Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was no success without hard work, that was the phrase that motivated Kate Bishop her entire life. Eleanor Bishop was a demanding mother, completely self-sufficient and capable. And she didn't care - much - when Kate decided she didn't want to work in the family business. She wanted excellence, she wanted the best for Kate and made it clear that if her daughter chose a path apart from her professionally, she would have to be the best she could be.

Hard work pays off, Kate. That's what she always heard. Considering Kate's background, many expected her to be in the technology field - because of her last name - perhaps engineering, perhaps something related to systems. But also Kate could have been an Olympic-level athlete if she had dedicated herself enough to her bow. But then she got hurt, a bike accident at 15, a bad broken arm and a trip to the hospital - Kate's first, to Eleanor's exasperation and relief. And she fell in love.

The doctor who treated her was a traumatologist at first, after all Kate had arrived by ambulance since she had hit her head and her arm was in a funny shape at first. But the doctor was so light-hearted and in a good mood that it made young Kate think that she wanted to bring that level of comfort and safety to people and that was it. Kate Bishop decided to become a medical doctor. A trauma surgeon.

"Trauma in room 1, Bishop." A nurse said and Kate, who was in the hallway, taking a two-minute break to drink a more or less hot coffee, looked confused.

“Did I drop my pager again?” She grumbled to herself and patted her pocket and felt the object there, she pulled it out to see if it was muted. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Yay, I won’t get scolded by the boss, they didn’t call me and this thing has the sound on.” She said to herself, Kate talking to herself was something that many learned to ignore.

The scrub was purple, Kate’s favorite color and of course that she wasn’t one of the people who voted for that color when it was redesigned, cof cof, but she liked it.

“So what do we have?” She asked while pulling out the file and seeing that the patient was a man with a broken nose.

She then walked over to the stretcher and saw that the man was a bloody mess. She pulled out the x-ray that the intern had taken and considered that it was a clean fracture that needed to be readjusted, she wouldn’t call an appointment with another specialist for that, she tried to make sure that patients spent as little as possible on a trip to the hospital. “Mr. Murdock, I’m Dr. Kate Bishop, I was going to ask how you’re doing, but it seems like pain would be the first answer.” She spoke in a light tone and noticed the cane of a person with total loss of vision. Matt chuckled softly.

“Ah, sense of humor, I like that in a doctor. Yes, pain would be the first answer, but other than that I’m fine. And you?” Matt asked calmly.

“I’m fine, I just had a half-decent coffee that was cold.” She said and he laughed and then groaned slightly. “I’ll hold back on my jokes, Mr. Murdock.” She spoke in a slightly more serious tone. “I’m going to do an evaluation, okay?”

“Call me Matt, and do what you need to do, doc.” He said resting his hands on the stretcher where he was sitting.

“Okay, can I touch you?” She always asked for consent when the patient was awake and aware of what was happening. An emergency with someone unconscious was one thing, but a person who was very capable of consenting was another.

“Yes, of course, but promise to treat me like a princess?” Matt said and that brought a laugh from Kate.

“I’m known for being a gentleman, I don’t recommend that we dance, I’ll trip, but I promise to open doors and pull out chairs.” She said and he smiled wider and clearly amused. “So, what happened?” She asked curiously as she assessed Matt’s eyes who were without sunglasses.

“With my beautiful nose or with my eyes?” He asked and Kate pondered that he probably noticed the flashlight shining in his eyes, but Kate was looking for bruises there.

“First the nose and if you want to share about your vision I’ll accept.” Kate said with a shrug and continued assessing.

“Try to guess?” He asked and Kate accepted the light game.

“I think you tried to steal a lollipop from a child and it hit you with a teether.” She said and that brought a laugh from Matt and then a grunt.

“You’re funny.” He said and gave a small laugh. “I was boxing with a friend and he forgot I’m blind.” He said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, hitting the disabled guy, how unfair you didn’t even see it coming.” Kate said lightly and that made Matt laugh.

“Exactly. But he brought me here in desperation, so it’s okay.” He said with a shrug and Kate made a low sound. “It was a chemical accident.” Matt added. “It’s been a long time , I think maybe you heard about the truck that overturned and hit some people, in Hell’s Kitchen.” He offered.

“I studied the case in my senior year of college, a lot of people were injured, two were blinded, I think one was you.” Kate didn’t say she was sorry, it wasn’t her place to say something like that about something Matt was sharing about his past.

“Yeah, me and an old lady. She died a few years ago, of old age.” He said and sighed. “So, Steve realigned my septum?” He asked amusedly.

“Eh, we can say that. It looks like we have a simple nasal fracture. We’re going to immobilize the area and reduce the fracture manually to align the bones. After that, I recommend a follow-up with an ENT to ensure good healing. It won’t be pleasant, but it will be quick.” She said and he laughed.

“Not my favorite type of action, Kate.” He said and she laughed.

“Neither is mine, bud, but hey, grab the stretcher and please don’t hit me when the pain hits.” She said and he nodded, gripping the side supports of the stretcher tightly and Kate held on. “On three. One, two-” The loud crack sounded and Matt gave a painful groan.

“I thought it was on three.” He gasped.

“It’s worse if it was.” Kate said lightly. “Now let’s get you bandaged and send you home with a referral to an ENT, good pain medication and I recommend ice.” She said and bandaged the bandage calmly. Finally, Matt was guided by a nurse to the check-out counter.

“See you later, Dr. Bishop, have a great day.”

“Take care, Matt.” She said and watched him leave with the nurse. A nice, peaceful day. Kate then moved to the check-in counter, there wasn’t much she could do, she wanted it to stay that way.

“Is it time for you to take your break, Kate?” The nurse asked calmly.

“I can go if you want the chair, Jamil.” She said and the woman laughed.

“Yes, get out of my sight.” The head nurse said playful as Kate went to the nearest break room.

It was quiet there, the hospital noises were muffled and the bed there was good enough. Kate took off her shoes and the top of her scrubs, leaving her in a tank top. Her pants were next to go and she was left in boy shorts and then she lay down, with her cell phone and pager next to her on the bedside table. That's when her phone started vibrating with a notification sound.

Unknown: What are you wearing?

Kate wanted to laugh at the clearly wrong text from a number she didn't recognize. She intended to just ignore the number but at the same time, Kate was quite the sarcastic one.

Kate: A superhero cape, underwear over my pants and a shiny sequined crop top. What about you?

Unknown: What?
Okaaay…. I can play that game. I'm wearing your mom's clothes and waiting in bed.

The response made Kate laugh out loud and then just type a reply in a playful way.

Kate: Oh yeah super sexy, we can work on our mommy issues, do you promise to make bad jokes?

Kate responded finding it all very amusing, she didn't care about the timing of the situation, it was just funny.

Unknown: I'm known for being very good at bad jokes…
I texted the wrong number didn't I?

Kate: Yes, but I confess I'm on my break and it was a great two-second entertainment, it lasted longer than my last relationship... 

Kate decided that the person had enough of a sense of humor and that although the missing text was funny and she was curious, Kate was after all a very curious person. 

Unknown: Uck, that's bad. Now I don't know if I wrote down the wrong number or if the girl I flirted with gave me the wrong number... 

Kate: Which one will hurt your ego less? We can believe that.

Kate asked and there was a moment of silence where there were no messages and the brunette shrugged. 

Unknown: Was I stupid or was I trolled? What kind of question is that misdial? Do you want to make me cry in the shower? 

Kate: Oh, I got a name, and it's Miss Misdial for you. And crying in the shower is always good, the hot water serves as a great inhalation, mister Mis-send

Kate said, finding it amusing that this was happening. One would say she was addicted to new things even though she worked in a hospital where new things were happening all the time.

Unknown: Please don't ever call me sir again, I'm a lady.
Sorry for the message and for continuing to text you, your humor caught me off guard, I found it amusing

Kate: Don't apologize, honestly it was the funniest thing that happened today and I had some funny things happen. I'm a social butterfly, I can talk to anyone.

Unknown: Am I anyone now? You hurt my feelings, Miss misdial. I thought I was special since you're wearing your cape.

That made Kate laugh again.

Kate: Let's just say you're Miss Mis-Send

Unknown: Oh, a nickname, how cute.

That was when Kate's pager lit up and vibrated and she groaned, picking up the device. Even if she had fallen asleep it wouldn't have been a long sleep.

Kate: Miss Mis-send, I need to go, it was a pleasure exchanging wrong-number messages with you

She then quickly got dressed and left, it was a car-motorcycle collision and that was usually not pretty.

*********

Kate hadn't seen her cell phone, she was exhausted to embarrassing levels. The car crash had been prolonged in a long surgery and Kate had stayed almost 4 hours longer than she should have at the hospital finishing the paperwork after the patient was stable. She went into the apartment and simply collapsed on the bed, leaving the cell phone on top of the charging station.

She woke up almost six hours later with the cell phone ringing incessantly. Kate rolled over and picked up the cell phone, still half asleep.

"Wello?" She said groggily.

"Kate, honey, did you forget we were going to have lunch?" Her mother's voice rang out and Kate jumped, suddenly awake and mumbled.

"Shit, sorry, I had an emergency that went on for a while, just give me... Uh... Twenty minutes." She spoke quickly and there was a sigh from her mother.

“Sure, honey.” Her tone wasn’t very pleased, and rightly so, Eleanor didn’t like being late, but she was understanding. Kate simply hung up and got dressed quickly. Her hair was combed with her fingers and tied in a high bun, which made the strands less messy. As she left the apartment, Kate did something common. She tripped.

“Oh, fuck.” She said softly to herself and smiled awkwardly at the woman she had tripped over with her baby bag. “Sorry about that.” She said and the woman gave a slight smile and nodded. She was carrying a baby carriage and the child clapped their hands and spoke loudly.

“Fuck!” She said and Kate blushed, not looking back when the child’s mother made a disgruntled sound. She just sped off to the subway. A 12-minute drive and a 3-minute walk later — more of a jog than a walk — Kate arrived at the restaurant her mother and she had booked.

“God, I’m sorry, Mom, I forgot to set an alarm.” She said sincerely, and Eleanor stood up and the two hugged.

“I understand and I forgive you, I know life at the hospital is busy.” The older Bishop spoke softly, and Kate nodded, and the two sat down to eat lunch.

Lunch went as it always did. Eleanor gave some unsolicited motherly advice, like Kate needing to eat better, sleep more and maybe take a day or two off. She talked about the company at length and asked a lot about Kate’s work.

“I’m proud of you, come over for dinner this weekend if you’re off.” Eleanor said, pulling Kate into another hug.

“I’ll let you know if I go, someone told me I need to get more sleep.” That earned her a little squeeze from her mother.

“Silly.” Eleanor spoke and the two parted ways. “Do you need a ride?” Her mother offered.

“You live on the other side, literally the opposite direction. I can take the subway.” Kate waved her off and the two walked away.

She walked calmly to the subway and waited patiently on the platform, then she pulled out her cell phone and saw that there was a message from last night that she hadn’t responded to and found herself smiling at the Mis-send message. She laughed out loud at that.

Unknown: Oh, it seems I scared a woman away, it’s my wonderful sense of humor and your mother’s lingerie, isn’t it?

Kate: That’s absurd, my mother has good taste in these things, by the way, good morning, Miss Mis-send.

She then entered the subway and saw that there was a poster stuck in one of the windows about an arts event and she read the poster curiously.

“Oh, freebies, I love freebies. Going out to eat and get free stuff is always nice.” She considered whether she could go and pulled out her cell phone to check her schedule, the device vibrated as soon as she held it.

Unknown: Good morning, Miss Misdial, you woke up late I see. And isn't it weird to think about your mother's underwear? A sincere question, are you a weirdo?

Kate chuckled a little at this and leaned back so she could type with both hands.

Kate: Weird? Just because I wear a cape? That's prejudice. I wake up late whenever I can, but my mother says I don't get enough sleep, which is probably right….

Unknown: You can never sleep too much, Misdial. Never, sleeping is an art of life. I wish I was waking up at this time, but I had to pretend to be a functional person.

Kate: Worst kind of need…
But hey, isn't it weird that we're talking without even knowing who's who?

She asked sincerely, it was a little weird, but Kate enjoyed the anonymity. And she was enjoying the other person's sense of humor.

Unknown: It's weird if you're underage, are you?

Kate: I've been too old to be considered underage for a long time, and you, are you?

Unknown: If I were, would you stop talking to me?

Kate: Yes, you started the conversation by asking what I was wearing, Mis-send

Unknown: Great point, but no, I'm not underage. Does that mean you want to keep talking? Anonymously?

Kate pondered the suggestion for two subway stops. She'd always been easy to talk to, and she liked the idea of ​​not knowing Mis-send by name or image, she was adventurous and Kate liked to be adventurous.

Kate: Can we be completely honest, and ask anything? No names and no photos of us, and if at any point we feel like we can share our identities, we do... What do you think?

Unknown: Oh, a blind date without being a date, no names and lots of subterfuge. Are you a criminal? If the answer is yes, then my answer is no.

Kate: I have never committed any crime other than loving too much.

Unknown: That is absolutely corny.

Kate: And it is still true. My ex-girlfriend said that to me before she moved out of the apartment we shared.

She shuddered at the thought of Daisy, it wasn't a particularly happy memory. Her ex-girlfriend accepted a transfer to DC without batting an eyelid when the chance arose and that left Kate behind.

Unknown: Oh, tough, and she seems like a bit of a jerk. My ex-girlfriend is still my friend and now my ex-girlfriend is dating a common friend, my only ex thankfully. She's cool.

Kate: I had another one, but it was during high school and it was a mutual breakup. Adult life has pushed me back towards romance, sometimes I miss it.

And Kate decided to save that mystery person's number under the name she gave her. Mis-send. It was a good name and it made it easier for her to recognize who it was.

Mis-send: What? Dating or…

Kate: Sex, I miss having good sex, my occasional encounters are half-decent if I'm being honest, but I miss the complicity if I'm talking about dating, it was nice to have someone to do things with.

Mis-send: Do you miss sex? And why are the current ones being kinda shitty?

The brunette wondered if she really wanted to get into the subject of sex with a stranger, but she shrugged and made a small face.

“I've talked about weirder things with other strangers before…” She contemplated as she began to talk about things she removed from the anal region of patients who swore they had no idea how such a thing got inside them.

Kate: My physical relationships are based on a need to be met, and what's a problem for me is that people look at me and put me in a box very quickly. I'm either completely passive or completely vanilla.

Mis-send: And you're neither, I imagine?

Kate: I've never been passive in my entire life, much less vanilla. So mediocre sex happens because I'm put in that little box and that's it.

Mis-send: So you're disappointed? Your fucks seem sad, I feel sorry for you.

Kate saw that the subway arrived at the station where she was supposed to get off to go home, she simply got off and walked the two blocks away. She went back into the apartment and sighed, going to make some coffee.

Kate: Eh, disappointed might be a good word to say. I went out with a guy the other day and he really tried hard, but then again with men I'm the receiver, and it's not really my favorite position to be in.

Mis-send: Is missionary boring? I like it when it's done well. Being on my back or face down is always good.

Kate's eyebrow rose at that and she heard the coffee maker make a little sound and poured herself some black coffee.

Kate: Missionary is good when there's no guy thrusting into you without any rhythm.

Mis-send: Gross, misdial, I didn't need that mental image. Men are gross.

Kate: Some are nice, but rare I would say. I prefer women.

Mis-send: Me too, but what would be good sex for you?

She contemplated what she could say and needed a moment to think. It was funny to have the freedom to say something like that, Kate didn't feel embarrassed to say what she wanted. It was an awkward start to a friendship, but she appreciated it.

Kate: Tell me what you prefer first.

She hadn't thought about it yet so she decided to see if Mis-send would also make herself vulnerable and talk about herself. There was a long wait, maybe it was a foolish move, but then the typing bubbles appeared and Kate waited patiently as she moved to the couch and threw her feet up on the coffee table.

Mis-send: It depends on the day. I like cute and pretty, slow fuck…. But I like intensity, I like being bitten, squeezed, marked, fucked hard. I try sex with a friend of a friend a few time ago, and she kissed so boring, I don’t like boring, misdial

This made Kate chuckle softly, she didn't think anyone actually liked boring things, but she did consider that there were some friends who were very comfortable in boring relationships. She made a thoughtful sound and still didn't have a suitable answer to Mis-send. Kate then opened the delivery app to poke around while she thought.

After deciding to have Indian food for the night, she contemplated the question of Mis-send, it had been a long time since anyone had asked her that. What did she like, what did she want in sex? Kate was successful at pretty much everything she put her mind to, hard work and effort. But she had yet to succeed in having a good relationship.

Kate: Sex needs to be a connection, even if it's not an emotional connection... I like kisses, yes intense and deep, I don't like being kissed chastely if it's to initiate sex, for everyday things it's totally okay, but sex? I want sex to be fiery, I think that the pre-taking-off-clothes thing is important to me and that's what's missing when I go out with men. I like to slowly kiss the skin, to taste it and I'm not ashamed to say that I like to mark it, I explored a lot with my ex-girlfriend and I like to surf at the moment. I especially love to see the person I'm with come undone beneath me because I found that point that melts and makes everything melt... I always want to dominate, control, possess with everything I have in me and the boxes they put me in 'forbid' me from doing that...

She blushed to herself and didn't hesitate to click send. The cell phone was thrown aside and Kate went to the kitchen, feeling slightly embarrassed by the long text. But at the same time it was liberating to say this to someone who wouldn't judge her, or if she did judge her she wouldn't know who it was. It was a new way of exploring herself that Kate was enjoying.

The glass of water she took was taken calmly, trying to calm the feelings that were a little intense. She then moved back to the couch, deciding to try to watch a movie, but she looked at her cell phone and bit her lower lip. 

Contemplating if she should be a little obsessive and see if there would be a response. Mis-send was a person who responded quickly, from what Kate could see, unlike all her friends and it was strange to have this attention.

Mis-send: So we can call you top-service. This all seems like a dream to me.

She blinked at the response and frowned slightly trying to read what Mis-send meant by that, Kate tilted her head to the side and sighed.

"Is she proposing sex to me?" Kate muttered to herself. "Oh, fuck it." She amended and shrugged.

Kate: Is that a proposal or just a statement, Mis-send?

There was no quick response and Kate sighed, grabbing the TV remote and looking for a movie to watch while she waited for the Indian restaurant to open. The movie quickly grabbed her attention and she was easily distracted by the two and a quarter hours that the movie was. When she got up to go to the bathroom she saw that there was a message there.

Mis-send: We don't know each other well enough for this to be a proposal.

Kate: Weren't you trying to sext with a woman who gave you the wrong number yesterday?

She found it amusing and wasn't too offended by the remark, she even found the sudden change in attitude amusing.

Mis-send: I knew her... Sorta... Something like that... We were going to the same cafe, but she didn't show up today. But no, Misdial, I'm not proposing sex to you, let's get to know each other first and then we'll review this topic.

Kate: You’re so confident that we will, I like that in a woman, Mis-send. But yes, let's get to know each other first. But now I'm going to take a shower and order food. We'll talk tomorrow or something, I want to rest without screens for a while…

Mis-send: Perfectly fine, we'll talk later, have a good rest Misdial.

Kate: You too.

And then Kate ordered dinner and went to take a shower. She really just wanted to pick up a book and read, it had been a while since she had done that. She even thought about sending a text to America, but it was Friday and that meant tequila and dancing, two things Kate didn't want with a 24-hour shift coming up.

She had to do a 24-hour shift every two weeks in exchange for 2 paid days off, and so she would do it without really feeling bad. It was two days a month, she usually did 12-hour shifts. Which worked for her because she got a whole day off after that. But she needed to rest.

**********

It had been 16 hours, and it was perhaps one of the worst shifts Kate had had in a while, and she had experienced some severe weather conditions in New York that had made her rethink her career a few times. And she also had Halloweens, New Years and Christmases, always difficult dates, and a particularly bad Valentine's Day in that same emergency room.

It started with a severe internal hemorrhage that had led to surgery and that wasn't really a problem, she enjoyed operating, her mind would quiet down the moment the lights were around her and she had a scalpel in her hands.

So she had barely left the OR before she went back in to fix a man who had been stabbed in an alley. Then there were the bar brawlers and Kate managed to swallow a muffin and some coffee to keep going. Then there was a knife fight that had to be broken up by police officers. Then Kate had a few people needing stitches and a police officer in the emergency room. Complete chaos.

She was exhausted and it had been a long time since she had been awake this long. But that was it... The early hours in New York were never disappointing. She had just finished a minor surgery when she was rushed to assist with a trauma in the ER. 

“What do we have?” She asked as she entered the ER, pulling her hair into an awkward bun.

“The patient has lost a lot of blood, we need a central line right away.” A nurse informed her, pulling out a tray of instruments. "He has an abdominal abscess that Dr. Rogers will work on in the meantime." Kate just nodded.

Kate didn’t hesitate. Gloves on, mask on, she leaned over the patient and began the procedure to stabilize the bleeding. It was quick, efficient. But then, as she looked up to speak to the team, she felt the rubber band snap, the brief moment of chaos as the resident punctured a pocket of fluid in the patient’s belly.

Something warm. Something wet. Something slowly dripped down the side of her hair and neck.

“Hm. That’s not sweat, is it?” She asked, already knowing the answer. No one wanted to answer, and the staff looked sad. She let out a sigh and walked away, feeling the sticky weight of the strands sticking to her face. “Please tell me it was just saline.” Silence.

“Kate…” the nurse began, but was interrupted by the sound of Kate herself ripping off her gloves with a snap.

“Great. Perfect. It’s official. I’m done with long hair. The patient is stable and I need an hour to deal with this.” There was only a nod from the nurse and she left the trauma room directly to the locker room, ignoring any attempt at consolation from the staff. A triple wash with hospital shampoo wasn’t going to be enough to erase that feeling even if the smell went away.

She had worked the last few hours and finally, she thanked whatever God, the shift was over. And that was when she finally picked up her cell phone and looked at the screen.

Mis-send: Is your day as bad as mine? Tell me it is, at least this way I’m not suffering alone.

Kate: I'm going to cut my hair short right now, after 30 years of my life with hair reaching the bottom of my spine, Mis-send. That is how bad my day is.

MIs-send: How short are we talking about?

The question was sincere and Kate walked into the hairdressing she usually went to. The hairdresser was surprised, especially since it was the end of his shift.

"I want to cut my hair." She said to the man.

"The end tips as usual?" He asked with a friendly tone and a smile.

"I want it short." she told the hairdresser, sitting in the chair and the man arched his eyebrow and indicated a length. "No, shorter."

"Are you sure?" He asked with both eyebrows raised.

"Take this hair off me. Donate it, burn it, throw it away, your choice. But cut it. Short." She said and the man nodded. Half an hour later, Kate walked out of there with her hair cut in a practical, efficient way and without the risk of becoming a reservoir of unwanted fluids.

And honestly? She felt lighter.

Kate: I just got my chin-length hair cut.

She then moved to the subway, urgently wanting to go home.

Mis-send: A very brutal decision, what happened?

Kate: I ended up with more biological fluids on me than I've ever had in my life. I had to wash my hair 3 times to get the smell out.

Mis-send: Do I need to worry that you have biological fluids on you? Are you a professional dominatrix? Do I need to worry that you're going to hit me in the ass?

This made Kate, who was on the subway, laugh out loud and it made many people look at her with frowns at the sound. But she didn't regret it, it was the best laugh she had all day.

Kate: You have to worry about me if you end up in my emergency room, Mis-send, your little ass is safe from my whips.

She typed amusedly.

Mis-send: Too bad, I like to get my ass spanked.

Kate coughed at that and looked at her phone to see that Mis-send was typing something.

Mis-send: Are you happy with your new hair?

Kate: Yes, but my mom is going to have a field day.

MIs-send: Hair grows, I cut mine too short too, today it's like it was before this, your hair, your rules.

That made her smile, Mis-send seemed like a nice person at least through text.

Kate: Thanks, Mis-send. I'm going home to sleep, I've been on call for the last 24 hours…

Mis-send: Geez, rest up, misdial, I'm working all day tomorrow so good luck to us, have a good rest.

*********

"Are you still texting that unknown person?" Kate heard America ask and hand her a glass of wine. Kate accepted the glass without blinking and took a sip.

"God, you choose the best wines." She grumbled and America laughed.

“I’m a taster with international degrees, if I don’t know how to choose a damn wine I need a new job.” She said and Kate rolled her eyes.

“You work in a brewery and not a winery.” Kate pointed out the clear differences between being a Sommelier and a Cicerone.

“Tomato, tomato. I have good taste.” America said, rolling her eyes and Kate laughed softly. “Answer my question, Bishop.” Kate laughed at that and shrugged.

“Yeah, for about two and something months now, Mis-send and I have been talking. She’s nice.” Kate said with an easy smile, the friendship with the unknown person but still so close to her was different from what she had ever had with anyone.

“And you don’t plan on getting to know each other?” America asked amicably.

