The Apartment Above Luke's, Thursday Evening

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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

[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.

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"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."

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"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.

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"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.

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

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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.

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

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Kathy thought about it for a moment. "My bathroom," she said. "It's just this cozy space of relaxation and comfort. It's this soft gray-blue that's comforting and the tub is just huge and I got a whole bunch of soft little rugs to keep the floor warm and its like stepping on clouds..."

She trailed off, a little chagrined to have word walled about a bathroom.

[rebelseekspizza]

But Dante was grinning. "Awesome," he said. "Spending a few hours a day in the tub, huh?"

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"Hard to be stressed with a book and a drink, up to my chin in hot water," Kathy said wryly. "And that's not even counting my waterproof vibe."

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"I'd like to see that," Dante said, his expression all dirty fondness.

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"You've got such a thing about seeing me in the bathtub," Kathy said, chuckling. "Some secret fetish we need to discuss in explicit detail?"

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"I've got a thing about you and a vibe, getting off," Dante said, grinning. "The tub's got nothing to do with it."

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"You were interested in seeing me getting off under the faucet too," Kathy reminded. "Why all the interest in watching me get off without you?" Her dimples were deep grooves in her cheeks. "Are you going after Anders' lazy title?"

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"Maybe sometimes it's just nice to watch you feel good," Dante said. "Without having to, like, make it about me."

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"I never think you're making it about you," Kathy said, giving him a shy smile. "If anything, I see it as making it about us. But when you're watching, I'm usually getting off as much on that as the vibe - so it's at least a little bit about you, too."

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Dante laughed softly. "No matter what we do, we meet in the middle, huh?"

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Kathy nodded. "Anytime you're involved, even peripherally, you make it that much more compelling than whatever I'd be doing on my own. Even after I come that way, it's just a precurser to how I'm gonna feel, wrapped around your dick."

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"Mmm, sex talk over fajitas," Dante said, grinning at her. "My favorite."

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"Liar," Kathy said, snickering. "I'm pretty sure you'd have chaste talk with pizza over sexy talk with fajitas any day."

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"Ehhh," Dante said, waggling his hand in the air. "These fajitas do have meat."

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"Of course," Kathy said promptly. "I only force vegetarian on you when you need to be punished."