The House In Limbo City, Limbo City, Wednesday Evening

[spin_kick_snap]

It had been ten days since the kids had left and Kathy was mostly back to normal. The fact that it was the end of the semester had probably helped a bit in that regard - it was possible to be maudlin and to study your ass off, but it took a lot more energy than Kathy really had to spare.

Her immediate plans for the evening - more studying, finals started on Monday - had been immediately derailed when Dante had declared it a night off, carrying her downstairs to a pillow pile, made from what looked to be every pillow in the damn house. As if that wasn't dirty enough, he plied her with a mixing bowl full of ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce, a similar-sized sundae for him on the other side of the nest.

Ice cream, blankets, pillows, and boyfriend. The perfect recipe to get rid of post-kid and pre-finals blues.


[Dante modded with permission!]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"For me, too," Kathy said. "Above and beyond giving me the chance to meet you. But I like who I am. Started liking who I was back then, too. And that was the first time that was true."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Don't say shit that makes me want to kiss you," Dante said, grinning. "Might fuck up my back."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Just give me enough warning to cap the marker and you can kiss me whenever you want," Kathy said.

Because she would be an idiot to let her pretty drawings interfere with Dante-kisses.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Okay, then you better cap that marker," Dante said, smirking. "Dirty kinda."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Don't I usually trust you to cap my marker?" Kathy asked, not sure what that would actually be a euphemism for, but rolling with it anyway.

While ostentatiously capping said marker.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante laughed, turning around. He reached for her cheek and immediately pulled her into a kiss.

[spin_kick_snap]

And Kathy went, arms wrapping around him, mouth soft and opening beneath his.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante lingered in the kiss for a little bit. "You are," he murmured, "So fucking worth liking."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy didn't know how to respond to that. Thank you just seemed so inadequate. So she kissed him again, letting herself fall against his chest. "So long as you know it's true for you, too," she whispered.

[rebelseekspizza]

"You don't let me forget it," Dante teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Thanks."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not enough people told you that for about eight years there," Kathy told him. "I'm making sure you're aware."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante smiled.

He didn't say anything, but he kissed the tip of her nose. Gently.

[spin_kick_snap]

And, well...she just liked him. She liked spending time with him, he made her laugh and smile and relax in ways that few others could.

So she took opportunities to tell him that she liked him. That he was likable. Not just sexy or good at fucking or useful. But likeable.

She giggled at his kiss and stole one in return. "You want me to continue on your chest now?"

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante laughed. "Oh, you getting ambitious on me?" he teased. "Isn't there a show on body art you should be on?"

[spin_kick_snap]

His back was maybe half-done at best, but the outline was there at least. "Pretty sure we watched that the summer I came back," she said, amused. "I don't know if I can make you disappear though."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante reached for her hands. "So what are you planning to put on my front? Back, wings, I get."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Then down your spine, I decided to swap from a sword to a tail," Kathy said. "So I was thinking of doing a dragon curling around your chest, with its tail going over your shoulder."

Her fingers traced over his chest, illustrated how she was going to draw and where. "Western or Eastern dragon?" she asked.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Depends," Dante said. "Is Eastern gonna be cute or make me look like some white boy wannabe?"

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy grinned at him. "I dunno. How many Korean words are you up to now?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Du se madi," Dante said, grinning back.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy lit up, her smile a bright flash across her face. "More words than I expected, though!" she said, kissing him again. "Your accent is improving, too."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante grinned against her mouth. "Still sound like a white boy who watches too much Kdrama," he retorted.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Which is still like seven steps up from your average white boy," Kathy pointed out. "You've never even tried to speak Japanese to me, even one time."

She raised an eyebrow. "How many people are gonna see your naked chest before this washes off you think?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"Depending on where you put it... You and Anders?" Dante said, tilting his head.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Then if I draw you an Eastern dragon no one who sees it who is gonna think anything other than 'this is the kind of dragon that Kathy can draw better'," Kathy grinned. She wasn't a great artist, but practice had shored up a little of what natural talent had left behind.