Chapter Text
Present time
Just one more week. She just has to wait one more week.
She’s waited thirty-nine weeks, almost nine months, around two hundred and seventy days. What’s one more week, right? Yelena thinks.
She’s laying in bed with Kate. She feels calm and safe.
Silence surrounds them, and Yelena wishes, not for the first time, that she could hear her baby’s heartbeat. She turns her head and presses her ear to Kate’s stomach, closing her eyes. She knows it isn't possible to hear anything, but no one can blame her for trying.
Kate’s back rests on the headboard with Yelena between her legs. Yelena’s laying down on her stomach with her left forearm holding her weight and her right hand caressing Kate’s stomach. Kate feels so loved by this woman.
“One more week, little one,” Yelena whispers.
“Baby, I need to go to the bathroom,” Kate chuckles, looking at Yelena. Who would've thought five years ago this Black Widow would become the definition of tenderness and patience?
“Fine,” Yelena sighs before kissing her belly a few times. “But hurry back. You have five minutes. I am counting,” Yelena says, moving so Kate can get up.
“It’s your daughter’s fault I need to pee all the time. She’s pushing my organs into places they don’t belong to,” Kate says on her way to the bathroom.
Yelena laughs and sits on the bed, watching Kate leave. She can’t help the smile that grows on her face whenever Kate calls their baby her daughter. It’s been happening a lot more often lately. Her daughter is a very active child, just like her mama when she was a kid, before the whole ‘let's make her the best child assassin’ happened. Every time their baby causes trouble, like kicking Kate’s insides in the middle of the night, Kate calls her: her daughter.
She loves the sound of that: her daughter.
She has a daughter! Never in a million years did Yelena think she’d say that.
A tiny little human to be responsible for. To love, to cherish, to play with, to take care of. A tiny human she can’t wait to meet.
Although, the closer they get to the delivery date, the more time seems to slow. One more week , she thinks agonizingly.
She's been dying to meet her baby from the moment they found out Kate was pregnant. It was one of the happiest days of her life.
Kates’s pregnancy had been a relatively easy process, to be honest. Which was surprising considering their lives: Yelena’s childhood being a lie, being forced to become a Black Widow, all the lives she’s taken to survive, and losing her sister. Kate losing her father, feeling neglected by her mother, and the having to put said mother in jail. So, it’s safe to say nothing has ever been easy for them.
Except this.
- - - - - - - - - -
Their journey started over a year ago.
Yelena’s distracted.
Her eyes focus on the TV, but she’s not paying attention.
They’re cuddling on the couch watching ‘Shrek’. Don’t judge, it’s a classic. And grown-ups can watch animated movies too.
It’s a relaxing Friday night. Yelena is holding Kate close to her. Her right arm is around Kate’s shoulder, Kate’s head nestled in her neck. Their feet rest on the coffee table, and Lucky and Fanny are sleeping on a big bed in the corner of the living room.
She’s nervous. Yelena’s heart is beating fast in her chest, and she’s scared that Kate might notice. She’s been thinking about this topic for a while now; she just hasn’t told Kate. She knows what she wants, what she wants to say, and how she feels about it. She is ready for this conversation.
Kate? Maybe not so much. It might come as a bit of a surprise.
Kate laughing at something the donkey did brings her back to reality.
Yelena looks at the ceiling and takes a long breath before she speaks.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the talk we had last year,” Yelena says, pressing her lips to Kate’s head and playing with the ends of her hair.
"Ok. You’re gonna need to be more specific than that, baby,” Kate replies, still watching the TV.
Yelena clears her throat and swallows. "The talk. You know."
Kate frowns and lifts her head to look at Yelena, trying to figure out what she’s talking about.
“What talk?" Kate asks, confused.
Yelena’s nerves decrease a little at the cute look on Kate’s face. She looks like a puppy with her head tilted to the side. Yelena smiles, reaching for Kate’s hand, interlocking their fingers.
“Babies,” Yelena says.