“I don’t know, we haven’t talked about that. We’ve talked about everything, but not about this, we haven’t exchanged names or many details yet.” She spoke sincerely and without much concern.

“Weird arrangement, but if it works, it works. Promise me that if you're going to meet her, it'll be in a public place.” America spoke firmly.

“Yes, I promise.” She smiled and America seemed to relax. That's when her phone rang and she grimaced.

“I need to take this, love, it's from the brewery.” She grumbled and Kate took a sip of her wine and made some random gesture with her hands. Which made America walk to the balcony and Kate pulled out her cell phone.

Mis-send: Misdial, I saw a crime. A crime. How should I proceed?

Kate: What kind of crime are we talking about? Are you wanted by the law now?

Mis-send: My crime is being too hot. I didn't commit this crime.

And there was a picture. Something they'd started exchanging a few weeks ago. A fancy coffee, a fun meal, and simple things like that. But there, yes, Kate agreed, a crime.

It was a burrito sandwich. Why someone would do something like that was beyond Kate. But it looked good, to her.

Kate: How awful, where did you find this so I would never go?

She asked amusedly and was sure that Mis-send groaned out loud because of the comment.

Mis-send: You're going to eat this, aren't you? For God's sake, it's a burrito sandwich.

Kate: You don't believe in God, Mis-send.

Mis-send: If you're going to eat this crime, I might as well start believing.

Kate: Did you eat it? Did you think it was bad?

It was an honest question, she knew that Mis-send loved new restaurants.

Mis-send: No, God. Look, I'm already converting haha
But no, I ate something else. This crime was requested by my sister.

"Oh, you have a sister." Kate grumbled and saw that America seemed to be yelling at someone on the phone. "Good luck to you." She grumbled.

Kate: Did your sister like it? I'm just me, if we only consider my best friend as a sister from another mother. She wouldn't eat that sandwich, she's Mexican after all and thinks Tex-Mex is a crime.

Mis-send: She's right. A damn crime. But my sister liked it, which means very little because she's a goat.

Kate: A goat? Is your sister my sister? I'll eat anything.

Mis-send: How undemanding of you misdial. But unless you're Russian and a redhead, I don't think there's a chance.

"Redhead and Russian?" Kate didn't really picture Mis-send physically, but for a moment she imagined the woman as a redhead and very Russian.

Kate: I'm English by surname origin but I look like my mother physically and she's Italian. So brown hair and blue eyes for you, miss Mis-send redhead.

Mis-send: Ha! Wrong. I've never been a redhead in my life. I'm adopted, so blonde hair and green/brown eyes.

The mental image changed from a redhead to a blonde and she pondered the color of the eyes.

Kate: Aren't brown greens called hazel?

Mis-send: I don't know
But if you want this crime, I'll give you the address.

That's when Kate saw that America was shouting obscenities on the balcony and went back into the apartment.

Kate: Yes, please. I'm going to leave because my best friend is here. Good night, Mis-send

Mis-send: Good night, misdial

“I hate people, for God’s sake, I hate people. I’m sorry Kitty.” America grumbled.

“You need to go, don’t you? And please don’t ever call me that again, Kate is already a shortened version, America.” She grumbled and America looked at her and groaned.

“I’m going to call you Katherine from now on.” And that made the brunette groan.

“Why? Don’t be a whore about it.” She grumbled and America laughed.

“But yeah, love, I need to go. Someone fucked hard and not in the way I like back at the brewery. I need to go fix it before we end up with a huge fucking loss.” Kate sighed and nodded.

“We should be able to spend a meal and a few hours talking together in the not too distant future.” She said and stood up and America adjusted herself against her. “Give Gwen a hug, will you?” She asked and America hugged her tightly.

“I just want to say something before I go.” Kate pulled away and nodded. “Would you go on a date with Carol? I think you two would get along.”

“Carol as the new investor in the brewery? Do you think it’s wise?” She asked sincerely.

“I think so, I think you two would get along.” She said and Kate nodded.

“Okay, give me her number and I’ll text her.” This seemed to cheer up America who had been trying to get Kate to go out with someone for a while. The brunette just watched America go and shrugged, grabbing her wine glass and turning on the television to a show she’d been watching.

********

Dating out with Carol was good. Kate couldn’t say it wasn’t. They were similar and they got along well. There were no magnificent explosions yet, but the heat was there.

When Carol pressed her against the apartment door and kissed her long and hard, things were good. It was a good kiss, but still slightly boring. Carol pulled away and Kate looked at the taller woman. The blue eyes, the short blonde hair.

“This isn’t working, is it?” Carol asked softly.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re hot.” ​​Kate ran her hand over Carol’s hip, which brought a smile to the woman’s face. “But I think we’re on different mental points? You don’t seem that invested.” She commented without really feeling hurt.

“America suggested this date so I could try to get over my breakup, but still… It was recent. I tried not to talk about it on the date so I wouldn’t sound like a brokenhearted woman. But Maria hurt me a lot.” She spoke sincerely and the two of them walked away.

“Look, I think you’re hot, we get along well, honestly we have a lot in common. We can try to be friends and if we ever want to we can try to have sex. Or we can fuck now so you can take your mind off it.” She offered and noticed that Carol was thinking deeply.

“I don’t want to use you as a spare tire, you’re an incredible woman and it would be very unfair of me to use you like that.” She frowned at the woman’s statement and snorted.

“Carol, do you want to have sex?” The question was straightforward. “It’s a yes or no answer. We can be friends who started their friendship with orgasms.” She said playfully and that brought a small laugh from Carol.

“So much effort for me to get in your pants?” She asked playfully.

“On ​​the contrary. I would like to fuck you if you wanted.” This disarmed Carol and she looked at Kate and her eyebrows furrowed.

“A friendship starting with sex? Just one time?” She asked.

“A friendship that had one time sex.” Kate reaffirmed.

“Okay, show me your bedroom, Kate.” And that was how the friendship with Carol Danvers began. They fucked intensely and deliciously, there was still no connection that Kate was looking for, no fireworks. But the next morning she was deliciously sore when she entered the hospital and she had gained a new friend.

********

Miss-send: How do I get out of a boring date? By the way, how was your date?

Mis-send suddenly asked in the middle of Kate's shift. The brunette was relaxed in the emergency room chair.

Kate: It was good, we had sex and decided to be friends. And why do you need to get out of a date?

Mis-send: Oh, you had sex, congratulations misdial…
She's annoying, really annoying, she kept telling me that I ate too much, it's a buffet for the love of any god

Kate: Are you texting me while you're on a date?

Mis-send: Yes, she's insufferable and she was talking about my exercise habit saying that I'll get fat if I stop exercising with the amount I eat…  Help?

Kate considered it all very rude and contemplated what she could do to help in the situation.

She swallowed hard the only solution she had. She and Mis-send had never heard each other's voices and that was the idea she had.

Kate: From one to ten, one being no and ten being yes please, do you want me to call you and pretend there's an emergency and you need to leave?

There were no answers for a while, Kate sutured a patient for a good 30 minutes and that's when she managed to pick up her phone again.

Mis-send: 10

Kate swallowed hard and looked at Jamil who was nearby filling out some stuff.

“I’m going to take a smoke break.” She joked and that made the Indian woman look at her with amusement.

“You don’t smoke.” She laughed softly. “But yes, go get some air.” She shooed Kate away as if Kate wasn’t the head of the department and the brunette laughed, heading for the parking lot near the front door.

She felt her hands shaking, overcome by a nervousness she didn’t know she had and steadied herself.

“You’re a surgeon for god’s sake.” She took two steps, slipped, steadied herself and glared at a torn and empty Doritos package that made her slip and pulled out her cell phone.

Mis-send: 10 for god’s sake misdial.

That made her laugh and she selected the number and hesitated two heartbeats before pressing to call. The cell phone went to her ear and rang a few times.

“Hello? Just a moment, Ashley.” The voice was hoarse, with a pronounced European accent and Kate closed her eyes.

“Ashley, seriously? Tell me she was a dumb blonde cheerleader? Pretend it’s a call from St. Matthew’s Hospital.” Kate spoke and there was a moment of silence.

“Yes, yes. The hospital? Is everything okay?” The tone was slightly higher and Kate wanted to laugh at the act.

“Tell her it’s about your sister if she doesn’t know your sister or if she does tell her you’re the emergency contact for a friend she doesn’t know.” Kate instructed softly in Mis-send’s ear.

“James’ emergency contact?” The voice sounded and trembled. “Is he okay?” Kate closed her eyes at Mis-send’s voice.

“Repeat asking about: abdominal pain, possible appendicitis and ask if you need to come here.” She swallowed hard and was sure her heart was slightly racing.

“Appendicitis? He has abdominal pain? God, okay I need to go there don’t I?” Kate wanted to praise Mis-send's ability to act.

"Now, I said yes and it needs to be now because he can't go into possible surgery without someone here with him." Kate spoke in the same tone.

"Okay, yes, of course I will." There was a moment. "Ashley, I need to go. I'll text you." There were a few more sounds and Mis-send seemed to move away. "Thank you so much, Misdial." The woman spoke in a relieved tone.

"You're very good at pretending, Mis-send." Kate spoke, leaning against the hospital wall.

"I did theater for many years with my sister." She spoke and seemed to stop walking. "Good thing I parked a few blocks away from this restaurant." The woman grumbled.

"It wasn't how I thought I would hear your voice for the first time." Kate commented and she really thought they would never get to that point.

"Oh no? How did you imagine, Misdial? I hope it was a lot more fun than me running away from a bad date…” The tone was husky and Kate closed her eyes again and swallowed hard. Mis-send voice was maddening to Kate’s libido. The accent was making her a mess.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Kate teased.

“Misdial, I-”

“There you are, we need you! Patient in shock, you left your pager on the counter.” Jamil spoke and Kate looked at her.

“I’m coming, Jamil.” Kate spoke quickly.

“Okay Kate.” Jamil spoke and went back inside.

“I need to go.” Kate spoke softly but urgently.

“Sounds serious, thanks for the rescue. Have a good end to your shift.” Kate swallowed hard.

“Bye…” she spoke and hung up going inside and focusing on being a doctor and not a gay mess because of a hot voice.

********

“Oh my god I’m so fucked.” Kate grumbled and began counting the time it took to wash her hands properly before going into surgery. She then went to the operating room and saw Dr. Maximoff there. “Hey Wanda, have you come to supervise your child?” She asked and Peter, who was getting ready, groaned.

“I’m not a child.” He grumbled and the two attending doctors scoffed lightly.

“It’s your first year of residency, Parker. You’re a child.” Kate said amusedly. “So we’re going to do two in one? I’ll help stabilize the abdomen and you patch the vein?” Kate asked and looked at the vascular attending.

“Yes, it’s good that they saw that aneurysm, it could be something very bad suddenly.” Wanda said and the three began the surgery. “So, Kate, how are you?” The question was soft and in a slightly provocative tone.

“I’m fine, and you and the children?” Kate asked amusedly.

“In college. Both of them. Billy is studying anthropology and has found a mentor, Agatha, who is a bit harsh but makes the most distracted of my boys focused. And Tommy is preparing for the marathon, still studying physical therapy.” She said and Kate nodded.

“That’s great.” Kate said and they continued operating.

“Kate, you went out with a friend of mine! Carol, I saw her earlier today.” He said happily and that made Wanda look at her curiously. “Was it a good date?” He asked excitedly.

“It was nice, but we decided to be friends.” Kate said quickly.

“The hickey on Carol’s neck tells me otherwise.” He said and Kate glared at him.

“Keep your opinions to yourself, Parker.” Wanda said and Peter wilted.

“I’m sorry.” He grumbled.

“It’s okay. We had sex, Peter, it was good and we decided it would be just one time.” She said with a shrug and there was silence there, Peter squirmed.

“Understood.” He said after a moment and they continued the surgery.

It was silently good, Wanda was always absolutely brilliant and Peter was learning so it was another lesson in vascular surgery while Kate repaired internal injuries.

********

Kate was restless when she returned home, her leg rising and falling. She was feeling insecure with the silence of Mis-send.

The woman’s voice was disturbing Kate’s mind deeply. She swallowed hard and pulled out her cell phone and grunted.

Kate: I survived the shift, Mis-send. I had a long night. But it was okay. How are you?

There was silence for a long moment and Kate sighed and went up to her own apartment. When she entered the apartment there was a notification sound.

Mis-send: Can I call you?

This made Kate's heart race and she swallowed hard. She opened and closed her hands and shook her head, pressing the call button.

"Will this be our new way of contact, Mis-send?" Kate asked softly and there was a small moment of silence.

"Yelena." The woman spoke and Kate blinked in confusion a few times. "I heard that woman calling you Kate, my name is Yelena." Kate closed her eyes at the voice of Mis-send, Yelena she corrected herself mentally.

"Hello, Yelena." Kate spoke, noticing that her voice had dropped a tone.

"I think that was one of the reasons I never allowed myself to offer a call, hearing your voice makes everything more tangible." She spoke and Kate sighed.

"Is that a problem?" Kate asked.

"No, it's not. I liked how things went and I'm... Curious what it'll be like now that we can hear each other's voices.” The tone was pleasant and warm and Kate bit her lower lip lightly.

“You say it like we're forbidding each other from something…” She spoke in a low tone.

“It was our rule, wasn't it? No names, no personal…” She heard Yelena speak just as quietly as she did.

“We set that when you started a conversation asking what I was wearing. It's been almost three months since we exchanged messages, I thought you weren't interested…” Kate said and shrugged.

“So… What are you wearing?” Yelena's voice sounded playful and it brought a smile to Kate's lips.

“Who said I'm wearing anything?” There was a gasp on the other end of the line and then Kate laughed softly. “I'm not wearing anything glamorous like my cape, but rather a purple t-shirt and jeans and boots. It's starting to get cold…” She pondered. “What about you?” There was silence and Kate licked her lips.

“I'm inappropriate.” Yelena spoke quickly.

“But are you dressed?” Kate asked amusedly.

“Define dress.” That made Kate laugh softly.

“Wearing something that on some level covers your body.” She spoke this time with a wide smile.

“Then let’s say yes.” Kate was silent waiting for the answer.

“Is that your final answer, Mis-send?” Kate asked amusedly.

“Do you want to hear that I’m only wearing a tank top and panties, Misdial?” Yelena sounded provocatively.

“My mother’s?” That made Yelena laugh out loud.

“I don’t think so, your mother from what you told me has much better taste than Donald Duck cotton panties.” She said amusedly.

“Oh, I always liked Pluto better.” Kate said amusedly and opened the fridge. “Nine in the morning, after a 12 hour shift, it’s okay for me to have a beer, right?” She asked, already pulling out the beer that America brought for her to try. She mixed the can, turning it from side to side like her best friend taught her, and opened a cupboard, taking out a tall, big glass.

“It’s nine o’clock in the evening in Japan.” Yelena said and there was a pop of the can being opened. “How was your date?” She asked again.

“She was fun, pretty, laughed at my jokes and everything. But her headspace wasn’t really there.” Kate said with a shrug.

“But you still slept with her. Was it good or mediocre like you’ve been complaining to me about?” Yelena asked calmly.

“She wanted to put me in the same boxes, but I offered to make her mind forget about her ex-girlfriend for a while. She accepted and I fucked her with my strap-on.” Kate was testing a very simple theory and she heard the small, deep breath that came out of Yelena.

“With the strap-on, was it? Missionary that you hate so much?” Yelena’s voice was lower and Kate took a sip of beer.

“On ​​all fours.” Kate answered and heard a sigh. “What are you doing now?” She asked quietly.

“You don’t want the answer to that question, Kate.” Yelena replied and took a deep breath, as if holding back a sigh.

“I never ask something I don’t want to know the answer to, Yelena.” The name melted through her lips and this time the gasp sounded louder.

“Kate I don’t know if we should blur these lines…” She mumbled and Kate moved to the couch, placing herself there and setting the beer on the table and swallowing hard, she licked her lips and pondered.

“What are you doing now, Yelena?” The question repeated itself, firmer, more confident and this time Yelena moaned.

“I’m being so inappropriate…” Kate bit her bottom lip and took a sip of her beer.

“Do you always sleep in a tank top and panties?” She asked in a low tone, trying to gauge Yelena’s comfort.

“Usually no panties, but Natasha is around and I’m having to stay a little more dressed up.” Yelena’s voice was slightly breathless and Kate closed her eyes.

“Yelena, I have a question.” Kate spoke softly.

“Yes?” Her voice was a little huskier.

“Are you touching yourself?” That made a moan sound over the phone.

“Would it be a problem if I said yes? If it is, I’m not.” Kate closed her eyes.

“What are you thinking?” She sounded low.

“Kate?” She asked. “Are you sure?” The whisper sounded hoarse.

“Answer my question.” Kate spoke in a firm tone and there was another gasp.

“I’m touching myself through my panties…” Yelena moaned and Kate closed her eyes. “I just… I like the idea of ​​being fucked on all fours with a strap on…” That made another moan sound.

“Yelena…” She called and the blonde moaned again.

“I’m almost there…” The blonde moaned and Kate gasped.

“Good girl.” Kate said and there was a hoarse moan.

“Hey sestra-fucking-holy-cow!” A third voice sounded.

“Get out! Get out of here Natasha!” Kate heard the phone drop and then something in Russian being said and the call disconnected. Kate closed her eyes tightly and swallowed hard.

"Holy shit... Did that really happen?" She stammered and drank her beer quickly, probably much faster than America would appreciate but there it was. She was thirsty and sighed.

She looked at her phone half hoping it would ring or notify her of something. Seeing no text from Yelena or a new call for the next ten minutes she got up shakily and went to the kitchen. She grabbed the sandwich she had made and then felt the exhaustion of the shift kick in.

She looked at her phone again and moved to the bedroom, placing her phone on the charging station and then ripping off her clothes and going to take a shower. Exhaustion hit her fully with the hot water and she went to sleep.

Around seven in the evening Kate woke up with a long groan and an even longer yawn.

"What time is it?" She said to herself and groaned.

Mis-send: I'm sorry

It was a single message and Kate rubbed her eyes and sat up, typing a reply.

Kate: For what exactly?

She then stood up and yawned again. She went to the bathroom. She needed something to eat and she was sure she had a lasagna somewhere in the freezer.

Kate threw the lasagna in the oven and then sighed again. Unsure of herself and how Yelena would act.

Mis-send: I'm not sure what I should apologize for.

Kate looked at her phone and considered. She didn't want things to get awkward.

Kate: There are a few options for you to choose from: You can apologize, if you regret accepting a call from me. If you regret talking to me again. If you regret touching yourself. Or if the problem was your sister breaking into your room.

Kate offered and decided to amend and swallowed hard. It would be a vulnerability again.

Kate: I don't regret calling you or how much I liked your voice and how turned on you were about the idea of ​​being fucked with a strap-on, the only problem for me is that we were stopped.

She typed and then left her phone on the counter and closed her eyes. It was always complicated and she started watching an episode of some series and then the oven made a sound and she went to dinner.

She put her phone in her pocket and walked with her plate to the couch. She ate slowly and when she got to the last bite, she felt her phone start to vibrate in a call and pulled it out, seeing Mis-Send, Yelena's name there. She made a mental note to fix the name later.

"Hey..." Kate answered and was unsure of how to proceed.

"Hello, Kate." Yelena's voice was slightly low.

"Hello, Yelena." Kate responded in a kind tone

"I'm sorry Natasha interrupted." Kate swallowed and licked her lips.

“So you don’t regret the rest?” Kate spoke in a low tone.

“No.” Yelena spoke softly. “I think I want to keep hearing your voice.” The tone was low and Kate sighed.

“That’s easily arranged whenever I’m not at the hospital.” She was sincere. With her busy professional life, it was hard for her to find time, something that many didn’t understand. So much so that her closest friend was only America. “You know, America is going to be upset that I drank the beer she gave me so quickly.” She tried to joke.

“Why did the American continent give you a beer?” Yelena’s voice sounded confused and that made Kate laugh. “Kate! Don’t laugh at me.” She whined and Kate just smiled broadly.

“America is my best friend’s name.” Kate said amusedly.

“Oh… That makes much more sense.” She then paused. “Did you get any rest? I don’t think you ever told me your role at the hospital…” She contemplated.

“My role? I tap dance down the halls in a pretty uniform and bring joy to the hospital.” Kate said and Yelena laughed. “I’m a trauma surgeon, I work as an emergency room attendant.” Kate decided to give the real answer and there was a small, impressed sound.

“That’s quite impressive, Kate.” There was a moment of silence. “I’m a journalist.” Yelena offered.

“A journalist? The hot weather girl from Channel 6?” Kate asked amusedly and heard a disgruntled groan come from Yelena.

“Please don’t ever compare me to Emma Frost again. And hot? Seriously? Are you into older women?” Yelena asked and Kate laughed.

“I always date older people, Yelena.” Kate said amusedly.

“But… How much older are we talking about?” Yelena asked now with a slightly uncertain tone. “Would you marry an old woman to get an inheritance?”

“Just a few years older, Daisy was 5 years older, I think I dated a woman who was 8 years older than me, something like that and this taught me never to date my attendants. But I was a dumb resident at the time, so no, not old women to steal inheritances from. I would make a great trophy wife, I would say.” Kate said amusedly.

“I don’t doubt it. But at the same time, I doubt you'd want to sit on your ass all day pretending to be a snob." Yelena said and Kate laughed.

"So, journalism, what kind of journalism are we talking about?" She asked casually and moved on to do some laundry.

"I was a war journalist for a long time, but it was dangerous, I almost gave my sister a heart attack a few times." Yelena said and Kate made a thoughtful sound.

“What war are we talking about? Are we talking about the invasion of Panama or Syria?” She asked in a curious tone.

“I’m not old enough to have been involved in the invasion of Panama, Kate. I’m only 38. I was involved in the end of the war in Afghanistan. I covered Syria until 3 years ago.” Yelena said and Kate sighed.

“It sounds like it was tough.” She spoke softly.

“War is never friendly, but I was with the American government, so that protected me a little more than civilians had a chance. Things got too much after a while and I quit, returned to the US, and changed journals so I could stay in the cultural section.” She spoke quietly and Kate sighed.

“I can’t imagine… I was on duty at the Manhattan Bike Path Bombing…” There was a pause and Kate sighed. “I was in my last year of internship and I had already been approached by my trauma attendant at the time to continue the program with him, and it was… Chaos, there were a lot of police, a lot of things happening. I was the intern in the terrorist’s care and I was in the room when he declared allegiance to ISIS, it was a bit chaotic. I had to testify at the trial, it was unpleasant, but I was a witness that he openly confessed to having done it all on purpose, he pleaded not guilty at the time.”

“I didn’t get to follow the case, but I know it was unpleasant. They were what… Eight dead I think.” Yelena said and Kate sighed.

“And 12 injured, they went to another hospital. They thought St. Matthew’s was safer because of the distance. It was a mess.” Kate grumbled. “And I deal with a bunch of crazy people on a daily basis.” She said and that made Yelena laugh.

“Is your sanity questionable in a court of law, Kate?” The voice was a purr and Kate laughed.

“Oh, it always has been, my mother just accepts that my craziness makes me successful and a mess.” Kate said amusedly and put the cleaning products in the machine. Turning it on and going to the living room, the machine would do its own thing and she would have to pick up the clothes in a while.

“My mother would say my craziness gets me into trouble, but I always liked a bit of mess.” Yelena’s voice sounded teasing and Kate chuckled.

“Oh, is that why you like me, Mis-send?” Kate teased.

“I’d say it’s curiosity about the cape.” Yelena said and that made Kate laugh.

“You really liked the cape, didn’t you?” Kate said amusedly.

“Oh, a lot, that’s what made me keep talking to you.” Yelena replied casually. “But hey, Kate, I have to go. I have to study for an event I’m covering next week and it’s going to be a fucking mess and not the kind I find fun.”

“Oh, good luck with that. I’ll be around.” Kate said softly and the two said goodbye and hung up.

**********

Kate entered the hospital whistling a tune calmly, she was finally at a more decent time in the shift rotation. So at seven in the morning, she was passing by to go to the emergency room.

“Good morning Kate. Can I have a word please?” Wanda said, calling Kate and the brunette stopped and looked at the older redhead. “Should I be worried that you’re whistling Pumped Up Kicks?” She asked amusedly.

“Morning. Am I in trouble, boss?” She joked, approaching. “I heard someone doing a cover on the subway.” Kate justified.

“Did you do something worthy of trouble, Bishop?” Kate saw Wanda’s smile and shook her head.

“I wouldn’t put evidence against myself, boss.” That made the woman laugh. Wanda was a brilliant surgeon, and especially a very good chief of surgeons. The fourth in line to the hospital’s command and Kate’s direct boss.

“No, not really, I wanted to ask you something. A favor actually.” She said and motioned for the two to keep walking, something Kate was grateful for after all they were heading towards the emergency room.

“Okay, I can’t dress up as a clown again, I scared 4 kids.” She said and that made Wanda laugh.

