#and i don't think ranger likes me and i'm not all that close with pup

[fratboykate]

For FB AU who said I love you first? Was it the dumbass or our genius smol queen? Story time please!

Kate stands at the cracked front door quietly watching her girlfriend bop in place and sing while she chops vegetables for dinner. Yelena lifts the knife and uses it as a fake microphone before bringing it back down to dice. Kate can't hold back a chuckle and that's when Yelena turns to find her there.

"You're such a creep."

Yelena tells her with a smile.

"Not my fault you always do cute shit when you think no one is watching."

The sound of Kate's voice summons Fanny from the bedroom and she careens out to welcome her.

"Hi hi hi! Hello! So excited!" Kate fake whispers the next part. "You're my favorite girl but don't tell her I said that."

Kate offers enough pets and kisses to make the pup feel welcomed enough that she naturally retreats and lays down by the kitchen island. With Fanny out of the way, Kate finally walks into the apartment, closes the door behind her, and begins unraveling the seemingly endless winter layers she was bundled in. When she's down to just her sweater and jeans she walks up to Yelena and kisses her.

"Howdy-Ho, Ranger Joe!"

"That's really what you're gonna go with?"

"Yup."

"How does your brain work? I wanna study it."

Kate shrugs and Yelena kisses her again.

"Oooooh! You wanna probe me?"

Kate smirks mischievously. Yelena rolls her eyes and pushes her away.

"You pig."

"Smells good. Whatcha making?"

"Sausage and butternut ravioli with a sage brown butter."

"That's kinda hot. Like...really sexy. Say 'sage brown butter' again."

Kate walks up to Yelena, wraps her arms around her, and digs her face into her neck, playfully kissing her way up her pulse point.

"Shut up! I have to make the pasta and you around a bag of flour is a bad idea. Sit over there and don't move an inch."

"I'm hurt and offended that I'm not trusted like this."

"What happened the last time the flour was out? Let's remind the class. Go on."

"Oh............right."

"Yeah. We cleaned for four hours. I was finding flour in cabinets and random places for weeks. Sit there and stay still. Actually, I don't even want you in the kitchen. Go to the couch."

"One time...a tiny explosion ONE time and I'm treated like this forever."

Kate heads to the living room while grumbling and pouting. It's an open floor plan apartment in New York. It's not big. The living room/couch is like fifty steps away. They can still see each other and have a conversation. Kate is being dramatic for no reason.

Yelena opens the fridge and grabs the butter.

"Oh shit."

"What?"

"Fuck."

"What....?!"

"There's not enough butter. I thought this was unopened for some reason." There is barely about a quarter of a stick of butter left. "Shit. I can try and make something else???"

"No. It's fine. I got it."

Kate jumps from the couch, heads to the door, and starts to put her layers and boots back on.

"Kate Bishop, look out the window. The sky is falling. I'm not letting you freeze because I need butter."

"I'll run to the bodega and back. It'll take me fifteen minutes. I've been on my ass reading all day. Little cardio will do me good.

"It's minus eight outside."

"So give me a few kisses to hold me over and keep me warm on the way."

"You're ridiculous."

Yelena places a series of pecks on Kate's lips.

"Look around, think, make sure you have everything. You're hot but I'm only doing a Bodega Polar Bear Run once."

Yelena laughs.

"Butter." She places another kiss on Kate's lips. "That's all I need. Do YOU have everything? I don't want you coming back, half frozen, and telling me you forgot to bring money or something...wouldn't be the first time."

Kate starts to tap around her body.

"Phone, keys, wallet, clit...all the important bits are coming with me."

Yelena hangs her head back laughing and pushes Kate towards the door.

"Notice how you didn't mention 'brain'?"

"Eh...that one is always optional."

"Butter! Go! I wanna eat sometime tonight."

"I'm going! I'm going!"

Kate is about to step out the door while Yelena returns to the work she was doing on the chopping board. She mindlessly looks over her shoulder and without thinking speaks.

"Be careful. I love you."

Kate's head whips into the apartment to look at Yelena. Simultaneously, Yelena lifts her head to stare at Kate, eyes wide, unclear as to where the impetus to say that came from. Except, she knows where, she's been aware that's exactly how she feels for Kate for weeks now but she had NO intention of saying it yet and especially not as a throwaway comment like this.

