Chapter Text
“Why are we driving again?” Yelena called as she got the dogs settled in the backseat.
“Because cross-country road trips are fun!” Kate answered.
“Easy for you to say, you won’t be doing any of the driving.”
“You agreed to it!” She fit the last suitcase into the trunk and checked to make sure the lid of the largest gift box was securely closed. “If you don’t want to drive, we’ll take the rental car back, and I’ll get us plane tickets.”
“No, don’t do that,” Yelena said, coming around the side of the car and kissing her. “I’m just messing with you.”
“Good. Because you’re the one who insisted we make the drive in two days instead of three.”
“There’s no reason to make it longer than necessary! Besides, the puppies shouldn’t be in the car for that long. They want to get to the farm as soon as possible so they can run around.”
“We bought them the best beds we could find, gave them their favorite toys, and packed more treats for them than we did snacks for ourselves. I think they’ll be fine.”
“Don’t pretend like you didn’t spend hours reading reviews online to find those dog beds, Kate Bishop.”
Kate opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by a whine from the backseat. They turned to find three eyes staring at them expectantly. Lucky’s tongue lolled out of his mouth, and Fanny sneezed. “We should probably get going.”
“Yes, we should,” Yelena smirked. They got in the car, and she pulled out her phone to turn on the directions and queue up her playlist.
“Oh my god, I can’t wait!” Kate gushed, grinning at her. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” began to play as Yelena backed out of their parking spot. “Are you excited?”
“Yeah, I am. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course! You’re part of the family too, y’know,” Kate said matter-of-factly. “They’re all so glad you could make it. They’re really excited to see you.”
“I look forward to seeing them, too,” Yelena smiled. “I’m so happy we get to spend Christmas together.”
“Me too! It wouldn’t feel like Christmas if you weren’t there.”
“Kate, this is our first Christmas together,” Yelena said, glancing at her. Kate shook her head.
“No, it’s our second! Did you forget when we met?”
“You’re counting that?”
“Meeting you was actually one of the better parts of Christmas for me that year, so yes, I’m counting it.”
“Okay then,” Yelena smiled. “Well, I’m glad we’re actually getting to celebrate this time.”
“Me too.”
Yelena focused on the road as they made their way out of the city, and the smile slipped from her face. She was grateful that the Bartons had invited her, and of course, she was overjoyed to be spending her favorite holiday with her girlfriend. But a part of her wished she were spending it with her team instead. The New Avengers had become her family, and it felt strange to be apart from them.
“Hey, do you guys have plans on Christmas?” Yelena had asked a few weeks ago as she, Ava, John, Bob, and Bucky lounged around in the living room.
“I’m going back home to Georgia to be with Olivia and Wyatt,” John answered quickly.
“I’m headed to Louisiana with Sam,” Bucky replied.
“Oh.”
“Bill is coming over to make gingerbread houses and watch Christmas movies with me and Bob,” Ava said. “Why, do you not have plans? You’re welcome to join us if you want.”
“You don’t have plans?” Bob chimed in.
“No, that’s okay. Kate invited me to go to Barton’s place with her- hey, Alexei! Are we doing anything on Christmas?” she called as her dad walked by on his way to the kitchen.
“Yes, I am going on Caribbean cruise!” Alexei boomed excitedly.
“You are?”
“I am! I’ve always wanted to go, and everyone had plans, so it seemed like perfect time!”
“I didn’t tell you I had plans.”
“I thought you would be spending Christmas with Kate,” he said, his face falling. “Are you not? Oh, Мышка, did you two break up?”
“No, of course not! I’m spending it with her and the Bartons,” Yelena exclaimed, glaring at him.
“Okay, good,” he smiled. “Did you want to spend Christmas with me, Lena?”
“No, it’s fine,” she mumbled, looking away.
“You still can if you want. There aren’t any tickets left on my cruise, but I can sneak you in in my suitcase! You can curl up into little ball, you know? You can fit, you’re already so small-”
“What? No! I’m obviously not going to do that.” She stared at him incredulously, then at the others as they struggled to hide their laughter.