“Duly noted. Parker likes to entertain kids with Parkour.” Wanda said and the two looked at each other with slight amusement. “I actually wanted to ask you to give a lecture and an interview.” She said and Kate tilted her head to the side.

“Me? Aren’t there people more experienced in this than me?” Kate said uncertainly and Wanda gave an easy smile.

“I could do it, other doctors could certainly do it too. But I think the audience is younger and…” Wanda paused for a moment. “You’re publicly bisexual, Kate. It would be a lecture on the risks of being too adventurous at a BDSM event, something I’ve seen you handle more than once with impressive ease. I think you’re the best fit. Also it is good practice for you.” Kate stopped walking and looked at Wanda with raised eyebrows.

“In that case: don’t kill each other with ropes, be nice to each other, and please don’t choke each other to the point of ending up in the emergency room?” Kate asked, amused.

“Something like that. The hospital was invited to participate. We were the only medical staff invited to this little lecture marathon that Ophelia Sarkissian invited.” She said, and Kate nodded. “It would count as one of your shifts. And there’s an interview with a journalist about how routine things can lead to accidents and hospitalizations.”

“I have no idea who that is, but sure, boss, I can do it. A few hours of speaking and I can take the day off and still get paid for it.” She said without really caring. Kate wasn’t a very chosen speaker, but she gave good speeches from what was said. “When is that?”

“In three weeks. I’ll email you some things Ophelia wants us to talk about.” She said and Kate nodded. “She is a friend.” And the trauma surgeon pondered that was the reason it was a favor.

“Leave it to me, boss, I’ll do it nicely.” Kate teased and that made Wanda give an amused smile.

********

Kate was home, getting a well-deserved rest for her next 12-hour shift. It was night, around eight o’clock and she was comfortably sitting on the couch, one leg thrown over the coffee table and a reasonably okay series to watch. The pizza box had half a pizza in it and the beer was already empty. She would have her next shift in a few hours.

Yelena: What are you doing?

Her cell phone vibrated once more before she could answer.

Yelena: I’m a little bit tipsy. By the way…

That made Kate laugh lightly and shake her head in amusement.

Kate: Are you a fun drunk or a crybaby, Mis-Send?

It was a playful question, she had never been - at least not aware of - Yelena's drunk texts in the three months they had been talking.

Yelena: I am a horny drunk, especially when I drink vodka like I had.

Kate's eyebrows rose in a slight sense of curiosity. It was intriguing that Yelena had chosen her to drunk-text. But her mind brought up the long-ago phone sex that had almost happened and she shrugged. Yelena was nice, had a warm voice and Kate was attracted to her beyond a physical one. Yelena was the mentally hot type and that was dangerous and Kate tried not to blur the lines again, but nothing had happened yet. So she gave in.

Kate: And I was the chosen one to text, Yelena?

Yelena: Have I told you I like the way you say my name? It's said the right way.

Kate tilted her head to the side curiously, especially when the three dots that indicated that her texting partner was typing something appeared.

Yelena: I think it's sexy, I've only had my name said correctly in Russia and it sounded cool but... You make it sound sexy…
I'm horny, Kate.

It wasn't an open invitation yet, but Kate didn't need to read too much between the lines to understand that.

Kate: Where are you?

Yelena: At home, I left Natasha at her place, she was worse off than me and I came to my place.

Kate was surprised because it was early. A possible intense party this one.

Yelena: I'm so horny, I don't even know what to do with myself...

Kate bit her lower lip, pondering if it would be appropriate.

Kate: It's abusive of me to say that I offer to help in any way... You're drunk and I've only had one beer.

Kate said, she takes consent seriously. And Yelena was apparently drunk after all.

Yelena: I'm slightly drunk if that's an exaggeration. I had two shots of vodka on the rocks, I'm probably under the legal limit. Vodka just makes me horny. I'm capable of consent.

Kate scratched her chin and adjusted herself on the couch. She could just ignore the sexting attempt but Kate was still really into pushing buttons.

Kate: Then consent if you want, Yelena.

There was a moment of silence and then the audio file arrived. She wasn't expecting it, but she pressed play without much hesitation.

"I think you want to hear my voice, don't you?" The voice was husky, clear and without any signs of drunkenness as Yelena said she was, she seemed more relaxed. "I'm horny and I want your help to solve this, Kate, can you help me?" It sounded like a demand. And Kate swallowed hard and typed.

Kate: Ask please like a good girl.

She internally expected a new audio file but then the three dots appeared again.

Yelena: Please help me cum?

Kate gasped lightly and stood up, putting the pizza in the fridge and leaving the beer bottle in the trash. She moved to the bedroom and pondered what she was going to type. She could start calmly, but that wasn't exactly what Yelena seemed to need.

Kate: Is it the idea of ​​being taken with a strap-on? With you on all fours or on your back and being fucked hard and deep that turns you on?

She swallowed hard. And closed her eyes, almost afraid of what might be answered.

Yelena: Is that how you imagine it? Because you know... I think about you.

"Oh, fuck my life. Of course the hottest and most unapproachable woman possible thinks about me when she masturbates." Kate grunted and kicked off her pants.

Kate: Oh, really? Me whispering your name in your ear with each thrust inside you and calling you a good girl?

Yelena: Oh yeah… Just like that…

Kate: How are you touching yourself?

She let her hand travel lightly. Sexting wasn’t Kate’s number one form of long-distance sex, she preferred phone calls but she would make it work, especially when she slipped her hand between her legs and felt herself getting wet.

Yelena: My fingers on my clit, I need more…

Kate: Oh yeah, good girl… Touch yourself for me, you want to cum so bad don’t you? God you must be a magnificent picture right now…

Kate closed her eyes and sighed, squeezing her legs together and gasping at the pressure.

Yelena: Do you want to see? Me wet and touching myself?

“Oh fuck…” Kate moaned audibly at this, it wasn’t something she expected but she didn’t hesitate.

Kate: Show me, Yelena.

It wasn’t a message that gave her much space, Yelena offered and Kate accepted. It took a moment, Kate was expecting a picture, but then a Gif came to her and she clicked on it without blinking.

There was not much to see, it was silent, a provocative image. She saw the blonde's belly, her arm passing and her hand between her legs, her knees not too far apart and at the end of the bed her slightly crumpled and clearly wet panties. Yelena from the archive pulled her hand away and showed her wet fingertips.

Kate: God, good girl, do you want to cum for me?

Yelena: Yes, please, yes

Kate: Push two fingers inside you, imagine it's my strap-on inside you, my hands pushing your knees open and me pounding your pussy hard... that's how you like it, isn't it? Intense, strong, that leaves you feeling all your muscles aching from being used like that... Be a good girl and cum for me...

When the audio came on, Kate swallowed hard and it was a little over two minutes long. A short speech or something Kate expected it to be, an audio of Yelena cumming.

"Oh fuck those lines went to hell." Kate grunted and clicked play.

“That’s how I like it, Kate… How I imagine when I have my toy inside me… I’ll cum so hard imagining you fucking me, you know? Oh, fuck, Kate…” The hand went back to her panties and Kate didn’t blink, her fingers went to her clit and she started rubbing. The moans in the audio got louder and Kate almost came with the hoarse tone. “Kate, please, make me cum… Please…” Yelena was apparently a bit of an exhibitionist. “Kate, I’m-Kate!” She came saying Kate’s name and the brunette came undone in a small orgasm, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard, gasping slightly.

“God, she likes to talk dirty…” Kate sighed and closed her eyes again.

Kate: Damn, such a good girl, thank you for the shared orgasm…

Kate then did something she rarely does, she sent an image of her wet fingertips, teasing the hem of the boxers she was wearing. And she took a deep breath for a few moments.

Yelena: I needed that, thank you…
Did you also feel that way?

She seemed surprised and Kate rolled her eyes slightly in disbelief at the surprise. She didn't know what was surprising about that. Maybe Yelena didn't understand how maddening her voice was to Kate. She grunted and pressed the record button.

“You know, I would even understand your surprise at me cumming hearing you moan and pant for me, if I haven’t told you… Your voice drives me crazy. I'm sure my subconscious will make me have wet dreams all night about you… You are deliciously tempting, Yelena.” She said and sent to Yelena to then relax on the bed, it wasn't a particularly strong orgasm, but she had much more excitement and fireworks in that sexting with Yelena than she had during the whole night of sex with Carol. “Oh, this is so dangerous…” She grumbled.

Yelena: I love the way you say my name… And yes, it is still a little surprising… You are hot… Now… I know you have a midnight shift and like to sleep two hours before that, I'll let you rest….
But know that it was totally worth it and I want to do it again.
Good night, Kate

Kate swallowed hard, touched by Yelena's care in remembering something as silly as her napping habits, but she felt grateful.

Kate: I want to do it again… Good night, Yelena.

********* 

It was Sunday, a day off, and America managed to convince Kate to go to a get-together with her friends. So, in a rare occurrence, there was a meeting at Jennifer's house. It wasn't very surprising that it was there, after all, Jennifer had a house with a nice backyard.

And for Kate, it was curious how such a diverse group came together. Shang-Chi was taking care of the barbecue with Katy. Which was always funny to Kate since they keep poking each other. Jennifer, being the lawyer that she always was, was there to get around the little fight between the two Chinese best friends.

Carol Danvers was sitting next to Kate, the two were getting along well as friends. America was running around teasing Jessica Jones and being silly together. Unfortunately, Gwen was working, which took America off the leash a little.

"So, Kate..." Bobbi came over and threw herself into one of the chairs next to Kate, throwing her legs over the brunette's thighs.

"Hey mockingbird." Kate said in a friendly tone. She liked Bobbi, even though Bobbi was very intense most of the time.

“Are you still texting strangers?” The sentence caught Wanda, Tommy and Billy’s attention.

“Nineties chat style?” Tommy asked amusedly and Kate rolled her eyes.

“Nineties chat? Seriously? You are not that old to know what that means. But yeah, nineties chat seems like a pretty accurate description.” Kate grumbled and that made Tommy laugh. “I’ve been chatting with her for a while now, I’m okay with the slow pace of meeting in person. She’s busy, I’m busy and so on. I don’t know why everyone makes such a big deal out of it, I already promised America to meet her in person in a public place.” Kate grumbled.

“I think we’re surprised, you prefer to play it safe.” Bobbi pointed to Carol and the older blonde blushed slightly.

“Well, thanks for that vote of confidence. But Kate and I decided to just be friends.” Carol spoke quickly and Bobbi groaned.

“Boooooring…” She said and that brought laughter from Billy.

“I met Teddy online.” He said and Kate spoke from afar.

“Grinder doesn’t count!” She said and Billy blushed scarlet and Wanda looked at him with amusement. Wanda was a very open mother and that always caught Kate off guard. The woman was the oldest of the group and had a young pregnancy, at 22.

“Kate, for God’s sake.” He grumbled and ran his hand through his dark hair and grunted. “Gratuitous exposure.” The complaint came and Kate laughed. But then Teddy appeared at Jennifer’s door, his dirty blond hair, his brown eyes friendly and his smile wide. Teddy had one of the best smiles.

“What do you say we do some music, Kate?” Teddy, Billy’s ever sweet boyfriend, asked bringing a tambourine and an acoustic guitar.

“Please, yes anything so we don’t have to talk about your relationship and how it started.” She said and Teddy laughed easily.

“Or yours.” Tommy grumbled but Kate actively ignored him.

Billy was a great second voice, if anyone asked Kate. Teddy had a sense of rhythm but it was Carol who grabbed a matchbox and started shaking it in time to the music. Kate sang, not as well as some people who had more formal training. But she had been told that her voice was beautiful so she and  Billy were singing, Teddy and Carol on percussion and Bobbi was relaxed at the side, shaking her head from side to side. It was only at the end of a song and the beginning of Baby One More Time that she realized that the cell phone in America's hand was not America's own but hers. She continued to ignore the feeling that her friend was up to something until the end of the song.

"Kate! Say hi to mis-send!" She said amusedly and Kate groaned.

"Put my phone down America before I shove this guitar where the sun doesn't shine." Kate threatened and America looked at Kate with a shit-eating grin and shook the cell phone. "Hi mis-send." She said in an unhappy tone. And America laughed and put the cell phone on the table. “I hate that you know my damn password.” She growled and the Latina shrugged.

“Your fault. But don’t worry, I didn’t send a video.” She said amusedly and Kate seriously considered breaking the guitar on America’s head.

“Before the violence, come eat, if you are going to fight, doing it on a full stomach it’s better.” Shang-Chi said and Kate grumbled, but hunger was greater than the desire to hit America.

There was a lot of talking between everyone after that, Kate’s discontent with America was put aside and the cell phone remained at a distance. There was a small unspoken rule that when they managed to get together, cell phones were forbidden.

In the end, Kate got a ride from Wanda, which made her ride in the same car as Tommy, Teddy and Billy. And she teased the other doctor for a few minutes about how everyone around her was diminutive and that made the other three laugh and Wanda rolled her eyes in amusement.

When she finally got home, she gathered up the courage to see what was happening on her own phone. She took a deep breath and opened Yelena's messages.

Kate: So are you having fun today?

Yelena: I was working, I think I told you that? I worked until just now.

So far so good, it was a message that Kate had actually sent. Then two hours later America took over the conversation.

Kate: Hi mis-send! This is America, how are you?

Yelena: The country or Kate's friend?

The question made Kate chuckle slightly and she imagined that America made an ungrateful sound at that question. 

Kate: And here I am thinking about offering to get you some juicy gossip, mis-send, and you're being all jerk...

Yelena: Gossip? You have my attention, USA.

Kate: Haha, so funny…
But did you know Kate can sing?

Yelena: Sing?

Kate: And play the guitar. Do you want to hear it? I'd even send a video but...

Yelena: No, no videos without Kate's permission. That would be breaking her trust, America.

Yelena's determination to keep things at their own pace made Kate's heart race. And an easy smile spread across her face, oh how she liked Yelena. Then there was the audio of Kate singing, threatening America and then saying hi to Yelena.

Yelena: Hi, misdial.

And that was the last message in the conversation. She contemplated what to do and grumbled for a moment. Then she pressed the call button. It was a little mess created by America but nothing that she and Yelena couldn't talk about.

"Hello, Kate." Her voice was low as always and her accent was present.

"God, your voice is a fucking aphrodisiac." Kate said and that brought a husky laugh from Yelena. "I'm sorry America invaded our conversation, she's had my password for a few years." She said and there was a small thoughtful sound.

"What are you apologizing for? Just her invading, her texting me, or her sending me an audio of you singing... I didn't know you could sing, by the way..." Yelena's voice was light.

"I think, I am sorry she invaded our conversation." Kate said thoughtfully. "I learned to play the guitar when I was a teenager, I was in a band with America. In that case I played and sang and she pretended to play the drums. It lasted a few months, but I never really lost the skills. She started it to impress a girl and all that damn teenage drama. But it works when we're in meetings - very rare - with the rest of our friends.” She said and took off her shoes, walking into the room and sitting on the bed.

“Did you have fun today?” The question was soft and Kate then adjusted herself to lie down on the bed.

“It was good to see everyone. Our schedules are so busy, they made fun of me a little and teased Carol about her and me not being together.” Kate rolled her eyes.

“Carol… The woman you slept with a while ago?” Yelena asked in a more rigid tone.

“Yeah, she works with America, I think America decided to adopt Carol, she's like an abandoned dog since her friends blame her for the end of her relationship.” Kate spoke casually.

“Are you going to sleep with her again?” The tone was almost vulnerable and Kate made a quiet sound.

“Nah, we're friends. Carol and I function as friends. She's nice, but no…” Kate spoke in a sincere tone and there was silence.

“I was thinking about you…” Yelena began and Kate heard the change in tone, her voice lowered a bit and she felt a shiver crawl through her body.

“I hope it was all good things…” Kate spoke and sighed and there was a moment of silence, the clear change in tone of the conversation and the brunette swallowed lightly. “Yelena…” She called, the tension between the two was piling up like a dam slowly filling and ready to leak over the top of the containment.

It had been two weeks since the sexting and even though they were both busy, there was teasing. Yelena sending dirty messages sporadically, Kate teasing. There was a picture of the band in a pair of panties that Kate responded with a picture of her in her sleeping boxers, but there was no time, New York was a hive of cultural events for Yelena to cover and Kate was still the head of the trauma department which made everything more difficult. But Kate above all else really wanted to see how things would develop if she pushed the buttons.

“Are you busy?” She asked in a low tone.

“No, I’m free and alone…” Yelena spoke softly.

“So… Where are you in the house?” She asked in the same tone as Yelena.

“In the bedroom…” The tone was open and Kate read it as a slight teasing tone.

“And what are you wearing?” The question hung between them, Kate didn’t start teasing as much but there was still a gasp.

“Are we doing this over the phone?” The question didn’t sound uncertain, but still a little insecure. “I’ve never had phone sex, Kate…” She spoke in a low tone.

“I want to hear your voice and tell you what to do… If you’re not comfortable we don’t have to, Yelena.” She spoke sincerely.

“I love the way you say my name, call me again… I’m only wearing a t-shirt, no bra and I’m wearing loose shorts…” Yelena mumbled.

“Yelena, are you wearing panties?” The question came.

“No.” The answer didn’t hesitate to come. And Kate closed her eyes.

“You’re such a tease…” Kate spoke softly.

“Do you like me being a tease, Kate?” She asked in a husky tone.

“Yes, especially when you’re a tease and a good girl for me.”

“Say that again please…” She begged in a whimper.

“That you’re a good girl for me, Yelena?” That brought a moan from the woman.

“Kate…” She whimpered.

“You know… I’m thinking about how you touched yourself for me… How good you were and how willing you were to please me, would you be willing to do that again?” Kate then put her phone on speaker and swallowed hard.

“Yes, very much… I want you.” The speech hung heavy in the silence for a moment, the statement floating between the two. How they went from two strangers to the hunger that existed between them was something Kate couldn’t really explain.

“You’re so hot…” Kate spoke softly. “If it’s not already, put your phone on speaker.” She ordered and there was a moment of silence and then a small sound of rustling fabric.

“Okay. There you go…” Yelena spoke softly.

“Good girl… Now, I want you to slowly pull the hem of your shirt up, I want you to tease your skin with your fingertips, feel your belly, your ribs, until you reach the underside of your breasts…” Kate took off her shirt and pants, her bra followed soon after and Yelena moaned.

“God, I’m so turned on…” Kate swallowed hard at the husky tone and accent.

“Your voice is my downfall…” She spoke softly and breathlessly. “Do you know what I’ve been thinking about these days?” Kate spoke and Yelena didn’t have time to respond. “About your taste, the taste of your skin, the way your nipples felt in my mouth, the sensation against my tongue, my lips. Play with your nipples…” She ordered and there was a moan.

“How would you feel my nipples?” Kate closed her eyes and let her imagination take over, her hands brushing her own breasts and belly.

“I would start by kissing your breasts, then licking around your nipples, feeling them harden for me, scraping the tips of my teeth against them, and then taking them whole in my mouth, licking your nipples and sucking. Sometimes hard, sometimes soft, and gently biting and pulling on them, like I would with my fingers if they were in my hands.” Yelena moaned and Kate circled her nipples teasingly.

“Are you touching yourself like I am?” Yelena whimpered.

“Yes, I want us to hear each other come.” The statement was direct and it brought another moan from Yelena.

“You know… I’ve been fantasizing about you ever since that time Natasha broke into my fucking room… I don’t think I’ve ever used my vibrator as much as I have these past few days…” She gasped.

“Oh, you like imagining me thrusting inside you?” Kate lightly rubbed against her hips. “Tease your legs slowly, another thing I like to imagine is what it would be like if I bit your thighs, sucked your pussy, would you be wet for me?” The question was dirty, Kate really liked dirty talk.

“Oh fuck yes I’m so wet for you… God… I use my rabbit to fuck myself thinking about you fucking me with the strap on…” Yelena whimpered.

“Spread your legs for me.” Kate ordered and Yelena moaned. “Both hands on your pussy, Yelena, tease your clit with one hand and play with your lips with the other.” The tone was husky and it made the woman on the other end of the line moan again.

“God, say my name again.” She whimpered.

“Do you like me calling you a good girl, Yelena?” Kate said teasingly and there was a louder moan. Kate started playing with herself. “If you only knew how much I think about you… It’s almost inappropriate how much I enjoy imagining you falling apart for me while I fuck you.” Yelena’s moan made it clear that she was getting close to an orgasm.

“I’m going to cum for you, are you going to eat me out while I cum in your mouth?” Yelena asked dirtyly, a fucking tease and Kate moaned.

“Good girl, cum in my mouth.” She said and there was this double spark, Yelena came audibly and loudly, Kate loved that she was loud. And Kate much more softly, came against her own fingers.

“I need it so bad…” Yelena whimpered.

“Grab your rabbit.” Kate spoke in a breathy tone. “You’re soaking wet, push it inside you and turn it on.” She ordered and Yelena moaned, there was a moment of anticipation and then the high-pitched moan came from the blonde.

“Fuck, baby!” Kate squeezed her eyes shut at the nickname.

“Don’t hold back, be a good girl for me…” Kate pondered her next sentence with slight caution. “Do you want to cum on my cock?” She asked hoping that this wouldn’t be a turn-off for Yelena.

“Oh, fuck, fuck, yes please, make me cum!” Yelena was completely immersed in the fantasy and in the phone sex. Kate would undoubtedly say that Yelena was the hottest woman she had ever had the pleasure of having phone sex with in her life.

“Cum for me, push your toy inside you hard, I want you to feel your walls tightening around me, cum for me and I’ll cum inside you.” Kate took another chance and that seemed to do the trick. The moan that came out of Yelena was a mix of husky and on the edge, the blonde seemed to cum two or three times in a row against the rabbit inside her, Kate managed to follow through with a longer orgasm, and then there was silence. “Yelena?” Kate called softly and confirmed that the blonde was still there.

“You broke me, I need to sleep.” Yelena grunted hoarsely, her voice clearly exhausted and then there was a low, thin moan. “Oh fuck, I made a mess…” She whimpered and there was a small thud of something being put somewhere.

“Get out of the wet spot and try to sleep, sweetheart.” Kate spoke softly.

“Did you have fun?” she asked, clearly half asleep.

“I always have fun with you, good girl, Yelena.” She spoke softly and there was a gasp and Kate found herself smiling.

“I’m glad… Good night…” Yelena said but she already sounded more asleep than awake.

“Good night, Yelena…” And Kate hung up the call and looked at the ceiling. “God, I’m so fucked up.” She said in mild amusement to herself and shook her head. She went to the bathroom to take a shower so she could sleep.

********

Kate: You’ve been at your event all day today, haven’t you?

It had been a few days since the phone sex and because of schedules and everything, the two hadn’t broached the topic again, which was a shame because Kate really enjoyed having phone sex with the blonde. Yelena was getting ready for a bunch of stuff and there were a lot of events that clashed with Kate’s days off so they exchanged sporadic messages.

Yelena: I’ve been here since early, I got here at six. What about your day?

Kate: I was sent to a talk for a group of people that a friend of my boss requested. It'll be fun, I'll be off for the rest of the day after this assignment.

Yelena: I hope it's fun, I've been seeing a lot of people talking about cool stuff in a boring way.

Kate: huh, I guess so. But I'll have to leave, see you later!

Kate put her phone in her pocket when she saw the woman with dyed green hair, a corset and she exuded power.

"Dr. Bishop?" Kate nodded easily. "I see you're dressed for the event." The woman spoke and Kate tilted her head to the side.

"Ophelia Sarkissian, I assume. A pleasure." Kate said, extending her hand and the woman looked at her with amusement and accepted the hand.

"You can call me Madame Hydra, Dr. Bishop." The woman spoke in a slightly provocative tone.

"I don't usually get disrespectful with domination names without being submissive or allowed, and I don't want to pass the wrong ideas to ears, Mrs. Sarkissian." Kate spoke firmly and yet very politely. “You can call me Kate.”

“Oh, polite, I like that. But you can call me Ophelia then. Equals I would say, Kate.” She said and Kate nodded slightly.

“If that’s what you prefer. I believe I arrived a little late, I hope I’m not too late, but my subway was delayed.” She said sincerely and Ophelia gestured for them to move on.

“No, not really. Our last speaker was late so everything is kind of late, much to my chagrin, you’re on time. I see you brought your tablet.” She indicated.

“Yes, I did a short slideshow, I like image references.” She said sincerely and Ophelia nodded.

“Sounds good. The audience is young, it’s a more theoretical than practical workshop, the practical part will be done another day for those who want to continue exploring. I like educating new members.” Ophelia said.

“And I appreciate it, it saves trips to the hospital.” She spoke and there was a small laugh.

“Come on, we’ll introduce you as soon as Jonas pairs your tablet.” A man approached and quickly everything was organized. Ophelia then entered the stage and Kate admired how silence took over the place. “Hello, my dears, I hope our event has been… Educational.” The tone was playful and she saw Ophelia smile. “Today we have another educational talk for everyone, a medical guest, be kind and ask anything you want at the end. The M.D Bishop made some time in her schedule to educate us a little, doctor?” She invited Kate and she climbed the two steps.

