Chapter Text
One surprising thing about Kate Bishop is that she’s bad at asking for things.
Well, no. That's not entirely true, actually.
Kate is very good at speaking her mind; she doesn't take crap from anyone, and while she may come off as cocky or even brash sometimes, that's just because she's relentless when she's fighting for what she thinks is right. And while those are all things Yelena admires in Kate, she sometimes wishes she were just a little less infuriatingly difficult, because she can never, for the sake of Yelena's sanity, say she wants something when questioned about what she would like for Christmas. Every time Yelena has asked so far, she has been hit with either a shrug or some variation of the same old "you don’t have to get me anything” or, even worse, “I’m sure I’ll love whatever you get me.”
That is just so annoying and not at all helpful.
Nothing is more aggravating, however, than when Yelena insists on the question and Kate doubles down on being a menace by bursting into the Mariah Carey’s song that’s been playing everywhere since November, which does nothing to answer the question of what to get your sometimes business partner slash sort-of-girlfriend for Christmas?
Last year, all Yelena had been able to get Kate was a men's toiletry gift basket—the best she could do shopping at the hospital gift shop. She had meant it mostly as something to lighten the mood, but the look on Kate's face when she took it had been so earnest and soft that it had almost cut Yelena’s heart in two.
To be fair, that probably had more to do with the fact that Kate had just come out of surgery less than an hour before and was still high on anesthesia. And since they are, well, more involved now than they were last year–whatever that means–she wants to get Kate something actually nice and thoughtful.
Except that Yelena cannot, for the life of her, think of anything and with Christmas right around the corner, it's kind of becoming a problem.
And maybe she is overthinking it, but really, Yelena just wants to get it right. Which is why she has left with the dogs without telling Kate where she was going, only that she would be “running some errands”. This is also the reason why she feels so cranky as she slowly makes her way across the dog park to meet Kate after, once again, failing the task.
Giving Kate archery equipment for Christmas seems both too obvious and too lazy, and sure, they still need some things for hom—for the loft, but those are not ideal Christmas presents either. Maybe she could… No, that's not good either.
Yelena huffs, watching her breath mist in front of her face when Lucky abruptly tries to pull her in the opposite direction they had been going. Fanny perks up a moment later, but mercifully doesn't try to do the same.
“Hey!”
She hears Kate call before she sees her, and it takes a second for Yelena's eyes to find her halfway across the park, but just like every time, her heart stutters at the sight as she takes notice of Kate's windswept hair and cheeks pink from the cold. Several other people also turn to look because Kate is, of course, incapable of ever being inconspicuous.
Lucky barks then, just once, pulling a little harder on the leash while Fanny woofs quietly, her paws scratching the ground a few times as if considering the perks of following his example.
Schooling her features, Yelena watches with barely disguised interest as Kate jogs towards them, her face breaking into a smile when their eyes meet a moment before she finally closes the last of the distance and crouches down to greet the dogs. The action looks a little stiff, though Kate does a good job of concealing it. Yelena narrows her eyes.
“Hi, baby,” Kate says, kissing Lucky’s forehead then doing the same to Fanny a second later. “Hi, baby.”
Yelena is well aware of the little game Kate is playing–purposefully having chosen to stop just out of reach, her eyes twinkling as she looks Yelena over when she stands to her feet..
“Hey, babe,” Kate says with a lopsided grin, tilting forward on her feet as if barely holding back the urge to close the last of the distance between them. “You took ages. Were you meeting your secret lover or something?”
“Yes. She says hello by the way.” Yelena rolls her eyes, but against her will, she still softens a moment later. Feeling her cheeks getting warmer for unidentifiable reasons, Yelena averts her gaze. “You are so annoying,” she says gruffly. “Sorry, I am late. Thank you for waiting.”
Kate blinks, looking like her thoughts have been momentarily derailed, but if anything, her smile only widens.
Another beat passes and with another huff of faux annoyance, Yelena breaks first, one hand grabbing the lapel of Kate's plaid coat to pull her into a kiss. Kate comes willingly, hands falling to Yelena's hips as she kisses back.
“Status on the case?” Yelena asks against Kate’s lips, trying to sound stern even though she knows that the breathy quality of her voice betrays the feeling underneath it. Kate is probably fluent at listening to it.
“Found the asshole ex-boyfriend hiding at his weed dealer’s place,” Kate states, sending Yelena a pointed look of exasperation for good measure. “But the tarantula has been rescued from his evil clutches and delivered safe and sound to the arms of another happy client.”
