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Yelena had left for a short mission, an easy mission. One located in the capital of Turkey, Ankara, she was supposed to be only be out for two to three days. Yelena had been gone for the past two weeks.
Yelena and Sonya were supposed to free one of the last widows remaining. Unfortunately their information wasn’t complete, the two spies were sent on a wild goose chase trying to liberate the young widow. On the day of her departure, Yelena informed Kate it would only be a two day mission. With the turn of events Yelena hadn’t returned on the flight home she was meant to, and hadn’t alerted Kate of her new plan.
Kate stared idly out the window of her apartment. Their apartment? The couple hadn’t established anything yet. The brunette’s leg was bouncing rhythmically on the floor. Her head clouded with anxious thoughts. What if Yelena is hurt? Or even worse dead? Kate shook her head at that thought. Yelena is perfectly capable and extremely skilled and experienced. Obviously she’s fine. Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. The quiet scuttling of paws nearing the woman’s spot on the couch, ripped Kate away from her thoughts. Kate turned her head at Lucky walking up to her, his tongue lolling to the side. The archer smiled affectionately at the golden retriever. She checked her watch and deemed it time to go for a walk with Lucky and Fanny, Yelena’s beloved akita (and Kate’s).
The vigilante got off the couch with a groan, without Yelena at home, Kate’s been out in the streets for hours over the last week. Yesterday night, Kate’d received a relentless beating, the fight was going on for so long, Kate genuinely thought to call it a night and head home. Unfortunately, the brunette couldn’t in good conscience leave a criminal on the streets. Kate put her Converse on while humming the tune of a Beatles song. As soon as she crossed her living room towards the coat hanger to get both of the dog’s leashes, Lucky and Fanny appeared, their tails wagging and hitting nearby furniture. The woman shook her head and chuckled. “What am I going to do with you two goofballs?” Kate murmured.
After bundling up for the outside, attaching the dogs and bringing a pocket knife. Incase someone decides to attack her, learning from her mistakes ever since she was jumped, for being recognised as Hawkeye, by a group of thugs. Kate stepped outside into the December cold. The archer shivered a little at the change of temperature, immediately starting to walk so she can avoid becoming a popsicle. There was a bit of buzz, it being the holiday season and all. On that note Kate really needed to find a gift for Yelena. Maybe throwing knives? Or something music related? Kate was in deep in thought when her phone rang with a notification. The woman pulled out her phone despite her freezing hands. Reading the text, she realised it was Yelena. Kate felt her chest warm with affection.
[from: Lena❤️]: I’m coming back on the first flight tonight, I’ll explain everything when I’m home. Sent at 11:44am
The vigilante was visibly reassured by the Widow’s text. A grin growing on her face, Yelena was finally coming home, she has to do something special. Kate typed back a quick reply,
[to: Lena❤️]: Okay! Super excited to have you home, Lucky and Fanny have been missing you :( Sent at 11:46am
What could she do for Yelena?
Kate immediately started thinking of a potential surprise for her girlfriend. When an amazing idea popped in her head. Kate had to get started on it, right away. Which means cutting Lucky and Fanny’s walk short, but they won’t mind.
——Yelena’s Pov——
Yelena was boarding her flight, finally going home. She just wanted to kiss Kate and cuddle with Fanny and Lucky (and Kate but she would never admit that out loud). The widow felt her pocket vibrate from a notification. She’d sent a little message to Kate hoping it would calm her nerves down. Yelena had been so busy by the mission she never alerted Kate, her anxiety on an all time high. She felt she’d betrayed her trust somehow. The blonde handed her fake ID and her plane ticket to the hostess, with a smile. She might be stressed, but she’s still a spy.
Yelena arrived around 10pm at the airport, she was visibly exhausted, her nerves the only thing keeping her awake. What if Kate will get mad and want to leave her? No, Kate’s too nice, she wouldn’t do that. The blonde bit her lip and furrowed her brows, she’ll just have to wait.
It didn’t take long for the widow to hail a cab, the driver seemed as exhausted as her. It took around 25 minutes to arrive to Kate’s apartment in Manhattan, during which, Yelena planned an apology for her girlfriend. The blonde left the taxi hastily, handing him a respectful amount of money. The assassin took a deep breath in, before heading up the stairs with her duffel bag slung on her shoulder. Yelena reached the 4th floor, stopping in front of Kate’s apartment. Yelena brought her slightly shaking hand to the door, she knocked three quick thuds. She would’ve used the window and climbed in, but she was too tired to scale all the way up.
The door opened slowly, Kate’s figure emerged from behind the door.
“Yelena!” as soon as the brunette realised who was at her doorstep she threw her arms around Yelena, before stepping back with worried eyes.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Kate’s eyes traveled up and down her body searching for any potential new bruises or cuts. A chuckle escaped the blonde’s lips,
“Please, I am way too talented for that.” The archer rolled her eyes adoringly. A beat passed of the two just looking at each other and smiling stupidly.
“I missed you too, Kate Bishop.” Yelena murmured softly, the vigilante looked slightly confused.