She was wearing dress pants, a low-heeled ankle boot, a cream button-down shirt and an open suit. She had a slight air of sloppiness, with the suit slightly wrinkled and her hair slightly messy. All unplanned, Kate was a bit messy and she tripped but didn’t fall.

“And that’s how household accidents happen.” She spoke loudly enough for people to hear and laugh. Ophelia then offered Kate a microphone and she smiled at the woman. “Thank you. Hello everyone, I see we are all comfortable.” She spoke, looking at the seated audience and there was a smile from anyone she could muster. “As a kind introduction, I am Dr. Bishop, I work as an emergency room attendant and believe me, I have seen some things…” She said and looked at the screen, seeing her first slide there. The title made people laugh. “As the slide says: If I had a dollar for every ridiculous excuse given in the ER… A quick little safety lesson.” Kate said, reading the title and turning to the audience. “Shall we talk a little about things I have seen on duty but no one wants to publicly admit they happened?” She offered and moved to the edge of the stage, sitting there casually. “I am a tired doctor so let me sit, yes.” The people in the front row smiled and a young man nodded, and that made Kate smile.

She looked at the group, seeing that there were one or two journalists from what she could tell and there were many young people in fact. It was a talk for people new to the field and Kate didn’t mind even though she thought it was funny that she was giving the talk.

“Today we’re going to talk about: hospitalizations that could be avoided with a minimum of common sense.” There was laughter. Kate moved to the first slide of the presentation. The screen displayed a large title in bold letters that she read out loud. “Consent is sexy. And it also prevents hospital visits. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years in the ER, it’s that many people understand consent as an optional term, like the warning that the coffee is hot. So let’s be clear: when it comes to high-risk practices like restraint, impact, and erotic asphyxiation, communication is not optional. None of us here want to deal with another patient saying, ‘But I thought she would like to be held for three more minutes.’ Right? So step number one, and one that everyone should do. Talk about boundaries, talk about safe words, safe gestures, and what is and isn’t acceptable. A lot can be done safely if everyone respects each other’s no’s and yes’s.” She talked about it a little longer and then she changed slides.

It was a satirical cartoon of a man saying that he ‘had no idea how that got inside him and that it was an accident’ and that brought laughter to everyone and then the next topic came up.

“I know, it sounds really clever to say it was an accident, but believe me, we know exactly when it’s an accident and when it’s stupid.” She said and showed an x-ray of an unidentified patient with an object inside him. “You have no idea how many times I’ve heard variations of ‘I slipped and fell right on that.’ Spoiler: no, you didn’t slip. We know. You know. God knows. And even if we didn’t judge, your x-ray will tell the truth. So next time, think twice before using an object that you’ve never considered checking for a safe base. Deodorants are not safe, vegetables are not safe, things that aren’t meant to go into body orifices are not safe, do not use objects that are not meant to go into body orifices. Not only because of the risk of infection, but because it could rupture something in there, and I doubt you want a surgeon cutting you open to get something out of your intestines. Toys are fun, until you need an x-ray. Things end up where they shouldn't, and that takes doctors to places you don't want them to go. If I had a dollar again for every patient giving me excuses about how things got where they did, I'd have enough money to buy a decent bottle of wine or tequila. So class… Repeat after me: if the object doesn't have a wide enough base, it shouldn't go in holes." She said and gestured for everyone to repeat it, and she watched with amusement as almost everyone said it out loud.

Then she shifted the slide and there was a picture of a woman suspended in a completely sensual manner and then she moved on to another picture of serious injuries.

“You know the old saying, seatbelts are not optional? We’re getting into restraint injury territory. This picture on the left is a seatbelt injury from a car vs. car accident, the patient had three broken ribs and a dislocated collarbone and this one on the side is what happens when your dominant has no idea what they’re doing with ropes, similar isn’t it?” There were a few nodding heads. “And look… Guys, I get the aesthetics – I really do. But if you tie someone up without understanding how the circulation works, you can end up with permanent nerve damage, tissue damage and in extreme cases, a straight shot to amputation. And nobody wants that kind of unexpected end to their night, right?” She gestures as if she’s tying a knot. “If you’re going to use rope, learn the basics. There are workshops for that. If you need help, Ophelia here knows people who can teach you. Or, do what many patients don’t do: research extensively before you do anything stupid.” She said and sighed. “I’ve seen patients lose movement due to improperly placed restraints and, at best, end up in the hospital with tissue or rope burns. So don’t tie up your sexual partners without first knowing what you’re doing. Come on, repeat after me: I’m not going to tie up my partner without knowing how to do it safely.” She said and gestured again, and this time there was a more collective effort to speak together. “Very good.”

She scrolled through the slide and there was an image of a person acting out a scene of a couple playing with needles, and she scrolled through it again and it was a game with knives. Not things Kate particularly liked, but she had already treated someone with injuries due to knives and sex.

“It’s that thing, if something needs a safety code, it might need a doctor.” She spoke seriously. “Games with objects that are really made to hurt, can hurt. I don’t recommend that kind of thing for inexperienced people or first-timers. A needle in a nerve can cause permanent damage. A poorly placed knife can hit an artery if you don't know how superficial it is. Brachial artery, carotid artery, radial artery are all superficial, a poorly placed needle or knife and the ambulance may not arrive in time.” She then showed a slide of where each artery was and which were the most dangerous. “Repeat it: I will not poke places that can make my partner bleed to death.” She said and this time the entire group repeated.

She then changed the slide and there was an image of erotic asphyxiation and she saw some people squirm with clear signs of excitement from it.

“Now let's talk about erotic asphyxiation. I know, I know. It's exciting, it's dangerous, it's the perfect mix of adrenaline and pleasure. But you know what's also dangerous? Cardiac arrest. You know what's not sexy? Me having to intubate you because someone didn't realize that 'without air for too long' can lead to brain death. If you're going to do it, have someone who knows what they're doing. Or, I don't know, don't do it. Always an option." There was laughter and she began to explain the whole process of how asphyxiation was pleasurable and how dangerous it was. "Does anyone here like to play with shocks?" She asked and there were a few hands raised. "Shocks yes, cardiac arrest no, right?" She said with amusement and there were a few nods. "And yes, I know, technology has evolved and now we have devices for everything. But guess what? Your heart still runs on electrical impulses! If you get the voltage or location wrong, you can induce a lethal heart rhythm. So please avoid shocking near the chest area. Unless you want a very literal 'out of body' experience." She said and there was laughter.

She then showed a series of images so she could demonstrate risks and safety. Burns, what happens to the heart if electricity is used incorrectly and so on. Some people seemed enlightened by the end of this sequence. 

“Lube is your best friend, even more so than that drunk guy who helps you in the bathroom or the friend who makes you drink water after a liter of tequila. I’ve been both, so I know what I’m talking about.” This got a few people laughing. “Trust me, proper lube can save lives – or at least prevent horrible lacerations. If you don’t want your next hospital visit to involve stitches in places even I wouldn’t want to stitch, invest in a good lube and learn how to use it.” She then went on to talk about which types were best, how to use it properly, what was lube – the stuff made for that – and what wasn’t. “Don’t use grain oil, it’s sex, not deep-frying.” This got a few people laughing.

The lecture was a success if Kate could judge, there were smiles, there were people nodding, there was Ophelia in the back of the room who thought it was all very funny, which was a positive point for Kate. She wasn't a doctor who would make everything boring. They were there to learn.

"I know this lecture may seem like a joke and I'm very funny, which doesn't help, does it?" There were some laughs and shakes of the head. "Every day, hospitals deal with hospitalizations that could be avoided with a little more preparation and information. My goal here is not to make anyone feel ashamed, but to ensure that, next time, you think before you act. And remember: if something goes wrong, please don't lie to the hospital. I swear, we've heard it all. Be direct and let us help you get through this with as little damage as possible. And, preferably, without another scar to tell the story." She spoke and let herself fall to the floor in front of the stage, it was a fall from a height of one foot and she smiled broadly. “Oh, and before you ask: no, I’m not going to tell you the most absurd cases I’ve ever seen. Unless you buy me a nice drink first.” That made people laugh. “Thank you for everyone’s attention.” And that made them applause and Ophelia came up on stage.

“Thank you Dr. Bishop for the educational and at the same time entertaining talk. Now, everyone, do we have any questions for the doctor?” She offered. There were a few raised hands with good questions Kate answered happily. Then there was another hand up.

“Are you accepting submissives?” A woman asked and Kate felt herself blush slightly.

“Not when I’m working.” Kate spoke lightly, without being rude. “That doesn’t count as a drink, you know?” She said and that made people laugh and the girl who asked just laughed in amusement.

There were other questions and then Kate moved on to the second part of the work. The interview with the newspaper. She didn’t really know what it would be and Ophelia was talking to her calmly.

“A great talk, I’ll ask Wanda to send you more often, I do this workshop annually.” She said and Kate nodded.

“That would be fun. I like to treat things with humor, I hope I haven’t crossed any lines.” She offered.

“No, it was good. Now. We’re doing some publicity for our club and it would help if you did an interview. To show we are worried about safety and ask for trained personnel to do lectures.” She indicated a woman sitting in the back and Kate didn’t see her very well.

“Of course, Wanda told me about it.” Ophelia nodded and guided Kate.

“Miss Belova, this is Dr. Bishop.” Ophelia offered and Kate looked at the pretty woman, shorter than her, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Dressed in a plain black shirt and dark jeans, she was casual and yet professional enough.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure.” Kate said with an easy smile and she saw the woman frown.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Ophelia said and turned to another seat, leaving. The blonde woman looked at Kate with her head slightly tilted.

“That was a great talk.” The voice rang out and Kate's eyebrows arched, she knew that voice. No way? Right?

“Tell me one thing before this interview…” Kate spoke and the woman looked confused and nodded. “Is your sister Russian, red-haired and likes to invade rooms without knocking on very private moments?” That made the woman's mouth fall slightly open and was the confirmation Kate needed. “Hello, Yelena.” She spoke in a purr and Yelena's cheeks lit up.

“Me-you?” She spoke softly and stood up from the stool she was sitting on, indicating a room. “Come, let's talk where it's not so noisy?” She asked.

“Sure, lead the way.” The brunette followed the blonde to a room where the interviews were probably taking place and the two stopped in the middle of the room and looked at each other.

“Kate?” Then there was a knock on the door and the same guy who adjusted Kate's tablet came in.

“Your tablet, Dr. Bishop.” He offered and Kate nodded. “Miss Belova, the next interview is in 15 minutes.” He then left, leaving a moment of silence.

“Yelena.” Kate said, her heart racing. Yelena was as beautiful as she had imagined she would be. Her features were delicate and amazingly beautiful. “How long do you have to stay here?” she asked softly.

“I have two more speakers I need to interview and a workshop.” Yelena spoke quietly. “Do you want to talk after that?” She asked sincerely.

“Yes, I imagine your workload here is tight because of the flow. So what do you say we do the interview professionally and then later we talk about something more personal?” She offered and Yelena nodded, but they both seemed a little shaky. It had not been that long since the two had phone sex.

“Yes, I think it looks good…” Yelena pointed to a couch and sat down in an armchair, it was a reasonably closed space even though there were conversations outside.

“Dr. Bishop, first of all, congratulations on the talk, it was probably one of the most fun I’ve ever attended.” The implication that Yelena had finally had fun at the event sounded between the two and Kate gave an easy smile. “Have you given talks like this before or were you convinced at the last minute?” She felt slightly provoked by Yelena and gave a low laugh.

“My boss asked me to give a talk to this group, I think she thought I could make it enjoyable.” She spoke casually.

“The topic was set beforehand by the organization I imagine, in search of easy access to what the workshop was bringing, is that correct? What is it like for a trauma surgeon to bring up this topic?” She asked and there was innate curiosity there.

“Being a trauma surgeon brings many different things, I’ve dealt with many injuries that I described during the talk. Things in places they shouldn't be, acts done wrong. The ER has its difficult cases and it has the non-standard cases like BDSM injuries. But injuries are injuries, no matter how they arise the medical staff deals with them.” This made Kate shrug slightly and Yelena nod.

“A pretty intense routine I imagine.” She said and Kate looked from Yelena's eyes to her legs and then up to her breasts until she made eye contact with Yelena again, seeing the woman squirm slightly in her chair.

“You have no idea.” She spoke softly and saw the woman swallow hard.

“What are the most common mistakes you see when people practice BDSM without knowledge?” She asked and the beginning of the question trembled slightly.

“Oh, so many types, but they are usually less harmful than some more serious ones.” She professionally began talking about the most common injuries she saw in the E.R.

“And how can we prevent many of these injuries?” Kate then reinforced how important consent is.

“Aftercare is also essential, that’s how we know there are no injuries to partners. Practicing aftercare, safewords, boundaries and consent is very crucial.” This made Yelena nod slightly and give a small, teasing smile.

“You used some very specific examples of safety breaches. Did that come from medical experience… or personal experience?” The question was a test and Kate just smiled broadly.

“I think a girl can keep her secrets, right?” Kate said with amusement and chuckled softly. “The injuries all came from my medical experience.” She said without giving much more than that and Yelena chuckled softly.

“So, based on what you said… what would be the most common case?” She asked casually.

“Generally speaking I think the most common are bruises, cuts and lacerations. Then followed by restraint and compression injuries, then burns and friction, then rectal and genital injuries and finally Hypotension, Hypoxia and Blackouts. The only data I have for sure is that there are around 3,000 hospitalizations due to objects placed in orifices that did not come out.” She said and Yelena raised an eyebrow. “Off the record?” She asked and Yelena smiled and nodded. “I’m always intrigued by how some people stick things inside themselves and there was a study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine that analyzed data from NEISS and estimated that around 2,000 to 3,000 cases per year in the US involve objects retained in the rectum.” She said and Yelena chuckled softly.

“Really impressive…” She said and the two looked at each other for a moment. Kate saw Yelena’s eyes darken with desire and she shifted slightly. “Do you think people generally underestimate the risks involved or is it more a problem of lack of information?” She said after quickly looking over the notes.

“I think it’s a little bit of both, but especially underestimating the risks. Lack of information makes things go wrong a lot, but especially when you underestimate how bad something can get, it makes you think you’re a super person and hurts the people you love or care about.” She spoke sincerely.

“If someone wanted to learn more about how to avoid problems… would you recommend a doctor, an experienced Dominant, or research on the internet?” There was an amused smile and Kate chuckled softly.

“Definitely not a YouTube video.” That made Yelena laugh lightly. “I think it depends, an experienced Dominant is probably the best person, followed by a doctor and definitely lastly research on the internet, if you’re going to use research I suggest looking for serious websites on the subject.” That made Yelena nod. “We were all curious teenagers, definitely don’t look on YouTube and especially not on porn sites, everything there is so wrong when it comes to safe sex.”

“If I were to…” She cleared her throat quickly and blushed. “If someone wanted to avoid a medical problem in a session, what would be the first thing they should do before starting?” The statement made Kate’s eyebrows arch.

“Open communication, very open about boundaries, desires and what is acceptable and what is not. Communication is the first part of any relationship. A couple that talks is a couple that doesn’t end up in the hospital because they are adventurous.” Yelena, her cheeks still slightly flushed, nodded.

“Communication. Right.” She spoke softly. “You seem to have a lot of practical knowledge. Any guesses as to why our audience seems to have so much fun listening to you?” It was a tease and Kate blushed slightly.

“I’ve always been called the class clown.” She scoffed slightly and Yelena rolled her eyes. “But seriously, I think bringing a little bit of closeness usually makes awkward topics easier and I try to bring everything up with normality. Kinks, Fetishes and how people explore them should never be made fun of or teased with the idea of ​​embarrassment. I just want people to be happy with how they like and I want to treat everything with some humor, life and injuries that require hospitalization are serious enough.” She said and that made Yelena smile slightly.

“I agree.” She nodded and Kate smiled. “Last question, Dr. Bishop… if you had to give one piece of advice to anyone who wants to keep their experience safe, what would it be?” Kate thought of the perfect striking answer. Kate took a deep breath, leaned forward slightly and folded her hands on her knees before answering.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working in trauma, it’s that people always think they can go a little further, that ‘this time it’ll work.’ They underestimate the risks, they think they’re in control until, suddenly, they’re not. And that’s where I come in—stitching up cuts that never should have happened, removing things that never should have been where they are, and hearing, more times than I’d like, the phrase, ‘I didn’t think this would happen.’” She spoke more seriously but gave Yelena a small smile, looking her in the eye. “The pleasure, the surrender, the adrenaline—all of it can be incredible. But none of it is worth it if it ends with me holding a defibrillator or lecturing you while I take an X-ray to find something you can’t remove yourself. If you have to ask yourself, ‘Is this dangerous?’, it probably is. So think twice. And if it still seems like a good idea, think again. If after that you’re still sure you want to do it, great—but be safe, plan ahead. And let’s avoid glass, thank you very much.” She let out a small laugh, but her eyes glinted with a serious yet amused look. “The biggest mistake I see is not just a lack of knowledge, but a lack of respect for your own body and your partner’s body. If someone trusts you enough to give themselves over, to let their guard down, to make themselves vulnerable, then you have a responsibility to take care of them. And that means open communication, non-negotiable consent, planning, and aftercare. Because at the end of the day, no matter how intense something is, what really makes the difference is whether, when it’s over, you can look into the other person’s eyes and know they’re okay.” She relaxed slightly and smiled at Yelena again. “If you need a doctor afterward, you did wrong. But what about free advice? The real power isn’t in dominating another person, but in knowing how far to go without breaking trust. So have fun, explore, play, but remember: good play always ends with smiles, not surgeries.” Kate winked at Yelena, seeing the amused yet intrigued glint in her eyes.

“Thank you for the interview and for taking the time to come and teach us all.” Yelena spoke, Kate stood up, and the recorder was turned off. “I need to finish these interviews and the workshop. Will you stick around?” She asked softly.

“I need to go get something to eat, I get nervous around lectures and I haven’t eaten yet, so I think I’ll go to the coffee shop I saw around the corner and then I’ll come back?” She offered and Yelena nodded.

“Yes please…” Kate reached out to touch Yelena and the blonde woman shook her head. “Later, I need to be professional.” She spoke in a whisper and Kate nodded. It was almost delirious how intense the two were even though they had only met in person at that moment.

“I’ll be back in an hour or so?” Kate offered and Yelena nodded. She then left the room and smiled at Ophelia, walking away to go get something to eat.

Chapter Text

They were going to talk, that was the idea, but leaving the event that Ophelia was doing, with both of them free and Yelena's invitation for them to go to her apartment, which was closer than Kate's, led to the current situation.

Of course there was tension, the tension between the two was almost blatant. Yelena made a small comment about Kate being tall and in fact the brunette was taller than the national average. Yelena mocked that she was exactly the average height in Russia, Kate just shrugged saying that in another life she would be a basketball player, which earned a small amused snort.

But the easy conversation about height and lighter things while they made the ten-minute subway ride did not do much to ease the growing tension. A hand from Yelena casually touched Kate's forearm, fingers from Kate gently brushed the lower part of Yelena's back and the conversations, although light, were not really being said in very loud tones, but rather in low, slightly hoarse tones and with eyes wandering over faces and bodies.

So the two-block walk to Yelena's apartment they passed in front of a coffee shop and the blonde categorically stated that it had the best frappuccino in the city. And that led the two to talk the entire last block to the apartment entrance about how Kate was addicted to coffee. But all that talking, walking and everything else led to the current situation.

They should have been talking about having met in person - completely randomly and unexpectedly, yes - and how that changed things. Were they? No. It was another form of communication.

Yelena's hands pushed Kate hard against the closed front door and the brunette barely had time to respond. The suit was grabbed tightly by the lapels and pushed away from Kate's body without hesitation.

"Yel-" The name was cut off by Yelena's very eager mouth against hers and Kate moaned intensely against the deep kiss, with the blonde's tongue pushing inside her mouth forcefully.

"This is how you like sex to start, isn't it?" Yelena's accent thickened as they pulled away and there was this brief moment when blue eyes met hazel eyes and Kate had a quick thought as to whether this was what she wanted and if she was being very honest with herself, she found no reason not to.

"But isn't she a bold girl?" Kate said in a small purr and Yelena hesitated for only a moment. But it was enough for Kate to grab her by the hips and push her against the side of the wall, squeezing Yelena against the corner between the front door and the coat closet door. The blonde could barely hold back a gasp, Kate's hands quickly went to the blonde's thighs and pulled her up without blinking and the moan that came out of Yelena was obscene.

Their mouths met again and their tongues brushed against each other halfway. Deep kisses, kisses that made Kate's heart race, her legs go soft and that goosebumps of heat spread all over her skin.

Finally, Kate thought, fucking finally there were the damn fireworks.

“Where’s your room?” She spoke, pulling away from the blonde’s mouth and moving down her neck and Yelena barely managed to respond, the bite cutting her off before she could even form a full sentence.

“Over-” She stuttered in a moan. “Just go across the room and there’ll be two doors-” Kate’s hands tightened on Yelena’s thighs that were wrapped around her and there was another moan. “It’s the one on the left.” She spoke again and this time moaned loudly as she was pulled off the wall still against Kate’s body. “Oh fuck, fuck, are you going to carry me like a damn princess?” Yelena spoke dirty, wanting and heavy with lust and Kate chuckled softly, walking firmly to the left door beyond the living room.

“Haven’t you been a good girl to me, Yelena? I think this deserves a reward…” This made a breathless moan come out of the blonde and the woman's hands sank into Kate's hair, messing up the short bob that the brunette now had.

"I really like this hair." Yelena grunted knowing that the haircut was a problem for many people around Kate, not that the brunette cared that much, but it was nice to hear that someone liked it.

The blonde's back was placed much more gently against the closed bedroom door and their mouths met again in a deep and increasingly lustful way. It was difficult for both of them to pinpoint how exactly things had changed from strangers in a sex message to a wrong number to the current situation of Yelena with one hand against the doorknob, using her back as support so she could rub her pussy covered by jeans and panties against Kate's bottom shirt.

“Are you going to fuck me?” The question was dirty and Kate moaned against the shirt covering Yelena’s shoulder.

“Is that what you want?” Kate asked softly and the two made eye contact as the doctor pulled back so she could look at Yelena.

“I’ve been thinking about it all the time, we’ve been sexting and phone sex, Kate. A-and I really don’t want you in the boxes they always put you in. I want you to fuck me hard, I want you to do whatever you want with me. We’ve been talking for months, we’ve been flirting for at least half that time and I’m soaking wet, don’t you want to see how wet I am?” The question sounded extremely dirty and Kate stared at Yelena in fascination.

There was no answer in the next moment, but Yelena’s legs were slowly released and she was supported on the floor, standing up and the two women looked at each other. Yelena had a question in her eyes, one that was tinged with uncertainty.

“Are you sure you want this?” Kate’s question came softly, a gentle touch of her fingertips against Yelena’s cheekbone and down the curve of her cheek, touching her chin and brushing her fingertips against her bottom lip in a soft caress. Yelena closed her eyes and swallowed hard and then her eyes flew open, pupils dilated, breathing slightly quickened and there was a dirty smile.

“Oh, I love that you’re so open in communicating. Yes, I want you to fuck me.” The answer was accompanied by her lips wrapping around Kate’s fingertips and Yelena’s head moving forward to suck on the second knuckle, her tongue brushing and Kate shivered and pulled her fingers from between the blonde’s lips.

“Such a fucking temptation. Too bad I don’t have my strap-on here right now.” Kate growled and grabbed the door handle, turning and pushing the door open, which made Yelena take a half step back to steady herself.

“Who says I don’t have one?” Yelena smirked and then let out a small squeal as Kate grabbed her hips and shoved her back onto the bed. “So rough, Dr. Bishop.” She said falsely dramatically and Kate chuckled softly.

“You have until the end of the buttons to take your clothes off, Yelena.” The tone was bossy, dominant, authoritative and there was a defiant arch of Yelena’s eyebrows but then the top button of Kate’s shirt was undone. “One down, seven to go and I don’t see your clothes coming off.” It wasn’t a challenge, it was a promise and the fulfillment of it was probably what kicked Yelena into a higher gear.

Yelena’s shirt was ripped off with an almost crushing snap and her plain white bra was revealed, Kate didn’t care about the color, the lack of lace or anything else that made Yelena blush slightly in embarrassment. She looked the blonde up and down. One more bottom was open.

“Oh fuck, that gif didn’t do much to show how hot you are.” Kate grumbled under her breath, clearly exerting iron self-control to keep from jumping Yelena's bones. Two more buttons were loose. "Four to go." Yelena's eyes widened and the blonde's shoes were thrown away as Kate - quite rightly in the brunette's mind - lingered on the last four buttons.

The jeans were next to go as the fourth button was teasingly undone. The small glimpse of a comfortable bra with pretty lace detailing over the cups appeared and Yelena gasped and there was this rush. Yelena's bra was removed and Kate admired the woman's lack of hesitation in ripping off her socks and panties. And there she was, Yelena in her naked and absolutely hot glory.

