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To some level, Yelena agreed their relationship had developed backward.
Their first romantic contact was on January 3rd when Kate returned from the Farm, finding Yelena waiting at her apartment. They'd snipped and snapped in that friendly yet confusing way of theirs, boiling over when the ex-assassin had grabbed and kissed her.
They'd had sex for the rest of the night, and for once Yelena actually enjoyed it, seeing bright eyes between her thighs darken with lust as her moans grew. She was gone in the morning, and Kate had expected it, but not to have her return the next night.
After weeks of ‘just’ sex, they kiss with it going nowhere. Just getting food, and Yelena had said something cute, apparently, as Kate had pouted before kissing Yelena, quick and soft. Of course, she deepened it, and they steadfastly ignored the waiter asking them to leave.
The papers had been amusing the next day, the hawk caught in a spider's web, and all that.
Then they're getting coffee and Yelena pecks Kate on the cheek when she says something funny.
Kate meets Nat by accident, caught literally with her hands down Yelena’s pants, and she is rightfully terrified. That is until her older sister cracked her stony exterior and teased Yelena until she was red in the face, and had been inevitably bowled over by the ferocious charm of Kate Bishop. After she had washed her hands, of course.
This leads to Yelena meeting Kate's actual friends, and they find her charming, mostly because she's doing all she can to not be threatening, laying on her own charm that had made world leaders and mob bosses alike fold to her will. Shockingly, Greer was harder to charm than them. Franny loved her immediately, but Greer had the nerve to actually insinuate a threat if she hurt Kate, which honestly makes Yelena respect her more.
They share their dating past, how Yelena only used sex as a tool until now, and how Kate had been with one guy and several girls after a really bad breakup with a girl called Sue. Her sexual history seemed to make her a little embarrassed for whatever reason, but Yelena didn't like the flicker of jealousy in her stomach at the idea of her being with other people, even though she shouldn't be surprised. People didn't get that good at sex with just natural talent and watching porn.
Needless to say, she stalked Sue the next morning, sneering at the photos of them together that she still had on the internet, that ache returning at the loved-up couple.
Nearly a year has passed. She cuddles Kate, they watch movies, go on vacations, cook together, and eat together. Hell, they pretty much live together, before the real question comes around. She is reclined against Kate’s chest, her arms loosely around her, playing with their joined hands while a Christmas movie quietly plays on the screen, the smell of cinnamon and spiced apple burning from a candle they had bought that morning, with their dogs asleep on the floor, Lucky on his back, Fanny curled up perfectly.
Yelena didn’t want to break it, this moment of almost perfect safety in her arms. Then Kate kisses her temple, squeezing a little.
“I have a question.”
Yelena hummed and tilted her head back to kiss her chin, smirking a little at the matching Christmas sweaters, which were incredibly cosy.
“Ask away, yastreb.”
Kate’s heart was racing, she swallowed and braved it.
“Would you be my girlfriend?”
It's like a wrecking ball to the chest, the destruction she leaves behind is almost as bad.
Natalia is who she confides in.
“You said no?”
Her green eyes track Yelena as she paces back and forth, the black cat in her lap purring contently as she scratches between her ears, her partner's large and scarred ex-military dog at her side, also watching with unnerving accuracy.
“Yes.”
“Oh, you said yes?”
Yelena cursed and fought the urge to throw something.
“No! She asked me to be her girlfriend and I said no.”
Natalia frowned a little, the dog, Dutch, tilted his head and even the cat opened one eye in confusion.
“I thought you guys were already a couple, honestly.”
Yelena smacked her head off the door. Well, not smacked, but it made a sound loud enough for the dog to shuffle closer, and for their neighbour across the hall to check if someone had knocked.
With her back to them in the kitchen, her sister’s wife, Maria, loosely waved a wooden spoon.
“I second that. Thought you were closer to marriage than a breakup. Wait,” she turned, resting her hip on the side and gesturing with the sauce-covered spoon, “is this a breakup, or is it more a dissolving of a contract?”
She never got her answer, as Yelena rushed over, to be intercepted by Natalia, and long story short, the couple would need to buy some new furniture soon.