Kate freezes. She stops breathing. Everything just stops. She couldn’t even blink because she definitely wasn’t expecting that answer. Babies. Yelena had said babies .
God, this woman needs to come with a warning. Kate thinks.
“Oh. Okay. That conversation. Okay,” Kate stutters , finally getting her body under control. She sits up and holds Yelena’s hand harder.
Kate stays silent for a few seconds. She doesn’t know what to say. She feels Yelena tug at her hand, bringing her attention back to her.
“Sorry, you caught me by surprise, that's all. So, babies. Okay,” Kate takes a breath before asking, “And what did you think?”
“I’m ready,” Yelena answers. Direct as ever.
“For babies?” Kate says, still processing this new information.
“Yes, Kate Bishop. A baby.”
“With me?”
“Of course, with you. Who else would I want to have a baby with?” Yelena chuckles. Her thumb caresses Kate’s hand, trying to calm her down.
“Right,” Kate nods.
“Right.”
They stay in silence for a moment, looking at each other.
“Is it something you do not want now?” Yelena continues.
“No. I mean! I don’t mean no. I just haven’t thought about it since last year, when we decided we weren’t ready yet and paused that topic for future us.”
Yelena nods.
“That’s okay. You can think about it. We have time. Please do not think I am rushing you. I just wanted you to know that whenever you’re ready, I am too. Okay?” Yelena explains.
“Okay,” Kate whispers, closing the distance and pressing her lips to Yelena’s.
“When did you start to think about it?” Kate asks once their lips part.
Now that the shock was wearing off, Kate is curious about how they went from pausing the topic to suddenly talking about it.
“A few months ago.”
Kate looks at her un, impressed. She knows for sure it would’ve taken Yelena more than just a few months to come to that conclusion. There’s no way her lovely girlfriend - who starts planning several weeks ahead of a mission and thinks of every outcome – to simply say: I want a baby now, let’s do it.
“Okay, fine. Seven… eight months,” Yelena admits defeat, huffing. She was hoping to get away with it. She did not want to say: Oh yes, I have been thinking about babies for months without you knowing. But now that you know, let’s talk.
“So, almost as soon as we put a pause on the topic,” Kate laughs, shaking her head. This girl is gonna be the death of her.
“Pretty much, yes,” Yelena says, smiling and scrunching her nose. She knows Kate can’t resist that look.
Kate laughs and kisses Yelena one more time.
“Kate... Like I said before, whenever you are ready. It doesn’t have to be right now, next month, or even next year. I just wanted to tell you. Communication, right?” Yelena said, bumping her nose with Kate’s.
“I’ll think about it. I promise,” Kate whispers.
Yelena kisses Kate and brings their bodies close again, cuddling while they continue to watch the movie.
.
.
.
.
Kate thinks about it. All. The. Time .
It’s everywhere now. It’s in the things that usually would go unnoticed.
From the moment she leaves their apartment early in the morning and sees a woman pushing a stroller down the street, to the moment it’s time to go home from work and an employee of Bishop Security is video calling his daughter. She can imagine herself doing the same, calling Yelena and their baby at night to tell them she was on her way home and that she had missed them all day. She thinks bout how beautiful it would be to come home to Yelena cooking dinner or baking something with a little helper beside her while they dance around the kitchen. What a wonderful sight that would be.
Since Yelena said she was ready to start a family, all Kate could see was a little blond running barefoot around them. This led to another thought: they would need to look for a bigger place to live.
The apartment they live in now is cozy and practical. One bedroom, one bathroom, and a small open space connecting the kitchen and living room. Enough space for them and two dogs. Okay, maybe it was crowded. However, a baby needs space. Well, not the baby per se, but all the furniture for the baby. The crib, the chest of drawers, a changing table, a bouncer, the rocking chair, a cradle, a bookshelf, toys, and stuffed animals.
Okay, wow, babies need a lot of things.
Maybe, instead of looking for a bigger apartment, they need to look for a house. A house would be better for them and their future children. There would be more room for everyone. Now, she just had to share this idea with the love of her life, and yes, she said what she said: babies, plural.
