That One Time We Kissed // Bishova College AU

Fall, Year Two

"Not again..." Kate muttered, frowning at her slimy, egg-covered hand. Currently in the Tri Delta kitchen, she and Yelena were attempting to bake an old recipe from Yelena's mother. So far, though, all Kate had done was errantly crack three eggs, with one slipping out of her hand and onto the floor, one rolling off the counter, and the third cracked with a bit too much force.

Groaning, Kate knelt with a paper towel, attempting to hide the evidence of her food crimes before Yelena returned. The blonde had been so excited; this was not the time for a patented Kate screw up. She actually wanted to get something right for once.

Unfortunately, before Kate could fully scoop the shells from the hardwood, Yelena stumbled over her, obviously not seeing her as she hunched over, dabbing at the floor. The blonde yelped as Kate caught her, with the brunette on her back and Yelena on top of her.

"Hi," Kate managed, embarrassed and smitten at the same time. From this vantage point and with Yelena's brilliant smile, her gleaming eyes, and her golden hair, Kate swore she was the sun.

"Hey." Yelena cocked her head, lips twitching. "Whatcha doing down here?"

"I sort of kind of broke a few eggs. On the floor. Well, one wasn't my fault, but, sorry."

"You don't have the gentlest hands, huh?"

"I thought you liked that?"

"Kate!" Yelena laughed, kissing her sweetly before standing and pulling Kate up after her. "It's alright. Baking is an art. It's okay to spill some paint."

Placated, Kate nodded, scooping up the last of the eggs and washing her hands. "Alright, chef, what's next?"

Experienced and confident, Yelena dolled out orders, self indulgently tasking Kate with rolling out the crust for their cobbler, enjoying the way her triceps flexed with every extension. Working next to Kate in comfortable quiet, soft indie music floating from her wireless speaker, Yelena felt herself drift softly away to an ancient, fuzzier time.

This was Melina, her mother's, go to dessert- a simple blackberry cobbler with a brown sugar coated crust. Yelena remembered lazy Saturdays out in their small garden, helping her father pick wild berries in hopes of enticing Melina to bake their favorite dish. It usually worked, but if not, her father would sprinkle some sugar overtop the plump berries and present it with a flourish as his humble version.

It was truly a blessing to be able to remember such a time without feeling crippling sorrow. Previously, Yelena could not so much as think of her mother, her death, and every subsequent horror without tearing up and shutting down, and this led her to shove memories of her happier childhood away completely.

Now, though, was a different story. Yelena glanced to her girlfriend, who had her sleeves rolled up above her shoulders and brows knitted in concentration.

"You don't bake very often, do you, Kate Bishop?" Yelena asked, pausing her blackberry preparation.

"No..." Kate admitted. "The most baking my mom ever does is preheating the oven."

"You're doing well." With a sad smile, Yelena grabbed her pan, beginning to fill it with her fruity purée. "This was my mother's favorite."

Kate's movements slowed, and she looked to Yelena with renewed fondness. "Yeah?"

"Mhm. She'd make it a lot in the summer time. We had a garden, just a few berry bushes and watermelons, really. But it was nice."

"What was, uh... what was her name?" Kate asked, wanting to be respectfully curious without probing too far.

"Melina," Yelena replied softly, eyes misty. "My father was Alexei. They were as Russian as they came. They had accents... I wish I still had mine."

"You know, I can kind of hear it sometimes. Like if you're angry or a little drunk."

"You don't have to say that to just to make me feel better, myshka."

"I'm not!" Kate laughed gently, pulling Yelena by the waist without regard for the dough on her hands. "You call me myshka, you remembered this recipe from memory... they're still with you, baby."

"I guess you're right." Pulling away only to place her crust and then thrust the pan into the oven, Yelena continued, "oh, I have a question."

"What is it?" Kate asked, hoisting herself up onto the counter, grinning as Yelena stood in between her legs, fingers running over her planned pajama pants.

"So, it's almost October...

"Right..."

"And I was wondering what you wanted to be for Halloween. With me."

"Oh, right. The big Tri Delta bash."

Yelena ghosted a kiss on Kate's jawline, then her neck. Kate shivered, and Yelena smirked with satisfaction. "Yeah, you know, it's only the place we met. No big deal."

"You have any ideas?"

"Couples costume, yeah?"

"Okay, what gay couples with cool costumes are there?"

"Um... I would say Harley Quinn and Ivy, but I was Harley last year."

Kate pulled Yelena closer, hands on her hips, remembering just how gorgeous she looked that night. "I wouldn't mind seeing that costume again."

"What about salt and pepper?"

"Salt and pepper don't really scream homoeroticism."

"Hm... well if that's what you're going for, then we have to be Kim Possible and Shego."

Kate burst out laughing. "God, that's perfect. You're Kim, right?"

"There's no way I could pull off Shego as well as you."

"Okay, now I can't wait to take Vicodin and sit in your living room."

"That's your Halloween plan?"

"I'm kidding. Mostly."

Yelena hummed skeptically, with the lovely wafting scent of her dish bringing her back down to earth. "Thanks for being here," she said, lightly bumping foreheads with the other woman.

"You're so sappy lately. It's sweet."

Yelena blushed, unable to picture herself in this state a year ago. "I'm just feeling really grateful. And loved, and so much more."

"I'm proud of you," Kate said, and though she had repeated the phrase ad nauseam lately, would never tire of saying it. "I really am. You would've never cried in the bakery section of a store a year ago."

"You're definitely right about that. And what's weird is I don't even feel embarrassed about it. I don't worry that you'll see me differently or that you'll think I'm weird... I'm just comfortable."

"Good." The brunette fought off tears of her own. "That's all I want."

Satisfied and warm inside, Yelena stepped back to check on the oven. As she left her grasp, even for a second, Kate longed to hold her again, to keep her safe and cared for at all times. She watched as her girlfriend, clad in a simple set of pink sweats, pulled out her pan, gushing about how it looked and smelled just like Mom's.

Kate wanted to do this forever. She wanted endless stories of Yelena's childhood, she wanted countless Halloween parties with cheesy matching costumes. She ached to belong to Yelena forever, and and Kate slipped off of the counter to aid in plating the dish, the little ring in her pants pocket weighed heavily.

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I don't write smut but they definitely fuck you guys don't worry 💯💯💯

Back on my bullshit of published twice in a day. lol Help