“Okay, I just thought I’d offer,” Alexei said, holding up his hands. “We can all celebrate together and exchange gifts after Christmas.”
There was a chorus of yeahs from the others, and Yelena nodded along. “Yeah, okay. That sounds good.”
“Perfect!” Alexei thundered. “This will be the best Christmas!”
“Yeah,” Yelena muttered halfheartedly as the others all agreed. She’d quickly retreated to her room after that.
Yelena took the speed limit signs as a suggestion, hoping to shave a little time off their incredibly long drive, but it still felt slow compared to the many times she’d been on the run. She was still getting used to not having to look over her shoulder, but it was nice. And it was honestly difficult to remember to drive properly, but thankfully Kate and the dogs didn’t seem to mind the occasional swerving from lane to lane. The dogs were asleep in their beds, and Kate was sitting happily in the passenger seat and singing along to the Spice Girls song playing from the speakers. Yelena grinned at her. Somehow, Kate had barely even heard of the Spice Girls when they first got together, but just last week she’d caught her singing “Stop” to herself while she made their morning coffee.
“We sound so good together!” Kate exclaimed as the song ended, and Yelena nodded in agreement. “We should start a band.”
“We don’t have time to have a band,” Yelena scoffed. “And neither of us plays any instruments.”
“Yeah, but we’re both really good at a lot of things. How hard can learning an instrument be?”
“What instrument would you play?” Yelena asked, an amused smirk on her face.
“Hmmm… probably drums. It seems like it would be really fun to just go crazy making loud noises,” she said, miming playing a drumset. Yelena laughed. “You could play guitar! It’s the coolest instrument, it would be perfect for you.”
“Oh yeah? You think so?”
“Definitely! You would look so hot playing a guitar.”
“Ah, so that’s why you want to start a band.”
“It’s not the only reason!” Kate insisted. “We could also be a girl group like the Spice Girls. Ask Ava if she wants to join; she’s got a good voice, too.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll ask her after Christmas,” Yelena chuckled sarcastically. “Mel would probably love the idea. It would be great for our public image.”
“Can Mel sing? Four people would work better than three.”
Yelena laughed again. “Oh, you’re just full of ideas, aren’t you?” she teased. Then she took the exit as her phone directed, remembering to use her turn signal this time. “Speaking of, we’re getting close. Are you ready?”
“I was born ready.”
Yelena rolled her eyes. “I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“Oh, please. Your eyes lit up as soon as you heard me say “challenge”. You’re just as competitive as I am.”
“No, I’m way more competitive than you.”
Now it was Kate’s turn to laugh. “Okay, yeah. Sure you are, babe.”
Yelena grinned, and Kate gazed at her affectionately. She kept watching her as she drove, her heart warming at the way her brows furrowed slightly as she read the street signs. But soon they pulled into the gas station, and her focus was broken as the dogs woke up from their nap and Lucky pushed his cold nose into her arm.
“Do you want to take care of the dogs while I pump gas?” Kate asked.
“Sure,” Yelena nodded. Then she turned toward the backseat with a smile. “Who wants to get out and go potty?”
Fanny let out a tiny, quiet howl as she and Lucky began wagging their tails. Yelena clipped their leashes onto their collars and got them out of the car while Kate walked around to the gas pump. They practically dragged her to the small patch of grass, crisscrossing in front of each other as they sniffed all the unfamiliar smells. It was a miracle they didn’t tangle their leashes or pull them out of Yelena’s grasp.
“Slow down!” she called, chuckling. “Fanny, рядом! Lucky, heel! We’re not here to explore.”
They did eventually listen to her, if only to relieve themselves. But before she could get the poop bags out, Fanny decided that it was time to explore… in the opposite direction from where Lucky wanted to go.
“No, Fanny, get back here! Stop! Lucky, please, you guys can’t-”
Yelena felt a sharp tug on her left arm, yanking her to the side and causing her to trip over her own feet. She crashed to the ground, and before she could even process what had happened, a cold dog nose pressed into her face as Lucky checked to see if she was okay. Fanny, however, was more interested in the dead mouse she’d spotted under the dumpster.
