We’re Both Fireflies
“Come on, Kate Bishop! You’re so slow!”
Yelena’s voice rang out through the dimming forest, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she darted ahead, her light feet barely making a sound on the mossy ground.
“You’re making me carry all these things! They’re heavy!” Kate complained, panting as she struggled with the jars clinking together in her arms. Her longer legs did little to help as she stumbled over roots, trying to keep up with the energetic ball that was Yelena.
Yelena finally skidded to a stop at the edge of the river, her sneakers kicking up dust as she came to a halt. She turned around, her cheeks flushed with excitement as Kate caught up, breathing heavily.
“What are we doing here?” Kate puffed, setting the jars down carefully, her arms aching. She looked at Yelena, but the girl’s focus was elsewhere, her eyes scanning the horizon with an intense gleam.
“Wait, Kate Bishop,” Yelena instructed, her voice soft but eager as her eyes sparkled with anticipation. Kate furrowed her brow, confused, as she looked out over the darkening water. “Do you see them?”
Kate blinked, and then her breath hitched in wonder.
“Woah.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper as little bulbs of light began to float above the river, the fireflies dancing in the air, their glow reflecting off the gentle ripples of the water. The whole scene shimmered like a dream.
“Give me a jar,” Yelena demanded, holding out her hands impatiently. Kate quickly handed her one, still mesmerized by the glittering lights. Without hesitation, Yelena splashed into the shallow water, her shoes squishing in the mud, her eyes locked on the glowing fireflies.
“What are you doing?!” Kate gasped, her eyes wide as she watched Yelena wave the jar around, trying to capture the tiny lights in the night air.
“Catching fireflies!” Yelena shouted back, her voice full of joy as she successfully trapped one in the jar, holding it up victoriously. “I got it!”
“Is that allowed?” Kate asked, her awe mixed with uncertainty as she watched from the riverbank, the jars still in her hands.
“Da, Mama taught me! It’s okay, we won’t keep them forever. Here, you try,” Yelena urged, grinning as she held out the jar toward Kate.
Kate hesitated for a moment, then looked at the glowing fireflies and the eager look on Yelena’s face. She smiled and carefully stepped into the water, imitating Yelena’s movements as she swirled her jar in the air, the cool water splashing around her ankles. After a few tries, a tiny light flickered inside her jar.
“I did it! I got it!” Kate shouted, her voice bubbling with excitement as she held up the jar proudly.
The two girls, side by side in the shallow river, their laughter echoing in the stillness of the forest. Fireflies floated around them, and soon their jars were filled with the soft glow of captured light.
“Fireflies are tiny but bright,” Yelena said after a moment, her eyes fixed on the jar in her hands, the flickering light illuminating her face. “They teach us to appreciate the little things in life.”
“Oh, like you?” she teased, nudging Yelena’s arm playfully.
Yelena’s eyes widened in mock offense.
“You take that back!” she demanded, splashing water at Kate with a grin.
“Never!” Kate laughed, dodging the water, her movements light with joy.
“Hey, Yelena?” Kate asked after a pause, her voice softening as she looked at her friend.
“Yes, Kate Bishop?”
“You are a firefly,” Kate said quietly, her words carrying a weight that made Yelena blink in surprise.
“What do you mean?” Yelena asked.
“You’re the light a dark room needs,” Kate explained. “My world is bright with you in it.”
Yelena’s cheeks flushed pink but tried to act like those words didn’t affect her.
“Kate Bishop, are you feeling okay?”
Kate grinned widely, her eyes shining. “Never better!”
Yelena rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. “Well, if that’s true… then you are also a firefly.”
Kate’s smile softened, and she nodded.
“We’re both fireflies.”
➳ ⧗
“No one’s home right now, just my dog.”
Yelena unlocked her front door, her voice casual as she pushed it open. She whistled sharply, a familiar call that echoed through the quiet house.
“Oooh, I finally get to meet the infamous Fanny?” Dani's tone was playful, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she followed Yelena inside, the cool air from the hallway brushing against her skin.