During the conversation a year ago, they said they wanted to have more than one child. Two would be a good number. Although, they wouldn’t say no to a third baby if they decided to have a bigger family.
They would also have to stop their vigilante “jobs” for a long while. The baby had to be their top priority.
They want to be there for them in every way possible. She is sure Yelena desires to give their kids the childhood she never had. Full of adventures, laughter, world-discovering experiences, and cuddles.
And Kate would be present. For every birthday, school event, graduation ceremony, and school meetings.
She would not be an absent mother. She would not be like her mother.
The more she thinks about it, the more she wants a baby.
Kate’s on her way to work when she sees a storefront advertising infant clothing. She stops walking and turns to face the window, peering through it. She could go in and just look around.
Just a few minutes to see how she feels about it. Right?
Kate decides to walk in after mentally debating whether or not she should. She takes a deep breath and opens the door.
She takes a few steps into the store when she sees it.
Oh my God! she thinks. A Charmander baby onesie. A CHARMANDER ONESIE! Their baby would rock that onesie. She has to buy it!
“Good morning, ma’am. Welcome. How can I help you today?
“Uh… not really, no. I’m just browsing, thank you,” Kate says
“That’s alright. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask,” the woman says with a kind smile.
“I will, thanks,” Kate answers with a nervous smile.
Oh God, This was not a good idea, Kate thinks as she continues walking through the store, never losing sight of the Charmander. How is she supposed to control herself and not buy everything she sees? It’s all so cute! The little onesies, the socks, and the jackets .
She comes to a stop at the jacket’s section. There’s a coat that looks precisely like Yelena’s black and yellow checkered coat. What are the chances? Kate can imagine them wearing matching outfits. She can picture Yelena holding their child while they walk around the city wearing jeans, Doc Martin boots, fashionable sunglasses, and the same checkered coat.
Ok, the Charmander onesie can wait. I am buying this coat, Kate decides, giving heart eyes to the little coat.
She takes it and moves to the front of the shop to pay for it.
“Could you wrap it for a gift, please?” Kate asks after handing her a credit card.
“Of course,” the woman said.
Kate walks out of the store with a big smile on her face. She just bought her future baby their first outfit. And she is absolutely coming back for that Charmander Onesie. She can’t wait. She wants this next chapter of her life to start as fast as possible.
It’s been an easy day at the office, and she can go home at a reasonable hour. It’s been a while since that happened. She orders a taxi when she is ready to leave and waits for it to come to get her. She’s nervous and excited at the same time. She’s going to talk to Yelena tonight.
It’s been a month since Yelena said she was ready to start a family. And it’s not like Kate had wanted to drag it out for so long. Life just got in the way. There were some problems with Bishop Security, she had to deal with lawyers, and finances and had to update the security software to strengthen the company's service. She even had to fire some employees for using the company resources for their benefit.
It had been a messy month.
Now that she has everything under control she can focus again on her family.
A family that is about to grow.
.
.
.
A month has passed since she told Kate where she stood on the baby topic, and Kate hasn't said anything back, but Yelena knows she’s been thinking about it. Her little hawk has been more distracted than normal. Zoning out of conversations, while watching TV, on their walks to the park, and even during their training sessions. Most of the time she smiles when she’s lost in thoughts. It has to be a good sign, right?
But, Yelena isn’t going to press Kate into giving her an answer. She can take all the time she needs. Yelena was the one who brought up the topic of babies, she unpaused it for herself, and thought about it for at least eight months before she felt ready to have that talk ; Kate deserved the same privilege. So, she’s going to wait for as long as Kate needs.
(Flashback)
They were walking Lucky and Fanny at the park like every Saturday afternoon. It was routine by now. Once they got there, Yelena saw a couple in front of them with a baby in a stroller and another kid walking next to them. It was a cute scene to watch. They were talking and laughing as the older kid told them a story with animated movements of his little arms and body.
