That One Time We Kissed // Bishova College AU

First Day of Science School

Kate Bishop was carrying the world on her shoulders. As she stepped out of her cab in front of the imposing Stark Tower, she felt anticipation, excitement, anxiety, but mostly mounting pressure, the weight of expectation. Everyone expected so much of her, and she demanded a lot from herself, as well.

Yelena expected her to reach out to Pepper, to repair the bond lost years ago. Kate agreed, of course, as she would do anything to make Yelena happy, but she did not have the first clue of how to make it happen. It's not exactly every day you go up to you boss's wife and inform her you're dating her former foster daughter.

Still, Kate would persevere. She had to. Thinking of Yelena facing yet another disappointment, one of her own failing, was too much to bear.

There's the word- disappointment. The likely consequence of lofty expectations. Kate knew she didn't take the path her mother envisioned for her, and she felt it in every snide comment, every eye roll.

Eleanor Bishop wanted a protégé, a business savvy heir, and Kate, as an only child, was expected to fill this role. Alas, Kate was her father's daughter, and was more of a dreamer than a doer, spending more time in the abstract of creation rather than the concrete of contracts and business conferences. Inheriting Bishop Security was never in the cards for Kate, much to the dismay of her mother.

Now, as she checked in at the opulent lobby's front desk, Kate fastened the name tag to her lab coat with pride and understated defiance. There was a lot riding on these few weeks under the tutelage of Tony Stark. Kate could finally prove to her mother that choosing engineering over business was not foolish, prove to herself that she belonged and was in fact smart enough to succeed, and prove to Yelena that she cared, that she wouldn't let her down.

No pressure, right?

Checked in and ready for the day, Kate allowed herself to take in all the self-indulgent and innovative tech Stark Tower had to offer. Sleek white furniture with decadent gold accents dotted the main lobby where terrified interns puttered about. Half a dozen glass elevators shuttled lab techs, engineers, chemists, and God knows who else through the tens of floors in the bustling, vibrant tower. Various wheeled AI and androids also roamed around completing menial tasks; trash removal, window cleaning, displaying maps.

From Kate's perspective on the ground floor, the building seemed to almost twist as it ascended, like a spiral staircase. She had no idea how this was physically possible, but here it was, turning in on itself like a conch shell. It was an incredible display of engineering and architecture, and Kate made a note to ask the man himself about it should she see him today.

Fortunately, Kate did not have to wait long for an opportunity. On the hour, interns were rounded up like lost, frightened sheep and taken to a massive lab a few floors up.

The tightness in Kate's chest loosened slightly as she spotted both Jemma and Peter in the crowd, and she waded over to them while Tony Stark initiated his address.

"Welcome to daycare," greeted the man from the front of the lab. "Today will be easy, just trying to gauge what I have here. I'm giving you free reign in my labs- robotics, chemistry, whatever you need. Try to invent or improve something, and don't blow anything up." He clapped his hands, sending interns scattering. "It's playtime, people."

Quickly approaching mental short-circuit from the whirlwind of the morning and the magnitude of the day, Kate shut off her mind and let her hands do the work. She had the half-funny idea of programming a robot to fetch coffee, since that's what interns stereotypically did, and and she ran with the notion.

As she and her fellow underpaid undergraduates toiled for hours, as Peter kicked around formulas for the world's strongest adhesive, as Jemma perfected her alternative to stitches, Kate could not help but get lost in the moment. With the ringing of metal forged together, fizzing of chemicals, flashes of reactions, the discordant voices coming together in a hum akin to music, Kate almost felt like she was at a sorority party. Maybe Kate and Yelena's worlds weren't so far apart after all, or perhaps everything reminded her of Yelena these days.

A few lab tables away, Tony Stark finally began perusing projects, probing them with an experienced eye and a razor sharp wit. Kate was actually excited for her little robo-barista to be evaluated, sure that Tony would get the joke, when a text notification caught her eye.

Under the lab table, Kate snuck a glance at the message. It was from Yelena, asking how her day was and if she had made any contact with Pepper. Wincing, Kate stowed her phone back in her pocket, unsure of what to do, pressure building once more.

Kate fought the surge of annoyance bubbling- it was just day one, how far could Kate have gotten in a few hours? On the other hand, though, Yelena had missed this woman for years, and for her fate to be completely in another person's hands must be torturous.

Anxious, Kate pondered her next move, when a gift from heaven itself passed by. Outside the transparent glass walls walked the woman herself, Pepper Potts, clipboard in hand, looking just as dignified as Yelena described her. Kate stood without thinking, drawing a look from Peter beside her.

"Everything okay?" He asked, concerned at Kate's bewildered expression.

"That was her," Kate whispered frantically, eyes wide. "That was her."

Kate Bishop was at a crossroads. Tony Stark approached as Pepper Potts walked farther and farther away. She had to make a choice, and someone would be let down either way.

Does she chase after Pepper, effectively abandoning the most prestigious internship in the city, one she had hoped and prayed to earn, or does she stay, and face the possibility of never seeing Pepper again, never giving Yelena the closure she deserved?

To Kate, it was not much of a choice. She found herself moving swiftly for the lab exit before she even fully realized what she was doing. Halfway jogging, she struggled through the hallway full of people, stretching, reaching, until finally...

"Miss Potts?" Kate voiced timidly, lightly tapping the woman on the shoulder.

Pepper turned, already exasperated. "Day care's that way, kid. I told Tony I'm not dealing with this."

"No, no, I'm not lost," Kate rationalized quickly, though realized her frenzied appearance wasn't doing her any favors. She took a deep breath, continuing, "I actually really need to speak with you."

Intrigued for half a second, Pepper quirked an eyebrow before her phone rang, and she moved to answer it. "Sorry, I have to take-"

"Yelena." Kate name dropped, stopping the redhead dead in her tracks. "I don't even know how to explain this. But I'm dating Yelena Belova. You remember her?"

Pepper was poker faced, eerily still. "Of course I remember her. Why?"

"Well..." Kate shrugged, taking a step forward and lowering her voice in discretion. "She'd just... really like to meet up again. Just for lunch one day. Nothing official, nothing crazy. She just misses you."

"I miss her too," Pepper admitted, eyes darting to the floor. "I really miss her."

Hope and excitement bubbled up in Kate's chest, replacing any lingering anxiety. "So... you're down to meet?"

"I-" Pepper shook her head. "No."

Stomach dropping, Kate almost felt ill. "No?"

"That's in the past." The redhead turned, lips a tight line on her contemplative face. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

And then she was gone. Pepper Potts stalked away, heels clicking, leaving Kate alone with her shattered heart. She had let everyone down after all.