That One Time We Kissed // Bishova College AU

Can We Keep Him?

Kate Bishop could not believe her good fortune. After a long day of measuring samples, typing out novels worth of code, and other menial intern tasks, she was smiled upon by the gods on her walk home.

As she exited a sandwich shop with a hoagie to munch on for a few blocks, she stopped in her tracks, spotting a tiny golden ball of fur curled up by a trash can. Coaxing it out with a piece of ham, she quickly earned the trust of an adorable little golden retriever.

Kate looked him over, searching for a tag or a collar or anything signifying ownership. There were none, and by the dirty and slightly matted state of his fur, he had likely been out on the streets for a good while.

"Got no home, little guy?" Kate whispered, ruffling the pup's fur. "Guess it's your lucky day, cuz you're coming with me. Hey, pretty good name, huh? Lucky?"

Kate offered another slice of ham from her sandwich before scooping the tiny thing in her arms, exerting conscious effort not to sprint home out of excitement. Yelena had always wanted a dog, and Kate could not wait to show her.

Upon arriving back at her penthouse, Kate hid the puppy behind her back, opening the door as nonchalantly as possible.

"Honey, I'm home," Kate announced, rounding the corner to the kitchen to find Yelena engrossed in a phone call. Yelena looked up with a flash of a smile, but just as quickly refocused back on her conversation.

"Yeah, no, that sounds great," Yelena said to the other participant, nodding. "She's home, yeah."

Puzzled and a little disheartened, Kate stole the spotlight by whipping her furry friend out, thrusting the fluffy pup into Yelena's eye-line.

The blonde's jaw hit the floor. "Oh my God, she has a dog. I'll talk to you later." Flabbergasted, Yelena reached out, patting the animal's head gently as if to ensure he was real. "Where on earth did you find this angel?"

Kate beamed, handing him fully over to Yelena. "Found him on my walk. Looked like he had no home, so I scooped him up."

The puppy nuzzled Yelena's jaw affectionately, and the blonde nearly melted into a puddle. "He's the sweetest thing ever."

"I think I'm gonna go ahead and give him a bath," Kate said, "maybe take him to the vet tomorrow? Oh God, I have to go shopping for food and shit. I'm a parent now."

"Yes, you are," Yelena said, standing from her kitchen barstool to kiss Kate on the cheek. "I'm sure you'll be the best dog mom."

Grinning like a kid on Christmas, Kate headed for her bathroom, and Yelena chuckled to herself as a mix of splashing, yipping, and laughter soon floated out. Yelena sat back down, tuning out the mayhem to focus on her texts with Pepper.

After meeting each other nearly every day for the past two weeks, Pepper half joked about Yelena moving in, and the blonde had to admit the prospect sounded like a dream. Sure, living with Kate was amazing; falling asleep with her every night was something she wanted to do for decades to come, but Eleanor was not nearly as warm. Pepper's apartment just felt like home, and for the final weeks of the summer before senior year, Yelena wanted some time with her mom.

Yelena, 6:02 pm: you're serious? I could move in?

Pepper, 6:03 pm: what's mine is yours, honey. You can stay as long as you want

Yelena sighed in relief. Now, the only problem was how to tell Kate. She had no worry of Kate's eventual understanding, but Kate had big dreams of a summer in the city with Yelena, and with their busy schedules, that had not really come to pass.

"Yelena! Help me wrangle him!" Kate called, and Yelena snapped back to attention.

"What, babe?"

"My son is loose! And he's wet! He's very absorbent, so help me grab him before he gets water on everything!"

Suppressing a laugh, Yelena scrambled to help her lover, tracking the pooch to living room. Feeling like she had the little guy cornered, Yelena pounced, but he was slippery, and bolted for Eleanor's bedroom.

"No, not that room, Lucky!" Kate cried, anxiety through the roof. Her mother would kill her if she came home to a disheveled room with puppy prints wall to wall, so imagine Kate's horror when the front door's lock clicked and in stepped the CEO herself.

Eleanor's domineering presence seemed to sober even Lucky, who sat shyly under Kate as she tried to hide behind the kitchen's center island.

"Kate," Eleanor began, depositing her purse on the kitchen counter, smile unnerving. "Why is there water all over my floor?"

"Um..." Kate searched around for a believable lie. How stupid could she be? She had not even considered her mother in the puppy equation. Just another classic Kate Bishop impulse decision. "I was... mopping."

"Where's the mop?" On cue, Lucky left his post by Kate's legs and sniffed around Eleanor's designer boots. She glanced down, sighing and tiredly asking, "Katherine, who is this mutt?"

Kate scooped Lucky up, shielding his floppy little ears. "This is not a mutt. He's Lucky, my new best friend."

Irritated, Eleanor crossed her arms. "New best friend, hm? What, did you find him on the street?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"And you just brought him home?" Eleanor gestured around. "This is no place for a dog, Kate. Do you know how much extra per month it costs to have a pet?"

"No..."

"Is it trained?"

"No..."

"Do you have literally any idea how to care for a dog, much less a puppy?"

"Well, no, but-"

"You have to start thinking things through, Katherine. You've got to grow out of decisions like this. I thought the Stark internship was a step in the right direction for you, but I see you're as childish as ever." Eleanor stepped back, sparing a half a glance toward Yelena. "I want it gone by tomorrow. I don't care where."

With that, Eleanor stalked off to her room, and Kate deflated, closing in on herself. Yelena stood awkwardly by, wishing she already lived with Pepper.

"I'm sorry, babe," the blonde whispered, cuddling into Kate's side as she stood glumly in the kitchen, Lucky still in her arms.

"It's fine," Kate shrugged. "Should've seen it coming. And she's right, I'm immature. I'm childish."

Yelena's heart broke. "Kate, don't say that. You've got a youthful spirit, sure, but that's one of my favorite things about you. I'd hate to see that sparkle fade, myshka."

"Eh, I don't know. What was I thinking?" Kate sat Lucky down, watching with her hands in her pockets as the golden ball of fur padded around. "Everyone's gotta grow up sometime. Guess it's my turn."

____________________________
Hey how are ya?

The whiplash from writing this then Catch Me When I Fall is nearly debilitating. Go read it btw. Mwah