Dinner with Friends ¦ Kate x Yelena

Chapter 7: Dating with Friends

'If I sent you a text on a dating app, what would you do?'

Kate nearly spits out her drink. She throws Yelena a look that perfectly captures all of the question marks flying around in her head.

'You know,' Yelena starts despite Kate not "knowing" anything. 'If I sent hi and said something funny, what would you say back to me?'

In theory, it's an interesting question but not one Kate had ever thought about. Why would she? When she met Yelena, they were almost trying to kill one another. Their relationship wasn't particularly normal. Not Tinder normal or platonic meet-cute normal. 'I'd probably say hi back and laugh at your joke?' It sounds more like another question rather than a proper answer.

'See! You get it!'

She almost feels like accepting whatever thing she just "got" according to her friend but curiosity gets the better of her. She slowly blinks at her in confusion. 'I'm sorry, I get what?'

'You wouldn't be weird about things!'

'Things?'

Yelena opens her eyes wide as if that is supposed to mean anything. 'Things! I could send someone a picture of me when I'm cooking and they'll tell me I should send something wearing fewer clothes or they tell me if I come over I won't have to cook. And believe me, they're not talking about take-out, I checked.'

Kate chuckles lightly. 'Oh, you're lucky you don't have your preference set to men then.' She had never imagined Yelena to be shy about sex but here she was sitting before her with a look that borders on oblivion and annoyance. 'Tell me. What would you prefer them to send you instead? Want to get food, my treat?' She says it as a joke about Yelena's gluttony but she nods furiously in agreement.

'Exactly that!'

'Well, have you been on actual dates? Or do they all send you weird pick-up lines and you ghost them?'

Yelena frowns at her phone as if the people she matched are listening along. 'Well, not everyone is like that. I've asked a couple of them out to grab some food but it never works out. Some never showed up and the ones that did were either not funny at all or judged me for my body count!'

'Yelena, what's your body count?'

'Oh, too many to count, for sure but who even asks that on a first date?'

This is the moment where Kate asks herself why she let Yelena use a dating app. 'They don't mean how many people you've killed but how many people you've slept with.'

Yelena purses her lips. 'Well, how am I supposed to know that? Oh, Kate Bishop, dating isn't fun. I just want to go out for food and talk and watch a movie and fight people.'

'I guess that makes it sound like we've been dating for a while now, haven't we?' It's meant as a joke but the words come out wobbly and almost incomprehensibly.

'We have!' Yelena laughs as if the idea amuses her. Kate joins her and starts to laugh in a confused manner, not knowing whether to laugh or cry or how to make sense of it at all. 'I wish my dates were more like you.'

Kate starts tugging on the drawstrings of her hoodie, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, biting her lip until it hurts. Her stomach starts to turn and she doesn't fully understand why but deep inside, a little light bulb is starting to turn itself on. Slowly, very slowly.

'Well then. Let's go. I'm taking you on a fake date.'

Yelena looks at her with doe-eyes. 'Are we getting food?'

'You bet. I'll show you just how the ladies have to treat you. Just give me a minute to freshen up.'

She disappears into the bathroom, brushing her teeth, reapplying deodorant, and putting on a fresh pair of socks. 'How the ladies have to treat you? What the hell does that even mean?' She mumbles to herself, mentally rolling her eyes all the way back into her head. She applies a little bit of lip-gloss and stares at herself in the mirror. Kate "idiot" Bishop, what are you getting yourself into?