Chapter Text
It has been one of the worst - maybe the worst - day in the last weeks, and that's a lot if you look back at everything that happened on Christmas week. Everything just begins with a punishment from a destroyed bell tower, and in less than 24 hours she's involved in black market business, wearing the costume of an assassin. And that was the easy part to solve, from there everything went downhill.
However, a week after the holidays she went back to New York. Things with Clint didn't end up well, although neither bad. He asked her to stay away from any problem, to not try to be the hero she thinks she is, cause she isn't indestructible. And, of course, she didn't agree. They said goodbye with the promise to keep in touch and that was it.
Katherine Elizabeth Bishop is, now, who answers for her mother's crimes, the only heiress to Bishop Security. She has to make sure that at least that part of Eleonor's life was legal. Today she went to jail for the first time since she's back and the visit was everything but pleasant, which ended up with a girl crying as she looked into those big blue and cold eyes. The only reason why she went there, was just to understand -or try to - why her mother did it, and all she received was more guilt.
Her life just kept getting better!
Kate arrives at her apartment with all the intentions to not get out in a month, and the only thing she's sure is tomorrow she will cry all day.
"Kate Bishop" the characteristic accent comes from her back, almost recreating their first meeting. But this time it's not take her by surprise. She saw the window open and she knew what that meant.
"What are you doing here?" she doesn't even turn.
"Good night to you too."
"If you're looking for mac and cheese, I'm sorry to tell you that you cooked the last box that night." not look at her yet.
"I know, that's why I brought pizza."
Kate looks over the table to find a pizza box, but isn't from downstairs. Actually it is from her favorite pizza shop a couple streets down. How did she-? Of course. A Widow.
"What are you doing here?" she asks again and this time she turns.
She tries to hide her surprise when, the perfect face she expected to see, has cuts and bruises. She was no stranger to the situations the blonde got into, but to cause that damage, she had to fight with someone quite tough and well trained.
She's worried about it, but she can't - nor wants - show it. Whatever they did to her, maybe she deserved it. And if Yelena was as if nothing had happened, breaking into her house with pizza, it was enough to suppose she's okay.
"Waiting for you to eat? I think that was obvious."
"Don't you have more work? Or you're here to prevent me from stopping you from killing someone else?"
The blonde looks at her in surprise, not offended but confused by her behavior. That was not the Kate who she talked with barely a month ago, nor who asked her for a drink in the middle of a fight.
"Why are you so defensive, Kate Bishop?"
"Because if you let your guard down you get stabbed in the back, but I guess you know that."
The truth is, the brunette is tired, tired of everyone being kind with her just to get her out of the way, and keep her away from their business. Yelena had done it that first night, the macaroni, the talk, the girl's night, just because she wanted the way clear for her to kill Clint.
He had done it too, protecting her - like he always does - letting her help in the watch mission, even calling her the world's greatest archer. And then abandon her, moving her away from everything when things get complicated. Yes, maybe it was to protect her, but that made her see that he didn't think she could deal with big problems. She was underestimated, like always is.
And in the last, and by now the most important part, Eleonor. Her mother had been protecting Kate her entire life, she let her practice archery, fencing, martial arts since she was little. Kate thought she did it for her to learn how to protect herself, but was just to keep her busy. She figured that out a couple of years ago, though, but she didn't care much about that then. Because, of course, she always thought Eleonor kept her away from the work in Bishop Security, it didn't occur to her that she also worked with the biggest mobster in New York.
"Bishop!" the blonde snaps in front of her eyes "Are you okay?"
"Do you even care?" she says upset.
No. Definitely that was no Kate.
"Much to your surprise, and mine…" she mutters "I do." she sits down and the archer looks at her confused "Sit down, this is going cold."
Despite her, she obeys. She learned in the bad way that if the assassin asked something - or rather ordered something - she has to do it without resistance.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Yelena asks full mouth.
"Swallow before speaking" she complains before taking a bite and burns with the cheese.
"Blow before eating"
"You still won't tell me what you're doing here."
"Wow Kate Bishop, you're good at avoiding questions."
"So are you Yelena…" she knew it, Clint told her, is not that hard. The blonde scoffs and mutters a 'no' shaking her head. "It hurts?"
"What?" she asks confusedly and the brunette points to her own face "Oh. You know, not until you said it." she takes her hand to her cheek, it's even more dark than when Kate saw it the first time.
"I'll bring ice"
"That's the Kate Bishop I know." she laughs lightly as the archer comes back with a pack of frozen vegetables.