“Really? How did the boyfriend take it?”
“Oh, you know, you’d think people would be fighting to get rid of that thing. But no, I think he was two steps away from getting a fake passport and moving to Mexico with Tatiana.” At Yelena's puzzled look, Kate grimaces. "Believe it or not, that's the tarantula's name."
Yelena arches an eyebrow. “And did he fight you for Tatiana?” She can see it on Kate's face that she wants to deny it, so Yelena makes sure to bring her free hand to Kate's right side, slightly pressing down on her ribs until Kate's face twists in a pained wince.
“I had him on the floor in two seconds flat and ah—” she gasps when Yelena presses a little harder. “He kneed me in the ribs, yeah.”
"It's bruised. You leave home to find a kidnapped spider and then come back with bruised ribs. Did I not tell you that you shouldn't leave openings when going on the offensive? A smart opponent will—" Yelena's tirade is suddenly cut off with another kiss.
"I know. I'm sorry," Kate sighs when she breaks the kiss, leaning her forehead against Yelena's with her eyes still closed, taking a moment to simply breathe in. "I'm fine. I promise."
“So you have said, Kate Bishop.”
They stay like that another second as Yelena feels herself relaxing until Kate pulls away with a kiss to her temple. "Don't worry, next time we get a spider-related case, I'll leave you to deal with it."
“Next time you take a spider-related case, maybe I will just tie you to the bed to make sure you stay out of trouble."
Kate steals another kiss then, letting this one linger for a moment. As Yelena’s eyes flutter open, she grabs the chance to commit every detail of Kate's unguarded expression to memory.
“You know, I don’t entirely hate the sound of that,” Kate says, wiggling her eyebrows in that particular obnoxious way she has as she disentangles herself from Yelena. “But don’t worry, this was our last case of the year, and I’m really hoping the next one will bring us more serious stuff than saving hairy spiders.” She shudders, taking both leashes from Yelena’s hand to lace their fingers together. “I had to ride the Subway with that thing, Yelena.”
Yelena grins at Kate’s exaggerated grimace. She won’t say it, but she kind of likes these laid-back cases they get from time to time; they’re a nice break from the more hazardous stints they often deal with, which end up almost always getting them in some sort of sticky situation. And it’s not like she’s avoiding risks all of a sudden, but some nights it’s nice to get back home without hurting all over.
They walk by a group of people carrying a few shopping bags and it’s then that Yelena is brought out of her thoughts as she remembers why, exactly, they had chosen to meet at the park instead of the loft.
“Do we really have to do this?”
“Well, normally I’d say we don’t have to do anything,” Kate says, bobbing one shoulder as she guides them toward the exit. “But we kind of really need to get this done.” She looks at Yelena then, probably waiting for some kind of compromise to be made, only to be met with Yelena’s impassive stare. Instead of arguing, however, Kate only shakes her head, a small smile tugging at her lips as she leans almost imperceptibly towards Yelena. “What do you want to do?”
Really, she’s bringing out the big, pleading blue eyes and everything and as much as Yelena wants to stand her ground, she can already feel herself giving in. With a huff, Yelena lets her shoulders drop, looking away from Kate’s stupid face.
“Well, I do not want to buy Christmas presents for my dad." She steals a glance at Kate from the corner of her eye. “You do know that you don't have to keep trying to impress him, yes? You hired his stupid limo service when you were in DC; he probably loves you more than me now."
Kate sputters at that. “I’m not— That’s not what— I don—”
“Take your time, Kate Bishop. I know you can finish a sentence, I have seen you do it before.”
They weave through the people getting inside the park to catch the last of the weak sunlight with their pets, Fanny and Lucky leading the way.
“I want to get Alexei something because it’s the nice thing to do,” Kate says eventually. “Not because I’m trying to buy his approval or anything.” She doesn’t look at Yelena as she says it, but there’s a note of something under her voice that still makes Yelena soften slightly. It’s a common effect of long-time exposure to Kate Bishop.
“That is good.” Yelena nods, keeping her gaze straight ahead as they leave the park. “You don’t need it anyway.”
Kate's cheeks flush and she clears her throat, squeezing Yelena's hand in hers. "Um, we also need to get something for Clint, Laura, and the kids while we're at it. We have to ship everything by Wednesday if we want it to get there before Christmas."
At that, Yelena resists the urge to groan out loud, looking up at the darkening sky as she blows an annoyed breath.
“Why do we need to do that? I don’t even like them.”
“Right. Like I don’t know for a fact that you already got something for Nate.”
