Chapter 3
“Okay. Why does this keep happening to me?” Kate said.
“What keeps happening to you? My beautiful presence? Oh, Kate Bishop, you are so adorable.” Yelena said smiling walking slowly towards the sofa, Kate could see that she was barely limping but what was worrying was the fact that Yelena was holding her rib area.
“Wait, Yelena, are you okay?” She asked, totally worried and a bit curious, leaving all reason and stress behind to focus on the girl who was trying to sit on the couch.
“I'm fine, just tired.” She gasped, but couldn't help but grunt in pain seconds later, fucking ribs. “I need some rest.”
“And you decide to do it in my apartment.” Kate growled as she helped the blonde to hold her and lean against her body, but after noticing some blood on her own shirt, the archer now looked even more worried. “Maybe you’re more than tired.”
She helped Yelena remove the jacket she was wearing to expose part of her abdomen.
“I'll need my first aid kit and some pain killers. Stairs… this is gonna hurt, Yelena Come on.” She whispered before walking into the stairs, next step: bed.
“It is okay, I just want to sleep.” The widow mumbled, but when Kate touched her ribs with the tip of her right finger, she groaned in pain. “Suka! What was that? Don't do that!”
“That sounded like broken ribs. We will take care of those wounds and you will sleep.” Kate said without expecting a 'no' for an answer, helped her lie down on bed, even taking some pillows to put them behind Yelena’s neck to find the right and most comfy position.
She took her time looking for the kit she had bought days ago and carefully helped remove her friend's suit. One by one, Kate healed and cleaned the visible cuts while for the ribs, she brought two painkillers and two ice packs to ease the pain.
Yelena watched silently how Kate cared for her her with such delicacy. She wondered why she deserved to have such a good friend like her, if they had barely met. But somehow, they had connected like she had never before with someone. The last person to take care of her like this had been Natasha.
A typical Yelena's pout formed on her lips, trying to prevent a tiny tear from coming out. She couldn't allow herself to be so sensitive in front of Kate, or rather, in front of nobody, it would ruin her entire reputation as a "cool" person.
“Okay, that's it. Luckily I didn't have to give you stitches, I wouldn't know how to do it without make you feel pain, cause I’m you know, umh... clumsy, you might end up passing out. I mean, I'm kidding 'cause I know how to do it... I just... wanna make you smile.” Kate smiled a bit and sighed before getting up, but when she was going away, Yelena took her hand.
“Thank you, Kate.” She said, looking at her eyes. Her fingers caressed the back of her hand. She was very grateful for what Kate did for her.
“You said my name…” Kate smiled, kinda happily.
“It is the painkillers. Doesn’t count.” Yelena growled before closing her eyes.
“Yes, it seemed too good to be true.” The brunette said before throwing the trash. “You can take the bed, whatever you need you can ask. I'll be on the couch.”
“What? why? I don't want to steal your bed, Kate Bishop.”
“It's okay. I can sleep on the couch.” She pointed.
“Of course not, come. I've been worse and survived, this is nothing. Sleep here, there is room for both.” Yelena tried to convince her. “It can even be a … girls night out. Another one, I never had an American girls night out.” She pouted.
Oh no, she used her secret weapon. If there was one thing she couldn't resist, it was Yelena's pout. It made a perfect "C". On New Years Eve, Yelena stopped talking to her for almost 45 seconds because Kate said she was the living image of the pout emoji.
“Okay, okay. I will sleep here, but you must put some clothes.” She cleared it up before walking over to her closet.
“Why? Does my beautiful body bothers you?”
Kate helped the widow to change, of course Yelena laughed when she noticed that Kate closed her eyes to avoid seeing her ‘naked or without clothes’, which gave her a mixture of tenderness and fun. Yelena, who now wore a white T-shirt with black letters ‘Лайка’ and purple pajama pants with little pizzas drawn on them.
Once Kate made sure everything was okay, she moved over to lie down next to Yelena, trying to avoid touching her or making her uncomfortable.
A moment of silence was present until the widow spoke, almost whispering.
“Do you know what this shirt says?” She asked to Kate, who she shook her head, she had no idea. “Laika.”
Yelena sighed, looking up to the ceiling. The same little point Kate watched all those days without hearing from her.
“Laika was a Russian dog who was sent into space, she was the very first. They decided to use stray dogs because they believed that these animals had already learned to endure extreme cold and hunger conditions.” She murmured she still staring at her on the ceiling, not realizing that Kate had turned to see her. She was in awe, Yelena was incredibly beautiful. Kate had always had a thing for girls but she ... she was different. “In some way, I ... feel like I've been a stray who they decided to experiment with, train and tame at their convenience… His convenience.” She swallowed hard, trying to find the words that, for the first time, she would express her internal anguish and pain. “A stray, that's what I am. One who found a family and believed that they would take care of her but only train her to send her on a mission without rescue. A family that was not a real family, one that lost her sister… Laika died alone. That must be horrible for her, to die alone… in space. In a place that you don't know. To watch the void and know that you will die...” Her lips trembled. “I have always said, especially to Natasha, that I always wanted to die in a 'cool' way.” She smiled wistfully. “Now all I know is that all I want ... is I don't want to die alone.”
