Chapter Text
“Kate Bishop, we’re not having this conversation”
“Yelena, if you would just listen to what I have to say-”
“маленький ястреб, enough, I am going alone, you will stay here. End of discussion”
“Don’t look at me like that Kate?” Of course, Kate couldn’t win tonight apparently.
“Oh so now I can’t even look at yo-”
“That is not what I’m remotely saying” as Yelena progressively starts to get increasingly annoyed by Kate’s existence.
But Kate couldn’t let this go “Listen, Clint reached out to me about this too, ok? That has to mean something, that he wanted us both here! And I know I’m not nearly as experienced as you” Yelena snorted “Ok, that wasn’t needed. And I know we haven’t really worked together but…I think we could be a good team.” Yelena was looking right into her soul now “and-and furthermore, I know you could do this on your own, I know you could do anything you put your mind to. But you shouldn’t have to do everything alone” she smiled.
There was silence for a few moments, perhaps Kate had pushed her luck a bit far. Then finally Yelena sighed “...Yeah this is not happening, I am leaving now.”
“Wait-What-Hey” Kate shouted after the Russian Assassin.
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This all started a few days ago, when the notoriously ‘retired’ Clint Barton called up Kate out of the blue.
“Hey, Hawkeye, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Kate, before I say this, I need you not to freak out. This is serious.”
“Uhhhh, yeah of course what’s up” she sat down on the closest chair, nervously playing with the clutter (sue her, she was a busy lady) all over her dining room table.
“Listen, there's an issue that’s come up - and I need you to go on my behalf” Clint relented “God it must be over a decade ago now, when I was with SHIELD. It was actually one of mine and Nat’s first missions together.” chuckling slightly “There was this guy, names Vassily Ilyich Ulyanov. He worked for General Dreykov, who ran the Red Room, the programme Natasha was made from”
“And Yelena?” Kate didn’t know why she said that name. They hadn’t really talked about her after Christmas. Kate wasn’t even present when everything went down between the pair. Clint clearly lived, so it must have been fine in some capacity but there was always this air of tension about the subject.
Clint paused “Yeah…and Yelena” as he then continued “He was a hired mercenary, but he was doing a lot of spec ops for the Russian government at the time. Basically a hired hit man but with a private army to back him. When Nat switched over to our side, they sent him after her, like Dreykov did to all his dissenters. We thought we killed him and tore down his ‘Empire’ as he called it”
He continued “Turns out we were wrong. I’ve heard murmurs for a few months now but in the last few weeks a few of my contacts have reached out.” he went silent for a second, almost struggling to get the words out “They think he’s trying to restart the Red Room Kate”
Fuck. This was a lot. I mean she was certainly improving but this was a big mission that Kate was questioning how prepared she could possibly be for something like this. I mean part of her was honoured that Clint would even think she could do this.
“Now listen” Clint lectures “I would normally try and do this myself. But my body has been really catching up to me-and before you call me and old man or get worried - I’m going to be fine, this is just what happens to us normal heroes” Kate chuckles at that “and with the kids and Laura - I just don’t know if I can do this one Kate” he says remorsefully “Do you think you can do it Kate?”
“I’ve got this Clint. I’ve been training, I’ve even had some tips from Daredevil of all people” she relented “but seriously, I know how much Natasha meant to you and I’ve got this”
“Thank you Kate, that means a lot, Natasha would want us to stop this” Clint said “And don’t worry I’m not completely leaving you out to dry, I’ve got a guy who’ll get your equipment to you, I’ve got a safe house and I’m going to be on comms and helping you from here”
“Look at me, my very own guy in the chair” Kate teased.
“Don’t push it, Hawkeye”
“Ok, Ok” She relented “So where in the world am I headed, you didn’t seem to get that far”
“Where it all began - Budapest”
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Considering the rich girl stereotype, Kate had never been to Europe. Clint had sorted her flight over and fake ID, before giving her the location to the safe house. He’d said it was one of his and Natasha’s “old haunts”.
It was a pretty impressive place all things considered, walking up the spiral staircase. She knew she shouldn’t be as excited as she was, with the nature of the mission, but this was a big deal. This was her chance to prove herself.
Kate opened the envelope that Clint had sent her with, creeping in the door. She was prepared for this (she had a step by step list).
Step 1. Open the door but don’t go fully inside yet.
Step 2. Slowly move through the apartment and check for threats.
Step 3. When check is complete, place important things in a safe place
Step 4. Chill.
So she did just that. The ghosts of Black Widow and Hawkeye certainly haunted this safe house. It had clearly gone through it, to the point that she was surprised it was still standing in some ways. When she entered the kitchen there were visible gun shot-wait no those were from arrows. That must have been Clint.
“Huh” Kate muttered, a feeling of awe at seeing the history of her predecessor first hand.
“You know you should really be more aware of your surroundings”
“FUCK” and without a thought she grabbed the nearest object, which appeared to be a bowl, and threw it at the voice.
“Kate Bishop, we have to stop meeting like this” having caught the bowl, the blonde smirked right at her.