“Fanny!” Yelena called out again as the two girls stepped into the entryway. The sound of nails clicking on the hardwood floor grew louder, and soon a black-and-white blur came barreling down the stairs. Fanny greeted her with a wagging tail and eager nuzzles.
“Hi, baby! How are you?” Yelena cooed, bending down to give Fanny a scratch behind the ears. The dog’s tail wagged even harder at the attention.
“I want you to meet someone. Fanny, this is Dani.”
Dani crouched down beside Yelena, smiling brightly.
“Hi, Fanny!” she cooed, her voice soft as she extended a hand to pet the dog. But the cheerful greeting was met with an unexpected response. Fanny’s tail stiffened, her ears perked back, and in an instant, she bared her teeth, barking loudly in Dani’s face.
“Fanny!” Yelena exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. She’d never seen her dog react like that before, especially not to someone Yelena had invited in.
“Okay, okay, fuck! I won’t touch you,” Dani said, throwing her hands up in surrender, her expression a mix of surprise and irritation. She quickly stood, stepping back as Fanny’s barking intensified for a moment.
Yelena stared at Fanny, still trying to process what had just happened. The dog was usually friendly, if a bit protective, but this was something else entirely. She had never acted this aggressively.
“Bad girl, Fanny. No.” Yelena scolded, pointing toward the stairs. “Go to your bed.”
Fanny hesitated, shooting one more glance at Dani before obediently turning and sprinting back upstairs, letting out a final bark as if getting the last word (bark) in.
Yelena frowned, rubbing the back of her neck as she turned to Dani. “I’m so sorry about that. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s not usually like that.”
Dani let out a huff, brushing invisible lint off her skirt and crossing her arms, still eyeing the staircase where Fanny had disappeared. “You forgot to mention how feisty she was.”
“She’s really not,” Yelena said, still baffled by her dog’s behavior. She sighed and gestured toward the couch. “Here, just sit down. Do you want some water or anything?”
Dani raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “I’ll take wine.”
Yelena paused mid-step, caught off guard by the response, before Dani chuckled and waved her off. “I’m joking, Belova. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Yelena breathed a small laugh, her lips curving into a slight smile. “Right. Just give me a minute. I’ll grab what I need from upstairs. I won’t make us late for our reservation.”
She headed towards the direction of her room, immediately catching the eyes of Fanny who was laying on her bed relaxed as if she had done nothing wrong.
“What’s your problem Fanny? Hm, what’s up with you?”
Fanny didn’t stir, only cracking one eye open lazily before letting out a long, dramatic sigh, her head nestling deeper into her dog bed. Yelena just sighed, her eyes lingering on her dog for a moment before turning her attention to the room. She needed to grab a few things before heading back downstairs. She and Dani had spent the afternoon wandering through the park, browsing the farmers market that popped up every Thursday, and Yelena had picked up some small jewelry she wanted to put away. While she was at it, she also planned to change into something warmer—it always got cold in theaters.
She rummaged through her closet, attempting to stuff her power bank into the small bag she was bringing, her mind preoccupied with the evening ahead. It wasn’t until she glanced at her bed that something strange caught her eye. A white envelope lay at the foot of it, as if someone had deliberately placed it there.
She froze.
Yelena
Her name stared right back at her from the envelope’s surface. Slowly, she reached for the envelope, her fingers brushing its smooth surface.
“Who put this here?” Glancing at Fanny, almost expecting an answer. Fanny, in true fashion, simply let out another deep, contented sigh, as if she didn’t care, which she probably didn’t.
Looking back at the letter, Yelena turned it around and was surprised there wasn’t the familiar green wax seal on the letter, but a flimsy piece of clear tape keeping it together. Looking at her door, where on the otherside Dani was sitting downstairs, she had to remind herself that she knew who her secret admirer was, she was downstairs and it wouldn’t make sense that this was another poem.
So what was this?
Yelena chewed on her lip thoughtfully before curiosity got the best of her as she opened the envelope revealing the familiar line paper she was all too familiar with. Her heart began to pound in her chest, her pulse quickening with every moment. Slowly, she opened it up and was met with scratchy handwriting.
