╰┈➤ i met a girl who sang the blues
₊⊹ chapter four
ᝰ.ᐟ i knew i was out of luck
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𓍼 summary 𓍼 Kate's slowly warming Yelena up to the idea of kindness. Yelena finds a reason to stay, but it gets interrupted with a call from Valentina.
⋆˚࿔ notes ⋆˚࿔ okay now we're getting somewhere plot-wise lol. The timeline is super messed up in this au, so keep that in mind when I mention events that have happened. I hope you all enjoyed this super long chapter (for me at least), and as always please leave your thoughts in the comments! I love reading them! - Sapphire
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Yelena successfully avoided any personal questions for the rest of breakfast. It was bad enough that these people knew her real name. They didn’t need to know that she was a Russian assassin too. As welcoming as they are, Yelena doubts they would continue their hospitality after hearing that kind of life story.
Usually, she has no problem avoiding conversations like that, but the question--no, more of what was said before the question got asked-- caught her off guard. It must be the fast-paced, incessant way Kate speaks. It’s giving her brain fog, or something. She talks too damn fast. Yelena doesn’t particularly hate it, she just wishes Kate would slow down a little so that she can think before she answers.
Getting Kate to talk more about herself instead of Yelena wasn’t as hard as she’d thought it would be, but she still doesn’t like it. Yelena is a punch first, talk as a last resort kinda girl. She’s not into the whole conversation thing. Still, she has no means of escape, and she seriously doubts they’d keep their offer of getting the truck running again if she’d punched Kate to avoid a question.
So, Yelena begrudgingly becomes the asker, and Kate an enthusiastic responder. She asks her how long she’s been in Levy (her whole life), if she’s ever left the town (twice for vacation, and she lived in the big city for two years in college, she just graduated in the spring), she asked about Lucky (that sent Kate on a whole ten-minute story on how she found him as a stray in New York), she asked what her career was (working in her dad’s shop), what she had majored in (business). Yelena even went as far to ask what she did for work in New York.
Now that answer caught Yelena’s attention, because Kate avoided it the exact same way Yelena avoided the ‘where are you from?’ question. Just a quick mutter about ‘tons of different things’.
So, Yelena’s not the only one with secrets. At least that’s one thing she can relate to.
They’re on their way back to the shop now. It’s been probably an hour since they left the men to themselves, Kate told Yelena that they should be done with the replacement by now.
Kate’s driving in the most Kate way possible, one hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, one leg (the one that’s not being used for the gas and brake pedals, thankfully) propped up and bent. Her body language is relaxed, she’s humming a tune to the radio. Her driving is actually pretty good, despite her seemingly unsafe position in the seat.
Yelena, however, sits almost rigid. She’s not trying to make it obvious how tense she is, but she really can’t help it. Her hands are folded into her lap, she’s staring straight out the windshield. She feels safe in a way that makes her feel like she’s in danger. Like an animal stuck in a trap, being set free by a passerby. She doesn’t know whether to run, or to fight back. Or, to show her gratitude to them for their kindness. She’s never chosen that option. Kate pulls her out of her thoughts when she starts talking again. It’s inevitable, Yelena doesn’t think this girl knows how to sit in silence for more than a minute.
“So. . . I don’t know if you have anywhere you need to be, but once the truck is fixed you’re welcome to stay in my family’s guest house for the night.” She turns and flashes Yelena a quick smile.
Yelena tries to send her one of her own, but it comes out more as a grimace instead, “I actually should probably head out as soon as possible. But thank you for the offer.” Yelena chooses to run.
The other girl shrugs and hums in response. It’s silent for a moment, then Kate adds, “The offer still stands, if you change your mind,” and she’s humming to the radio again.
They’re back at the shop soon after that, Lucky already bounding out of the bay and leaping towards Kate. He comes over to Yelena too, so she reluctantly gives him a pat on the head. She doesn’t hate dogs, just never really had a chance to be around them. She doesn’t quite know how to act with Lucky.
