Title: drop by anytime
Fandom: Hawkeye (TV)
Pairing: Kate Bishop/Yelena Belova
Length: 967 words
Rating: Teen
Warnings: no major warnings apply
Summary: The second time Yelena broke into Kate’s apartment she brought pizza.



It took Kate several seconds longer than it should have to realize there was an uninvited assassin making herself comfortable on her couch and feeding her dog pizza. In her defense, she'd just gotten off two back-to-back shifts at The Coffee Emporium and her brain was basically mush right now. Kate closed her mouth, dusted the late February snow out of her hair, and hung her coat on the hook by the door, while she tried to figure out how best to handle the situation.

"I saw you were working another double shift and thought you might be hungry," Yelena said.

It'd been a couple of months since she'd last seen Yelena. After the whole Christmas Eve fiasco, she'd disappeared. "How did you-" Kate started to ask, thought better of it, and shook her head. She didn't have to ask how Yelena knew she was working a double or that she was working at all. She was a spy. She'd do well to remember that."This is the second time you've let yourself into my place of residence."

A wide grin broke out on Yelena's face. "That you know about."

Oh, awesome. That wasn't going to give her nightmares at all. And yet, Kate wasn't exactly unhappy about the current visit.

"There's soda and beer in the refrigerator if you're thirsty," Yelena said in-between bites of pizza.

Why was she here? "You're not back on your whole killing Clint agenda thing, are you?"

Yelena looked offended. "No, of course not. I'm here to see you, Kate Bishop."

"Oh, okay." Yeah, that didn't sound ominous at all. "Let me change out of these clothes. I smell like stale coffee." Kate sniffed her shoulder and cringed. She loved coffee and all but at the end of a long day saturated in the stuff she started questioning her life choices.

"I don't mind the way you smell," Yelena said.

What? "Lovely sentiment and all, thanks, but I think I'm gonna change anyway. I'll only be a couple of minutes." Kate grabbed some clothes and locked herself in the bathroom. It was a studio apartment and this was the only space that had any semblance of privacy.

She took the opportunity to do a few deep breathing exercises. Okay, Yelena probably definitely wasn't there to kill her. First, Kate was still alive, and second Yelena brought food. She didn't think Yelena would bother to bring food to an assassination. Kate peeled off her black slacks, and Coffee Emporium t-shirt and tossed them in the hamper. She pulled on purple sweats and a clean t-shirt so faded that she couldn't tell what it said anymore. It was buttery soft, and fit her perfectly.

Kate grabbed a beer from the much-fuller-than-when-she-left-it fridge and headed back to the couch. Yelena took a sip of beer and patted the space next to her. She looked so put together with her fashionably ripped jeans, floral button-down shirt, and artfully layered necklaces. Kate was starting to second guess the sweatpants she'd changed into. Her stomach growled. Okay, she had better things to do than worry about how frumpy she looked. There were two boxes. The one that Yelena had already opened was a perfectly acceptable regular cheese pizza. Kate lifted the cover on the second box. "Is this what I think it is?"

"That depends on what you are thinking," Yelena said.

"I'm thinking that looks like Jimmy's special Mac & Cheese Pizza." It was one of her favorites, this and the loaded baked potato pizza with extra bacon. Kate hadn't had Jimmy's in what felt like forever. She hadn't been doing as much take-out now that she had to pay her own way.

"Then it is exactly what you are thinking."

"I'll grab the hot sauce."

"You remembered!"

"Of course, I remembered." As if she could forget the first time Yelena broke into her apartment. Kate had been scared out of her mind. Yet - charmed? She found herself liking Yelena, even when she was trying really hard not to.

The pizza was as fantastic as she remembered it. She found herself liking the company even more. Kate finished off her third slice, leaned back on the couch, and watched Yelena grab the second to the last piece of the Mac & Cheese pizza.

"This is amazing!" Yelena slathered an inordinate amount of hot sauce on her pizza and took another bite.

Kate smiled. It really was amazing. All of it.

Yelena dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "I like your new place."

"Thanks, it's not as nice as my old one, but it is a lot less crispy and I have forks now, more than one."

"I noticed."

"Cool?" How long had Yelena been in her apartment? And how many times? Kate shook her head, sipped her beer, and grabbed another slice of the cheese pizza. An hour or so later Kate yawned for the seventh time.

Yelena stood up and stretched. "I think it's time for me to go."

Kate got up. "You don't have to."

Yelena stepped closer. "We will do this girl's night again."

"Did you want to take any pizza with you?" Not that there was a lot left.

Yelena took another step forward, reached out, and gently tucked a lock of Kate's hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering. For a moment Kate thought she was going to kiss her. She shivered in anticipation. Yelena gave her a lopsided grin and moved her hand away. "I will see you again."

"Soon?" Kate found herself wanting to see Yelena again. The sooner the better.

Her smile grew wider. "Yes, Kate Bishop, soon." And with that, Yelena disappeared out the window. Kate let out a breath, took a step back, and steadied herself against the wall. What in the world had she gotten herself into?