till forever falls apart

night at the hospital

i love kate and carol tbh - anyway nat angst incoming!

Kate takes Carol back to the hospital with her, figuring that at the very least, Natasha's going to want to see her. She also brings with her Yelena's things, including a phone charger, an extra blanket, and one of her hoodies among a couple of other objects.

(Carol comes with her for that and seems overly delighted to meet Lucky and Fanny, so that's also a plus.)

Yelena's gotten herself set up in the room by the time they come back, and when Kate and Carol head upstairs, they're greeted by Yelena and Natasha.

"Oh good!" Natasha's first to exclaim, hugging Carol, "Thank you for coming."

"She was right where you said she'd be," Carol tells her, hugging her tightly as well.

"Who are you?" Yelena asks, looking at the three women with an overly curious look on her face, "Also, hello, Kate Bishop."

"Hi," Kate smiles softly, giving her her bag to root through, "your sister called her."

"That didn't answer my question," Yelena responds, sitting up in the bed, "who are you?"

"Carol Danvers," the blonde in question replies, "You must be Yelena."

"What gave it away?" Yelena retorts dryly, "The bald head or the transfusion?"

"Kate speaks fondly of you," Carol deflects, glancing at Natasha, "where is Wanda, by the way?"

"She should be back soon," Natasha replies, "by the way, Lena, Carol's one of my friends, no need to interrogate her."

"Uh-huh," Yelena moves over on the bed so that Kate can sit with her, "Is this what was taking you so long?"

"No," Kate responds, fixing Yelena's beanie gently, "I was on the roof."

Yelena nods, knowing what she means by that - before Yelena got sick, they spent a couple of nights up there with some beers and Kate's bow and arrows.

"How's your vampiric experience going?" Kate switches the topic and nods at the IV that Yelena has with the transfusion.

"It's weird," Yelena still keeps a wary eye on Carol, "Are you single?"

Carol shakes her head, an amused look on her face, "I've met someone. It's very early, though."

"Oh, congratulations," Natasha smiles, nudging her with her shoulder.

"Thank you," Carol smiles proudly, "and I heard congratulations are in order for you, you're getting married!"

Natasha flushes, "Yes. I am."

"She hates wedding planning," Yelena teases, playing with Kate's fingers absentmindedly.

"Oh, I didn't have to deal with that," Carol shrugs, "We just eloped at City Hall."

Natasha hums, but doesn't say anything further, and Kate's the next to speak, "That's how I would do it if I ever wanted to get married. I've been around too many big unnecessary parties to want to throw one."

"You told me that for your 21st, you threw a big party," Yelena responds, "how's that any different?"

"It wasn't formal," Kate shrugs, "Just a lot of booze and a big bill for my mom to pay for cleaning."

"You're such a rich kid," Yelena mutters, still playing with Kate's fingers. Kate knows it's not malicious.

"Wait, how old are you?" Carol asks.

"Twenty four," Kate replies, "why?"

"Nothing," Carol shrugs, "you two just seem... there seems like there's an age gap."