Chapter Text
Kate Bishop has had anything but an easy life.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Up until the age of twelve things had been pretty amazing, idyllic even. Her family had been well off, they lived in a swanky apartment in Manhattan, and all she ever had to do to get something was basically think about it and it was hers. That had, unfortunately, changed very quickly.
Her father’s business partner had been caught embezzling money, and after being discovered, had gone on the run, taking the majority of their money and any chance of the Bishop family continuing on with their picturesque lifestyle. Her mother blamed her father for the downfall of Bishop Security, and her father blamed her mother for being pulled away from the city to settle in a much more affordable area in the Hudson Valley, and their marriage had never truly recovered from it.
They had stayed together, mostly for Kate’s sake, but with the fighting and the way tension seemed to always run high whenever the two of them were in the same room, Kate kind of wished they had just gotten divorced. If they had, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up the way they had.
It had happened almost a year before, her life forever changed with a simple lapse of judgment on her mother’s part. One drink too many before driving, and Kate was left alone with a sea of debts that she had barely managed to pay off by selling their family home. Needless to say, the last year had been the hardest of her life, and she would be lying if she said she had remained her usual upbeat and happy self in light of her situation.
Her one saving grace in all of it had been music. Her songwriting had been the one outlet that never failed her when she was feeling the weight of everything going on around her. She had been working a dead-end job as a waitress, barely scraping by and saving money to go to college, but she honestly had no idea why. Music was her true passion, and had been since the day her dad had bought her a guitar and lessons for her tenth birthday.
It was love at first strum, and she had been pouring everything into her songwriting since that moment on. She wasn’t sure why she had been saving for college. It wasn’t like she needed to go to school to be a songwriter, and that was her dream after all. She felt stuck, and that feeling was only compounded by the fact that she was, for the most part, financially dependent on and living with her boyfriend of the past year and a half, John.
But, as most things tended to go in her life, that also quickly changed, and, on top of it all, on the eve of the anniversary of the worst day of her life. God really had a sick sense of humor was all she could say. It honestly didn’t even surprise her when she walked in on her boyfriend having sex with another girl. It should have, but it most certainly didn’t, given that the state of their relationship was but a mere shadow of what it had been a year ago.
She should’ve felt a lot of things at that moment. Betrayal, pain, hell, even a modicum of something resembling that she had ever actually had feelings for the guy. What she shouldn’t have felt was relief. She shouldn’t have felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and that she was finally free to pursue her dreams away from the stifling environment that she had been living in. She shouldn’t have felt those things, but she most certainly did.
It hadn’t taken her long after that to make a decision about what she was going to do with her life. It had taken her even less time than that to pack her bags and her guitar and take the money she had been saving for the past year to buy a one-way ticket to the city. She was done living her life for other people, done with putting her dreams on the back burner because they didn’t meet the standard of what everyone thought she should be doing, and done with hiding away in a small town and being too scared to put herself out there.
Those words echoed in her mind on repeat the entire trip into the city, the entire cab ride to the small apartment she was able to sublet on extremely short notice in a neighborhood right outside of the East Village, and they even entered her mind as she dropped her, admittedly, entirely too heavy duffle bag down on the curb outside of the rundown building she’d be calling home for the foreseeable future.
Despite the fact that the main lobby of the building was grimy, poorly lit, and smelled slightly of something she didn’t want to try and identify, she still managed a relatively pleasant conversation with the older gentleman that would be her landlord. After paying a ridiculous sum of money for rent and receiving the keys, she was instructed to head up the narrow, rickety staircase she had passed on her way in, and climb four flights to get to her floor.
Now, normally, you wouldn’t hear her complain about four flights of stairs, but with the added weight of her bags and guitar case, and trying to squeeze through the limited space with all of it, well let’s just say she was struggling. By the time she was halfway up, she had already dropped two of her smaller bags three times, and when it happened a fourth time, she couldn’t stop the annoyed curse she huffed out with a groan.