The white widow returns to the apartment after two days. The door is, to no surprise, unlocked. She huffs and shoves in, nerves biting at her chest so bad that she didn’t even chastise Kate in her head for her lack of home security.
Fanny padded over to greet her, but something felt wrong. Yelena followed her instincts to the kitchen, ice dripping down her spine when she found a note, right next to the dog food and drink dispenser Kate had bought, a suitcase, and two Christmas sweaters.
Gone to the Farm, please don’t be here when I come back.
Natasha took her in, as she was so lost in her mind, she couldn't find her home, nor did she care to be alone.
“What did you say to her?” she asked, holding her sister tight in the spare bedroom, on the floor, leaning against the bed. Yelena flinched like she had been slapped.
“I cannot let her love me, Natalia. Not after everything. She deserves better.”
Nat sighed and squeezed, slipping into their mother tongue.
“Do you think that of me?”
Yelena shook her head.
“You have right your wrongs with the Avengers. You fought and died and returned for us. Your ledger is clean. Mine is… soaking red.”
Nat shut her eyes over her head, blinking back tears.
“We all deserve a chance, Yelena. All of us.”
Yelena was bitter with disappointment. She was no fool, she had made a mistake, a knee-jerk response. But how could she expect Kate to forgive her?
“I was too late,” she groaned, fingers white on her knee, “she already loved me by the time I realised.”
Nat had known this, everyone did, apart from the object of the hawk’s affection. Now she knows her sister was the one in the dark, unaware of how deeply she felt until the only answer she had was pushing the other woman away.
“She will understand, of all things, Kate Bishop is one of the most forgiving people I have ever met.”
Yelena didn’t reply, and Natalia pondered why when it finally crept up on her. Yes, Kate was loyal and determined, there wasn’t much she wouldn't do for a person, especially someone she cared for.
The note, and kicking her out, all hardly fit her character, so that must mean one thing.
“...You were mean, weren’t you?”
How to break someone emotionally was a skill mastered by the Widows, saying the right thing can cause more damage than a knife sometimes. Yelena met her eyes with absolute misery torn in her own, and finally, she cried, the flash of Kate’s heartbreaking burned into her memory.
“Oh, malen'kaya mysh'.”
Nat held her and she cried.
The tracker Yelena shared with Kate was switched off, which hurt more than she thought it would. She had attempted to contact Kate several times, but each number she had was blocked, and when she managed to get through on a social media account, her limited 3 messages were ignored. By the time she made a new account to try again, Kate’s accounts were all private.
She knew she could track her down, but she wasn't foolish, Kate didn't want to be contacted.
It’s two weeks of self-hatred and living in her sister's apartment before a ray bursts through the storm. Franny had posted a story on one of the many apps, and Kate was there.
Yelena almost dropped her phone.
They were at a fundraiser, one Yelena remembered being mentioned before, which Kate had organised, as the future CEO of Bishop Security. They were in the bathroom, all dressed to the nines, with her eyes glued to Kate who wore a perfectly fitted dark purple suit, the vest buttoned up, tie loose around her neck. Greer had her arms around her neck, Franny taking the picture with a champagne glass in hand, and the photo was taken right as the three laughed together.
Yelena felt a new ache settle in.
The next time she saw Kate was under almost similar circumstances two days later. Being a public figure meant Kate was occasionally photographed, but this one was particularly harsh to witness. The new Hawkeye was looking up at Spider-Man, who was hanging upside down from a fire escape. His mask was down, or up, revealing his mouth as he smiled at her. The look shared between them could be easily misconstrued as romantic, which is what people went crazy for online.
thorsslammer fr spiderman?? my chances just went to 0.00000%
plimham oh i always got a gay vibe wow
hvlksm4sh omFG their babies will be so cute !
caroldxnverzz thought she was for the girls and theys ngl
She couldn’t read anymore and put her phone down before she broke it.
Yelena was camped outside Kate’s apartment for the better part of a week but never caught sight of the archer or her dog. With a dull thought, she wondered if she didn’t want to risk seeing her. Three days passed and Franny put another story up, and it was the final straw for Yelena.
