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schrodingerspsycho · 1 day ago

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Violet Light - Chapter 1

Pairing - Yelena Belova x Kate Bishop

Warnings - None

Word Count - 4.6k

Summary - When Yelena gets home from doing press for the New Avengers, she finds someone else already in her apartment. What follows is a familiar scene, but it leads to something they didn't get to do last time.

Author's Note - This fic contains spoilers for Thunderbolts*!!! Do not read if you don't want the movie spoiled for you! You have been warned!

Yelena sighed as she walked into her apartment, home at last. They’d been forced into nonstop meetings and interviews about their new team that they didn’t even want to be a part of for the last three days, and she was so exhausted she could barely stand. She could train and fight and kill for weeks on end without slowing down, but working with the press was a new kind of torture. Thoughts of her nice, warm bed consumed her so much that she almost didn’t notice that there was someone else in the apartment.

Her knife went sailing across the room and into the wall, narrowly missing a head of black hair as the intruder ducked out of the way. “Kate Bishop?” Yelena said, confused. “What are you doing here? How did you find my apartment?”

“You’re not the only one who can find people,” Kate said, stepping up and glowering down at her. Yelena had forgotten how tall she was.

“Fair enough. Why are you here?” she asked again, before she noticed Kate’s expression. “Wait, are you mad at me or something?”

“Yes, I am mad at you!” Kate cried. “When you never reached out after Christmas, I thought, 'Okay, so she doesn’t want to be my friend.’ And that’s cool. You’re a busy assassin, you don’t have time for friends. You work alone. I get it. Whatever.”

“You wanted to be my friend?” Yelena repeated softly, but Kate didn’t seem to hear her.

“But then you go and join a super team called the New Avengers, and you don’t even invite me?!? You know that’s always been my dream! I thought you at least respected my abilities as a superhero!"

“What? No! No, Kate, I do respect your abilities. You’ve got it all wrong, I never joined any team-”

“Yeah, right, like I’m supposed to believe that. I saw you on the news! I mean, John Walker? He got an invite, and I didn’t? Are you kidding me? He’s not even the only super soldier on the team!”

“We were tricked into it, we were trying to capture Valentina. She hired us to kill each other and then she created a super villain that almost destroyed New York, it was a whole thing.”

“You fought a supervillain? Are you okay- No! Stop making me feel bad for you, I’m supposed to be mad at you!”

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? If you want, you can join. I would love to have you on the team.”

“Wait, seriously?” Kate smiled.

“Yes, you’re very skilled, and it would be good to have someone I actually like on the team. I don’t know most of those people. Like I said, I never wanted to join anything. But if I had made a team, you would’ve been my first call.”

“Are you sure you can do that?”

“Yes. Valentina has to do whatever we say, or we expose her and send her to prison. I say Kate Bishop is on the team, then Kate Bishop is on the team.”

“Wow, that’s pretty good blackmail.”

“Yes, it’s really fun.”

“Oh my god, I’m going to be on a team with Bucky!” Kate squealed. Yelena raised an eyebrow. “Ahem. Thank you for the invitation. I accept. And you’re forgiven.”

“Good,” Yelena said. Then she looked up cautiously at Kate. “Did you really want to be my friend? Like for real?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I mean, you’re a total badass, and you’re really fun when you’re not trying to kill my mentor. You’re like the coolest person I know.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. I… I didn’t know that.” Yelena hung her head, the weight of the months past finally catching up to her. “I wish I had reached out. I’ve been very lonely lately. But I haven’t had a real friend in… a long time.” Anya’s face flashed through her mind. “I wouldn’t have known where to start.”

“Well, let’s start now, then. I’m already here, do you wanna have another girls' night?”

“Yeah, that sounds really fun. Thank you, Kate Bishop.”

“Do you have any mac and cheese?”

��Of course I do. You didn’t make it yet? That’s terrible breaking and entering etiquette.”

“Who says I broke something?”

“Did you?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’ll pay for it.”

Yelena grinned.

Kate followed her into the kitchen and began opening and closing the cabinet doors aimlessly.

“Kate Bishop, what are you doing?”

