The Apartment Above Luke's, Thursday Evening

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was still glowing from yesterday's museum trip with Anders and now tonight Dante was coming over for the evening, too. She appreciated the lengths they were going to make sure she didn't feel too lonely or lost while she was still adjusting to being back. She'd had a whole evening planned out as a thank you to Dante over it...

But then there had been puppies. She'd come in from her shower and decided to take a minute to refresh her Tumblr before drying off and getting dressed, and then she'd stumbled over a link for a pet adoption website that curated pictures of dogs that needed to be adopted from nearby shelters if you put in your zip code. Which Kathy, more fool her, had done.

And now was scrolling through picture after picture of adorable romping puppies and distinguished older dogs all looking for forever homes and who even knew what time it was anymore, there were puppies.

[For that guy]

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shrugged easily, dumping the beef on the cutting board he'd grabbed. "Giving me puppy therapy?"

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"I was thinking more about seeing how long I can keep you on the edge without letting you go over," Kathy said thoughtfully. "Do you think I could get you to an hour? Or would you crack and beg long before then?"

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante put a knife against the meat and began to cut. "Big words, Kathy Li," he said. "Think you can make good on that?"

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"I have some ideas," Kathy said easily. "Some toys with your name on 'em. Some interesting research to poke at. Probably an unsexy conversation to get out of the way before puppies so it doesn't kill the mood right before we start."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You really had me at 'unsexy conversation'," Dante joked.

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Kathy laughed, tossing the veggies into the skillet with some butter. "Try to keep it in your pants at least until after dinner," she teased. "I'm sauteeing over here and I'm pretty sure that doesn't go well with seduction."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I dunno, I bet someone out there is into oil burns," Dante said, pushing the cutting board with the meat over towards her.

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"Someone might be, but if they're in this kitchen, I'm not sure I wanna know about it," Kathy snickered. The veggies had wilted enough that she felt comfortable shifting them into a bowl to sit. She dumped the meat in and then added about a quarter of the veggies back in to help flavor the beef.

And so that Dante would have some veggies on his fajitas, for god's sake.

"Should I start investing in candles for when you come over? I hadn't even considered that."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante snickered. "Nah, pass," he said. "I've been on fire a few times, it's not fun."

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"This bitch is on fiyah," Kathy sang, because she was an asshole. "Oh yeah he's on fiyah..."

At some point, you looked at this and decided to wanted it, Dante, you have only yourself to blame.

"Wanna get the cheese out of the fridge and the fajitas off the counter?" she asked when she was done riffing on Alicia Keys. "The beef is almost ready and then they'll be done."

[rebelseekspizza]

"What, no more Li pop covers?" Dante asked, brushing past her on his way back to the fridge. He got the cheese out fast, swiped the fajitas off the counter, and raised his eyebrows.

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"I'd start singing something from Crazysexycool, but that would just get us into another fight," Kathy said, nodding towards the kitchen table. She figured they'd probably eat in the living room, but it just made sense to assembled the fajitas in the kitchen. "There. Hopefully you didn't waste away too badly with my shocking abandonment."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I'm staaarving," Dante whined on cue, setting the fajitas down where she'd pointed at.

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"So, I hadn't been planning to bust out a ball gag, but I can see you're just really hoping for one," Kathy said, bringing a bowl of beef and the other of veggies over to the table. She kissed his cheek as she passed, and added, "Make yourself a plate and put the mouth to good use, huh? You know, so you don't die."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I think I'll survive not eating vegetables," Dante told her. "I mean, I've done it before."

[spin_kick_snap]

This was exactly why she hadn't removed all the vegetables from the pan before throwing in the beef. Sure, he could remove each one by hand, but that was a slow and tedious process. Either he'd eat some vegetables like a normal person, or he'd work for it.

"Yes, but you might end up passing out on the floor because you're soooo staaaaarving," she said, mimicking his intonation from earlier. "And then I'd have to go through the extra effort of stepping over you."

So heartless.

[rebelseekspizza]

"I have the worst girlfriend," Dante complained, putting a few fajitas on his plate.

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"It's true," Kathy said cheerfully, filling up her plate as well. She beamed at him. "Guess who I learned it from."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I didn't know you'd had a bad girlfriend," Dante said.

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"Some things transcend genders," Kathy declared, carrying her plate out to the living room. "You are just super funny tonight."

It was hard pretending she wasn't as amused as she actually was.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Thanks," Dante said brightly as he followed right behind her. "I try my best."

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Kathy waited for him to sit, carefully put her plate on the coffee table, and then flopped down next to him, half-draped across his lap. Even with her annoyed personal, she couldn't help but let out a contented little sigh.

"This is good," she murmured.

Not perfect, obviously. Anders was missing. But still, so, so good.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante smiled at her. "Yeah, it is," he said. He kissed her temple. "I like what you've done with the place."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy beamed up at him. "Thanks," she said, tucking her hair over her shoulder. "Couldn't get it to the way it was before the shark went through it, so I figured I'd go a little different."

Still bright, though. When left to her own devices, Kathy was drawn to colors. But she liked to think that she made it work; bold without being garish.

[rebelseekspizza]

"What's your favorite place here?" Dante asked, taking a bite of his food. "Like, what did you get super-excited about?"