Archive of Our Own

If someone told Kate that Natasha, out of all people, was going to be the first one to prevent her from proposing to Yelena, she would have called them crazy. 

After all, Nat was the first person Kate told (even before Clint!) because she wanted her girlfriend’s sister’s opinion on the ring and (mostly) wanted some reassurance that she wasn’t rushing things.

“I mean, how long have you guys been dating?” Natasha asks when she meets Kate in front of the jewelry store.

“Six months,” Kate replies, shoving her hands in her pockets.

Nat laughs. “I mean, per the lesbian stereotype, if anything, you’re probably late on the proposal,” she remarks, pushing the door open for the two of them to walk in. She ignores the petulant tongue Kate sticks out at her and smiles politely at the woman behind the counter who greets them. “Plus, technically, I feel like you guys have been together for longer than that.”

“I know,” Kate sighs, her heart rate picking up at the sight of the rings in front of her. “But you know Yelena, and you know what a shit show it was for us to actually get together.” She takes in the overwhelming selection through the glass and her palms start to sweat a little. It's starting to feel very real now. “I just don’t want her to feel pressured, you know? And I’d wait for her to propose to me, but-- you know how she is.”

The redhead leans over the counter, taking a closer look at some of the more over-the-top-looking rings. Kate wants to open her mouth to tell her that A) she’s not made of money and B) those rings aren’t exactly Yelena’s style, but doesn’t have to, because Natasha snorts at the sight of them and continues to walk down the display towards more suitable ones.

“No, you’re right,” she starts, not looking at Kate. “If you wait for her, the two of you might just end up being two unmarried eighty year-olds. Not that you guys need to get married, since marriage is a social and economical construct that mostly gets you tax benefits and hospital visitation rights--” She stops short when she realizes Kate’s not immediately behind her and turns around to see an anxious expression on her face.

“I’m sorry, not helpful, I know,” she apologizes, waving a hand.

“Do you not want us to get married?” Kate asks, paling.

Natasha’s eyes widen. “Oh, god, no-- I mean, yes, of course, I want you guys to get married,” she says hurriedly. “I’m sorry, let me start over.” She makes a face and composes herself before grabbing Kate by the shoulders.

“You guys are perfect for each other. Anyone with eyes can see that,” Natasha starts, assuring her. “And I know how my baby sister can be-- she doesn’t have commitment issues, but, you know,” she says, trying to find the right words. “She can be hesitant about big changes.”

Kate waits for the older woman to get to the part of her spiel that's supposed to make her feel better.

But she’s ready for this. And she loves you, so,” Nat says, pausing to give Kate a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

Kate lets out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. “Yeah?” she asks meekly.

“Yeah,” Natasha echoes, patting her on the shoulder.

“Okay,” Kate pants, her anxiety level lowering. She takes a few steadying breaths and nods. “Okay.”

They continue on, browsing the ring selection. Kate and Natasha each point out a few rings and ultimately decide against them, and a few minutes pass by before Kate remembers.

“Oh-- I, uh-- I meant to ask... how do you think I should bring it up to your parents?” Kate asks hesitantly.

Nat frowns in confusion, turning to face her. “What?” 

“Y’know, like, tell them I’m planning on proposing?”

Natasha makes a noise. “Ohh, no. I wouldn’t do that,” she warns, letting out a low laugh. At Kate’s bewildered expression, she continues, “They are notoriously bad secret-keepers.”

“Really?” It’s Kate’s turn to frown. “Even Melina?”

“Oh, yes. You’d be surprised. Even Mom.”

“So... you don’t think I should tell them?” she asks slowly.

“Oh no, no. And don’t tell Bucky, either. He’s just as bad,” Natasha tells her.

“Alright,” Kate concedes. “Noted.”

(1)

So, on the big night, Clint and Natasha come over to help, because Kate’s pulling out all the stops.

While Natasha coaches Kate through making a home-cooked Russian meal (the better idea would have been for Nat to cook it, but Kate felt like that was a cop-out), Clint’s hanging up fairy lights and setting up the table. He’s not very good at it, and Kate’s already noted the mismatched silverware she needs to switch out, but he’s trying.

“Alright, so that’ll just simmer until you guys are ready,” Natasha says, clapping her hands together.

“Yeah?” Kate asks, eyes hopeful. “I did it?”

“You did it,” Nat confirms. “Looks pretty good, I gotta say. I’m actually a little jealous.”

Kate blushes at the praise before her eyes catch the time on her watch. “Oh, shit,” she hisses. They have about thirty minutes until Yelena gets home from work. “Uh, okay.” She looks around, checking off items on a to-do list in her head. “Dinner’s done, lights are up, dessert’s in the fridge--” she pauses, looking at the table.

Nat holds up silverware. “I already switched out the spoons,” she assures Kate, who exhales a sigh of relief.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Clint starts, indignant. “What was wrong with the spoons?”

Natasha holds up the offending items. “You gave them teaspoons, Clint,” she tells him, exasperated.

Clint frowns. “First of all, what the hell is a teaspoon, and second of all, what’s wrong with them?”

“They’re tiny, Clint! What, do you want it to take them seven years to eat dinner? Come on--”

“Enough!” Kate cuts in, interrupting the argument she knows is coming. Her exclamation gets both of their attention, and they stop to look at her. “Am I forgetting anything?” she asks, her nervousness growing as the minutes tick by.

Clint and Natasha pause, thinking as they look around the room. 

“You’ve got the ring, right?” Clint asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Got the ring,” Kate confirms, patting her pants pocket. 

“The candles are lit,” Natasha points out.

“Candles are lit.”

