Work Text:
Atop the highest balcony of the castle owned by the Russian royal family stood a beautiful princess. Wind circled the terrace and it caused the princess’ golden locks to sway around her bare shoulders.
She sighed. Her bored green eyes surveyed the grounds before her, passing over the knights clashing, the horses grazing, and her sister conversing with their mother.
Yelena softly pressed her forehead into the balcony railing and groaned. She was so bored. She was banned from sparring with the knights after she received a cut on her inner arm, the blemish not escaping the king and queen's watchful eyes. She would spend time with her friends, though unfortunately she had none. Yelena frowned.
Everyone around her did not take her seriously and that made it hard for her to allow them to befriend her. Yes, she was a troublemaker and… “weird” but she deserved just as much respect as her elder sister received. Natalia had no issue making friends. The next in line for the throne had many genuine friends. Yelena was jealous. She didn't have anyone. Even if people were to respect her, they didn't understand her.
The princess was considered “odd” and that set her apart from others. She could not help the way she was. Yelena didn't want to be any different than how she was. She just wished… She just wished it wasn't so lonely.
The Russian princess looked back to the grounds. Maybe she could– Yelena flinched as something fell from the sky and tore into the Earth. She gaped at dirt and grass flying everywhere, the knights being completely covered in it.
What was left was… Yelena didn't even know how to describe it. It was shaped like the plates her family would eat off. Instead of the lavish gold of their dishware, the thing was a vibrant red color. Along its sharp edges were long yellow ovals that looked like glass. The top was abnormal, it was the shape of a round ball, similar to what Yelena and her sister would kick around when they were younger.
The princess pushed harder against the rail, trying to get a better look at the thing that had crashed in front of her home. She reared her head back as the top popped open. There was a pause before a head appeared. Yelena couldn't see well from where she was but she thought it looked like a girl.
The woman, Yelena assumed, squinted at the sunlight and looked around her surroundings. Two little gooey things on the top of her head stretched out as her neck did so to get a better view. She turned fully around and immediately ducked back into her vessel-like thing as she saw Yelena's knights charge at her. The princess watched as her sister quickly intercepted them. The knights halted and the queen strode forward, clearly curious about the girl hiding in the giant plate. Yelena scoffed. Her mama's curiously would get the best of her one of these days.
The princess ran from the balcony, taking the steps three at a time and sprinting out into the courtyard. Her guards panted behind her, slumping over in their armor.
“Mama!” Yelena yelled, running up to the queen who was currently peering inside the contraption. Melina looked back at her and hushed her with a single finger to her lips. Yelena looked helplessly at Natasha who just shrugged, a pensive look on her face.
Cautiously, Yelena slowly stepped onto the saucer. She climbed next to her mom, careful not to step on the glass looking ovals. Melina tilted her head at what was inside. Yelena pushed next to her and peered down into the hole.
There was a girl. She looked around Yelena's age but she looked… off. Her skin was a pale purple, reminding Yelena of the lavender that sat on her window sill. Her hair was a dark black color, long enough to go down to her waist. The weird gooey things, like antennas Yelena thought, were pressed back against her head. It reminded Yelena of her dog when she got frightened. It seemed the girl was trying to make herself as small as possible, pressing hard into the short wall next to her and curling up on her side. Her eyes were shut and she was trembling.
“Hello?” Melina said. “You do not need to be afraid, girl. We will not hurt you.”
The girl peaked an eye open and Yelena quietly gasped. Her pupils were huge and her wide eyes were almost completely black. Melina just tilted her head further, her curiosity beyond piqued.
“It is okay.” Melina soothed. “Come out, we will help you.” Yelena's mother slowly stretched out her hand, careful not to spook the girl.
The stranger opened her other eye and looked up from the hand to Melina's reassuring face. She reached out, uncertain, and grasped the offered hand. She held it weird. Her hand wrapped around Melina's like one would grab sand, her fingers slipping in between the queen’s so their hands were locked together. Melina let out a curious hum but otherwise didn't seem bothered. Yelena was a bit bothered. She took two large steps back, almost falling off the saucer, and stared as her mama pulled the girl out.
Her outfit was strange. Yelena had never seen something like it before. It was skintight but thick, almost like dough. The color of it was black but it had random purple lines all over. Yelena was perplexed. It looked like the girl was too, based on her frown as she looked around the yard. Her black eyes stopped as they landed on Yelena. The two took each other in for a moment.
“Come,” Melina said. “Our maids will get you cleaned and we will check for any injuries.”
—
Apparently the stranger didn't know where she was from. Or at least, she didn't know where it was. The girl had little to say other than her name was Kate Bishop. It seemed like she was confused by everything she saw, the food they gave her, the fine silverware, even the clothes they all wore. Yelena thought maybe she was a peasant. A concussed peasant.
Kate was now dressed in a royal blue dress with golden trimmings. Melina had decided that she would be a guest and Alexei had easily agreed, trying to talk the poor girl's ear off about who her king was.
“And your family?” Melina asked. They were trying to get Kate to reveal more about herself. Kate looked down at her food and shook her head.
