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

[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.

[rebelseekspizza]

Too late. Dante saw that thing in her eyes, the thing about her that had him feeling like he had to do something - anything - to fix it every time it'd come up these past months.

So he was the one to step in and offer the hug, this go around. He had to.

[spin_kick_snap]

One more thing that she would probably worry over if she ever found out about it.

For now though, she was happily ignorant and the only emotion she felt when he hugged her was pure gratitude. She buried her face in his shoulder and breathed him in, using that touchstone of calm and care to try to get herself under control.

[rebelseekspizza]

"I can show you the way back," Dante murmured, holding her close. Letting her do her thing, as long as she needed to. "Don't gotta do anything for it."

[spin_kick_snap]

Part of Kathy wanted to say It's been like two weeks since I got my tattoo and I've already forgotten what it means, but that seemed too maudlin. Another part wanted to tease, Well, there goes my attempt to turn this into an amateur porn, just to get him to smile, but that seemed too...fake. Cheesy.

So she just nodded and took a few more moments, pulling the tattered remains of herself back together. When she pulled away, there were tear tracks down her cheeks and tear stains on his shirt, but she wasn't crying anymore.

"I know," she told him. "You're the best at it, too."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I'm the best at everything, remember?" Dante said, smirking casually, inviting her to be part of the joke.

He reached for her hand again. "Cleaned all the weird crap out of your room, so it's good as new."

[spin_kick_snap]

"You--you did?" Kathy asked, and launched herself at him again, lips pressed against his cheek and arms around his neck. "The thought of having to deal with that--having to look at it--"

Had been a major hurdle to get over. At least as an ex in LA, she'd never had to actually confront the remains of what she'd eaten.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Not gonna happen, Kat," Dante said, sliding his hands back around her waist. "Got rid of it as soon as I saw it in your room the next day."

[spin_kick_snap]

She didn't deserve him. She'd known that for awhile now, but this was just making it that much more certain. Kathy nearly laughed at what her mother would have said if she'd ever learned that this rough and tumble guy who'd grown up on the streets was genuinely and without exaggeration too good for her daughter.

"Why are you so good to me?" she murmured, burying her face in his shoulder again, more talking to herself than him.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante blinked. Hadn't seen that question coming, somehow.

"'Cause I care about you?" he said, his voice managing a little amused lilt at the end in a desperate attempt to inject some cheer into the situation.