"Seems everyone is an expert in what is, what wants and how Kate Bishop feels now." she rolls her eyes.
"I don't know how you feel. How do you feel?"
"Cold. You could close the window, we are in the middle of winter."
"How complicated you are." she mutters carrying the pack from her left cheek to the right side of her forehead. "I think it was easier to make Natasha speak about her feelings than you."
"Yeah, everything was easier with Natasha. Know what? I'm not her."
"No. Nobody is like her." Yelena sighs. "But you don't have to be like her, you have your own things too, Kate Bishop."
"What happened?" the archer asks sheepishly.
"Bar fight?"
"And you expect me to believe that a couple of drunken men could beat a Black Widow? One of the greatest child assassins?"
" The greatest child assassin."
"To check."
"You looked into me?"
"We are even." She shrugs. Yelena shakes her head amused and goes back to her pizza.
A couple of minutes of silence appears. To the widow is quite normal, but Kate is uncomfortable, she waits for Yelena to say anything else but she won't ask.
"You might be happy I didn't kill your idol." she says and big - and tired - eyes look at her expectantly. "Me too. But there are people who are not that happy."
"They hit you for not killing Clint?"
"I think their words were that I would pay that death with mine." she shrugs. "There was more than one at the end."
"You killed them"
"And you're surprised because…"
"I was just checking."
"Okay, your turn."
"My turn?"
"I told you what happened to me, cause I knew you wouldn't trust me first."
"Is this therapy?"
"It could be" she closes the box with leftover pizza and takes it to the kitchen.
"Are you trusting?"
"You haven't kicked me out of your house yet, you eat mac and cheese I made, the pizza and ice cream I brought. I think I am, and I think you already trust me." she takes out another box from what seems to be her bag.
"I don't see any ice cream"
"You really hear what you want." the blonde opens the fridge and grabs said ice cream.
"What's that?" she asks, pointing at the new box she left in the kitchen.
"I'll tell you if you tell me what's wrong."
"I'll tell you if you show me."
"Do you really think this is a fight you could win?" a frustrated sight was her response. "Very smart of you, Kate Bishop." she laughs looking at how she grabs the ice cream and opens it.
"It's my fav- I have to be scared?"
"Do you forget who I am?"
"It's not that. Favorite pizza, favorite ice cream-"
"Favorite Widow" she smirks.
"Second favorite Widow."
"I'll take it. Just because the first one is my sister."
"That. And that I just know two."
"Katherine Bishop, you're evil." she says offended.
"Anyway, all of this is like you fulfilled my wishes before, you know…" she passes her hand over her own neck.
"Kate Bishop!" Yelena laughs out. "You're very funny. Did I mention it?" the brunette rolls her eyes as she stands up to go for spoons or something similar, but Yelena stops her. "Let it thaw a bit."
"But I'll br-"
"Kate, sit down and talk." she says deadpan. The archer hesitates a little but sighs and sits down.
"How disposable am I?" her voice changed notably.
"What do you mean?"
"Am I not strong enough? Mature? Skilled? Smart? I'm not saying I have all the experience in the world. But I am not weak. I don't need protection from everything."
"If this is about Barton, I think-"
"I put my mother in jail." she interrupts. "The only family I have is in prison. And you know what was the last thing she said to me? That I can't call myself a hero when I arrested my own mother on Christmas, that that is not what heroes do. I went to see her and her only excuse was 'I did everything to protect you". No. I don't need protection. I never needed it. The same with Clint, he moved me away the moment you appeared because he didn't think I could deal with you."
"You can't-"
"I know I can't deal with you, nobody can. And yeah, maybe I was lucky you didn't want to kill me. But I think I am capable enough to face these conflicts. I'm so tired of being used as it suits them, to then throw me away with the excuse of protection." she takes a moment to wipe some tears. "Anyway, I don't know why i'm saying this to a ruthless and arrogant assassin who only wants to kill Clint and came to me just to warn me, cause she doesn't think I can defend myself either."
Her behavior changed drastically. She's so angry. It's not like Yelena doesn't know what's happening, she knows exactly what has Kate like this. But now is not the time to talk about it.
"And I don't even care what people think, I never cared. I just want to take my own risks, and if I die it will be my fault, doing what I decided to do and no need for bodyguards."
"Do not be so dramatic, Kate Bishop."
"Or maybe I won't die, maybe I can deal with everything. But I'll never know if everyone doesn't leave me alone." she makes another pause and then sighs. "I don't expect you to understand, you know exactly what to do, and you're amazing in what you do, people respect that. Even if you forget your human part while you are doing it."
