new year’s resolutions
The new year flew by quicker than expected. It is now more than half ways through the first month of the year. And no new year's resolutions have happened as Kate Bishop is still having the same bad habits.
Natasha, observant as always, noticed the archer's absence from the Avengers Compound. So she called up Clint to see if he had any insights on her recent behavior. But to her surprise, Clint had not spoken to Kate since her confession.
But the next day, as Natasha concluded a rigorous training day for the Young Avengers at the compound, she found herself caught off guard by an unexpected sight. In the midst of the team's activities, her eyes were drawn to Kate standing at a distance, watching the training session unfold. What took Natasha by surprise, even more, was the addition of a companion by Kate's side—a dog.
Kamala turned around and spotted Kate with the adorable golden retriever. Unable to contain her enthusiasm, she exclaimed, "Oh my god, how cute!" and rushed over to meet the new furry member of the team.
Following Kamala's lead, the rest of the Young Avengers gathered around Kate, their attention divided between the archer and the lovable dog. Cassie looked up and asked, "What's his name?"
With a nonchalant shrug, Kate replied, "Lucky. Lucky the Pizza Dog."
A collective turning of heads toward Kate ensued, prompting her to offer a causal explanation, "He loves pizza." The revelation was met with laughs from the Young Avengers.
As the attention of the Young Avengers shifted to Lucky and his love for pizza, Kate noticed Natasha nodding in her direction, silently signaling her to come over. With a wry smile, Kate quipped to the team, "Looks like I'm in trouble," and made her way over to Natasha.
The two women stepped aside, creating a bit of distance from the lively scene with the dog and the curious Young Avengers. Natasha looked at Kate and asked, "Where have you been, Kate? We've missed you at training."
Kate took a deep breath, her gaze meeting Natasha's as she began to explain, "Well, it turns out I have my first stalker." She raised an eyebrow, and Natasha's expression shifted to one of curiosity, waiting for Kate to elaborate.
With a half-smile, Kate continued, "A crazy Avengers fan decided to pay me a visit at my apartment. And as if that wasn't enough, my mother found out so now her lawyers haven't stopped bothering me." She admitted.
Natasha nodded, acknowledging the challenges Kate was facing. "That's a lot on your plate," she remarked, understanding the dealing with a stalker and legal matters.
Pausing for a beat, Natasha then broached a more sensitive topic. "And, Kate, is your absence also because of the recent confession and everything that came with it?" Her question held concern.
"Kind of," Kate admitted softly. She paused for a moment, then looked back at the redhead, "You aren't mad?"
Natasha shook her head. "No, I've been in your position before," Natasha reassured her, her gaze briefly hinting at past experiences. "And so has she, but in her case, they were her friends."
As Natasha spoke of Yelena, Kate tensed slightly, her expression shifting. She then looked away from Natasha and asked a question that carried both curiosity and a hint of concern, "How is she?"
Natasha sighed, "Yelena's not taking it well. She's angry, hurt, and feels betrayed. I've been trying to talk to her, but she's keeping her distance. It's not easy for her, Kate."
Kate's shoulders slumped, a weight settling on her as she absorbed Natasha's words. "I never wanted to hurt her," she admitted, her voice softer now. "I thought I was doing what needed to be done, you know? Cleaning up the messes, making things right."
Natasha placed a comforting hand on Kate's shoulder. "Sometimes the path we choose to fix things can lead to more damage. It's a lesson I've learned the hard way. Yelena needs time, Kate. Time to process and heal. But you have to give her that space."
Kate hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I've been having nightmares. The same one, over and over again." She paused, her voice shaky as she admitted, "I see their faces, the people I... the people I took out."
Natasha's grip on Kate's shoulder tightened, a silent show of support. "Nightmares can be relentless," Natasha said empathetically. "You wake up in a cold sweat, and no matter how hard you try, you can't go back to sleep."
Kate looked at Natasha, surprise and vulnerability in her eyes. "Yeah, exactly. How did you know?"
Natasha sighed, a shared understanding passing between them. "We've all been there, Kate. We've all walked that line between right and wrong. It haunts us in our sleep."
Kate nodded, taking a deep breath. "How do you make them stop? I can't keep reliving those moments."
Natasha's expression softened. "I wish I had a simple answer, Kate. But the truth is, it takes time. Sometimes they fade, and sometimes they don't. You learn to live with them, find ways to cope."
Trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere, Natasha added with a wry smile, "Maybe therapy could help. I heard Bucky has a good therapist."
Suddenly Lucky's barks drew their attention. Kate looked over and watched as Lucky raced around, bringing smiles to the faces of the team members.
