but you come back with gravity
Kate Bishop hadn’t seen Yelena Belova for the better part of a month after their last meeting. She’d love to argue that she spent the whole time in a really fucking badass way, fighting supervillains and aliens, instead of the reality that consisted of a significant amount of time spent staring wistfully at her apartment’s ‘Yelena’ window (left permanently ajar, thank you very much) and binging terrible reality tv. Kate had never been one for trashy television, but the rut she found herself in after the Kingpin fiasco, as well as the distinct lack of Black Widow visits, left her with an abyss that only seemed to be temporarily sated by season-long marathons of Dance Moms and Love Island.
She’s not a monster, of course. She still took Lucky for his daily walks and daily pizzas, managed to shift her college coursework from in-person to remote, and had begun regularly staking out upper Manhattan for any bad seeds or neighbourhood rascals, who would be deterred by a two hour stint in one of her net arrows and a brief slap on the wrist and minimal fine by the NYPD. Why do I even bother…
A bitterly cold January bled into a morose, drab February, and the only thing keeping Kate looking forward to the continued passage of time was her pending twenty-third birthday.
Kate had met up with her best university friends, Greer and Franny, early into February, at one of their favourite establishments: a dive bar located near the Columbia campus that they used to frequent in their underclassmen days. Kate doesn’t realise exactly what a drastic pivot her life has taken in the past month or so until she meets with her friends, which unfortunately puts everything into perspective. She gives them the low-down on the ‘my mom’s a criminal’, ‘Clint Barton is kind of my mentor now’, and ‘did I mention that I’m the new Hawkeye’ developments in recent months before the girls decide to abate Kate’s sorrows by buying her a few rounds of Aperol Spritzes and beginning to plan her birthday party.
Despite the fact Kate really isn’t in the mood to celebrate anything right now, Greer and Franny manage to convince her that it would be a welcome distraction from life’s chaos, as well as a good chance to rekindle her waning social skills, unfortunately severely limited due to her ‘Gremlin Time’ spent rotting on the fucking comfortable couch with Pizza Dog and declining to acknowledge the existence of the outside world.
“So there’s no one else you want to invite?” Greer asks frustratedly from across the high table, pint of cider in her right hand.
“No…I don’t think so?” Kate answers, but finds her response comes out as more of a question, audibly expressing her hesitance and slight insecurity at the topic. Thankfully, Franny, always more in touch with her friends’ emotions, seems to sense Kate’s discomfort. “Hey, Greer, lay off! You know our resident Hawkeye has been too busy kicking ass and taking names to invite people to her birthday party.”
Kate sends a quick, thankful smile to Franny before answering Greer’s question. “I don’t think there’s anyone else. I mean…you know how I left New York’s high society with a bang…“ she pauses to take a deep, shuddering breath brought on by a flood of unwelcome memories, “And I’ve been so busy with all this Avenger shit that I haven’t had any time to think, let alone make some new friends. I just want you two there, and it will be the best birthday ever, honest!” she looks at them softly but imploringly.
Greer has never been one to take a hint, so of course as soon as the lightbulb pings over her head, she adds energetically, “what about that friend you said you’ve made recently? The one that is doing the Stark Industries internship? Philip? Paul?-“
“—Peter!” Kate adds just as enthusiastically. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that to begin with! He’s pretty introverted, but he’s really nice and I think you both will get along with him so well! I’ll add him to the group chat and see if he’s free that night to join us?” Kate looks at both Greer and Franny with the question resting within her excited eyes.
“Yeah!”
“Of course!!!”
Franny and Greer exclaim at the same moment as one another, resulting in a fit of giggles from the trio. Wrapping up the text-chain invite list on her phone, Franny gently asks one more time, just to make sure there’s no one that Kate has forgotten to invite, besides Peter, Franny, Greer, and a few of her university friends.
Kate must look shifty, as both Greer and Franny instantly question, “wait! who is it?”. Kate supposes she better work on her poker-face if she is going to continue on this whole Avenger-in-training gig. Swallowing her pride for a second, she mumbles out a meek, “…well, there is one…person. But! They’re really private….so I doubt they would actually come—and I think that I should text them myself, just because I don’t want to make them uncomfortable.”
Greer shoots Franny a raised eyebrow and a muted chuckle, trusting her to respond to their loveable brunette about her mysterious new friend.
“Sure Kate! Just let us know. Gotta make sure we have enough alcohol for the party!”
Kate smirks, with a certain someone in mind before answering, “oh, if they come…we’ll need a lot more alcohol”.
