Emotionally attached to fictional characters

A part of you felt insane relief that someone your age is suffering in the same situation as you. The other part felt flustered for some unknown reason that is brushed under the rug. you take a deep breath to build up confidence to go talk to this girl who actually looks like she might not bore you death.

as if the fates heard you, your dad bumps his shoulder with yours "let's go say hi to Eleanor before she gives us the stank eye from across the room". Walking up to her, you introduce yourself to Kate first, not even looking at her mother.

In the midst of the awkwardness, you end up shaking her hand too hard and she giggles at the action. she gets close to your ear pretending to whisper

"You wanna go on a walk and leave these annoying rich people together?"

“Holy god yes please I can’t hear about stocks one more time I’ll cry”

You spent that entire party talking about everything under the sun. from comic books to shitty sports stars. Unbeknownst to you, your father was watching you two from afar and he knew that he’s in a for a ride with you two being friends from now on.

Fast forward two years later. You and Kate are now 15 years old and as inseparable as ever. People would call you both dramatic for the attachment issues you have for each other. Late night phone calls where your dad has to come into your room to tell you to turn the dial down just a bit. The summer nights you spent on the beach in a random beach front house tony decided to rent for vacation for a change of scenery from hotels.

Everything started to shift suddenly, a part of you knew this would happen but ignored your gut as usual, which landed you in this shit show you’re in right now aka Kate having a shitty boyfriend who is your number one public enemy.

You’ve spent endless nights thinking of why the hell would you hate this guy so much (aside from the fact that he’s a typical 15 year old boy who doesn’t know how to handle any girl for that fact). You’d endure Kate complaining about him, Michael was his name. you always thought ‘what a stupid fucking name for a stupid guy who doesn’t even know what he’s doing’. Everything about him was annoying, from his horrible hair that he keeps dragging his fingers through thinking he’s some sort of Casanova while her literally looks like a NYC subway rat, to his yellow teeth that you could not for the life of you grasp how Kate would even be near him much less kiss him when he has those. Wait why the hell are you thinking about your best friend kissing her boyfriend? You shake your head as if that will make the thought disappear and fall out.

If you were being honest, you didn’t have a clue why this whole thing bothered you so much, or why you thought about it so much. the thought of breaking them up flashes though your head, Guilt washes over you like electricity. How could you think like that? Why would you even think that? Not only is it not your relationship, but it is not your decision to make whatsoever.

You always liked to think you and Kate knew what’s best for each other. You somehow convinced yourself this is you looking out for her. While more than half of your intentions are looking out for her, the remaining part of it was still a mystery to you. Well, until the night Michael decides to get heated with Kate right in middle of your living room in front of you.

It’s a Friday night when this stupid fight happens. You don’t even remember what the fight was actually about. You had invited Kate over just because and of course she asked if she could bring mike over.

“I got new dumplings from Costco that we have to try, why don’t you come over so we can make a fake mukbang?”

“hell yeah dude I’ll be there, but can I bring mike his friends went out and he wants to stay with me”

In that moment annoyance flooded you. You rolled your eyes so hard it hits the back of your skull. You tried to indirectly say no somehow but obviously that doesn’t work. Listening to Kate complain about her bum boyfriend is hard. Complaints about how his dates are basically planned by Kate, and how he just stays on his phone the whole date watching football games. And somehow you’ve always been all ears, because at the end of the day that was your best friend and you had to be there with her for this disaster.

The elevator to your floor dings open. Kate looks breathtaking in her favorite purple hoodie that somehow isn’t falling apart at the seams, and then here he is walking up to you slinging an arm on your shoulder. Here’s the thing, Micheal knows you hate his guts, you aren’t that good at hiding your facial expressions (not that you were trying in the first place).

You and Kate make the food together, playing music and weirdly dancing in the kitchen. Little did you know Micheal was staring at you, seething in anger. Sitting down on the couch, Micheal clears his throat.

“don’t you feel like you spend too much time with your friend here Katie?” he says while looking at you up and down using the nickname for Kate that you always used.  

“she’s my best friend so yeah I do spend too much time with her” Kate replies while looking at you with an expression that says, ‘what the actual fuck is he on about’. After that moment everything sort of blurs because of the anger and disbelief you were in. not only was this guy a dickhead, he also has the audacity from fucking god knows where and why.

You remember yelling and somehow slapping Michael. How the hell did that happen? You couldn’t even say. He ended up storming out with Kate hot on his heels. She didn’t even say goodbye, glancing back as she went inside the elevator and the doors separated you.   

It’s been 3 days of radio silence from Kate. No text. No calls, no replies. As much as you hated her boyfriend, you didn’t want to fuck this up that bad. Yes, at some point you were thinking of how bad would be if you somehow did something to make Michael leave but it was a hypothetical thought you would’ve never actually done anything.

It was 3 AM when the elevator stopped at your floor. You call Jarvis in a whisper to look at the security cameras to see who the hell is at your house. You’re faced with a panting slightly trembling Kate. You look at the security footage with so much fucking confusion because, one. Why the hell is she here at 3 AM? And two How the hell did she get to the tower?. She sees you and runs up to you with a smile on her damp face.

“I broke up with him”

“Huh?”

“Michael, he’s gone, for good”

“Are you serious?”

“deadly”

The two of you stare at each other stunned with a hint of relief. Kate is panting slightly with disbelief. She steps forward grabbing your hand. Reaching out, she brushes her knuckles softly on your face in hesitancy. She lets out a breathe before fully colliding her lips with yours. You put your arms on her waist breathing her in like she’s not real.

Quite frankly you never thought she was, her hair, her eyes, the moles that form a constellation on her face or the way she smells and scrunches her nose when she laughs. All those made Katherine bishop unreal to you, unreachable, something you can’t truly comprehend. She was this light, a literal embodiment of a ray of sunshine. She was the kind of friend you can’t even pray to have because what goddamned prayer is going to get you someone like Kate bishop.

Your hands grip her waist to confirm that yep this is real and happening this fucking second right now somehow. Not only has your best friend finally gotten rid of her ass boyfriend but she’s kissing you, actually no scratch that, she’s making out with you right now. You pull her in; bodies pushed against each other to get even closer. She keeps her palms on your face one second then they’re tangled in your hair the next.

You both pull away to catch your breath. She giggles on your mouth in disbelief.  You stare at her face like you’re seeing her for the first time, she looks so happy and so radiant it honestly gives you a little ego boost knowing she only looks like that with you. She puts her arms around your neck and buries her face in your shoulder. You bury your face into her neck. Voice muffled she says  

“so”

“so”

“What now?”

“I honestly don’t care what the hell happens as long as you stay here with me right now. Don’t leave”

She pulls away, looking at you through her eyelashes before kissing you softly and laughing.