"Kate."

"I...uhm...butter."

That is the only thing Kate can muster before she runs out the door practically leaving a dust trail behind.

---

Fifteen minutes pass.

Twenty.

Thirty.

That's the first time Yelena tries texting.

TEXT: "hey you milking the cow and churning it yourself? 😆"

Thirty five.

TEXT: "missing: girlfriend and a few sticks of butter. if found please return to sender. very fun reward in exchange."

Forty.

TEXT: "kate getting worried now."

Forty five.

Yelena calls. It rings and goes to voicemail.

"Babe, please call me. Now."

Fifty.

TEXT: "we need to talk about what happened. it sort of slipped out. please come home. butter or not lol. we'll get take out or something and pretend i didn't say anything. just please come home. it's fucking freezing out kate."

Yelena presses send and this time...the text bubble turns green instead of blue. She immediately calls and it goes straight to voicemail.

"You stupid idiot."

She hangs up.

---

Yelena sits on the couch for the rest of the night trying to get through to Kate and waiting for her to return.

The sun rises and no sign of Kate.

The day progresses and Kate's phone is still off. Slowly, as more time passes Yelena transitions from worried and mortified to enraged.

The sun sets again and not a single soul has heard from Kate Bishop which is...unprecedented.

---

3:37am.

Yelena fell asleep with her phone in hand. She opens her eyes to a dark figure hovering over the foot over her bed. She SHRIEKS.

"It's me! It's me! It's just me."

Yelena hurries to turn the light on and finds Kate, still in the same clothes she left about thirty three hours ago.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break up with you right now because what you just did is FUCKED UP, Kate. You do a lot of fucked up shit, but this...this is on another level."

Kate rushes to jump on the bed and sit next to Yelena.

"I got...you...it came out of nowhere...and I kinda just...brain fried a little, y'know? Just like...pfffffttt...AHHHH!!!! There was a lot going on up here. And I needed a little time to get it all figured out - to get MYSELF figured out - but it's all sorted now. We're all good."

"That's not the problem. That's all understandable. The issue is that you didn't communicate with me about needing space. I will give that to you any time you need it but the least I expect out of this, out of us, out of you, is respect. Communication is a part of that. What you did was not just fucked up it was so fucking disrespectful and inconsiderate to me. Shutting off your phone when you could see I was trying to text and call you? What the FUCK, Kate?"

"How do I fix it? Say the word. I'll do anything. Literally. No matter how big or dumb or crazy. Do you want me streak down Fifth Ave? Skinny dip in the Hudson? Climb the Statue of Liberty? Skydive from Rockerfeller? There's so many more bell towers in this city I could destroy...OH...Lick a sidewalk?"

"Ewww, no. I don't want the same tongue that has been on the New York pavement to be inside my mouth."

Kate inhales through her mouth whole grimacing.

"I have bad news for you, Belova."

"OH GOD, KATE! I don't even want to know!"

"In my defense, it wasn't intentional! But also...you don't want my tongue on pavement because it'll then be in your mouth? THERE IS HOPE YET?!"

"You're not forgiven."

"Halfway forgiven?"

"Not even close."

"Forty percent...twenty five...twenty...REALLY?! THAT BAD?! How do I raise those numbers. There has to be SOMETHING I can do."

"Maybe there is."

"Tell me. I'll do anything."

"Let's actually talk about it. What happened. Not you deflecting and being an ass, but really talk about it."

Kate squares up in front of Yelena.

"Okay. Let's talk. What do you want to talk about?"

"Why did you leave? You had the choice to stay so why not do it?..." Yelena's voice breaks almost imperceptibly at the next question. "Why didn't you say it back? Obviously, there's no obligation for you to if you don't feel that way but...I don't know.......I don't know."

There's a long silence. Almost on the verge of uncomfortably long.

"It's...I've never heard people say that and mean it. My grandparents were married more than once. I've lost count of how many times my dad has been engaged or married now. He just...says it. To apparently anything at this point. My parents said that and two hours later were hurling insults and death threats at each other. I saw that cycle repeat itself multiple times a day almost every day for the first twelve years I was alive. I have never looked at another person and said those words. Never. I don't...believe in them." Kate takes a long pause. "Or I didn't. Until you said them to me and I suddenly wanted to say them back like it was nothing. Like it was "good morning." It felt like second nature. It scared the fuck out of me."