Later that evening, a few Aperols in her system and feeling a pleasant, warm buzz under her skin, Kate is propped up on her massive bed, with her right hand trying valiantly to french braid her thick brown hair, and left hand busy searching for the perfect show to wind down to. Only once she has a another rerun of Gossip Girl playing quietly in the background and her hair separated relatively neatly in two french braids, does she remember that she needed to text Yelena about her upcoming birthday party.
Yel :)
[21:53] hey
[21:53] i know it’s been a while since we saw each other
[21:53] and you’re probably on some high key black widow mission
[21:53] but
[21:54] i hope you’re good!
[21:54] and
[21:54] no pressure at all,
[21:54] but i was wondering if
[21:54] ya know, if you’re in town
[21:54] you’d wanna come to my bday party?
[21:55] like there’d be other ppl there are u can totally say no
[21:55] and also if u dont wanna that’s totally okay too…
Kate thinks for a second, re-reading the messages she’s just sent to her favourite Russian assassin before adding a final message.
[19:56] but hi ◡̈
In her mind’s eye, this string of texts are about the most chill the Katherine Elizabeth Bishop is able to be, so she takes it as a win: she’s said hi, checked in, and achieved her goal of inviting Yelena to her birthday party without managing to embarrass herself beyond redemption.
Eyes closed and left hand absently stroking Lucky’s freshly groomed fur, Kate hums to herself, perfectly content to fall asleep alongside her four-legged companion.
Three A.M. is, rather unfortunately, the time that flashes on the microwave when she wakes up to big, wet kisses on her face from Lucky. Kate finds the golden retriever laid directly on top of herself, with a cheeky grin on his smug little face and tail wagging like a metronome. Cursing the dog for not respecting beauty sleep, she flops out of bed, pulls on two (?) pairs of sweatpants atop her sleep shorts, an old university sweatshirt, and a puffer coat before grabbing Lucky’s purple leash and setting down the stairs with her companion for a hopefully very short walk around the block before returning to her warm bed.
It’s only when Kate has made it a block away to the dog park that she has a sinking feeling deep in her gut; a feeling that she’s being watched, or worse, followed. She frantically pats the copious amount of pockets on her absurd outfit, searching for her phone, only to have her heart stop for a second, remembering that she left it at home in her sleepy daze, charging on her bedside table. Fuck . She’s also left herself completely defenceless–bow, arrow, and quiver hanging on the coat pegs beside the front door. Double fuck.
Kate is silently thankful that she at least has her trusty guard dog to keep her safe. That is, until she looks down and sees him confusedly blinking his one eye, all the while losing a fight over a twig with a squirrel. The unarmed archer rolls her eyes exasperatedly… of course this would fucking happen to her.
She reaches down, tugs the twig away from Lucky, and suppresses a grin as she watches the squirrel run away victorious, leaving Pizza Dog with the single most pitiful look Kate’s ever seen on a dog.
“Oh shut it you…you look pathetic,” to which she receives an indignant huff under the golden’s breath.
“Come on, PD. We gotta get going,” she yanks gently on his leash, just wishing she was back at home and growing increasingly more frustrated the longer that Lucky plants his feet firmly into the ground, refusing any and all movement.
He lets out a boof in protest before his ears immediately shoot up and his single eye narrows in analysis of his surroundings. Kate doesn’t think she heard anything specific, but the feeling of discomfort she’s had since arriving at the park has increased tenfold the longer they’ve been standing idle. Finally, Lucky releases his claw-like grip on the grass below and trots slightly ahead of Kate back towards their apartment, his tail not wagging, but instead raised to show he was alert.
They thankfully manage to make it back to Kate’s flat without any further incident, but Kate can tell that Lucky feels just as on edge as herself. Ascending the stairs quietly, Kate pauses on the landing to give Pizza Dog some well deserved chin scratches for being a loyal, albeit stubborn, bodyguard. He watches with is that amusement? in his eye while Kate fumbles with the keys, finally managing to get the door open after an embarrassing two minutes.
Kate blames her sheer exhaustion and leftover feeling of unease for her neglect in noticing the fact her TV has been turned on, quiet reruns of an old Food Network show playing in the early morning air. She blearily stumbles past her couch on the way to the stairs, the sole thought in her mind being the welcome return to her bed in a mere moment.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, prepared Kate Bishop for hearing a familiar voice coming from the green sofa, laced slightly with a sleepy rasp to it, singing her name.
“Kate Bishooop!”
