

“I’m sorry if that’s out of line, I-”

“No, do not worry. It is just that no one has ever asked me that before. It has never mattered.” Yelena bit the inside of her lip for a few seconds, and Kate just watched her, not wanting to push, hand comforting on Yelena’s back. “I did not give it much thought, I remember watching the moon landing, not live, obviously, and wanting to be an astronaut for a while.”

Kate found herself smiling when Yelena smiled, wistful and soft. “Thank you for clarifying you weren’t alive in nineteen sixty nine.” Kate joked with a little smirk.

Yelena chuckled at the lame joke, nose pressing against Kate’s shoulder. “Then Nat and I helped nurse a baby bird back to health, and she said I would make a great vet. So I wanted to be a vet until I was taken to the Red Room.” 

“A vet,” Kate hummed with a little nod. “I could see that for you.,”

“Have you always wanted to be the world's greatest archer?”

“No,” Kate shook her head. “If I tell you you can’t laugh.”

“I make no promises.” 

Kate tutted and rolled her eyes. “Fine, I won’t tell you.”

“Come on, маленькая птица.” Yelena playfully poked at Kate’s side until she huffed, conceding, Yelena’s hand flattening against her stomach.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “I wanted to be a ninja.”

Yelena pressed her lips tonight, clearly trying and failing to hide her smile. “That is very cute,”

“It’s why I took so many different martial arts classes.”

“And you were all over the news in a ninja costume so it kind of came true.” Yelena reasoned. “I think you could be like a ninja if you tried.”

“Are you saying that because I totally kicked your ass at Rockefeller?”

“Yes, of course, that is how it happened.” Yelena nodded, playfully serious. “I was entirely powerless.”

“I thought as much, yes.” Kate grinned down at Yelena, who stared up at her for a few seconds, nose pressing against her shoulder again.

“You are oddly disarming, Kate Bishop, I will give you that.” Yelena admitted.

“Is that why you didn’t break my neck at Rockefeller?”

“No, like I said before, that was a warm up. Fun.” Yelena waved a hand dismissively. “Besides, even then I liked you, I did not want to kill you.”

“Softy,” Kate muttered teasingly.

“Shut up,” Yelena shot back, in such a soft voice, no real bite behind it.

Time seemed to melt away, and before Kate knew it the bar was closing, both draining the last of their drinks and heading out, meandering down by the water, enjoying the quiet, as quiet as the city could be, anyway.

“This was nice,” Kate whispered into the quiet. “But you know you didn’t need to do all this to sweep me off my feet, right?”

“No?”

“No,” Kate shook her head.

Yelena regarded her for a long while, like she was trying to get a read on her, and Kate honestly wasn’t sure what she was seeing, trying her best to not give anything away.

“Okay,” Yelena nodded, leaning into Kate again as they walked the rest of the way to Kate’s apartment.

“Are you coming in?” Kate asked when they were outside.

“Kate Bishop,” Yelena gasped playfully. “On the first date, what kind of girl do you take me for?”

Kate laughed softly, hands subconsciously finding Yelena’s hips as Yelena moved toward her, hands on Kate’s shoulders to steady herself, pressing a kiss to Kate’s cheek before whispering.

 “Goodnight, маленькая птица.”

Kate barely managed to suppress the shiver at the pretty accent, her eyes slipping closers briefly, her eyes opening a small amount when Yelena pulled away slightly

“This was a really great night, thank you.” She said as she stepped back.

“Well, you didn’t really leave me much choice.” Kate joked with a meek little laugh, because her heart was fucking thundering in her chest. “You have definitely proven your ability to show a girl a good night.”

“I am glad I could prove myself,” Yelena said. 

“Text me when you’re home?” Kate requested. “Unless you’re sure you don’t want to come in?”

“I have a child to get home to, or I would.” Yelena gave her a little smile as she backpedalled. “Goodnight.”

“Night,”

Kate was still giddy as she climbed into bed, opening her phone to a message from Yelena.

The bigger spider: Home

A photo followed, one of Kate standing by the glass wall at the bar, drink in hand, staring out at the water. 

It made Kate feel some kind of way to know Yelena had looked at her in the moment and thought it a moment worthy of snapping a photo of.

Little Bird: Creep

Tonight was nice, thank you.

The bigger spider: Any time

See you tomorrow?

Little Bird: With pastries?

The bigger spider: Yes, ma’am

Chapter Text

“I heard you got that contract, Kate Bishop.” Yelena sauntered into her office, takeout bag and a bottle of Dalmore single malt in her hands. “I got a fifteen year especially for you, Kate Bishop.”

Kate smiled, grateful for the interruption.

Yelena grabbed two glasses from the shelf off to Kate’s left and took a seat on the sofa, pouring two glasses as Kate finished off what she was doing and logging off her laptop.

“How did you hear I got the contract?” Kate asked as she took a seat beside Yelena, accepting the glass from her.

“Peter said you had the call today, I just assumed you got it because you are you, and you can talk your way into anything.” Yelena held her glass up. “To taking over the world.” 

Kate chuckled, clinking her glass off Yelena’s, Yelena’s eyes not leaving hers as they both pinned the drink.

“How does it feel being the best CEO in the world?” Yelena topped up their glasses.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Kate snorted. “Cassie did a lot of the work, honestly.”

“Always so humble.” Yelena tutted, waving her hand. “You’re fantastic at this, Kate Bishop, own it.”

Kate rolled her eyes, her smile bashful. 

“So, tell me what the next move is.” Yelena requested, sliding closer to Kate, too close, arm across the back of the sofa, full attention on Kate. 

Kate blinked at the sudden change in position, cheeks warm that the unwavering attention from Yelena, who was smirking at her from behind her glass, probably knowing the effect she was having on Kate.

Yelena had been different with her since the date last week, a little more touchy, far more flirtatious and Kate had to wonder if she was just fucking with her, or if this was building up to something.

“маленькая птица,” Yelena muttered softly, her gently touching Kate’s shoulder, concerned little frown on her brow, that flirtatious bravado dropping completely. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yeah, fine.” Kate smiled and nodded. “Sorry, I’m just tired.”

“That is okay,” Yelena assured, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze. “Should we go home? Get you to bed?”

“No, not right now anyway. You got me a nice scotch, I’m going to enjoy it.”

Yelena nodded, motioning to Kate with a little smile. “Tell me what is next, boss.”

Kate had barely started talking when Peter came stumbling into her office.

“Someone is taking street kids,” Peter said before his feet had even hit the floor, pulling off his mask, hair completely dishevelled, looking frantic. 

“What?”

“Someone is taking homeless children and the police aren’t doing anything about it.”