Yelena finally broke down, reaching rock bottom. Her tears began to fall down her cheeks. Tears that Kate gently caressed and moved closer to her.
“You will never be alone.” Kate assured, making Yelena turn to see her. She looked for the other's hand to intertwine her fingers. Together. “You’re not alone, Yelena. You have me, I know it's not much, but you have me.”
“I have you?” she sobbed, feeling her voice cracking a little. Again, that pout.
“You've got me.” The archer smiled at her, reaching out to brush some blonde locks from the russian’s face. “Apparently there will always be a Hawkeye for a Widow.”
Kate leaned down so she could place a soft kiss on her forehead, one that lasted a few seconds before pulling away. Yelena looked at her somewhat confused but she didn't seem upset, on the contrary.
“Wh-what was that?”
“Forehead kiss.” She took the bed sheets to cover them both. Winter was beginning to hit New York. Kate closed her eyes.
“Why?”
“Maybe later we will find out together, now let’s get some rest. You need to regain strength and I need to rest.” Kate murmured. “Good night, Yelena.”
“Good night to you too, kestrel.” She answered in the same way, closing her eyes, painkillers that were beginning to take effect.
“What's that?”
“You will find out later.”
***
Slowly that gorgeous blonde woke up, her eyes flickered fast trying to adjust her sight to the daylight that came through the window, between the new curtains. It was cloudy, again.
And a night without nightmares. Something new. But her body seemed to hurt a little more than she remembered.
Yelena gasped before tilting her head to be able to see someone coming slowly, trying to avoid waking her up, but it was impossible.
“Wow, you're awake. Good morning, you.” Kate said coming over to sit on the side of the bed. “How do you feel today?”
“This is one of my best days ever.” She replied sarcastically, but with a small smile. Kate tried to help her, because the blonde could barely sit up on the bed, totally annoyed for showing weakness. “Shit.”
“Hey, easy. Maybe it’s best if you rest today.” That woman was completely worried about her. “If you have broken ribs, it’s best to stay in bed or on the couch. You can't leave like this, you know you can stay as long as you need.”
“Of course not, Kate Bishop. This is nothing. I've been able to do so much more than this, it's just… I'm hungry.” She frowned.
“Glad to know I have the solution for that.” Kate exclaimed, smiling.
A few minutes after she left the room and Yelena exaggerated by saying that she thought she was gone for good, Kate returned with a tray large enough to bring pancakes, honey, eggs and two cups of coffee.
“Maybe you think I'm a former spoiled child who doesn't know how to cook a fried egg...” She started as she set the tray on the side of the bed, while she brought the steaming cup of coffee to the blonde who was looking at her surprised. “And you're right, but at least I know how to make some delicious pancakes.” she was proud to say it, placing her hands on the sides of her hips.
Yelena was quiet for a moment without understanding much. What was this all about? This feeling… it was good, feeling that someone cared about her. That someone would take a moment to be able to make breakfast for her, even if some parts of the pancakes looked like they had known hell. Well, it was an exaggeration, just one of them all.
Still, Kate took the time to make sure she didn't miss out on breakfast. To prepare black coffee, two sugar, she remembered that time in the new year when Yelena told her how she liked coffee. The last time anyone had been like this to her, it had been when Natasha and her had lived in Ohio with Melina as her mother and Alexei as her father.
It was real to me.
“Since it's cloudy anyway and it looks like a huge storm is going to break out... What do you think if we turn this day into ... movies day?” Kate asked her as she settled on the side of the bed and took a sip of her own coffee. “We can watch a movie, we can do a marathon! What do you think? Uh! Look! Have you ever seen Jurassic Park?”
Yelena shook her head.
“Harry Potter?”
Yelena shook her head again.
“Lord of the Rings? Oh girl. We have a lot of work to do, let's see ... maybe we could start with a saga, but…”
Again, Yelena went all quiet, lost and completely fascinated by noticing Kate's excitement when she saw that one of her favorite movies was available on that streaming app. The archer had been so good to her, since the beginning.
“That would be great, Kate Bishop." Yelena whispered, glancing at her coffee cup to keep her from seeing her teary eyes. “Tell me more about that one you said…”
***
The days passed again and both girls got used to each other's presence. Yelena was recovering slowly and Kate helped in everything she needed, the money for now would not be necessary, at least for now so she took the opportunity to enjoy the company of the blonde. It was a quite symbiotic relationship, both needed each other, both discovered the company and forgot about the abandonment issues and loneliness, and the answer to that was that both were slowly falling in love. Kate undoubtedly reaffirmed again that the Russian seemed irresistible, Yelena was beautiful and that her company made her happy. Although the Russian one had never said anything about having someone special. What if her heart was already taken? No, she didn’t believe that.