"Baby..."

"It's okay. Growing up my cousins and I used to call ourselves the Broken Bishops for a reason. We're a fucked up group. You can still take it back. It's not too late."

Kate awkwardly laughs.

"Kate Bishop...you are truly the most infuriating person I've ever met in my life and also, somehow, the person I fell stupidly in love with. You don't have to say it but I'm not taking it back."

"I lo.........haaaaaaa...shit.....please don't take this as anything to do with you..."

"I'm not. It's okay."

Yelena offers a reassuring smile and squeezes Kate's hand. Kate stands and starts pacing by the bed.

"The one time my mouth fails me. It never stops. It's always moving and moving and moving but now that I need it to actually work it just...refuses to say what I need it to."

"Kate.......it's fine."

"It's not. It's not fine. It's not. My brain is like 'SAY IT!' but my mouth is like 'I WILL NOT!' Who is in control here?! I am! Say it!" Kate pauses. "It's not saying it!"

Yelena looks at Kate, eyes brimming with adoration, and laughs.

"Something has to be wrong with you. Like...deeply broken. Inside."

"SO many things are wrong with me. Right now, the biggest one is that my mouth is rebelling against me. Speak goddamn it!"

"Kate. It's fine! Let it be."

"I can say the words individually. Look. "I". Then "love". Then "you". Now...say them together..........." Kate waits expectantly. Nothing happens. Yelena stares at her and laughs anew. "DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?!"

"Yeahhhhhhhh..totally." Yelena nods. "Can we go to bed now? I haven't properly slept for two nights."

"Not until I fix this!"

"Kate, come to bed."

"But..."

"Bed."

Kate huffs and undresses then crawls into bed next to her girlfriend. They face each other.

"My mouth has always been broken but never like this. It's like...reverse broken now. I don't like it."

Yelena grins and kisses the tip of Kate's nose.

"I love you, Kate Bishop." Yelena whispers. "I know you do too. That's good enough."

"Mouth works in other ways tho. I can prove it like that."

Yelena huffs a quiet laugh.

"Not tonight. I'm exhausted. But I'll hold you to that tomorrow."

"Tomorrow."

Yelena curls up into Kate's chest and within minutes she's asleep. Sleep doesn't come as easily for Kate. It doesn't come at all.

---

Three weeks later Kate runs full speed across campus. She leaps atop bushes and bumps against people without even the offering the courtesy of apologizing.

She reaches the lab she almost burnt down over a year ago and yanks the door with so much force she's surprised it doesn't fly off its hinges.

"Belova. Yelena. Have you seen her?"

"No."

Kate moves to the next student.

"Yelena Belova?"

Nothing.

"Have you seen Yelena?"

"No, sorry."

A girl pops her head out from one of the study rooms.

"When I talked to her five minutes ago she was about to get some stuff from the supply room."

"Thank you!!!" Kate takes off running again. Then...she turns. "Where's the supply room?"

"Straight then a left. I think it's the fifth door down."

Kate dashes once more. Kate finds the room and storms inside. Startled, Yelena turns to find her girlfriend behind her.

"Kate??? What are you-"

A winded Kate struggles to get words out while trying to catch her breath.

"Shhh...say it."

"Don't shush me. What the fuck?"

"Shhh...just say it."

"Say what?!"

"The thing! Say the thing."

"Kate, I have no clue what you're talking about."

"The THING. Say the thing. How you feel about me. What you say whenever I'm about to leave or we're about to go to sleep or whatever. The thing..."

"What?!"

"THE THING! THE FEELINGS THING! What you say and I can't say back."

"Kate, I have so much shit to do."

Yelena goes back to scouring the shelves for the materials she needs. Kate grabs her arm and forces the blonde to face her.

"It takes two seconds. Just say it."

"I love you???"

"But like...normally. Like you usually say it."

"I love you."

Kate straightens, puffs out her chest, and proudly responds.

"I love you too...mouth finally caught up with the brain."

Yelena's face lights up. She eyes the door behind Kate and after a second of hesitation, she pushes it and locks it.

"What else can that mouth do?"

Kate smirks.

"Oh, SOOOO many things."