"I think having a dog is good enough therapy," Kate mused, a genuine smile forming on her face. "Lucky might be onto something here."
Natasha nodded, her eyes following the lively scene. "Animals have a way of grounding us, bringing us back to the present. Maybe Lucky is exactly what you need."
As Kate turned to leave, she sensed a change in the atmosphere. Natasha's hand shot out, grabbing her arm firmly. Kate paused, glancing back at Natasha with a raised eyebrow, a hint of defiance in her expression.
Natasha's gaze bore into Kate's, "What you did on that rooftop, Kate... it was a dick move," she said bluntly, her tone not unkind but firm. "If you ever approach Yelena again without considering the consequences, I won't hesitate to kick your ass."
Kate's cocky demeanor faltered for a moment, replaced by a flicker of apprehension. Her mind reflected back to that night, the way she treated the blonde after she found out her friends were murdered by someone she thought she trusted. She swallowed hard, a realization dawning on her as she muttered, "Got it, Nat. Loud and clear."
Natasha released her grip on Kate's arm, her expression softening slightly. "I'm serious, Kate. Yelena's hurting, and the last thing she needs is more pain from you."
Kate nodded, her gaze dropping for a moment before meeting Natasha's eyes again. "I know," she replied quietly, a trace of remorse coloring her tone.
___
After the training session with the Young Avengers concluded, Natasha found herself needing a moment of solitude. She didn't feel like returning home just yet. The thought of finding Yelena sulking in their living room or experimenting with new recipes in their kitchen didn't appeal to her at the moment. She needed some time to herself. She slipped away quietly, making her way to the showers at the compound. As the warm water cascaded over her, she let out a sigh, feeling the tension of the day begin to melt away.
After freshening up at the compound, she exited the building and made her way to her car, she felt the weight of the day lingering on her shoulders. Settling into the driver's seat, Natasha activated the car's AI assistant, Friday. "Friday, can you call Clint Barton?" she requested, her voice calm but tinged with a hint of urgency.
The car's AI complied, and soon Clint's voice came through the speakers. "Hello?"
"Hey, Clint," Natasha greeted, her voice soft with familiarity. "It's been a while."
"Yeah, it has," Clint replied, his tone carrying a hint of exhaustion. "Been a little busy on my end."
Natasha couldn't help but tease him gently. "Busy avoiding your protégée?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Clint let out a chuckle. "You could say that," he admitted. "Kate's been... a handful lately."
Natasha sped out of the compound and down the road. She glanced at the rearview mirror before focusing back on the road. "Yea she's been skipping training lately, not showing up when she's needed."
"Of course she has," Clint responded, a hint of resignation in his voice. Then, after a pause, he added, "I just can't believe she never told me the truth."
Natasha's grip tightened on the steering wheel as she kept her eyes on the road, the car speeding faster beneath her. Clint could hear the acceleration on the other end of the line, and he quickly changed the subject. "How's your sister?"
Natasha let out a heavy sigh, her heart heavy with worry. "Not well," she admitted, her voice tinged with sadness. "She's been sulking in the apartment every day. I've been trying to talk to her, but nothing has worked so far."
Clint's voice carried a note of concern as he asked, "Do you think the two of them will make up?"
Natasha sighed heavily, her gaze fixed on the road ahead as she navigated a turn. "I don't know, Clint," she replied honestly, her tone reflecting the weight of uncertainty. "Kate fucked up big time. And that attitude of hers is something else."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Clint spoke again, his voice filled with understanding. "Yeah, I get it. But you know, your sister is stubborn as hell."
Natasha nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips despite the gravity of the situation. "That she is," she agreed. "But maybe, just maybe, she'll come around."
Natasha and Clint talked a little longer, exchanging stories and catching up on each other's lives. Eventually, they bid their goodbyes as Natasha parked her car in the parking garage of her apartment building. Exiting the car, Natasha made her way to the lobby, her steps echoing in the empty space. She rode the elevator up to her floor, her mind still buzzing with thoughts of Kate, Yelena, and the challenges they faced.
As she reached her apartment door, Natasha fished her keys out of her pocket and unlocked it, pushing it open. Surprisingly, Yelena was nowhere to be seen, which was unusual considering she usually watched reruns of "Sex and the City" in the evenings.
Frowning slightly, Natasha stepped into the apartment, calling out, "Cестра? Are you here?"
Suddenly, Natasha heard a commotion coming from the kitchen. Curiosity piqued, she swiftly took off her jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair before heading over to investigate. Entering the kitchen, she found Yelena clad in her signature green apron, moving around with purpose as she cooked up a storm. Natasha leaned against the doorway, watching her sister with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
Yelena was focused on the task at hand, effortlessly mixing ingredients and moving around the kitchen with practiced ease. Natasha couldn't help but admire the way Yelena seemed to command the space, her movements fluid and confident.
