Barry's Old Warehouse, Warehouse District, Sunday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

So. The island could turn her back into an ex at literally any moment. That was not a thought that was good for Kathy's peace of mind. Being an ex again, for however short a time, had not been good for Kathy's peace of mind. She hadn't been a mindless husk that had seen everything that moved as 'prey,' no, but that was cold comfort when she had spent the day eating brains.

Sharing brains with other people.

Hunting small creatures to get--

Her stomach lurched again, just thinking about it. She hadn't eat much this past week just for that reason. It felt like February all over again, when eating had been a struggle, the very act bringing up memories she didn't want to relive.

Distantly, Kathy knew she should go home, deal with the mess left in her room, deal with the mess that was her life. And she would! She just--couldn't yet. Not while she still felt like this, ten pounds of crazy in a four pound bag. She just needed to get a handle on it--was trying to get a handle on it--and when she did, she'd go home. She'd apologize for worrying everyone, she'd clean up, she'd be okay.

Soon. Just not now.

[Open]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

Dante, your face was buried in her neck, how far away did you think she was?

"Well, you're awake enough to be wrong and picking a fight," she teased, giving him another quick kiss to the side of his head. "But you can still go back to sleep."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Could," Dante sighed, weighing that.

Wait, why was he here, curled up with Kathy to begin with? W--

Oh.

"...how 'bout you?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm okay," she reassured him. "I'll probably fall back asleep when you do."

She was tired, but not exactly sleepy, which was a little annoying, but even so, lying curled up with Dante was too nice to pass up.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Mhm," Dante sighed.

He pressed a kiss against her neck. He was there anyway.

[spin_kick_snap]

And it wasn't like Kathy was going to argue with him about it. She just gave a happy sigh and curled up under the blankets a little further, her foot curling around one of his.

[rebelseekspizza]

"It's better with you here," Dante decided.

And not just because everyone else had been worried.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I like being here," Kathy told him. "Both in a literal and metaphorical sense."

She liked being here with them. Being part of a home filled with people she loved very, very much. But damn, she also loved being in Dante's bed. Even just like this, with nothing more that naps happening.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You should not be using words that big," Dante decided lazily.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You can't pretend like you don't know them," Kathy teased. "But fine. I like being here, whether we mean in your bed or in this whole relationship. Here's where I feel like I belong."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You do belong here," Dante said, patting her hip. "This is good."

Dante'd never be a capital C-cuddler. But first with Anders, and now with Kathy, he didn't mind the proximity all that much.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy remembered back before Dante had even been a lowercase-C cuddler. This was a nice change; she'd always been physically affectionate and she liked being able to express that without worry that she was crowding him.

Well, with less worry anyway. She still sometimes wasn't sure where the new lines had been drawn.

"So is that an invite to just camp out in your bed for a few days?" she joked.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Not gonna kick you out if you do," Dante offered. "Just hope you're okay with more company."

Ha.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I suppose it would be rude to kick you out of your own bed," Kathy said, as if that had ever sounded like a good idea. "All right, you can stay. Now we just have to figure out a way to lure Anders in, too."

Like...maybe lying in bed naked and calling his name? Seemed like that would work.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Could just call him out and say we're having a good time in here," Dante mused.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Or just leave the door open and have a really loud good time," Kathy suggested.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Even better," Dante said, his fingers sliding lazily down to play over Kathy's stomach.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Would you be okay with that?" Kathy asked, interest sparking in her eyes. "You and Anders fucking and me just coming in to watch sometime?"

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante lifted his head for a moment to think about it.

"...That'd be kinda hot, if you were into it."

[spin_kick_snap]

"We're talking about the two hottest guys I know fucking, how could I not be into it?" Kathy pointed out. "I wouldn't get involved without a proper invite, but sitting and watching? That I could do."

Maybe taking care of herself at the same time...

[rebelseekspizza]

"Only checking," Dante said, his fingers tracing easy patterns on her stomach. "Just watching?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Unless you or Anders invited me to join," Kathy said honestly. "You might just want it to be the two of you or something." She bit her lip a moment and added, "I'd rather miss out than go where I'm not--where I'd be too much."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You're not too much, Kat," Dante said.

He dropped a kiss on her shoulder.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Sometimes I am," Kathy said with a shrug. "And sometimes I'm just not who you want, you know? And that's okay. We're a triad, but we're three pairs of two at the same time. And sometimes you just wanna be part of a pair--like your date with Anders in Baltimore last month. That's just how this works. So, unless one of you lets me know that it's not just-a-pair time, I'd rather not intrude."

[rebelseekspizza]

Yeah, but sometimes it felt like Kathy thought--

Ah, fuck it. He wasn't gonna argue about that right now.

"We should do that sometime," Dante mused. "Date or whatever."

[spin_kick_snap]

Sometimes she did. And probably wouldn't even deny it if he called her on it explicitly.

"You want--?" She didn't perk up exactly, but something about her whole body language lifted, lightened. "I'd like that."