I’ll Be Home For New Years
Kate Bishop sighed and wandered into the kitchen. She looked up at the clock. 9:57. She’d slept in again.
She pulled back her long black hair into a messy bun with a purple scrunchie shed stolen from her roommate, Clint Barton. Speaking of Clint, where was he? It was one of those December days: the week after Christmas, but not quite new years, when you didn't know the day of the week.
She loved these days, but it felt different without Yelena Belova, Kate’s girlfriend. Yelena was on deployment. She worked for the Marines, but she'd always been home for the holidays.
As Kate was mulling over these thoughts, she heard the door to the apartment swing open.
Clint bustled in, stomping off snow and unclipping the leash from Lucky, their scrappy golden retriever.
“We’re home!” Clint yelled a little too loudly. He was deaf, but could hear with his hearing aids. Which, at the moment, were sitting on the counter, next to the stack of spare face masks.
“You forgot your hearing aids again!” Kate called as she poured two cups of coffee.
“I forgot my hearing aids!” Clint called from the doorway.
“That's what I just- oh, forget it.” Kate handed him a cup and his hearing aids. He popped them in, turned them on, and then downed the cup. “That's better. Thanks, kid.” He picked up his phone and strutted into the TV room. Kate chuckled.
She heard Clint talking, clearly recording voice mail.
“Hey Scott. I miss you, please pick up soon. Love you.”
Kate was friends with Clint’s partner Scott. But sometimes it hurt to see happy couples.
As if Yelena could read her mind from across the world, a text came through.
Happy holidays, darling! Call me?
Kate quickly dialed in Yelena’s number. It rang 3 times before she picked up.
“Hi Katerina!” she quipped. Yelena was Russian, and liked to slip in little nicknames for her girlfriend.
“Hi Lena. I really really miss you.” she smiled, leaning against the counter. It was so nice to hear her girlfriend’s voice.
“Hey, babe, did you hear that?” Yelena giggled.
“What?” Kate was confused. And then a knock came from the door.
What was happening?
Kate walked over and slowly opened the door. The phone slipped from her hands as she gasped.
Yelena Belova stood in the doorway, wearing her camo uniform, her bag slung over her shoulder. Snowflakes were scattered in her dirty blonde hair and speckled on her cheeks, red from the cold. Her greenish-brown eyes sparkled.
She pulled down her mask.
“I missed you.” Yelena smiled.
Kate had missed her accent so much, her voice.
She leapt into her girlfriend's arms, Yelena was kissing her face, and they were both crying, and hugging, and just talking.
And Kate pulled away from Yelena and kissed her, a deep, real kiss.
“What-when did you get here!?” Kate laughed, hugging Yelena again.
“I had to be here for new years, didn't I?”
“Hah, gay!” Clint called from the doorway.
“Clint, you literally have a boyfriend.” Kate snorted.
Yelena rolled her eyes. “Good to see you too, bird-brain.” She rolled her eyes as she gave Clint a high five.
Lucky ran out to greet them, nipping at ankles and jumping to lick Yelena’s face. She smiled and pressed a kiss to the dog’s forehead.
This was going to be a good new years.