Kate stood there with her shirt open, staring at Yelena with her mouth slightly parted in complete and utter admiration. Her eyes slowly moved up her legs, to her belly, her breasts and then met her hazel eyes that were dark, Yelena's breathing was slightly labored in excitement and there was that dirty smile.

"Come on, baby, you're taking too long and I won the race." She spoke in a completely devastated tone and it was as if the button of the hurry inside Kate was pressed hard.

The shirt was thrown off her body, the pants were opened and slid down her legs, shoes were thrown and Kate found herself in a bra and boyshorts in front of Yelena. There were not many thoughts of hesitation, Kate wanted Yelena with everything she had and undoing the bra with one hand while the other pushed the boyshorts off her body was quick.

"Oh, looks like you're in such a hurry now-" Yelena's speech was playful, a tease, but it was quickly cut off as the brunette pulled the blonde by the ankles and fell back on the bed.

"I'm going to eat you now." It wasn't a question, it wasn't an offer, it was a fact and Yelena groaned and nodded quickly.

“Yes, do it.” She spoke in a tone that could have been bossy, but it dissolved into a moan when Kate’s mouth found Yelena’s left calf and began to move her mouth teasingly up Yelena’s leg. It was a sensual dance, Kate liked to tease, always had. So before she actually touched Yelena’s visibly wet pussy, she allowed herself to lick the woman’s thighs, biting and sucking on small red marks there. “You’re such a tease.” Yelena gasped and Kate chuckled softly against the soft part of the blonde’s thigh.

“And don’t you love it?” She purred and Yelena gasped and neither agreed nor disagreed, Kate’s mouth making soft, subtle and light contact against Yelena’s pussy lips made the blonde shut up. “And here I thought a journalist was more articulate.” It was a small tease that made Yelena moan and arch up on the bed.

“Kate.” It was demanding and Kate laughed softly, the air hitting her swollen clit making Yelena shiver and prop herself up on her elbows so she could look at Kate between her legs. “Stop being such a damn tease…” She whined and there was eye contact.

“Beg like a good girl. Beg for me.” Yelena’s mouth fell open slightly and she swallowed hard, there was the challenge. And the ghost of Kate’s lips brushing lightly made the blonde’s elbows give way slightly and she arched and moaned.

“Please, please fuck me. I think I’m going to die if you don’t put your tongue against me. Feel how wet I am for you, please.” She whimpered and tilted her head back, as if making a little prayer. “Please, baby, please—” The begging sounded almost miserable and Kate took pleasure in stopping it mid-phrase, she licked. From the bottom up and pressed the blonde's clitoris with her tongue against the pubic bone and this made Yelena moan absolutely loudly. "Yes, yes, just like that-" Again the speech was cut off by another moan. Kate took her time.

She sucked Yelena's lips one at a time and licked teasingly. The clitoris was sucked and bitten gently. But Yelena liked intensity, when Kate accelerated against her, her tongue diving deep and rising to tease the clitoris. The blonde was quickly losing control of her own volume and her own body.

The orgasm that devastated the blonde's body was beautiful to watch and drink in. She arched, her body sweaty, her breathing labored in an attempt to keep up with her racing heart, muscles tensed and then relaxed tremulously, Kate's name was moaned to the ceiling and Kate found herself grateful that it was business hours so there would be few people up and down stairs. She relaxed between Yelena's legs, gently licking the woman's orgasm and the blonde let out a breathless moan, supporting herself as best she could on her forearm and partially lifting herself up.

"A damn succubus." The blonde grunted in a breathless and visibly satisfied tone.

"Where's the dick?" The brunette didn't give her much time to blink. "I'd like to cum while I'm inside you." And there was this moment of suspension where hazel eyes widened slightly and Kate thought she might have crossed a line, but Yelena rolled onto her stomach, getting into a very tempting position if anyone asked Kate.

The blonde's arm stretched to reach the bottom drawer of the small table next to the bed, but she barely managed to support herself on the floor, when Kate's face was shoved between her cheeks and a tongue pushed inside her pussy.

"Oh, fuck, Kate, Kate!" Yelena moaned and arched as best she could, but the doctor's hands were on the blonde's ass cheeks, squeezing firmly and scraping the tips of her nails against the skin. "Just like that, baby, please don't stop-" The moan sounded loud when Kate didn't slow down but sped up obscenely. Yelena grabbed the drawer handle as best she could, the hand on top of the mattress gripping the headboard tightly and Kate felt herself almost cumming when the blonde pushed herself against her mouth.

This orgasm was quicker and perhaps less intense, but still, Kate adored feeling the taste of the blonde coming undone for her like that. She watched the blonde moan and pant and Kate pulled away to kneel between her legs, and knead the woman's ass cheeks firmly. Which brought a pleasantly surprised moan from Yelena.

"Do you want to kill me before you fuck me?" The blonde spoke in a surprised, pleasantly satisfied tone and she arched up to adjust herself on the bed.

“You turned over to me and showed me that pretty ass, what did you think I was going to do? I remember you like to be fucked on all fours.” Kate said casually and Yelena sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to finally open the drawer and pulled out the strap-on. It was red and medium-sized, the straps seemed comfortable, even though Kate would have preferred another model, she still found it acceptable. “Do you have a condom?” The question was asked while Kate was already standing up and Yelena looked at her with undisguised amusement.

“Afraid of getting me pregnant, mis-dial?” The question was provocative and Kate laughed softly.

“Oh, if it was a real penis, yes. And if we hadn’t had a very explicit conversation about how clean we are of sexually transmitted diseases. But I prefer the condom because it increases the lifespan of the toy.” Yelena smiled easily at the ease with which Kate said everything there and pulled the condom package from the drawer. “So prepared.” She teased and reached for the strap-on, slipping the harness on and fastening the buckles easily. It was comfortable enough and when Kate rubbed the toy from tip to base there was a deliciously satisfying pressure against her clit. Kate went to move to adjust herself on the bed, but Yelena's hand gripped the toy and stopped her from moving much further.

The two looked at each other and there was this dirty smile from Yelena. The blonde pulled her between her legs, and closed the distance between her nipples and her mouth. Which made Kate throw her head back and moan, especially when the hand on the toy pushed the base against Kate's clit.

“So fit…” Yelena purred, lowering her mouth between Kate’s breasts and sliding very sensually to the floor, her knees touched the soft carpet there and the brunette only moaned louder when her mouth brushed against her belly and then there was the overwhelming sensuality of having Yelena licking the toy from the base to the tip and diving without hesitation to take practically the entire toy into her mouth and throat.

“Oh holy shit-” Kate stuttered and felt one of the hands grab her ass, and then there was pressure. The hand on the base of the toy pushed against Kate and the hand on her ass pulled the brunette forward which put much firmer pressure on the doctor’s clitoris. “Good girl.” The compliment made a strangled moan come out of Yelena’s throat and then there was intense eye contact and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer if the blonde kept up the same pace.

Kate held the base of Yelena's skull, her fingers intertwined in the messy blonde hair and she pulled the woman's head out of the toy. The two stared at each other intensely for a moment and Kate wondered how she got so lucky.

"How do you want me?" The question was hoarse when it left Kate's lips and her hazel eyes widened slightly and there was this suspension of a longer moment where the blue eyes watched as her throat worked to swallow dryly and the gears were running in all directions. "Yelena. How?" She reinforced and Yelena quickly pulled away, moving to the middle of the bed and lying on her back. "Missionary then." She spoke in a slightly teasing tone and Yelena's cheeks reddened slightly.

"I want you to fuck me while we kiss a little." She spoke almost awkwardly but still deliciously provocatively and Kate didn't argue, she just gave a dirty smile and adjusted herself between the blonde's legs, her hands rubbing the outside of her thighs and going to her knees, pushing her legs even wider apart.

"Give me the condom." Kate demanded and then there was this moment of anticipation, the latex was easily slid over the saliva-wet toy and then the brunette adjusted herself, the tip of the toy touching the top of Yelena's clitoris and a hand gently guided it to brush over her clitoris and brush between her lips. "Are you sure?" The question was gentle, of tremendous intimacy and Yelena shivered and gasped.

"Fuck me, fuck me like you've been thinking about fucking me since we were interrupted by Natasha." That was all the permission Kate needed. The toy was pushed inside easily, sliding through the amount of wetness there was there. And Kate would do as Yelena wanted, she adjusted herself, the toy sliding all the way inside the blonde and the brunette placed a hand on the other woman's head. Waiting for the blonde's thighs to relax.

"Tell me when." Kate spoke softly and her free hand brushed from Yelena's hips to her breasts, lightly teasing her hardened nipples. Yelena moaned and Kate was sure she was squeezing the toy. "Relax your pussy for me, baby." She instructed gently and Yelena swallowed hard and the brunette watched as the blonde's entire body relaxed. "Good girl, taking me so good." That made a dirty moan come out of Yelena.

“Do you like fucking my pussy?” The question didn’t need an answer, Yelena knew that yes, Kate clearly did. “You know… I touched myself this morning, thinking about you. Rereading our conversation and God I came so hard for you, baby.” The dirty talk came and Kate leaned in and kissed Yelena slowly, their tongues dancing and the blonde’s hands went to the brunette’s waist. “Fuck me, make me come for you, come for me, come on baby, be my stud.” The doctor felt herself quickly instigated to fulfill the fantasy.

The hips went back and then thrust forward, still slowly but completely, the toy was pushed from the tip to the base inside Yelena and their mouths collided in an intense, deep kiss full of tongues and teeth.

There wasn’t much talking after that, the panting and heavy breathing filled the room. The moans were muffled by lips and tongues colliding and the smell of sex and sweat quickly filled the room.

Kate felt sweaty, Yelena's wet pussy and thighs forming a warm cocoon around her hips. And the two seemed to be in a race with just winners. 

Yelena sped up and Kate slowed down, then the other way around and the two seemed to be pushing the orgasm as far forward as possible. When there was a particularly harsh thrust inside Yelena's pussy, the blonde threw her head back and moaned loudly, while Kate took the moment to start really hammering the toy inside the blonde. Which brought moans, groans and delicious little high-pitched sounds leaving the blonde's lips.

"Cum for me, cum on my dick." Kate growled and thrust five more times with full force. "Cum with me." And that was what pushed them both to spiral into an intense orgasm, their moans mixing together and the strap-on continued to gently push against Yelena, prolonging the orgasm of both women.

“God, by the holy earth, what have you done to me…” Yelena whimpered as Kate collapsed on top of her and there was a small, amused chuckle coming from the brunette.

“Looks like we’re over the boring, lame sex, aren’t we?” The brunette said playfully and rolled off of Yelena, gently so as not to hurt her and even brought a moan of pleasure from the blonde.

“No, no, you’re not getting away.” Yelena followed Kate’s rolling body with ease, which made the blonde end up sitting on the brunette’s belly and an amused look appeared on Kate’s face.

“So ready to use me again?” She asked in a fake shocked tone and it made a low chuckle echo through the room.

“Did you think we were done?” The tone was almost mocking, playful and light and Kate smiled.

“By all means, keep using me, I’m loving it.” This brought a small laugh from Yelena and then the tension of the moment built again as the blonde grabbed the toy and gently pushed it inside her.

“I don’t usually come very often or hard in this position, my G-spot isn’t very stimulated, but if I rub myself hard enough my clit might get more pressure.” Yelena spoke softly. “Are you going to come like this for me?” She asked.

“God, I sure am, the base is on my clit-” Her words were cut off by a moan from Kate that made her close her eyes. “Baby.” She called and looked at the blonde. “Give me your vibrator.” She asked and there was a moment where Yelena’s eyebrows furrowed. “I’ll put it on your clit while you ride me. I want this to be good for you.” The realization that Kate was focused on pleasuring the blonde was enough to make the blonde reach over and open the top drawer of her dresser, pulling out a small bullet vibrator.

It was different.

If Kate could name it something. The first rounds were intense with desire, with hunger, and even though both of those feelings were not lacking in this current round, it was still different. 

Yelena's hands against her chest, one of Kate's hands against the blonde's hip, and the bullet vibrator on its lowest vibration being rubbed against Yelena's clit.

The eye contact made everything even more intense. Kate was propped up on the pillows, partially sitting up while Yelena was straddling her, with the strap-on deep inside her. There were small gasps, there was the sweat of both bodies meeting and it was probably the slowest take.

Hip rubbing, legs squeezing, small sounds of pleasure and it was a deliciously slow build. When Yelena moaned and threw her head back, Kate pushed up slightly and the blonde nodded.

"That's it, baby, just like that, enjoy it." She whimpered and spoke through her teeth, which made Kate bite her lower lip and with her abdominal strength she rose to sit up fully, one arm wrapped around Yelena and the vibrator pressed between them. Kate could feel the vibration in her lower abdomen, right where Yelena's clitoris tightened. And the two kissed intensely. The blonde's nails dug into Kate's shoulders with intensity.

"I'm going to-" Yelena whimpered and closed her eyes.

“Look at me.” Kate demanded and her hazel eyes opened quickly, meeting her blue ones. “Cum for me.” The orgasm came surprisingly together, Yelena came with a low moan, her nails digging into Kate’s shoulders and the brunette followed with an almost laughable time difference, the two of them practically coming together. Kate fell back on the bed, her chest rising and falling in a labored breath and she brushed her hands along Yelena’s thighs, moving up and cupping both breasts.

“‘I don’t know if I can do one more round…” Yelena spoke between heavy breaths and moved to get off Kate, moaning deeply as the toy came out of her. “Jesus, I’ve never come like this in this position before…” She whimpered and fell face down on the bed. Kate just brought a hand to Yelena’s ass, in a gentle yet firm caress.

“I really feel like I should thank you.” Kate spoke and then broke into a small, amused laugh, driven especially by the volume of pleasure neurotransmitters that were clouding her mind.

“By God, we can both say that we are very grateful.” Yelena spoke into the pillow which brought an amused laugh from Kate.

“For an atheist you claim a lot of religious figures.” She teased and Yelena, who had her head on the opposite side of Kate, shifted so she could look at the brunette, still on her stomach.

“I told you that you would bring religion to me.” That made Kate laugh.

“Blasphemies.” Kate said amusedly and then Yelena adjusted herself to lie on her side and ran her hand over the brunette’s belly.

“I hope this moment is what you wanted.” The blonde said and Kate looked at her with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

“What do you mean, honey?” She asked sincerely.

“I don’t think either of us thought that the end to our beginning would be this.” The blonde spoke and Kate tilted her head to the side.

“I don’t want this to be a one-time thing, Yelena.” The words hung heavy between the two of them and Yelena seemed shy about it all. “Did you think I just wanted to have sex with you and now that that itch has been scratched, that was it?” She asked and rolled onto her side, facing the blonde.

“That’s usually it, isn’t it?” The blonde spoke softly. “I’m an itch.” The words were almost shy.

“Maybe to some people who can’t see past that absolutely beautiful face and that smoking hot body.” Kate said with a shrug. “But I think in the last few months, talking to you practically every day, I’ve learned more than just those beautiful physical traits. I’ve gotten to know you through your mind, through the way you talked, through the way you cared, through your likes and dislikes, through the little things that make you and the big things that shape you. Your body is amazing and God knows I’m attracted to you in so many deep ways. Physically, mentally, emotionally. You are a complete package for me and not an itch to be scratched, I would like to go on dates with you whenever our schedule allows, I want to continue having sex with you and continue getting to know you.” Kate spoke and there was a long moment of silence where the two looked at each other.

“Is that why you are still so hard?” The blonde teased by rubbing the toy that was between the two of them and this made Kate laugh.

“What can I say, I spent days with blue balls and now I can’t get out of the salute position.” This made Yelena laugh and Kate turned her back to take the toy and place it at the foot of the bed. As she settled in bed, the blonde lay with her head against the bed pillows.

“I would like that.” She spoke softly.

“My hard dick?” Kate said and there was a light slap against her belly. “Oe, agression.” The brunette whimpered and there was again a light laugh exchanged between the two.

“Going on dates, getting to know you more deeply, exploring this connection that I don’t think I’ve ever had with anyone else. This sounds amazing.” Kate sighed lightly at Yelena’s words and ran a hand affectionately along the blonde’s arm.

“I think it would be perfect, even if you’re a furnace.” She said with an easy smile and Yelena laughed.

“I’m Russian, misdial, I’m hot-blooded.” Yelena grumbled in amusement.

“Thank goodness, I’m just a poor, cold doctor.” She replied and the two just smiled at each other. “So, do you want to go on a date with me? Uh… I’d like to be exclusive, I’m a little insecure with relationships considering… Daise.” She spoke sincerely and there was a small thoughtful sound.

“I think being exclusive with you is a sacrifice I can make.” It was falsely dramatic and Yelena just continued. “I don’t want to see anyone other than you and I definitely don’t want to have sex with anyone other than you, you destroyed me in the best way possible.” The blonde spoke and there was a wide smile on Kate’s face.

“So what do you say you and I take a shower in a little while, I steal one of your t-shirts and we go to some cool restaurant you know? God knows you know the best places.” Kate spoke easily.

“I think it’s a great idea, I had a stud taking all my energy.” The blonde teased and Kate leaned in kissing her deeply, slowly, a kiss that said so many things that words couldn’t cover.

********

“So, sex with the unknown woman.” Carol commented casually as the two of them had coffee in the hospital cafeteria. A friendly visit from the blonde who was in a meeting before that time and Kate chuckled softly. They were at one of the tables in the corner and it was reasonably empty, it was still early.

“And God, what good sex.” Kate said and sighed in a cheerful, slightly laughing tone and took a sip of coffee.

“Better than ours?” Carol said falsely offended and that made Kate laugh.

“Oh, lov, we were good but I’m sorry, you were thinking about Maria even though I tried really hard.” Kate said with a shrug. The two of them talked often enough to be in a playful tone and they really didn’t feel like having sex again.

“Uh, what can I say, you surely try to do a good job.” Carol said with a shrug. “So the unknown woman.” She commented in a reticent tone.

“Yelena. Yes.” Kate said calmly. “We are going on an official date tomorrow, it’s my day off and she doesn’t have any events to cover to.” Her tone was calm and it made Carol smile.

“I’m happy for you, you’re sweet and kind, a little too intense for me.” She teased and Kate pushed Carol lightly, knowing it was an easy joke.

“What can I do? I like Russians who are a hot furnace in every way.” Kate said with a shrug. And they began to talk about what the relationship was really like, the sex was exceptional, the two couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other whenever they were together, but the part that Carol seemed most pleased to hear was how the two were able to talk and understand each other.

“If she has a sister who likes women, please introduce me, it sounds like a little dream.” Carol said with an easy smile and Kate chuckled softly.

“I don’t know if Natasha is into women, but I promise to ask. I haven’t met the famous older sister yet.” She said with a shrug.

“But you want to.” Carol commented casually and Kate nodded. “Sounds great, I’ll try to organize with Jessica to get everyone together and maybe in the future you can introduce your girlfriend.” Carol said, leaning her elbow on the table and her face in her hand, giving an easy smile.

“Good God, how people say you’re unfriendly, look at that beautiful smile.” Kate said and Carol’s cheeks lit up slightly and she gave a shy and awkward laugh.

“I’m usually a very serious woman in meetings and business, people tend to read professionalism as unfriendliness.” She said with a shrug and Kate gave a not-so-elegant snort.

“Idiots, I’d say, you’re a great friend and an incredible person.” Kate said easily. “I’m glad I agreed to go on that date with you, I gained a great friend.” Her tone was affectionate and Carol gave a small, awkward smile.

“I think Maria breaking up with me was a good change, I made new friends. I felt kind of isolated hanging out with only her friends, there weren’t many things in common.” Carol spoke in a low tone. “And I’m so happy for you and Yelena.” The tone was so sincere, so caring and Kate just held Carol’s hand with a wide smile.

“Now we need to find you a nice girlfriend. I know you miss dating.” Kate said and Carol sighed.

“Of course I do, I miss being wanted and loved. I was with Maria for 8 years, it’s a very long time, with a lot of cheating, a lot of difficult things. It was hard.” Carol said and there was a small grimace from Kate.

“Cheating is something I can’t understand, I never could. But I’ve always been loyal like a good dog.” She said and that made Carol laugh.

“I’m a grumpy black cat, but I’m still loyal and faithful. And I miss meeting new people, and I don’t want to get involved in the young LGBT scene in this city, I’m too old to meet someone in a gay bar.” That brought a laugh from Kate.

“A lesbian book club then?” She offered and Carol seemed to ponder for a moment. “God, it’s an offer you’re considering. Okay, here… We have this LGBT community center in our neighborhood, here’s Alice’s number. She invited me to the book club but I don’t have time for much of anything. Text her, tell her you want to join, they’re cool and older, which will keep you from robbing a cradle.” Kate said and sent Alice’s number to Carol who just laughed.

“Robbing a cradle, huh?” She said amusedly. “Isn’t Yelena older than you?” There was a small scoff.

“A year and something, respect me woman. She’s 38 and I’m 36, almost 37.” She grumbled and Carol just smiled amusedly.

“Okay, okay, but hey, I’ll let you work. Thanks for the coffee and the possible book club, I miss reading and I work better with deadlines.” She said and gently touched Kate’s cheek in a caring gesture. “Have a great shift.” It was sweet and Kate smiled easily.

“Have a great rest of the day, tell me about the book club if it works out.” And after a brief exchange of goodbyes, Kate pulled out her phone as Carol moved to leave.

Kate: I just recommended an LGBT book club to Carol, poor thing is scared of the gay scene. But she brought me some good coffee.

She typed with some amusement, took a picture of the disposable cup and sent it along. It didn’t take much more than two sips of coffee for her phone to notify Yelena of a response.

Yelena: That’s a really good coffee shop, I prefer the one near Central Park.
Did Carol come visit you at work?
What about a book club? How old is she? 50?

This brought a laugh from Kate who just found Yelena's whole thought process about this amusing and the small, clearly veiled jealousy of Carol's visit to the hospital did not go unnoticed.

Kate: There's a little stand nearby from what Carol said, a small store.
Yes, she came by, she was in a meeting nearby and came to visit me. I'm trying to convince her to start dating again, Carol is nice.

Yelena: Carol is nice, yeah...

Kate: No need to be jealous, baby. She's a good-hearted person and one of the few who doesn't care too much about my crazy schedule. I was happy to see her, as a friend and nothing more. And that's what she is. I kept putting up with her teasing about me and you and she said you're robbing the cradle.

Yelena: You're a little more months younger! How am I robbing the damn cradle?

This made Kate laugh again and start walking towards the ER, she was thoroughly amused by Yelena's outrage.

Yelena: But again, a book club?

Kate: She likes to read and book club seems like a place that gives her a deadline for reading, which helps her keep up? I don't know, I've never been a book club person, discussing characters has always been a bit boring.
I pointed out that our age difference was laughable, she didn't seem very convinced.
Oh, she asked if my hot Russian girlfriend’s sister likes women. I think she wants to meet your sister.

She casually texted and walked into the ER, seeing no movement there. Which was always gratifying. She found an empty corner and sat down, the paperwork was up to date and she could just relax.

Yelena: Your hot Russian huh?
I don't know if I want my very bisexual sister to go out with the woman you slept with…

There was a pause for a few moments, Kate saw the three dots that indicated Yelena was typing appear and disappear.

Yelena: Natasha demanded a picture of Carol so she could give her opinion.

And Kate didn't need to listen to know that the tone was slightly indignant but she just huffed a laugh and went to Instagram, looking for a picture of Carol, one where Carol looked pretty and preferably hot. So the picture of her in a bikini on a beach in Spain two years ago was the one chosen.

Yelena: Damn it.

The brunette's head fell to the side slightly and there was a lot of typing and possibly a lot of deleted messages in the chat before the final message arrived.

Yelena: Give me her number
This is Natasha by the way, Hi Kate
God, Natasha is an idiot, she stole my phone, sorry.

Kate: Did you two roll around on the couch in a very hot fight between two Russians over a cell phone?

Yelena: Quiet. And don't say my sister is hot, that's weird.

Kate: I didn't say she's hot, I said the fight was hot. You're reading too much into it, baby.

There was a long moment of silence, Kate sent Carol's number and then Kate's cell phone rang and Yelena's name appeared on the screen. Kate, who was in a reasonably secluded corner, answered with amusement.

"Do you miss my voice already?" She said with a tease tone and there was a grunt.

"She's funny." A second voice sounded from far away and there was a grunt.

"I didn't put it on speakerphone for you to be a pain in my ass, Sestra." Yelena grumbled and Kate laughed lightly. "Hi. Don't you ever start a call with a hi?" She said and that made the brunette laugh again.

“I’m a trauma doctor, I barely have time to pee, let alone say hi on the phone.” It was dramatic and there was laughter in the background of the call.

“But you found time to fuck my sister and she gets a noise complaint for the time being.” Natasha spoke and there was another unhappy grunt from Yelena.