“I never said I missed you, I mean I did obviously..but-“ Kate’s rambling was cut short by soft lips colliding against hers, the brunette was tense for a second before smiling into the kiss, her hands on the widow’s waist.
The assassin pulled away to look up at her girlfriend, she smiled tenderly.
“The text.” Yelena continued. Confusion written on Kate’s face.
“What?”
“The text you sent me, you said Lucky and Fanny were missing me, dogs don’t talk do they?”
The blonde smirked knowingly.
“Pff, what? No, obviously I didn’t-” Kate stumbled over her words and looked away, a flushed pink painting her cheeks and ears. Yelena started laughing, holding her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter. The brunette turned back at the sound of Yelena’s laughter, her expression softening.
The blonde’s laughter died down and she looked back at Kate with a grin,
“I did. Miss you I mean.” the brunette admitted, the tinting on her cheeks, a lighter shade of pink.
Yelena smiled gingerly, there’s no place she’d rather be.
The spy got on her tippy toes, planting a small kiss on Kate’s lips. The blonde lingered in her girlfriend’s space, peacefully, but an excited squeak escaped from Kate.
“I completely forgot! I have a surprise for you!” The archer leaned away from Yelena.
“Close your eyes!” the smaller woman obeyed, a warm hand slid into her cold ones. The hand tugged slightly, pulling her into the warmth of the apartment. The hand slipped away, Kate presumably going to the kitchen to get something.
“Okay, open them.”
Yelena opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the cosy lights of the apartment. When her eyes were completely open, a small chuckle escaped her. The living room had been arranged with pillows serving as walls, and blankets were thrown around as the roof and the floor.
“What’s all this?” the blonde turned to face the taller woman.
“A pillow fort!” the brunette beamed at her accomplishment. The widow stayed silent, confused for a second, then she was reminded of the ones she used to make with Natasha back in Ohio. Yelena swallowed, her throat bobbing. She turned back and looked up to Kate.
“I love it.” The vigilante had a grin across her face, her eyes shining brightly. “C’mon, let’s go inside.” Kate pulled Yelena into the pillow fort, multiple chairs stacked onto one another served as a pillar. The couple sat on a couple cushions, the archer crawled out and winked at her girlfriend.
She left to turn off the lights and picked up something on table. Kate slithered back inside their fort and turned on a little light. It flickered before turning into a warm white, the brunette turned around to grin at Yelena before taking a sheet of coloured paper, she turned back towards the lamp and taped the paper to the light. The colourful paper transformed the warm white, into a mosaic of colours. The colours danced onto the blanket used as the roof.
Yelena sat awe struck, Bishop had done all this for her? She watched the lights before turning to Kate, smiling, her cheeks coated with a pink glow. The vigilante stared back, her lips curled into an intoxicating smile, they just smiled at each other before Kate exclaimed,
“Oh wait!” the spy’s eyebrow perked curiously, she watched as Kate turned, her back now facing Yelena, the archer turned back around, with a plate of….grilled cheese?
“I made grilled cheese without burning down the whole building!” Kate’s smile wide and bright, Yelena just shook her head with a smile. Her chuckles echoing in their little apartment, music to Kate’s ears. Kate just smiled back, her heart swelling with love. When the spy’s laughter died down, the only sound audible was the restless city.
The couple just stared at one another, when Yelena closed the space between them, kissing her girlfriend gently, conveying all her emotions. Separating from Kate, the blonde kept a hand on the taller woman’s cheek.
“Thank you, Kate Bishop.” the sentence coming out as a whisper, but their closeness allowed Kate to hear.
“I-“ the brunette caught herself after almost letting herself slip and saying something stupid like ‘I love you’.
“You’re welcome.” Kate smiled, with a hint of sadness at the idea that Yelena might not actually love her. Obviously, she doesn’t love her, they’ve only been dating for a couple months. The couple distanced from each other after their kiss, opting to eat their, cold, grilled cheese. Yelena going over what happened on the mission, Kate hanging on to every word she uttered. At the end of the explanation the archer felt bad that her girlfriend had had such a difficult week. Deciding to lighten the mood, after seeing Yelena grow silent and absentminded, she switched subject.
“Well sounds your week was way more eventful than me falling over Lucky, straight first into the pavement.” Kate chuckled out, the blonde, grateful for the not-so-subtle change of subject, laughed out a slightly disappointed, motherly laugh.
“How did you do that, Kate Bishop?”
“In my defense, he was in the way and I was distracted by… never mind.”
“By what?” Yelena perked an eyebrow, suggesting a small shake of the taller woman’s head.
“By you.” Kate answered bluntly with a pink tint littering her cheeks.
The blonde, taken aback by the general honesty, stared back incredulously, her mouth slightly agape.
“By me?” Yelena sounded so shocked, it made Kate’s heart break a little.
“Yes, you. As in Yelena Belova.” The vigilante affirmed. She felt like the spy needed to hear that, she scooted closer and laid a hand her girlfriend’s knee. Yelena looked down at Kate’s hand on her knee, before looking back at Kate in her eyes. Why was Kate so nice to her? How could Kate ever think about her? The corner of her eyes stinging, tears welling, the brunette brought her hand to wipe the tears. She leaned over, giving a kiss to Yelena’s hairline, wrapping her in a hug. They stayed still that way for a while, Yelena hiding in the crook of Kate’s neck, her tears wetting the brunette’s shirt, Kate with her cheek pressed up against the side of Yelena’s head. The silence was louder than any words that could ever be spoken, just basking in each other’s warmth. They both needed this.