With an overdramatic gasp, Yelena brings her free hand to her chest, the pitch of her voice rising slightly. “I did not, Kate Bishop.”
“Yes, you did. It’s under the bed. Besides, we’re like, the cool aunts. We can’t play favorites.”
“Do not act like you don’t have a favorite Barton, either. Do I need to remind you what kind of bow you sent Lila for her birthday?”
“It was a birthday present. It’s different.”
“Interesting. Does that mean you haven’t gotten something for her yet?”
Sidestepping that particular question, Kate clears her throat. “So. What should we get for Coop?”
Yelena twists her lips to the side, eyeing the storefronts they pass by with more curiosity than it's really warranted. “He's just finishing his first semester of university, so he told me he would like some money instead of presents this year."
They stop at a crosswalk then and Kate turns to Yelena. “See. That’s why we are the cool aunts.”
“We are the only aunts they have.”
“Exactly,” Kate says, as if that automatically wins the argument. It doesn’t.
“We don't have to shop for him at least,” she huffs.
With a tilt of her head, Kate studies Yelena for a moment as she swings their joined hands back and forth. “Why are you acting like the Grinch on this fine December afternoon, anyway?”
“It’s hardly afternoon, Kate Bishop. It’s already getting dark.”
“It’s not even four p.m.”
Yelena scoffs, pulling Kate by their joined hands when the light changes. “Excuse me for not finding this shopping trip necessary. We could be naked in bed, but no, you want to buy stupid Christmas presents. You don’t even like shopping.”
That’s not necessarily true, but Kate doesn’t try to correct Yelena either. Instead, her eyes glaze over—like Yelena knew would happen—as whatever she’s thinking makes her cheeks flush bright red. Yelena is one hundred percent sure that she has just won this round, until, unexpectedly, Kate shakes her head.
“Nuh uh. You’re not pinning this one on me.”
“Are you implying this is my fault?” Yelena shoots Kate a haughty look even as she guides them towards the first store that she finds mildly interesting. “You are the one who had to go on a trip last week. That is hardly my fault, Kate Bishop.”
Kate lets her shoulders fall. “Okay, yeah, that one's on me, but it was unplanned. The fact that we didn't do this before is entirely your fault.”
That’s debatable, though Yelena chooses not to argue this time when she notices the story clerk approaching them; she puts on her best fake smile instead. “Hi, can you recommend some Christmas presents to get for middle-aged people you do not like?”
*
Two and a half hours later and they’re done with most of their Christmas shopping; the only thing they haven’t agreed on yet is what to get for Alexei, and probably only because Yelena refuses to let Kate buy anything she deems remotely nice for him.
“We are not paying almost two thousand dollars on a bottle of Vodka just because it comes in a fancy case, Kate Bishop," she says, ignoring Kate’s protests that she’s literally rich. “Besides, giving vodka to a Russian is really offensive in this day and age.”
"No, it's not. Your dad loves Vodka."
“Alexei wouldn’t know a good Vodka if it stabbed him in the dick. You could put rubbing alcohol in a nice bottle and he still would drink it.”
Kate pulls a face at the mental image, immediately shaking her head afterwards. Yelena smiles, knowing they’ll come back to this particular argument at some point in the near future; right now, however, the only thing she can think about is the fact that it’s been a long day and all she wants to do is finally get back home with Kate.
And by home, she actually means Kate’s loft, though that’s neither here nor there.
Or, well. Maybe it should be, but that’s something Yelena intends to keep on ignoring for now.
Which shouldn’t be so hard considering that she does, in fact, have her own apartment that is separate from Kate's home. Not that she actually spends much time there, but a year and a half ago—around the time Yelena finally had enough blackmail material to get Valentina out of her life for good—when she had made the choice to permanently move to New York, Yelena had also decided she would like to know how it'd feel to live in a place of her own.
For the first time in her life, she had wanted to have her own (fake) name on the lease; to buy her own furniture and decorate it however she liked. And she did do all that; she even let Kate help her build all the IKEA furniture she bought.
As it happens, that was more or less around the same time when Herman decided to retire, and Kate, with her trust fund burning a hole through her pocket, did not hesitate to buy the place downstairs and convert it into the headquarters of Hawkeye (& Black Widow) Investigations—the "Black Widow" part is silent. Really; Yelena insisted.
And since they’re working together, it’s just infinitely more practical for Yelena to just stay with Kate in the loft upstairs. Plus, Kate’s place also has a lot more space for the dogs, which is especially good in this weather when they have to stay cooped up inside a lot more than usual.