“The room’s clean.”

“Yep, the room's good,” Kate breathes, rubbing her sweaty palms together. The two of them look at her and she offers a nervous smile. “Do I look alright?” she asks.

Clint’s face breaks into a grin. “Ya look great, Katie-Kat,” he assures her.

“The pantsuit is a nice touch,” Natasha agrees, offering her a smile of her own.

Kate gives them a thumbs-up and checks her watch. Fifteen minutes. “Ah, okay, um,” she stammers, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She has no words.

Natasha clears her throat. “We’ll get out of your hair,” she tells Kate, nudging Clint. “Good luck, not that you need it-- and I promise, I will make sure none of the family bothers you.”

“It’s gonna go great, kid,” Clint assures her, winking.

They start to move towards the door as Kate thanks them profusely. “Thank you guys, really. I don’t think I could have pulled this off without you,” she says, clasping her hands together.

Both of them wave their hands and say their goodbyes, and in a few seconds, Kate’s left alone in the apartment. She takes a few steadying breaths, blowing air through her cheeks before murmuring to herself, “Alright. Now, I wait.”

Kate ends up waiting a little longer than expected. Yelena’s running late coming home and Kate alternates between nervously pacing the kitchen and anxiously bobbing her knee up and down while she sits on the couch in the living room. Fanny and Lucky offer a little bit of a distraction, since Lucky keeps sniffing at the pot on the stove and Fanny’s at Kate’s heels as she paces. She checks her watch way too frequently, her nerves growing by the second. 

Finally, Kate hears the key turn in the lock to their apartment door and she leaps to her feet, trying to find a nonchalant position to stand in. The door swings open, just as Kate settles on an awkward lean against the couch.

“Honey, I’m hooome--” Yelena starts, then stops when she takes in the sight of their apartment. Looking around, her eyes widen in surprise. “What’s-- what’s the occasion?” she asks. “Something smells delicious.” Her eyes finally fall on Kate, whose heart is just about to explode, and gives her an R-rated up-and-down. “And something looks delicious,” she says, waggling her eyebrows.

Kate’s cheeks redden, and she lets out a nervous laugh. “Hi,” she greets softly as Yelena sets down her work bag and motorcycle helmet before approaching her.

“Hi,” Yelena replies, wrapping her arms around Kate’s waist. She presses a kiss to Kate’s lips and Kate swoons.

When they finally separate, breathless, Yelena repeats, “So, what’s the occasion?”

“Oh, uh,” Kate starts, pulling away. “Nothing, I just, uh-- wanted to treat you!”

“Well, this is a nice treat, for sure,” Yelena replies, giving her a dimpled smile.

Kate lets Yelena get settled in, pulling out her chair for her like the absolute gentlewoman she is, and goes to make their dinner plates. Yelena’s eyes widen when she sees what Kate’s made. “Is that--” she starts, jaw dropping.

“Your favorite,” Kate confirms, grinning as she makes a mental note to profusely thank Natasha for helping her.

Yelena lets out a delighted noise, balling her fists in celebration as Kate sets a plate down in front of her. She inhales deeply, taking in the smell of her favorite stew before looking at Kate like she’d just hung the moon and the stars for her.

Dinner goes off without a hitch. In between talking about their respective days, Yelena devours her plate and some of Kate’s, singing praises of how delicious it was. Kate takes their empty plates to the kitchen as Yelena tells her a work story about a particularly annoying pet owner who refused to believe her male dog had nipples.

“She kept insisting they were ticks, and Wanda had to physically stop her from ripping off her poor dog’s nipples!” Yelena says, gesturing with her hands. “There should be a qualification test or something, for people to be able to own animals.”

Kate shakes her head, grinning at Yelena’s story as she goes to pull dessert out of the fridge. She’s a little impressed with how she hasn’t slipped up yet and how smoothly everything’s going.

Of course, she’ll look back on this moment later and curse herself for jinxing it.

Because just as she grabs two plates for dessert, their doorbell rings repeatedly. 

Like, rapid-fire.

Both Kate and Yelena frown, looking between each other and the door. 

“Are we expecting someone?” Yelena asks her. When Kate shakes her head in response, Yelena slowly approaches the door, looking through the peephole. “It’s Natasha,” she tells Kate.

Kate frowns, wondering why the hell Nat would be interrupting them on this night, of all nights. Before she can say anything, Yelena opens the door, letting her sister in. There’s a rush of explanation coming from Natasha’s mouth, and while Kate doesn’t catch any of it, she knows there’s something wrong when Yelena immediately goes to collect her keys and wallet. 

“What’s-- what’s going on?” Kate asks, eyes wide.

“It’s Alexei,” Yelena tells her, worry etched on her face. “It’s Dad, he-- he had a heart attack--hospital.”

Kate’s heart drops to her stomach. “Oh my god,” she exhales, dessert plates forgotten on the kitchen island.

“I have to-- we have to go,” Yelena says breathlessly, searching for the car keys.

The two sisters, who are usually so calm and composed, look in no shape to drive. Kate grabs Yelena’s hand, trying to calm her down. “Hey, hey, look at me,” Kate says, squeezing her hand. “I’ll drive, okay?”

Yelena looks between her and her sister, swallowing. “Okay-- yeah, okay,” she nods.

So, the proposal postponed, Kate drives Natasha and Yelena to the hospital.

After a couple of days, Alexei is released from the hospital, mostly recovered. The whole family is there to see him.

“What did I tell you? Heart attack is no match for the Red Guardian,” he assures his adopted children, referring to the name he’d been given during his old wrestling days.