“Oh, okay! Yes, Lucky, I’m fine!” she sputtered as she sat back up. Lucky wagged his tail. She scratched him behind the ear, and he leaned into her touch. “At least you care. Unlike some ungrateful dogs I know!” Yelena whipped her head around to glare at Fanny, who only spared her half a glance as she continued to bark at the dead mouse. And as she did so, Yelena stood up and caught a glimpse of Kate covering her mouth out of the corner of her eye. “Fanny!”
Fanny let out an expectant bark and stared at her, her tail wagging.
“No, I’m not getting the dead mouse out for you! Get over here! Ко мне!” Yelena cried exasperatedly. Fanny did a little jump before running over and sitting at her feet. “Naughty,” Yelena scolded, pointing her finger at her. She whined. “Stay, both of you. I mean it.”
Lucky sat next to Fanny as she walked away to clean up after them. Thankfully, they listened this time and stayed where they were as she did so. Their eyes followed her across the patch of grass as she threw it away, and Fanny barked as she approached them again.
“Good boy,” Yelena smiled, petting Lucky’s head. Fanny whined. She turned to her and scratched her ears, kissing the spot between her eyes. “And yes, you’re still my good girl.”
Yelena gathered up their leashes and headed back to the car, the dogs walking more or less in step with her this time. Lucky sped up a bit as they got closer to Kate, but he didn’t pull.
“You ready to go?” Kate asked as she helped direct the dogs into the backseat. Yelena narrowed her eyes at her.
“Were you laughing at me a minute ago, Kate Bishop?”
“Maybe,” Kate answered mischievously. Her grin grew wider as Yelena gaped at her, feigning offense. “I never expected the fearsome, dangerous, powerful Yelena Belova could be taken down by a couple of puppies.”
“They are very big, strong dogs!” Yelena insisted. “Fanny is an Akita; she would pull sleds in Russia!”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Kate giggled.
“I’ll sic her on you, then you’ll see. She’ll take you down like that.” Yelena snapped her fingers seriously before breaking out into a grin.
“I could never fight her, she’s too cute!”
Before Yelena could reply, her stomach growled loudly. Then, as if in response, Kate’s stomach growled too. They burst out laughing as they climbed back into the car. “Let’s go get lunch.”
“Finally! Oh my god, I am starving,” Kate exclaimed. “I’m not sure one burger is gonna be enough.”
“Don’t get cocky yet, Kate Bishop,” Yelena smirked.
They drove a bit farther into the town of Clearfield, Pennsylvania, and it wasn’t long before they reached their destination: Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub. Home of the world’s largest cheeseburger challenge.
“We won’t be gone too long, puppies,” Yelena cooed after she’d parked. “Just lie down and take a nap, you won’t even realize we’re gone.”
“Wait! We have to put these up!” Kate said, holding up two pieces of paper that read, Don’t worry about us! The heat is on, we have water, soft beds, and our bones, and our people will be back soon. You can look (we know we’re cute), but please don’t bother us! Thanks!
“Oh, right,” Yelena smiled. “Do you think we should warn them that Fanny attacks strangers?”
“No, if someone wants to fuck around, then they should get to find out.”
Yelena laughed. “Okay, good point. Do you need help putting them up?”
“No thanks, I’ve got it.” Kate leaned precariously into the backseat to tape the signs onto the windows, her ass hovering right next to Yelena’s face. Yelena watched her with a smirk. She wobbled slightly as she tried to put one on the driver’s side window, but thankfully, her arms were long enough to reach. “And there we go!” she said as she sat back down. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Were you enjoying the view?”
“Yes, it was very entertaining. I love watching you almost fall over.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“Ha ha!”
Kate shook her head fondly as Yelena laughed. “Come on, they’re gonna give our burgers to somebody else.”
“They better not,” Yelena smiled. She pulled two bones out of their bag of snacks and handed them to Lucky and Fanny, who were wagging their tails furiously. And she was right; they didn’t even look up when she and Kate left the car.