To Yelena’s surprise, the hood of her truck is still up. Eli is still elbow deep into the engine, and Derek’s off to the side at the workbench with a rusty looking part. The scene screams anything but fully fixed and drivable.
The girls stop at the front of the truck, Kate peering into the hood where Eli seems to be messing with something. Yelena doesn’t even try to guess what he’s probably doing. Kate beats her to the question, “What’s wrong with it now?” She asks with a frown.
Internally, Yelena is banging her head against a wall. Of course she wouldn’t get out of this that easily. Derek is droning on about how while they were replacing the hose, they found some other problems and ya-da ya-da. It just sounds like a whole lot more waiting and spending cash she doesn’t have. So, Yelena’s only half listening, now trying to think of a new escape plan. If this truck won’t work, she’s gonna have to steal another car. That SUV in the other bay is looking really nice to her now.
“We’re gonna have to special order the part, we don’t carry this size anymore--” Derek’s cut off by Yelena’s phone ringing. ‘VALENTINA’ shows up on her screen as she looks down at it. She apologizes and excuses herself, walking out of the bay and across the parking lot as she picks up.
“Hello, Valentina. Great timing, per usual.” She says in a super enthusiastic way. Her eyes are squinting at the bright horizon, the sun now at its crest in the sky. She walks over to the edge of the parking lot, seeking the shade of a tree in an attempt to cool down.
“Where are you right now?” Valentina asks, always straight to the point, “I need you in Boston.”
“Yeah, uh. That’s a tall order,” Yelena rolls her eyes, “I’m in Levy. You’ve probably never heard of it. I haven’t, either.”
“The hell are you doing there?” Valentina sounds absolutely bewildered. Yelena doesn’t blame her much.
“Because there’s so much to do here, Valentina.”
Valentina scoffs, “Well, be in Boston by Monday at the latest. There’s a job there for you. Call me when you get there.”
How the hell is she meant to get to Boston by Monday, when she has literally no means of transport? She takes her phone off her ear, checking the date again just in case she forgot what day it was. Nope, it’s still Saturday, “What’s the pay?”
“We’ll talk money once the job is done, Belova. Just get your ass to Boston.” And then she hangs up.
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While Yelena is taking her call, Kate busies herself with taking a look at the truck. Eli takes her on a tour of the problems they’ve found. It started with the coolant valve, which they noticed while replacing the hose. The valve was rusted and slightly open, so they cleaned it and put it back on. That’s fixed now. Then, they decided to do a full check-up on the truck. That’s when the real problems started to come up.
The water pump is extremely worn-out, which was probably the cause of the tear in the hose itself. It will need a replacement as well. On top of that, the spark plugs are rusted and in need of replacement. Those two they have to special order. The truck is still driveable with those two issues, it’s just a bigger risk of another break-down. The real problem, though, came from when Eli tried test driving it.
Apparently, Big Blue (what Kate has nicknamed the truck), has really given up on life at this point. Eli took it for a spin around the parking lot, but found that the truck absolutely refuses to switch gears.
“Y’know, I thought it was really weird when I turned the truck on and it was in neutral. Not park,” Eli leans on the open hood, rubbing the back of his neck and effectively staining it with a big grease spot, “it shifts, but only from neutral to first-gear. And I have a feeling our blonde friend knows about this issue. . .” He trails off as Yelena walks back into the bay, a look on her face that’s harsher than the one Kate’s already gotten used to.
“Everything okay?” Kate asks the other woman as she approaches the group.
“Is there any chance it’ll be drivable by Monday?” Yelena asks them, walking past Kate and Eili and over to the workbench where Derek is messing around with the worn-out water pump.
Derek whistles low, chuckling a little as he sets down the pump and the rag he was using, “A miracle, maybe. We’re gonna have to take out the whole transmission to fix your whole shifting issue.”
“My what?”
