her bookstore girl–K.B
Synopsis: Kate wasn’t a fan of literature, but who knew she'd enjoy her time in a bookstore all thanks to a nameless girl. Her bookstore girl.
Pairing: Kate Bishop x Fem!Barton!Reader
Warnings: cursing, gay panics, kate bishop being an absolute gay
Word count: 2.2k
inspired by bookstore girl by charlie burg.
part I // part II
Kate Bishop wasn’t a fan of literature.
It was the simple thought of reading a book that Kate couldn’t wrap her head around. How could someone possibly, without being held at gunpoint, enjoy sitting through endless pages of ink for hours, especially those with the literal thickness of an Oxford English Dictionary which should’ve been labeled as ‘family-sized’.
There were plenty of other options that would entertain her for ages, whether it be honing her archery skills or simply running away from her adult responsibilities—but nothing that would require the patience needed to read and decipher the damn words in her brain.
Yet, here she was, accompanying her friends on their weekly visits to the local bookstore near campus. The shop bell chimed above their heads as they entered the bookstore. Sounds of wandering footsteps and the rustle of turning pages filled the small space.
Glancing back at her friends, Kate chuckled as she noticed they’d already been scouring through the shelves for whatever book that hooked their interest, each one excitedly exclaiming the titles they’d come across. Might as well try to do something productive. Kate made her way towards the nearest aisle, mindlessly browsing through various books and papers without paying actual heed to their covers.
Amidst a sea of literature and moving figures, it was there where she passed the first aisle of shelves when her eyes caught sight of you. Standing behind the checkout counter, an apron was dressed neatly over your work uniform. You were busy processing payment from patrons, chatting up those who asked for some book recommendations, evidently enjoying every second of your position.
With each new customer passing through the door, you glanced up to meet each of them with a smile before returning to what you’d been doing previously. It was all so mundane yet so enchanting, and Kate found herself smiling fondly at the scene before her. She knew better than to be indiscreet. If anyone were to happen upon this particular moment, they’d assume the archer was watching you like a creep.
As if sensing she was staring, you finally turned in her direction and her eyebrows rose in surprise, immediately averting her gaze as Kate failed to keep a soft squeak from slipping her lips.
Shit... Your expression changed, though, not entirely out of concern or worry. But confusion, or maybe even amusement? Kate could’ve sworn she spotted a slight quirk tugging at the corner of your lips as you waved at her. Was she imagining things? No, that definitely was amusement playing around with your features.
“There you are! Franny, I found her.” Kate jumped, snapping out of her reverie as her hand instinctively went up to cover her mouth in a desperate attempt to muffle her loud gasp. Dammit! Now she definitely looked like a creep. Turning to her friends, she noticed them standing before her with their arms crossed. A smug grin on their lips, clearly amused by her reaction.
“Woah, Kate. What’s got your knickers in a twist?”
“I-”
Then it hit her. How was she supposed to explain herself without sounding completely weird? Great, just great. Rubbing the scruff of her neck, Kate cleared her throat before settling for a shrug as she spoke, her voice noticeably more strained than usual.
“Wait, is that the book you’ve been rambling about for the past week?”
Unwittingly, her gaze trailed over Greer’s shoulder as she spotted you behind the counter once again, your attention no longer lingering on her, and instead, the scanner in your grasp scanned the bottom of a book’s back cover as you greeted the next customer in line.
Then, you smiled, but it wasn’t for her. Kate knew that, of course, as she watched a seeming co-worker in the same apron as yours approach you. But it was the fact that she was nobody but a stranger in your eyes, just as you were to her. Something within her stung, and she felt silly for reacting so strongly to a random, smiling person.
“Yeah, yeah. I couldn’t find a book that caught my eye, didn’t wanna force myself to read something I won’t enjoy, you know,” Kate replied nonchalantly as someone else stood in your position as you followed your co-worker into the storeroom.
