Trigger warning for mentions of drug use/overdose

This slope is treacherous
This daydream is dangerous
This slope is treacherous
And I, I, I like it.

"Are you mad at me?" Loki asked.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"You didn't come over last night. And right now, you're on your phone rather than listening to me."

Sylvie quickly tucked her phone into her pocket before Loki could see what she was doing. "Maybe I was busy last night."

"Doing what?"

"Nunya."

Loki raised their eyebrows. "I know that trick."

"I know you know that trick." Sylvie shrugged. "The point is, I'm not mad at you. I can come over tonight if you want?"

"Sure," Loki agreed.

"Great." Sylvie swatted their arm. "Now focus on the curtain."

***

"We would willingly give cure as know," Clint finished.

Kate waited for whoever was next to speak.

Nobody did.

"Kate Bishop," Yelena hissed.

"What?" Kate hissed back.

Yelena looked at her like she was quite possibly the biggest idiot in the world.

"That's your cue."

"Fuck!" Kate stood quickly. "Thanks!"

She bolted onstage.

"Thank you for joining us, Kate," Gamora deadpanned. "Clint, from the top."

"Both by myself and many other friends. But he, his own affections' counselor, is to himself—I will not say how true, but to himself so secret and so close, so far from sounding and discovery, as is the bud bit with an envious worm ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air or dedicate his beauty to the same. Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow, we would as willingly give cure as know."

Kate strolled onto the stage.

"Good morrow, Cousin," Peter called.

After a brief moment of panicked fuck-what's-my-line, Kate replied "Is the day so young?"

"But new struck nine," Peter responded. (Kate knew that he knew that he had no idea what half of what he was saying meant.)

"Ay me, sad hours seem so long," Kate said. "Was that my father that went hence so fast?"

Peter blinked. "Um...no?"

The rest of the cast groaned.

"Peter," Gamora called. "Your line is It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?"

"But she's Romeo," Peter protested. "Why am I talking about her in the third person like she's not right here?"

"Spider-child, do as you're told," Drax called from across the room.

"Spider-child?" someone called. "Why is he Spider-child?"

"He looks like a spider," Drax explained simply.

"He does not look like a spider!" Peter Quill interjected. "Come on."

"Quill looks like a spider," Rocket shouted.

"Maybe it's a Peter thing, like the name," someone yelled.

"All Peters look like spiders? What the fuck?"

"I don't know!"

Kate felt a headache building up. Worse, it was Thursday, which meant that Lucky was boarding at a kennel overnight.

"Everyone shut up!"

The call came from Sylvie, still lurking in the corner. She gave the room at large a Sylvie Glare™. "Shut up," she repeated. "Kate, from Was that my father."

"Was that my father that went hence so fast?"

"It was," Peter replied. "What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?"

"Not that which, having, makes them short."

"In love?"

For some reason, Kate's eyes darted towards Yelena before she spoke. "Out—"

"Of love?"

"Out of her favor where I am in love."

"Alright," Gamora called. "Guys, we've already gone over time. We have to go."

"Aww," Peter complained. "But I was having fun!"

"Sorry," Gamora said apologetically.

"We have soccer practice," Natasha added. "Lena, you good walking home on your own?"

Yelena rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom."

"Just checking!"

Kate winced. Her house was in the same direction as Yelena's, and without Natasha as a buffer, there was a good chance the walk home was going to be pretty miserable.

But as they walked out, Sylvie ran to join them. "My house is this way, too," she explained quickly when Kate looked at her.

"Did you hear what happened to that kid, Marc Spector?" Yelena asked after a minute. Kate jumped a little at hearing her voice.

"Who?" she asked.

"Marc Spector," Yelena repeated. "You don't know him?"

"What happened?" Sylvie didn't look at either of them as she talked.

"He's in the hospital," Yelena said. "Overdosed on something."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Sylvie flinch.

"Was he okay?" Kate asked quickly.

Yelena shrugged. "He wasn't really ever okay."

They walked in silence until Sylvie said, "This is my house," and peeled away from them.