And Yelena, she tried to deny that the brunette had her completely spellbound, and day by day she seemed to show her that maybe she could be happy. Of course, none of them dared to say something like that, they didn't want to lose their best friend, but every now and then ... the tension and chemistry were undeniable.
Kate came into the apartment a bit awkwardly, trying to fight with the grocery bags she was carrying. One of the most important stuff: some boxes of mac and cheese.
“Yelena! You won't believe what happened at the supermarket!” Kate exclaimed leaving some of the bags on the nearest counter, the lights were low as well as soft music. “They were saying something about West-”
She looked for her partner in the kitchen and the small sparring space but she ended up finding her in front of that huge window. A lost look in this, watching the city.
“Hey, there you are.” She seemed relieved to see her there, for a moment she thought that Yelena was gone.
“Just trying to escape the world.” The widow mumbled, still lost in the city, her voice so soft and at the same time somewhat hoarse.
That accent is driving me crazy. Kate thought.
“For a moment I thought you were gone...” The archer dared to confess as she took place next to the widow, the night in that city was something wonderful. The sound of car horns from time to time, the lights, it was charming.
“Would that affect you very much, Kate Bishop?” This time Yelena turned to see her, smiling.
“Of course not.” Kate teased but then she admitted. “Maybe a little bit... Are you okay?”
“I'm just getting a some air, that's all.” She took a few long seconds before speaking again, as if she wanted to take the courage to say what was next. “I received a message from a contractor. They gave me a small job, if I want to take it.”
Kate did the same, taking a moment before speaking and not letting her emotions get in the way. “What you wanna do?”
“I don't know.” She muttered. For the first time, she didn’t know what to do with her life.
They both remained silent after that reply. Kate was expecting a 'no' but come on. How could she expect that from Yelena? She was a spy, a woman who lived off the action and her missions. How could she expect Yelena to say no?
At the same time, Yelena expected Kate to ask her to leave it. That she shouldn’t do it, that now she had everything they needed and that she now could take another path. Because that was what had been happening in these weeks at her side, she had taken a different path.
Maybe not like an Avenger, but a woman who no longer wanted to murder people for money.
Among those two women, one decided to break the silence.
“Are you happy?” Kate asked. “Doing that ... I mean, I don't think it makes you happy unless you're a fucking psycho, but ... ask yourself, if… that makes you happy? Maybe not happy but… better.”
The Widow was quiet again knowing that the answer was only one. Kate Bishop, a name. That was the reason that she smiled all these weeks, that she fed "correctly" and that she gave the funniest laughs. And the best nights, without so many nightmares.
Before she could answer, Kate's phone rang with a notification.
Maybe she forgot to say it, but she had been chatting with this woman she had met weeks before. Kate decided to investigate on her own who she was, if she was a woman that she met by chance in a Laundry or was someone dangerous. Clint had warned her to be careful.
Aidan: « Busy day tho! Did u saw the news? About what happened in Westview? How are u?»
“Sorry.” Kate muttered turning off the screen again.
“What is it?” Yelena asked, somewhat curious.
“Yeah, it's just...” she sighed, ready to tell Yelena about her plan. “A few weeks ago, on the same afternoon as the day you came all wounded, a woman approached me in the laundry room. She looked nice, not dangerous. Well, it's not like she approached me, we just have some talk about stuff, but… It was weird.”
Kate had been talking to another woman and hadn't told her. It had been weeks since they lived together and she hadn't told Yelena that she was chatting with another woman and that she had met her the same day she came.
“Weird in what way?” Yelena tried to not look annoyed. “Was she pretty? Does Kate Bishop have a crush on a woman?” She said that raising her brow a little, she would not admit for anything in the world that she felt a little jealousy. A woman who is not me, she thought.
Kate raised her eyebrow in the same way. “Would that be wrong?”
“NO, of course not, Kate Bishop. It is your life and it seems very good to me.” She said quickly, shrugging. “But why do you think it is strange? You are a very very beautiful woman, of course she may have approached you because she saw that in you.”
A slight blush on Kate's face, her heart began to pound so hard that she was afraid she would end up babbling once more. “You ... do you think I'm beautiful?”
“Why do you think it is weird?” Yelena avoided answering that like a pro, she would not know what to answer to her questions but to answer: I am going crazy for you and you make my whole life turn upside down.
Kate narrowed her eyes at hers, but she avoided asking more about that. “She called me by my last name. My first and last name.”
“And what is strange about that? I do that too. But better.”
“Yes, for the same reason, you investigated me... She called me by my name and I never told her.” Clearly, there was something odd. They both looked into each other's eyes, they knew something strange was happening.
“Call her, tell her you'll meet here in two hours.” Yelena stood up determined, although her ribs hurt a little, not as much as two weeks ago. “Invite her to ... have beer, that's what Americans do.”
“What?” she asked confused, getting up too to follow the widow. “What are we going to do?”
Yelena turned around. “To know the truth.”