FrancesFran we are single and ready to change that
The photo was overhead to make them all look small, and despite the intention for the photo to be unflattering, Kate had managed to pull it off. A blazer hung off her shoulders, barely covering the black strapless mesh corset that snuck into her jeans, which rested low on her hips.
Yelena felt her mouth water before she swallowed with an embarrassed flush.
“Sister!”
Nat rushed in, Yelena was already in her suitcase, which had remained packed, digging for clothes.
“What?”
Yelena threw something at her, which she caught, of course.
“Get changed. I am going to stalk Kate in an attempt to make myself feel better, maybe even talk to her. You are coming.”
Nat wanted to protest, intended to, but her watch buzzed and she glanced at it.
Mar SABER elevator malfunction, won’t be home till late
Then after a few moments, another text.
Mar sorry, мое сердце
Natalia huffed and dropped her arm, intending to text back in a moment.
“Well, my plans just got screwed anyway. Where are we headed?”
It took a message and a favour to track Franny’s phone, and the three of them had apparently been a decent distance. Starting at a cocktail bar, then a normal bar, and eventually the club they were now standing outside.
“Cherry Kissers,” Yelena drawled, watching the neon sign of a woman’s tongue lick a cherry on a loop, “sounds fun.”
Nat nodded, excited despite herself.
“Why do you think they came here?”
Just then a wave of cheers burst from the line, two girls making out in the queue the center of attention. That matched with the pride flags and the hottest people in the city floating around, Yelena had her answer.
“Well, I don’t think it’s because of the cheeseboards.”
Nat snorted and they got inside, skipping the line, because… obviously. They beeline for the bar, Nat ordering two single vodka sodas as Yelena searches for Kate with her eyes.
“What's your plan, sis?”
Yelena shrugged a shoulder, taking the offered drink, and leaned against the bar.
“What do you mean?”
Nat took her own, sipping her drink, wincing a little at the taste, the bartender giving her a flirty look, which she felt pretty good about as she twisted to face the pulsing club.
Still got it.
“When you see her. Or were you planning on just watching?”
Yelena took a large gulp, noticeably not wincing at their apparent triple shot drinks.
“I see no problem in just watching.”
Nat blew from her nose and prepared herself, ready to defend strangers from Yelena's violent and entirely unwarranted jealous streak.
“Will you be saying that if Kate meets a cute girl? Or a cute guy?”
A glare was the only response she received, but Nat was never one to back away from a bear in need of poking.
“Maybe she will meet someone nice, and they'd actually want to be her girlfriend or boyfriend.”
She caught the straw before it could smack her eye, expecting Yelena to be angry, but instead was met with a look of utter desperation.
“Natalia I cannot lose her.”
The widow did her best not to roll her eyes.
“Then stop trying to.”
The two trained spies had no problem blending into the crowd and people were too drunk to recognise Nat, or they didn't care, either way, she allowed herself to relax a little.
Maybe Maria would like to come here one day.
Her concern dipped back to the woman stuck on a space station, but she knew she was safe, the girl dancing on Kate's lap, however-
“Yelena.”
She grabbed her wrist but needn't have worried, the girl was Kate's friend, and they instantly started laughing and doing a goofy dance, dropping the alluring one immediately.
They watch from the throngs of people as Kate dances with her friends, going from funny to sensual dancing, which she breaks into a grin immediately after. The music pulsed in waves and with it came suitors.
A guy tried to dance with Greer who immediately pulled a face and shook her head, taking Kate's hand and dancing suggestively enough for him to leave, only for another person to attempt the same thing minutes later with one of the three girls.
This goes on for hours until finally , Kate breaks away to go get a drink from the bar. Nat nudged her back and Yelena nodded, taking a breath and weaving through the crowd after her.
She's there, against the bar, waiting to get served and chewing on a cocktail stick, eyes lost in thought. Yelena needed to catch her breath as her legs became jelly, and she prepared herself to meet those eyes again for the first time in… too long.
“Kate?”
Someone beat her to it. The archer turned, eyes widening a little at the voice, hesitant as she replied.
“... Sue?”
The woman wore a black crop top and black trousers, a flannel shirt tied around her hips, and her short caramel hair swept back from her face perfectly, like she had walked right out of a painting.