“I’m looking for your pots. Your kitchen is organized weird.”

“No, it’s not, I’m very organized. You don’t know where anything is, just go sit down. I’ll make the macaroni.”

“No, I want to help.”

“Fine, the pots are in there,” Yelena said, pointing. Kate handed her a pot, and she began filling it with water. “Do you see this, Kate Bishop?” she asked, opening her silverware drawer as she made her way to the stove, revealing a full cutlery set.

“Oh my god, are you still on about that?”

“Yes, I want you to admit how weird it is.”

“Fine,” Kate scoffed. “Now that we’re friends, maybe I’ll get a second fork.”

“How chivalrous of you,” Yelena smirked.

“I love your new haircut, by the way. It looks amazing.”

“Aw, thank you! I love it. It’s so much easier to deal with. The long hair just gets in the way.”

“Yeah, I get that. It really suits you.”

“Kate Bishop, you flatter me. You are so kind.”

“I’m just speaking the truth,” Kate replied with a wink. Yelena averted her gaze. “I wish I could pull off having short hair.”

“You don’t think you could?”

“Oh, no. Definitely not. I tried it in high school, and it was not a good look.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, I buzzed the side.” Kate brushed her hand against the left side of her head and made a disgusted face. “It was bad.”

“No way, you had an undercut? Seriously? I would love to see that!”

“No. No, you wouldn’t.”

“Oh, come on, it can’t have been that bad.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“I think you would look good with short hair.”

Kate snorted. “Maybe in another life.”

“So, are there pictures?” Yelena asked after a moment.

“If there are, you’ll never see them.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’re awful, I just told you!”

“Oh, pretty please, Kate Bishop?” Yelena pleaded, giving her an exaggerated pout and batting her eyelashes.

“Absolutely not.” Kate rolled her eyes. Yelena thought for a moment.

“You know, I would offer to show you an embarrassing high school photo of me in exchange, but I spent all my teenage years being tortured in the Red Room, so I don’t have any.”

Kate stared at her. “Are you seriously trying to use the tragic backstory card to get me to show you an embarrassing picture of me?”

“Yes, absolutely,” she nodded. “Is it working?”

“You are something else,” Kate laughed, picking up a piece of macaroni that had fallen out of the box and flinging it at her.

“What was that?” Yelena exclaimed, unable to keep her own laughter from her eyes.

“What, have you never used macaroni as a weapon before?”

“No, I have not. Macaroni is sacred. I will not accept this blasphemy in my house, Kate Bishop.”

“My deepest apologies,” Kate said sarcastically, folding herself in a goofy and dramatic bow. Yelena laughed. It felt good to laugh.

They made dinner, managing to work together like a well-oiled machine despite the unfamiliarity of the situation. Yelena would’ve thought that a houseguest was the last thing she wanted tonight, but Kate’s presence was strangely comforting. She could feel her exhaustion ebbing away as if Kate was breathing life back into her weary bones with every stupid joke. She was grateful that the archer had forced herself into her life once again; her violet sweater, gorgeous smile, and joyous, shining eyes instantly brightened Yelena’s lonely world. And it wasn’t long before two bowls of mac and cheese had been placed on the table, one smothered in hot sauce and one without, next to two matching silver forks.

“I think it’s about time we shared that drink, huh?” Yelena said, pulling out two shot glasses and her finest bottle of vodka.

“Oh, no thanks. I really only drink cocktails,” Kate replied.

“What? You’ve never done shots before?”

“Well, I have, they just aren’t my thing,” she shrugged.

“Oh, come on, I expected more from you, Kate Bishop,” Yelena proclaimed, already pouring a generous shot for herself. “At least have one drink with me, please. I promise you this is the best vodka you’ll ever taste, I bought it straight from Russia. And you do owe me a drink.”

“You went all the way to Russia just to buy vodka?” Kate chuckled incredulously.

“Yes.”

“Well, I guess I have to try it, then.”

“Yay!” Yelena cheered, her expression giddy. “You will not regret it.”

Kate grinned back at her, her cheeks flushed. Yelena pretended not to notice.