Yelena couldn’t help but imagine the same image with Kate and herself. And that’s when it hit her. She has walked past families just like this one before. I mean, they took strolls at the park, and there were families everywhere, all the time. Yet, this was the first time she had thought of a family of her own. A family with Kate, their dogs, and children.
They walked some more until they reach their favorite bench and unleashed the dogs so they can run free in the park. They sit close together, looking at their furry babies playing.
Yelena keeps thinking about the family. Her mind was stuck in that moment of happiness she witnessed. She wants that. It has come out of nowhere, but now she can't help but want it with Kate. Don't get her wrong, she’s happy with how her life is right now. She has everything a person with her past could want. She has stability, comfort, two dogs, a place to come back and feel safe, and most importantly, she has Kate. A beautiful woman who has her back no matter the situation and whom she can trust with her life. And with her, she has a home.
With that family still on her mind, Yelena holds Kate’s hand and asks: “Do you want to have children?”
She felt Kate look at her for a moment, surprised by the question. She can see Kate thinking about it.
“Yes, and no,” Kate looks at her before continuing. “When I was younger, I only thought about becoming an Avenger, fighting villains. It was all I would think about. Even after we met and started dating, kids never crossed my mind.”
Yelena nods, looking at Kate to read her expressions. She can see clearly in her eyes that she was trying to figure out where the question came from. She can also see Kate trying to read her. Tough task at this moment since she didn’t even know what had happened. They went from walking one second to talking about kids the next. The best plot twist in their life if she says so herself. She deserves a pat on the back for that achievement. Kate would not be impressed.
“But I did think about it after our third year together. It happened when we were visiting the Bartons and you played tag with their kids,” Kate says. “I imagined you playing with our kids, chasing after them, laughing with them, with a cute little blonde toddler running by your side.”
They had missed their extended family and decided to go and spend a week there while the kids were on a break from school. What she didn’t expect was the thoughts of forming a family with Yelena to appear. It had been an interesting week with her vivid imagination.
Yelena smiles and Kate returns it. She turns her body to face Yelena.
“Where did that question come from? Is that something you’d like, kids?” Kate asked.
Yelena is about to answer when she sees the same family walking on the other side of the park. Kate looks in the same direction and sees what caught her girlfriend's attention.
“I can’t stop picturing us like that,” Yelena says without taking her eyes off them. “It’s the first time this has happened to me. I haven’t thought about kids before, but now I can’t shake it off my mind.”
They watch the family from afar for a few minutes, laughing and playing with their kids.
“We can have that, you know,” Kate says after some time.
“Can we?” Yelena asks and looks at Kate.
“Yes.”
“What about your life as an Avenger? You’re a hero now.”
“But I can slow down for a while. At least until we get a good balance between life, kids, and crime-fighting. You would also have to stop for some time. I,” she paused. “I can’t imagine having a baby and worrying every night if you’re going to come back to us. Our children have to come first. Always.”
Yelena nods. Kate is absolutely right, their kids need to be their priority. And they will need to have both of their mamas alive.
“You keep saying children, plural. How many kids do you want, Kate Bishop?” Yelena whispers with a smile.
Kate looks down, blushing. “Well, more than one, but less than four. Four is a little too much don’t you think? Two is a good number, but I wouldn’t be opposed to having one more if it feels right.” Kate had hated being the only child at multiple points in her life. It was nice at the beginning because she didn’t have to share her father’s attention. But, after his death and with an absent mother; she wished she had someone she could lean on, someone to share her wins and failures in life. Someone who would love her and who she could love back.
Yelena chuckles and kisses Kate’s forehead. “Yes, two is a good number. What I had with Natasha, as short as it was, was amazing. That sibling's connection. I want our kids to have that.”
Kate nods and opens her mouth to talk but stops. Yelena notices it.
“You can say whatever is on your mind.”
Kate waits for a few seconds before replying. “It sounds amazing, and I want that with you, but I don’t feel ready right now,” Kate says nervously.