Yelena, Natasha, and Bucky all roll their eyes as Melina signs the discharge papers. Kate has to hold in a laugh because she distinctly remembers all three of them sitting teary-eyed by their dad’s side the moment he got out of surgery and knows they’re all relieved to see his goofy antics.

"Alright, Mr. Shostakov," the stern-looking nurse starts, "let's keep an eye on our alcohol, sodium, fat, and sugar intake, alright?"

Alexei gapes. "Sugar? I did not hear anything about sugar!" he cries.

"Oh, yes, sir. It's all about moderation."

"But--"

The nurse gives him a look. "No buts, Mr. Shostakov."

"I like this one," Melina notes with a small smile, not looking up from the discharge papers.

Alexei crosses his arm and grumbles under his breath.

..

To be fair, it was technically more Alexei’s fault than Nat’s that Kate couldn’t propose, but still, she pins this one on both of them.

(2)

Kate doesn’t get to try again for weeks. As much as Alexei had claimed that a heart attack was “no match for the Red Guardian”, the stress of his recovery burdened the family, and Kate didn’t want to add to Yelena’s plate. Then, by the time Alexei is determined to be “fully recovered”, one of Kate’s coworkers ends up leaving, and she's stuck doing the work of two people, hardly having any free time to even think about proposing again. Of course, after a replacement is hired and Kate can finally come home at a decent hour, Yelena has to go to a week-long veterinary conference across the country.

Finally, when Yelena is back, almost two months after the first proposal attempt, Kate tries again.

This time, there aren’t as many bells and whistles-- there’s no fancy tablecloth or string lights or anything, and instead of cooking, Kate picks up takeout from their favorite Thai place on her way home under the guise of it being an “at-home date night”. She’s not wearing her nice pantsuit this time, either, although the ring is safely tucked in her nice blazer that she knows Yelena loves. She does, however, make her special chocolate chip cookies (the one thing she really knows how to bake) for dessert, and she’s just finished pulling them out of the oven when Yelena gets home from work.

The dogs immediately rush to her, sniffing her down when they smell the scent of other animals on her.

“Hi,” Kate greets Yelena, leaning down to give her girlfriend a kiss.

“Hi,” Yelena replies with a smile. Her eyes find the tray of cookies and widen. “Ooh,” she starts, reaching out to grab one.

“Hey now,” Kate scolds, swatting her hand. “Those just came out of the oven.”

“But that is the best time to enjoy them!” Yelena pouts, but retracts the hand anyways. “Okay, okay,” she sighs, her grin not faltering. She undoes the neat braids she keeps her hair in for work, shaking them out while asking Kate about her day.

They eat dinner on the couch, takeout containers perched in their laps, engaged in mindless conversation. Yelena has to keep nudging Lucky away from her green curry, chiding, “No, stop, this would literally kill you. No-- stop, you silly boy.” Kate covers her full mouth, a laugh bubbling from her throat as she watches Yelena use her body to shield her very spicy curry from Lucky. Fanny sits at her feet, well-behaved, and it’s no question whose dog is whose.

“He is relentless,” Yelena grumbles, but the smile on her face shows the love she has for him.

“Yes, he is,” Kate agrees, giving him a pat. 

Kate puts the leftovers in the fridge before re-taking her seat next to her girlfriend on the couch. Yelena has her feet tucked up under her with a sweet smile on her face that makes Kate’s heart soar, and she figures now’s as good a time as any.

“Hey, I love you, you know?” Kate says, taking one of Yelena’s hands in her own. 

The sincerity in Kate’s voice must surprise Yelena, because her eyes widen in response. “I know,” Yelena assures her.

Kate presses on. “No, like,” she starts, “I love you so much, Yelena. You are my everything, and I--” She pauses when she distinctly recognizes a ringtone as belonging to Yelena’s work phone. “Is that--" she starts, frowning.

Yelena leans over the arm of the couch, grabbing the offending object from the side table. “Ah, damn it. I’m sorry, Kate, I forgot I switched on-call nights with Jane,” she says, giving her girlfriend an apologetic look. Before Kate can reply, she accepts the call and holds the phone up to her ear.

A few seconds pass as Yelena and the caller have a conversation. As it goes on, Kate can feel the likelihood that this isn’t a call Yelena will have to go in for get smaller and smaller. “Okay, well, have Darcy run the blood work and get him started on an IV, okay?” Yelena tells the caller. Kate’s suspicions are confirmed when Yelena says, “No, do it now, I’ll be there in a little bit.”

Kate manages to keep the disappointment off her face when Yelena hangs up. The two of them lock eyes and Yelena looks so remorseful. “I ruined date night, didn’t I? Totally ruined.” Kate opens her mouth to insist it’s alright, but Yelena continues. “I promise, I promise I’ll make it up to you, okay? I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” she tells Yelena. It really is. She can’t find it in herself to be upset. Her girlfriend has the biggest heart and loves her job almost as much as she loves Kate. “Go be a hero,” she says, giving her a smile.

Yelena sighs, eyes endlessly apologetic, and presses a kiss to the top of Kate’s head. “You are too good, you know? I love you so much,” she murmurs against Kate’s hair.

“I love you too,” Kate replies.

Yelena goes to grab her things, and she’s halfway out the door when the ring box in Kate’s jacket pocket feels heavier. Without thinking, her hand hovers over it, and she calls out abruptly, “Wait!” 

Yelena stops in her place, turning to face Kate expectantly. Kate’s mouth opens and closes wordlessly, and her hand drops to her lap when she thinks better of it.

“Take some cookies for the road,” she says instead, getting up to pack her a few.

..