She poured Kate a smaller shot and handed it to her, still smiling. “За тебя!” she saluted, raising her glass.

“Oh, uh… za tebya,” Kate repeated awkwardly. Yelena laughed.

“Oh, Kate Bishop, your Russian is terrible! But I like that you attempted it, that was really cute.”

“I’m not cute,” Kate mumbled, refusing to meet Yelena’s eye. Then she tossed her head back and downed the shot. Yelena stared for a moment, impressed, before downing her own. She shut her eyes, savoring the familiar burn in her throat. Then Kate began to cough.

“Kate, are you okay?” Yelena asked, rushing to her side and rubbing her back soothingly. Kate nodded.

“Yeah, I’m okay. That was just… wow. That was intense.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you drink it.”

“No, no, it was great!”

“Really? You like it?”

“Yeah, I’m just not used to doing shots. But you were right, that’s the best vodka I’ve ever had.

“Okay, good. I’m glad,” Yelena sighed in relief. Then she realised she still had her hand on Kate’s lower back, and she quickly moved away from her. She felt heat rising in her cheeks, and she knew it wasn’t from the vodka. “We should eat before it gets cold.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Kate agreed.

It didn’t take long for them to fall back into comfortable conversation as they ate. They discussed everything that had happened since their last meeting, from Kate spending Christmas with the Bartons to Yelena’s battle with Valentina and Sentry. Yelena left out some of her more depressing stories from the past months, and she suspected that Kate was doing the same. She was just glad that Kate was eating her fill of macaroni this time.

“So tell me about the team,” Kate said as they finished their food and moved over to the couch. “I know you haven’t spent much time with them, but what are they like?”

“Well, there’s uh… Ava. She’s got these disappearing powers and she can go through walls, it’s pretty cool. She’s skilled, and she doesn’t talk much. I like her.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Kate chuckled, and Yelena smiled in spite of herself.

“Then there’s Bob. He needs time to learn how to use his powers again after Valentina turned him into a supervillain. If he even can use them again. But he’s sweet, you will like him.”

“I love that you’ve already redeemed your first supervillain and put him on the team,” Kate said wistfully. Yelena shook her head.

“I told you before, we didn’t do any of it on purpose.”

“But that makes it so much cooler!”

Yelena couldn’t help but smile at Kate’s whining. “Well, there’s one thing you won’t be jealous of, is having to spend time with John Walker. That man is so annoying.”

“Oh, yeah, I bet. Wait, is he actually, like, terrible? I mean, he did help you guys save New York, right?”

Yelena sighed. “Yeah, he did. He’s trying to be a better person. But he’s still insufferable. I mean, I have way more blood on my hands than him, but at least I’m not an asshole!”

Kate laughed, and Yelena smiled proudly to herself.

“Well, I’m sure you can more than put him in his place,” Kate grinned. “Now tell me about Bucky! What’s he like?”

“There’s not much to say,” Yelena frowned. The jump in pitch of Kate’s voice and her eagerly bouncing knee had put a pit in her stomach. It seems she hated Kate’s obsession with the Avengers more than she realized. “He’s kind of a jerk, too, honestly.”

“What? No, that can’t be true.”

“I did tell you he blew up our car and tied us up, yes?”

“Well, yeah, but he didn’t know you were the good guys! He made a mistake, and as soon as he realized it, he became part of the team.”

“Yeah, but he was really rude about it!”

“Okay, well, that must be an occupational hazard for Avengers, because that sounds a lot like Clint,” Kate mused. “I’m sure I can get him to open up.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Kate Bishop.”

Kate gave her a probing look, and Yelena dropped her eyes to the couch. For a moment, she was convinced that Kate could see straight through her.

“And what about the other guy?” Kate said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “The big guy with the red mask. He’s a super soldier, too, right?”

“Oh yes, Alexi,” Yelena smiled, her shoulders instantly relaxing. “He goes by the Red Guardian. He’s… well, he’s my dad.”

“Wait, what? He’s your dad?”

“Well, he’s not my biological father, but yes. He’s my dad. He’s a very silly, kind man, and he loves being a superhero. He was the only one who wanted to be a team. You will like each other.”