“Hi, welcome in! Table for two?” the hostess asked when they walked in.
“Yes, and we’re here for the Pub Challengers. We called ahead a few hours ago,” Kate said politely.
“Oh, yes of course, right this way!” She led them to a booth toward the back of the pub, right underneath the Burger Challenge Hall of Fame. “They’ve already started working on those burgers, so they should be out soon. Do you ladies know what you’ll be drinking today?”
“Just water for me, please,” Kate answered.
“Yeah, same here,” Yelena agreed.
“Comin’ right up!”
“Oh, and could we also get two plain, normal cheeseburgers in a doggie bag?” Kate asked.
“Yes, of course.”
“Thank you!”
Yelena glanced around as the waiter walked away. The wall above them was filled with photos of people looking various degrees of excited and sick to their stomachs. There were also a few photos of the burgers themselves, which looked even more intimidating than they had online. She shook her head; only Kate Bishop could make her think that something like this was a good idea.
“Are you ready?” Kate asked, her eyes shining.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Yelena smiled. “So what does the winner get? We never decided.”
“Hmmm. How about if you win, then you get to be the lead singer of our band, and if I win, then we do it as an acapella group?”
Yelena stared at her. “Are you actually being serious about this, or are you taking the bit too far?”
“I never take the bit too far!”
“If that were true, I wouldn’t have to ask.”
“Okay, fine. No, obviously I’m not serious,” Kate scoffed.
“Good.”
“Unless…”
“No!” Yelena said sternly, and Kate laughed.
“Okay, for real, though. What if… ooh! How about if you win, you get to ask Clint and his family to tell you an embarrassing story about me, and if I win, then I get to ask your team to tell me an embarrassing story about you?”
“My team isn’t going to be there, though.”
“Yeah, but they have phones, and I have their numbers.”
“Okay, deal,” Yelena smirked, a competitive spark igniting in her chest. She held out her hand, and Kate shook it, grinning.
“I’m gonna take you down, Belova.”
“Oh-ho, you wish, Kate Bishop.”
They didn’t have to wait too long for them to bring out the burgers, and even the photos on the wall couldn’t prepare Yelena for how big they truly were. Two pounds of beef, topped with a mountain of veggies and sauce, on the thickest hamburger buns she’d ever seen, with two pickle spears perched on top with a toothpick. Her stomach growled at the sight. She was going to finish this behemoth. After everything she’d been through, how hard could eating a burger be?
“And the timer starts… now!”
The waiter set a comically large timer down on the table next to them and stepped away as they dug in. Kate started with one of the pickles, and Yelena shoved the top bun and the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions to the side to rip off a chunk of the patty.
“Oh my god, this is delicious!” Yelena grunted, her mouth full.
“I know! This might be easier than I thought,” Kate said, tearing off a piece of her own. “I’m glad we skipped breakfast, though.”
She nodded in agreement as she took another bite. A mixture of ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo, and juice from the tomatoes dribbled down her chin and hands as she ate. She tried to pace herself, but suddenly an hour didn’t feel like much time. And by the time they reached the halfway point, it was clear that Kate had eaten more than she had.
“Are you sure you’ve never done a contest like this before?” Yelena said before shoving a wad of lettuce into her mouth as she watched Kate crumple a quarter of the bun into a little ball and eat it all at once.
“Nope,” she mumbled after taking a minute to chew. “But I have been eating entire large pizzas on my own since high school. I did have to finish one really fast to prove to my mom that I wasn’t wasting her money one time, so maybe that’s where these mad skills came from.”
“Ha! Don’t make me laugh, Kate Bishop. That’s playing dirty,” Yelena snorted before taking another bite. Kate wiggled her eyebrows at her.
By the fifty-minute mark, Yelena was full to bursting. There were still a few tomato slices, about a quarter pound of beef, and nearly half the bottom bun left on her plate, mocking her with their presence. The mere sight of them made her nauseous. She tried her best to fight through the pain, but food-eating contests were probably the only kind of endurance training she wasn’t put through in the Red Room.
