That One Time We Kissed // Bishova College AU

Campaign Trail

"So like, how serious should I be taking this?" Wanda inquired, delicately wielding a blue glitter pen, sizing up the poster she was tasked with decorating. Sorority elections rapidly approached, so Wanda, Natasha, Kate, and of course, Yelena made an evening out of crafting campaign posters to plaster around the house. "Who else is running, again?"

"Daisy," Kate supplied a bit too quickly, and she bit her tongue after. Her interactions with Daisy were overall pleasant, but it ate at her that Yelena never mentioned the two's past, and it bugged Yelena that Kate was so close to Daisy. Neither one were angry, really, but both wished to avoid unnecessary confrontation and awkward conversation when they could.

"Yep, she's my only competition," Yelena confirmed. "And I'm taking it seriously."

"Oh, we are?" Natasha replied sheepishly, tugging the poster board she had been working on diligently close to her chest.

"Nat, lemme see," Yelena ordered pointedly, and Natasha slowly flipped the paper around, unveiling a large stick figure with a massive round head and smiling face. An undersized Uncle Sam hat rested proudly atop the person's head, and underneath the portrait read, in all caps, YELENA FOR PREZ!

Kate chuckled and patted Natasha on the shoulder, commending her efforts. Yelena just sighed, going back to her own poster, while Wanda complemented the board as a work of art.

"You tried, honey," Wanda conciliated, "you tried."

"I think we should go in a more threatening direction," Kate added after a moment. "Have a picture of you stomping on some flowers. Or like, vote for Yelena, or else."

Yelena glanced up. "Or else what?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's an empty threat. But your constituents don't know that."

"Okay, so we have a stick figure and literal threats. Wanda, what do you got?"

"I think you need a punchy slogan," Wanda said, twirling her glitter pen, apparently unaware that the cap was off. Shimmering blue ink dripped down as she added, "make it alliterative. What else starts with Y?"

"Yoga," Kate spitballed.

"Yogurt," Natasha said, and Kate nodded in affirmation.

"Um... Yellowstone." Wanda bit the tip of her pen in thought, sputtering when blue glitter touched her lips. "Fuck, ew."

"Wait, what does it taste like?" Kate asked, reaching for the pen. "Is it blue raspberry?"

Yelena swatted Kate's hand down. "I'm not calling poison control tonight. One hospital visit is enough for you this semester, love."

"Two if you count surgery," Natasha corrected, and Kate winced. "Sorry, man."

Yelena quickly pivoted. "I do like the slogan angle, though. Words are definitely easier than any sort of picture."

"Should've said that earlier..." Natasha mumbled, starting from scratch on the blank side of her board, granting a glorious view of the stick figure to the others.

Kate hummed in contemplation. "Maybe a one word slogan? Like 'hope' or, 'world peace'."

"Lot to unpack there, babe."

Wanda frowned. "World peace? She'll be the president of one sorority."

"House peace?" Kate modified.

Natasha shook her head. "Doesn't flow. How about place peace? Eh, no, too vague..."

Desperate, Yelena just sighed with a good natured smile, and said, "okay, let's just write 'Vote for Yelena'."

"I like it," Kate said. "Very succinct. Really gets the message across."

Armed with glitter pens and a dream, the girls slathered glimmering ink across posters late into the night. Wanda and Natasha, having felt they helped enough, retired to watch Parks and Rec while Kate and Yelena gently taped posters to walls and stuck them to bulletin boards. Using just one crutch at this point, Kate maneuvered fairly dexterously next to the shorter woman, who stuck close to Kate in case of a fall.

"You don't have to hover, you know..." Kate joked, taking in Yelena's grimacing face as Kate crutched down the side staircase of the Tri Delta house. "This bone is stronger now anyway."

"Will be," Yelena nodded. "When it fully heals."

Kate paused, a lightbulb flickering in her head. She froze, blinking. "Lena."

"Hm?"

"We're kinda like my leg, if you think about it."

"Um... not sure I follow, babe."

"It... broke. Like we broke."

"Oh." Yelena's eyebrows furrowed. "Oh. Yeah, okay. I see where your head's at. Things got busted up, but with a little work," she took Kate's free hand, "it can be stronger than before."

"Maybe a lot of work," Kate chuckled, and Yelena looked down. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Can I stop you?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her smile twitched. "About you and Daisy?"

Genuinely confused, Yelena sputtered. "I- what? What about me and her? What has she said?"

"Nothing, really. I don't know. We've been hanging out more and... I don't know. I didn't know if you'd be cool with that, given your past."

"My past? Kate, I never dated Daisy. I haven't dated anyone in this house, you know that."

"Yeah, I know." Embarrassed at possibly blowing the whole thing out of proportion, Kate backpedaled. "Sorry, I know. I'm probably overreacting."

"No, wait, hold on." Yelena tugged gently on Kate's hand, urging her to take a seat next to her on the stairs. "Okay, start over."

"Daisy just said something the other day about you and her... being a thing? Is that true?"

"I mean, maybe in her mind we were... I never saw her as more than a friend, or like, an extremely brief fling. It wasn't serious."

"Why not tell me that?"

"Didn't think I had to. I don't know. You're the only girl on my mind these days. Not much space up there for Daisy or anyone else."

"So you're cool with us hanging out?"

"You don't need my permission or anything, but I don't care either way, babe. Was I a little jealous when you talked so much with her and not me? Yeah, but I can live with not being your only confidant."

"Wait, you were jealous?"

A tad ashamed, Yelena sighed, resting her head on Kate's shoulder. "A little. It was before your surgery and you were just so nervous and in a lot of pain... and you went to her. I'm not mad about it, but I want you to know I'm here and I can handle whatever you need."

Resting her chin on the top of her crutch, Kate replied, "I just felt like you were doing so much already. Housing me, feeding me, taking care of appointments, all that. It was kind of embarrassing how much of a burden I was." She glanced down at her casted leg. "Still am."

"A burden? Kate Bishop, look at me." Kate obeyed. "You will never, ever be a burden to me. I am here, okay? I'm here."

Leaning in for a sweet kiss, Kate nodded resolutely. "Let's keep it that way."

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It's 2 am