Yelena straightened, dangerous look in her eyes. “Who?”

Peter shrugged. “I have no idea, but my buddy Billy -he built this really cool contraption, he used it to steal food but the engineering was there- he went missing and when I went to talk to a few people who knew him they said it isn’t uncommon. Kids have been going missing for over a year now, and the police are just sweeping it under the rug.”

“Is it concentrated in one area?”

“All over the city,” Peter said. “The youngest was six, they think. I’m going to go out and talk to more people, but I need help.”

Yelena was tense, and Kate could see the cogs turning in her head. Kate placed a hand on her knee as she looked at Peter. “What do you need?”

“I need you guys to keep an ear out, for any kind of black market thing, human trafficking. Yelena, I’m sure you know a few people who have an ear in those kinda things. Once I talk to more people hopefully we will have more to go on, and we can figure out who and why.” Peter looked frazzled, the way he would get whenever his mind was working a mile a minute, his eyes unfocused, hands gesturing all over the place.

“Take a breath,” Kate gave Yelena’s knee a squeeze before standing, hands on Peter’s shoulders, bringing his attention to her. “We know about it now, that’s something, okay? We will figure it out.”

Peter nodded, taking a breath, his shoulders rising and dropping. “You’re right. I just- I don’t want anymore to be taken.”

“I know, it’s time sensitive but we have a master assassin on our side, we can sort this.”

Peter nodded again. “I’m going to go down to F.E.A.S.T., talk to people there.”

“Okay, come by later, we will have dinner, okay?” 

Peter agreed pulling on his mask and heading out the doors.

Kate turned just in time to see Yelena heading for her office doors. 

“Hey,” Kate stopped her with a hand to her stomach, both shoulder to shoulder, Yelena oddly stoic. “Don’t.”

“What if it’s him again?” Yelena stared at the door, eyes hard, terrifying. 

“It’s not, you killed him.” Kate said. “There is no use in going out there right now, we know nothing. Wait for Pete to get some information, then we will go out and figure this out.”

“What if it takes too long?” Yelena whispered, still not looking at her.

“It won’t,” Kate promised. “Hey, look at me.”

Yelena’s jaw twitched, nostrils flaring before she turned to look at Kate, their noses almost bumping at the movement.

“We’ve got spider boy and a black widow,” Kate pulled on a little smile, one she hoped was comforting to Yelena. “We will sort this, but going out there all guns blazing will only draw attention, you know this.”

Yelena nodded ever so slightly, her jaw still tense, eyebrows still drawn together. “Children, Kate, how can anyone-”

“I know,” Kate hummed, trying to keep herself calm, but even she could feel the anger burning in her chest, the urge to just run out there and do something. Her hand slid from Yelena’s stomach to her side, squeezing lightly. 

“What they did to us, Kate.” Yelena shook her head, something blazing in her eyes that reminded Kate of just how dangerous this woman was. “I cannot- children should not be taken for any reason. They should not feel anything but safe, and these children have already been let down, they would not have felt safe even before they were taken. And those ублюдки, just doing nothing about it. Why? Because they are just street kids. Отбросы.”

Kate could feel the anger radiate from her, could practically feel her vibrate from it.

“Let’s go back to mine, okay? You can get in touch with people you know around the city.”

Yelena agreed to that, Kate telling her assistant to cancel all her meetings for the next day before leading Yelena outside with a hand on her lower back, trying to keep her grounded. 

Yelena didn’t come up with much, even after spending a little over two hours on the phone to various acquaintances and a few other freed widows that were dotted around the city. One had heard of something to do with girls down by the docks, another about boys being sold off to sailors, but there was nothing solid, nothing to go on,

Peter came back not long after midnight, again, talking before his feet were even on the ground. 

“According to people who knew the kids, all of them had been at the same shelter at one point before they went missing.” He said, mask off, disappearing into the small laundry room off to the left of Kate’s shooting range to change from his suit. “One up in Washington Heights. It’s closed right now but it opened for lunch tomorrow, I will head up.”

“There has been some talk of kids being sold at the docks, but nothing concrete.” Yelena offered.

Peter appeared, dressed in one of Kate’s baggy university sweatshirts and his own sweatpants, looking more than a little exhausted, bags deep under his eyes.

“I will come with you tomorrow,” Yelena said, and Peter nodded, falling onto the armchair, tired sigh leaving his lips.

“You both should crash here,” Kate offered, because Peter looked about ready to pass out, she didn’t trust that he would be able to swing home without passing out. And, honestly, she didn’t trust Yelena to not go out there and do something on her own. 

“Yeah, I really don’t think I’m capable of getting myself home.” Peter yawned. 

“I will go make you some food then we can sleep,” Yelena said, stopped by Peter as she moved toward the kitchen, hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Good job, маленький паук.”

Peter blinked up at her, surprised at the praise, his eyes moving to Kate when Yelena walked away. “I don’t know what that means.”

“She calls me something similar sometimes, and it means little bird.” Kate shrugged, “I feel like little spider is a safe bet.”

“Oh,” Peter frowned, but Kate could see the ghost of a smile on his lips, which just filled her with so much affection for both of these people.

Peter crashed on the sofa before Kate and Yelena had even headed up to Kate’s room, barely on the sofa, his face squished against the cushion, limbs dangling over the side.

Kate rolled her eyes fondly, handing her phone and water bottle to Yelena before going to grab a blanket, throwing it over the boy. 

Yelena gave her a tired smile as they made their way upstairs, and Kate just didn’t have the energy to over think the fact she was sharing a bed with Yelena for the first time, both settling in, Kate taking comfort in the fact she wasn’t alone.

“Thank you,” 

Kate was already on her side facing Yelena, her eyes had been shut, but she opened them at Yelena’s soft whisper, Yelena facing her, hands tucked under her pillow like Kate’s were. “For what?”

“Stopping me earlier,” Yelena clarified. “I will deny this if anyone ever asks but I can be somewhat reckless sometimes, let my emotions take over. I may have done something stupid and made this harder. So, thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” Kate slid her hand out from under her pillow, placing it over Yelena’s, only intending to give it a little squeeze, but Yelena spread her fingers slightly, letting them slip easily in the space between Kate’s.

“Goodnight, Kate Bishop.” Yelena muttered, and Kate hated that her face was on fucking fire, right up to the tip of her ears.

“Night, Yelena.” 

–

Peter and Yelena headed off early in the morning, Kate heading off to the office, but all work relative affairs were pushed to the side in favour of looking into this shelter, looking into the owners.

Ophelia Sarkissian was the first name that came up, a name Kate didn’t recognise but she jotted down anything to look into later. Beatta Dubiel also appeared, as well as Elizabeth Rawson, but Ophelia very much seemed like the top dog. 