Not to mention that Kate’s bed is a lot bigger, too.
That said, an important distinction to make is that, technically speaking, they are not dating. But only technically in the same way that they technically don’t live together, either.
The only problem with both of those statements is that Yelena’s things now occupy two-thirds of the space on Kate’s clothing rack and at least half of the drawers in the dresser. They go grocery shopping together, share a schedule for whose turn it is to do the laundry, and it’s no secret that Kate wants nothing more than for Yelena to officially move in with her.
With every morning that Yelena wakes up in Kate’s bed, it’s harder for her to keep convincing herself that she shouldn’t. For the time being, however, she'll keep pretending she isn't aware that ignoring it only makes her feel increasingly more guilty.
“It’s two sugars, right?” Yelena asks once they join the line at the café around the corner from the loft, Kate just a step behind her with the dogs. She already knows the answer, of course, but Kate has been silent for more than five minutes and that’s usually worrying.
Slowly, Kate blinks at Yelena, pulling her closer to press a kiss to her cheek. "Yeah."
“What’s going on in that big head of yours, Kate Bishop?”
“Just… you know.” Kate shrugs. “I can’t wait to be back at the loft with you.”
“I have been saying that all day,” Yelena grumbles, but still leans back against Kate’s chest when she feels arms wrapping around herself from behind, the dogs’ leashes still clutched in one of Kate’s hands.
“Shush. I have been thinking.”
“Ah.” Yelena presses her lips together, trying not to smile. “That’s always dangerous.”
“Yeah, but this time I was just thinking that the third time will be the charm. I feel it in my bones.”
“That’s your bruised ribs speaking.”
"No. C'mon, this will be the third Christmas that we spend together and it's going to be the best one. I just know it."
"Considering that the last two were not that impressive, it should not be too hard."
“What are you talking about?” Kate squeezes Yelena a little closer. “Of course they were. You even kissed me last Christmas.”
“No, Kate. Last Christmas I save you from the angry guy with the machine gun. And then you spent a week in hospital.”
“Well, yes, but we did spend Christmas day together; it counts even if I was all loopy. I also know for a fact that you didn’t leave my room even once.” Kate continues before Yelena can say anything to that. Not that she can argue that point anyway. “But I was actually talking about New Year’s Eve when I was discharged and you brought me back to the loft. You made that really delicious soup. What’s it called? Hm—”
“Kharcho.”
“Kharcho,” Kate repeats. Yelena can hear the smile in her voice. “You should definitely make that again. Wait. Where was I? Oh, right. When you kissed me during our second Christmas together.”
“That wasn’t Christmas.”
“Well, not American Christmas.”
“It was not Russian Christmas either.”
"Wasn't it, though? You kissed me after midnight and I know all about the Russian New Year traditions. There's the gift-giving, Ded Moroz and—”
“Next!” the barista calls with perfect timing to cut Kate off before she gets really started. She lets her arms fall from around Yelena to allow her to step forward and recite their usual order on autopilot.
Sure, Yelena did kiss Kate at midnight on the New Year—she then also proceeded to freak out and disappear for two weeks, only to return and declare she didn’t do relationships, much less feelings. No, she was only back to collect Fanny, kiss Lucky goodbye, and then disappear for good this time.
Funnily enough, almost a year later and she still hasn’t gotten around to that last part of the plan.
Nevertheless, saying that was their second Christmas together is being way too generous about it, Yelena thinks.
The first one, when they met, hardly should count since, well—that hadn't been Christmas. Christmas Eve at best. So, again, not exactly a Christmas they spent together. Yelena says as much.
“I’m counting both of them,” Kate insists, stepping to the side with the dogs to wait for their drinks to be ready.
“That’s not how it works.”
“Says who?”
“The calendar.”
“I’m fine ignoring the calendar.”
“You can’t— That makes no sense. How do you even ignore the calendar?”
“Like this.” Kate makes a show of shrugging and Yelena sighs.
Considering that Kate Bishop has a PhD in being the most annoying human on Earth when she wants to be, Yelena thinks that it’s not worth arguing semantics this time.
“Fine,” she halfheartedly acquiesces before Kate can think of something else. “This is our third Christmas together. You can stop talking now.”
“Good. Now that that’s settled, as I was saying, the third time's definitely the charm. I mean, I don't know how it can be better than you kissing me, but I'm sure we can figure something out. This is going to be our best Christmas together."
And well, looking at Kate’s smiling at her like that, who is Yelena to argue with that logic?