The moment was broken by Kate’s stomach rumbling. Even if she’d tried to hide it, Yelena would’ve felt the vibrations. Kate chuckled, slightly embarrassed and currently cursing herself for interrupting. The blonde glanced up to look at Kate properly, amusement filled her eyes.
“I might’ve underestimated how hungry I was when I decided to only eat a grilled cheese?” Kate answered the silent question with a smile.
“I mean I wouldn’t mind some ice cream right about now.” Yelena suggested, purely because she knew Kate would love that idea.
“Uh hell yeah, we deserve it after all. I can’t imagine how you’ve been sleeping without me, your personal pillow.” the brunette winked at her girlfriend in light hearted mockery.
“You think too high of yourself, Kate Bishop. I slept peacefully without anyone kicking me in the face.”
“That was one time! And you’re the super assassin spy! You should’ve seen it coming.” the archer pouted in a sarcastic manner.
The couple walked into the kitchen, the spy getting the spoons and the vigilante getting the ice cream out of the freezer, slamming the door shut loudly.
“You don’t have to destroy everything in your path, I mean the tree didn’t just fall over itself.” Yelena remarked, tone dripping with snark. Kate let out an exasperated sigh, slightly annoyed and frankly, a bit embarrassed.
“The tree was in the way, and I needed to…you know… save Clint.” the taller woman muttered while moving towards the counter where the spoons lay.
“Sure….it was very cool I give you that.”
“Oh i know it was cool.” Kate smirked at the blonde, before taking her hand and migrating back to the fort.
They sat down, Yelena leaning against Kate while they took scoops of the ice cream straight out of the container. The silence was broken by a loud scream,
“Fuck, brain freeze.” Kate exclaimed leaning her head back, with her eyes shut tightly and pressing down on her temples with her fingers. Yelena swiftly turned around, concerned by unexpected scream.
“What? What’s wrong?” the blonde had abandoned her spoon on the floor, opting to face her girlfriend completely, her hands on Kate’s shoulders.
“Oh fuck, I got a brain freeze. That shit hurts.” the brunette opened her eyes slowly and looked back to Yelena to find a panicked expression and deep frown.
“What? Explain, what happened?” the shorter woman still had her eyebrows tightly knit together, with a kind’ve scowl on her face.
“You know, when you eat something cold too fast and your brain hurts?” Kate explained with a confused smile.
“Oh, I am not familiar with that expression.” Yelena’s body relaxed, now her face just looked a bit disappointed, she hadn’t had a real childhood and never experienced ‘brain freezes’ or other childhood experiences. The assassin shook that thought out and resumes to the present, she faced Kate again, this time with annoyance written all over her face. She picked up a nearby pillow and swung it straight into Kate’s face. A muffled shout came from behind the cushion.
“Hey! What was that for!”
“For scaring me senseless.”
“But-“ another hit quieted her excuses.
“Oh you’re on.” a smirk found itself on Kate’s face, discarding the ice cream on the floor and her spoon, she reached for a nearby pillow and struck Yelena in her stomach.
“я надеру тебе задницу.” the threat escaped of Yelena, getting into a fighting position, with a pillow in between her hands, ready to lead a nasty blow on Kate.
The two danced around each other, both planting successful hits, until Yelena used a pillow and smacked Kate in the back of the head, leading the brunette to fall in front of her, but not before catching the widow’s hand and bringing her down with her. The archer fell with a thud and Yelena fell onto Kate, leading a groan out of the taller woman. The couple laughed uncontrollably, every time it died down they would look at each other and burst out laughing again. Finally, the laughs had turned into small chuckles, Yelena was now by Kate’s side, the girlfriends just looking at one another with adoring eyes and beaming smiles.
“I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me, Kate Bishop.” the spy spoke softly, her voice like honey.
“Anything.” the vigilante wanted to add ’for you’ at the end, but decided against ruining a perfectly happy moment.
“I’m sorry for not alerting you of my absence.” Yelena’s eyes looked impossibly guilty. Up close, Kate could see almond brown specks in the lake of green, that was Yelena’s eyes.
“You don’t have to sorry for that. I know you had more important things to do and would’ve done it if you weren’t so busy and tired the whole time.” the taller woman explained truthfully.
“You don’t get it, Kate.” the brunette gave her undying attention as soon as she heard her name, she hadn’t said ‘Kate Bishop’ she’d said ‘Kate’, which meant she was being deathly serious. “You are the most important thing to me.” Yelena’s words hit like a truck.
“I-. You’re the most important thing to me too, Yelena.” in that moment, the assassin felt a warm hand slip into hers, intertwining them. The blonde looked down to their hand and back up to Kate’s face. Her black locks framed her face perfectly, her eyes bright and clear, like a blue moon illuminating a dark night sky.
Just how Kate illuminated her dark life.