“That’s awesome,” Kate grinned. “I didn’t know you had any family left, after… but I’m really glad you do.”

“Me too,” Yelena smiled. “I am actually looking forward to working with him. And he’s over the moon about it. In every interview we did, he would throw his arm around my shoulders and scream that he was so excited to fight crime with his daughter.”

“Awwww, that’s adorable,” Kate giggled, and Yelena couldn’t help but agree. “Are you two close?”

“No. But I think we are starting to be. He may be the worst, but I love him.”

“That’s so great. I’m so happy for you, Yelena,” Kate grinned, a fondness in her eyes that Yelena wasn’t used to. She dipped her head timidly.

“Thank you.”

“Do you really think he’ll like me?”

“Of course. What’s not to like?”

Kate’s face immediately flushed, and Yelena felt her own cheeks growing hot at the sight. She suddenly felt nervous and wanted to look anywhere but at Kate. But she forced herself to push through it; she would have time to sort out the meaning behind these strange emotions later.

“And what about your mother, Kate Bishop?” she blurted, desperate to change the subject. “How did she handle it when you got her arrested?”

“Oh yeah, that,” Kate chuckled, her voice noticeably strained. She shifted uncomfortably and stared at her hands. Yelena cursed herself in her mind. “She’s still awaiting trial. The first time I visited her, she just screamed at me. She said that it was all my fault, that I betrayed her and ruined her life. That Clint had brainwashed me against her, and that… and that my father would be ashamed of me.” Her voice broke on her last word, and her eyes were welling up with tears. Yelena felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and comfort her, but she didn’t know how. “And now she’s refusing to see me. She won’t even leave her cell.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” Yelena consoled. “You do not deserve such treatment.”

“Thanks,” Kate whispered. “It’s fine. I know she still loves me. She just needs some time, that’s all.” She didn’t sound entirely convinced.

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, no, it’s okay. It actually feels good to talk about it with someone. Thank you, Yelena.”

“Your mother is wrong, you know. She is the one who betrayed you. You are very brave, Kate Bishop.”

“You really think so?” she asked, her voice small.

“I would not lie to you.”

Kate gazed up at her, her head smushed into the couch cushion and her lips curling into a sleepy smile. Yelena smiled back, holding her gaze and her breath. For a moment, the world seemed to stop, and a feeling blossomed in her chest that she’d never felt before.

“Do you want to do another shot?” Kate blurted, jumping up and wiping her eyes.

“What? You didn’t even want to do the first one.”

“Yeah, but who knows when I’m gonna get the chance to taste real Russian vodka again?” she replied, already walking toward the kitchen.

“If I have anything to say about it, it will be often,” Yelena said under her breath. She watched as Kate grabbed the bottle and their shot glasses off the table and brought them back over, her hips swaying slightly. She realized too late that she was staring, but Kate didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you ready?” she asked as she poured out two shots, more even this time.

“I didn’t know you were such a party animal,” Yelena smirked.

“Well, you don’t know everything about me, then.”

“I look forward to learning more of your secrets, Kate Bishop.”

“So do I.” Kate handed her her glass and sat back down on the couch, much closer than before. Yelena tried not to think about the way their thighs were pressed together. “Cheers!” she exclaimed, clinking their glasses together. Yelena nodded, and they downed their shots at the same time. Kate started coughing again, but not as badly as before. “Wow, that stuff is strong!”

“Do you need a chaser?”

“No, I’m good. But that’s definitely the last one I’m doing tonight.”

“Yeah, me too,” Yelena decided, setting her glass on the coffee table. Usually, she would consider only two shots to be child’s play, but she didn’t feel the need to keep drinking tonight.

“Oh, and in other news that’s kind of related to my mom, her fiancé, Jack- who’s the nephew of the man she murdered, by the way- still hasn’t called off the engagement! And he’s still trying to be my stepdad!”

“Really? That’s crazy!”

“Yeah, I know! And he’s started hanging out with my LARPer friends, too. He keeps trying to convince me to train him, he says he wants to be my sidekick. He’s started calling himself Swordsman.”

“Oh, that’s bad,” Yelena laughed. “It’s so obvious! That’s like if you just called yourself Archer.”