“I… I don’t think I can do it,” she groaned, gazing forlornly at her food.
“That’s okay, baby. You don’t have to.” Kate assured her. The competitive flare had disappeared from her eyes, replaced by the caring look she reserved only for Yelena. She reached across the table and squeezed her hand comfortingly. “I am still gonna finish mine and win, though.”
Yelena rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously. You’ve already eaten more than I did.”
“No, I’m going to finish it. I’m completing the challenge.”
“Kate, you don’t have to. You already won.”
“You really think I’m gonna stop now? I’m so close! I want my picture on that wall!”
“Of course you do,” Yelena chuckled fondly. “You better hurry up, you only have ten minutes left! Go go go!” She grinned as she watched Kate shovel food into her mouth. It was disgusting; her hands and face were absolutely covered in sauce and grease, the squelching and smacking sounds nearly drowned out whatever pop song was blasting from the speakers, and Yelena got a full view of her mastication every few seconds when she crammed in more food. “You look so hot right now.”
Kate mumbled something that sounded like “fuck you” around the giant piece of hamburger in her mouth, and Yelena laughed. The waiter had come over at the fifty-five-minute mark and was watching her, as were a few other patrons in the restaurant. “Come on, Kate, you can do it!” Yelena cheered. It was truly impressive to watch. Something that only Kate Bishop could make attractive.
“And she’s done it!” cried the waiter, as Kate finally swallowed the last bite of food she had left- the second pickle spear that she’d saved until the end. The clock read 58:09. “And with nearly two minutes to spare! That means we’ve got a new entry in the hall of fame! I’ll be right back to take your picture and give you your t-shirt and certificate!”
“Oh my god, I can’t believe I did it!” Kate grunted out as she collapsed into the booth. She grinned up at Yelena sleepily. “Now I get to hear an embarrassing story about you!”
Yelena balled up one of her used napkins and threw it at her. “Shut up, don’t be a sore winner. Just enjoy your victory.”
“This is me enjoying my victory,” Kate smirked, throwing it back at her. And even in this state, she was still able to land it right on Yelena’s nose.
“Alright, ready to get your picture taken?” the waiter asked when he walked back from the kitchen.
“Yes!” Kate grinned. “Ooh, can I pose with the empty plate?”
“Absolutely!” The waiter held up the camera, but Yelena held out her hand to stop him.
“Kate, you’re still covered in sauce,” she said.
“Oh, right! Thanks, Lena.” She started wiping herself down, and Yelena handed her more napkins. “Did I get it all?”
“I think so- wait, come here.” They leaned toward each other, and Yelena reached out and wiped a stray speck of ketchup off her forehead. “How did you even get it up there?”
“I have no idea.”
“I think I’ve seen you do that when we’re just eating normal meals, actually.”
Kate stared at her. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or if you’re just teasing me.”
“Just take your picture,” Yelena smiled. She watched as Kate posed for the waiter, holding the plate up to her beaming face. She didn’t care that she’d lost the challenge, not when Kate looked so cute and happy. A warm, fuzzy feeling blossomed in her stomach, somehow finding room amongst all the cheeseburger.
“Alright, there we go! We should have your picture up on the wall when we open back up after Christmas. And here is your certificate and your t-shirt!” The waiter announced, handing them to Kate. Then he turned to Yelena.
“Wait, why do you have two shirts? I didn’t finish.”
“You still attempted it, which means you get a shirt too!”
She gave him a bewildered look as she took it from him.
“Oh my god, look what it says!” Kate exclaimed, pointing. She looked even more excited than she had when she looked at her own shirt. Yelena turned it around to look and braced herself.
“I came to eat, and I tasted defeat!” the bold red lettering screamed. “Oh my god, I’m not wearing this.”
“Yes, you are,” Kate asserted with a shit-eating grin. “That is the best part of this whole challenge, you have to!”
“No.”
“Yes! Come on, Yelena, we have to wear them together so we can match!”
“They’re not matching!”
“Okay, complimentary, whatever. Please?”
Yelena sighed. “Fine.”
“Yay!”