“Oh, it’s okay, neither do I. As I said, it’s the first time I’ve thought about it. There’s no need for us to rush into it,” Yelena replies.
“Oh good!” Kate breathes in relief, and they chuckle.
“Should we pause this conversation for the future?” Yelena asks.
“Yes, please.”
They share a kiss turning to face the park to watch Fanny and Lucky play.
Three months later, Yelena decides to un-pause the baby topic. She had to think about everything involving babies now so that she could be ready for when the talk found its way back to them.
She knows she wants children. So now what she needs to do is learn all the logistics around it.
She searches on the Internet and goes to the library every time she can. She asks for books about pregnancy and devours them. There is so much to learn.
(End of flashback)
So, here she is now, her brain filled with eight months' worth of wisdom. She’s learned so much, she is pretty sure she could help any woman deliver a baby by now.
She’s cooking dinner for her little hawk. Kate had called to tell her Bishop Security was running smoothly so she can go home earlier than expected. And just as the timer goes off, indicating that the food is ready, she hears the front door open.
She hears the dogs run to greet Kate.
“Hi, my babies! I know I missed you too!” Kate puts her bags next to the door and crouches to scratch behind Lucky and Fanny's ears.
Yelena chuckles watching her from behind the kitchen counter. “Hello, Kate Bishop. It is really nice to see you too. Oh, how was my day? Very good, thank you.”
Kate laughs, getting up to greet the blonde.
“Hi, baby!” Kate says hurrying to kiss her.
“Hi,” Yelena whispers against her lips. Her arms moved up to Kate’s shoulders. Kate’s arms encircled her waist, pushing their bodies together. Yelena can feel Kate’s excitement; she has a full smile on her lips, and her eyes are shining more than usual.
“I missed you,” Kate says between kisses.
“I missed you too,” Yelena says back, smiling and narrowing her eyes at Kate.
“What?”
“You’re happy about something,” Yelena tells her. She’s known Kate for 5 years; she knows what an excited Kate looks like.
“I am. But I’m also hungry, and it smells good in here. We can talk after we eat.”
“You know I could find out what you’re so happy about if I wanted?” Yelena says, lifting an eyebrow.
“Yes. But you won’t because you love me too much to do that. And I’m gonna tell you anyway because it’s something that involves you too,” Kate smiles.
Yelena huffs a little laugh kissing Kate. “I made your favorite,” Yelena says, moving to take the food out of the oven.
“You’re the best! Have I told you how much I love you?” Kate follows Yelena to kiss her on the cheek.
“No. You were too busy greeting the dogs,” Kate chuckles.
“I. Love. You.” Kate says, kissing her after every word.
Kate pulls away and gives Yelena’s butt a slap running to the bathroom to freshen up.
“ Hey !” Yelena yells after her and hears Kate laughing again.
Everything is set up at the table once Kate finishes in the bathroom. She’s wearing the most comfortable clothes she found. Sweatpants and a black t-shirt.
“How was work?” Yelena asks.
“Amazing. It’s been a while since I had a week without any complications. No big setbacks or significant changes, no security breaches, no one trying to steal from the company…”
Yelena smiles at Kate. “Good. You can finally have a nice relaxing weekend.”
“Oh my God, yes,” Kate groans.
They talk about their day as they eat. Once they finish, they put the dishes in the dishwasher.
Yelena moves to the living room to turn on the TV, and as she settles on the couch, she sees Kate goes to the front door to get the bag she brought home.
She can see Kate is nervous.
.
.
Kate picks up the bag and turns to go to the couch. She’s ready for this. She’s thought about it for a month. She knows she wants it more than anything in the world, even being an Avenger. And she knows Yelena’s on the same page as her. That doesn’t mean she isn’t nervous. Her stomach is doing flip after flip, and she’s sure her palms are sweating.
She fidgets with the bag as she walks to Yelena, and takes a deep breath before sitting next to her.
“I got you something,” Kate says.
“Kate Bishop, it is not my birthday yet. How romantic,” Yelena teases Kate trying to calm her down.