“Huh? Did you even listen to what I’ve just said?” Fuck, she said something wrong, didn’t she?
“Uh...”
“You’ve been zoning out since we walked in. You sure you’re okay?” Greer asked concernedly as Kate nodded.
“Yeah, totally. I’m just a little tired from all the projects in this semester.” Well, that wasn’t much of a lie. But hey, it worked for now when Greer and Franny sent her a look of understanding before heading towards the doorway, with their recently purchased books in hand.
Before following her friends, Kate turned her head towards the door to the storeroom, hoping to catch a last glance of you, even if it were only for a brief moment.
But, alas, you weren’t there anymore and Kate was unsure if she’d ever see your face again, let alone your smile. Stepping out of the bookstore, the shop bell once again chimed in sync with the door’s opening. This time, it marked the beginning of Kate’s admiration for the nameless girl.
Her bookstore girl.
“Your problem is branding.” She turned to look at Clint as they walked along a street. It probably wasn’t wise for her to engage in this conversation with him right now, but eh, she’d take her chances.
“No, my problem is you,” he countered casually, unaware that Kate’s footsteps had come to a halt.
“And this ninja suit, and the people trying to kill you because of this ninja suit.”
There you were with your back facing the display glass, dressed in the same brown apron as the first time she met you, with your sleeves just slightly rolled up. Rather than issuing receipts, you were shelving books and papers onto the top shelf on tiptoes, oblivious of her presence through the pane of glass.
When you reached for another copy on the trolley, Kate realized she’d approached the bookstore unconsciously, almost as if she’d been lurking on the doorstep, contemplating if she should step inside.
“-so I can go home to my family,” Clint said, voice lacing with a hint of irritation as his head turned to the missing presence beside him.
“Kate, Kate??? Ugh, teenagers...”
“Clint. Clint. Clint.”
Shit.
Hoping to catch his attention, she moved closer and shook her hand, scribbling ‘little boy’ on a piece of notepaper before holding it up for him to see.
“Nathaniel? Nathaniel, what are you- what are you doin’ buddy? Is everything okay? Where’s mama?” As his forehead creased into a frown, he eyed Kate’s direction when his son replied to his questions. Listening intently to his response, Kate jotted down his words forthwith while Clint bought himself some time by fibbing about the ‘apparent’ delay in the call’s connection.
‘Everyone asleep. He’s bored.’
“Ah, you’re-uh-you’re-uh bored. You’re the early bird. Hey bud, I miss you,” he chuckled, and the little boy laughed in unison as another voice rang out from the distance. Transcribing the situation hurriedly, she heeded a distinctly contrasting voice, a rather feminine and mature one.
‘Mature girl’s voice. Dad. Asking if u’re ok’
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m doin’ great. Why are you up so early?”
Weird. Something was soothing about the tone of the woman’s voice. Something familiar Kate couldn’t lay a finger on, but she was certain she’d heard it somewhere before as each syllable slipped off the woman’s tongue in a smooth and rhythmic fashion. And it almost rendered her forgetting to scribble on the notes until Clint’s voice broke through her thought.
‘Excited = couldn’t sleep. Home tonight for movies?’
“Uh, yeah. Tonight’s movie marathon night, that’s right. Um... I really wish I could be there with you, sweetheart. But you already know how much I’d love that, don’t you?”
He glanced at Kate as she nodded.
“Look, I promise I’ll be back for our ugly Christmas sweater party. You ready for that, y/n?”
And when her voice came through the receiver once more, Kate couldn’t help but ponder the name of this woman. She must’ve known her from somewhere. So who exactly were you, y/n?
The next time Kate found herself staring at the welcome mat outside of the bookstore had been after her encounter with the Black Widow assassin. Her mind was in a haze and with Clint, the very person she looked up to, pushing her away? She needed a change of pace from the immense pressure and worry surrounding her, almost suffocating her.
