i can go anywhere i want (just not home)

"listen, dickhead"

and here is the fourth installment of this series for your misery. enjoy :)

"Hey, sexy."

Kate turns her head, furrowing her eyebrows at the brunet that just approached her. He radiates stupid energy and reeks of cologne that makes her eyes water.

"Go away," she mumbles around her straw, her drink might be gross but this guy is worse.

"Oh come on, " he whines, a cocky smirk on his face, "I can show you a good time. You seem like the kind of girl that'd be up for that."

"And what the fuck makes you think that? Because I'm sitting at a bar? Alone? Listen, dickhead, I told you to go away," Kate retorts, slamming her fist on the table and fist-pumping in her head when she watches his facade fall.

It doesn't last long before he smirks again, "Fiesty. I like it."

"Oh Jesus Christ," Kate rolls her eyes, knowing she's a little more than drunk at this point and getting up from her seat. She digs around in her pocket for some cash and puts it on the bar before smacking the boy across the face. "You're an asshole. Leave girls alone when they tell you to, it is not that fucking difficult."

She walks out of the bar, sinking against the wall and burying her face in her knees.

She misses Yelena. Yelena left a little over a month ago and Kate's sure that it was the worst thing to ever happen to her.

Clint's called a couple of times since everything happened, offering a helping hand and a place to stay, but she knows it's just the same bullshit that Christmas was, an offer out of guilt. He knows she doesn't have a mother anymore, he knows she doesn't have a girlfriend anymore, and as of last week, she gave Lucky to Grills for the foreseeable future.

That resulted in a call from Clint, she guesses that Grills called him for who-knows-what-reason and now apparently they're both concerned. Not that they have to be, she's doing fine on her own. She's Kate Bishop, for fuck's sake.

"Hey."

She pulls herself out of her momentary pity party and looks up, seeing a person with choppy shoulder-length brown hair and a blue button-up that has the top two buttons unbuttoned. They're wearing nice pants and doc martens and Kate hates herself for drooling a little bit. They're hot.

"Do I know you?" Kate asks, hating that she knows she looks like shit right now.

"No," the person shrugs, "I saw you with that guy back there, just wanted to see if you're okay."

Kate huffs, "I'm great. Fine and dandy. Right as rain."

"Right," the person looks amused, "can I buy you a drink? That guy's been harassing me for weeks, it was so refreshing to see someone yell at him."

"Sure," Kate reaches a hand up and the person helps her up, "you're like... really pretty, by the way. It's kind of crazy."

"You're really pretty, too," the person smiles softly, "what's your name?"

"Katherine Elizabeth Bishop, at your service," Kate replies with a mock salute, "but I also go by Kate. Or, if you're my ex-girlfriend, you'd call me Kate Bishop. But you're not, and she's gone, and I'm here. Like a loser."

"If this is you at your loser stage, you must be a top-of-the-line regular person," the person replies, "I'm Charlie, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Kate smiles crookedly, "um, what are your pronouns? You give me a lot of vibes and I don't wanna..." she looks Charlie over, "y'know, be rude? Prejudiced?"