“Natasha!” Yelena spoke slightly indignantly.

“A noise complaint huh? I think I did a good job then, you’re welcome.” Kate spoke and there was another laugh in the background.

“Yes, this woman is perfect for you.” Natasha spoke and heard a noise and then. “Ouch, you threw a pillow in my face!” Kate just smiled amused at this, holding back a laugh.

“I would throw you my sneakers, but they’re far away.” Yelena spoke in a growl.

“Let’s avoid a hospital visit with a broken nose please, my shift is halfway through.” Kate spoke amused and with an easy smile on her face. “But still, I’m reasonably proud about the noise complaint but we should keep this in my apartment. It’s soundproofed because the previous owner was a musician.” Kate spoke casually and there was a long moment of silence on the phone that almost made Kate check if the call was still connected.

“Can I go today or will you be too exhausted?” Yelena’s question came in a very low tone and there were no more ambient sounds or Natasha’s voice. The blonde seemed to have moved away. Kate’s eyebrows arched slightly, it had been two days since they had seen each other and yes, the brunette was dying to see the blonde again.

“Do you promise to bring food?” Kate spoke simply, she was a woman of simple tastes and easy to please.

“Anything in particular you want?” The blonde asked softly.

“We’ll need energy, baby, so choose wisely. And eat before you come.” She spoke and there was a moment of silence.

“But aren’t we going to have dinner?” He seemed confused and Kate gave a soft laugh.

“Later.” She just commented and there was a phone ringing and Jamil answered.

“Kate, ambulance in 2 minutes, knife fight downtown.” Jamil spoke and Kate snorted.

“I’ll stitch up some bickering idiots and you pick dinner. I’ll send you my address. See you later, baby.” Kate spoke softly. “I hope you’re well rested for what I want to do.”

“Have a good shift.” The tone was slightly hoarse and deep and they both hung up. Kate sent the address and said she would notify Yelena when she was leaving the hospital.

*******

Dating Yelena was amazing, it was a few very nice weeks dating already. But she was working right now. 

There was only half an hour left until the end of the shift, so far it had been peaceful. Kate had managed to get two good hours of sleep without having to be called. The residents and interns were taking care of the lighter cases and that was always a good thing. And right now she was sitting down drinking a hot cup of coffee, very happy that she had managed to finish eating a pretzel that one of the interns had brought her.

The siren of the ambulance approaching at speed became almost a white noise. Kate looked up and saw the EMT entering through the automatic doors with a bang.

The iron smell of blood invaded the emergency room before the paramedics had even pushed the stretcher all the way inside. The air was heavy with the classic hospital smell. The sounds of the heart monitors and the anxious murmur of the staff mixed with the muffled moans of the patients.

She had already grabbed a glove from the dispenser and was approaching quickly. Everyone seemed very busy there, and Kate saw that there was a small crowd of people on the other side of the hallway where the small waiting room for companions and not priority cases was.

“Male patient, 32 years old, penetrating trauma to the abdomen. Blood pressure 80 over 40, tachycardia at 140 bpm, he is going downhill.” The EMT spoke quickly and her blue eyes went straight to the man on the stretcher.

His skin was pale and clammy, his chest rising and falling too quickly. The wound on his left flank was still oozing, but the real problem was nowhere to be seen – it was building up inside him. Kate pressed her fingers against the patient’s abdomen. The tissue under her hand was stiff as a board. This was not good, severe internal bleeding. She felt a bitter taste rise in her throat. There was no time.

“Jamil! Do we have any O.R. available?” She asked, as the nurses removed the patient’s blood-soaked shirt.

“Not yet, they’re finishing a case, Doc.” Jamil spoke and Kate felt the discomfort, she hated and loved the madness at the same time. But there was no time, her heart raced with adrenaline and she nodded.

“We need to open him up here.” Kate spoke without actually moving the gurney anywhere else. She wasn’t sure if the patient would survive until they moved. The silence in both the ER and the waiting room was deafening.

“What?” A surgical intern asked with wide eyes, the uncertainty in the word weighing like an anvil.

“Jamil, Lidocaine. Scalpel 10. Retractors. Two large-bore IVs with Ringer’s lactate running. Get O negative. Now.” Kate didn’t really care about the interns’ uncertainty, Jamil and the nursing staff were experienced and the energy in the room quickly changed. The advantage of being trained in strict protocols was this, there was a collective movement of the more experienced, the fear of the situation being quickly replaced by familiarity. Emergency Room, Operations Center, it didn't matter where, the situation was a standard well-known to all members of the trauma and emergency department.

“Local anesthesia?” One of the interns asked, slightly horrified.

“He won't sustain a general anesthesia and he's a Glasgow 8, severely impaired level of consciousness, potentially in a state of deep shock.” She said quickly.

“But-”

“He won't care enough if he's dead, Killian.” Kate spoke and the intern paled. The syringe with lidocaine was handed to her and she injected it quickly around where the initial incision would be. She knew it burned as she went in, the patient groaned but didn't flinch or wake up. He was too weak for that.

She held the scalpel. The weight was familiar, the sharp blade reflecting the cold fluorescent light, she was experienced, a department head and despite the uncertainty of the others, her word was final on this. Kate picked up the scalpel with the automatic precision of someone who had lost count of how many times she had done this. But the difference today was the anxious look on the intern’s face next to her — a young man with wide eyes and restless hands who could barely hold a pair of tweezers without looking like he was going to drop them. She didn’t have time to go easy on him. And much less the desire to go easy on him, because when she learned, going easy was not an option, and that had saved many lives.

“Listen and learn, because this man can’t wait. First, local anesthesia. Enough to block the pain, but not to sedate him. He’s already too down to tolerate general anesthesia. Midline incision. We need to access the entire abdominal cavity. If this was a minor trauma, a laparoscopy would suffice, but we don’t have that luxury, much less that time.” The instruction continued as Kate pressed the blade into the man’s skin and made a firm, unhesitating cut from the epigastric region to the infraumbilical region. The blade slid over the skin and entered the fascia with a damp texture.

The smell of blood and internal fluids intensified as she pulled the tissues away. As soon as the cavity was exposed, a hot jet of blood spurted out, splattering the sterile field and Kate's arms. The intern paled.

"Arterial or venous bleeding, Killian?" Kate asked, without looking up.

"Venous?" He ventured with a visible guess in the dark and Kate wanted to roll her eyes.

"Wrong. Venous blood is darker and comes out in a continuous stream. This one is arterial: bright red, pulsating. Satinsky." She reached out and received the clamp, quickly locating the artery where the blood was originating. "We clamped the splenic artery, the spleen is in pieces, we'll need to remove it." She indicated and the intern looked at the mangled organ but didn't move like a frightened little bird in the corner of a room with too many cats and that made Kate sigh. “It won’t go away if you stare. Hold the retractor and pay attention.” Kate spoke in a dry tone. And she picked up the scalpel with cauterizer, the smell of burning flesh mixing with the air already heavy with fear and blood. “We’re sealing the small arterial branches. This minimizes bleeding before we remove the organ.” The spleen finally came out, and she placed it on a tray. “Now let’s check the left kidney. The hematoma suggests more than one vascular injury.” She spoke and Killian leaned in trying to see something. Kate slid her fingers under the organ and felt the warm pulse of arterial blood escaping from the renal artery. “We clamped it with a Bulldog clamp. This reduces the flow without causing necrosis.” The clamp was handed to her and she stabilized the bleeding.

“5-0 Prolene?” Kilian asked as he saw the needle and thread being passed to Kate.

“Continuous suture to ensure better hemostasis.” She spoke without looking up from where she was sewing. Then the frenzy visibly subsided, the heart monitor beeped more slowly, the blood pressure began to rise and Kate stepped back and looked at the intern and then looked at Jamil. "The bleeding is under control, he needs to go up to the ICU for observation and direct evaluation with Dr. Maximoff, he needs a vascular surgeon. Request a complete exam and call her please, Jamil." She then removed her bloodstained gloves and anything else that was bloody and looked at the waiting room for the companions, seeing that there was a small crowd there looking slightly emotionally disturbed from having watched all that from the front row.

But it was hazel eyes and blonde hair that caught her attention. Yelena was there. Slightly messy hair, a casually dressed leather jacket, arms relaxed at her sides and she was serious looking at Kate. That's when she saw a woman with brown hair in small braids, light green eyes and both of them were looking at Kate. The woman next to Yelena had a clearly improvised bandaged hand and looked slightly pale, especially when someone came to mop up the blood that had fallen onto the floor.

“Is this normal for a Wednesday?” The woman spoke and Yelena fell silent. The journalist still hadn’t moved. Her gaze was piercing, as if she was trying to dissect Kate the same way the doctor had done with that abdomen. But the woman next to Yelena cleared her throat. “If I pass out, will you prioritize me in triage?” The line was said and Kate gave a small entertaining huff, moving to get the woman a glass of water and handing it to her.

“Drink this. And try not to pass out in my ER, it might be too much for the poor weak-hearted interns.” She spoke and looked between the two of them, especially trying to gauge what was going on in Yelena’s mind. “So, what’s going on?”

“I decided my pinky finger wasn’t necessary and closed it in Yelena’s truck door.” The woman said with a shrug.

“Brunhilde is an idiot and forgot to take her hand off for some reason I don’t know.” Yelena said in a slightly annoyed tone. “I texted you to let you know I was here with her, but I guess there wasn’t time.” She said with a shrug and Kate made a small thoughtful sound. The brunette looked between them and tilted her head to the side. They talked for a few minutes about how they were and all.

“Brunhilde Eriksen.” Kate heard the woman being called and saw who was calling. And she wanted to roll her eyes when Quill was the doctor calling. Kate gave a small nod to Yelena, which made the blonde stand up along with the brunette and the three women walked to the orthopedist. “Trying to steal my patient Bishop?” The man said, slightly intrigued.

“Carpentry was never my thing, Quill.” Kate said with a shrug. “And it looks like we have a broken hand.” She said casually and reached into her scrubs pockets. “I’m going to take advantage of the end of my shift and take my girl for a coffee while we wait for you to patch Brunhilde up, she’s my friend Peter, try not to take long.” Kate said casually and Peter Quill looked between Yelena and Kate, looking unimpressed.

“Okay. It should take half an hour if it’s a simple fracture, maybe longer if it’s something more serious. I’ll take her for an x-ray.” He grumbled and gestured to a wheelchair for Brunhilde. “Please.” And with that Yelena and Kate watched the two of them walk away.

“Only half an hour?” Yelena asked intrigued.

“Peter Quill notoriously doesn’t like me, he usually speeds up everything he can to get me out of his hair.” She said and gestured to a door for Yelena. “Come on.” Kate ran her hand through her hair and guided Yelena into the ER where Jamil looked at her curiously.

“Kidnapping beautiful women, Bishop?” Jamil asked and Kate chuckled softly.

“Oh, Jamil, I’m a very loyal woman.” Kate said with an easy smile and indicated Yelena. “This is my smoke break.” Her tone was playful and Jamil laughed.

“Oh, nice to meet you. Erin Jamil.” She said with a simple smile to Yelena.

“Yelena Belova.” The blonde spoke easily. “Smoke break, huh?” She asked and Kate laughed.

“I’ve never smoked in my life, but it’s the best way to let Jamil know I’ll be in the ambulance parking lot.” She said with a shrug. “I’m going to bail out, Wong has already arrived for his shift and I imagine Wanda came to evaluate that patient.” She said casually.

“Yes, Chief Maximoff is with the patient in the ICU right now… But…” There was a thoughtful tone and Kate frowned.

“What happened?” She asked, puzzled.

“Jarvis wasn’t too happy about his birthday dinner being interrupted. Apparently he’s mad at you and her.” Jamil spoke and arranged her pen in a nervous gesture.

“He married an exceptional medical doctor and doesn’t accept her schedules. There’s not much I can do, let Jarvis be mad at me like a small child.” Jamil sighed and nodded.

“There was yelling and he left.” This made Kate groan and sigh. The blonde then turned to Yelena.

“Do you want to meet my boss?” She spoke in a soft request and Yelena shrugged.

“We’ll have to take Brun home, Jane is coming back from New Haven, she should be here in an hour and a half or two.” She spoke and Kate nodded.

“I’m going to go check on Wanda.” She told Jamil who seemed mildly grateful for this and the woman’s expression made Kate wonder how serious the fight was. But Jarvis and Wanda were known for their colossal fights. “Come on, honey.” Kate spoke softly to Yelena and changed direction, heading for the internal elevator. When the elevator door closed there was a moment of silence.

“Is this the moment where you press the emergency stop button and we kiss?” The tone was clearly playful.

“Oh, I would like to do a Grey’s Anatomy scene with you, but the elevator has cameras and the emergency stop would call the fire department directly.” Kate said but reached out to touch Yelena’s face with a careful caress.

“Too bad. I would totally have sex in the elevator.” Yelena said casually and Kate looked at her amused.

“Wanting another noise complaint?” Kate asked amusedly and that made Yelena’s cheeks flush.

“I had to promise to keep the noises down.” She grumbled. “Natasha has been making fun of me ever since the damn notice was handed in.” She grunted.

“I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not. The sex was too good for me to mind a noise complaint. You’re too hot when you moan for me to ask you to be quiet. My house is soundproof.” She said with a dirty smile and looked at Yelena with lustful eyes. “And you look really hot in that jacket.” Yelena’s gaze darkened, but she cleared her throat as the elevator door opened.

“That was a gift from Brun when she and I were still dating.” She said casually.

“Oh, Brunhilde is the girlfriend you’re good friends with.” Kate said without really feeling jealous, she was never an overly jealous woman.

“Yeah, it was an amicable breakup and she’s practically married to Jane, the two of them live together despite not having a ring on her finger.” Yelena said calmly. “I had given her a ride home from work when she decided to destroy her hand on my truck door.” The hazel eyes rolled and Kate gave a small laugh.

“Well, as someone who makes foolish decisions often, I can’t be too judgmental. I hope it’s not too broken, if it is broken at all.” She shrugged.

“Oh yeah, her finger is broken and completely out of alignment. She wouldn’t let me realign it, so I imagine the orthopedist will have a field day.” She spoke in a casual tone and Kate looked at her with amusement. “I learned that from some field medics.” When she covered wars, Kate’s mind filled in the gap and she gave an easy smile.

“Well, she’s in the best place possible. Even though Peter doesn't like me, he is a great orthopedist.” That’s when she saw her red hair coming out of the ICU hallways. “Hey, Westville.” She called and that made Wanda stop walking and look back, the smile she gave was wide but didn’t quite reach Wanda’s blue eyes. Kate frowned and took a long step towards Wanda, opening her arms and they were automatically filled by the older woman. “Jamil told me about the screams.” She felt the woman shiver slightly and squeezed Wanda as much as possible without hurting the woman and they were silent for a moment in the middle of the silent ICU corridor with only Yelena as a witness.

“I think you're right about a divorce, I feel my sanity fading every day.” Wanda spoke softly, but loud enough to be heard.

“My sister is a lawyer if you want one.” Yelena's offer came and Wanda's eyes went up to Yelena.

“Wands, this is Yelena.” Then the brunette cleared her throat. “Misdial.” She continued and the blue eyes widened with Wanda's eyebrows raised slightly.

“Oh, so you decided to meet.” The redhead spoke in a thoughtful tone.

“We can say that.” Kate spoke amused and Wanda looked at her and there was a slightly dirty smile from Kate.

“Oh, disgusting, yes. Okay. Rub your healthy sex life in my face.” Wanda said playfully and looked at Yelena. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Kate’s friend and also her boss. Wanda.” She introduced herself and Yelena gave a slight smile.

“A pleasure, even if it’s kind of a mess. I saw Kate open up a patient in the middle of the hallway.” Yelena said with a shrug.

“Mr. Bohner. Yes, it was a good field surgery as we call it when it’s not a surgical center.” She explained to Yelena. “He’s receiving blood and is stable, I’m waiting for him to be a little more stable so I can do imaging evaluations.” The speech was directed at Kate and then Wanda’s eyes focused on Yelena. “Did you come to take Kate home?” The question was suggestive and Yelena blushed slightly.

“She came to bring her friend who broke her hand to be evaluated and patched up and ended up seeing the horror show of a surgery in the middle of the hallway. Now we’re waiting for Quill to finish with Brunhilde so we can take her home and go to my apartment.” Kate spoke with a shrug and Wanda made a thoughtful sound.

“So we have time for coffee with me?” She asked and Kate read the insecurity.

“You don’t want to be alone or go home, huh?” Kate spoke and looked at Yelena who shrugged, leaving the choice to the brunette. “Come on, honey, let’s have the very fancy coffee that Wanda keeps in her office.” Kate’s hand was extended and Yelena promptly closed the small distance, holding Kate’s hand with hers and Wanda gave a soft laugh.

“Coffee thieves, your girlfriend has a tremendous addiction.” She said leading the way and neither of the two women reacted to the term for a moment.

“Coffee is an addiction that I can put up with.” Yelena said casually and Kate laughed softly.

“She’s upset because we got a new noise complaint two days ago when I was visiting her apartment.” Kate spoke and Yelena blushed scarlet, but Wanda just laughed.

“You and silence have never been great friends, Kate.” The brunette shrugged at the redhead's speech.

"I like the noise, what can I do?" And that earned Kate a small, light shove from Yelena's shoulder against her, but when she looked at the blonde she saw only undisguised amusement there.

"Let's just say I'm a damn siren." Yelena said and that brought a laugh from Kate and an amused chuckle from Wanda.

**********

“I’ll finish writing your interview tomorrow, it should be in the paper on Monday.” Yelena spoke sensually, her hair tossed to the side as she sat on Kate’s lap, one leg on either side of the brunette’s hips and her arms thrown over the doctor’s shoulders.

“Oh, are you going to say how hot I am in that text?” She asked dirtyly and Yelena gave a small, amused snort.

“I think I’d need a stick to keep the submissives from that event away from you, I’d rather not have to fight with half a New York too.” Yelena spoke in a slightly annoyed tone and Kate gave a small laugh.

“Your jealousy is cute.” She commented and the blonde blushed and cleared her throat. “I don’t care what they want, I think it’s pretty clear that I want you.” The speech was spoken casually and yet confidently and Yelena’s mouth opened and closed slightly.

“I-” The blonde stuttered and cleared her throat. “I’m upset.”

“With me?” Kate asked with a frown.

“With my damn schedule.” This made the brunette’s head tilt slightly to the side like a confused dog and it made Yelena laugh lightly. “You look like a puppy.” She cupped Kate’s cheeks, aligning her head with the brunette’s and smiled slightly. “I’m going to Chicago, I have to cover the gay pride parade.” She said and sighed and Kate raised her eyebrows.

“Chicago is nice, I like it there. The gay pride parade is week, isn’t it?” She asked and there was a small, not very cheerful tone there and it made Yelena adjust herself in Kate’s lap and look at her.

“Saturday and Sunday.” Yelena spoke softly.

“Oh… That’s unfortunate…” Kate said shyly and Yelena frowned.

“Why?” The question was soft and uncertain and Kate looked away shyly.

“You’re going to miss my birthday.” She said and Yelena’s eyes widened.

“What?” She asked, clearly shocked.

“The 4th.” Kate said with a shrug.

“Kate-” The blonde said uncertainly.

“It’s okay.” Her tone wasn’t really cheerful, but Kate put a small smile on her face. “My mom’s in England until the end of September, maybe I’ll get a shift or America will drag me into something.” She said with a shrug.

“I didn’t know.” The blonde said uncertainly, and Kate gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“My birthday hasn’t been very happy for many years, dear. My father died on August first, I spent my 10th birthday in a cemetery, and since then it’s never really been very happy.” She said softly. “I try not to pressure my mother about the date, she’s usually very blue about my father, and she goes to London to visit the grave.” Her tone was gentle, Kate had gotten over how difficult her birthday was a long time ago, she just had the desire to try to see Yelena.

“Kate… I…” The blonde was clearly speechless.

“We can do a video call.” She spoke with an easy smile on her face and Yelena nodded, clearly shaken by both revelations.

“Doesn’t your mother celebrate with you?” The journalist asked quietly.

“She sends a breakfast basket and calls me, that’s enough.” Kate shrugged, she had dealt with it, it had been over 20 years. America usually did something with her, and that was enough, but part of Kate really wished she could spend some time with Yelena during the day, maybe that would make the day less awkward.

“I didn’t want to miss your birthday.” Kate frowned at Yelena’s words.

“I theoretically missed yours, it’s okay.” The tone was soft and gentle and Yelena snorted.

“We didn’t know each other on my birthday Kate, I was born in January.” The tone was slightly grunting and Kate sighed.

“I know honey, but we can’t work out some things. We can celebrate my birthday next week when our days off align. Seriously, it’s okay.” She spoke in a more casual tone and Yelena took a deep breath and sighed.

“I’m going to give you some good pre-birthday sex now.” Kate’s eyebrows rose in amusement and she laughed lightly.

“Isn’t that what you were planning when you sat on my lap, Belova?” The question came out playfully and Yelena glared at Kate, with enough force in her gaze that made the brunette go silent and look at the blonde with her head tilted.

“You have two choices.” She spoke, brushing her fingertips against Kate’s purple shirt, playing with the collar of the shirt in a slightly teasing tone.

“Oh, I have options. I’m listening attentively.” Kate spoke with an amused smile.

“Do you want me to fuck you with my fingers or eat you out?” The question came and Kate’s smile stuttered slightly as her mouth dropped open.

“Oh, can I choose?” She asked shyly.

“I would eat you, but I think the future birthday girl can choose.” Yelena spoke and rubbed Kate’s collarbone lightly.

“Any specific plans on how you want to fuck me?” Kate spoke softly and in a warm, curious and intrigued tone.

“The idea was for me to lay you down on the couch, but I think for your visual benefit I’ll kneel between your legs, like a good girl giving a gift to daddy.” She spoke and Kate’s mouth really dropped open now.

“Are we in the daddy kink now?” Kate stuttered and Yelena gave a dirty smile.

“Weren’t we at some point?” And that was it, Yelena Belova in all her glory, a simple white v-neck t-shirt, jeans and bare feet slid in an unfairly sensual way between Kate's legs, her knees touching the carpeted floor softly. "Now, what do you want? Don't leave me playing alone, Bishop." She asked and brushed against the legs still covered in the soft pants Kate had been wearing when she left the hospital.

"Uh... Okay." Kate adjusted herself, squaring her shoulders and that seemed to bring only a heated look from Yelena. "First let's make it clear that you love playing alone, honey, the pictures from yesterday were quite clear." Kate spoke and there was no shame on Yelena's part, she just gave a dirty smile.

"And didn't you love seeing my pussy filled by my rabbit when you woke up to go to work?" The purr came and Kate gave a dirty smile.

"Of course I do, but how about getting up first?" It was a pleading tone but it was clearly an order, and Yelena arched her eyebrows and stood up, standing in front of Kate. “Now, my dear, take off your clothes for me. What did you say, give daddy a gift from my good girl?” She said with a lascivious smile and Yelena gasped and nodded. “Take off your shirt for me.”

And it was sensual, Yelena was an extremely beautiful woman and absolutely confident in herself. The shirt was slowly taken off and thrown to the side, this time there was no white bra but rather a dark red, lacy and absolutely beautiful bra.

“A damn goddess, now turn to me and take off your pants, I love to see your ass.” Kate ordered and Yelena gasped and nodded, turning in the same place and she put on a little show, bending over so her ass was practically against Kate’s face and when the brunette bit her cheek gently and kissed her with her mouth open the blonde moaned and rubbed her ass against the brunette’s face.

“You like my ass, don’t you? Always touching it, always kissing it… I still think about you fucking me from behind.” Yelena and dirty talk went hand in hand and Kate loved it. She moved away from the cheeks she was biting, lightly marking and kissing sensually and leaned back against the couch.

“It’s a wonderful ass, I want to fuck you from behind, with your head on the mattress so I can see your ass high up so I can fuck it.” She said and Yelena moaned and looked over her shoulder. The bra was quickly released by the blonde’s hand and thrown on the coffee table and then the blonde turned around and there she was, with the matching panties and her eyes filled with excitement.

Kate didn’t hesitate much, the shirt was taken off her body and thrown to the side on the couch, the bra was the next to come off and Yelena knelt down again, this time grabbing Kate’s pants and pulling pants and panties together down the doctor’s legs.

“You know, it was really sexy to see you in total control, making such profound decisions and God, the way you act with total confidence is so sexy.” Yelena spoke and began to kiss Kate’s thighs who sighed and gripped the couch cushion with her fingers tightly, trying to keep her hips still.

“Do you like me being bossy?” The question came slightly hoarse, slightly broken and Yelena looked at Kate. Blues meeting hazel.