There was nothing on them when Kate looked them up, using the company's most thorough search she couldn’t find a single paper trail for any of these women, and that in itself was suspicious.

Yelena called her just after four.

“Pete talked to a few people there,” Yelena said, and Kate could hear the sound of her motorbike idling. “Apparently the kids that have disappeared were offered jobs by some of the workers there, then they were just never seen again. I think it has something to do with the owners.”

“I can set up a meeting,” Kate offered, trapping the phone between her ear and shoulder as she brought up what little she had on them. “Put up a front as an investor, or someone who wants to donate.”

“Maybe,” Yelena hummed, “Pete is going to break in after it closes, see if he can find anything there but I don’t see them keeping anything there, it wouldn’t be smart.”

“There’s three that I can see,” Kate said. “Ophelia Sarkissian, Beatta Dubiel and Elizabeth Rawson. They’re ghosts, though, no paper trail.”

“No one is a ghost.”

“You’re a ghost,” Kate pointed out. “There’s something off, Yelena. Something we’re not seeing or we don’t know, selling kids off just doesn't track. For the risk, it wouldn't be worth the money.”

“We will find something,” Yelena promised. “I will ask around about those names, see if any of my guys know any ghosts.”

“Just be careful, only the ones you trust, we don’t want them thinking we’re tracking them.”

“ Yes, boss.” Yelena teased. “I’m going to go, I will be there soon. You want some Japanese food?”

“Sure, see you soon.”

–

“She’s a crime boss,” Yelena said, allowing herself into Kate’s place. “This Ophelia, she is into some dodgy stuff. Bad stuff, one on my guys mentioned HYDRA,”

“HYDRA isn’t around anymore,” Kate frowned.

“You can never take down an organisation like that,” Peter said. “That doesn’t explain why she had been taking children.”

“I don’t know a lot about HYDRA, but I do know that had run programs like the Red Room.” Yelena was pacing in front of them. “It might not be HYDRA but they might be continuing on a program initially started by HYDRA. Kate’s right, HYDRA is not around anymore, they were forced underground, the numbers they have, they would not be being so brazen with this.”

Kate caught Yelena’s hand when she made another pass in front of her, offering her the slightest smile when her eyes snapped to her. 

“Sit, please.”

Yelena was tense still, but allowed Kate to pull her to sit, leaning into her side as they clasped their hands together, resting them on Kate's thigh.

"They are in Lower Manhattan somewhere," Peter said. "I will go back out tomorrow, figure out where they are hiding."

"Do you think you could get trackers on their cars?"

"They'll look for those." Yelena pointed out. 

"Pete has been working on ones that are just like dust caps." Kate said. 

"They keep their cars underground,"

"So I will set up a meeting with them, somewhere nice, you two can act as the valet."

"Kate," Yelena started, but Kate held up a hand.

"I can handle this," She said, and Yelena eyed her for a second, before slowly nodding. 

"Okay," She sounded reluctant. 

"Okay," Kate nodded, giving Yelena's hand a little squeeze. "I will email them tomorrow, set something up for as soon as I can. We will figure out where they are going, if they're going to the docks or a HQ somewhere."

"We will come up with a plan once we know what's going on."

Kate made contact the next day, emailing from her business email about wanting to invest in the shelter and asking for a meeting at Bâtard restaurant on Broadway.

They responded before Kate had left that day, with a few times on a few days they could meet.

Kate picked the soonest, which was the following day at seven.

Yelena was still unsure, even as they were in Kate’s place getting ready to head out, Yelena having stolen uniforms from the restaurant a few hours prior.

“We will be on coms the whole time,” Yelena said as she buttoned up her vest in front of the mirror. “If you have any issues, just-”

“Used the safe word,” Kate cut her off, moving to tighten the strap at the back of the vest when Yelena fumbled with it, lifting her eyes to look at her in the mirror, giving her a calming smile. “I’ve got this.”

Yelena nodded, “I know, I am just worried.”

Kate smiled at that, a hand on Yelena’s hip, giving a little squeeze. “You will be right outside, I feel plenty safe knowing that.”

“Just-” Yelena turned to Kate, hands landing on her collarbones. “Be smart.”

“That’s not really my strong suit,” Kate teased. “I told you about the bell tower, right?”

Yelena chuckled, rolling her eyes. “You’re smart, Kate Bishop. You have good instincts, use them.”

“I will,” Kate nodded, fixing Yelena’s bowtie, smoothing out her collar. “You look good.”

Yelena snorted. “No one looked good in a velvet waistcoat.”

“Yet here you are,” Kate said, almost in a whisper, maybe a little too sincere, peering at Yelena through her eyelashes.

And Yelena just stared right back up at her, her eyes bouncing between Kate’s trying to figure her out like she always would.

“Kate,” Yelena started, her voice just as quiet as Kate’s had been previously, but there was enough weight behind it that Kate felt her heart thump a little harder in her chest in anticipation for whatever Yelena was going to say.

But she didn’t get the chance, because Peter came bounding upstairs. “Okay, we are ready to-” He stopped dead when he spotted them, Kate’s palms flat against Yelena’s collarbone, both standing entirely too close. “Oh, sorry. We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago.”

Yelena moved away to grab her knives laid out on the table, slipping them into holsters she had hidden all over her body.

Peter gave Kate a what the fuck look, motioning between the two of them.

Kate shook her head, grabbing her suit jacket and throwing it on. “I’m heading over now, I will put coms on when I get there.”

Ophelia was incredibly charming, in a way Kate had found most top end criminals to be. She was beautiful, pale skin and black hair, forest green eyes boring into Kate’s as she flirted with her through dinner, totally unabashed.

But Kate didn’t get flustered like she did with Yelena, because she actually liked Yelena, that was the factor that caused her to get flustered. When she didn’t have any kind of emotional investment she was good at flirting with pretty girls.

So Kate gave as good as she got, her fingertips tickling Ophelia’s wrist through dessert, chin resting on her palm, fluttering her eyelashes at her as she listened to Ophelia talk about how the Shelter came about.

Peter and Yelena had told her they had installed the dust caps not long after they had gotten seated, and had both settled on a roof just across the road, with a view of the restaurant.

“It was really nice to meet you, Kate.” Ophelia said as they waited outside for their cars, moving in to place a lingering kiss on Kate’s cheeks. Kate made sure to keep a hold of both of her hands as she did so, just in case she was onto them and tried to slip anything in or out of Kate’s pockets. “I am looking forward to seeing you again.”

Kate picked Peter and Yelena up around the corner, Peter keeping an eye on the tracker to make sure they weren’t being followed while Yelena quietly stared out at the city.