Later, Kate calls Clint while she eats cookies and watches TV, waiting for Yelena to come home. “Two failed proposals, Clint, two!” Kate groans into the phone.

She hears Clint snort on the other end before he says, “It’s alright, Kate, it’ll happen.”

“I don’t know, Clint. It really feels like the universe doesn’t want me to propose.”

“I think you’re overthinking this,” Clint tells her, “You’re going for too perfect of a moment, too grand of a gesture.”

Kate rolls her eyes. “Too grand of a gesture? Both times, it was just over dinner!”

“There’s too much anticipation on your end. Just do it when it feels right, don’t try to manufacture a moment,” Clint says. 

Kate huffs and wants to tell Clint that Yelena deserves the best moment, a perfect proposal, but she sighs instead. 

“I’m gonna give it one more shot. One more pre-planned proposal, and that doesn’t work, I’ll try it your way, alright?”

(3)

Kate takes Yelena out for dinner this time, thinking maybe their apartment is jinxed and that maybe they’ll be less likely to be barged in on out to dinner.

After work, they meet up at their favorite Italian restaurant-- it’s a small, unassuming hole-in-the-wall type of place owned by a lovely little nonna that knows Kate and Yelena by name since they go so much. Kate’s game plan is to propose over dessert, assuming they’re not interrupted again.

Yelena’s already sitting down when Kate arrives, a little late from work. She takes a moment to admire her girlfriend through the window of the restaurant before entering and mentally prepares herself for the task ahead. Fina greets her when she walks in, and Kate bends down so the older woman can air-kiss both of her cheeks. 

“Hi, Fina,” Kate says, smiling warmly. “It’s good to see you.”

Fina accompanies her to the table where Yelena’s sitting, smiling at the exchange. “It has been a while since I have seen the both of you,” she tells them, half-scolding.

Yelena tilts her head apologetically. “I know, I’m sorry, Fina, we have just been very busy,” she says.

Fina hums sagely. “I know, I know. You children are all go go go,” she starts. “But next time, don’t take too long in between coming, hmm?” She pats Yelena’s hand before leaving them to walk to the kitchen, already knowing their orders.

Kate leans across the small table that separates them to give her girlfriend a chaste kiss. “Hi,” she greets a little nervously. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

Yelena waves a hand. “It is okay, it is usually me,” she grins. “How was your day? Do I need to strangle Adam?”

A little more relaxed now, Kate snorts in response, recalling her previous tales of her annoying and lazy coworker. “Surprisingly, no. Not Adam, but you’re welcome to strangle Marcia instead,” she tells her, before launching into a story about Marcia and her stinky perfume.

Halfway into Yelena’s story about how Jane had to treat a dog that had gotten into its owner’s tray of pot brownies, Fina comes back out, steaming plates of pasta in hand. When she places one in front of both of them, Yelena inhales deeply and clasps her hands together before giving the nonna a charming smile. “Fina, I can already tell you’ve outdone yourself.”

“Flattery will not get you a free meal,” Fina chides jokingly and squeezes Yelena’s shoulder in unspoken thanks.

“Mm, maybe not from you,” Yelena hums, turning her attention to Kate. “I guess I will have to redirect it elsewhere.”

Kate grins in response, and Fina leaves the two of them to enjoy their dinner.

Yelena’s right-- it’s probably the best meal Fina’s ever made for them (which is a tall task, considering every meal they’ve ever had here has been absolutely delicious), and despite Kate’s nerves about proposing, both of them clean their plates, to Fina’s delight.

“It was good?” Fina asks, when her son eventually takes their empty plates after Yelena excuses herself to go to the bathroom.

“Amazing as always, Fina,” Kate says, reaching into her blazer pocket to check for the ring box and frowning when she comes up empty.

“Everything okay?” Fina raises an eyebrow at Kate’s widened eyes.

“Uh,” Kate starts, patting all of her pockets. She’s got her phone, her wallet, and her keys-- her movements become a little panicked now, and she’s terrified she’s lost the ring. “I can’t-- I can’t find the--”

“What’s wrong?” 

Her head snaps up at the sound of Yelena’s voice and she stops her search. “Oh, uh, nothing,” she lies, definitely unconvincingly when she sees the looks on Yelena and Fina’s faces. “Everything’s fine. Dessert, Yelena?”

Both women eye her curiously, but continue on. “Uh, sure,” Yelena responds.

Kate’s preoccupied during the rest of the meal, trying to retrace her steps and remember when the last time was that she’d had the ring. If Yelena picks up on her distraction, she doesn’t say, and thanks Fina for another wonderful evening when they leave.

When they get home for the night, Kate makes a beeline to her nightstand. She breathes a sigh of relief when she finds the ring box there and also curses, because she’s got no one else to blame for this proposal’s failure but herself.

(4)

It's clear that the universe has something against Kate planning ahead, so she tries to take Clint's advice.

That Saturday morning, Kate blinks, rubbing sleep from her eyes when she wakes. The space next to her is empty, as expected, since Yelena always brings the dogs out for a morning walk and grabs them breakfast before Kate gets up (where she gets her energy from, Kate has no idea). What’s unexpected is the fact that Lucky and Fanny are actually in the bed with her.

Kate checks the clock. It’s past the time when Yelena would usually be back in bed, reading a book while waiting for Kate to wake up, and Lucky and Fanny both smell a little bit like the outside, so they’ve definitely been on a walk. 

So the question is, where the hell is her girlfriend?

Kate frowns, sitting up. “Yelena?” she calls out.

There’s a beat of silence, and then, she hears, “One second!”

