Chapter Text
Yelena sighed as she reluctantly followed Kate.
Ever since meeting, and then later, coming to an understanding, Kate had been trying to get Yelena to open up more. The archer tried to invite the blonde everywhere, whether it was just to get coffee or lunch, or to go check out a possible threat.
It was odd, for Yelena. She was used to being on her own, and Kate could be very high in energy. The two of them were very different from each other, and Yelena still wasn’t used to the brunette. However, because of how determined (stubborn) Kate was, Yelena had a new constant in her life. She had lost her sister, and she could never be close with Clint. She didn’t really know how to be anything besides the trained spy and assassin she had been most of her life. And despite the fact that the both of them were highly skilled, they had grown up vastly different. Then there was the age gap. Yelena was older by eight years, which would’ve been thirteen if she hadn’t been affected by the Blip.
It had taken time for them to find even footing after Yelena had tried to kill Kate’s mentor. Even though Yelena had learned the truth, and Kate understood, Yelena had disappeared for a while. She had needed space. She hated the truth she had learned about her sister’s death, but she could believe it. Part of her sympathized with Clint. He missed Natasha, too. And he had been unfortunate to watch her sacrifice herself. But the rest of her resented him. After parting ways after destroying the Red Room, Yelena hadn’t gotten to see her sister again. Then she had been dusted, and when she came back, five years later, she had found out her sister was gone. Yet, Clint Barton had gotten to see her. Natasha had found a place in his family, had spent years with the experienced archer, while Yelena had still been a pawn of the Red Room. Then they had been reunited, only to part ways again. The young girl in her wanted to scream about how unfair it was.
Yelena had spent a couple months in Ohio, back in the town where she had gotten to be a normal girl with a normal family. She had grieved her sister all over again, spending a lot of her time sitting in front of her sister’s grave.
Three and a half months after disappearing, she had found her way back to New York. She had wanted to collect Natasha’s things that had been left in a safe house. Somehow, Kate Bishop had found her. After the time away, and because Yelena was able to separate Kate and Clint in her mind, she had grudgingly agreed to talk. And now Kate was the closest thing to a friend Yelena had.
Kate dragged Yelena into all her shenanigans. This time, it was a stakeout at an old abandoned warehouse.
“Kate Bishop, why are all the people you look into so cliche?”
“Shh, we’re trying to be sneaky!”
Yelena rolled her eyes, but crouched down next to Kate. She watched the group of men and women carefully, despite the fact that she was pretty sure they weren’t going to try anything, at least, not yet.
A flash of movement from outside a nearby window caught the blonde’s attention. She carefully made her way over the to pane of glass, trying to figure out what she saw. She was ninety percent sure it wasn’t a bird, but when she didn’t see anything, returned to their hiding spot.
As Kate tried to get closer, she slipped on a patch of oil. As she fell, she knocked into a few boxes, causing one to tip over. The contents spilled out of the cardboard, tumbling off the walkway they were on, down to the ground.
“Uh-oh,” Kate winced as the men and women turned towards the noise, spotting both women.
“Just great.” Yelena rolled her eyes as she got ready to fight. “Is this all going to plan, Kate Bishop?” she asked sarcastically as she made her way to the edge of the walkway. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed a nearby chain, and swung down to the ground. She was better at hand to hand combat than Kate, who had already pulled her bow and arrows out.
“Sorry!” Kate called out as she notched an arrow. “But hey, think of the bright side! Today isn’t boring anymore!”
They worked well as a team, even though there was room for improvement. However, the group they were fighting were stronger than they looked. Even with Yelena’s years of training, and Kate’s trick arrows, they were definitely out numbered.
Peter sighed as he walked home, alone. His shoes scuffed against the concrete as he kept his head low. He dreaded going home to an empty apartment, knowing he had no friends or family to help heal the dull ache that had become a permanent resident in his chest.
He was a stranger, now, to all those he loved. Well, those who were still alive, anyway. In his eighteen years of life, he had lost his parents, his uncle, Tony, and May. Five parental figures, three in front of him. And Tony and May… he had lost them in such a short span of time. And as much as he was desperate to see Ned and MJ again, he knew it would be better for them to continue their lives without the added danger of knowing Spider-Man. His visit to the cafe was the last time he talked to them, though he kept tabs on them. It hurt, watching them continue their lives without him, but he needed to know they were safe. It would be the only way his choice would seem worth it. Saving the multiverse had been important, but keeping MJ and Ned safe was what really sealed Peter’s choice. He gave up everything, to ensure their futures.
