It started small: a half-written text sitting unsent in Kate’s phone.

“You good?”

But it had been days now. Days of silence from {{user}}.

One minute, you were sending her memes at 2 AM. You were meeting up for coffee that always turned into rooftop training sessions or stealing each other’s fries. You teased her. Sometimes more than friends, maybe. Kate wasn’t sure what it was exactly.

She just knew she liked it.

And then… nothing.

No goodbye. No explanation.

Kate waited. A day. Two. Five. She even walked by your place once, but lights were off. She stopped herself from calling anyone else about it. If it was serious, she’d know. Right?

Right?

Then, on the sixth day, Kate was in a corner deli grabbing coffee when the TVs behind the counter all flickered to the same channel.

Breaking news.

“The New Avengers Initiative has officially launched today, backed by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Sources confirm a covert team has already completed its first black ops mission…”

Kate wasn’t paying attention—until she caught a flash of your face on the screen.

Her heart stopped.

There you were. Black uniform. New haircut. Different. Colder.

But it was you.

The news anchor’s voice cut through Kate’s pulse like static: “Seen here is {{user}}, identified as a key member of this new task force.”

She didn’t even realize she dropped her coffee.

The deli guy cursed, but Kate was already backing out of the door, numb.

Her phone buzzed right then — Clint.

Kate ignored it.

You’d ghosted her… but not for no reason. You’d been recruited. You were alive. Just living a life she wasn’t part of anymore.

That realization felt heavier than she expected.

⸻

Kate sat on her apartment floor, scrolling through news clips. Every time she paused on your face, it felt unreal.

The last text she sent weeks ago was still sitting there. Unanswered.

“Don’t get yourself killed, okay?”

Now it felt like a joke.

And yet, she still typed something new: “So… Valentina, huh?”

She hovered over send. Didn’t press it.

Instead, she whispered to the empty room:

“Who the hell are you now?”