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“Yelena! I’m ready!” Kate called as she finished adjusting her quiver. She turned to the mirror on their bedroom door and threw up little finger guns at herself, winking at her reflection. Just as she blew a kiss-Kate felt something grab her ankle and she shrieked, jumping higher than her bed was. She fell on her ass and glowered at a giggling Yelena Belova. The blonde was laying on her stomach under their bed, already dressed in her mission suit. Kate huffed and rubbed her sore ass.
“Seriously, Yelena?” Kate grumbled.
Her girlfriend crawled out from underneath their bed, still laughing as she stood. “Got’cha!” Kate rolled her eyes when Yelena had to hold her stomach from how hard she was laughing.
“I hate you,” Kate huffed. She went to stomp out of their bedroom but Yelena caught her by her wrist and swung her around and into her arms. Yelena gave her a dirty grin and Kate rolled her eyes again, though she didn’t resist when Yelena connected their lips. In fact, she groaned pleasurably when Yelena licked into her mouth. She’ll allow it, just this time.
—
It had rained hard just an hour ago. Yelena and Kate were careful as they hopped between buildings and slid beneath pipes. They were chasing after your average bad guy, a man who they had spied on the previous week. The man was trained, made obvious by how he kept up his speed while jumping on city building rooftops, but he lacked any sort of smarts. This was made obvious from how he had left his trafficking buddies to head home by himself. So, this was pretty light work for the spy and PI.
“Left!” Kate yelled to the blonde. Yelena grunted in reply and weaved to the furthermost left side of the rooftop while Kate curved to the right. She sped up, her long legs giving her an advantage over the short man, and cut the trafficker off. She slammed into his side, her shoulder sending him flying into Yelena’s waiting Widow's Bite. The man’s body flailed around erratically before he collapsed onto the wet roof, smoke coming off his fried body.
Yelena chuckled, unhooking a pair of electrically charged handcuffs and slapping them over the man’s wrist and a metal pipe. She wiped her brow and smiled at her girlfriend who stood on the edge of the roof. Kate smiled back at her but before she could take a step towards Yelena, her boots slipped on the wet edge and she promptly fell off.
Yelena burst out laughing, the sight so comical and so Kate Bishop. Yelena wiped her eyes and walked over to the edge to peer down at her girlfriend.
“Oh, Kate Bishop. Always so clum-Kate?”
Kate laid on pavement that belonged to a wet alleyway. She was on her stomach, face pressed into the ground and limbs splayed out unnaturally. She was limp. Yelena’s heart dropped. “Kate!” she screamed at her but still, no response. Yelena jumped off the roof, landing on a dumpster before rushing to Kate. She dropped to her knees and clutched her girlfriend’s body.
“Detka? Baby, can you hear me? Oh, Kate, please!” Yelena shook Kate but the brunette limply, lifelessly yielded to her movements. Yelena’s brain started to melt in panic and her breath came harsh and fast, much faster than they were supposed to. She fumbled with her Widow's Bites, readying to revive Kate, to try anything, anything to save her Kate.
The supposedly dead woman giggled. Yelena snapped her head down and stared with wide eyes as her girlfriend clutched her stomach in laughter. She was speechless.
“Got’cha!” Kate jested, mimicking Yelena’s commonly used phrase. Yelena stared. Kate couldn’t read her expression. There wasn’t really one. Yelena stood, turned around, and walked off. Kate watched for half a second before rushing after her.
—
Oh, Yelena was mad. Kate could tell from their silent walk home. Kate had tried talking to her when she first caught up but Yelena had ignored her. For the entire walk home, Kate stared at her feet and listened to her breathing as she trailed behind her silently furious lover. Kate Bishop was in deep shit.
—
“Yelena?” Kate softly asked from their bedroom door. The blonde was in her pajamas now and was under the sheets. She faced away from Kate and stayed silent. Kate almost whined. She moved to sit next to her girlfriend’s feet. She cautiously placed her hand over them on top of the blanket but Yelena didn’t react.
“Baby? Please talk to me. I’m sorry I scared you.” Kate sighed as she fiddled with their blanket. “I just wanted to get back at you f–”
“Get back at me?” Yelena’s voice was harsh and quiet. Kate swallowed and nodded, despite Yelena not looking at her.
“Yeah.” Her voice sounded squeaky.
Yelena sat up, the blanket falling down her body but she continued to face away from Kate.
“By pretending you died?” Yelena practically growled. Kate really did whine this time.
“Elena, I’m sorry–” Yelena turned around and Kate gasped. Kate had been wrong. No, Yelena wasn’t mad. She was sobbing–
“Oh, baby!” Kate immediately embraced the blonde. Yelena shook in her arms. Her hand came up and gripped Kate’s collar, like she was unsure if she wanted to push her away or pull her closer. Kate pressed a soothing kiss to her neck and Yelena finally relaxed in her arms, trembling as Kate held her tightly.
“I can’t-Kate. I cannot lose you. I lost my sister and I couldn’t handle it, I lost myself for so long. If I lost you–!” Kate bit the inside of her cheek hard, the taste of copper filling her mouth. Kate, you fucking idiot. She nosed Yelena’s neck, trying to sooth both Yelena and herself, quietly crying.
“I’m sorry, Yelena. I should have thought. I didn’t think, I just–! I heard you laugh when I fell and all I thought of was how you scared me this morning and I… I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.” Kate continued to apologize over and over again, sobbing with Yelena. Yelena eventually laid back against the bed, dragging Kate with her and clutching her to her body. Kate hiccupped.
“I promise, Yelena. Nothing is going to happen to me, okay? Not when I have you here. Not with you protecting me. And if you weren’t? I could protect myself. Falling off a little building isn’t going to hurt me. I promise.” Yelena shuddered against her. “Talk to me, baby…”
Yelena swallowed down her tears and shakily inhaled. “I-Kate, I do not want you going on missions anymore.”
“What?” Kate’s head popped up, face red and tear tracks shining in the lamplight.
“I don’t want either of us to–for a while. My heart can’t… Is that okay?”
Kate looked into Yelena’s glimmering green eyes, so shiny from tears. She gently took Yelena’s face in her hands and tenderly kissed her.
“For as long as you need, baby.”