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You knew you were in love with Kate Bishop from the moment you laid eyes on her. Her charming overconfidence could be overwhelming, which made it impossible for you to even think of telling her how you felt. You settled for getting to know her as a friend, convinced that having her in your life in some capacity was much better than not having her at all.
Years passed by this way. You swallowed the jealousy that bubbled in your chest every time she went out with some idiot that didn't appreciate her enough, and hung on to the idea that, even if it hurt, her happiness was more important than anything else. You never allowed yourself to dream, to imagine a fantasy world when she would feel the same way. You preferred to suffer in silence, watch her go on date after date, before ever entertaining the idea of putting your friendship in jeopardy.
“Hey, can I sleep with you?”
It was a Saturday like any other. Kate had gone on a date, and you had stayed in the apartment you shared, baked a batch of cookies to bury your heartbreak in, and gone into your room to read a romance book you had bought last week to keep your mind away from Kate and whoever was it she was dating this time. She had been excited about it all week, and you faked enthusiasm as much as you could. From the look on the brunette’s face, it hadn’t gone very well.
Kate rested her head against your door frame, looking at you with a hint of sadness in the blue of her eyes. Your roommate was still wearing her heavy wool coat, and her cheeks seemed a little flushed, probably freshly touched by the winter currents. You slid to the left side of the bed, patting the empty spot next to you.
“Always, come on.”
You heard her sigh, taking off her coat as she walked into your room, leaving it on your desk chair. Your attention went back to your book as she got comfortable, lying on her back and crossing her arms over her chest with another sigh escaping her lips.
Your eyebrow rose on an instinct, placing your bookmark in between the pages and closing your book. “Bad date?”
Another dramatic sigh. “Yeah,” she responded, unenthusiastically.
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“Not really, no. You just need to know it was bad.”
“Well, that’s her loss.”
Kate scoffed, the faint tone of a smile in her voice as she replied, “I don’t think she shares your opinion.”
You put your book face down on your nightstand, adjusting your position on the bed so you were facing her. The brunette glanced at you from the corner of her eye, the involuntary pout clear on her face.
“I don’t need her to, I know the truth. Anybody would be lucky to have you, Kate.”
Kate clicked her tongue in disagreement and turned on her side, scooting as close to you as she could. As if it was second nature, you wrapped your arms around her and Kate buried her face in the crook of your neck, her cold cheeks making you shiver. Silence took over the room for a moment, the atmosphere so comfortable you would have drifted into sleep if it wasn’t for how restless the archer seemed to be.
“That has to be a lie,” Kate whispered after a while, sounding much sadder than she had let on before. “No matter how hard I try, it just never seems to work out. Something must be wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Listen–,” You exhaled, pulling away just enough to look into her eyes. “If those girls can’t see how incredible you are, then they don’t deserve you, Kate. I’m sure one day not so far from today there will be someone that will see everything that you are and still love every single thing.” You smiled. “You just need to be patient, okay?”
It was only then that you realized how close you actually were. It was just a matter of anyone moving forward for your lips to meet hers. As the thought crossed your mind, Kate glanced down at your lips, as if she was thinking the exact same thing. Your gazes met again, and you could have sworn you saw the idea swimming in the stormy waters of her eyes that maybe, just maybe, what she had been looking for had been right in front of her all this time, holding her hand through every crisis. Kate only needed to close the gap between you and find out. Tension immediately filled the air, your heart beating so loud against your ribcage you were scared she could hear it. You had thought about this so many times–being this close to her, kissing her. It was a thought you had buried in the deepest part of your being, far away from your reach, because Kate was your roommate, your best friend, and you just couldn’t fathom the idea of not having her in your life. And yet, here you were. Unable to breathe, with her face mere inches away from yours. You knew you needed to pull back and move away from a potential mistake but, before you could do anything, Kate leaned forward and pressed her lips against your own, timidly. Immediately, a warm sensation invaded every inch of your body, eagerly returning the gesture in an act of submission to the unstoppable beating of your heart. The brunette cupped your face with both her hands, pulling you closer, brushing your bottom lip with her tongue in a question to deepen the kiss. Your lips parted opened, granting her access, and soon enough what had started as a shy and soft kiss had turned urgent and passionate. Almost like you had been waiting for that moment for longer than both of you let on, and were just now realizing it.
After what simultaneously felt like an eternity and not enough time, Kate pulled away, keeping your faces so close to one another that the tip of your noses brushed together. You didn’t dare to open your eyes, afraid of the words that were sure to come out of her mouth. You just savored the moment, before reality dawned, and it all passed.
Whatever was to happen next, it had been worth it.
Then, she spoke. “Maybe I already did.”
Before you could even process what she had said, she kissed you again.