She's attacking her, and Yelena was understanding her until now. She's angry and needs to let everything out. But there's a limit, and the blonde didn't know she was that close to it.
"What did you say?"
"What are you doing here Yelena?" she asks for the fourth time.
"I'm trying to make peace with you."
"All of this… The food, the visit, the ice cream. It's for what? Say sorry?"
"Wel…" she hesitates a bit. "I suppose."
"Did you say sorry to Clint?"
"I forgave Clint's life."
"Forgiveness is not an apology. Did you say 'Sorry Barton, for trying to kill you' or did you just leave with one of your epic outings?" she remains quiet waiting for an answer that never came, of course she didn't. "That's the human part I'm talking about."
That's true, Yelena never apologized to Clint, she just assumed she did the right thing not killing him, but didn't stop to think about all the wrong things she did.
The reason was clear, she didn't say sorry cause she never had to, she never said sorry because no one apologized to her for everything they did to her. She had made peace with her past but with no need for her past to apologize to her.
"I'm sorry." the widow says quietly.
"N-no. No. I am sorry."
In the minute the blonde was thinking she had time to reflect on her own words, and the final gaze in Yelena's face made her feel worse about what she said. It's not her blame that Kate had a bad day.
"You're right."
"Really, I do- I'm right?"
"I have never apologized for the things I have done, and it's also because I'm not usually wrong. But I didn't grow up in a place where apologizing was a usual thing."
"I know, I know. Your past was not easy, very not easy. I shouldn't have said those things. God, Clint's right I talk too much. I'm so sorry." the widow starts to laugh, making Kate shut up.
"I see one of us has the easy 'sorry'"
The archer opens her mouth to say something but Yelena shuts her up with just a look.
"I apologize for what happened, truly. I'm sorry for threatening you, for breaking into your house, for hitting you, for throwing you off a building, for hitting you again, for breaking into your house again."
"Okay, okay. I got it." Kate laughs. "I forgive you."
"Are we good?"
"Were we ever good?"
"Were we ever bad?" she smiles, remembering their previous encounters.
"In that case, we are still good."
"Are you better?" she asks genuinely.
"Yes, thank you."
"You know, you say sorry like… A lot of times just now. But there is an apology I haven't received yet." she frowns.
"I'm sorry for slapping you."
"Good." Yelena smiles like a child as she gets up.
"Are you leaving?"
"I planned to stay a while longer…" she looks at her watch. "But I have to fly to Russia tomorrow, and I just remember I have to go to a farm to apologize to an archer for trying to end his life, to a woman for trying to kill her husband, and to some kids to almost make them orphans." she says as she makes her way to the kitchen, grabs her bag and walks to the window.
"What about the ice cream?"
"Enjoy it for me"
"Okay…"
"And Kate Bishop." the archer looks at her. " You are very capable. You can deal not just with me, with anyone who gets in your way. Wanting to protect someone is not bad either, I know you'll want to protect many people in your life and sometimes you're gonna do things they aren't going to like. Just make sure to not limit them when you do it. I… didn't want to underestimate you, it was just me and my arrogance ." that makes the brunette laugh. "You're so much stronger than your mother thinks, a lot smarter than I thought and even better than you think. Don't let anyone get you down."
"Thank you, Yelena." she smiles while trying to not start to cry again.
"Have a nice day." she smiles before jumping from the window. Kate grins amused at the comment, it's a strange way to say goodbye since it's almost midnight.
The brunette grabs the already thawed pack of vegetables to take it to the kitchen. She opens the pack and puts what seems to be broccoli in a bowl, it isn't something she will enjoy but she should eat it now that it's not iced anymore.
When she turns to throw the wrapper in the trash, she sees the box the widow had taken out from her bag. Her first thought was that she forgot it, then remember she's talking about a Black Widow, of course they don't forget anything. Curious, she approaches. A big grin between confusion and amusement appears on her face. She opens the box and the grin grows when she sees four sets of cutlery perfectly accommodated and, obviously, purple. With a simple note above, understanding the last words of the blonde:
'Happy Birthday Kate Bishop!
– Y.B. :)'
"Belova!" she says to herself. As if it was a mystery that she has been trying to solve since she got home. And maybe that's the case. "Thank you Yelena Belova" she takes a purple spoon, the ice cream and makes her way to her room. Smiling. She received a very cute and sweet gift tonight.
And a new set of purple cutlery.