“It’s not a birthday present,” Kate chuckles.
“Why is it for then?” Yelena gives her a curious look.
“I’ve just been thinking,” Kate tells her.
“Is this the reason why you are so happy?”
“It is. Yes,” Kate smiles.
“Ok,” Yelena smiles back. “Are you going to give it to me?” Yelena chuckles.
Kate looks down and realizes she hasn’t given the present to Yelena yet.
“Oh! Yes, of course. I mean, it is for you. Well, not for you exactly but- kind of? I mean, for you but not for you you,” Kate cringes internally at herself. Way to go, Kate, just ramble into asking her to have a baby with you.
“Just open it, please,” Kate passes the gift to Yelena.
Yelena sees Kate’s hands fidget again as her eyes move up and down between the present and her.
Yelena nods, deciding to put her girlfriend out of her misery, and opens the present.
Yelena takes a slim box from the bag and delicately unwraps it. She throws the paper to the floor, reminding herself to pick it up later. She looks at Kate before lifting the top of the box.
Ok, this is it. Kate thinks.
Yelena looks inside the box and sees a black and yellow cloth folded in it. She looks at it, a little confused.
She takes it out of the box, and her heart stops beating for a second before it restarts faster than ever.
“Kate…” she's speechless. She’s holding a little coat. A coat that looks like hers but this one is a mini version. Her eyes start to mist. She can’t stop looking at it.
Kate moves closer to her. “I’m ready,” she says softly.
“Kate,” Yelena whispers and turns her head to look at her.
Kate’s smiling now, her eyes watering too.
“Are-are you sure?” Yelena asks.
Kate nods. “More than anything.”
Yelena looks at the little coat again. Kate just gifted her baby clothing. She thought she was ready to talk whenever Kate brought the topic up. But now she can’t even speak. This is everything. This cute little coat means everything.
Yelena looks at Kate again and grabs the back of her neck, pulling her close and crashing their lips together. She kisses her with everything she has before the growing smile on their lips makes it hard to keep going.
Yelena straddles Kate, pressing their foreheads together. Her hands move up to caress her cheeks.
Kate holds her close with her arms around her waist.
“I want everything with you: The dogs, the baby, the family, the house. I want it all,” Kate whispers, caressing Yelena’s cheek with her nose.
Yelena closes her eyes, enjoying the moment.
Kate suddenly pulls back and looks at Yelena with big eyes. “And we’re going to need a new place. A bigger one, possibly a house,” Kate says.
“Yelena... Children need so much space, more space than I thought. How? They're so little! And our baby is going to need a room! And all the stuff that goes inside that room. Oh my God ! We can paint their bedroom like a Pokémon training center. Did you know they sell Pokémon onesies? ” Kate says excitedly.
Yelena laughs and groans at the same time. “Why Pokémon? How about baby animals? Little elephants or giraffes.”
“Oh yeah, that could work too. Baby penguins all over the walls,” Kate replies dreamily. “ But let’s keep Pokémon as our first option.”
Yelena throws her head back, laughing. She is so in love with this woman.
They look at each other, smiling, enjoying the moment.
“So, are we doing this? We’re having a baby?” Yelena double-checks with Kate.
“Hell yeah, we are!” Kate says, kissing Yelena.
Kate gets up, carrying Yelena, her hands on Yelena’s butt. Yelena’s arms go to her shoulders as Kate walks to their bedroom.
“We should start practicing,” Kate says with a serious face.
“Do you know how babies are made, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asks, nipping at Kate’s neck.
“Of course I do. Lots of practice.”
Yelena's laugh can be heard all around their apartment.
----------------------
Present time
“Okay, all done,” Kate says, leaving the bathroom.
“Good. I want more cuddles with my girls.”
Kate chuckles and walks to the bed to lie down.
Once Kate finds a comfortable position, Yelena kisses her belly.
“I can’t wait to meet you,” Yelena murmurs and feels a little kick on her right hand. She laughs, looking at Kate.
“She can’t wait to meet you either,” Kate smiles.