Antigua, Saturday Night

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy's kotatsu had died an undignified death and the repair (something about proper voltage) was complicated enough to require several days of work. Faced with a girlfriend sad about the cold and, more importantly, faced with a girlfriend's frigid feet, Dante had made the executive decision that they needed a tropical vacation. Immediately. So last week, he'd basically shoved the entire household through a portal that opened to a small island in the Caribbean, complete with blue ocean, white sand, and an all-inclusive menu that contained more fruity booze cocktails than actual food items.

The week had been fun, in a lazy, let's-not-do-anything way, which had also had the side benefit of short-circuiting Kathy's "Christmas Crazy." She'd sprawled in the sun and read trashy novels and swam in the ocean and practiced her Spanish without a care. In fact, she'd lost track of the date until they were talking about returning home tomorrow and she realized that, oh shit, today was her birthday. (And also Dante's, but they didn't talk about that.)

A quick conversation with the resort, some handwavy phone calls to invite guests, and more fairy lights than a grown woman should really need and their little villa was turned into a tropical wonderland birthday party.

[Open! If you think you'd get a phone call (for either Kathy or Dante), you did! Dante modded with permission. No OCD]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

Yo, Misfit, that was entirely real.

"Raven!" Kathy ditched the drunken pineapple to fling herself at her best friend for a giant, squeezy hug. "You made it!"

[tigerundercover]

"I did! The nearest portal was in Gettysburg, so I had to fly all the way there, and my arms are legitimately tired." She grinned and hugged back just the same though. "Look at you, all last minute tropical birthday planning."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was pretty sure half the reason Dante had chosen this island was because the drinking age was sixteen, making twenty-one pretty much a complete non-event.

"I sorta lost track of the days here," Kathy admitted. They'd clearly been here awhile, as evidenced by the soft glow of the tan on her shoulder and the little burn on her nose. "It barely feels like Christmas," never mind my birthday. But then I saw the date and wanted to do something..."

Like summon her friends and loved ones to a tropical island for a few hours. Totally normal.

[tigerundercover]

"It really doesn't," Raven said, looking around. "We've already gotten a bunch of snow this year on the mountain, and it still managed to sneak up on me. This feels more like . . . July."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Right?" Kathy asked. "Time is just flying super-fast. Is this what adulthood feels like? I don't like it."

[tigerundercover]

"You should come out to the mountains with me and Misfit sometime," Raven said. "Time loses all meaning out there, it's just day and night and changing seasons."

[spin_kick_snap]

"In the summer," Kathy promised. "When it's warm. And I can go out for a hike without worrying that I'm going to end up with hypothermia. But honestly? I'd love to."

[tigerundercover]

"In the spring," Raven decided. "When it's warm and not hot, and you can go for a hike without getting sunstroke."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Deal," Kathy said, sticking her handout for Raven to shake. "Will that give you enough time to prepare Misfit for a guest?"

[tigerundercover]

Raven laughed. "Just barely. They send their love, by the way. And said to tell you that spur of the moment birthday parties are for people who aren't friends with hermits."

[spin_kick_snap]

"That's fair," Kathy said, nodding. "And I completely understand. I'll try to be a little more forward-thinking for the next big shindig I host, promise."

Because getting to know Misfit was important. Because look how happy they made Raven!

"Fee free to bring stuff home for them if you wanna, though."

[tigerundercover]

"Leftovers from the Caribbean, fresh delivered to the mountains. What a time we live in."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Living the dream," Kathy said with a wry smile. "Grubhub's got nothing on Portalocity."

[tigerundercover]

“So long as they don’t stick me with a weird layover, anyway.”

[spin_kick_snap]

"But if they do, you at least have something decent to eat," Kathy pointed out. "So, bonus. Misfit loses out though."

[tigerundercover]

"And they'd never let me forget it." Raven smiled and shook her head. "Actually, they'd be really understanding. It's kind of weird."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Weird?" Kathy asked, nudging Raven with her shoulder and giving her a knowing grin. "Sounds more like nice."

[tigerundercover]

"It can't be both?" Raven shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's the 1950s rearing their ugly head again. I feel like we should . . . clash more."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I dunno," Kathy mused. "They say that most of the stuff couples fight about is, like, money and stuff. And that's not an issue for you two. You're away from most of the trappings of society, so there's nothing there to clash over, either. And you're really easy-going, so..." She shrugged, giving Raven a smile. "If you're really worried about it, pick up a really annoying habit. That might help."

[tigerundercover]

Raven laughed. "Don't think I won't!" She shook her head and tilted it at Kathy. "You really think I'm easy-going?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"What?" Kathy looked at her, confused. "Uhh...yeah? You're practically a koan all by yourself. Change with the wind and you will never lose your footing or something like that. You take, like, every punch life throws and just...I dunno. Deal with it. I freak and fuss and wring my hands and you just...figure out what to do next. I super-envy that about you."