“Uh, hi there…” Kate’s head snapped up from where she was attempting to pick up her fallen bag yet again to find the face of a young guy smiling awkwardly at her. He was several inches shorter than she was, lanky as if his arms had hit a growth spurt but the rest of him hadn’t, and was sporting a bright red coat with the slogan ‘Pizza Time’ emblazoned on the upper left chest area. “Need a hand with those?” He gestured toward her bags, and although she had no idea who this guy was, she had this overwhelming feeling that he was genuine in his desire to help.
“That would be great, actually… Thank you…” She found herself agreeing, shooting him an appreciative smile before holding out her guitar case toward him. He returned her smile immediately, pulling the case from her grasp and slinging it back over his shoulder, and then bent down to grab the rogue bag that was still laying on the stair below her.
“No problem… Are you just moving in?” He asked as they started up the stairs, her leading the way while he trailed along behind her at a comfortable distance.
“What gave me away?” She couldn’t help but ask jokingly, causing him to snort out a little laugh and shake his head as they fell into an easy banter. “I’m kidding… I’m subletting apartment 403”
“Oh, no way! You’re gonna be neighbors with MJ and me!” He stated excitedly, as if she had any clue who this MJ person was, but from his tone she was going to guess it was a good thing. “MJ is in 405, and I’m right across the hall in 404…” He continued as they finally made it to the fourth floor and started down the hall, stopping in front of the door with the numbers 403 emblazoned on it in chipped black paint.
“Cool… Well, I guess this is me then, neighbor…” Kate replied, shifting her bag a bit to fish the set of keys from her pocket. “Thanks again for the help…” She continued, sliding the key into the lock and then letting out a long sigh as when she tried to turn it, it didn’t budge. “And this key doesn’t work… Perfect…”
“Actually…” He started, leaning the guitar case against the wall and dropping the bag down beside it before stepping a little closer. “These doors are old and a little tricky… Try lifting up on the doorknob and jiggling the key in the lock…” He instructed, mimicking the motions with his hands. The brunette nodded, tucking her long hair back behind her ear before copying what she saw. It took a few tries, and a quiet grumble of a curse word, but finally the door was swinging open to reveal her completely unimpressive, but functional apartment.
“Up and jiggle, huh? Who would’ve thought?” She joked, shooting him a teasing grin. “I’m Kate, by the way…” She offered, holding her hand out toward him, and he quickly slipped his hand into hers for a quick shake.
“Peter…” He shot back, bouncing on the balls of his feet, as if he had too much energy to stand still for too long. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to it… But seriously, don’t hesitate to knock if you need anything…” He stated, clapping his hands together as he backed away toward the door to his apartment.
“I will… Thanks, Peter…” She replied, kicking at her smaller bag lazily to get it through the door.
“Oh, hey…” She turned back to where Peter was paused, half in his door with just his upper half poking back out, lifting a brow to let him know she was listening. “MJ works at the diner on the corner, and I hang out there a lot… You should stop by sometime…” He suggested with a nod, sending her one last smile and a little wave before clicking the door closed before she could respond.
Kate shook her head and chuckled quietly as she moved inside her apartment, positioning all her bags just inside the door before closing it behind her and looking around. It was small, the furniture was all mismatched and looked incredibly worse for the wear, and everything was covered in a thin layer of dust that would cause her allergies to go haywire if she didn’t take care of it soon. But, despite those things, Kate found herself feeling oddly at peace. This was her space. A place she could make her own, and truly feel free and safe in, which is something she hadn’t experienced in quite a while.
Deciding that first on her to-do list was going to be shopping, mostly because of the dust situation and closely followed in importance by the situation her rumbling stomach was causing. She mentally patted herself on the back for only getting lost twice on her outing and finding her way back to her apartment relatively easily afterward (thank God for phone gps).
She ended up spending far more money than she had intended on the trip though, and doing a mental calculation, she quickly realized that she should probably start thinking about what she was going to do for work until she became a profitable songwriter. At this rate, the meager amount of money she had saved from waitressing was going to be gone in just a few weeks, and Kate wasn’t overly fond of the idea of living on the streets. She decided she would worry about that tomorrow, though.