Kate's breath caught in her throat, checking her out quickly as the other girl did her. It was her, The Ex™ from before.
Yelena hated her.
“I didn't know you were back on the scene again,” Sue said, voice easily carrying over the music, getting closer to Kate.
“Oh, yeah. I'm… I guess single. Not sure though, I think I was in a situationship?”
Sue winced, leaning on the bar, holding two fingers up to the bartender who acted fast.
“Those suck. Someone was stupid enough to have you and lose you?”
Kate was quick to answer.
“She isn't stupid.”
Sue made a show of looking at her shoulders, fingers dancing over the skin.
“I was. Freaking out over us was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Kate rolled her eyes, but Yelena could see, the other woman was working magic that had entrapped her.
“We were both stupid.”
The bar staff put the two drinks down, and Sue paid, offering Kate the second to cheers.
“To being stupid!” Kate suggested, Sue's eyebrow flexed up, a smile slipping into place like blood in the water.
“And to second chances.”
They drink, Yelena feels a grip on her waist pulling her away, Nat cold at her side.
They get to a booth and Yelena sags.
“I've lost her.”
Nat can't see them at the bar anymore.
“Didn’t know you were so quick to give up.”
Yelena buried her face in her hands.
“Sister,” Nat tried, knocking her shoulder, “you have two choices here. Talk to her, or don't, and watch that woman stick her hooks right into her again. Your call.”
There was a blur of blonde and Nat groaned, getting up and following as Yelena carved through the crowd, uncaring as people started to pay attention. The two women weren't at the bar, which seemed to spike Yelena's agitation, and she started searching the crowd.
“What's your action plan, sis?”
She mumbled something in Russian, finally spotting them in the crowd and making a beeline. Kate had her hands up, Sue had her's on the archer's hips, dancing closer and closer.
Nat saw it happening seconds before it did, Kate dropped her hands to Sue's shoulders, and the shorter woman leaned up to kiss her.
Kate frowned and pulled back, looking down at the lips waiting, hesitating, but before she could make a decision it was taken from her, Sue kissing her again.
Ah, shit.
Yelena snapped like a rubber band. She grabbed Sue by the elbow, ripping her from Kate's grip and pushing her way too hard, standing between them with silent fury. Nat moved quickly, steadying Sue before she could crack against the ground.
“Yelena! What the fuck?!”
Nat didn't let Sue lunge, but she certainly tried.
“Who the fuck is that?!” She yelled, Yelena glaring hatred into her, holding tight to Kate's hand.
“That's a long story kid, get outta here.”
She was ready to snap, but then she saw who was holding her. The shock of being held back by an avenger was a lot to handle, as she just numbly nodded and did as told.
Kate and Yelena were already gone, Yelena walking through the crowd, which parted like the red sea, her grip firm but not hard on Kate's hand.
They burst through the fire escape, two guys already in the ally snapping their heads away from each other at the bang.
“Get out of here!”
They buckle their belts and rush back inside, leaving the two in the alley, the dull pumping of the club and Yelena's heavy breaths breaking the silence between them.
After a minute Kate can't take it, swallowing over a rapidly forming lump in her throat.
“My friends will miss me if I'm not back soon. So get it over with.”
Yelena frowned.
“Get what over with?”
“Whatever speech you have planned to yell at me.”
Yelena didn't like that, is that what Kate thought of her?
“Kate Bishop, I have nothing to yell at you over. If anything I think you should be angry at me.”
Kate snorted. Emotional, she was so darn emotional.
“Oh, I am mad at you. And not just because you and your sister stalked me and tried to throw Sue across the room.”
Yelena winced at her name, and Kate sighed.
“You can't be jealous Yelena, you broke up with me . Or whatever you want to call it.”
A mean response hissed in her head, she kept it inside.
“I miss you, Kate.”
The taller woman laughed, but it was bitter.
“Yeah, I miss you too. But I'm not gonna go back to you just to be whatever the hell we were before. I deserve better than to be someone's fuck buddy, Yelena.”
Her words were sharp, anger spiked her skin like a wasp.
“We were more than that!”
“I thought so too.”
Yelena bit her words back, she’s right, of course, she was. As strong and intelligent as Yelena seemed, she lacked in most areas emotional.