“She seemed to really like you,” Yelena commented once they were settled in Kate’s apartment, Peter out with MJ, who had come to pick him up not long after they had gotten in.

("Have him home before eleven, MJ." Yelena called after them, both she and Kate handing out the door as she watched them walk down the hallway.

"And remember, Petey, no caffeine after eight." Kate added, both laughing when Peter glared back at them.)

“Who?” Kate glanced over at her, gummy worm hanging out of her mouth.

“Ophelia,” Yelena clarified. “She took a shining to you.”

“She knew I was going to give her money, that’s what people do when they want something from you, butter you up.” Kate shrugged. “There was no weight behind it.”

“If you say so,” 

That made Kate frown. “What?”

“What what?”

“You’re being weird,” Kate pointed out. “What is it?”

“Nothing, just concerned she might have taken a bit too much of a liking to you.” Yelena shrugged. “People like her will do some out of pocket things.”

Kate regarded Yelena for a moment, the girl adamantly not looking at her, staring unfocused at the TV. “Are you jealous?”

Yelena scoffed, that sarcastic little laugh leaving her lips. “Kate Bishop, forever the jester.”

“Play it off all you like,” Kate shrugged. “But you’re acting weird.”

“I just- It was not nice to sit and listen to that.”

“What? Me flirting with someone else?” Kate said, watching Yelena as she bit the inside of her lips, shoulders lifting in a little shrug as she peered up at Kate.

“Someone as dangerous as her flirting with you.”

“Mm, ‘cause I can’t handle myself, right?” Kate grumbled, contempt clear in her tone. “I’m just the spoiled little rich kid.”

“You are that, yes. But that does not mean you are incapable, that is not at all what I am saying.” Yelena assured. “Having the attention of dangerous people is not a good thing regardless of your skill level, that is why I am worried.”

“Right,” Kate muttered, a little embarrassed about how defensive she had gotten, fiddling with the strap of her watch.

“Hey,” Yelena elbowed her gently in the side, forcing Kate to look at her. “You are the most skilled marksman I know, and you are highly trained at hand to hand combat. Not to mention you have fantastic instincts. You are good at this, you would have made a great Widow. The chemically altered ones, not ones like Nat, you are far too soft for that.”

Kate actually found herself smiling at the odd compliment, ducking her head, eyes back on her watch. 

Yelena was smiling over at her when she finally lifted her eyes to look back at her, head back against the cushion, everything about her incredibly soft.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive.”

“No apologies needed, I understand.” Yelena assured, her hand falling onto Kate’s thigh. “You are plenty capable, маленький паук, otherwise I would not like you as much.”

“Softy,” Kate teased, because she was unsure what else to say to that, especially when it made her heart stutter a little.

“Only with you, Kate Bishop.” 

Chapter Text

She was pretty sure at this point Yelena was fucking with her.

She was sure that Yelena knew exactly how Kate felt about her and was actively teasing and playing with her.

She would lean into Kate’s space any chance she got, her hands were constantly on Kate, she would kiss her on the cheek whenever she left. 

Kate would always catch her staring, too, whether she was sitting beside her or from across the room, her eyes always seemed to be on Kate. And she wouldn’t look away when Kate caught her -like Kate would when Yelena caught her staring-, no, she would smile this smile Kate had only ever seen directed at her, or throw her a little wink. 

But what made Kate think that Yelena was playing games with her, and not that she was overly touching with someone she was close to, happened one day when they were walking the dogs in the park.

Yelena gently taking a hold of her wrist and pulling her around to face her, Pete walking a bit in front with Lucky and Fanny. 

Kate frowned, about to ask what was wrong when Yelena gently took a hold of her chin. 

"Stay still," She commanded, and Kate couldn't really do anything but comply, her eyes, hidden behind her dark Ray bans, watching as Yelena pushed herself up onto to her tiptoes, entirely too close, Kate's heart thundering in her chest to the point she was sure Yelena could probably feel it with the fingers down the side of her jaw. 

Then Yelena proceeded to fix her lipstick -Kate could do nothing but watch as Yelena dragged her thumb along her bottom lips, actively stopping herself from licking her own lips- and check her eye makeup in the reflection of Kate's glasses, before flashing Kate a smile. 

"Thank you, маленький паук."

Kate could only nod, but Yelena didn't see it, practically bouncing off to catch up with the dogs. 

Peter had watched the whole things, giving Kate a what the hell look, and Kate shrugged in response, feeling a little light headed at whatever the fuck that was. 

Kate was a little dazed for the rest of the walk.

–

"I think Yelena is fucking with you," Peter commented, dangling upside down in the corner, going over some schematics for work, Kate lounging on the sofa, not watching TV. 

"Why, though?" Kate sighed, pushing herself up onto her elbows to peer over the back of the sofa at Peter. "It's such a weird way to fuck with someone."

"Maybe she's flirting with you," Peter shrugged, and Kate scoffed. "No, think about it, right. All of her experience with stuff like that is from dumb American movies, right?"

"I guess," Kate hummed. 

"And that's the kind of shit that happens in those movies. The thing with the glasses, the breakfast and the touching. All of it is, like, right out of flirting for dummies.”

“No. No, she can’t be.”

“Why can’t she be?”

“Because she is this really hot assassin and I’m just a spoiled little rich kid with a bow.”

Peter snorted at that, flipping round to land soundlessly on his feet, wandering over to the kitchen.

“Both of those things are true, I don’t get why they make it so she can’t like you back.” Peter grabbed a drink for himself. “You want anything?”

“No, I’m good.” Kate sighed, falling back onto the sofa. “What do I do?”

“Fight her again and ask her out?” Kate didn’t need to look at Peter to know he was grinning, launching a pillow at him which made him cackle. “She clearly likes you back, she just doesn’t know how to deal with it, you know she hasn't really experienced much in human interactions, much less this kind.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kate grumbled, arm covering her face as she groaned.

“She is one of the smartest people I know, but she can’t really act accordingly when she doesn’t know the right way to act, you know?” Peter leaned back against the sofa, batting Kate’s arm. “It’ll work out, look at me and MJ, we’ve been going on dates, and we are talking about how we’re gonna make it work while she’s at school. If I can figure it out after she literally forgets my existence, you can figure things out with the hot assassin.”

Kate pondered that for a while, Peter going back to the schematics.

“I think I am going to ask the tracksuits about this Ophelia chick.” 

“They don’t want to murder you anymore?”

“I don’t think so.” Kate muttered. “I will take Yelena just in case.”

“Like a guard dog,” Peter hummed. “Smart.”

–

There was still no suspicious movement from Ophelia the following day, so Kate headed down to the Tracksuits ‘secret’ hideout.