“Funny you should say that, because that is what he calls me,” Kate said before bursting into laughter of her own.

“No way!”

“I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve told him it’s Hawkeye! He just can’t remember it!”

They laughed, and Kate laid her head on Yelena’s shoulder. And if Yelena’s whole body hadn’t tensed, she might’ve kept it there.

“He sounds like a very strange man.”

“Oh, believe me, he is,” Kate nodded. “But he’s also a really good guy. I mean, I’m not gonna start calling him dad anytime soon, but it’s nice that he’s stuck around.”

“That’s great,” Yelena smiled.

“Yeah. And there was something else I was gonna tell you, what was it? Oh yeah, some kid who calls herself Ms. Marvel showed up in my apartment a couple months ago and asked me to join her superhero team.”

“What?”

“Yeah, it sucks when someone keeps something like that from you, doesn’t it?” Kate said with a shit-eating grin.

“Wait, so you already joined another team?” Yelena cried, punching her in the shoulder softly. Softly for her, anyway.

“Yep.”

“Then you can’t join the New Avengers with me?” she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

“Yeah, I can! I’ll join both!”

Yelena raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to try to be on two superhero teams at the same time?”

“Yeah, I mean I can alternate missions if I have to, but it’s not like I have much else going on. I already dropped out of school, and Bishop Security practically runs itself.”

“That is… so like you,” Yelena smirked. “So, who is this Ms. Marvel girl anyway? Who else is on the team? What daring missions have you gone on together?”

“Well, right now it’s just me and Kamala- that’s her name- and we haven’t actually gone on any missions yet.”

“What, you haven’t? Have you done anything yet? Do you even have a team name?”

“...No.”

“Well then, there isn’t a team at all! You cannot count that!”

“Okay, but she said she’s trying to recruit others. And she said she knows Nick Fury, so she’s gotta be legit.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Yelena rolled her eyes. “What legitimacy does this Kamala have besides claiming to know Nick Fury? Who is she?”

“She’s the kid who saved Jersey City!”

“A kid? How old is she?”

“She’s sixteen.”

“Sixteen? She is a baby! Babies should not be superheroes!”

“She has superpowers!”

“That does not matter,” Yelena said dismissively, waving her hand. “You cannot work with her.”

A mischievous grin spread across Kate’s face. “Why not? Are you jealous?”

“Of course I am not jealous! If you want to fight crime with an infant, then fight crime with an infant. I don’t care.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Kate kept staring at her with that knowing look on her face, and this time Yelena couldn’t hold her gaze. “You know, if I had to choose, I would join your team.”

Yelena scoffed. “Oh, so you can work with Bucky?”

“What? No, so I can work with you.”

Yelena stared at her in confusion. Kate gave her a soft smile.

“You really want to work with me?”

“Yes, obviously!” she exclaimed. “Like I said, you’re awesome, and this is the most fun I’ve had in months. And we’re friends now! Fighting crime is always more fun with friends.”

Yelena smiled. “I want to work with you, too,” she breathed. “This is the most fun I’ve had… maybe ever.”

“Really?”

“Like I said, I have never had a real friend before. And this is the first girls' night I’ve had without any ulterior motives.”

“You mean you don’t break in and make dinner for all the girls you fight?”

“How many times must we go over this? I didn’t break anything!”

“Okay, whatever,” Kate laughed, her hand falling onto Yelena’s leg. She glanced down at the point of contact.

“And no, you are the only one,” she said softly.

“Good.”

“Did this Kamala break anything in your apartment?”

“Yeah, she tore my door right off its hinges. With her superpowers,” Kate replied smugly. “She didn’t make me mac and cheese, though.”

“Ah, so she is the one who is teaching you this bad etiquette! She is a bad influence on you, Kate Bishop,” Yelena declared.

“I guess you’re gonna have to teach me some of your moves, then.”

“I guess so.”

“Can’t wait.”

“And what else is there, Kate Bishop?” Yelena asked. It was finally her turn to fix Kate with a knowing gaze.

“What?”