“But not in front of everybody, alright? I’ll wear it when we get home.”
“We’ll see.”
Yelena shook her head, a smile spreading across her face despite herself. “We should get going. We still have a long way to go.”
They settled up their tab and headed back out to the car, both of them walking slower than they had when they’d arrived. Fanny and Lucky were happy to see them, but they were even happier to see the (much smaller) burgers they’d brought for them. They devoured them in less than a minute, putting Kate’s time to shame. It wasn’t long before they were on the road again… and it wasn’t long before they were stopping again, either. They hadn’t been on the highway thirty minutes before Yelena had to pull over so Kate could puke.
“Was it worth it?” Yelena asked, her jeering tone contrasting with the way she held Kate’s hair and rubbed her back.
“Definitely,” Kate choked out. “I’d do it all over again. Just… give me like a week to become hungry again.”
“Yeah, then next time you can take on the fifteen-pound challenge,” Yelena joked. “Are you okay now, детка?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I just need to get some of the mouthwash from my suitcase, and I’ll be good to go.”
“I’ll get it for you,” Yelena said, kissing her forehead. Lucky whined when she opened the trunk.
“Sorry for interrupting your favorite song,” Kate called. Yelena could hear the smile on her face.
“You don’t have to apologize,” she said as she handed her the mouthwash. “We will be starting it over, though.”
“Good. We don’t want to miss our favorite verse.”
“As if I would let that happen. “American Pie” deserves to be played in its entirety, always,” Yelena smirked. Kate grinned at her. “Are you good now?”
“Yep, I promise. No more puking.”
“Okay, good. ‘Cause we still have two more states to drive through today,” Yelena said as they climbed back into the car.
“Then let’s get back to it! Punch it, Lena!”
“Gladly.”
They stopped a few more times for gas and to let the dogs out, but thankfully, there was no more puking. It was mostly smooth sailing for the rest of the drive, and Yelena was able to make pretty good time. They spent the time singing along to Yelena’s carefully curated playlist and talking and laughing about whatever popped into their heads. By the time they reached their next destination, Yelena could hardly believe she’d been driving for nine hours.
“Oh my god,” Yelena said in awe as they got out of the car. “It’s so big!”
“Yeah, that’s the point,” Kate chuckled.
“I thought it was going to be cow-sized, but it’s as tall as the restaurant!” She ran toward the giant cow statue, dragging Fanny behind her this time. “This is awesome.”
“I know, right?” Kate smiled, walking over with her phone in hand. “Seeing all the wacky stuff in these little towns is the best part of road trips. Now, smile!”
Yelena leaned into Kate and grinned as she held out her phone and snapped a picture. The fiberglass cow towered over them, its face illuminated by the soft glow of the floodlights at their feet. They could barely get its whole face in the frame, but Yelena loved it just the same.
“This is definitely one of my favorite weird American things,” she grinned.
“Oh yeah? What’s your favorite, then?”
“You. Obviously.”
"Rude," Kate scoffed, gaping at her in mock offense. Yelena giggled.
"I said you're my favorite, how is that rude?"
Kate shoved her playfully, and Yelena laughed, twisting out of the way a few seconds too late. Fanny barked. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” she teased.
“What, and you’re not?”
Kate let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head, but she couldn’t help but grin at her. “You’re lucky I love you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
They gazed at each other for a moment, the cold winter breeze whipping their hair around their faces. For a few seconds, it felt romantic, but it was interrupted when Kate caught sight of Lucky.
“No, no, no, don’t pee on the-! …and he’s peeing on the floodlights.”
“He wanted to mark his territory and claim the giant cow for his own,” Yelena laughed. “Let’s get these guys taken care of and get to the hotel. We’re so close!”
“You tired of driving yet?”
“Yes. I said I could do it, not that it would be comfortable,” Yelena replied, shutting down Kate’s chance to say “I told you so”. Kate smiled.
“Well, you’ll be a lot more comfortable in the hotel room, baby. You’ll never sleep in anything below four stars when you’re with me.”
“What does a four-star hotel look like in the middle of Indiana?”
