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]

"Are you volunteering to man the grill all night then?" Kathy teased. "You're not allowed to just throw your meat on there - not dirty - and then run off with it when it's done."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Please. Your dad's gonna commandeer this shit the second he gets in here."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Probably," Kathy admitted with a grin. "You gonna actually talk to him this year?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"I... won't not talk to him if he talks to me?" Dante tried.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy rolled her eyes at him, still amused but with a tiny bit of exasperation behind it. "Dante, you're not a kid anymore, god. He's not going to ground you for not washing your plate or whatever. Even if he ever'd been the type to do that in the first place."

Which he most emphatically was not.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante stuck his tongue out. "I don't know, man. He's just all broody and radiates, like, strict Texas dad or whatever."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy laughed at him. "He's a thief, married to two other thieves, and regularly gets trolled by the two of them," she pointed out. "He only gets all stern and 'everything is a teachable moment' when he's dealing with fuckups." She leaned in, kissed him on the cheek. "And you, love, are not a fuckup."

Sure, he'd probably go into lecture-mode if he and Dante started cooking, but that was more because he adored cooking and passing along knowledge, not because he thought Dante was an idiot.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante snorted. "Duh," he said, though he didn't fully believe it. "I just don't want your dad to hate me, jesus."

[spin_kick_snap]

"And the best way to make that happen is to avoid him as much as possible, but like, really obviously?" Kathy asked. "Interesting set of tactics."

She kissed him again. Just because he deserved one.

"Dad could never hate you," she murmured against his mouth. "You think he doesn't see how much better I am when I'm with you?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Pretty sure that's something you believe," Dante said, sliding his arms around her waist. "Dunno about him."

[spin_kick_snap]

Aww. He was nervous. It was kinda adorable in how completely surprising it was to witness.

"Pretty sure he believes it, too," Kathy said. "He practically wanted to shake your hand when he heard about the kimchi fridge."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante didn't get nervous, dammit. He was Dante, the fucking Son of Sparda. He'd looked demon lords in the face and laughed.

"Fine, I won't avoid him," he muttered. "Stop it."

[spin_kick_snap]

Sure, okay Sparda-son. Cause like, you seemed nervous.

"I'm not doing anything," Kathy said, innocently.

[rebelseekspizza]

"The whole buttering me up thing," Dante said, poking her in the side.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm helping instill confidence," Kathy corrected. "Since you get all...weird...about talking to my dad." Look at her not use the word 'nervous.' Even though that was what she totally had meant. "He's not even my asshole dad. He's the good one!"

[rebelseekspizza]

"He's grumpy-looking," Dante muttered.

[spin_kick_snap]

Look at Kathy not laughing. Sign of love right there.

"He is a little grumpy looking," Kathy agreed. "But a little grump has never stopped you before. Just maybe stop thinking of him like some authority figure gonna rake you across the coals? Maybe he's...I dunno. Just as lost trying to find a way to connect to you as you are with him."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Yeah, sure," Dante muttered, pulling away from her to reach for the booze.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy didn't stop him, mouth twisting as she went back to poking the coals.

Pushed too hard again, Li.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante took a swig from the... whiskey? Eh, it'd do.

There. Better.

"Who else is coming anyway?" he asked, looking over at her.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I dunno," Kathy said. "Raven, though probably not Misfit. They need more than a few hours notice. I think Ringo is busy doing Hunter stuff, but hopefully Alluka will be there. I left messages with Ex and Ada and Isabela, but..." She shrugged. "Who knows?"

Beat.

"Oh. I probably should have called Kat and Lady. I forgot. Shit."

[rebelseekspizza]

"It's fine. We'll see them when we get home." Dante's mouth curved. "And saves me getting a pineapple thrown at my head in a fit of drunken rage or whatever."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Yeah," Kathy said. "Lady's a bit..."

She didn't fill in the blank. She had complicated feelings about her temperamental counterpart that remained unresolved.

[rebelseekspizza]

"... not someone who should be on the birthday guest list," Dante said.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm sure there are plenty of parties you could invite her to," Kathy said, stepping over the subjects of birthday parties past that Dante had thrown.