Kate jumps in now, walking over to Yelena, “The truck will only shift between neutral and first-gear. You can’t go above 30 mph in first. That makes it hard to get to Boston by Monday.” She smiles at her apologetically.
“What do you mean? It’s always done that. I drive faster than 30 mph.”
Kate laughs, touching her shoulder lightly. Bless this poor Russian girl’s heart. There’s probably so many things wrong with this truck that Yelena doesn’t realize. It makes Kate want to trap her here forever so that she can figure it all out and hand it back to Yelena, all shiny and running smoothly.
So, her and Eli take the next half-hour or so explaining all the wonders of manual transmissions to Yelena. And, in doing so, they learn that Yelena’s been driving exclusively in neutral and first-gear for almost a year. It’s a wonder this girl hasn’t blown up yet.
“Well, that still doesn’t solve my problem of needing to be in Boston in two days.” Yelena frowns at Kate after Eli leaves for his shift at the gas station. Derek busied himself in the store part of the shop a while ago, bored with the ramblings of three adults much younger than him.
“Well, how about you stay in our guest house tonight. . .” she trails off, thinking, “and then I can drive you there? Or at least to a bus or train station or something.” She gives Yelena a smile that she hopes comes off as ‘I promise you can trust me with not kidnapping you or stealing your truck’
“You would drive me four hours to Boston?”
“Potentially. What is it you’re doing there, how long are you staying? If it’s longer than a couple days I would drive back, me and Eli could deliver the truck back to you once it’s fixed. . .” she rambles on about possible situations, only to be cut-off by Yelena.
“I have a work assignment there. I don’t know how long I’ll stay.”
Okay, that’s not a lot of information and definitely not enough for Kate to make a plan with. She pulls out her phone anyway, finding her maps app.
“Okay, New York City is only an hour from here, then from there Boston is only 3 hours away by train. There’s a train running at 10 am tomorrow, so we leave here around 8:30. I drop you off in the city, you’re in Boston by evening at the latest tomorrow. Does that sound good?” Kate stands closer to her, letting her peer over her shoulder at the screen.
“How would I get my truck back?” There’s a hint of skepticism in her voice that Kate can’t blame her for. She’s leaving her only mode of transport with a bunch of strangers.
“Let me give you my number. I’ll call you when it’s done, and we’ll figure it out from there. I’ll even send you daily updates on the work, if you’d want me to.” She’s closer now, almost touching shoulders with the other girl. She has to look up slightly to flash her another grin.
“My phone died.” Is all Yelena says in response.
Kate laughs again, scoffing slightly in amusement and heading to the work bench. She grabs a sharpie, completely disregards the notebook right next to it and strides back up to Yelena.
She grabs her arm, gently but insistent, and writes down two things on the inside of it. Her phone number, and her address. For good measure.
“There, now you have enough information to hunt me down if I steal your truck,” she drops Yelena’s arm, her grin widening when she sees the shocked look on the blonde’s face, “you might need to, I’m obsessed with it by the way.”
“You’re insane, Kate Bishop. But, you can drive me to New York tomorrow.” Yelena gives her a small smile, and that’s all it takes to make Kate’s whole week.
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The ride to the Bishops’ house is full of chatter. Derek follows behind Kate’s wagon in his own truck. It’s a short drive, but that never stopped Kate from filling the silence with her voice. Yelena--weirdly--doesn’t mind it as much as she thought she would. Especially after that arm-writing incident. Yelena hopes Kate didn’t notice the way she’d flinch slightly every time the other girl touched her. She just wasn’t used to it.
“So, I technically live in the guest house with Lucky,” and upon hearing his name, he sticks his head between the driver and passenger seats, earning a pat from Kate, “but you can totally either take my bed or the couch. I don’t mind either way. My parents turned my old room in the main house into an office, so you’re stuck with me in the guest house.” She flashes Yelena an apologetic grimace, “But I promise I’m not, like, a snorer or anything. Me and Lucky are silent as mice.”