Kate had expected to have guns pulled on them as they entered the hideout, but as soon as Ivan spotted her he smiled, arms outstretched. 

“Ah, Kate Bishop, long time no see, bro.”

“Keeping out of trouble, I hope.” Kate pointed at him, and he laughed.

“You know us,” He said with a shrug.

“You should really up your security, this place isn’t very safe or secret.”

“Slim pickings, you know.” Ivan shrugged. “What are you doing here, bro?”

“We have come to kill you,” Yelena spoke up before Kate could.

“No,” Kate rushed out, frowning over at Yelena, hand outstretched towards the men when they went for their guns. “No no. No one is here to kill you.”

The tracksuits looked unconvinced, and Kate glared at Yelena, who flashed her a mischievous little smirk.

“You are a troublemaker,” Kate grumbled. “No, guys, no killing. I think we’re past that, no?” 

“We thought as much, Kate Bishop.” Ivan said, eyeing Yelena suspiciously. “What can we do for you, bro?”

“We need information on someone,” Kate moved to sit on the unicorn kids ride. “Have you heard of Ophelia Sarkissian?”

“You are looking into her, too?” Tomas asked, jumping when Ivan punched him. “Bro, what the fuck?”

“Keep your mouth shut, bro.”

“Oh my god,” Kate heard Yelena murmur.

“Too?” Kate frowned. “Who else is looking into her?”

“No one,”

“Your boss, right?” Kate eyed the men, who were just really awful liars. “Maya. Where is she?”

“Nowhere,”

“Guys, come on.” Kate sighed.

“You better-” Yelena started, but Kate held up a hand, an ah ah leaving her lips like she was talking to a child.

“You’ve said enough,” Yelena blinked at the scolding, and it threw her enough to stop her talking. “This is important guys, it involves kids. We are just trying to protect people.”

The group looked at each other, for long enough that Yelena tutted beside her, but she didn’t make any comments.

“We will get in touch with her, bro, see what she thinks.”

“Tell her we will be at the pizza place on twenty nine east thirty third at nine tonight, if she wants to talk.”

“Can you talk to her?” Yelena asked as they headed out to Kate’s car. “She’s deaf, no?”

“I learned sign language to surprise Clint,” Kate admitted. “It was useless in the end, since he doesn’t know more than the basics. I’ve still been learning because it is actually pretty useful.”

“I know I am here to kill you and give me the package. ” Yelena said. “Neither of which is useful.”

“No, it isn’t. And Maya isn’t like those morons, she will shoot you if you say you’re here to kill her.”

“Come on, that was funny.” Yelena leaned her head back against the headrest, head tilted to the side to smile at Kate, mischievous glint in her eyes.

“It was,” Kate admitted with a chuckle. “But not with Maya.”

“She was the one I fought on the roof, yes?”

“Yeah,”

Yelena hummed, nodding as she turned to stare out the windshield, watching the city go by.

Kate wasn’t entirely convinced Maya would show up, after everything at Christmas, that was personal, she was rightfully angry at Clint, and by extension Kate, so she had no reason to want to meet up with her.

Her fingers were drumming against the table as they waited, visibly startling when Yelena placed a hand over hers. 

“Relax,” Yelena spoke softly, thumb bumping over Kate’s knuckles. “She either shows up or she doesn’t, either way we will still figure this out.”

“I know,” Kate felt herself relax at the sensation of Yelena’s thumb, nodding slightly. “Sorry, I just want to figure this out before anyone else goes missing.” 

“I know, me too.” Yelena hummed, turning her body toward Kate, her arm sliding across the back of Kate’s chair, hand still over Kate’s. “She will show up, she is looking into this for a reason, probably the same reason as us, it would be foolish for her not to come if we are offering help.”

Maya did show up, a few minutes after nine, eyeing both Yelena and Kate suspiciously as she sat down.

She looked a little surprised when Kate began signing, and she was standoffish the entire time, but she eventually relented when she realised Kate had no ulterior motives here, she was trying to achieve the same thing Maya was.

“I am on the inside,” Maya signed. “She trusts me, I am trying to figure out where they are taking the kids and why.”

“We put a tracker on her car but there hasn’t been any movement other than between her home and the shelter in Washington heights.” Kate replied. 

“They have been doing some work in a lab in Chinatown, the new building, with the scaffolding on the side.” Maya explained, and it took Kate a few seconds to register what she was saying, but Maya was patient enough, waiting for her to nod before continuing.

“We want to help,” Kate said. “Anything you need.”

Maya nodded, regarding Kate for a second. “You met with her, right?”

“Yes, to offer funding for her shelter.”

“I will talk to her, see what I can do. In the meantime do not get caught snooping, and do not go near the lab, only a select few know about that, she will know instantly that I have stabbed her in the back.”

Kate nodded. “Do you want food?”

Maya gave her a look, before standing. “I will be in touch soon.” 

“She didn’t want food,” Kate clarified when Maya left, turning to Yelena, who had been sitting there in silence the whole time.

“Well, I do.” Yelena picked up the menu. “Should we invite sticky boy in?” 

“Shut up, Yelena.” Peter grumbled in their ear, making Yelena laugh.

“Come in, маленький паук.” 

—

“She knows who my mom is,” Kate said as she entered her apartment.  “Maya said the reason she agreed to meet in the first place was because she knew who my mom is and what she had done.”

“Does she know who you are?” Yelena asked, moving from the kitchenette, leaning against the back of the sofa where Peter was sitting with the dogs.

“I don’t think so, not the vigilante part at least.” Kate shook her head. “She thinks I’m like my mom, that I was in on it all with her but got off because she took the fall. And because she knows we’ve been meeting with Maya.”

“And she wants you in on whatever she's doing?” Peter asked.

“Yeah,” Kate nodded. “I’m rich, and my mom, she had a hold on so much of New York before everything went down. I’m useful to her.”

“That’s so dangerous,” Peter said.

“I know, but it’s an in.” Kate pointed out. “If I can get in I can figure out what they’re doing in that lab.”

“Kate,” Yelena sighed. “That is a lot, I don't think it is a good idea.”

“I was talking to Maya, she wants to work together to take this down from the inside.”

“And you just trust her now?” Yelena stood, frowning at Kate. “Remember she is still a crime boss. This could be a trap, they could be working together to get to you.”

“Why?”

“You are rich, your mother fucked with Fisk, and probably a lot of other crime families. You worked with Clint who also fucked with a lot of crime families.” Yelena listed. “I don't like this idea.”

“You don’t need to, you just need to be there if it does go wrong.” Kate said, her eyes not leaving Yelena, who stared her down for a few seconds, jaw tensing as she shook her head and headed back into the kitchenette. “It’s our best shot.”

