Inheritance of ash

Turning the tables

The next morning dawned bright and early in the Avengers Tower kitchen, the usual hum of chaos and caffeine percolating through the air. The whole team was there—or at least most of them—spread across the large room like a noisy, mismatched family.

Kate Bishop adjusted her sleeves one last time and stole a nervous glance at Vicky Vale, who sat quietly sipping her tea a few stools away, eyes twinkling with quiet encouragement.

"Okay," Kate whispered, barely audible over the clatter of plates and chatter, "this is it. Operation Fluster Belova is a go."

Vicky grinned and gave her a subtle thumbs up. "You've got this."

Kate's heart hammered as she approached Yelena, who was sitting across from Natasha and Wanda, casually munching on scrambled eggs with her usual effortless cool.

Taking a deep breath, Kate plopped down on the bench beside Yelena, who glanced over with one perfectly arched brow, the epitome of unimpressed.

Kate forced a casual smile and said, "Hey, Yelena. So... funny thing. I had this dream last night."

Yelena's eyes narrowed playfully. "Oh? A dream? Do tell."

Kate felt the heat rise in her cheeks but pressed on, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. "Yeah. Uh... you were in it. And—well, I mean—It was kind of... you know... intense."

The table grew quieter as some Avengers nearby tuned in, sensing something was about to go down.

Kate cleared her throat, flicked a lock of hair behind her ear, then plunged ahead. "You were... kind of flirting with me. Like, really flirting. And I didn't really know how to react. It was like you were teasing me, but also... I don't know... And then you—"

Yelena's lips twitched into an amused smirk, eyes locking with Kate's.

"—then you leaned in, and I woke up just before anything happened."

Kate's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, stealing a quick glance at Vicky who was biting her lip to hide a smile. Because that sucked.

There was a beat of silence.

Yelena's smirk widened.

Then she leaned in—closer than Kate had imagined, so close that Kate's confidence wavered for the first time—and murmured, "Is that so?"

Kate's breath hitched. "Yeah."

A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

Yelena's gaze darkened with mischievous intent. "Well, maybe dream-you has better taste than you do."

The surrounding Avengers all turned toward the exchange, eyebrows raised and lips twitching. Natasha hid a smirk behind her hand. Wanda was practically biting her lip to keep quiet. Clint was exchanging amused glances with Sam.

Kate felt the eyes burning into her as Yelena's voice dropped an octave. "If you want, I could make your dreams come true."

Kate's cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red.

But before she could summon a clever comeback or make a dignified retreat, Yelena tilted her head and whispered, "Or maybe I'll dream about you tonight. But trust me Katie, I definitely won't wake up before the fun stuff"

The kitchen erupted into soft chuckles and knowing smiles.

Kate's confidence crumbled, and she abruptly pushed herself up.

"I—I have to go," she stammered, voice cracking.

She darted past the table, nearly knocking over a chair in her haste.