“I’ve always been a very strong woman, Kate… Very independent, very in control of everything. Everything I’ve done in my life has been by my own choices, including our current position…” It was a statement that Kate agreed with in full, Yelena was an absolutely strong and fantastic woman. “But I like to be ordered around, to be guided, pulled, controlled in sex. I’ve always been fairly submissive when it comes to sex, diving into kinks and fetishes came easily after Brun and I broke up and vanilla sex finally came out as the only option on my list.” She spoke and the two looked at each other. “So yes, I like it when you order me around, control me, guide me, praise me… God, I love it when you praise me.” She spoke honestly and openly and Kate swallowed hard.

One of the brunette's hands went to Yelena's hair, mingling with the golden strands and the two women looked at each other for a moment. There was this intensity, it was deep and dense and Kate swallowed lightly.

"Open your mouth." She spoke and Yelena moaned and closed her eyes briefly. "Look at me." The hazel eyes opened and her mouth fell wide open. "Good girl. I think you've said too much and you need to occupy that delicious mouth with something else." She spoke and pulled Yelena against her and they both moaned together at the first touch of her tongue. "That's it, good girl, give in to me." The order came and Yelena's response was to grab Kate's thighs, and the brunette just threw her head back, still keeping one hand in Yelena's hair and moaned loudly, opening her legs a little wider which gave Yelena more space.

Sex with Yelena was intense, it was sensual. Having Yelena eating her was almost a little dream. When the tongue delved inside her, the brunette moaned and held the blonde tighter. She was trying to control her own orgasm, one of the reasons Kate liked to go last was that she usually came very quickly.

“I'm going to come for you, be a good girl.” Kate said moaning louder and faster and Yelena doubled her efforts, when the orgasm hit Kate's body she arched and moaned loudly. “Oh my God, woman.” The moan came and Yelena pulled away, licking her lips and running the tip of her index finger over her nose, which was slightly wet, and then sucking on the tip of her finger.

“A very willing daddy, I'd say.” She said playfully and Kate gave a small, breathless laugh.

“I need two minutes, so come here and kiss me.” Kate pulled the blonde towards her and they returned to the original position of that conversation, with Yelena straddling Kate's thighs, but this time the two were kissing deeply, their naked and sweaty bodies touching completely. They were about to move to the bedroom when a firm knock on the front door of the apartment sounded before the doorbell. The two women moved away and looked at each other.

“Are you expecting someone?” Yelena asked, slightly confused.

“No.” The words were spoken with furrowed eyebrows and the two separated. The doorbell rang again and there was another knock on the door. Yelena moved off Kate's lap, and Kate pulled her shirt and pants on as best she could and Yelena gathered her clothes and moved to the bedroom.

“I’ll get dressed while you figure out what’s going on.” Yelena said and Kate nodded. Then she moved to the door, and the one who stumbled in - clearly drunk and not very sane - was America.

“America?” She asked confused and helped the brunette up from where she had fallen against the wall.

“Gwen broke up with me.” The words came out drunk and Kate blinked in surprise.

“She-what?” But America was already limp in Kate’s arms and the doctor promptly began to assess the woman. 

“Uh, is everything okay?” Yelena said, approaching, wearing Kate’s loose t-shirt, and the brunette looked at her with wide eyes. “I know, I’m hot, but focus on Kate Bishop. Who is this and is she alive?” Yelena asked, clearly confused and worried.

“America. This is America, she apparently passed out drunk. Something about her girlfriend of 10 years breaking up with her?” Kate said, confused, and then the brunette’s cell phone started ringing. “For God’s sake, can you answer this? I’m going to put America in the guest room.” Kate grumbled, grabbing America by the back and legs and lifting her up.

“Oh you’re strong…” Yelena said, clearly, both women were still very horny.

“The phone, baby.” Kate said, blushing slightly, and Yelena moved to cross the house after the cell phone that was in the kitchen, and Kate walked the short distance to the guest room and left America there, taking off the woman’s pants and shoes.

“Are we undressing a drunk?” Yelena asked as she entered the room just as Kate was tucking America in.

“She doesn’t sleep with pants on, and she made me promise to always take her pants off when she’s drunk.” The sentence was amusing and Yelena held out the phone.

“It stopped ringing when I went to answer it, I brought it for you, apparently it was Gwen.” She said and Kate looked even more confused.

“The girlfriend.” Kate indicated America and then pointed out of the room. “Let’s go to the kitchen, since we’ve been cockblocked.” She grumbled unhappily and Yelena sighed.

Then they went to the kitchen where Yelena pulled a beer for each of them and Kate returned Gwen’s call, putting it on speaker.

“Kate? Is America there?” Gwen’s voice sounded worried and Kate sighed.

“Hey, yeah, she’s currently passed out in my guest room, drunk as if she’d just doused herself in a bottle of tequila and she said you broke up with her?” Kate spoke and there was a clear sound of disgust coming from Gwen.

“I didn’t break up with her. She got it all wrong.” Gwen whimpered. “I bought a ring.” And Kate’s eyebrows went up at that. Marriage was never something the two friends had actively discussed. “Not a wedding ring, but a commitment/girlfriends ring, something like that. I saw that in some places in Mexico it’s normal. A sign of commitment, or something…” Gwen said. “She jumped to conclusions, thinking I wanted to go back to being just friends — I-I have no idea how we got from there to there — but she threw the ring on the couch and ran out of the house, crying.” Gwen sounded exasperated and Kate whimpered.

“I was about to have really good sex.” She said dramatically and there was a low chuckle from Gwen.

“I’m sorry birdie, but I don’t know how she jumped to conclusions so quickly. And I was nervous, I thought she would assume it was an engagement ring. I was more prepared to say no, I would never corner her with a surprise marriage proposal, but she caught me so off guard.” Gwen complained.

“She probably thought it was a promise ring, something pre-girlfriend.” Yelena commented and there was a moment of silence.

“Oh, she’s still there. I thought you left when my drunk lizard girlfriend showed up.” Gwen spoke clearly surprised.

“We’re celebrating my birthday early because Yel has to travel for work. But hey, Gwen, Yelena.” She introduced and there was a small laugh from Gwen.

“Hello, nice to meet you and sorry my girlfriend totally cockblocked you guys.” Gwen spoke in a friendly tone.

“Eh honestly I thought she had gone into an alcoholic coma, she needs to learn to hold her alcohol.” Yelena spoke and Gwen laughed. “But, nice to meet you.” Yelena’s tone was calm.

“Not in a coma, just very drunk.” Kate commented calmly. “I doubt she’ll wake up very early, a hungover America is an America that sleeps. But I’ll talk to her and you can come over tomorrow morning if you want, it’s your day off, isn’t it? America talked a lot about having sex after days, or something equally dramatic.” This made Gwen half laugh and half groan. “Where were you?” The question came amusingly from Kate.

“I’m a nuclear scientist, I was visiting the Brazilian particle accelerator, SIRIUS. Something about a research collaboration between Harvard and them. I can’t say much about it, but I was away for a week.” Gwen sighed dramatically. “But yes, I’ll stop by tomorrow morning. Will Yelena be there? That way I can at least bring food for everyone.” Gwen grumbled. The two women looked at each other and Yelena gave an easy smile.

“Bring me croissants. I love croissants.” Yelena spoke calmly and Kate smiled broadly.

“I’m a goat.” This made both women laugh at Kate’s words.

“Okay, birdies, I’m going to cry in the shower and send a dozen messages to America so she can read them when she wakes up. I love you, KitKat.”

“Bye Gwen.” Kate said and the call was disconnected. “Oh man.” She grumbled and looked at Yelena. “Are you going to sleep here?” The question was slightly dirty and Yelena smiled mischievously.

“I want to see how you’re going to keep me quiet, KitKat.” And with that, Yelena’s beer bottle was thrown into the recycling bin and the blonde walked out of the kitchen. “You have five minutes.” And that made Kate speed up quickly.

Kate locked the house, making sure everything was safe so she could go to the bedroom. It took her maybe a little longer than five minutes, but it didn't seem to be a problem for Yelena. When she entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her, leaning against the wood, she looked at Yelena, gloriously naked on her bed.

The easy familiarity was something that delighted Kate, she loved that the two of them just seemed to fit together, Yelena had never been there, but still, there was Kate's t-shirt thrown at the foot of the bed with the blonde completely naked, her legs spread so the brunette could see her fingers deep inside her wet pussy. Yelena had her free hand in her mouth, biting her palm to keep her moans and sounds muffled and Kate allowed herself to just watch for a moment.

"Are you just going to watch me, stud?" Yelena spoke in a husky tone, filled with excitement and desire. And with an easy flick of Kate’s wrist, the bedroom door was locked and Kate moved like a predator focused on prey. The clothes that had been quickly put on were ripped off and thrown aside. The shirt flew towards the bathroom and the pants fell easily when she took a step forward, leaving a small puddle at her feet.

“You have no modesty at all, do you?” Kate grumbled and got in next to the blonde on the bed and there was a dirty laugh mixed with a half-moan gasp.

“Why would I? Look at you, all ready to take me, fuck me, make me scream.” Yelena spoke in a completely dirty way and Kate didn’t let Yelena roll towards her, holding the blonde by the hips and making her lie on her side. “Ah, so determined…” The tone was slightly sung with pleasure and Kate gave a dirty smile.

The brunette’s mouth sank into the blonde’s neck, kissing and biting lightly. Yelena moaned softly and then louder when the hand that was on her hip went up to her breast, squeezing a nipple harder.

“Oh, baby, you’re so good to me…” It was a completely ominous moan of excitement and Kate didn’t say anything. She adjusted herself, slipping her free arm under Yelena and then the brunette’s hand grabbed her cheeks and covered the blonde’s mouth, which made a muffled grunt sound in the tiny space between their skin.

“You’re loud, honey, I think I need to cover that pretty mouth so I can fuck you like I want.” There was a quick nod from Yelena. “If it’s too much, slap the mattress twice.” The safety instruction came and Kate felt the moan against her palm as she slid her hand to Yelena’s back, brushing her ass and then two fingers pushed inside her willing pussy. The blonde rolled slightly onto her stomach, half on her side and half lying down. Which gave more room for Kate to push her fingers and less room for Yelena to scream.

But the brunette saw the clear signs of pleasure. The shivers, her pussy wet and clenching her fingers. Her back arched and she especially felt the sounds being muffled against her palm.

“Three fingers for you. This is how you like to be taken, completely, I want you to know who fucks you. My good girl.” Kate groaned hoarsely against the shell of Yelena’s ear and bit gently, which made a muffled whimper against her hand. Then the third finger pushed in hard and Yelena’s ass was thrown against Kate’s front, crushing her arm between their bodies and that made the fingers go deeper. “Are you going to cum for me like the desperate little girl you are?” The question came and there was a muffled hum coming from Yelena.

Kate felt the blonde’s teeth against her palm and squeezed it tighter, pushing her fingers inside her folds and she felt Yelena’s orgasm, intense, powerful, squeezing her fingers hard and the blonde arching. The grunts and moans of pleasure were completely muffled by Kate's palm and then the blonde fell limply onto the bed.

The fingers were gently removed and the hand from her mouth was brought back. And Kate slowly kissed Yelena's back, moving down her spine as the blonde lay on her stomach.

"God, you know exactly how to touch me..." Yelena said in a low gasp and moaned again when Kate bit her ass not too hard.

“Put your pretty face against my pillow, I’m going to eat you now.” Kate said and Yelena moaned.

“Oh, yes, please, yes.” She whimpered and Kate gave a dirty smile at the hint of desperation in her voice.

“You know, I like to watch you try to control yourself, even though you squirm so much. I like to see you with your back to me, ready to be touched, to be fucked, to be taken. I wish I could mark your pretty ass all over, bend you over on the bed and spank that ass until it’s red and shiny and then fuck you with my cock.” This made Yelena bury her face against the pillow and arch up on the bed, showing off her ass, spreading her legs and Kate admired the image for a moment. “Such a good little girl.”

“Kate-” The brunette’s name was muffled into the pillow and then there was a moan, audible and not so loud as Kate’s tongue moved up from her clit to the top of her ass.

“Don’t make me push your head into the pillow, be quiet or I’ll stop.” Kate spoke dominantly and Yelena’s legs spread even wider, her ass even higher and her head buried deeper in the soft material. Then Kate allowed herself to devour the blonde as she wished. Happy to see that Yelena did everything she could to comply with the required silence.

Her tongue went up and down, tasting, testing limits and exploring. When she slipped inside the blonde’s folds, there was this muffled moan in the best possible way. Yelena was the perfect mix of desperation, lust and commitment. And Kate just felt herself speed up, as if it were a race in a hurry. 

She wanted the woman to come undone for her with intensity. And Yelena didn’t disappoint, she arched, and Kate saw her teeth sink into the pillow, her body shuddered, her pussy clenched around nothing and then the animalistic and muffled sound rang out. The brunette watched with pleasure as the blonde fell limply onto the bed.

“Good girl.” She spoke, running her hands up Yelena's legs, thighs and back, feeling her body shudder and the blonde lifted her head off the pillow, turning her face to the side, moaning softly and with her eyes closed. Kate felt the blonde's skin damp with sweat and wanted to give herself a little pat on the back with pride. She loved making Yelena fall apart like that.

"Oh my god." Kate laughed at her words with a small amused tone.

"Another step closer to conversion, I see." She said and lay down on her side, her front facing Yelena, while her fingers brushed the blonde's spine in a light caress. The journalist turned her head to face Kate and her eyes were filled with a clearly satisfied desire.

"You're going to end up sex with anything else or anyone for me. I think my rabbit is going to cry profusely when I stop using it so much." The sentence made Kate laugh and lean in to kiss Yelena softly.

“I’m happy to oblige. And I don’t plan on having sex with other people, we talked about exclusivity.” She said calmly, understanding the joke.

“Oh no, I don’t want anyone else touching me. You do it perfectly well, so well. My body is vibrating like never before. I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard and you dominated me in an impressive way. I give you an A+.” She said and Kate chuckled softly.

“Do I need to start working harder for extra credits?” She teased and ran her hand through Yelena’s damp hair. “We’re role playing now and you’re going to be the teacher I need to please to pass the year?” Kate said and Yelena gave a small breathless laugh.

“Maybe another time when my pussy isn’t completely exhausted.” Yelena said and adjusted herself to push Kate on her back and her head against the brunette’s chest. “Hmmm… Now we can sleep.” She said already practically dozing off and Kate chuckled softly. Slipping an arm around Yelena and pulling her against her.

“Good night, my dear Yelena.” The whisper came low against the blonde’s scalp and there was only a sound of response. Yelena was already out of sight when it happened and Kate just allowed herself to stay there, caressing her soft skin and hair until sleep overtook her.

********

“It’s fine.” Kate mumbled as she turned on the coffee machine, her cell phone tucked between her shoulder and ear.

“I wanted to be at the grave on this day… I’m so sorry.” Her mother’s voice was heavy, and as much as Kate appreciated her mother’s effort to say she was sorry for missing her birthday, it was always excessive, always exhausting, and Kate grew more tired of the back-and-forth every year.

“I told you, it’s fine. I totally understand. But I don’t want to travel to London to cry at an empty grave, Mom. I can do that from home. Or at the hospital where I’m saving lives.” The sentence weighed heavily and was always a difficult topic. Derek’s death had always been an ugly skeleton in the usually good relationship between Eleanor and Kate.

“Kate…” There was hesitation, and Kate sighed, rubbing her face lightly with the hand that wasn’t holding the cell phone and leaning against the counter. 

“Look, Mom, I understand… I really do…” That was when Kate saw Yelena entering the kitchen. “But you do realize that he’s dead and I’m still alive, right?” The sentence weighed heavily and Yelena, who had just woken up, looked at her with raised eyebrows since that was the phrase that welcomed her in the kitchen. There was no deep resentment in her tone, but it was still a heavy tone.

“I… Daughter-” Eleanor began and paused, clearly not knowing what to say. Kate understood what she was feeling and processing, after all, it was the first time since Derek’s death that she had said something like that.

“He’s dead. He’s not coming back. We can’t revive Dad even if I really wanted to, and believe me, I miss him too.” Kate spoke this time, letting a little more hurt show. “But I’m alive, I’m here. I strive every day to be a daughter you would be proud of, that he would be proud of. But I’m not going to make altars, I’m not going to make every date of his death a rite of grief. I grew up around grief, I allowed myself to love again, to live again, and I held on to the good memories. You should try to do the same and especially understand that there are people alive who are still here for you to make memories with. I’m alive, Aunt Claire is alive, Grandma Margaret is alive. We’re all still a part of Dad. And I really wish my mother would stop seeing me as a painful reminder of someone who’s gone.” And that seemed to be the nail in the coffin. Kate’s jaw clenched as she heard the small sob and then she sighed.

“I’m so sorry, Kate…” The tone wasn’t about not being there, Kate understood that, but she was still tired of the excuses that ultimately meant nothing.

“Me too.” Kate spoke in a deeper tone and then sighed again, this time longer and deeper. “Yelena is awake, I will be a good hostess. Let me know when you get to the US again, please.” She spoke and there was a pause where Eleanor seemed to be composing herself. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Kate.” Eleanor spoke and then Kate hung up the call and closed her eyes, breathing deeply to the point where her shoulders rose and fell in slight defeat.

“Happy 27th deathday.” Kate spoke in a sarcastic tone, heavy with loss and she found herself only being hugged around the waist by Yelena, with worried hazel eyes, but she was still grateful that there were no words of pity. They just stood there, holding each other. Yelena tucked against Kate’s neck and the brunette’s arms around the blonde’s shoulders. “Thank you for that, honey.” Kate spoke softly. “He was cremated, his ashes scattered in the River Itchen in Winchester.” She spoke and paused for a moment. “You know… One of the original members of my family – very remotely – was Saint Swithun, the Bishop of Winchester. What made the name Bishop is, even remotely, the 9th century. My father’s family has always had very strong ties to Winchester. My father had his ashes scattered there, and his grave in the family cemetery in London. Grandma Margaret never insisted, but my mother did. And out of respect for her and the grief at the time, my grandmother allowed it. But if we’re honest, the only person who visits the grave to this day is my mother. Religiously, she goes to Mass at St. Mary-le-Bow, and then she goes to the cemetery and then she calls me.” Kate showed her phone and sighed.

“And you seem more exhausted every year of this routine.” Yelena said softly.

“Today is a little different from the last few years.” Kate said softly and kissed Yelena’s forehead. “I have you here.” She commented gently and then there was the sound of the doorbell ringing. “And apparently Gwen and America.” She said and grimaced slightly and that brought a low chuckle from Yelena.

“Sounds like a different routine. I’ll open the door and you go wake your friend up?” She offered and Kate nodded leaning in and kissing the blonde softly on the lips.

“Thank you.” That brought a small smile to Yelena’s face, especially at the easy sincerity and gratitude. The two then divided and conquered.

Kate entered America’s room and looked at the woman with little surprise. She walked over and shook the Latina firmly, which caused a grunt and a groan of pain to come from America.

“Wake up, your girlfriend is here.” Kate spoke loudly enough to be annoying and America groaned.

“Gwen?” She asked groggily and rolled onto her back, her eyes filling with tears as she had the moment of realization from the night before.

“No, no. We are not doing this. Get up and go talk to your girlfriend. You stubborn, olympic-level, conclusion-jumping woman.” Kate scolded firmly and pulled America by the shirt, forcing the woman to sit down.

“Why so rough?” America whined.

“You interrupted really good sex yesterday. Today is the day my father died, and I had an argument with my mother before ten in the morning. I don’t have the time or the good will for you to jump to conclusions and hurt yourself and Gwen in the process. Go. Talk. To. Your. Girlfriend.” America seemed clearly awake despite her hangover. She looked at Kate with wide eyes.

“Kate…” Her tone was worrisome. Kate Bishop was notoriously sweet and easy to get along with. America could count on one hand the number of times the woman had spoken to her like that, and she could only use a hand even counting the current moment.

“I just—” Kate stammered. “I can’t do this right now. I can’t. Not with you and Gwen having a falling out and Yelena keeping Gwen company in my kitchen. I can’t grieve my father’s death right now, much less deal with the fact that I told my mother I’m alive and that she needs to stop making altars.” She spoke and closed her eyes, shuddering. “I don’t want to fall apart now or later, so I need you to put on your grown woman face and deal with your shit because I can’t support the world right now.” She spoke in a tiny tone and America moved and hugged Kate tightly.

“I’m so sorry, cariño. I’m really sorry about all of this. I’m going to talk to Gwen. I didn’t want to put any more pressure on you, I know how hard this day is for you.” America spoke softly and Kate nodded, pulling away from the hug.

“I’m going to wash my face.” Kate grumbled, wiping away the tears that had escaped in America’s hug and the Latina just nodded. The brunette then went to the bathroom, washed her face and gripped the sink tightly. “Keep your shit together, Kate..” She grumbled to herself with slight anger and moved to the kitchen. She heard sounds of conversation there and when she entered she saw the very domestic scene.

Yelena sat at the kitchen counter, one of Kate’s mugs in her hands, hot steam rising from the top. On her other hand was a pretty croissant that looked like it was filled with cheese and ham. Yelena was talking to Gwen and America was chastened, sitting at the kitchen table with a mug and a sandwich.

“Stop whining and eat your sandwich and drink your coffee, and then we’ll talk.” Gwen spoke firmly and that brought a small smile to Kate’s face as she paused in the kitchen doorway.

“Are you going to put down roots there, Kate Bishop?” Yelena’s voice made the other two women look at her and Kate and Gwen’s eyes met.

Gwen Stacy was a small, slender woman with short blonde hair and a wide sidecut on the left side. Her blue eyes were more gray than Kate’s and she was perhaps a little shorter than Yelena. And Gwen was sweet, she was kind, and even though her parents were still alive, Gwen was one of the people who understood Kate's feelings the most when it came to Derek. Gwen's grandfather's death had not been kind to her or her family.

The shorter blonde didn't say anything, she walked over and hugged Kate around the waist, which made Kate's head gently rest against her blonde hair and she hugged Gwen tightly, feeling her eyes fill with tears and swallowing hard.

"It's been 27 years and it hurts like it was today..." Kate whispered, but it was loud enough for the other two women to hear.

"Grief isn't linear, Kate, it's not a button that we flick and it just goes away. It's a process, there are good days and there are bad days and it's okay for today to be a bad day." Gwen, always sweet, always kind, spoke softly and Kate sighed and shivered. Allowing herself the friendly comfort. Gwen was one of the closest people to Kate, despite her being inserted into the brunette's life as 'America's girlfriend', the two developed a good friendship.

"I see you managed to bring food, Queens." Kate spoke, trying to bring a normality that was not sadness.

"I know the best bakeries, Manhattan." Gwen said and the two moved away and looked at each other.

“Thank you for coming.” She spoke softly and Gwen smiled and shrugged.

“My girlfriend was delusional thinking I broke up with her. I accepted the invitation easily.” Gwen spoke and the three of them saw America shrink into herself and blush slightly, the woman opened her mouth to say something but Gwen’s eyes fixed. “Eat your sandwich.” She spoke in an ordering tone and America’s mouth closed and she just obediently continued eating.

“Impressive.” Yelena said amusedly and Kate walked over, opening the cupboard right above the blonde and grabbing a bowl and a mug. The two women looked at each other for a moment and there was a small smile from Yelena, which made Kate lean over and kiss the blonde’s cheek softly.

“Now, Stacy, what did you bring for me to eat?” She asked, moving to get coffee and then to add milk and sugar.

“Your coffee is a crime.” Yelena said and this made Gwen who was ready to answer the question, laugh out loud.

“I’ve been telling her that for years.” Yelena smiled broadly at Gwen and the two seemed to hit it off. “I brought you a bacon sandwich. You and your carnivore diet.” She said in a mock complaint.

“Not all of us can survive being vegetarian. I tried, you remember how it was.” Kate whined.

“Yeah, your B12 and iron levels got so low that you made me hold your hand through the 4 IVs you had to have and I promised you could go back to eating meat.” Kate nodded and quickly accepted the offered sandwich.

“I like meat, but I’ll buy everything that’s not vegetarian or vegan on the list you gave me…” Kate said in a dramatic tone and Gwen gave an amused smile.

“I appreciate the effort.” She said it easily and then Kate leaned on the counter next to Yelena and the conversation drifted to something easy. Gwen and Yelena got along well, America was dealing with her hangover and happily accepted the headache medicine Kate offered. Overall the brunette was more than happy to listen to the conversation between the two blondes, who seemed to be discussing Gwen's work.

"How does something reach 20 dimensions?" Kate said, confused. "Explain it to me like it's a video game." The statement made Gwen laugh lightly.

"Imagine that the character can choose 37 different powers at the same time. Instead of activating just one at a time, he can be in a combination of all of them at the same time until someone looks at it. That's kind of like what happens in this experiment. The photon, a particle of light, is not in a single state, but in a mixture of 20 states simultaneously, until it is measured. This is called quantum superposition and it is one of the craziest things in quantum physics." Gwen said amused. “A photon can exist in different states simultaneously. For example, it can have horizontal polarization, vertical polarization, or a combination of both. It can also have orbital angular momentum, which means it can be “spinning” in different ways as it travels. In addition, it can occupy different spatial modes, being in several places at the same time. Other possible states involve variations in the photon’s energy and its quantum phase, which determines how it interferes with other photons.” She explained a little further.