Kate lets out a sigh of relief, knowing her girlfriend is safe and sound in their apartment. She sits back against the pillows, waiting to be rejoined.

Yelena pokes her head in the room, and she has a strange look on her face, a mixture of nervousness and sheepishness. Kate tilts her head. “What’s up?” 

“Can you promise me something?” Yelena asks tentatively.

Kate’s eyes narrow in confusion. “Uh, sure?” she asks, not knowing where this is going.

“Can you promise not to get mad until I explain?” Yelena’s voice has a certain tone to it, a rare apprehension-- like that time when she accidentally bought two hundred bottles of hot sauce instead of two ("I mean, it's good hot sauce, I did not think the price was that unreasonable!"), or when she got a wine stain on Kate’s favorite floral blazer ("Fanny bumped into me!"), or when she burnt the cake she had made for Kate’s birthday that year because she forgot it was in the oven ("You took off your shirt and I forgot it was still baking!".

Yelena being nervous is a highly uncommon occurrence, and past experience tells Kate that the nervousness is greatly unwarranted. 

“What did you do?” Kate asks gently, a smile playing on her lips.

Yelena sucks in a breath and points to something on Kate’s bedside table. Kate turns to see her breakfast sandwich, wrapped in foil. “Um, maybe you want to eat breakfast first?” Yelena asks, which means it’s worse than usual.

“Yelena, spit it out.”

Yelena inhales sharply and lets the air out of her cheeks. For a second, she disappears from view, and Kate has no idea what’s going to happen next. When Yelena returns, she has a small animal carrier in her hand. Kate leans forward to get a better look in it and freezes when she sees two green eyes staring back at her.

“Yelena?” she asks, her gaze not moving from the green eyes. “Is that a cat?”

Yelena hums in confirmation.

“Why do you have a cat?” Kate asks slowly.

Yelena shifts her weight from foot to foot. “I, uh-- I heard her meowing in a dumpster while I was walking the dogs,” she says. It still doesn’t explain why there’s a cat in their apartment, and when Kate gives her a look conveying that, Yelena continues. “She doesn’t have a tag or anything, and I’ll bring her in on Monday to see if she’s chipped, but--”

Kate turns her gaze to Yelena, raising an eyebrow. “But?”

“If she doesn’t belong to anyone... can we keep her?”

Kate looks between the cat, a beautiful short haired black cat with piercing green eyes, and Yelena, who looks so earnest and hopeful. She lets out a laugh, hand clutching her chest, and Yelena frowns.

“What’s so funny?” she asks, brow furrowed.

In between gasps for air, Kate answers, “No, it’s just-- every time you ask me not to get mad, it’s about something totally innocuous.”

“Well,” Yelena starts, holding up the cat in the carrier she’s holding.  “I mean, this isn’t nothing! I know we already have two dogs, and I know you are not the biggest fan of cats, so I was not sure if you would be okay with it!”

Kate’s laughter eventually dies down, and she gestures for Yelena to bring the carrier closer. “Bring her here,” she says.

Yelena obliges, setting the carrier down on the bed in front of Kate. “Fanny, Lucky, behave, okay?” she asks the two dogs curled up on her spot on the bed. Luckily, they’re too busy sleeping as Yelena carefully opens the door to the carrier.

She gingerly reaches in and gently pulls out the small, adorable cat before handing her over to Kate.

“Hi, baby,” Kate whispers softly. The feline is not shy at all, immediately rubbing her head all over Kate’s chest, hands, and arms, purring loudly.

“She likes you,” Yelena whispers, bearing a soft smile.

Kate hums, scratching under the cat’s chin. “I like her.” Yelena’s smile only widens. 

There was never any question that Kate was going to turn down Yelena’s request. “If,” she starts, getting Yelena’s attention, “if she’s not chipped, we can keep her.”

Yelena’s face brightens, then quickly turns sheepish. “Well, that is great news,” she says, “because I may have already swung by the office to check, and she’s not.” Kate’s jaw drops, and Yelena continues. “And I bought a litter box and cat food.”

Kate’s expression goes from incredulous to flabbergasted to amazed in less than a second. “God,” she breathes, “I love you so much.” Kate’s not sure she’s ever meant it more in her life.

She leans forward, cat still in her lap, and captures Yelena’s lips in a kiss. Yelena responds eagerly and hungrily, muttering an “I love you, too,” in between breaths.

When they finally separate, Kate remembers the ring in her nightstand, Clint's words echoing in her brain. The moment’s not what she planned, but it doesn’t have to be, because she’s here in their bed with their animals-- her little family, and it’s perfect. “Yelena,” she starts, shifting a little to lean over and open the drawer.

Then, of course, their doorbell rings.

Kate wonders how much would be taken out of their security deposit if she were to, say, destroy their doorbell.

The ringing stirs Lucky and Fanny, and they wake with a start. The sudden movement spooks the cat in Kate’s lap and it takes off, out of their bedroom and into the living room.

“Oh, god, Lucky! Fanny!” Kate groans, as Yelena springs to her feet to answer the door and track down the cat.

“This is not a great time, Bucky,” she hears Yelena say.

“I don’t care, Lena, Dad’s gonna friggin’ kill me.”

It doesn’t seem like this is going to be a quick conversation, so, with a sigh, Kate pushes the drawer closed.

(5)

Kate’s fifth attempt happens a few weeks later, when everyone gathers at Melina and Alexei’s house for their semi-regular family dinners. 

It turns out that Bucky has started dating Steve Rogers, who he met at the gym. It also turns out that Steve is “Captain America”, AKA, the guy who broke all of Alexei’s collegiate wrestling records. 