In some ways, his choice had been freeing. He no longer had to worry about trying to keep his secret identity, and though he had put his academics on hold after getting his GED, at least he could say he had the equivalent of a high school diploma. He knew he was smart enough to get into college, but since the world no longer knew he existed, there would be a lot of hurdles to clear. For the time being, he was done with school. He couldn’t have the college experience he had been planning on, but he could focus on being Spider-Man.
Peter knew he would probably have to get a job at some point, even if it was just so he had something else besides patrolling to do. He had some money tucked away, his inheritance from his parents, Tony, and May. Somehow, it had all ended up in a bank account set up for him. He had a feeling Dr. Strange had a hand in it, wanting to make sure he didn’t have to struggle financially once no one remembered him. It was a lot more that he expected. But he only touched it for rent, and to buy enough food to keep up with his metabolism. He knew he could’ve afforded a nicer place, but considering most of the time he wasn’t in the apartment, he didn’t see the point.
His time was divided between researching various scientific topics in the library, or being Spider-Man. He had his suit with him at all times, and had even added Karen into his phone. She was the only one he had, and he knew how depressing it was that she was just an AI. But she was his tether to his old life, to Tony.
Peter was nearly home, exhausting weighing him down, when Karen alerted him to a commotion in a nearby abandoned warehouse. He debated ignoring it, as he hadn’t eaten in hours, and hadn’t slept more than a few hours each night for the past week. But he had made a promise, and he wasn’t going to break it.
He ducked behind a dumpster, quickly changing into his suit. He swung over to the warehouse, taking a moment to assess the situation. There was a group of twenty or so men and women, all armed, aiming for two other women. The two women were definitely a team, but even with their evident training and skills, were outnumbered.
As Peter watched the brunette with the bow, he was struck with deja vu. Though he never spent too much time around Clint Barton, the only times being during the fight at the airport, and the fight against Thanos, he could see Hawkeye’s influence. Peter prided himself on noticing small details, which meant he also noticed the similarities between the blonde woman and Natasha. It had hurt to think about her, so he pushed it aside. It didn’t matter who the two women were, or who they might know. What mattered was that they needed help.
Peter swung in through an open window, and managed to web up seven of the assailants before they could spot him. He vaguely heard the two women he was helping trying to decide if they could trust him. The blonde wasn’t sure, but the brunette was trying to convince her he would be helpful. He ignored them for the time being, focusing on getting the weapons away from the remaining enemies.
The women joined him, having come to a decision that he was on their side. Together, the three of them managed to get the upper hand on the group, though not without some injuries. Peter himself was fine, though exhausted to the point he was almost asleep on his feet. But when he looked back to check on the other two, he immediately zeroed in on their injuries. The blonde had a cut on her face (and all he could picture was MJ, and the band-aid on her face the last time he spoke to her), and the brunette definitely got sliced with a knife. She had a hand on her side, wincing slightly. The tips of her fingers were red with her blood and Peter stumbled backwards.
All of a sudden, he was watching May die again. It was hard to breathe, and he knew his heart rate had sped up. He backed away, trying to distance himself.
“Whoah, dude,” the brunette raised one of her hands as she stepped closer, the other still pressed to her side. “You okay?” There was concern in her voice, as if he was the injured one, not her.
Peter tried to wave away her worry, but found he couldn’t. He couldn’t focus on anything as she moved closer.
“Okay, I hope you can hear me. I’m going to lift your mask up—”
Peter tried to push her hands away, or shake his head. He had only grown more panicked at her words. He had sacrificed everything he had left to make sure his identity stayed secret.
“Just so you can breath better. I promise, I won’t take it all the way off, okay?”
Kate was concerned, but knew she had to try and stay calm. She waited for confirmation, then proceeded to pull the mask up just enough that his mouth and nose weren’t covered. She led him through some breathing exercises, ignoring Yelena’s questioning look.
There was something about the masked guy that made Kate want to comfort him. He might have been just a random stranger under the mask, but he had helped her and Yelena. That meant something. Ever since she had returned to New York after Christmas and New Years, things had changed. She still visited the Bartons often, and they checked in on her a lot. As much as part of her wanted to stay there on the farm and escape what her life had become, she knew she needed to be in New York. Her mom was in New York, and so was Jack.
It had been just her and Lucky, trying to navigate around a new life. Until Yelena returned to New York. Kate would call her a friend, but she was the only one she had that understood. Now, there was something about the guy in front of her that made her sure he would understand, too. He had helped them, so now she was going to help him.
It took about five minutes, but she had managed to stay calm enough to help his breaths even out. Once she was sure he was okay, she moved back a little to give him space. She glanced at Yelena from the corner of her eye. The blonde was standing a few feet away from them, keeping lookout.