“Oh, come on, you’ve been wanting to ask me something all night, I can see it in your eyes. So go on, what is it?”

“Okay, how impressed were you when I snuck in here and dodged your knife?” Kate asked eagerly, her eyes shining like an excited puppy’s. Yelena smiled.

“Very impressed,” she said proudly. “You dodged it like a pro; that was good form. And I didn’t know you were here until I got inside, you hid surprisingly well.”

“Yes! Oh my god, thank you, I was so nervous about it. And I was trying so hard to be intimidating when I confronted you, did it work? Was I intimidating?”

“Oh, no. No, you cannot intimidate me, Kate Bishop,” Yelena chuckled. “But you did look really good.”

“Really?”

“I’ve never had someone step up to me so boldly like that before. It was…”

“Hot?” Kate offered with a confident smirk.

“Yes.” Yelena shifted to look at her straight on, a challenge in her voice.

“W-what?” Kate chuckled, her cheeks turning red and her eyes growing wide and hopeful. It was all the permission Yelena needed, and she spoke before she could second-guess herself.

“I said you’re hot, Kate Bishop. Is that okay for me to say?”

“Y-yeah. Yeah, that’s more than okay.” Kate moved so they were now shoulder to shoulder, and Yelena felt herself leaning in.

“Good, you deserve to know. You are beautiful, Kate Bishop.”

“You don’t have to keep saying my whole name, you know. I know you know it.”

“Maybe I just like the sound of it, huh?” Yelena said, leaning closer still. “I’m not talking to any other Kates. I’m talking to you.”

“Oh,” Kate breathed.

“Can I kiss you, Kate Bisho-”

She felt Kate cup her cheeks, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her waist. This wasn’t her first kiss, but it was the first one that had ever felt like this. She felt as if she’d flung herself off the Merdeka again, but she was falling up instead of down. Her heart was positively soaring, and she never wanted to land. This must be that light Alexei was talking about, she thought dreamily.

“Wow,” Kate gasped when they broke apart a moment later. “That was amazing. I was not expecting that when I came over tonight, but I’m so glad we did it. Are you? Did you like it? Was that good? ‘Cause I don’t know, it’s been like over a year since I’ve kissed anyone, and I don’t know if I-”

“Kate,” Yelena interrupted, taking her hand. Her skin was soft, and she could feel all the calluses built up from her years of being an archer. The sensation made her heart beat even faster. “You talk a lot, do you know that?”

“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I might’ve heard that before.”

Yelena smiled at her affectionately. “It’s cute when you talk so much. And you’re right, that was amazing.”

“Oh, good. That’s a relief,” she sighed.

“Do you… want to do it again?”

“Yeah, I-I do. I do,” Kate stammered. “But you actually want to kiss me, right? Like it’s not just the vodka?”

“I am Russian, remember? Two shots is nothing,” Yelena scoffed. “Besides, vodka doesn’t make you do things you don’t want to do. It gives you the courage to do things you’re too scared to do.”

“Are you saying you were scared to kiss me?” Kate grinned.

“Social skills are not my strong suit, but I know that kissing each other can ruin friendships. I do not want to ruin ours before it even starts.” I don’t want to lose you, she finished in her head.

“Don’t worry, we didn’t ruin anything.”

“Good.”

Then they were kissing again, and Yelena couldn’t have stopped it if she’d tried. They were less cautious this time, pushing against each other in what felt like the greatest battle Yelena had ever fought. But it ended entirely too soon as Kate pulled away once again.

“There is one problem, though.”

Yelena’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not Russian, so the vodka is kinda getting to me. I think I might be too drunk to walk back to my place.”

“Are you asking me if you can stay the night, Kate Bishop?” Yelena smirked.

“I-is that okay?”

“I was hoping you would.” Yelena dropped her gaze to her lap. “I… I really don’t want to be alone right now.”

“You never have to be alone, Yelena,” Kate said softly, squeezing her hand. “You have me now.”

Yelena didn’t know what had happened first: her tugging on Kate’s shirt, Kate’s fingers finding their way into her hair, or their mouths colliding once again. All she knew was that Kate tasted like mangos, and she never wanted to stop kissing her.

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