And Bucky plans on bringing him for dinner.

Kate and Yelena have already met Steve, and Kate likes Steve-- he’s a good guy, real polite and well-mannered, and other than the fact that he broke Alexei’s records, there’s no reason at all for Bucky to be worried. 

But Alexei is very protective of his old wrestling days.

“It’s going to be a disaster,” Yelena says, as they wait at a red light on their way to Melina and Alexei’s. One hand taps nervously against the steering wheel and the other against the gearshift between them. 

Kate puts her hand over Yelena’s on the gearshift, trying to calm her down. “Why do you think that?”

Yelena makes a noise. “I have bad feeling,” she says simply.

Later, when the four of them wait outside Alexei and Melina's for Steve to arrive, Bucky's pleading, “And nobody, nobody, mention Steve’s nickname or wrestling, alright?” 

“James,” Nat starts, and Bucky bristles at the use of his first name, “I don’t know how you think it won’t possibly come up. Like, it’s inevitably going to come up, I hope you realize that.”

“I know, I know, but maybe, maybe ,” Bucky wonders anxiously, “Steve’ll just butter him up talking about other things and we can keep pushing it off and off until eventually, y’know, Dad’s on his deathbed and we’ll break the news then.” Yelena and Natasha gawk at him and he shrugs helplessly. “I dunno, final nail in the coffin?”

“Oh my god,” Yelena mutters under her breath as Kate holds back a laugh.

Once Steve rolls in, the five of them start making moves to enter the house, and Bucky pushes the girls in front of him and Steve with a desperate, “Please butter them up.”

Both Yelena and Natasha roll their eyes as Yelena pushes open the door. “We’re heeeere,” she calls out into the house.

Alexei’s head pops out from around the corner, a delighted smile spreading across his face. “My girls!” he cheers, arms spread wide. His big, long arms wrap around his two daughters, pulling them in for a tight hug, and Kate unsuccessfully hides her grin when she sees the expressions on both of their faces.

“Yes, hello, Dad,” Yelena says, trying to wiggle out of his grip.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Natasha asks at the same time.

When Alexei finally releases them, Kate sees the apron he has on. “Ah, you like? Your mother got it for me,” he says proudly, puffing out his chest. It takes every bit of Kate’s willpower not to snort when she reads it. 

“I'm sorry-- does that say... Mr. Good Lookin’ is Cookin’ ?” Yelena asks incredulously, a little horrified.

“Oh my god,” Natasha says in a low voice, scrunching her eyes.

“What, you don’t like?” Alexei asks them, bewildered. 

Kate steps forward, happily accepting his bone-crushing bear hug when he wraps his arms around her. “I like it,” she tells him, and his expression brightens.

“Ah, see? Kate likes it! She has better taste than both of you,” Alexei booms, his eyes twinkling.

Kate flashes a grin at Yelena, who shakes her head. “Such a suck-up,” Yelena mutters, but presses a kiss to Kate’s cheek anyways at the same time Alexei asks, “Now, where’s my boy?”

Yelena grabs Kate’s hand, pulling her deeper into the house, murmuring under her breath, “We don’t want to be here for that introduction, trust me.”

Melina awaits them in the kitchen, poring over the various pots and pans she has on the stove. 

“Hi, Mama,” Yelena greets. “How can we help?”

The dark-haired woman turns, her eyes twinkling at the sight of them. “Ah, there they are,” she breathes with a smile brushing her hands on her own plain apron before quickly hugging Yelena and kissing the air beside both of Kate’s cheeks. "Well, Kate," she says, "I hear you made very good solyanka, so maybe you can help me season mine."

Kate blushes at the praise. "Oh, geez, I mean, not as good as yours," she tells Melina, but moves over to the stove anyways.

Later, after a lull in conversation at the dinner table, Melina asks, “So, when are you two going to get married, hmm?”

Kate’s spoon freezes halfway to her mouth and Yelena’s eyes widen as Nat admonishes, “Mom, you can’t just ask that!”

Melina frowns, genuinely confused. “What? It is just harmless question,” she insists, waving her hands. 

“That is not a harmless question,” Bucky mutters under his breath, his expression hidden as he takes a sip of his drink. Steve ducks his head, trying to hide his laughter.

“I am just asking,” Melina maintains, her brow furrowed. “I do not understand what the fuss is about--”

“Mom, it’s a big deal, you can’t just--”

“--am simply curious, I just wanted to know--”

The tips of Kate’s ears redden and she flounders, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. She’s pretty sure her palms have started to sweat and she can barely hear Natasha and Bucky’s interjections interposing with their mother’s questions over the pounding in her ears. Beside her, Yelena turns to look at her, unsure what to say, and Kate feels a slight panic prickle at the back of her neck. 

“Uh,” she starts meekly, the ring box in her blazer pocket feeling much heavier. Her hand drifts to the pocket and Nat’s eyes snap to the movement, widening.

She seems to pick up on Kate’s anxiety and says something completely out of left field. 

“Steve is Captain America,” she blurts suddenly. 

Six pairs of eyes widen, and Bucky chokes on his drink.

“Oh my god,” Yelena breathes, barely loud enough for Kate to hear. 

Everyone’s eyes are on Alexei, who blinks slowly, as if trying to fully comprehend what Natasha’s just said. “Steve… is what ?” he grumbles, almost hissing. Bucky pales. 

“Oh my god,” Yelena says again. 

Kate can kind of breathe a sigh of relief, with the attention on her and Yelena diverted, but the silence in the room is stifling as everyone waits for Alexei to react. A few more beats, then, Alexei turns to Steve, eyes wide. 