Your smile, so bright, a light that shines,
But it’s not mine—not mine this time.
I watch you laugh, your eyes aglow,
With someone else, and I know
That I could never be the one,
To make your heart come undone.
I’ve always known deep down inside,
That my love for you, I’d have to hide.
The way you feel, it’s not the same,
But I’ve never held you to blame.
But I love to see you smile, so bright,
To hear your laugh echo through the night.
I'm number 9 but you're the 1 I need
But it’s your happiness that I’ll always seek.
- Yours
➳ ⧗
Yelena descended the stairs slowly, her face void of emotion, her movements almost mechanical. She gripped the folded poem tightly in her hand, her knuckles white against the crumpled paper. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes settled on Dani, who was casually scrolling through her phone, completely unaware of what was going on in the blonde’s mind. After a moment of silence, Yelena’s voice cut through the quiet room, sharp and deliberate.
“What color is the wax seal?”
Dani looked up from her phone, confusion flickering across her face. “What?”
Yelena’s gaze never wavered. “What color is the wax seal you use to write the poems?”
Dani's brow furrowed, a hint of nervousness creeping into her eyes. “What’s all this about, Yelena? Why are you asking me this now? We might be late for the res–”
“It’s a simple question, Dani.” Yelena interrupted with absolutely no room for patience any longer.
Dani’s hesitation was palpable, her expression shifting from confusion to unease as she finally answered,
“Red.”
Tink. Tink. Tink.
The faint, rhythmic sound of Dani’s knee bouncing nervously broke the quiet, her leg jittering against the edge of the table.
Yelena’s gaze dropped to the floor, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. For a moment, the silence stretched, tension thick in the air.
When Yelena looked up again, her voice was low and soft, a chilling calm that sent a shiver down Dani’s spine.
“ Your smile, so bright, a light that shines… ” She trailed off, the words catching in her throat before she locked eyes with Dani, her stare piercing. “You can’t even finish that, can you?”
Yelena’s jaw tightened, the blank expression finally cracking as anger, betrayal, and hurt flooded her features. Her eyes burned as she stared at Dani, every emotion she had been holding back rushing forward at once. Without another word, she threw the poem she had been clutching onto the table in front of Dani, the paper landing with a harsh thud.
“Yelena, I can explain.” Dani stammered, panic rising in her voice.
“No. I don’t want to hear it.”
Dani reached out, her voice pleading now. “But Yelena, we had fun, right? We had a good time, even if I wasn’t the one behind all this crap –”
“Get out.” Yelena’s voice was a low growl.
“Yelena, please—”
“I said GET OUT!” Yelena’s voice erupted, her body trembling with the force of her emotions as she pointed toward the door, her breathing heavy and labored.
Dani stood there for a moment, the panicked expression long gone now replaced into a sneer, lip curling with disdain as she rolled her eyes.
“Whatever,” Dani scoffed as she gathered her things, slinging her bag over her shoulder with a careless shrug, “It’s your loss anyways.”
Yelena’s fists clenched at her sides, her body rigid as she stared Dani down, the tension in the room thick, suffocating.
"At least I don’t hide behind fucking paper," Dani mocked with a cruel smirk before exiting out the door.
Yelena’s heart pounded violently in her chest, each thud echoing in her ears like a drumbeat, as waves of emotion crashed over her—betrayal, hurt, confusion—all tangled together, suffocating her thoughts. She stared blankly at the spot where Dani had been sitting just moments ago, her jaw tightening as the weight of everything began to press down on her. Without warning, a frustrated yell ripped from her throat, raw and fierce.
Upstairs, Fanny barked in response, but Yelena barely registered the sound. It felt distant, muffled by the whirlwind inside her. Moving on autopilot, she found herself sitting on the couch, her body numb. Her trembling fingers brushed over the letters spread out before her, the delicate paper now so heavy with new meaning.
