You're My Target
Kate Bishop had regarded her life to be okay going ever since she'd lost her father. Her and her mother had never shared a bond that her and her father had and that was okay for the most part.
But then came 2024 and the baggage it added.Sure meeting her idol was one of the best things that happened that year but that high was short lived.
Her mothers arrest and conviction, even with the top lawyers of New York, Eleanor Bishop could not escape prison, murdering someone does come with its consequences.
Her already strained relationship with her mother deepened when she refused to see how her actions had not protected Kate but rather put her about as a target.
It hurt, yes but Kate now knew better than to let that stop her from securing her life and that was Bishop Security.
After being seized by the government, Kate had fought hard to get the company back, the only remnant of her parents back to her and she did.
But juggling being a CEO and a vigilante was tough but that was what she enjoyed now, though the CEO part took some time.
Now years later, the events of Christmas 2024 still lingered on her mind, a particular blonde more so than anything else.
Every party she's held or attended, Rockefeller center had been nagging at the back of her mind, turning every time she saw a green coat or a flash of blonde hair walk past her.
Her vigilante errands haven't been better off, hoping to see that perfect uniform at the corner or catching a glimpse of that breathtaking human at every turn.
She knew Yelena Belova hadn't been to New York since then, or as much as she could know considering the whole spy situation, but she hadn't seen or heard whispers of a widow on the street.
Even right now stood on top of a roof for a last survey of the streets before calling it a early night due to an early meeting she couldn't stop hoping to those streaks of blonde in the corner of her eye.
Her phone's vibration brought her out of her thoughts, immediately recognising the number, "Clint!"
"Hi, Kate," Clint sounded slightly relaxed so her worry slightly lessen over the late night call.
"What's up? I was just heading home from another uneventful night."
"Well it's about get eventful," Client's voice got distant likely putting his phone on speaker, Kate frowned quickly making her way down the building, her phone now connected to her ear piece.
"Kate, this is Natasha."
The biggest turnover in the last year was the return of Natasha Romanoff, believed to be dead everybody had accepted the loss of an Avenger the first of the six, the world had grieved, Yelena had grieved and almost killed Clint Barton as a result.
But then came that winter night six months ago, when Steve Rogers, who had been MIA after everybody returned from the blip (a name Kate did not stand by but it stuck ) had returned to the abandoned Avengers Compound, well kept but abandoned.
Clint had sent Kate to check on the suspicious activity. The god of thunder was offworld, Bruce Banner was off on an work excursion, Wanda Maximoff grieving her wife and Clint was at his home. Tony Stark was still too weak to respond so he had trusted Kate Bishop to check it out.
To say Kate was delighted would be an understatement, that amount of trust from her mentor had meant so much to her.
When Kate stepped foot inside the compound, dimly lit with a vigil for the fallen Avenger the place eerie quiet even with the wildlife around the property.
Then came hushed voices from the backyard, almost panicked and rushed. Slowly maneuvering through the compound Kate made her way to the backyard, her bow taut with an arrow loaded.
Almost misfiring when she took the scene in front of her, Steve Rogers held in his arms a bloody but alive Natasha Romanoff.
"Who are you?" Steve had asked shielding Natasha from the arrow Kate had trained on them, immediately dropping her bow in surrender.
"I'm with Clint Barton," she had offered watching as Natasha Romanoff peaked from over Steve's shoulder her red hair slick with blood.
Kate had made a quick work of getting Clint on video call, who had been annoyed to receive a video call from Kate in the middle of an assignment, but his anger died down when she turned the phone to show the two avengers back.
Then chaos ensued, Clint had been the first on scene, Kate had helped move the two avengers to the medical compound, using her influence to get a doctor inside within minutes to treat the two avengers. Clint had broken down as soon as his eyes landed on his best friend, alive and chatting with those in the room.
Then came Tony and Pepper Stark, with Pepper pushing his wheelchair to the bed, the billionaire bombarding the doctor with a million questions and appreciating what Kate did for his fellow teammates.
Then came the booming footsteps of Bruce Banner, his enormous figure enveloping the Avengers in a crushing hug, being mindful of the injured widow.
Kate stood at the back, bouncing on her heels hoping to see a certain widow rush through the doors to the infirmary, but she knew deep down if Yelena didn't want to be found no one could find her.
Just as Clint had managed to pry himself from his team to check on Kate, a thunderous wind had knocked the door open and in rushed a panting and wrecked Wanda Maximoff, her eyes puffy red, her knuckles bloody and bruised.
