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]

"Kids are usually a prom thing, but sometimes they show up other times," Kathy pointed out softly. She'd done a lot of worrying obsessing thinking about this over the past few days. "Same with pollen and Valentine's Day. There's no schedule for turning into kids, or swapping sexes, or animals."

So if it happened again, it would probably be around Halloween, but that wasn't a guarantee. Hell, it might never happen again, but the possibility would still be there to haunt her.

"Next Halloween I wanna be anywhere but here. I'd rather fight demons naked than do that again."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Next Halloween I'll take you home," Dante promised, leaning forward. "We'll just pig out on pizza and maybe help Kat out."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Watch shitty horror movies where you can see the rubber masks," Kathy agreed. "Then once it gets dark, I can show you real horror flicks, not crappy American ones."

Yes. This was good. This was something she could cling to that didn't smack of responsibilities or promises or anything serious.

[rebelseekspizza]

"And we'll get a shitload of popcorn and see how badly we can scare the shit out of Anders," Dante said, nodding along. "It'd be great."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Take turns getting up to grab something from the other room, then come back in and grab him?" Kathy asked. "Bet I can make him yell louder."

The second slice of pizza was going down easier than the first.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante snickered. "Nuh uh, no way," he said. "I'm quieter than you. I can sneak right up and BAM."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Secret weapon," Kathy said. "Cold hands. We'll watch some creepy Japanese ghost movie and then when the tension's ratcheted up to eleven, I'll sneak in and get him with ghostly chilled hands."

It had worked on her when Sarah had done the same thing when she was twelve. Of course, Sarah had held ice cubes for three minutes first.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante laughed softly. "Touch his neck," he advised. "That'd really freak him out."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Just one cold finger tracing along down his spine..."

They were the worst.

[rebelseekspizza]

"And then you lean in and-- 'BOO'."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Fortunately, your building looks like it's soundproofed well enough that we won't have neighbors banging on the door when he screams shrilly."

Which had also happened, thanks Sarah.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante snickered. "We should probably record it," he mused. "Phones out."

[spin_kick_snap]

"That's your job," Kathy said. "I sneak, you record."

Funny, when she'd suggested they make movies together, that hadn't been what she'd meant. But the idea was making her smile a bit wistfully anyway.

[rebelseekspizza]

"It's a deal," Dante said. "We're the best boyfriend and girlfriend ever."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm a little disappointed we haven't gotten rewards for it yet," she said. "Anders is slacking."

There was a special award for girlfriends who got their boyfriends to eat brainsadillas, right?

[rebelseekspizza]

...let's not talk about the disgusting shit Dante threw out on Thursday.

"We deserve a party," Dante decided. "And head."

[spin_kick_snap]

No, they should, because Kathy was still certain that they were in her room waiting for her to come back. Her conversation with Raven had only turned that fear up to eleven.

And once she found out Dante had taken care of that for her, she'd be offering him parties and head every day for a year.

"Dibs on head," she said, twitching a ghost of a smile at him, clinging to the banter as a lifeline of normal.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante grinned back at her.

"Hey, look. You ate half your pizza."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy looked down, surprised. "I...did, huh," she said. Better still, her stomach was no longer roiling just looking at the pizza. She picked up another slice and her stomach only growled, still hungry after a half-week of neglect. "Thanks, Dante."

She said that a lot to him. That and 'I'm sorry.'

Sigh.

[rebelseekspizza]

"No problem," Dante said easily. He watched her for a second. "You planning to come home sometime soon?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"I..." she faltered. "Yeah. I should."

Both Dante and Raven had come looking for her. It was probably time to stop making everyone worry.

And maybe get a change of clothes. It was the little things.

"I just--" She'd needed to get out of there. To run away and just be a lump of fear and anxiety for awhile. "I'm still not really okay."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I know," Dante said. He held up his hands. "But you can come be not okay with some backup, if you want."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy nodded. "I just had to get away," she said softly. "And then it was like I couldn't find my way back."

Not in a physical sense obviously. Did that make sense?

[rebelseekspizza]

Enough, in Dante's long experience with traumatised emotions you didn't have words for.

He got up to his feet and offered her a hand. "I get it," he said.

[spin_kick_snap]

Words were hard. And stupid.

Kathy took his hand, marveling anew at how strong he was. Her hand felt so small in his again.

"I wish you didn't but glad you do," she told him.

She thought for a moment about what it would be like to not have him around to understand the feelings that were too big for words from trauma. And then had a moment when she realized how lonely he must have been in high school when he was feeling this way and people hadn't understood. She hadn't understood.

Her eyes filled again and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep from hugging him.