“You are who ?!”

..

“Is he, like, actually mad?” Kate asks Melina later, taking off and draping her blazer over one of the kitchen chairs to make it easier for her to help the woman clean the dishes. 

There’s loud, Russian arguing coming from the dining room, and Kate casts a worried glance through the doorway. 

Melina has a slightly amused expression on her face as she rolls up her sleeves. “He is maybe a little upset. But he will get over it,” she says, a smile playing on her lips. “I wash, you dry?”

More shouting echoes through the house and Kate can't help but be skeptical. She takes the cleaned dish Melina hands her and towels it off. “Are you sure he’ll get over it?” Kate asks. 

Melina lets out a light laugh. “I am sure,” she says airily. “Alexei loves his children, even more than he loves his wrestling records. So if Steven makes his boy happy, then he will have to get over it.”

They continue washing the dishes, trying to maintain conversation over the arguing, and when Kate dries the last plate, Melina washes her hands and pats them dry on the towel Kate hands her. 

“Oh, hold on, Kate,” Melina starts, bending over. “This fell on the ground.” She picks up Kate’s blazer from where it had fallen off the chair, and they both hear a soft thunk. 

Kate freezes, seeing the ring box on the ground. “Oh, I can grab that,” she says hurriedly, but Melina is too fast.

“This is...” Melina starts, slowly straightening. She tilts her head and regards the ring box with wide eyes, as if she’s just made a new scientific discovery. “This is...” 

Her head jerks suddenly to look at Kate. “Have you--” she starts.

Kate shakes her head. “No, no,” she says. “I’ve-- I’ve tried, like, four times, and it keeps getting interrupted.

“Do you need any help--”

Melina stuffs the box back into Kate’s blazer pocket with an impressive display of speed while Kate stands there, frozen, just as Yelena rounds the corner to the kitchen.

“--washing up?” Yelena finishes, stopping in the doorway.  

A quick glance at Melina tells Kate the older woman is perfectly poised and composed, a stark difference from the panicked expression Kate’s sure she’s wearing.

Yelena raises an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. “Everything okay?” she asks, just as Kate notices the shouting from the other room has stopped.

“Uh--” Kate starts, floundering.

“Yes, yes,” Melina cuts in, her expression neutral. “We just finished cleaning up. How is your father?” she asks, slinging a towel over her shoulder and leaning against the kitchen sink.

Yelena continues to appraise the two of them but says, “He is taking breather outside.”

“Hmm, well, I should probably go check on him,” Melina tells them, excusing herself and leaving Kate and Yelena alone in the kitchen.

Yelena sidles up to Kate, bumping her on the hip. “I told you it would be a disaster,” she points out, the corner of her mouth pulled up in a smile. Kate breathes a laugh, threading her fingers through Yelena’s. “I’m sorry about Mom,” she offers.

Kate shakes her head, scrunching her nose. “No, no-- it, it was a valid question,” she says, trying for nonchalance. “Just-- took me by surprise, I guess.”

“Me too,” Yelena hums, moving to wrap Kate in a loose hug. She presses Kate’s waist against the kitchen counter, studying her wordlessly. After a few beats of silence, eyes tracking over Kate’s face, Yelena decides, “You’re being weird.”

Kate’s eyes widen. “What-- no, I am not,” she insists defensively, frowning. 

“You are,” Yelena grins. “You’re up to something.” Heat floods Kate’s cheeks as she tries to come up with a response, gaping. 

“Am not,” she tries feebly.

Yelena looks up at her, her smile never faltering. “Yes, you are, and you’re going to tell me,” she says. Her eyes dip to Kate’s lips and Kate knows that if Yelena’s going to try her signature way of getting answers out of her, Kate’s absolutely screwed.

“Oh no,” she breathes, just before Yelena leans in and kisses her.

Kate’s brain decides now is a good time to stop working and let her body go on autopilot. Autopilot meaning react very eagerly to the kissing. 

Is she making out with her insanely hot girlfriend in her future (hopefully, god) mother-in-law’s kitchen? Yes. Is it a bad idea? Probably. But is she enjoying getting the hell kissed out of her right now? Absolutely.

Yelena’s lips trail down to her jaw. “So,” she starts, in between latching onto the sensitive skin at Kate’s neck, “would you like to share anything?”

Kate makes a strangled sort of noise, thoroughly taking pleasure in the way Yelena’s holding her up against the counter, and all the blood in her head goes south along with any coherent thought. “Yelena,” she pants helplessly.

It’s fucking wicked, the way Yelena smiles up at her, and Kate has half a mind to propose right here. But this is not the way she wants this to go, not with the two of them making out like teenagers in Yelena’s mom’s kitchen, no matter how much she’s enjoying herself.

“Hold on, hold on,” Kate manages, trying to salvage the moment after finally regaining control of her body. She grabs Yelena’s shoulders,  trying to still her. Yelena complies, eyes curious.

Kate tries to remember the speech she had at the ready for this occasion, but she’s trying to catch her breath and her brain is feeling the lack of oxygen. “I, ah, fuck, okay.” She takes another deep breath. “I, uh-- you know I love you, right?” 

Yelena’s lips turn up in a smile. “Yes, and I love you.”

“You are my favorite person in the entire world, in the universe, and words can’t explain how much love I have for you--”

“Girls!” Melina calls from the living room.

The sudden sound startles both of them, and they jump apart. Kate tries not to appear too deflated, but Yelena catches the flash of disappointment and puts her hand on Kate’s cheek. “No, go on,” she tells her.

Kate sighs and manages a smile. “No, no, that was it. I just love you a lot.”

