An Assassin's Favorite Comfort
It's been a long time since Yelena had a nightmare about Natasha. One moment the two were smiling, sparing, drinking and laughing. Being family. And the next Natasha was gone, vanishing before Yelena's eyes. She was alone.
Yelena learned a long time ago not to scream. Screaming meant you felt pain, it let others know you felt pain, let them know how to make you hurt. Yelena never let others see or hear her hurting.
Of course it was easier when she was alone. When she didn't have to worry about waking up her sleeping girlfriend in 4AM just because of a little nightmare.
Kate slept beside her, breathing softly, her back turned to Yelena and a warm blanket falling off her shoulders, "You'll catch a cold my malenkiy yastreb." Yelena pulled the blanket up and leaned over to kiss Kate's cheek. The sleeping archer smiled in her sleep, snuggling further into the warmth.
Yelena looked at her for a moment, the mere sight elevating the pain in her chest. Natasha would have loved her, she was sure of it. With gritted teeth Yelena got out of bed, careful not to disturb Kate. She haphazardly picked up articles of clothing scattered across the floor, it'd be pretty hypocritical of her to walk around naked while chastising Kate for a blanket falling off.
In her haze she hadn't even noticed she picked up Kate's shirt until she was already sitting on the couch. She buried her nose into the comforting scent and let tears fall down her cheeks, careful not to sob too loudly.
At some point Lucky and Fanny woke up and hoped up on the couch to keep her company. She didn't fall asleep again. She couldn't. She was scared to.
She hadn't even noticed how long she'd been awake until she heard Kate calling her name, "Yelena? Yel? You here?" Kate's voice was still heavy with sleep. There was shuffling coming from upstairs followed by a quick tapping of bare feet against the wooden floor. "Yelena."
"I'm here." Yelena tried to give Kate her best smile as the archer approached the couch. Either her acting skills are slipping or Kate's getting better at reading her.
"How long have you been up? No offence but you look terrible." Kate sat in the small space between Yelena and the dogs. "Bad night sleep?"
"No. Just..." Yelena looked away, very aware that her eyes must look red and puffy from crying. "Didn't want to wake you up."
Kate frowned, "Why not? What's bothering you?" She wrapped an arm around Yelena's shoulder and brought her into an embrace, "Talk to me sweetheart." Soft lips pressed against Yelena's forehead, once, twice, "Please."
How can Yelena say no when Kate asks her like that, her words worming her way into Yelena's heart all over again. Kate was one to wear her heart on her sleeve. Which is why she would be a terrible spy. Yelena was an excellent spy. This was Kate, there was no need to her to keep her guard up with Kate. Kate was safety. Kate was trust. Kate was love.
"Natasha." Just speaking her sister's name made Yelena's voice crack despite her best efforts. The assassin let fresh tears fall, her face turned towards Kate's chest, "I saw her die. I saw her happy. We were happy. And then I saw her die." Kate's other arm wrapped around Yelena's back, holding her and listening. "I did not mean to bother you with this, Kate Bishop. It has happened before. I can deal with it on my own."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you have to. I'm here." Kate coaxed Yelena's face from hiding and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Yelena's eyes closed at the contact, pressing further into the comfort of Kate's touch and kiss. "What ever you need, when ever you need it, I'm here."
"Hmm... it's... hard for me to open up about these things. But somehow it's a little bit easier when it's you." Kate blushed, averting her eyes, fully away that looking at Yelena would only make her blush harder and her heart beat faster.
"Glad you feel that way Yel. Now..." Kate coughed, regaining some of her composure, "How does breakfast in bed sound? I can make mac and cheese, not exactly breakfast food but I know it's your favorite."
"Sounds lovely. Only one problem with your plan Kate Bishop. I am not in bed." Kate seemed to take that as a challenge. She smiled and hooked her hands under Yelena's thighs. Yelena quickly wrapped herself around the bubbly archer.
"I can fix that for you." Kate walked them both upstairs and to the bed, the couple laughing and exchanging little kisses all the way there.
When she put Yelena down Kate had a very accomplished look on her face, which made Yelena roll her eyes in mock annoyance, "Dork."
"Your dork. Now wait here. Mac and cheese with extra hot sauce will be ready in a few. And then I am gonna cuddle and kiss you for the entire day. No Avenger business, no missions. Just cuddles." Yelena was actually tempted to skip the mac and cheese and get right to kisses and cuddles from how cute Kate was acting.
"Okay." She replied with a dreamy sigh and fell back onto the bed, "Waiting for you."
Kate smiled, bent down for another quick kiss and ran into the kitchen to make food. Honestly Yelena couldn't wish for a better partner, both on missions and in life.