Kate leaned against the wall, sighing, her head tapping the brick.
“I immediately regretted kissing her.”
Yelena leaned on the wall opposite.
“Does she have bad breath?”
A smile dared flicker.
“No. But she… she hurt me. We were together for a while, a long while, we even lived together. Then one day she just freaks out. I catch her in a club kissing some girl and when I try to call her out on it she blames me. Said I was too intense, too much, I pushed her into this girl's arms. You know what I'd asked her to make this happen?”
Yelena bit her tongue.
“I’d asked her if she saw us getting married one day. We were together for three years, started dating when we were 17, and I was just curious. Apparently, that was clingy so she dropped me like I was nothing.”
The blonde felt anger bubbling in her stomach.
“That was stupid of her.”
“That's what you did.”
Yelena looked at the ground, for now, Kate was content to wait for her to speak up. After three minutes she did.
“I made a mistake, Kate Bishop. I did not think I was a good person for you to be with, but as soon as I left I wanted to take it all back. I wanted… God, I want you , Kate.”
“Because I'm good at sex or because of my personality?”
Humour, that's good.
“Let's not undersell your skills with just ‘good’, Kate Bishop. But I want you. I need you. If you would take me back, I would love to be your girlfriend.”
Kate gripped her arms harder, the blonde's cruel words sparking through her head.
“You really hurt me, Yelena. I want to forgive you, really, but I need to trust you again first.”
Yelena shuffled off the wall, a step in the middle, which Kate copied.
“What do you want me to do?” She asked, the dying life of hope being reborn in her chest. Kate placed her hands on her shoulders, thumbs running small slow circles around the muscle and tension.
“Ask me out on a date. A proper one. Prove that you want us to be more than just… more than just sex. And I'll see.”
Yelena felt tears behind her eyes she refused to let fall, she held out her hands which Kate took with only a moment of hesitation.
“Kate Bishop, will you go on a date with me?”
Her answer was a kiss, chaste and soft, the archer pulling away from the widow before she could make it anything more.
“Let me trust you again.”
Yelena held her tight and nodded, sniffing once.
“If it kills me.”
“Hopefully not.”
The door barges open, Nat's eyes snapping to them immediately as two other bodies fall out behind her. Her sister was full of relief, her friends with more annoyance.
“Oh is she worth your time now?” Greer asked sarcastically, while Franny scoffed and nudged her with her hips.
“Least she wasn't with Sue again.”
Kate cringed, and her friends gasped comically.
“You were with Sue?!” They yelled in sync, making Kate groan.
“Yes, for a second, but Yelena threw her off me, so…”
Theor gazes slide over to the blonde in her arms, both pausing and pulling the same face of minor approval, Greer clicking her fingers.
“You're on your way to being okay again. Far away, but you took a step in the direction.”
Franny clapped twice, bouncing a little.
“C'mon let's go back inside! Relationships aside, I wanna dance!”
She grabbed Kate who stumbled to her, an easy smile slipping into place. They stepped to the door when she paused, looking over her shoulder.
“Call me?”
Nat hid her grin as a blush worked its way onto her sister's cheeks.
“I'll call you.”
She smiled, and the door shut with a click, muting the music once again, leaving the two sisters in the alley.
“Happy with yourself?” She drawled, feeling a tightness leave her chest when Yelena smiled wide and honestly.
“Absolutely I am.”
Nat shook her head, walking to the front with her sister at her side.
“Try not to screw it up again, okay?”
If it were possible, Yelena was floating. Kate had said she would give her another chance, wanted to, had kissed her, and she was absolutely thrilled.
“I'll do my best.”
Nat met her eyes, a laugh breaking free from them both as they stumbled home.
A week later a photographer had caught them in a park. Yelena had Kate's scarf in her hands, using it to pull her down for a kiss. The moment was captured just after they pulled away, a soft blush across her cheeks and an easy smile on Yelena.
Kate made it her profile picture on most accounts the next day.
thorsslammer somethin bout spider heros ig
plimham lmak fuckin knew it
hvlksm4sh awwww but Spiderman!!!!
caroldxnverzz i love winning