“No,” Yelena wheeled around, pointing at Kate. “You just run into danger without giving the plan any real thought, and that is going to get you killed, Kate. You are good at this, I have told you that, but you are reckless, and reckless people do not last in this business.”

“I’m not being reckless. Maya is a crime boss, you’re right, but she wants to stop those kids from being taken just as much as we do.” Kate argued, glancing at Peter, who shrugged and shook his head.

“I agree with her, Kate.” He said, sounding somewhat sheepish. “You can’t be sure if she is on our side.”

Kate scoffed, shaking her head at the duo. “Maybe if you trusted me enough to take my word for it.”

“This has nothing to do with trust,” Yelena said.

“It has everything to do with trust,” Kate shot back. 

“We don’t want you to get hurt,” Peter said, trying to defuse what was rearing up to be an argument between Kate and Yelena. “We care about you, and putting you in a situation like that seems like too much of a risk.”

“And are we just supposed to sit around and wait until something comes to us?” Kate said. “They’re not making any moves, we know nothing more than we did a week ago.”

“I want to protect those kids, but I am not risking you.”

“You’re not risking anything, I’m the one going in there.”

“And you are my family,” Yelena’s voice was low, dangerous, not at all how it should with the words she was saying. 

Kate softened immediately, anger melting away. “Lena,”

“No, I can not lose anyone else.” Yelena shook her head, her shoulders uncoiling slightly when Kate reached out to take her hand. “I wasn't there to protect Natasha, I cannot lose you, too.”

“Okay,” Kate nodded, moving a little closer when she was sure she wasn’t over stepping. “Okay. I will talk to Maya, see if she can get us any information, put this ideas on the back burner.”

Yelena nodded, giving Kate’s hand a squeeze. “The food is going to burn.” Yelena motioned toward the kitchen, and Kate knew it was burning, or even close, Yelena just needed an out, so she gave her it, moving to sit down beside Peter.

“Have Maya figure out where they keep their records, I can break in and get them.” Peter suggested, and Kate nodded, her eyes on Yelena who was footering around the kitchen, keeping herself busy.

Peter ended up falling asleep on the armchair as Robin Hood played, neither Kate nor Yelena watching.

“I am sorry,” Yelena said quietly. “About earlier, I shouldn't have gone off like that.”

“I’m sorry, too. I should have listened.” Kate said. “I do think it’s a good idea, but I understand your thinking.”

“You two,” Yelena motioned to Kate, then Peter, drooling on the armchair, “You are important to me, if there is another way we should do that first.”

Kate nodded, touched at the sentiment, playfully nudging Yelena. “Bet you didn’t think when you threw me off that roof that I would worm my way under your skin.”

“Absolutely not. And definitely didn’t think a vigilante nerd would, either.” Yelena motioned to Peter.

“You’re soft, Belova.” 

Yelena rolled her eyes, but didn’t refute that like she would before.

–

Peter didn’t need to break into the lab, because Maya came to her with everything her needed to know, also telling her that they were onto them, that they knew someone was snooping, so Maya was distancing herself.

Maya handed her three files, nodding when Kate told her to call her if she was ever in trouble, before leaving her office.

Kate flicked through the files, all work forgotten, only scanning over the three of them before she was out of her seat and headed back to her place.

“They are taking the kids to perfect his drug,” Kate said as she entered her place, knowing that Peter and Yelena would be there anyway, holding up the files before dropping them on the table. “The one you were looking into before, with the Snakeheads, it’s called D-lite. I don’t know what it does, but it is killing these kids, and it's done something to two of the kids, the only two that have survived.”

“Done something?” Peter frowned. 

“Like- Like, I don’t know. Only two have survived so far, they disappeared after escaping but the file talked about one of them becoming- it just said darkness, I don’t know what that means.” Kate frowned, shaking her head. “I also got the name of the boss, Martin Li.”

“Martin Li?” Peter looked surprised at that.

“You know him?” 

“He has been all over the news, giving money to all kinds of charities, people are saying he is the kindest man in New York.”

Kate snorted at that. “He is up to something, trying to do something with this drug and it has to do with the two that survived.”

“Super powers.” Yelena spoke up for the first time, thumbing through the file. “That’s probably what it is. If it has given those two children super powers, he is trying to figure out how to get it to work on himself.”

“How do you know that?”

“I don’t,” Yelena shook her head. “But I have seen it before. We live in a world of Gods, Aliens, super soldiers, human spiders. Everyone wants a superpower. People are willing to do some pretty depraved things to get them.”

“We need to stop him before he succeeds.” Kate said, and Peter agreed, but Yelena way fully focused on the files in her hand, muttering to herself as she read through it.

“It’s transdimensional energy.” Yelena murmured, glancing at Peter and Kate. “Those two kids, one can manipulate negative energy, the other positive energy. They call them Lightforce and Darkforce here, they are apparently mirrors of each other.”

“Why didn’t it kill them?”

“They had a specific gene, one none of the other kids have, they seem to think it has to do with that.” Yelena frowned down at the file, finger tracing the surface as she read. “They have been trying to mimic these results in other kids, perfect it because apparently the Darkforce was very unstable.”

“So he is trying to control this Darkforce.” Peter said.

“Both, by the sounds of it.” 

“How could he-” Peter started but trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he turned toward the window.

“Pete?”

“Somethings wrong,” Peter whispered, Yelena and Kate following his eyeline just as what looked a lot like a spotlight appeared in the sky, dark smoke swirling around it.

Kate knew immediately what it was, and so did Peter and Yelena, Peter springing to his feet to go get changed into his suit.

“We need a plan,” Kate said, grabbing her quiver of trick arrows, a few still strapped to her belt.

“We don’t know what we’re going up against.” Peter called from the laundry room. “We can’t plan for that.”

He was right, Kate knew that, Yelena knew that, but it unsettled both of them that there was no plan. 

Peter swung there, telling them he would do his best to at least keep them distracted while Kate and Yelena hopped on Yelena’s motorcycle.

“I’ve never been on this with you,” Kate commented as she swung her leg over.

“Today is your lucky day then,”

Peter come through the comes when they were a little over half way there.

“Guys, he’s like- I don’t- Negative.”

“Like, emotionally, or?” Kate clarified, Yelena focused on weaving through traffic.

“No, like, literally. He is photonegative.” Peter said. “He is here alone, I don’t know what he’s doing.”

“Just be careful,”

Just as she said that the coms screeched in their ear, making Kate wince and Yelena swerve slightly, before rearing back the throttle and speeding down the rows of traffic.

“Petey?” Kate waited, but there was nothing, not even static. “Peter?”