Caught in her thoughts, Natasha didn't realize she had been staring until Yelena spoke up without looking away from her cooking. "Stop staring, you creep," Yelena said as she continued to stir, not bothering to glance up at Natasha.
Natasha chuckled softly, pushing herself off the doorway and stepping further into the kitchen. "Can't help it," she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice. "You're like a culinary wizard in here."
Yelena rolled her eyes, finally looking up to meet Natasha's gaze. "I just like to experiment," she said nonchalantly, a blank expression sat on her face. "Besides, someone has to make sure we don't starve to death," she sighed.
Natasha leaned against the kitchen counter, her gaze fixed on Yelena as she moved around the kitchen. A pang of sadness tugged at her heart as she watched her sister, once so vibrant and full of life in the kitchen, now seemingly lost in her own world with a black expression masking her features. It pained Natasha to see Yelena like this, the spark that usually lit up her eyes now dimmed, almost as if she didn't feel anything at all. Memories of happier times flooded Natasha's mind — times when Yelena would dance around the kitchen, her laughter filling the air as she whipped up delicious meals with ease.
But now, the silence between them felt heavy, weighed down by unspoken words and unresolved emotions. Natasha longed to reach out, to bridge the gap that had formed between them, but she didn't know where to begin. As Yelena continued to cook, seemingly lost in her own thoughts, Natasha couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that settled over her. She wanted to break through the walls Yelena had erected around herself, to remind her that she wasn't alone, but she didn't know how.
With a heavy sigh, Natasha pushed herself off the counter and approached Yelena, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey," she said softly, her voice tinged with concern. "Are you okay?"
Yelena glanced up at Natasha, her expression unreadable for a moment before she offered a small, forced smile. "Да. I'm fine," she replied, her voice lacking its usual warmth.
Natasha stood there, watching her sister continue to cook, the air heavy with unspoken tension. She knew she would regret saying the words that were about to leave her lips, but she couldn't keep them bottled up any longer.
"I saw Kate today," Natasha admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yelena paused for a moment, her movements freezing as she turned to face Natasha, a knife in hand. The air between them crackled with intensity as Yelena's gaze bore into Natasha's, searching for something in the depths of her eyes.
"Why would you say that?" Yelena's voice was cold, her tone laced with bitterness and betrayal. It was as if Natasha's words had struck a nerve, reopening old wounds that had never fully healed.
The redhead knew she had crossed a line, but she couldn't take back what she had said. All she could do now was brace herself for whatever came next. Feeling the weight of Yelena's stare, Natasha hesitated for a moment before summoning the courage to speak again. "I didn't mean to upset you," she said softly, her voice tinged with regret. "I just thought you should know."
Yelena's grip on the knife tightened, her jaw clenched as she turned back to the stove, her back tense with unresolved tension. Natasha could sense the turmoil brewing beneath the surface, the unspoken words and buried emotions threatening to spill over.
Silence hung heavy in the air as Natasha waited for Yelena to respond, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she had opened old wounds, dredging up painful memories that both of them would rather forget.
After what felt like an eternity, Yelena finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't want to talk about Kate," she said, her tone final and resolute.
Natasha nodded in understanding, respecting Yelena's boundaries even as her heart ached with the weight of their shared pain. She knew that healing would take time, that some wounds ran too deep to ever fully mend.
As Yelena returned her attention to the cooking, Natasha lingered in the doorway, feeling the weight of the unspoken words hanging between them. She knew that their relationship had been strained by recent events, but she was determined to find a way back to each other, no matter how difficult the journey might be.
Natasha's mind raced with conflicting emotions as she stood in the doorway, watching Yelena continue to cook with a heavy heart. "No, I can't let you do this," Natasha murmured to herself.
Yelena turned around, her eyes narrowing as she caught Natasha's determined expression. "What?" she questioned, her voice tinged with a mix of confusion and defensiveness.
Natasha took a deep breath, closing the distance between them until she stood face to face with her sister. "I can't let you live like this," she stated firmly, "I did the same thing when I got out of the Red Room, and I learned that it's not worth it."
Yelena's expression softened slightly, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through her mask of stoicism. "No, it's not the same," she protested, her voice betraying a hint of longing for understanding.
"It might not be the exact same situation, but the pain is real," Natasha replied gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Yelena's arm. "You can't keep burying your feelings and pretending everything is okay. It's eating you up inside."