After eating a sandwich she picked up from a little deli she passed on her way back, Kate spent the next few hours cleaning and attempting to unpack some of her belongings. Other than clothes, her guitar, and a few pictures, she really didn’t have all that much to personalize the place, but that didn’t deter her from the excitement she felt about starting this new chapter in her life. Yes, the faucet was leaky, and yes, the floor was uneven and it creaked in certain places, but she had a little bench seat in the window that overlooked a small park, and the light streamed in in the early evening in a way that had her pulling the small lyric book she always carried in her back pocket out to take advantage.
She curled up on the bench, knees pulled up to balance her notebook on, flipping through the pages aimlessly until she landed on the last song she had written. Writing had been difficult for her over the past year, not feeling that same spark of inspiration that used to come so easily, so when she had felt the urge on the bus ride to the city, she didn’t fight it and just let the words flow from her and out onto the page in a jumble of lyrics that she’d have to go back and compose into something legible. Even so, it felt good to be writing again, even if the lyrics in question had to do with her ex and the end of their relationship.
The title came easy, and she quickly scribbled ‘The Last Song I’ll Write for You’ at the top of the page before looking over the mess of words. She pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of the page to use for reference before flipping to a blank page in her old, leather bound, notebook. It had been a gift from her father for her fifteenth birthday, and she was sadly nearing the end of its pages, and she refused to think about the day when she would have to replace it.
She glanced at her phone, a few of the lines sticking out to her as a potential first verse, and she worried her bottom lip gently as she pressed pen to paper and started arranging the words into something resembling a song.
I can tell something’s not the same
Cause we’re both losing at the loving game
We’re hanging from words and your tongue is on fire
And I can’t keep putting out the flames
There was a time when you could tell the world
That you, you knew I would fight for you
You knew I would fight for you
But now I know that I can let you go
Cause, I wrote, the last song I’ll write for you
The last song I’ll write for you
She was tapping her pen against the page, lips pursed in thought, and poised to start on the next verse when a quiet knock pulled her from her concentration. The brunette furrowed her brows, wondering who it could be as she unfurled her now aching legs and sat her notebook off to the side. She crossed the small apartment in two long strides, unlocking the door and pulling it open to reveal the awkward, younger guy from earlier.
“Hey, Pete… Here to bum a cup of sugar already?” She greeted, chuckling at the perplexed look it earned her.
“What? …Uh, no…” He replied, forehead still scrunched up adorably in confusion. “I know you’re probably still settling in and all, but I was just heading to the diner for dinner, and I thought you might like to come along…”
“Are you asking me on a date?” Kate had to ask, because given her track record of not knowing when someone was flirting, she had to be sure they were on the same page here.
“Oh, god! No, definitely not…” He quickly clarified, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment, and she couldn’t help but be amused by it. “Totally platonic here, I promise… I was just trying to be neighborly…” He continued, looking more uncomfortable by the second before trailing off when she snorted out a laugh.
“Relax, Peter… I just had to make sure…” Kate assured him, reaching out to push his shoulder playfully, attempting to break the tension. “Let me just grab my stuff…” She told him over her shoulder as she moved back into the space to grab her phone and keys.
The trip to the diner was filled with friendly conversation, Peter pointing out things here and there to help familiarize her with the neighborhood. This included the grumpy old man’s apartment on the second floor that was just off the stairs, which would apparently get you cursed out if you weren’t quiet enough at certain times of the day. It also included his favorite comic book store, because of course he had one, and judging just from that and his excitable nature, Kate thought they’d get along just fine.
The little bell above the door jingled as they entered the retro looking diner, sparsely populated booths spaced along the right side, and a long counter with stools lining it on the opposite side, smelling of greasy foods and comfort, and she had a brief stab of nostalgia at the familiarity it brought. She heard Peter let out sigh next to her and then he was waving excitedly and heading toward the statuesque beauty behind the counter. Kate smiled to herself as she followed, now knowing exactly why he was such a regular patron of this particular diner.