Lucky seems to think the opposite, because he lets out a low whine from between them when Kate stops petting him. He gets over it quickly, though, and settles back into his bed in the backseat.
“You’ll have to try my mom’s sweet tea. If you like sweet tea, of course. It’s amazing, especially in the summer heat.” Kate drives the same way she did earlier, one hand on the wheel, one leg propped up, and this time with her head resting against the head rest. Hair blowing in the breeze that comes from the rolled-down windows.
Yelena’s listening, but she’s thinking as well. She’s thinking about the shade of brown that Kate’s hair is, how it absorbs the summer sunlight. She’s thinking about the gold necklace, the pendant that rests on her collarbone. The one that is eerily similar to Yelena’s. She’s thinking about what Kate would think if she saw that necklace in the truck. In the back of her mind, she’s thinking about how Kate feels weirdly familiar. Like they’d met before, maybe in passing when they were both in New York. But, mostly she’s thinking about that necklace. Staring at it, actually. It’s catching the sunlight, so she blames the bright glare that’s shining off of it.
“Where did you get that necklace?” Yelena blurts out, before she even realizes she’s asking it.
“Oh, from someone I met in New York.” Kate says vaguely, much like how she responds with anything associated with New York.
Yelena doesn’t push, already alarmed with the fact that she asked that question.
“I like it.”
Kate turns and smiles at her, all soft and sweet, “Thank you.”
When they arrive at the Bishop’s property, the sun is almost to its setting point. It’s touching the mountains on the horizon. Kate’s mom has dinner ready on the backporch, already having been alerted of their guest for the night. It’s set up on the backporch, so they round to the back of the main house.
Dinner is easy enough to avoid conversation, Yelena usually just flips questions back to the Bishops rather than answering them. It’s over quickly, the sun having set behind the mountains, so Yelena and Kate (and Lucky), head to the guest house.
It’s small, just like what Yelena would expect in a place like this. They enter through the back sliding door, Kate goes off into her bedroom, Lucky follows close behind her, and Yelena is left to settle her stuff on one corner of the couch. She already claimed the couch, not wanting to steal Kate’s whole bedroom from her. She starts digging through her bag for fresh clothes, but Kate comes swinging around the corner of the doorway, stopping there with a toothbrush in her mouth.
“Did you wanna take a shower or anything? Not that I think you’re stinky,” she disappears from view, Yelena hears her spit out toothpaste, and then she’s back on the door frame, “I just wanted to let you know the shower is available.” She smiles at Yelena. She’s changed into pajamas already, a black tank top and purple shorts. Yelena doesn’t get flustered, but she does occasionally get alarmed with Kate’s casualness. Yelena’s a whole stranger inside of her house, and she’s already acting like they’ve been roommates for years.
She hesitates for a moment, but considering the last three days have included a job from Valentina, her truck breaking down, and sleeping in said truck, she decides she could probably use the shower.
“Yeah, I’ll be quick.” She grabs a change of clothes from her bag, and heads into the bathroom.
Kate follows for a second, just to show her where everything is, “You can use anything. The hot water heater will take a minute to kick on, so don’t get in immediately if you don’t like cold showers.”
She exits, and now Yelena’s alone for the first time today. She turns on the shower, and while she waits for it to heat up she leans against the counter, looking at her appearance in the mirror. Her hair’s been in a ponytail since yesterday, so it’s looking a little worse for wear by now. Her white tank has a small grease stain on the bottom of the hem. Her face is sweaty, cause she’s literally been sweating all day. The shower was a good idea. She takes her hair out of her pony, running her hand through the length of it. She catches the sharpied numbers on her arm while she does it. She’ll try not to wash them away too much, but it’ll probably come off anyway. Good thing she hasn’t left yet, she figures. She hops in the shower soon after, keeping it short but finally relaxing in the comfort of the silence. All she can find herself thinking about, though, is the fact that she’s starting to not totally hate the idea of coming back here after her mission.
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thank you for reading!
── .✦ sapphire
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