Yelena looked away, her gaze fixed on a point in the distance as she took a pause, processing Natasha's words. Natasha stood there, her eyes never leaving her sister, concern etched on her face. The kitchen seemed to hold its breath as the two sisters stood in a moment of shared vulnerability. Natasha wanted to reach out, to erase the pain etched on her sister's face, but she knew that healing would take time and honesty.
Finally, Yelena spoke, her voice breaking the silence like a delicate thread. "Kate Bishop..." she started, her voice filled with a complex mix of emotions. "She was the first person I trusted," Yelena paused, her words heavy with the weight of betrayal. "And I let her take control of me. She lied to me, Nat. I trusted her, and she lied. I let my guard down."
Natasha's heart ached as she listened to Yelena's confession. She could feel the raw pain in her sister's words, the shattered trust and the lingering wounds of betrayal. It was a pain Natasha knew all too well, having experienced her own share of betrayal and loss.
"I'm sorry, Yelena," Natasha said softly, her voice filled with empathy. "I know how much that must hurt." After Natasha expressed her sympathy, she realized she hadn't stopped to fully consider how deeply Yelena must have been hurt by Kate's betrayal. The weight of Yelena's words settled heavily on Natasha's shoulders, and for a moment, she wondered.
Could Yelena be in love with Kate? The thought crossed Natasha's mind, but she quickly dismissed it as a mere possibility. Maybe it was the familiarity of trust and vulnerability, the way Yelena had let down her guard around someone she believed in, that mirrored feelings of affection. Natasha couldn't deny the parallel to her own platonic connection with Clint, rooted in years of shared experiences and mutual trust.
However, Natasha couldn't ignore the history between Kate and Yelena, the layers of mistrust and deception that had clouded their relationship. What might have started as admiration or trust had been tainted by lies and manipulation
Yelena's voice held a tinge of bitterness as she continued, "I was blinded, Natasha. Blinded by something we were taught wasn't real." Her words echoed with a deep-seated disillusionment, a reflection of the shattered ideals about love and relationships instilled by their traumatic past in the Red Room.
Natasha listened intently, her heart aching for her sister's pain. "No, Yelena," Natasha countered firmly, her voice laced with conviction. "What the Red Room taught us, that's all fake. They manipulated us into thinking we aren't capable of feeling, but we are."
There was a pause, a weighty silence hanging between them as Natasha's words sank in. She could see the conflict in Yelena's eyes, the struggle to reconcile the indoctrination of the past with the possibility of genuine emotions and connections.
"You can have a relationship," Natasha added softly, breaking the silence. Her choice of words hung in the air, laden with unspoken implications.
Yelena paused, her gaze locking with Natasha's, a myriad of emotions swirling in her eyes. The word "relationship" carried a weight of its own, stirring up thoughts and feelings that had long been buried or denied.
Yelena's initial response was defensive, a shield against the complexities Natasha was trying to unravel. "I don't know what you're talking about," Yelena replied, her tone guarded as she avoided Natasha's probing gaze.
Natasha couldn't help but scoff softly, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Oh, come on," she said teasingly, making a gesture with her hand to indicate a closeness between Yelena and Kate. "You and Kate were like this." She said, making a gesture with her hands indicating they were close. "There had to be some kind of feeling for her," Natasha continued gently, her voice softening as she acknowledged the complexities of emotions. "And it's okay."
Natasha's words carried a message of acceptance and understanding, assuring Yelena that whatever feelings she might have harbored for Kate were valid and didn't need to fit into predefined labels. It was an invitation for Yelena to explore her emotions without judgment or pressure, to navigate the nuances of her heart at her own pace.
The sudden knock on the door sent a jolt of adrenaline through both Natasha and Yelena, instantly putting them on high alert. Yelena's reflexes were quick as she grabbed the knife from the counter, her eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. Meanwhile, Natasha moved swiftly to retrieve the hidden gun from atop the refrigerator, her training kicking in as she prepared for a potential threat.
They exchanged a glance, a silent communication passing between them as they approached the door cautiously. The frantic knocks and urgent plea for help intensified their sense of unease, urging them to proceed with caution.
As they neared the door, the sense of familiarity in the voice calling for help struck a chord with Yelena. Her grip on the knife loosened slightly, a flicker of recognition in her eyes. Natasha watched as Yelena reached for the doorknob and slowly opened the door.
Suddenly a familiar figure collapsed to the ground just inside the doorway, blood beginning to pool around their body. Yelena's instincts kicked in as she rushed forward, dropping the knife in her urgency to help. "Kate Bishop?" Yelena asked as she knelt down, her hands trembling as she tried to assess the extent of the injuries.
Kate winced slightly as she tried to sit up, managing a weak smile despite the pain. "Well, this isn't how I expected our reunion to go," she quipped.