“That sounds complex and I literally removed a patient’s spleen in an improvised surgery in the hospital hallway.” Kate said and America snorted in amusement.

“Quantitative physics, I gave up on understanding the theories in Gwen’s second doctorate thesis. My brain isn’t logical enough for that.” She complained.

“The Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state cannot be called ‘logic’ in the traditional sense, but it is related to the coherence and interdependence of entangled states. The GHZ state involves multiple particles in a quantum superposition, where the measurement of one of them instantly affects the others. This concept is essential to quantum logic, used in quantum computing and cryptography, but it is not a logical system in itself, but rather a specific configuration of quantum entanglement.” Yelena spoke and both Kate and America looked at her with arched eyebrows. “What? I did an article about FRIB when I went to visit, and one of the scientists I slept with explained it to me.” She said and Kate gave a sincere and amused laugh.

“Was it a pre-sex or post-sex conversation?” She asked and America made a slightly indignant sound.

“Pre-sex, Kate Bishop, she passed out right after her fourth orgasm. Poor nerd.” The sentence made Gwen laugh very sincerely and Yelena gave an amused smile.

“Did you sleep with more than one of the scientists?” America asked intrigued.

“Two in total. I tried the third one but she had a gay panic while I was flirting.” Yelena shrugged. “I was in Michigan for three weeks.” She said without really caring.

“You’re as dangerous at scientist meetings as Kate was at the Traumatology meeting in 2017.” America grumbled and Kate shrugged.

“Baltimore was crazy.” She said without really caring. “But I kissed more people than I slept with.” She shrugged.

“Kate in college would be so sad.” America added and Kate laughed.

“Kate in college had mediocre sex with a lot of people but she had fun at parties.” Kate said and felt Yelena’s arm go around her shoulders. “Did Yelena in college have a lot of fun?” She asked sincerely.

“Eh, not really, I graduated in Russia. Mediocre and homophobic place. Yelena from the master’s degree who lived in San Francisco, yes. I always had someone new in my bed. But it was a post-Brun phase, so I explored a lot before going to war. And  then I was back and I played around a lot until I found you.” Yelena said without caring much about the exposure.

“Oh, sweet, the two strangers are having sex now.” America said and Gwen lightly slapped her arm.

“Don’t start, you and I went on a blind date.” She said and America grumbled.

“Can we talk now, please?” The Latina asked with puppy eyes and Gwen looked at Yelena and Kate.

“By all means, go talk in the guest room. If you’re going to have sex there, let me know later so I can change the sheets. Yelena and I will be on the balcony.” Kate grumbled and pulled the blonde by the hand to follow her to the tiny but still present balcony of Kate's apartment.

Yelena pushed Kate to sit on the balcony chair and sat on her lap. The two sat in comfortable silence for a long time. Then America and Gwen - reconciled from a breakup that never existed - invited the two to lunch and the day of Derek's death was like that, with the company of three people that Kate really liked. And she found herself happy, especially when Yelena's hand was in hers and there were easy conversations. Yelena was an incredibly easy person to be around.

*********

America: Happy Birthday Kitkat

That was the message that arrived at midnight during Kate's shift. And she really tried to figure out what to do during her birthday. America was working at a beer Cicerone event, so she couldn't go see Kate the next day like she wanted. Kate tried to find a shift but couldn't, so she was stuck at home on her own birthday.

Carol: Happy Birthday Kate.

The next message arrived and Kate smiled at it. She had already replied to America and then pondered what she could do. Carol's message served as enough of an idea.

Kate: Thanks, hon, do you want to do something later?

She sent it to Carol, hoping that she could find something to do, to occupy her mind and to forget for a while that Yelena was in San Francisco and that Eleanor, as always, preferred to spend her birthday at Derek's grave.

Carol: How about meeting me for a late lunch at 2:00 p.m. at La Venue?

That made Kate smile. Yes, having lunch with Carol wasn't the most perfect thing to do, but she would accept any company she could find, and Carol was sweet and kind.

Kate: Yes, please. I'll be there.

She then went back to the medical care she was calmly providing, and that's when she saw the strange movement. A group of people entered through the internal door of the emergency room, and then a candle was lit.

"Happy birthday!" The emergency team said, holding a cake and some gift packages. Jamil was the one who approached and pulled Kate out of her little moment of surprise, hugging her.

"Thank you guys..." Kate said, slightly choked up, and hugged each member of the medical team. They shared the piece of cake, and Kate just enjoyed the fact that it was a different moment from the last few years. It was nice to have a cake to celebrate and people who gave her little souvenirs. She put the new pen she had received in her pocket with a satisfied smile and allowed herself to continue working.

Kate then went home, working a fairly odd schedule, from 3pm to 3am. So by 4:15 she was fast asleep in bed. At noon her alarm clock went off and she yawned, getting up and practically dragging herself to the shower. She saw that she had other messages there and a notification from the concierge that there was a basket for her.

So she went downstairs before she finished getting ready to go out with Carol, grabbed the basket and left it on the kitchen counter and went to take a quick shower.

Yelena hadn't texted or called yet and that made Kate slightly discouraged, but she also knew that Yelena was working and put that little frustration to rest. Yelena had promised to do a video call during the night and Kate was happy with that.

She yawned and walked to the subway, where she would have to take a short 8 minute ride down the street to the restaurant she would meet Carol at. It was a nice restaurant, a little bistro that Carol really liked to go to. They had great sandwiches and pastries and Kate really, really liked the pancakes.

When she entered the restaurant she didn't see Carol there and frowned, it was rare for her not to find the blonde ahead of schedule. She looked at her cell phone and didn't see a message from Carol there, even though it was 10 for two o’clock in the afternoon. Kate chose a table and informed the waiter that she was waiting for someone.

Kate: You're late Danvers.

The message was followed by a small dramatic sticker that Kate always found funny, but she tilted her head when there was no response. Carol, like Yelena, was known for quick responses.

It was then that two hands covered Kate's eyes and the brunette stiffened slightly, but then the voice came.

"Happy birthday Kate Bishop..." The hoarse voice and accent left no doubt as to who the person there was. The hands left and Kate quickly looked at Yelena.

"Yel?" She asked with frowning eyebrows and then stood up, being pulled into a tight hug.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find a way to come and spend your birthday with you?” The blonde said and the two of them moved away and she gave a light smile, still a little dirty. “I spent almost two days organizing with Carol how we could surprise you. I need to thank her later.” Kate opened and closed her mouth, surprised by the act. “Did I break you?” The blonde asked softly and brushed her hands against Kate’s neck.

“I really want to kiss you, but I’m not going to start something I can’t finish in the middle of a restaurant. So I hope your schedule is free for after this lunch, I want to test the soundproofing.” Kate spoke quickly and Yelena blushed slightly.

“Sounds like a great plan, what do you think about eating before that?” She suggested and Kate smiled and nodded, the two of them then sat facing each other and their hands met halfway.

“So you planned this little trap with Carol, huh?” The question was clearly said in a relaxed, cheerful tone and Kate, despite being intrigued by how it all happened, was happy to see Yelena. “I’m so happy to see you…” She let that feeling slip and the journalist just smiled at her. “I thought you were working…” The tone was questioning.

“I was, I did my work on Saturday and this morning I exchanged with a colleague of mine who owed me a favor or two. He stayed on Sunday and I came here.” She said and there was a small, amused glint in Yelena’s eyes. “I liked surprising you.” She spoke sincerely.

“I really liked the surprise, I missed you…” The sentence was said and Kate’s hand was squeezed.

“I missed you too, Kate Bishop.” The blonde spoke softly. “Happy birthday, darling.” It was a caring tone, a gentle tone and Kate smiled broadly. “I’ll deliver your present in your house.”

“I hope it’s something in your shape.” Kate spoke provocatively and Yelena smiled and gave a small chuckle.

“That too, but I actually have a gift for you.” She said and tilted her head slightly to the side. “Shall we eat? My last meal was peanuts on the plane.” Yelena said and looked around. “I’ve never been here before, it looks like a nice place.”

“Carol chose this because it’s a place we’ve eaten before, I think it was a good deception on your part.” She said amusedly.

“Carol is nice, I’ll admit that, I still don’t like that you two had this thing in the past. But she’s talking to Natasha and only the others’ Gods know how that’s going.” Yelena said with a shrug.

“The others’ Gods?” Kate said amusedly and Yelena gave a light, provocative smile. “Oh, your atheism is trying to come back, I see, we need more religion sessions, I guess.” And that made Yelena let out an amused laugh and then call a waiter, yes, having lunch with Yelena on her birthday made Kate's day much better.

********

“You know…” Kate's voice echoed through the room and made a small sound come out of Yelena. “We can't test how good the soundproofing is like this…” It was a dirty tone, an almost perverse tone in its sexual desire and Kate admired Yelena for a moment. “But on the bright side, you can't grumble when I take my time…” She spoke and brushed her fingertips along Yelena's shins.

The scene in front of her was almost painfully delicious. Yelena had her hands above her head, the 1 cm in diameter soft cotton ropes were red and felt and looked good against Yelena's wrists and the headboard of Kate's bed. The brunette let her hands go up to the blonde's knees and the woman's legs fell open.

“So willing… Do you want this badly?” The question came and was answered by a snort and a very muffled grunt and Kate just stared with undisguised amusement at Yelena's small frown and the blonde's inability to respond verbally was almost amusing. "If you wanted to be loud, baby, you shouldn't have suggested a bit gag..." She spoke in a light tone.

It was Kate's gift, well one of the gifts, Kate received a very expensive and very fancy package of coffee from Yelena that she was very curious to try. But Yelena said that the coffee was the ‘public’ gift and that she wanted to try new toys. And when the rope and the gag appeared, Kate readily accepted.

But how Kate would play out the scene was something Yelena didn't quite know, they had a safety signal, they were ready for a more complete BDSM scene and tying Yelena to the bed, placing the gag between the blonde's lips and teeth was a delicious warm-up. Kate moved out of bed and that made a sound of protest from Yelena, but the brunette just looked over her shoulder, heading to the wardrobe.

“You know, I enjoyed going to the store…” She said casually and pulled on the strap-on, Yelena’s eyes warmed and widened at the same time. “I thought buying a new cock would be perfect, and I was waiting for the best time to use it. And look, my birthday seems perfect to debut this toy of ours, doesn’t it?” She offered and Yelena squirmed, her legs fell open and Kate made an amused and falsely thoughtful sound.

Kate honestly assessed, she had tested the ropes, she knew that a firm pull on the loose end would make everything come loose quickly, even if Yelena struggled against the ropes they wouldn’t tighten or loosen. They had discussed this in advance, the binding and the gag. And she knew that the gag was comfortable and firm, enough to muffle words and complex sounds but still be able to hear the muffled moans, the heavy grunts and they had good safety signs.

Even though Kate was untied, with the strap-on being put on and Yelena was wet, tied and gagged. They were both very aware that the power was Yelena's to give and to take. And Kate loved healthy and safe sex. So she moved to the side of the bed, closer to where Yelena was and the silicone tip of the strap-on touched Yelena's ribs lightly.

"I know you know how wet you are, don't you?" The teasing came softly and Kate brought a hand up to brush against her lips around the gag. "You look so beautiful like this..." She said provocatively and ran the tips of two fingers down her chin, brushing against Yelena's neck. The blonde arched and Kate wanted to smile but remained serious.

The hand was removed from the blonde's skin and she whimpered, and then the muffled moan sounded as the index finger brushed around the hardened nipple, but Kate pulled her hips back and then with the hand that wasn't touching Yelena's right nipple, she held the toy, and brushed the tip against her left nipple, which made a new moan sound.

"Stay quiet." The order came and she saw Yelena's throat work to swallow and the sounds silenced. "Good girl." She praised and saw the surrender and desire in the hazel eyes. The toy was pulled away from Yelena's body and the fingertips brushed lower, down the curve of her breast, going to her ribs and it made the blonde squirm slightly. Kate read it as tickling, but she just wanted to direct control of the situation. "Don't move." The new order came and Yelena froze and Kate brushed the ridge of her hip and then pulled her hand away, which made the blonde arch. “You know… You look so beautiful like this, all vulnerable to me…” The tease sounded softly.

And Kate saw Yelena’s hands open and close, her arms trying to move closer to Kate’s skin, and her struggle against the restraints. Kate knew the material was gentle enough not to leave marks, but there was still the burning sensation of fighting against the restraints.

Yelena struggled slightly against the restraints, as if still debating whether or not to give in completely. But when Kate slid her fingers across her skin, skimming her belly and moving towards her navel, a traitorous sigh escaped from behind the gag. The battle was lost, and they both knew it. Kate leaned forward, her breath brushing against the skin in the center of Yelena’s chest, and then she pulled back and looked at the blonde with mild amusement.

“You can try to control yourself, but I know you will fail, my Yelena…” She whispered, her breath hot against her skin. In a tease, a form of control, Yelena squirmed slightly, almost as if seeking a more comfortable position, but they both knew that wasn't it. She then moved her hands to the ropes, feeling the material against the skin of Yelena's wrists and easing the force that the woman was clenching her fists. Then she slowly ran her fingers over the blonde's forearm, so lightly that it was almost a ghost of a touch. "So eager, and I haven't even started yet." She spoke in a tone of soft teasing. "Do you want me to continue?" She raised an eyebrow, feigning consideration and Yelena nodded quickly, almost desperately. "Maybe I will... if I want to." It was a power play, they both knew that. They both knew Kate would continue, but not knowing when and how was what made Yelena more and more excited. "Wave for me, are you wet?" She asked and there was another gasp.

Yelena nodded quickly and Kate moved to the end of the bed, where she settled herself between Yelena's legs, not touching her skin, but simply watching curiously. And yes, Yelena was very wet. Her freshly shaved pussy was exposed in full, dripping slightly onto the bed, and her thighs quivered periodically. Kate assessed Yelena carefully, her eyes half-lidded in surrender and pleasure, her eyebrows slightly arched, desire written all over Yelena's face.

“You’re so ready, aren’t you?” She teased and rubbed her inner thighs, which made Yelena’s eyes grow darker with desire, glazed with lust and followed Kate’s every move with an intense glow, almost as if she wanted to push the brunette to do something at once. “Show me how ready you are…” She pushed gently.

The blonde arched, trying to push herself forward, trying to find contact with Kate beyond the brunette’s fingertips brushing briefly over the skin of her thighs and knees, she writhed and Kate saw another wave of excitement run down between her pussy lips. Her fingers clenched into fists, a clear sign of desirous frustration.

Then her breathing quickened a little more, Yelena tried to take a deep breath, but was cut off by a muffled moan that tried to sound when Kate’s nails made contact with the highest part of her thighs, there was this small sigh and a tremor that took over Yelena’s entire body. Then the muffled sound of a moan behind the gag, which made her breathing even more ragged, clearly betraying how much she wanted it.

“I told you to be quiet.” The tone was harsher and Yelena arched and nodded quickly.

The hands came up to near her knees and Yelena leaned into the touch, shivering at the light brush of her nails and offering herself without hesitation to Kate, it was glorious to see the woman so comfortable, so involved. Kate watched as Yelena tugged lightly at the ropes and then relaxed, almost as if it were a reminder that she was tied up, vulnerable and surrendered.

“You’re making a mess of the sheets, does that mean you want me to fuck you?” She demanded and there was another frantic nod, Kate saw small tears of frustration forming in the corners of Yelena’s eyes. “Is your color green?” She asked and there was another positive nod and Kate pondered for a minute if she wanted to keep pushing the buttons or if she wanted to give in to the desire to take Yelena for herself. "You're all mine, aren't you?" She whispered and leaned in, her breath hitting the center of Yelena's chest lightly and the blonde moaned more audibly this time and Kate smiled and looked at the blonde, but the blonde had her head thrown back and her eyes closed. Kate brought a hand to her chin and squeezed the blonde lightly, forcing her head to tilt back to its original position and her hazel eyes opened. "Is this what you wanted, Yelena, to be taken like this? Intense, deep, having every layer stripped away and just you, naked, raw and deliciously given to me?" She saw the blonde swallow hard and nodded quickly. "Such a good girl for me..." She spoke and adjusted herself, kneeling and bringing both hands to the blonde's breasts. She teased her nipples, then grabbed her breast fully and the blonde arched into her. She teased and teased for a few moments and then moved her hands down to Yelena's hips and bit her bottom lip lightly.

"Watch." She instructed and Yelena swallowed hard and forced herself to arch up so she could see. "Watch as I push my hard cock inside you, will it slide in so easily? All the way?" She asked rhetorically, but there was a quick nod from Yelena.

Kate then held the toy in one hand and brushed the head between Yelena's lips, which made a gasp sound and the woman shivered and shook. Kate then pulled away and this time there was an audible frustrated sound. Kate rubbed the head of the toy with her hand and moved up and down the silicone, spreading everything she had collected from Yelena with the head of the toy. And she smiled in a very dirty way, especially when she saw this time two tears running down Yelena's face in pure frustration.

"Oh, poor thing, so frustrated..." Kate said and did the same movement again, rubbing the tip of the toy and rubbing the toy slowly. "Are you ready?" The nod came frantically and Yelena spread her legs wider, lifting them and Kate laughed softly. "Didn't I tell you to stay still?" She said, and Yelena swallowed hard, but Kate held Yelena's thighs with both hands, keeping the woman's legs wide open and supporting her weight. "Can you hold that leg like this for me?" She said rhetorically and took her right hand from under Yelena's thigh and held the toy. There was no response, or time for a response, the tip was guided inside Yelena and Kate just pushed her hips forward.

There was a very muffled moan through the gag and then Kate's hands went around Yelena's thighs, supporting them in the crook of her elbow, her hips were fully fitted against Yelena, not allowing the woman to move away or the toy to move. And she watched Yelena carefully. The blonde was breathing very quickly, she waited a moment, her thighs relaxed against her arms, her breathing adjusted a little and her hazel eyes opened and there was this positive nod from Yelena.

"Don't get too excited, honey, I'm going to push you to your limit…." Kate spoke dirtyly. "You're my birthday present, aren't you?" Yelena's head went up and down quickly in a positive gesture and Kate saw the effort of keeping her eyes open. But then came the first push, Kate pulled the toy until it was almost out of Yelena and pushed it back in. Slowly, making the blonde feel each ridge of the toy against her and then again their hips met. And Kate began this little torture, slowly pulling out, slowly entering again between Yelena's folds and at the last inch she began to push hard, slamming her pelvis against the blonde's clitoris.

And this was a terribly good slow build, terribly torturous and Yelena was again with tears in her eyes, streaming down her face and the muffled sounds of gasps and moans, her hands opening and closing desperately. She began to feel that Yelena was reaching the limit of self-control and honestly she felt a little sorry for prolonging the teasing even more.

"Let's speed up this party, honey." She said and Yelena's eyes widened and then the thrusting increased in strength, increased in speed. "Don’t hold. Come for me anytime you want." And Kate watched with pleasure as with a few more thrusts the orgasm hit Yelena completely, her body arched completely, her hands tried to find something to grab but could only dig her nails against her palms, her legs trembled and she felt her pussy grip the toy tightly. Kate waited a moment and then began thrusting again. She knew that maybe if there was too much Yelena would use the safety signal, but that didn't happen. So she took it as a green light to fuck her as she wanted.

"I'm going to use you to cum now. Be good for me and don't cum." She said and there was a sound from Yelena but Kate ignored it, it wasn't the safety signal. So she focused on her own pleasure, finding the angle that made the blonde gasp with each thrust and the base of the toy rub against her clit. She had chosen a strap-on that was perfect for this type of stimulation. She sped up, allowing herself to just enjoy the ride and she felt Yelena's thighs clench, and the blonde was clearly trying not to cum.

She opened her eyes and stared at Yelena, from her face to her neck the woman was flushed and completely surrendered. It was a wonderful scene to watch and Kate just sped up, allowing her own pleasure to take over her body.

“Such a good girl for me…” Kate spoke breathlessly and was feeling herself on the verge of cumming. She gripped Yelena’s legs tighter. “That’s it, hold your orgasm. You’ll cum when I tell you to, won’t you?” The blonde nodded quickly and arched up. “Such a beautiful, delicious girl, taking me so well, accepting my cock so well inside that tight, wet pussy…” Kate spoke and Yelena barely knew how to express the pleasure she felt.

The brunette didn’t slow down, she only had one goal. Cumming against Yelena and she allowed herself to just enjoy the ride. She pounded hard, the sound of wet skin colliding filled the room, along with Kate’s grunts of effort and the brunette’s small moans of pleasure. Yelena’s muffled sounds of pleasure were also gaining in volume, even with the gag. And Kate just thrust hard, and rubbed her clit against the base of the toy in circles.

“Cum, cum for me.” She growled and the toy was pressed inside Yelena, giving Kate a firmer base, the brunette just allowed herself to close her eyes, squeeze Yelena's thighs and cum against the blonde without holding back. She moaned loudly, arched against the toy and shuddered, pushing and pulling slightly as she rode her own orgasm against the blonde. Then Kate opened her eyes, seeing Yelena still suspended in a multiple orgasm.

The blonde came and then stopped for a brief moment and came again. And this process continued for two more times, until she fell completely limp on the bed, her eyes closed and her breathing working quickly. Kate placed a hand on Yelena's chest, feeling her heart. Kate counted quickly, seeing that Yelena's heart reached an impressive 140 beats per minute and she wasn’t in a very different position. But she waited for the heartbeat to slow down a little and her eyes to open, without really moving. 

“I’m going to get out now okay?” She said and there was a tired, exhausted nod from Yelena and Kate pulled out slightly, slowly, avoiding sudden movements.

She watched as Yelena slid down the bed and shuddered heavily. She then took the toy out and put it in the laundry basket that was in the room, pulled the loose end of the rope and grabbed each of Yelena’s wrists, looking carefully to see that there were small red marks there and she frowned. Then came the gag, which came off and Yelena moved her jaw a little but didn’t necessarily speak.

“I’m going to get some ointment and some water okay?” She said and Yelena nodded clearly exhausted. But Kate was quick, ignoring her own legs slightly wobbly from the effort and the orgasms. She went to the kitchen and grabbed water, the sandwich that was ready there and went to the bathroom to grab the aloe vera ointment that she kept there.

She left everything on the bedside table and sat next to Yelena, assessing the woman who was now breathing more evenly, but the hand on the center of Yelena's chest still made her feel the rapid heartbeat.

"How are you, is everything okay?" She asked, pulling on one wrist and gently applying the ointment to the red marks that were already fading, but the ointment would help. Yelena breathed a sigh of relief as she moved her hands. Her body was tense, and Kate watched as she stretched a little. But Kate's hand gently caressed Yelena's chest and her body immediately relaxed, and she closed her eyes, feeling the gentle touch.

"I'm fine... I trust you..." The voice was hoarse, tired and Kate smiled slightly. 

"Come, I'll take care of you..." Kate moved to sit right behind Yelena, lifting her into a sitting position and letting the blonde's back rest against her chest. Kate then pulled out the water and opened the bottle. “Drink for me, please…” She indicated and Yelena’s shaking hands turned the bottle to her mouth and the sips started small but soon became large as the blonde quickly drained the bottle. “Good girl. I need you to reassure me that you’re okay, that everything we did was safe for you.” Kate spoke softly.

“It was good, it was intense, it was safe and I really liked the way it all went… I’m just… Exhausted…” Yelena spoke and leaned back against Kate, the soft and gentle caress was made along the blonde’s ribs.

“I’m so proud of you, you were incredible, wonderful really. Thank you for trusting me like that…” Kate spoke gently and kissed Yelena’s neck, it wasn’t meant to tease, it was a soft, gentle kiss.

“God… Yes… I… I had so much fun, I’m so exhausted… I don’t think I’ve ever been able to cum multiple times like that… At first it was… It was hard, but I knew I could trust you.” Yelena spoke and Kate felt her heartbeat return to normal. “I just need a moment, my body is vibrating. Can we just lie down? Can I lay on you?” She asked and Kate nodded quickly and soon found her own voice.

“Of course. I’m so proud of you, Yelena. You were stunning, so beautiful, so wonderfully sensual and so giving. I feel so honored that you would trust me like that…” She said lying down and pulling Yelena to lie against her. The blonde threw one leg over Kate and her head against Kate’s chest.

“I’ll have more to say when I feel less dead in my own body, but I’m happy, are you happy?” She asked softly.

“You make me so happy, Yelena.” Kate said and kissed the blonde’s hairline. “The best birthday I’ve ever had, thank you dear.” She said and Yelena made a small tired but clearly happy sound.

“I’m content…” She said in a half-asleep voice, but clearly satisfied and yes, Kate was happy.

“Rest, I brought you a sandwich or we can order something for dinner later.” She spoke softly and Yelena uh-huhed, but she was already more asleep than awake. Kate felt the blonde’s body relax, and she held the woman close to her in an affectionate act. Yes, the best birthday ever.