Kate watched in awe as the widow who couldn't stand on her own just mere minutes ago flung off the bed and rushed to her wife with a strangled cry of her name, pulling the witch to her as close as she could.
Kate felt herself be pulled and looked to find Clint leading her out the room, everybody else followed close, letting the lovers be together after 9 agonizing years apart (Wanda Maximoff last saw her wife before was turned to dust failing to stop Thanos.)
"You good, kiddo?" Clint had asked but Kate had countered with a question of her own, "Does Yelena know?"
"We haven't been able to find her," Clint responded, "Her or their parents."
Soon the world found out and so did Natasha Romanoff's family, who rushed to Clint's farm upon hearing the return of their beloved daughter and sister.
Clint had told that to Kate, he suspected the feelings Kate harboured towards the younger widow and wether they were reciprocated or not but that wasn't his place to tell.
That did not mean he and Natasha didn't enjoy gossiping about their own protégés.
"Natasha, how are you?" Kate asked, having been a while since she checked up on the widow, still not grasping to the fact she had every avenger on her phone for emergency contacts.
"I'm good," Natasha answered, "Listen, I need you to look over your shoulder for a while."
"What? why?" That wasn't a scary information at all, Kate thought moving to her apartment building after double checking her surroundings.
"Taking down Fisk means gaining a dozen of new enemies, Bishop," Natasha spoke, rustling of paper in the background indicated the file the two retired avengers had already created.
"Alright," Kate said with mock enthusiasm, opening her apartment door, her security system intact as she stepped in, "I'll-"
A harsh tug caused her words to die down in her throat, by instict grabbing an arrow from her quicker as the assailant very rudely she might add, pulled her in a headlock.
Having the Avengers on her contact list also meant more training, so could handle this, she hoped.
The grip was strong along her neck, but she was quick to push the assailant off, still having not seen the face she turned around only to be pushed on her back, her quiver on the other side of her as the assailant held her down a knife to her throat holding her right hand over her head.
"Wha-" Kate gasped as the mask was pulled off from the face and those familiar green eyes were all Kate could see and welcomed weight of Yelena Belova was the only thing that kept her body grounded.
"Yelena!"
Yelena smirked, her eyes glinting with the familiar mischief she had while she had visited Kate at her burned down loft, "Kate Bishop," Yelena dragged the syllables of her last name, "Long time no see."
Even now after all these years, hearing Yelena say her full name with that damned accent of hers did things to her, things she wouldn't say out loud.
"You are my target," Yelena said, her voice low and her face inches away from Kate's, she could feel every breath Kate drew, every twitch her body made as she spoke.
"Am I?" Kate nodded towards her arrow pointed directly at Yelena's neck making the widow laugh out loud, that laugh that did things to her, everything that Yelena Belova did, made Kate Bishop feel things she knew weren't reciprocated.
Abandoning the knife and letting Kate's arm go, Yelena reached for Kate's phone pulling to her ear.
"I have her, sestra," she spoke, hearing both Natasha and Clint sigh a breath of relief, without waiting for a response she cut the call throwing the phone away.
Kate had abandoned her arrow and threw that with Yelena's knife across the room to not accidently nick her or Yelena.
She watched Yelena throw her phone away, bringing her attention back to the archer below her, Yelena made no move to get off of Kate and Kate did not mind one inch, her hands lay tight to her sides, afraid if she moved Yelena would get off of her.
Yelena rested her forearms on either side of Kate, this new urge to have Kate close to her as much as she could was unfamiliar and made every nerve in her body to get into fight or flight mode but the way Kate was looking at her, the relaxed smile, those blue eyes boring into hers made her stay stuck where she was, Kate's warmth holding her down.
"Hi," Kate whispered, afraid her voice would startle Yelena off of her and she wanted to bask in this for a while.
"Hi," Yelena offered a slight smile, the frown on her face starting to slightly lessen as she fought against her instincts to run, to convince her mind to trust Kate Bishop, as much as her body did.
No words were exchanged further, under normal circumstances Kate would've been embarrassed to having held eye contact this long but right now she felt peace, with Yelena's weight on top, her face inches from hers. Her hand seemed have developed a mind of its own, carefully sliding up as it landed on Yelena's hips.
When Kate saw no negative reaction to her hand placement, she cautiously began to move her hands up the ex-assassins back, feeling every weapon she hide in her uniform, Yelena seemed to lean into the touch.
Then came booming towards them, Lucky the Pizza Dog, excitedly greeting Yelena.