She felt a bit out of place, hovering awkwardly a few feet away as Peter stumbled over his words in his excitement. Honestly, she couldn’t blame the guy. Between the long, curly hair, deep brown eyes, and understated confidence, even she might struggle to keep her composure. Eventually their attention turned to her, and she took a wild guess that Peter had probably introduced her while she was lost in her thoughts.
“Kate, this is MJ… The neighbor I was telling you about…” He stated, his cheeks flushing slightly as he gestured toward the girl. Kate chuckled, sliding onto the nearest stool and reaching a hand across the counter toward her.
“Nice to meet you, MJ… I totally thought you were going to be a guy…” She told her truthfully, smiling when the other girl snorted out a laugh as she shook her hand. Peter’s eyes widened next to her, and then he was shaking his head and bumping his shoulder against hers with a roll of his eyes.
“It’s cool… Not the first time I’ve gotten that, actually…” She assured her, waving her off before leaning down against the counter lazily across from them. “So, new to the city, or just to the neighborhood?” She asked, propping her head up on her hand.
“Uh… Well, technically I lived in the city until I was twelve, but I just moved back… So kinda both?” Kate answered, shrugging her shoulders. “I lived in Rhinebeck for the past ten years…”
The bell jingled above the door again, signaling that a new customer had entered the diner, and MJ straightened up, brushing a hand down over her apron before shooting them both an apologetic look.
“Duty calls… Figure out what you guys want to eat, and I’ll be back in a few…” She stated, grabbing a few menus from under the counter, sliding one across to them before turning to go welcome the new patrons. She glanced to her right, watching Peter smile dopily as he followed her for a few seconds with his eyes, groping blindly until his fingers found the menu before tearing his gaze away.
Kate tried to keep her amused smile at bay but failed miserably when their eyes met, and his cheeks heated up in embarrassment at being caught. He cleared his throat and pulled the menu up to cover his face and she couldn’t help but snort out a laugh at his antics.
“We just gonna pretend that you’re not completely crushed out on MJ then?” She asked, reaching over to pluck the menu from his grasp so she could look at it. Peter pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at her, doing a very poor job of trying to look intimidating.
“I’m not… Guys don’t crush, okay?” He grumbled, glancing to the side to make sure the girl in question wasn’t anywhere within earshot, before rolling his eyes with a sigh. “You can’t say anything, Kate… I’ve liked her for forever, and I have no clue what I’m doing…”
Kate chuckled, shaking her head at him. Boys are so oblivious sometimes.
“Well, have you tried, I don’t know… Asking her out, maybe?” She asked teasingly, nudging her knee against his, causing him to let out an unamused noise.
“Funny… I’m starting to think inviting you wasn’t the best idea…” He muttered quietly, pulling the edge of the menu to move it so they both could look at the same time.
“Look, you just need to start simple. Do a friend hangout with other people, and gauge her interest in you… It doesn’t have to be complicated unless you make it complicated, dude…” She explained, chuckling at the look of complete awe she was getting from the poor guy with such simple advice.
“So, did you decide what you want? …I’m about to put in these other orders, so if you want food anytime soon, I suggest you make it quick…” MJ said, rounding the end of the counter and causing Peter to nearly fall off his stool from whipping his head around so quickly at her voice. “Cheeseburger with extra crispy fries, and a vanilla milkshake with no cherry, right?” She asked, stopping in front of them, giving him an expectant look that he answered with a slackened jaw and a jerky nod of his head.
“And I will have whatever I can buy with…” Kate reached into her pocket to find her change from her earlier trip to the store, pulling it out and slapping it onto the counter. “Seven dollars and thirty-nine cents, so that I don’t have to use any more money from my quickly dwindling checking account…” She continued, gathering the coins up into her hand so they weren’t rolling around.
“Cheeseburger and fries it is… I’ll cover you for the rest…” MJ retorted, jotting it down in her order pad before turning to place it on the ticket wheel. Kate opened her mouth to protest, not wanting to be in debt to someone on her very first day in the city, as that hadn’t been her intention at all when she shared her financial woes, but before she could say anything the other girl was turning back to her with a thoughtful look. “Actually… If you’re looking for work, I know of a job opening that pays pretty well…”