“Are you sick?” Natasha asked, gesturing to Kate's purple complexion. Kate furrowed her brows and quietly said, “No.” Yelena glared at her sister. What a rude question. Yelena wanted to ask one herself but refrained. Instead, she just stared at what seemed to be antennas atop the girl's head.
“You can stay here until you remember why you were in that ‘craft’ as you said.” Melina graciously offered. “My daughter can watch over you until then.” Both Natasha and Yelena snapped their heads over towards their mother.
“Whic–” they started at the same time. Melina raised a hand and both girls quieted.
“She will be staying with you, Yelena. I also expect you to help show her around.” The blonde quietly groaned and slumped in her dining chair. She looked at Kate. The brunette sat next to her. She looked uncomfortable in her newly acquired dress and she kept her antennas pressed to her hair, making it hard to see them. Yelena wondered what they felt like. She cleared her throat and threw Kate an easy smile.
“Lucky you,” Yelena joked. Natasha scoffed from across the table but Kate held Yelena’s stare.
—
“What is that?”
“That is a sconce. It’s empty right now but at night it holds a torch to light the hallways.”
“And that?”
“That is a vase.”
“Who’s that?”
“... Kate Bishop, that is a decorative suit of armor.” Kate’s brows furrowed at that, looking at the suit with wary eyes. Yelena giggled. “You are so funny.”
Kate smiled at the sound, looking pleasantly surprised to hear it. Kate had become much more vocal since they had separated from the others. She was coming out of her metaphorical shell, though Yelena wouldn’t be surprised if the strange girl had one.
“And here we are,” Yelena sang, gesturing to the door of her bedchambers. Kate tilted her head and Yelena rolled her eyes before pushing the door open.
The two walked in, Yelena casually going to sit on her giant bed while Kate nearly broke her neck from swerving it to look around at everything. Yelena gave her a moment before patting the bed next to her. Kate quickly sat down. If she had a tail (Yelena wouldn’t be shocked) it would be wagging. Yelena chuckled and Kate smiled brighter.
“We will share this bed. This is my side.” Yelena patted the area they were on. “That means over there is yours.” Kate looked at the other side of the bed. “You can use the table there as well.” Kate just nodded. She eagerly spun around when Yelena gestured for her to. The princess got to work brushing Kate’s long black hair. She was careful to not touch the antennas. Once again, she wondered what they felt like.
“So, why is your skin purple?” Kate just shrugged. Back to being quiet. Great.
—
“Who is that?”
“That is a horse, Kate Bishop.”
It was daytime now and the two strolled through the castle’s courtyard, passing the sparring knights and the horse stable. Her mother’s men had removed Kate’s “craft” and had taken it to the dungeons, where mama could study it. Kate didn’t seem to notice it was gone. There wasn’t much evidence it had been there at all, the servants had restored the torn up grass. Kate’s eyes were glued to the horses.
“Would you like to go see them?”
Kate’s large eyes widened, reminding Yelena of her huge pupils, and she quickly nodded. Yelena smiled and led her towards the stable.
“Her name is Widow,” Yelena murmured, petting her horse’s dark nose before looking back at Kate. “Like the spider.”
“Spider…” Kate whispered to herself, clueless. Yelena rolled her eyes and grabbed Kate’s hand before laying it flatly against Widow’s nose. Widow leaned into the touch and Kate seemed to freeze.
“Do not be scared.” Yelena reassured. “She will not bite you. ‘Talia’s horse on the other hand…”
Kate nodded, mostly to herself, and started running her hand up and down the horse’s nose. Kate smiled, happily petting the horse now. It was cute.
“Would you like to ride her?”
Kate snapped her head around. “Really? I can?”
Yelena nodded, repressing a big grin as she took Kate back to the castle to get changed into the right clothes for riding. Their fingers were intertwined and Yelena could tell it was new to the brunette but Kate didn’t let go the whole way back.
—
“That was so fun!” Kate gushed, ripping her coat off to feel the cool air against her bare arms. She fell on her back in the grass next to Yelena who was watching the stars. She grinned at the blonde before her gaze traveled to the stars as well. She became quiet, lost in thought. Yelena looked down and watched Kate watch the stars. Yelena noticed a shooting one out of the corner of her eye and she saw Kate flinch before she could make a wish. Kate looked frightened. Yelena reached down and laced her fingers through Kate’s.
“It is okay," Yelena murmured. “It was just a shooting star. You see many up here.”
Yelena heard Kate swallow and watched her nod. “I thought… nothing.”
—
The two women ascended the winding staircase. Kate’s eyes were still taking in her environment but it was less frantic. Her antenna things had also relaxed and slowly, softly swayed as they walked.
“Are those the torches?” Kate asked, pointing towards the hallway's light source. Yelena nodded and Kate hummed, her eyes staring into the fire as they moved. “I like it.”
Yelena laughed and held her door open for Kate. “Just be careful not to get too close. They could burn you.” Kate didn’t comment, quietly going to sit down next to Yelena on the bed.
“I like when you do that,” Kate mumbled, her eyes locked on her own fingers as she fiddled with them.
“Do what?” Yelena whispered, laying on her back as Kate sat hunched over.
“The little sound. Sometimes big.”