Then she remembered you, the mysterious bookstore girl who seemed so out of reach whenever your gazes locked, who made her heart race with your mere presence alone. Kate still couldn’t fathom why she was so drawn to you, a stranger in the first place. Hell, you probably wouldn’t remember her, anyway. And yet here she was, contemplating whether she should enter the store, hand hovering over the doorknob.
This was ridiculous. She was ridiculous. What was she doing, wasting time loitering outside the bookstore like some kind of creepshow? With a heavy sigh, Kate finally twisted the doorknob and stepped inside, her anticipation slowly ebbing into disappointment when your voice didn’t greet her nor was your presence behind the check-out counter.
She took her time exploring through the aisle, hoping to catch a glimpse of you, but to no avail. By now, she should’ve already left. There was nothing left for her to see here. It was only when she’d passed by the registers did she notice you, standing across the back of the room with your back against a wall, a large book held open before you.
Then you glanced up, meeting her eyes briefly as Kate froze. A smile gracing your face when you gestured a hand to beckon her over.
“Hi.”
Your voice...
“Hi.” Kate sent you a little wave of her hand as she approached you. An awkward sensation supplanted the bookstore’s once welcoming atmosphere when both were uncertain of what to say. There was another brief moment when your gazes locked, only breaking eye contact as the pages of your book flipped from the wind overhead before you closed the covers.
“You’re the girl from a week ago, right? The one who came with her friends?” Kate could’ve sworn your voice matched with Clint’s daughter perfectly, as if they were two halves of a whole. But that was impossible, right? Or maybe she was reading too much into this. It could be a coincidence, that’s all.
“Yea-yeah. I’m Kate. Kate Bishop, that is.”
She took heed of your outfit. You weren’t wearing the usual work clothes and certainly not the brown apron. Instead, you were attired in comfortable garments that seemed to suit you perfectly, and the sight alone made Kate’s smile harder to suppress as her fingers ghosted awkwardly by the pockets of her jeans.
“You know, it’s not polite to stare,” you teased, raising a brow when Kate averted her attention onto the surrounding walls, scratching the scruff of her neck.
“Sorry,” she tittered before clearing her throat.
“Well, I didn’t say you should stop.”
“I-I um...” Kate felt the rush of heat creeping upon her skin. In no way had she pictured you being quite this forward, especially when you barely knew each other.
“I was wondering if you had any book recommendations...” She glanced back at you.
“For me?” It was almost as if she’d whispered the last part to herself in disbelief, eliciting a chuckle from your lips as a smile plastered on her face.
“I mean sure. What genres do you normally read?”
Oh shit, uh...
“Any, anything really.”
“You don’t read much, do you?”
“Busted,” Kate sighed, raising her hands mid-air, and you gave her a lopsided grin.
“I figured. Then let’s see... how about some poetry? They evoke awareness and can really pack a punch.” Crossing her arms, her eyes darted to the ground momentarily before lifting to meet your gaze.
“Ever heard of Emily Dickinson? She’s one of my favourite poets out there, bold, ingenious, you name it...” you trailed off, a smug smile evidently curving on your lips.
“But you aren’t really here for my recommendations, are you?” Kate blinked, clearly taken aback for a second as she stared at you, unsure of how to respond.
“How did you-” she stammered.
“I picked up a few tricks from my aunt,” you shrugged, smiling mischievously as you pushed yourself off the wall, listening to Kate’s singular ‘oh’.
“Um... is it a bad moment to ask for a ‘coffee sometime’... perhaps?” she squeaked on the last bit, scrunching up her face but nearly jumping at your abrupt laugh. Evoking a harsh hush from nearby customers in the bookstore.
“Sorry.” Amused, you wiped a fake tear.
“You’re a weird girl, Kate Bishop,” you said, slowly making your way to the check-out counter before halting at the last aisle beside the registers. You turned in her direction, offering a soft smile.
“And I might just take you up on your offer.”