They got there a few minutes later, bursting onto the roof, Li looking like he had been waiting for them, Peter standing alongside him, his suit a black and white photonegative that made them skid to a halt, Kate noting the swirls of black and white around Peter.

“Peter?” 

“Peter isn’t here right now, girls.” Li smirked at them, prompting Kate to nock and arrow, bow on him.

“What did you do to him?”

“I just helped him see reason,” Li placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, and Kate watched the energy transfer between them.

“Don’t let him touch you,” She said to Yelena.

“I don’t have a long range weapon, Kate, there isn’t really much I can do about that.”

Peter came at them then, and on instinct Kate levelled her arrow on him, but she kept the arrow nocked.

“You take on Li, I’ll handle Peter.” She said, her bow dematerializing right as Peter barrelled into her, pinning her up against the door by her neck.

He wasn’t choking her, thought, and that told Kate there was still some semblance of control there.

Yelena went after Li, trying to best to not be touched, but, thankfully, even when she was, it didn’t have the same effect as it did with Peter. This seemed to surprise Li, giving Yelena and opening to get the upper hand.

“Petey, it’s me, it’s Kate.” Kate tried, pulling Peter’s mask off, his skin black like Li’s, his once brown eyes an icy blue, entirely void of any emotion. “Peter, I need to you to stop, please.”

But Li was right, Peter wasn’t in there right now, throwing Kate off to the side before advancing on her, his foot coming up to land right on Kate’s gut, causing her to groan in pain and scurry away.

She was quick enough to get to her feet, and skilled enough to trade blows with Peter. He didn’t use any of his Spider abilities, which, again, told Kate he was in there somewhere and holding back as much as he could.

But, by nature of his superhuman ability, he was fast and stronger than her, so he was getting the upper hand, hands finding her throat as he pushed her over the small wall around the roof, Kate kicking and scratching as he inched her closer to toppling.

“I love you, okay?” Kate said, hands around Peter’s arms. “Regardless how this goes, know I love you.”

Peter did pause, but only briefly, before he pushed harder, Kate’s entire upper body now seventy two stories above the street, all Peter had to do was let her go and she was dead.

Kate glanced at Yelena, who had attempted to get to her, but Li wasn’t allowing it.

It was then someone materialised behind Peter, Dark and Light, Kate knew immediately it was the kids from the files, both looking no older than seventeen.

The boy placed a hand on Peter, the energy draining from him until he was back, blinking wide-eyed at Kate, who was just happy to have those sweet brown eyes looking back at her.

“Kate,” He whispered, pulling Kate back onto solid ground, a look of grief on his face.

“Now isn’t the time for that, we need to deal with him.” Kate said, looking at the two kids in front of them. “Thank you.”

“We will try and help, but we don’t have full control.” The girl said, and, honestly, it was better than nothing.

“Welcome back, маленький паук.” Yelena said as they joined her in fighting Li, Peter still looking sheepish as he nodded, pulling on his mask.

The lack of control the kids had meant they would blip in and out, disappear to god knows where, then reappear a few minutes later, but they were winning, they had Li on the defensive.

Then the explosion happened. 

Kate and Yelena were off at the edge, Kate with her bow, Yelena her gun, both about ready to shoot when something blew up below them, distracting Peter enough for Li to get him on the ground, tip of his charged sceptre against his chest, causing him to cry out in pain.

Kate was thrown back into the wall by the explosion, while Yelena was thrown over the small wall around the roof, over past the scaffolding. 

Kate glanced toward Peter, fighting against the weapon piercing his chest, eyes wide at where Yelena had been -eyes that were flickering to that icy blue-, and Kate knew he wasn’t going to be able to get to her in time. So Kate jumped after her, grabbing a tether arrow and shooting it into the wall just behind her, clip in hand as she hopped over the scaffolding and streamlined herself to get to Yelena before she gained too much speed. 

Yelena didn’t even look scared, just surprised to see Kate coming at her, wrapping herself around Yelena as she clipped the tether onto her belt. The tether had enough give to not jerk them too much, but it did throw them back against the scaffolding, Kate bearing the brunt of that, crashing side first into a metal pole, Yelena against her front.

She definitely heard something break, felt the breathless effects immediately, the weakness in her arms that would have caused her to slip away had Yelena not kept a hold of her, but there was no pain, her adrenaline too high for that. 

Yelena got them on the platform, and Kate turned to rush back up to help Peter, but Yelena stopped her, giving Kate time to register Peter telling them the kids were back and they had the upper hand, as well as a plan.

"He can handle it," Yelena said, her hand moving to Kate's side, cradling it, watching Kate for her reaction, which was immediately, the pain shooting through her. Both not really hearing Peter talking about sending Li to the Darkforce dimension. "Can you breathe okay?"

Kate could not breathe okay, any breath she was taking was cut off by the sharp pain that radiated from her side right up and over her shoulder. "Not really."

Yelena unzipped her suit, lifting Kate's grey University t-shirt, assessing her side. 

"Here," Yelena shrugged off her jacket, leaving her in just a tank top. "Press this against where it hurts, I think you have broken a rib, that might have collapsed part of your lung. You will be fine as long as you don't take another hard hit."

Yelena helped her down to the ground when Peter told them they had Negative in the Darkforce Dimension, and that the kids were taking him to the SHIELD agent they had been in contact with since running away. Peter hopped down somewhat solemn, looking about ready to hug them when he registered the state Kate was in. 

"What happened?"

"She was playing hero," Yelena rolled her eyes, but her smile was soft, looking fondly at Kate, who she was still very much keeping on her feet.

They headed back to Kate’s place, Yelena driving carefully through the streets with Kate on the back, Peter swinging slowly above them, keeping an eye.

Yelena sat Kate down at the kitchen table.

“You hit your head or anything?” Yelena asked, and Kate shook her head lightly, it was actually one of the few places that hadn’t taken a substantial hit.

Kate sat obediently as Yelena moved her head all over the place, cleaning and patching up the cuts there, her eyes on Yelena as she moved her head to the left to get the tear of her earlobe.

Yelena was frowning, concentrated and worried, dried blood at the corner of her mouth, her eye already tinted purple, but that didn’t seem to bother her at all, her full attention on Kate.

“I’m jealous of Pete’s super healing,” Kate muttered.

“Me too,” Yelena hummed, Q-tip trapped between her teeth as she applied a butterfly stitch to Kate’s eyebrow. “You just jumped.”

“Hm?” Kate sounded like she was dazed, like she had taking a rough hit to the head, but that wasn’t it, Yelena was just so close, so focused on Kate and it was kind of a lot.

“You jumped off a skyscraper, why?”

