AU where the Yelena and Natasha grow up in NYC with Melina and Alexei running a bodega.
Kate moves to the neighbourhood post-college. She’s living in her own apartment for the first time. She stops by the bodega to get some post-gym snacks.
Alexei sees a pride pin on her bag.
Alexei: “Ah! You are one of the gays, yes?”
Kate, very dubious about where this was going: “um… yes?”
Alexei: “excellent! my daughter is gay. She’s new at it. You should meet her.”
Melina, rushing out from the back: “No, no, stop doing this.”
Alexei: “what? I ask, she said she was lesbian.”
Melina: “I’m very sorry”
Kate, bewildered: “that’s fine… can I pay?”
Alexei: “Yelena is a catch. She has her own cafe. No help! And very pretty.”
Kate, desperately waving her card at the machine: “that’s so great”
Alexei: “and I know I said she is new at being gay but she is enthusiastic -”
Melina: “STOP. (At Kate) You can just have these. You’ve paid enough.”
Kate was ready to file this as a funny story about her new neighbourhood - then the door jangled open.
Yelena: “privet Mama, Papa”
Her jaw dropped.
She was more than ‘very pretty’.