Yelena thought for a moment. Her eyes sparked and she looked back at Kate. “My laugh?” The question was quiet but eager. Kate shrugged but nodded. Yelena sat up on her knees and scooted closer to Kate. “Really?”
Kate nodded again but actually turned to face her this time. “Yeah. Is it hard to believe?”
Yelena sat back and pushed her hair out of her face. “It is just… No one has ever said they like it. It has always just been commented that it is ‘weird’. Though, they think I am strange in general.”
“Strange?” Kate whispered. She was the one who scooted closer this time. Her little antennas flopped towards Yelena.
Yelena looked away from them and nodded. “Yes. I am quite weird to everyone else. It is why I do not have as many duties as my sister. I am just… not ‘wired’ like everyone else.” Yelena remembers her mama telling her so.
Kate gasped quietly and her hand involuntarily reached for Yelena. The princess used it to pull Kate into her, so that they were leaning against one another.
“Me too,” Kate breathed. “I’m like that too.”
Yelena looked at her with a confused head tilt, similar to her mama, and Kate sighed. She pressed her cheek into Yelena’s shoulder. “I’m not from here.” Yelena was about to say no shit but paused at the sad look on Kate’s face. “I’m not from this planet at all. Yelena, I’m an alien.”
“A what? What do you mean you aren’t from this planet?”
Kate took a deep breath and let it all out before she opened her eyes, impossibly large pupils looked into Yelena’s soul. “Another planet. It’s so far from here, you can’t even see its burst of light in the sky. It’s a shame because it’s very beautiful.”
Kate shifted, adjusting them so they were lying side by side. Kate looked up to the fabric hanging overhead but Yelena’s eyes didn’t leave Kate’s face. She stayed quiet.
“Everyone there thought I was… wired differently too. Though they didn’t exactly call it that. I’m not gonna repeat what they said, it hurt a lot. You also wouldn’t be able to understand.” Kate added as an afterthought.
“My mom really wanted me to fit in. She wanted me to have a friend, anyone, just so I wasn’t so lonely and weird. She thought setting me up with a job might help. I almost thought so too.” Kate sighed. “It didn’t really go that way though. I messed things up, like really badly. I guess my job was kind of important, at least to the food supply we had. I ruined it all, like I always do, and they wanted my head more than anything. Even my mom couldn’t stop them. I had to leave, fast.” Kate shook her head and a bright blue substance started to leak from her eyes. Yelena wiped it away and her fingers came back covered in blue.
Kate took a shuttering breath. “I couldn’t even bring anything with me, I just had to go. I stole my mom’s space craft. I didn’t even know how to drive it. I just pressed as many buttons as I could and now,” Kate gestured around the room. “I am here.”
Yelena turned Kate’s face towards hers, green searching black. Yelena nodded to herself. “Why pretend you’re not an alien?”
“I didn’t know what you all would do… I didn’t want to cause trouble.”
Yelena scoffed. “‘Trouble.’ Psh. The only trouble you would cause is too many questions from my papa and sestra. Though my mama might have wanted to cut you open to see what is inside…” Kate gulped and Yelena smirked. “Kidding.”
Kate wobbly smiled. “I’m really happy you’re not mad at me. And that your family isn't going to cut me open.” Yelena chuckled and Kate’s face lightened.
Yelena looked up at her ceiling. She hummed.
“That explains the skin and the eyes.” Kate hummed in confirmation. Yelena paused. She turned onto her side to look down at Kate. At the antennas. “And those?”
Kate looked up and wiggled the little things on her head. “My antennas. They’re used for… Well I guess they’re used for a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Like… sensory stuff. Like help me feel things. Almost like tasting or smelling but physical. My species kind of uses them for communicating small things, like our mood. They’re pretty sensitive.”
“Sensitive?” Yelena murmured. Her eyes had not left the little body parts.
Kate took a breath, her hands fidgeting from where they sat on her chest. “Yeah. They’re kind of used for–”
“Can I touch them?” Yelena rushed out. It felt so good to finally ask.
Kate stilled and her hands gripped the front of her night gown. Yelena noted that her antennas twitched.
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s okay.” Kate's voice was strained.
Yelena immediately sat up and pulled Kate up with her. They sat crisscrossed from one another. Kate tilted her head down, shaking slightly from nerves, and Yelena reached her hand out. Pale fingers lightly caressed the purple antenna. Kate gasped quietly while Yelena took in the sensation. It felt different from skin. More squishy and soft. She wrapped her hand completely around one of them, lightly squeezing, and Kate moaned. Yelena paused and Kate shoved her away and scooted back.
“O-Okay! That’s enough squishes time.” Kate’s face was a dark purple now.
“Squishes? Is that what you call them?” Kate lowered her head and Yelena laughed, holding her stomach.
“Oh, Kate Bishop.” Yelena wiped away a tear. “You are so funny.”
Kate’s antennas pressed back against her head and she glared at Yelena. She broke and smiled before she tackled her. The two started laughing together, Kate’s sounding like it was the first time she had ever done so. Yelena loved it.
They held each other tight, still smiling as they drifted off to sleep. It felt nice, having someone to be weird with.