She didn’t even remember going upstairs to grab them, yet here they were, opened and exposed—exactly how she felt right now. Her mind raced as she put the pieces together.
Her eyes landed on the first poem she ever received. She had found it in her locker with Wanda and Natasha in the morning. It was Kate who had taken them to school, and she had rushed ahead of them, disappearing behind the school doors before the sisters could step foot inside.
The next poem she had received the next day, it was confirmation that the poem the day before and all future ones were for Yelena, something only a handful of people knew she had doubts on.
The third poem was the day Kate had come over after having an emergency that led to her going home. She had brought her snacks and the envelope, while at the time she didn’t think much of Kate going through her locker to get her books and inevitably see the poem.
What if the poem was never in the locker in the first place?
The football reference— It’s the reason why I wake and play– football player.
It was a football player.
It is.
And the poem about instruments, mentioning guitar and piano. She knew of one person in her life who could play both, and Yelena vividly remembered the times she’d seen those instruments casually propped up in their living room, almost forgotten.
And then there was the night with Peter’s telescope. The mention of The Greatest Showman in one of the poems. That same night, Yelena remembered Bucky telling her he overheard Pietro and Kate discussing the poems at practice.
Grabbing her phone, she quickly dialed Natasha.
“What?” Natasha’s voice was groggy, clearly caught off guard.
“I need your boyfriend’s number.”
“What? Boyfriend? I don’t have a—”
“Bucky.” Yelena clarified, “I know Natalia, no need to act dumb right now, this is important.”
A sigh on the other end of the line. “First off, Bucky’s not my boyfriend. I don’t know where you got that idea.”
“He told me,” Yelena snapped, impatience edging her tone.
“He told you? Fuck, okay miscommunication at its finest. I’ll talk to him. He is not my boyfriend.”
“We’ll talk about this later. Now give me his number please? ”
After a tense few minutes, Yelena finally got Bucky on the phone. His voice rumbled through the line. “Who is this?”
“It’s Yelena. What day was it when you overheard Pietro and Kate talking about the poems.”
“Hello to you too Yelena.”
“James.”
There was a pause. “It was the beginning of the week. Monday I think during our morning practice. Like two weeks or ago.”
Yelena’s heart dropped. That’s when she had received the first poem, she had told no one. The only ones who knew were Wanda and Natasha, and there was no way Wanda would have been able to tell Pietro about it when their morning practice was happening at the same time. Then with Kate, she had told Kate about it at the end of the day.
Yelena swallowed as she shakily said, “Natasha’s going to talk to you. Sorry for what happens.”
“Wait, what-” Yelena hung up.
The art supplies. Yelena had mentioned them to Dani the night before, which explained Dani’s suspicious timing when she tried to claim credit for the gift. But Yelena had been telling Kate for months about wanting to turn the office room into an art studio.
And the handwriting.
Her eyes drifted to the handwritten letters in front of her. The first poem had been penned in someone’s own hand, while the rest were typed. Why the sudden change? The answer hit her like a slap: whoever had written the first letter had switched to typing to hide their handwriting. They would only have to do that if Yelena had a chance to figure out the handwriting.
Yelena’s throat tightened as she read the last lines of the most recent letter:
I’m number 9 but you’re the 1 I need.
Fucking number 9.
Her fingers brushed over the green wax seal on the older letters. She had always overlooked the faint design pressed into the wax, but now it drew her attention like a beacon. Slowly, she brought the seal closer, tracing the familiar shape. Her breath hitched in her throat as her mind connected the dots, her fingers trembling against the indents of the design.
A firefly.
➳ ⧗
Yelena stood frozen, the weight of everything sinking in. Her fists clenched at her sides, her knuckles white as her heart pounded in her chest. The blonde was sitting in her bed, staring ahead, her mind racing for who knows how long, until she finally snapped out of it at the sound of the front door closing. On autopilot, she made her way downstairs with the poem clutched in her hand.
“Did you know?”
Her voice cracked, almost fragile, like a thread about to snap.
“Know what?”