“Thanks.”
Kate turned and smiled at the stranger. “Hey, it’s no problem. I’m Kate. And you don’t have to tell us who you are, I totally get it, secret identities and everything, but—”
“Just breathe for a moment Kate Bishop,” Yelena’s voice cut in. “You are startling to ramble again. I don’t know if he wants to hear that.”
From what they could see of the guy’s face, they could tell he was amused by the two of them. “No, it’s… it’s okay. Reminds me of…” he trailed off. “Anyways, it’s fine. Thank you, Kate. And…?” He turned to look at Yelena.
She raised an eyebrow, appraising him. Satisfied by something she saw, she replied. “Yelena.”
Something sparked in Peter’s memory upon hearing the name. After everything with Thanos, after Natasha and Tony… There had been two funerals. The one for Tony had been at the cabin, by the lake. The one for Natasha had been in Ohio, something that Peter had been confused by. But he had gone, along with the other heroes. He hadn’t known her well, only had one brief conversation with her before the fight at the airport, but he knew how much she had done for them, for the universe. Though there was a lot of Natasha’s life he didn’t know, Clint had told a few stories. And he had mentioned someone named Yelena, how she and Natasha had spent some time in Ohio together, as sisters. “Natasha’s sister.”
“You know of me? You knew my sister?” Yelena moved closer, wanting answers. Though she knew Natasha hadn’t been ashamed of her or anything, their pasts usually stayed in the past. She knew Clint Barton had known of her, but she wasn’t aware anyone else did.
Peter hesitated, knowing he had said something he couldn’t take back. “Yeah, I… I met her, once. Years ago. That’s the only time I actually talked to her. But… I was there. At her funeral.”
“So you were… are… one of them.”
“Was.” Peter knew what Yelena meant. “I was one of them. Past tense. But yeah, I was there, I fought alongside them all against Thanos.” He knew telling them what he had been through was not the same as telling them who he was, and that they, more than anyone else, would understand. Even if they weren’t there, had never fought alongside a bunch of Avengers, they had clearly been through some stuff.
“Whoah…” Kate looked at him in awe, before her expression dropped into a frown. “Dude, how old are you?”
Peter hesitated. He didn’t want to rope anyone else into his life. That’s why, as much as it hurt for everyone to forget him, he had managed to come to terms with it. But knowing how protective Natasha had been about secrets, and the face that Yelena was raised the same, meant he knew she wouldn’t just tell anyone. “Eighteen. But I should be twenty-three.” He added the second part defensively, used to people thinking he was too young to be doing what he was doing.
“Okay, trippy.” Kate’s eyes widened. “So I’m older than you, but you should be older than me since you were born first. I’m twenty-two.”
Peter couldn’t help the smile that wanted to creep onto his face. Something about Kate felt so familiar, and the part of him that had felt so alone over the past weeks wanted to let her in. She was one of the only people that had treated him with this level of kindness since he had been erased from everyone’s memories. She had talked him down from a panic attack, had respected his wish for a secret identity, and even though she was injured, had tried to make him smile. Sure, other people had been nice, but not like this.
“Okay, as nice has this has been, we should go.” Yelena peered out a nearby window, where she could see a few cars puling up. “I think the rest of this group is arriving, and I do not think we should be here when they get here.”
“I hate that you’re right about that,” Kate sighed as she stood up, wincing as she did. “I wanted to stick around longer. Oh well. C’mon.” She held out a hand to Peter.
Peter took it, wincing a little under his mask and the lightheadedness he experienced, but he shook it off. The three of them stood for a moment, staring at each other in silence.
“So… do we all go somewhere and trade theories?” Kate asked. “Or is this where we go separate ways?”
“I… I have to go.” Peter needed to eat, and he needed to sleep. He didn’t want to be alone, but he needed to take care of his needs or he’d pass out, and he couldn’t help anyone if he wan’t conscious.
“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Kate asked as they made their way out of the building, slipping out of a back door.
“I’ll be fine,” Peter forced a smile as he pulled his mask back down. “You go get that checked out, okay?” He gestured towards her side.
“I’ve had worse.” Kate tried to wave it off. “But yeah, I will,” she reassured him. “Maybe we’ll run into you again?”
“Maybe,” Peter responded. It would be nice to have some allies in the city. They wouldn’t have to know who he was, but they were on his side. With a flick of his wrist, he shot a web at the next building, letting the momentum send him swinging. “Nice to meet you!”
“I like him,” Kate declared as she and Yelena watched him go.
“Of course you do,” Yelena sighed as she turned in the direction of the busy city. “Of course you do.”