She turns around lightning-fast with a hand to her rapidly beating heart, choking out, “Yelena? What the fuck!?”.
“How are you, my friend?” Yelena asks conversationally. As if it isn’t 3:30 in the fucking morning and as if it hasn’t been about a month since they’ve last had ANY contact.
Kate just blinks, opening and closing her mouth like a bloody fish out of water, trying to force out a response. She’ll go on to blame the next thing out of her mouth on the fact that she was so unbelievably knackered, she (yetagain) wasn’t even sure if the Yelena sitting before her was a hallucination.
“Are you going to come to my birthday party?” What the fuck Kate?!
Yelena smiles nicely; not in the Black Widow-esque smirk that seems inherently condescending. This makes Kate feel slightly, if only slightly, better about her previous question.
“Oh yes, Kate Bishop! I would not miss it for the world. Are you sure you would like me to come? I do not know if you want beautiful scary assassin at birthday party,” she zones out a bit and continues more so as if she’s talking to herself, “...but that could be very fun. Good for stories at party, no?”.
Kate smiles before she can help herself. “Awesome! I really want you there Yelena, as long as you want to come. But please, I’m begging, don’t bring up the fact you’re an actual assassin. I don’t know how my friends would handle that” she adds as an afterthought.
“Kate, how I would love to see you beg” the blonde winks and smirks at Kate, knowing exactly how to get her flustered.
Oh my god.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Yelena.” Kate’s face turns beet red as she averts her eyes.
Kate can’t even begin to unpack any of that with only a few hours of sleep under her belt, so she just puffs her chest up in response before stating, “okay…well. I’m gonna go back to sleep since…ya know…it’s quarter to four in the fucking morning…you’re welcome to crash here for the rest of the night if you want. I don’t have a spare room, but you could just come up and share? As long as you don’t mind having a dog sleep on top of you for most of the night…”.
Yelena appears to consider the request for a second before surprising Kate, and likely even herself, with her response. “Sure, Kate Bishop. That sounds nice. I am quite tired as well, and I do miss having a doggy to sleep with…Fanny is still with my mama, so I think Lucky should work in a pinch.”
Only when they’re both dressed in some of Kate’s pyjamas and Pizza Dog has inserted himself vertically between them, does Yelena’s presence tonight even begin to sink in for Kate.
“Wait…not to be rude or anything–” Kate is interrupted by a large “Ha!” of laugher from the other side of the bed.
“--but why are you here? The party is next week. I mean! Don’t get me wrong, I’m– I’m…glad you’re here! But…why?”
The blonde lets out another, softer laugh before saying, “well, Little Hawk, I was just thinking last week ‘wow I have not seen Kate Bishop in a long time’ and I wanted to spend some time with you. So I was thinking it would be nice to stay with you for the next week until your party. Maybe you can show me the New York landmarks that we did not see around Christmas? That could be fun?” she looks up eagerly.
“Yeah, definitely!” Kate’s tender heart is beyond excited at the prospect of one-on-one time with Yelena for a week, getting to show her around the city, and get to know her ex-assassin friend even better.
“...aaaaaaannddd, I guess there is one more thing. But I was going to wait for it to be a birthday surprise! That is what people do for birthdays, yes?”
Kate, ever the impatient only-child retorts, “okay well now you have to tell me! Pretty please?” she asks with her lips pulled into a frustratingly adorable pout.
Yelena lets out an over-exaggerated sigh and rolls her eyes before conceding to Kate’s pleas, “fine, fine Little Hawk. It is not so much a present per say, but it could be fun?”
Kate looks on at her, kindly but imploringly.
“...Well Kate Bishop, I have a mission. And I think...please…be cool about this Kate...that I could use your... help.”
Yelena’s hands fly to her ears to block out the high-pitched shriek of pure excitement emitting from the brunette beside her.
“Oh my god!! Yelena!!!! You want… to work?! Together!?! Are you being so for real?!?!!?” she squeals, petting Lucky apologetically.
“Yes, this is what I just said? I am being for real!”
“So…like?” Kate’s enthusiasm brings a smile to Yelena’s face, even visible amidst the darkness in Kate’s room.
“Like partners, Little Hawk.”
The archer lets out one more squeal before visibly straightening herself up, no doubt trying to present herself as strictly-business.
She flings out her right hand to Yelena, suspended in mid-air over Lucky’s belly before asking hopefully, “Partners?”
Yelena grabs the hand with her own, firmly shaking and chuckling just a bit before sealing the deal.
“Partners, Kate Bishop.”