That One Time We Kissed // Bishova College AU

A Cabin in the Woods

Mr. Bishop's cabin was about as different from Eleanor's lavish downtown apartment as it could get. It overlooked a river rather than a city, its babbling replaced the roar of traffic. Rustic, homely, essential cottage core. It wasn't shoddy or cheap by any means though, the oak furniture occupying the space was meticulously crafted, perfectly polished. With a childish smile that always warmed Yelena's heart, Kate led Yelena into the cabin's kitchen, where her father already had a meal laid out.

"Dad," Kate called, and the man turned around, dish towel over his shoulder.

"Katie!" He exclaimed, pulling his daughter in for a hug. "So good to see you. So good." He stepped back, eyebrows shooting up at the sight of Yelena. "Don't tell me you've come here to elope?"

Kate blushed. "Nothing that crazy. At least not yet. Dad, this is my girlfriend, Yelena."

Yelena extended a hand, but like Eleanor, Mr. Bishop just yanked Yelena into a hug. Unlike Eleanor, though, this embrace was much less tentative, and much warmer. This hug was sincere, though no less disconcerting, and the blonde relaxed as he let go.

"I'm Derek," he said, and motioned to the table. "Are you girls hungry from the road?"

"Starving," Kate replied, taking a seat at the already set kitchen table, and Yelena followed suit. "Quite the spread you've got here."

"Thanksgiving with my girl," Derek chuckled as he sat at the head of the table. "Had to go all out. How was your mom's?"

Kate snorted lightly, tearing into her turkey. "Well, Yelena had to cook almost the whole meal, and Mom vacuumed for three hours. So, not as bad as it could have been, actually."

"What else did you expect?" Derek laughed, and Kate chuckled along easily.

Yelena should have joined the revelry, bonded over shared experiences with Eleanor, tried to get to know her girlfriend's dad better, but she was beginning to feel a bit stuck. This week had been eventful; a big French exam, a road-trip with her girlfriend, meeting both of her parents, and suddenly being reminded of the only foster parent that ever made her feel wanted. This, along with the almost too sweet nature of Derek Bishop and the elopement comment, the blonde was simply drained.

The meal went by in a blur, with the Bishops catching up, gossiping about Eleanor, talking sports. Yelena was hardly addressed, and honestly, she didn't mind. She chuckled to herself about what was worse- being so intensely scrutinized and analyzed by Eleanor Bishop like some sort of alien, or ignored, accepted so quickly as just a part of the family by Derek.

After a while, the gathering moved to the couch, and Derek put on some football. Kate joked that this was Yelena's favorite, and the blonde moved mindlessly as she was tugged into Kate's lap, comfortable for the moment, but largely distant.

Her head still swam with thoughts of Pepper, of seeing her again, of what that would be like. Would it be awkward? Would Pepper even remember her? The last time Yelena saw her was before college, as Pepper bought her dorm supplies despite her guilty protests. She always gave so much, Pepper Potts, and never expected anything in return. That was what parents were supposed to be like, Yelena realized later, loving unconditionally and protecting without question. It had just taken being paired with Pepper for her to remember that, to remember what she deserved.

So now, as she sat anxiously in Derek Bishop's living room, eyes glazed over as she watched play after play on TV, she spiraled, and that came to a head when Derek broke out the baby pictures.

"Oh, dad, no!" Kate protested as her father piled album after album onto the coffee table. "This is my worst nightmare come to life."

"Wasn't she a sweetheart?" Derek directed toward Yelena as he flipped through pictures of Kate in various sports uniforms. The blonde barely nodded. "Even the family pictures are cute, Katie."

"Yeah, they are..." Kate smiled wistfully at a photo of herself and her parents before they split. It was a scenic Spring day, and the family had a picnic by the lake, immortalized on film. "Doesn't this look perfect, Lena? A cozy little life?"

Yelena's words caught in her tight throat. All at once, she saw her future, and it scared her to no end. Is this what she was signing up for? A life spent tied to another person? Putting all her proverbial eggs in one basket? So far, her relationship with Kate had been a fun college romp; a whirlwind Fall romance, floating like the leaves that fell from the trees. But this, the cozy holiday, the baby pictures, eloping, this was Kate's endgame.

Kate wanted forever, and Yelena couldn't promise that.

Yelena had spent the majority of her adolescence on her own, and despite the hardships, she relished the freedom, the independence. The lifestyle Kate wanted, or at least what Yelena assumed she wanted, felt restrictive, and the worm browns and reds of the cabin she now occupied turned suffocating rather than welcoming.

This is exactly why she promised herself she would not get seriously involved with anyone in college. University was a time to explore, a blank slate to build up whoever she wanted to become, and be with whoever she chose. She'd held to that tenant so strongly, until Kate...

Doubt persisted as evening turned to night, and Derek went off to bed. Kate tried to direct Yelena to her room, but the blonde said she needed air and stepped out on to the back porch.

Sighing deeply, heavily, Yelena stared at the rushing creek outside and allowed the water and chill of the air to calm her. It only worked momentarily, though, as the quiet of the country amplified the anxious ramblings of her mind. She wasn't made for this, for this white picket fence life, for two kids and a dog. She wasn't made for it.

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One of my favorite chapters so far. Rip dialogue heavy chappies but I love introspection.

I hope Yelena's anxieties didn't come out of nowhere. Enjoy.