Chapter Text
Kate didn’t want to leave.
After Clint invited her for Christmas, soon after she sent her own mother to prison, her mood went from depressed to fucking estatic. It had been a long time since she’s had an actual normal Christmas. I mean, she didn’t exactly count this past Christmas exactly as normal, as she chased after gang members and went toe to toe with Kingpin (which Kate is honestly fucking surprised she survived), fought a Black Widow, jumped off a multiple story building and nearly breaking her knees, and thought about going LARPing.
And all Kate thought she needed to worry about was destroying a bell tower.
But there she stood, at the entrance of the Barton house, looking at Clint, who had a sad smile on his face, “You don’t have to go, you know.”
Kate heard Lucky whine next to her, tugging her hand through his leash, as if he was essentially begging her to stay. She adjusted the bag on her shoulder, “It’s okay Clint. I just… don’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be. I just want to know you will be safe.”
“Clint. Listen, I appreciate everything you and Laura have done. But remember, I was the one who caused you to miss all of those days with your family. You deserve that time back. Time that doesn’t involve me. Besides, I have an apartment that I really need to clean up since, you know, there was a fire in it.”
Clint just simply nods, “Ok. There’s nothing I can say that will change your mind. Just let me know when you get home, okay?”
He handed her his car keys and Kate hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder, “Thank you Clint. For everything.”
“You are welcome kiddo.”
That was 5 hours ago, after a short drive to the airport and a flight back home, and having a seriously bad case of airplane ear, which is causing her to have a massive headache.
Then she opens the door to her apartment, Lucky blasting past her, seeing the absolute carnage and smell of what smelt like burnt toast hitting her nose, her headache only got worse.
Hopefully the fire didn’t burn the ibuprofen.
Still, Kate had no choice but to slightly smirk, glancing at Lucky, “Well boy. Let’s get to work.”
-
Well, at least it didn’t smell like the inside of a toaster anymore.
It was almost midnight and the place was as good as it was going to get.
She got the furniture rearranged, whatever was left, and that was a single seat recliner and a coffee table, and of course her bed, which didn’t have sheets but Kate found a comforter safe and sound in one of the closets, away from the fire. So Kate would say it could be worse.
After making sure everything that can get done is finished, she sleepily climbed up her stairs and into her bedroom, falling straight onto the bed.
Kate’s body is completely done for and she wants to go to bed, but she just can’t. It’s like everything just came and flooded into her head. With her mom in prison, what happens with Bishop Security? How is she going to make money now?
I know young people think they’re invincible, and rich people think they’re invincible, and you have always been both.
Kate shakes her mom’s voice out of her head. She’s going to be okay. She knows it. She then thinks about Jack. I can call Jack…
She then hears a crashing sound.
Lucky starts barking excitedly as Kate pops up from her bed, starting to breathe heavily, digging around in her bag for her bow, and an arrow from her quiver, hurrying out of her room and onto the stairs balcony. As dark as it is, she doesn’t see anyone.
Slowly but surely, her heartbeat sounding off in her ears, Kate walks down the stairs, bow still at the ready, “Hello?”
No response, as if Kate was expecting one.
Lucky comes to her side, rubbing against her leg, panting slowly, with Kate giving him a quick look, “Find anyone bud?”
She feels a cool breeze behind her and turns, seeing that her window was open, the New York City snow landing on her windowsill.
“Huh…”
“Kate Bishop.”
Kate screams, flipping her bow and throwing it in the direction of the voice, the arrow stick still nicked in, as it hits the floor.
She squints in the dark, mouth agape, “Yelena?”
Kate flips the room light on and there sat the assassin, in Kate’s lone chair, smiling and waving, “Hi.”
Kate scoffs in surprise, “What.. are you doing here?”
Yelena looks around the room, shrugging, still with a smile, “I can’t catch up with my favorite girl?”
“Your favorite… didn’t we just have a massive fight with epic proportions at Rockefeller Plaza just a few days ago?”
“Wellll, yeah we did,” she admits, “but I’m over that now. Clint Barton is not a target anymore.”
“I know that. He mentioned you talked it out, but you still haven’t answered my question.”
Yelena sighs, standing up, and Kate notices she’s wearing the same green coat from the Rockefeller brawl, “I’ve been assigned a mission.”
Kate just stares at her.
Yelena slightly smiles, “I know, right? Well, I haven’t been assigned a mission by someone, per say, but I’ve assigned myself a mission. It’s kind of a personal thing, and I need a person I trust.”
“Wait,” Kate says, hardly believing this was happening, “how am I someone you trust? I was associated with a man you were hired to kill, by my mom of all people, and we fought one another! I don’t get it…”
Yelena was all of a sudden in front of her, a hand on her mouth to quiet her, and Kate’s heart started to beat fast. But not because of fear. This was odd.
“Listen to me Kate Bishop. I trust you because you helped me in a way that you don’t realize. You helped me learn the truth about Clint Barton, about my…” Yelena stops, and Kate could tell she was holding back emotion, “...about my sestra. That’s why I ask for your help.”
Kate’s eyes lock on Yelena’s green eyes, never wavering, trying to find something in there that could tell her to not do it, but she couldn’t. Yelena really wanted her to come along.
Finally, she releases the air she was holding and nods, “Ok.”
Yelena smiles again, releasing Kate’s mouth, “Perfect! Ah, Kate Bishop, this is going to be so much fun!”
Kate sees her make her way towards the window, and she whistles, “Hey! Where are you going?”
Yelena looks at her as if she grew a second head, “To the mission, Kate Bishop! And it’s we! Be excited!”
“Are you going to tell me what we are doing first?”
“Of course not! It being a surprise is the best!”
“What about Lucky?”
“About who?”
“The dog!? My puppy?!”
“Oh! We won’t take long! We’ll be back early morning, I promise!”
Yelena’s overelation is really throwing Kate through a loop. And she doesn’t know how to feel about it.
She just sighs, “Okay. I’ll be right back buddy,” Kate pats his head, “just don’t get into anything.”
Lucky whines, and Kate gives Yelena one last look, “I better not regret this.”
Yelena’s smile gets wider, “You won’t.”