“God, we need to get a bell on you or something” Kate said, catching a breathe.
“A bell would not suit my day job very well Kate Bishop” Yelena tilts her head, smirk still very apparent. She was clearly having fun with this.
“So, we’re still on the first-last name thing, huh” she half-heartedly joked, chuckling a little to herself.
“Oh that’s never going to stop” She smiles more fully now, with teeth. Kate isn’t sure if she should be honoured, likely being one of the few people to ever get to experience such a thing.
The archer hesitated slightly “Yelena - what are you doing here?”
The spy relents, sitting down at the dining room table. Well, it would be rude not to join her.
“I could ask you the same question” with a slight glare “And if I may add, I have used this safe house long before you, me and Natasha are responsible for that” pointing at a crack in the wall “But back to your question, I fear, we are both here under the same pretense” leaning forward, almost interrogating her.
Kate quickly looked away “What- I don’t know what you could be talking about - I uh, I’m here on a holiday, a little getaway, I’m rich like that”
The blonde stared blankly at her.
“Ok fuck it-I’m here to Ulyanov” Who was she to try and lie to a Black Widow.
Yelena hums “You would not do very well in interrogation маленький сокол, they would, how you say ‘eat you alive” as she fiddles with her rings.
Almost tumbling out of her mouth “What can i say, I can’t say no to hot blondes” she throws back with a slight grin. Yelena had the upper hand here, she might as well have a little fun herself.
It doesn’t face her for a second, but maybe she’s done so much training that she’s gotten pretty good at hiding stuff like that “Well flattery will get you everywhere Kate Bishop, I am devastatingly hot” at least she had the ego to back it up “except on this mission as you will be staying here and booking yourself a flight home” her smile becoming a straight serious line.
“Wait-What no - that’s not how this works. How did you even know about-wait - did Clint reach out to you”
“He did” That would have been nice to know Clint “What he failed to mention was that he was sending his protege in his steed, not that I wanted him here either” it seemed Yelena Belova didn’t pull the punches, even orally “I am doing this on my own. This is my life, my people, and it is not going to be tied up in a pretty bow like you did with Barton. People are going to die Kate”
Kate sympathised, she did, which is why she wanted to help. “But Yelena, I can help, if you just let me-”
“Kate Bishop we are not having this conversation”
“Yelena, if you would just listen to what I have to say-”
“маленький ястреб, enough, I am going alone, you will stay here. End of discussion”
“Don’t look at me like that Kate?” Of course, Kate couldn’t win tonight apparently.
“Oh so now I can’t even look at yo-”
“That is not what I’m remotely saying” as Yelena progressively starts to get increasingly annoyed by Kate’s existence.
But Kate couldn’t let this go “Listen, Clint reached out to me about this too, ok? That has to mean something, that he wanted us both here! And I know I’m not nearly as experienced as you” Yelena snorted “Ok, that wasn’t needed. And I know we haven’t really worked together but…I think we could be a good team.” Yelena was looking right into her soul now “and-and furthermore, I know you could do this on your own, I know you could do anything you put your mind to. But you shouldn’t have to do everything alone” she smiled.
There was silence for a few moments, perhaps Kate had pushed her luck a bit far. Then finally Yelena sighed “...Yeah this is not happening, I am leaving now.”
“Wait-What-Hey” Kate shouted after the Russian Assassin.
They called Clint, much to Yelena’s chagrin as she mumbled “I do not need to take orders from a man who named himself after a bird”
“Listen Yelena, I know Kate isn’t as- experienced in you in many ways” she could feel Yelena’s glare on her. “But the matter is, you can’t do this on your own and you shouldn’t have to. Me and Nat certainly couldn’t and you know how good she was.” He paused slightly “So you have to believe me when I say, Kate is up for this, I’ve been training her and she’ll listen to you. I’ll be assisting you guys get all the information you need when you need it.”
“Barton,” Yelena grunted.
“I know this means a lot to you. You and Nat took these fuckers down together, but that should prove to you how you need a partner. I know there are no other widows here are there?”
Yelena hesitated “There are…There are not.” side eyeing Kate.
“Right well - I think you guys could be a good team. A Hawkeye and a Black Widow, pretty perfect partnership if you ask me”
“I also want to add that Clint didn’t tell me about you being here either” no one said anything “which is fine, I just want it noted how chill I was.” she mumbled.
It was quiet for a few moments until “Ok” Yelena quietly mumbled.
“Wait really?” Kate couldn’t help herself, the shock leaking out of her.
Quirking an eyebrow at the archer “Yes really Kate Bishop, we will be partners as you say” but she looked at her, really looked at her now “But you have to understand, people are going to die here Kate, are you going to be able to do that Kate”
This was the sticking point with Kate. She hadn’t killed someone that was never on her hero list, even though her hero Clint certainly had. But to save these people, these unsuspecting women, she’d have to make a choice “I can do it.”
“Ok” she relented “Partners, it is Kate Bishop.”
Partners. With a Black Widow. Helped by Hawkeye. Bringing down the Red Room 2.0. Kate was kinda freaking out.