Later, when they’ve gotten home, Kate will realize that every member of the Barnes-Belova-Romanoff-Shostakov-Vostokoff family has had a hand in thwarting each of her proposals. But in this moment, Kate’s just about ready to kidnap Yelena and take her far, far away from the family to finally, finally succeed.

(+1)

The whole proposal thing is starting to get to Kate. Her anxiety about it has only grown since dinner the other night, no thanks to some “weird” comments Melina (and Alexei, because of course Melina told him) has been making to Yelena on the phone, vaguely alluding to a proposal and upcoming wedding.

Natasha was right, they’re awful at keeping secrets. If she waits much longer, they’ll probably end up asking Yelena for her.

She hasn’t really been sleeping well either, having nightmares about ruined proposals almost every night in the past week. For example, one night, she wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night after having a dream that she’d put the ring in a cake for Yelena to find. Which would be great, except Yelena had accidentally ended up swallowing it instead, and Kate is jolted awake in the middle of dream-her giving Yelena the Heimlich. 

And then, one day, Kate wakes to a strange sight.

It’s Saturday, so she’s prepared to wake up to an empty bed (minus Tsarina, their new cat, who’s taken to sleeping above Kate’s head on such mornings) while Yelena and the dogs are out for their morning walk, but she jolts awake when she spots Yelena sitting near the foot of the bed, a tray of freshly made breakfast food placed in between them. When Yelena makes breakfast, it's a sign she's either a really good thing or really bad thing. Kate's not awake enough to figure out which one this is.

She sits up, rubbing her eyes. “Wha-what’s this?” she asks, blinking. A glimpse of silver on Yelena’s hand catches her eye. “Wait-- where--”

She shoots forward, nearly toppling the tray of food over in her effort to reach out and grab Yelena’s hand. Her skin feels like it’s on fire and her stomach feels like it’s full of rocks when she sees a ring, the ring she’d picked out, on Yelena’s finger. “Where did you get this?” she croaks.

Yelena frowns. “You-- you gave it to me,” she replies, confused.

Kate’s confused too. “What? No, I didn’t,” she insists, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.

Yelena looks at her like she’s lost her mind. “Yes, you did,” she says slowly. “You don’t remember? You proposed to me at, like, three in the morning.”

Kate’s starting to feel a little hysterical. “I what?”

“Yes, you rolled over, very sleepy, pulled this out of your nightstand, and asked me to marry you,” Yelena tells her. Kate racks her brain, mortified when she recalls what she thought was a dream. “I mean, it was mostly mumbling and you kind of threw the box at me,” Yelena continues, her words interposing with the rapid fire thinking going on in Kate’s brain, “but it was cute.”

Kate drops her head into her hands. “You’re saying,” she starts slowly, her voice a little muffled by her hands, “that I woke you up at three in the morning... threw the ring box at you... and asked you to marry me?” When Yelena hums in affirmation, Kate wishes the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. “Oh my god,” she whispers, horrified.

She kind of wants to cry. Mostly in relief, because the deed’s finally done, but also because she’s mortified that out of all the ways it was to happen, it was this one. 

“Kate? What’s wrong?”

Kate finally lifts her head to look at Yelena, and tears do well up in her eyes. “I-I screwed it all up,” she says meekly, sniffling.

“What? What do you mean?”

Kate gestures aimlessly. “I-- it wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” she mumbles, wiping at her eyes. “God, I tried so many times--”

“What? You did?” Yelena asks, surprised.

“That dinner before your dad had his heart attack, that night you had to leave to go on call, our date at Fina’s,” Kate lists, hiccupping. “Hell, even that morning you brought Tsarina home and the dinner at your parents’ house.”

Kate watches Yelena recall the memories in her head, and her mouth forms a small ‘o’. “I was trying to find the perfect moment,” Kate croaks, “and after all that, I just ended up asking you in my sleep.”

Yelena studies her for a moment, unblinking, and Kate can't tell what's going on in her head. And then, after an excruciatingly long time, the corner of her mouth turns up into a soft smile. Carefully, she places the tray of food on the ground with a warning to the dogs, “Not for you, okay? Stay.”

The sound of licking that immediately follows when Yelena leans towards Kate tells them their dogs did not listen at all, but Yelena doesn’t seem to mind as she cups Kate’s cheeks in her hands.

“Kate,” she starts slowly, hazel eyes tracking over her face. “It never mattered to me how it happened. I was always going to say ‘yes’.”

“Really?” Kate asks, giving her a watery smile.

“Really,” Yelena tells her, and kisses her so hard she can’t breathe. Kate feels Yelena’s strong arms wrap around her, squeezing, and she feels like a weight’s been lifted. They continue like that for a while, holding each other tightly, until Yelena pulls back and leans over to her own night stand.

“Now don’t hate me,” she warns Kate, a bashful grin on her face, "But I also wanted to ask something." Kate has no idea where she’s going with this until Yelena pulls out a ring box of her own.

She can’t help the smile that grows on her lips, and she shakes her head. “Oh my god. You suck,” Kate says with a laugh, her breath shuddering from the tears still welling in her eyes.

“Kate Bishop,” Yelena starts, opening the box and holding it up for Kate to see. “Will you marry me?”

There’s no doorbell, no ringtone, no knocking, and no Alexei, Melina, Bucky, or Natasha to interrupt the moment, and Kate can’t even be mad. It’s no romantic dinner or grand gesture, and it’s far from picture perfect, but it’s so them , and Kate wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Yes,” she hiccups, her heart filling with so much love and adoration that she’s a little worried it’ll burst. “God, yes.”