“You were falling,” Kate shrugged, like that was enough justification to follow in Pete footsteps by leaping off of tall structures, like she would be able to swing herself away, too.

“You aren’t the same as the Spider-boy-”

“Man. Spider-Man.” Peter corrected from the sofa but Yelena ignored him.

“That arrow could have disconnected, you could have died.” Yelena sounded like she was scolding her, but when Kate looked up at her, her face was soft, she was worried.

“If I didn’t you would have,” Kate reasoned. “I knew it would have stuck, and you’ve been there to help me, I couldn’t let you die.”

Yelena sighed, giving Kate an incredulous look. “You have no self-preservation, Kate Bishop." 

"Weird way of saying thank you," Kate grinned at Yelena when she glared at her, but the glare quickly melted away into an eye roll.

"Thank you, Kate Bishop, for jumping off a skyscraper and breaking your ribs to stop me from splatting on the ground." Yelena drawled, voice sarcastic and monotone. 

"And I will forever be indebted to you," Kate playfully added. 

"Absolutely not," Yelena said with a definitive head shake. 

Kate chuckled. "Worth a try," 

Yelena hummed, her features a little more serious. "Thank you, маленькая птица. Truly."

"I would say any time but I don't want to do that again, it was terrifying, how do you just jump out of windows like it's nothing?"

"Years of practice," Yelena shrugged easily, placing the Q-tip on the table, satisfied with her work. “My sister did something similar, you know,”

“Hm?” 

“When we took down the Red Room, I was thrown over the side and she jumped after me.” Yelena explained. “I have never had someone do something like that for me, haven’t since. Until you.”

“I think your sister and I would both agree the world is better with you in it.” 

“I’m not so sure about that,”

“It wouldn't be nearly as fun, at least.” Kate gave Yelena a crooked little smile when she looked up at her.

“This is true, I am a lot of fun.”

“Mm,” Kate hummed, her smile loosening at the look in Yelena’s eyes, something so intense that Kate opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but she didn’t get the chance, Yelena tentatively cupping her cheeks before leaning down and kissing her.

Kate responded immediately, because she had wanted this for so long, she wasn’t going to pass it up, especially when she didn’t know if it was a one time thing or not.

Yelena kind of tasted like blood, probably from the gash on her top lip, but Kate didn’t care, pushing up and against her, the hand on her hip pulling slightly, and Yelena moved closer with no resistance, one hand on the back of the chair, a knee on the wood just beside Kate’s thigh.

“You scared me so much tonight,” Yelena admitted quietly against her lips.

“I’m sorry,” Kate didn’t open her eyes, too afraid in case this moment disappeared when she did.

“You need to rest, then we will make dinner.” Yelena said, turning to Peter, who was on the sofa trying to pretend he hadn’t been watching, nor was shocked at what he had seen. “Are you okay, маленький паук?”

That made Kate open her eyes, groaning as she stood and made her way over to Peter, taking the boy's face in her hands and having a look at him, even after he insisted he was okay.

“Katie,” He spoke softly, hand on her arm, stopping her from fussing, prompting Kate to look up at his tearful eyes. “I'm so sorry, I couldn’t- I tried to stop. I almost-”

His lip wobbled, and Kate’s heart broke at the sight. “Hey,” she whispered, Yelena coming up beside Peter, an arm wrapping around his shoulder.

“As someone who knows what you are feeling right now, trust me when I say it’s not your fault.” Yelena used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe the few tears that rolled down his cheeks. “I know that doesn’t help much, what you are feeling right now is painful, but know that no matter how hard you tried, you cannot break something that is to do with brain chemistry.”

Peter nodded, and sniffed, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, I was brainwashed for, like, a minute, you dealt with it most of your life.” He chuckled, which sounded strained.

“Does not matter how long, having your mind taken from you is something that hurts in a way you cannot describe.” Yelena gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Just remember we are here if you need to talk.”

“I know,” Peter nodded, smiling, something a little more genuine. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Yelena hummed.

Kate nodded. “Really good job tonight, kid, you stopped something awful.”

“We all did,” Peter said. “I will need to make you some web shooters if you’re going to pull shit like you did tonight.”

“No you do not, she will not be jumping off any more buildings.” Yelena cut in, hand finding Kate’s lower back, guiding her toward the stairs, leaving Peter on the sofa with Lucky and Fanny.

“Should we leave him alone?” Kate asked, glancing back at Peter, his nose buried in Lucky’s fur.

“I think he needs a little space,” Yelena said, moving to sit on the bed, back against the headboard, motioning for Kate to join her.

Kate laid on her non-injured side, head on Yelena’s lap, relaxing as she raked her hands through her hair, enough for her to fall asleep within a few minutes.

--

Kate woke up a few hours later, her head still on Yelena’s lap, the smell of food filling the apartment.

She blinked awake, eyes moving to Yelena who was reading, fingers still in Kate’s her, intermittently scratching her scalp, prompting Kate to hum slightly.

“Welcome back, sleepy head.”

Kate groaned as she turned onto her back, clutching her side, breathless. “This is going to be a nightmare.”

“Yes, it is.” Yelena agreed, her fingertips tracing Kate’s forehead and jaw, Kate’s eyes fluttering closed at the sensation.

“You kissed me,” She whispered, eyes still closed, leaning into Yelena’s palm when it flattened against her cheek.

“I did,” Yelena hummed, Kate’s eyes flickering open to see her smiling down at her.

“Can you do it again?” Kate requested, smiling when Yelena nodded, leaning down to kiss her, Kate’s nose bumping her chin.

“I will kiss you whenever you want, Kate Bishop?” Yelena whispered against her lips.

“Peter, you do not add garam masala in the beginning.” Kate heard MJ scold downstairs. 

“What does it matter, it’s gonna go in there anyway.”

“It matters,” MJ sighed. “Just stand and look pretty, you do that better than you cook.”

Kate chuckled, while Yelena nodded.

“She is right, he is an awful cook.” Yelena hummed. “We will head down in a second, I want to kiss you some more.”

That made Kate smile, lifting her head and motioning for Yelena to come down and join her. “Well come down here, I’m not upside down kissing you the whole time.”

Yelena obliged, moving to lay alongside Kate, hand on her hip as she leaned in to kiss her.

“Peter, do not throw that!” MJ warned, followed by a small squeal. “Okay, two can play at that game.”

There was a scuffle downstairs, and Kate knew what was happening without even having to get up and look.

“You guys will be cleaning all of that up.” She called, and the commotion downstairs stopped.

“Sorry,” Peter called back sheepishly, followed by MJ’s gleeful laugh.

Kate couldn’t really be made, giggling as Yelena leaned in to kiss her.