Kate reached her front door and dug out her key. Except it was somehow bent.

"What the fuck?" she muttered, trying to unbend it.

"Did you leave it on something hot?" Yelena asked. "Here, give it to me." Kate handed her the key without thinking. Yelena tried unsuccessfully to bend it back and then, when that failed, to stick it in the lock without unbending it, which had similar success.

"Fucking hell," Kate muttered, tucking the ruined key back in her pocket. She glanced at the sky. Clouds were gathering. A distant, ominous rumble of thunder sounded.

Kate's phone buzzed with a text from her mom.

M: Not going to be home tonight. You good on your own?

"Fucking hell," Kate repeated.

"What?" Yelena asked, trying to read the text message. Kate scowled at her. "My mom's not gonna be home tonight. And it looks like it might storm."

Yelena sighed. "Let me call Nat." The phone rang for a second before Natasha picked up.

"Hi," Yelena said. "So, we have a problem. Kate Bishop is locked out of her house. Her mother is not going to be home tonight. And it looks like it might rain." Yelena waited while Natasha said something. Then she replied "But—" Kate strained her ears to listen in. Yelena glared at her and switched to Russian. "Но я не могу. Ты знаешь это, Наташа, ты знаешь—" She fell silent. After a moment, she said, "Она меня ненавидит. Ничего не выйдет. Она убьет меня во сне." Whatever Natasha said, Yelena laughed reluctantly and nodded. "Хорошо." After a moment, she told Natasha, "Я спрошу ее." She turned to Kate. "What about your dog?"

"He's boarding tonight."

"Он ие здесь," Yelena told Natasha. After a second, she nodded. "Хорощо. Пока." She hung up and turned to Kate. "Natasha says you can stay with us tonight."

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"That's−oh. Um. Thanks, that's really nice of you."

Yelena shrugged uncomfortably. "Let's go."

"Wait, I have to tell my mom."

K: OK. I'm sleeping @ a friends house tonight, K?

M: Ok

Kate slipped her phone into her pocket. "Alright, let's go."

She followed Yelena down the block to her house. It was smaller than Kate's house, but not by much. The exterior was painted blue-gray.

Yelena pushed open the front door. Immediately, she was greeted by an enormous dog. Abandoning Yelena after a few minutes, the akita put her paws on Kate's shoulders and licked her face.

"Down, Fanny," Yelena ordered. "Yes, I missed you, too."

"Huh," Kate said. "I always thought you'd be more of a cat person."

Yelena shrugged. "Not really. Natasha is a cat person. Wait, I'm sure Liho's around here somewhere..." she glanced around. "There he is." Sitting on the table was an elegant black cat. He licked one dark forepaw and gave Kate a look of supreme disdain. "He doesn't like anyone who isn't Nat. Don't take it personally."

"Got it." Kate stretched out a hand towards him anyways. Liho glanced at her and leapt onto the counter away from her. Kate stroked Fanny instead.

"Are you hungry? We have mac 'n' cheese and...no, pretty much just mac 'n' cheese."

"Mac 'n' cheese is fine," Kate said.

They ate quickly. Settled on the couch afterwards, Yelena asked, "What's your favorite movie?"

"The Hunger Games," Kate told her. "Yours?"

"Enola Holmes," Yelena admitted.

"First or second?"

"Second."

"You are so wrong about that."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are."

Yelena swung a pillow at her. Kate threw her arms up to shield herself. "You're going to regret that!"

Yelena smirked. "Oh, yeah?"

Kate threw a pillow at her. Yelena managed to dodge it and use her own pillow to hit Kate so hard she actually fell over.

Laughing, Yelena helped her up. For a moment, their eyes met and Kate hadn't realized just how green Yelena's eyes were before now. They were both frozen in place, except Kate was pretty sure they were moving towards each other almost subconsciously. Don't, she warned herself. This is a terrible idea. Both of you are going to regret it.

Just then, Natasha opened the door and called out, "I'm back!"

Yelena turned away.

She barely looked at Kate again for the rest of the night.