Yelena laughed pushing herself from her elbows into a sitting position, excitedly talking to the buzzing dog in front of her, not noticing her position between Kate Bishop's legs or the look of endearment Kate had.
"Looks like someone missed you," Kate spoke looking over Yelena's shoulder at Lucky now laying in Yelena's lap content in getting his belly scratched.
"I do have a sunny personality," Yelena teased her focus on the adorable golden retriever trying not to think of the feel of Kate's front flush against her back.
"For someone he's met only once," Kate got up from the floor to start getting out of her suit, "He seems comfortable."
Yelena smirked up at Kate before ducking her head down, baby talking the golden retriever.
Kate frowned, her hand resting on her hips as she stared at the talking duo, her dog very content in being baby talked by the deadliest assasin.
"You've been to my house, haven't you?" Kate said as the realisation struck her, Lucky may be an very open and trusting dog but this wasn't how he acted with someone he knew so little.
"No comment," Yelena smiled at Lucky still very much playing the talking game with the dog.
With a small laugh, Kate headed to her room, she needed a cold shower.
___
Yelena was sat on her couch, having already changed into some comfortable clothes, her hair out of its braid and pulled back in a messy bun, Lucky lay across her lap, she held a dossier up in her hand with a cookie dangling from her mouth.
The amount of domesticity Kate was seeing made her stop in her tracks admiring the widow.
She knew at extent the horrors Yelena and Natasha had faced, of course her intel gathering skills weren't as good as Yelena's but what ever she could find legally made her sick to her stomach.
She knew with the amount of trauma, Yelena wouldn't trust anyone yet alone form an alliance but here she was in her pjs, completely at peace at Kate's house.
"So," Kate headed towards the couch, takeout already at the coffee table, "Who are we dealing with?"
Yelena handed Kate the dossier, opting to eat her dinner now that Kate had the information to catch up on, Lucky lay across her feet now, tail wagging for any scraps that would fall off her plate.
If this had been given to Kate when she'd just started her journey to be Hawkeyes protégée, she would've brushed it over after a few sentences but now having spent a few years on the street and after her mother's conviction, she knew better than to brush over anything.
"So this guy is mad because I stopped his funding for illegal activities?" Kate frowned abandoning the dossier after reading it thoroughly on the ground, taking the plate of dinner Yelena offered.
"Yup," Yelena leaned back against the couch, "That is generally what happens when you take down a kingpin."
Kate groaned, perfectly balancing her plate on her knees to browse through the TV channels to fill in the silence that followed between them.
She could feel the widow's eyes on her, boring into her as if she could hear every thought Kate had.
"A picture will last longer," Kate smirked playfully, turning to Yelena when nothing worth while turned up on the TV.
"You forget, I am a trained assasin," Yelena said pulling her feet up on the couch to turn her whole body towards Kate, "I have photographic memory."
"Do you now?" Kate teased, her food growing cold in her hands, "Have me memorised, do you?"
"Yes," Yelena said surprising herself at the answer having not meant to be so straight forward with.. anyone.
Kate looked entirely pleased with the answer, the slight shock she saw on Yelena's face giving her a boost of confidence to give a reply of her own.
A blaring siren pulled their attention off of each other, the small screen hung near the door flashed red.
"Where are they?" Yelena asked rushing off the couch to grab her weapons off of Kate's kitchen counter while Kate ran to her room, rushing out with a duffle bag and her bow and arrow.
"3 minutes to the front gate," Kate motioned towards the cctv footage on the screen, clipping the leash onto Lucky.
"Where's your car?" Yelena moved to take the duffle bag from Kate, letting her worry about Lucky, "Basement."
Yelena shook her head, her car would already have been embedded with a tracker if they found her here, "We'll take mine, let's go."
Yelena rushed to the fire escape holding it open letting Kate and Lucky through, throwing a smoke grenade inside the place before rushing to follow Kate and Lucky.
"Sweet ride," Kate jumped inside the truck, letting Lucky in the backseat as Yelena jumped in the driver's seat, pulling out of the parking spot before Kate even had her seatbelt on.
"Ha ha," Yelena mocked at the teasing, her truck was her baby, "I just pictured you as a sports car girl, not a truck."
The roads seemed to be clear of anyone following them, maybe they mistook Kate Bishop to be an amateur giving herself up at the first sight of danger.
"I grew up in Ohio," even if it was for a few years, Yelena liked to think of that as her whole childhood, having been thrust into a world of pain so soon but the memories of Ohio were pleasant even if Alexei had grown to be quiet annoying.