Yelena could feel the tension in the air, thick and unyielding, but she needed the truth. She took a shaky breath, her eyes burning as they locked onto Natasha’s.
“Kate. The poems.”
Natasha shifted her weight, her face giving away nothing at first, but there was recognition in her eyes as they flickered down at the paper she was holding.
“Yeah. I did.”
The confirmation hit Yelena like a blow, her heart stuttering in her chest. She blinked, her world narrowing to the space between them. It was as if everything around her faded, leaving her standing alone in the raw, aching silence.
The hurt, sharp and palpable, crept into her voice.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Natasha’s jaw tensed, her own guilt rising to the surface. “Kate told me not to. I didn’t like keeping this from you, Yelena. Trust me, I—”
“But you did!” Yelena's voice cracked like a whip, louder this time, her hurt overflowing into anger. Her hands trembled as she ran them through her hair, her fingers shaking. She stared at Natasha with wide, furious eyes, her breath coming in short bursts. "You knew about it, and you let me go on all those dates with Dani! You just watched!”
Natasha opened her mouth, but Yelena's voice drowned her out, the pain pouring out of her.
“You two are the most important people in my life and you-!” Yelena hiccuped as she shouted, her chest heaving with every word, “-You let me be a fool. All this time… I thought it was someone else.”
“I know,” Natasha whispered, guilt heavy in her voice. “Fuck, I know. And I’m sorry. That’s why I left the poem in your room. I couldn’t keep watching you with Dani, not knowing the truth.”
“Does Kate know I have this?”
“No.” Natasha whispered yet Yelena could see that there was no guilt in her tone.
“Kate didn’t tell me,” Yelena seethed, her voice dropping to a low, trembling whisper. “She let me believe it was someone else. She—” Yelena’s voice cracked, her words breaking under the weight of her emotions. Her head dropped, and she stared at the floor, biting down hard on her bottom lip. “Why would she do that?”
“I know what she did was wrong, Yelena,” Natasha said, her voice softer now, careful, as if she was afraid to push Yelena further. “But hear her out. Please. It wasn’t some scheme—she had pure intentions. Kate just wanted you to be happy, even if that meant it wasn’t with her.”
Yelena’s breath caught in her throat, her chest tightening painfully. “She said that?” Her voice was barely audible, but Natasha heard the disbelief and vulnerability buried in the question.
“Plenty of times,” Natasha nodded, her tone sincere. “And you just read it, too. She loves you so much.”
Love
Yelena’s gaze drifted down, her fingers absently tracing the edges of the worn paper. Her mind raced as her heart comprehended what it all meant. Yelena's chest tightened with a mixture of emotions—hurt, betrayal, embarrassment—but underneath it all, something else simmered. Something unexpected.
Hope.
She blinked, tears burning her eyes. She had never considered the possibility that her best friend, the person who had stood by her through everything, might have been in love with her all along. And yet here it was, staring her in the face.
But it didn’t erase the hurt. It didn’t undo the fact that Kate had kept this from her, and had let her believe Dani’s lie for so long. Yelena’s heart felt like it was being torn in two. She didn’t know whether to scream in frustration or collapse in exhaustion.
“I—” Yelena’s voice wavered, the words caught in her throat as she looked up at Natasha, her eyes filled with stormy eyes. “I don’t know what to feel.”
“That’s okay,” Natasha said softly. “But, Yelena, she never meant to hurt you. She’s been in love with you for years, and she didn’t know how to tell you.”
Yelena’s breath caught again at hearing those words, her heart pounding in her ears. “Why didn’t she just say something? Why did she let me go through this?”
Natasha hesitated, her gaze gentle. “Because she was scared. She didn’t want to lose you.”
Yelena clenched her fists, staring at the poem again, her vision blurring with unshed tears. She was hurt—so hurt—but beneath that, the realization of Kate’s love made her heart ache in a different way. Could she really be angry at Kate for loving her? For being afraid?
Her heart, once heavy with betrayal, began to crack open just a little. The anger was still there, the confusion, the pain—but so was the faintest flicker of joy, of possibility.
Kate loves her.