“Definitely not the same as they do in Manhattan,” Kate scoffed. “But it looked very nice online, and most importantly, it’s pet-friendly!” Her voice went higher on the last few words, and both Lucky and Fanny looked up at her eagerly. “We can get a good night's sleep before the festivities start tomorrow.”
“Good, I can’t wait. For the festivities and for sleep,” Yelena smirked.
The hotel was, in fact, very nice, and they settled into the room almost instantly. Even the dogs were exhausted, despite the fact that they’d been sleeping all day already. It wasn’t long before they were crawling into bed, and Yelena was curling into Kate with a sigh.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Kate asked softly. Yelena shook her head.
“It’s nothing.”
“No, it’s not. I can tell it’s not. Come on, Lena, talk to me. Please?”
“Okay,” Yelena breathed. “I’m so happy we get to be together for Christmas, and I’m so grateful that Laura and Clint invited me. But… I just wish I could be with my team, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, they’re my family now, and I miss them. I mean, I know I spend most of my time with them already, but… this is my first real Christmas. I was hoping I could spend it with them.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“Not that I don’t want to spend it with you-”
“No, I know that,” Kate said kindly. “I’m sorry you can’t be with them, baby. But you’re going to celebrate Christmas with them a few days after, right?”
“Yeah, but… it’s not quite the same.”
“Yeah, I understand. I’ll do my best to make up for it, though, okay? I’m gonna give you the best Christmas I can.”
“Thank you, Kate,” Yelena smiled. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Kate said, kissing her tenderly.
“Good night, baby.”
“Good night.”
Kate wrapped her arm around Yelena and closed her eyes, breathing in her scent. And as she lay there, waiting for sleep, she thought back to the conversation she’d had with Laura a little over a month ago.
“Are you inviting Yelena to Christmas, or is she spending it with her team?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t asked yet.”
“Well, we’d love to have her here if she doesn’t have plans,” Laura smiled. “The kids would love to see her.”
“I’m sure she’ll be missed wherever she’s not. She’s the life of the party,” Kate chuckled. “I was hoping we’d get to spend Christmas together, but she probably wants to be with her team.”
“Kate,” Laura said suspiciously after she’d been silent for a moment. “What are you thinking?”
“What? Oh, nothing.”
“Uh-uh, come on. You’ve got the same look on your face that Clint gets when he comes up with a new home renovation idea. Just tell me.”
“Okay, this is just an idea, and I completely understand if you say no,” Kate grinned sheepishly. “I know it’s a lot to ask, especially on Christmas, and it’s so soon-”
“Just spit it out, Kate,” Laura smirked. “Whatever it is, it can’t hurt to ask. Come on, hit me.”
“Okay, so Yelena has always wanted a big family Christmas, and this is the first year when she actually has a family to celebrate with. But she’s also part of our family, and I’m sure she would want to spend it with us too… so I was thinking, would it be okay if I invited the New Avengers to your house too, so she can be with everyone?”
“Oh, Kate, that is so sweet,” Laura smiled. “That’s a wonderful idea!”
“Are you sure? I know that’s a lot of people, I would never want to intrude-”
“As long as they help out with the food and are fine with doubling up to sleep, then it’s alright with me. The more the merrier.”
“Really? Oh my gosh, thank you so much!!!”
“Of course. Are you gonna tell her, or are you gonna make it a surprise?”
“Ooh, a surprise would be awesome! I just have to make sure the others convince her that they already have plans. Assuming they don’t, of course. I’ll have to ask, I literally just came up with this idea.”
“Well, hopefully you can work it out with them. It’s so great that you want to give her a big Christmas like this. Reminds me of the first time Clint brought Nat home for the holidays,” Laura smiled sadly. “She would be so glad that Yelena has you to take care of her.”
“I hope so,” Kate breathed. “All I want is to give her the best Christmas ever.”
“I’m sure you will, Kate.”
Kate smiled to herself as she watched the rise and fall of Yelena’s chest in the dark. After the day they’d had, she was confident that Laura was right. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.