Kate didn't reply further on the matter fetching her phone out to phone her assistant, even if she was a vigilante that did not deter her from her CEO duties, updating her assistant on the assassination attempt and her going underground was enough for her assistant to pull a lockdown protocol to protect the Bishop properties and stock.
"Where are we headed?" Kate asked as Yelena merged onto the freeway, "I thought we were heading to the Avengers Compound."
"We were," Yelena replied reaching for her phone handing it to Kate with a text on the screen, "Natasha wants us at Clint's."
Kate hummed putting the phone back on the dashboard settling back against the seat, glancing at Lucky who already tired from the ordeal had dosed off on the backseat.
"You can sleep, Kate Bishop," Yelena spoke aware of the tension Kate held on her shoulders, stealing food wasn't the only reason why Yelena always broke into her house, she kept tabs on Kate Bishop and most of the things she found while doing so made her blood boil.
Kate Bishop was doing everything to clear her name of her families wrong doings yet the world had shunned her at every corner and Yelena wished she could skin every person who doubted the intentions of Kate Bishop who only ever wanted to do good for the world with a side of mischief but that was needed with the world they were living in.
"I'll switch with you in a few, I promise," Kate managed to speak through her yawn, the weeks worth of tension and discomfort catching up to her.
With Yelena softly humming in her ear, Kate drifted off to sleep, feeling relaxed in what felt like years.
___
A warm hand on the joint where her neck and shoulder met slowly lulled Kate out of her slumber.
Yelena watched as Kate slowly blinked looking around her registering where they really were, "Oh shit," Kate sat up straight, an apologetic look on her features, "I promised to switch with you-"
"Relax," Yelena spoke reaching to hold Kate's hand, "I don't mind driving."
Yelena stepped out of the truck, already having let Lucky out, she waited for Kate to get her duffle before the two walked up to the dimly lit house.
"What happened?" Natasha asked as soon as the two walked inside the house, Lucky and Fanny lounging on the dog beds Clint's kids had forced him to buy, paying no mind to their owners walking inside.
"Assassination attempt," Kate turned her phone towards the three Avengers stood in front, showing a replay of what happened.
Group of five men, breaking in the apartment building wielding knifes and guns threatening any person in their path to Kate Bishop's apartment, the penthouse at the top.
Her security system had been upgraded with the latest ai to analyze every person's form as they entered the building to determine if they were a threat to the upcoming hero.
By the time the men had broken into Kate's house, it had already been filled up with smoke with no trace of the archer in there only the leftover warm takeout sitting idle on the coffee table.
"The takeout was good though," Kate shrugged shoving her phone back into her pocket.
"Do we know where this guy is?" Yelena was already in the Barton kitchen making a bowl of mac n cheese aware that neither her or Kate had enough food to consider it dinner.
Natasha headed inside the kitchen, Wanda close behind while Clint stayed back to check up on Kate, it wasn't a common occurrence for her to get assassination attempts yet.
"We have our contacts looking," Natasha said, watching the frown on Yelena's face deepen.
"Do you realise how big the bounty on her head is?" Yelena was fuming, rightfully so Natasha thought, she may be the deadliest assassin in the world but she was still her baby sister, and she knew the reason behind her anger, a rage Natasha herself felt when the whole world turned on Wanda.
"I do not take contract killings anymore," Yelena turned around, waving around the hot pot with mac n cheese without realising it, "Yet the news for the bounty reached me."
"Every crook is looking for Kate, I'm sure," Wanda said, stood behind Natasha watching the poor ex-assassin grow angrier by the minute, "But we have the means to keep her safe, Yelena," she offered knowing no amount of consolation would calm the younger Widow, copy of her sister she was.
"Also," Kate walked inside the kitchen, overhearing the conversation from the living room, a sense of warmth traveling through her hearing Yelena worry about her, "This is kinda like a vacation for me, I haven't had one in a while."
"Do not joke, Kate Bishop," Yelena turned around to hide her smile, Kate's ill attempt at lifting the mood certainly worked on the ex-assassin.
"I'm just saying," Kate shrugged reaching for an apple as she watched with grimace while the blonde loaded her mac n cheese with hot sauce.
"Let's just take it one day at a time," Natasha spoke up as the two joined her and Wanda on the table, their own food with them, Yelena having made a seperate plate for Kate too.
"And there's not much we can do right now," Wanda said looking over papers still scattered on the table, the bounty had been put over night, with no traceable connections yet to get a plan of action in motion, safe to say the data they had wasn't enough to save Kate Bishop off the bounty list, "We'll know more by tomorrow, so right now the two of you need to rest up."
Kate watched Yelena nod slowly, her shoulders slightly relaxing under Kate's gaze subconsciously, Yelena had just returned from an assignment Hill had sent her to and immediately rushed to Kate, she was tired.
Kate hadn't had a good week of rest either, handling a company was lot harder than she anticipated.
The married couple kept the two company as they ate before calling it a night and heading up to their room, Clint already having retreated to his.
Kate and Yelena took the floor in the living room, their sleeping bags pushed together as they lay side by side their dogs snuggled close to them.
"Are you okay?" Kate asked quietly in the air, petting Lucky's fur as she waited for the widow to answer, she knew she was awake.
"I should be asking you that," Yelena replied her voice quiet as she turned to her side to look at the archer who had her gaze up at the ceiling, the room illuminated from the moon outside.
Kate shrugged with a sigh, "I'm fine."
Yelena raised an eyebrow watching as Kate glanced at her from the corner of her eye, "Fine, I'm scared," she huffed out.
Yelena carefully reached forward waiting to see if Kate would pull away when she didn't, Yelena took hold of Kate's free hand in hers feeling the callouses along her palm and fingers some healed some fresh.
"You do not have to be scared, Kate Bishop," Yelena said dragging out the syllables in her last name successfully making her smile, "I'll protect you."
Kate turned to her side, letting Lucky snuggle into her back. She stared at Yelena who's focus was on their joined hands, fidgeting with her hand as her breath evened out slowly into a relaxed rhythm.
"You know," Kate spoke, "We still have that drink to get," Her voice weak with uncertainty as she mentally braced herself for Yelena to push her off and never speak to her again.
Yelena smiled softly, finally looking up at Kate watching the younger girls frown lessen as she looked into her eyes, "When this is all over we will."
Yelena watched as Kate's eyes brightened at her response, an excited glint in them as Kate squeezed her hands trying and failing to hide her excitement, "Does that mean I can show you around New York?"
Yelena nodded, "Among other things."
Kate nodded eagerly, her excitement radiating to Yelena as the ex-assassin felt herself get a giddy feeling in her gut.
They'd be okay.
______
Wanda slowly came to mind as the early morning sun shone through the curtains, she felt the warmth of a body next to her turning to snuggle closer into it.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Natasha muttered placing a soft kiss on the crown of Wanda's head squeezing the witch closer to her.
"Good morning indeed," Wanda looked up at Natasha to find her smiling down at her, her green eyes more prominent in the morning light.
Scooting up Wanda buried her face in the crook of Natasha's neck, her arm draped across the widow's torso holding on tight, she felt Natasha rub small circles in her back content in holding her.
Ever since Wanda had got Natasha back she'd been insatiable when it came to being by Natasha's side, never letting her leave her side, these past six months have been like a dream, a dream Wanda didn't want to wake up from.
Yet at every corner of her day, Natasha had been right there reminding her of what was real pulling her back to her.
And with retiring the two have been basking in the early morning cuddles and the light chats here and there.
"You know what happened last night?" Wanda moved slightly away from Natasha to look at her but kept her arms around her wife, Natasha looked at her in intrigue, loving how thick her accent got in the morning, "I went down to get my bottle when I overheard something."
"You're spending too much time with Sam to be doing this," Natasha whined at the dramatics her wife was throwing.
Wanda giggled placing a soft kiss against her cheek to make up for it, "Kate asked Yelena to a drink."
Natasha's eyebrow shot up in surprise, she knew Yelena's response because of course she did, but for Kate to be bold was not what her money was on.
"We should-" Natasha's voice died down as the door to her room flung open causing both the Avengers to spring up from their bed.
In their doorway stood a disheleved Yelena, eyes wide with panic and panting, a state in which Natasha rarely saw her sister.
"Sestra?" Natasha carefully walked forward, praying this wasn't a breakdown from being freed of the chemical subjugation.
"Kate's gone," Yelena spoke, lifting the tablet in her hand towards the two a video playing and a note attached to it.
They have my mom, I'm sorry.
Written in Kate's messy handwriting.
The video showed Eleanor Bishop tide to a chair, prison guards lay unconscious behind her as the group of assailant held a gun to her head, one speaking a threat to Kate.
Either Kate Bishop was going to die or Eleanor Bishop was.