From the Prom to Baltimore, Friday Night

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was had been at the prom for maybe half an hour before her phone rang; just enough time for her to have a few conversations and a quick trip to the refreshment table (or four). She was frowning when she felt it vibrating in her clutch, trying to think who it could be. If it was her parents, she decided, she was just going to ignore it and tell them later she was studying.

Imagine her surprise when the name that flashed across her screen was Gorgon. Actually, forget surprise. Imagine her concern.

"Hey," she said, setting her cup of punch on the closest table and ducking for the door. "Gorgon, it's Banzai. Did you mean to call me? Is everything okay?"

[For the caller, please!]

Comments

[gunslingerpose]

"Yeah, everything's fine," Gorgon replied, grinning down at the street from his perch on the edge of a roof. "Baltimore's missing you tonight, though. Sad night when they have to import a hero from Los Angeles because the usual beat is sleeping on the job."

Which was Nikolai-ese for 'I'm sort of in town for a movie premiere featuring one of my clients, it's Friday night, shit is busy and I'm surprised I haven't tripped over you yet.'

[spin_kick_snap]

Weird, but Kathy was able to translate most of that. "Ohhh," she said, laughing into her phone. "They called you to baby-sit. I was wondering who they'd get to cover my shift. I wasn't planning on heading out there until a lot later tonight."

But she was already looking for where she'd stashed her duffel bag on the way in.

[gunslingerpose]

"Well, shame," Gorgon chuckled. "You know how Fridays get, baby. Busy as hell. Not half as busy as L.A., but hey, they make do."

It was kind of cute, actually, after a few months of doing his patrols in the neighborhoods that the Seventeens frequented.

[spin_kick_snap]

"They try really hard," Kathy said, bouncing a bit in her heels to see if they'd stand up to a bit of a run.

Yeah, they seemed like they could handle it.

"Tell you what. I haven't had dinner yet. Think you could tear yourself away from rifling through dirtbags' wallets long enough to meet up for food? This is Baltimore--you can't be too far from a McDonalds or whatever. And then you can make sure I don't slack off further. Sound good?"

[gunslingerpose]

"Sounds like a plan," Gorgon replied, chuckling. "There's a golden arches down the road from here, remember that neighborhood where you turned into a goat?"

Klipspringer, whatever.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I was some kind of antelope!" Kathy argued, laughing again. "And yeah. That was pretty memorable. God, I was convinced you were terrible at everything. You were going to get eaten by an eagle and there was nothing I could do about it."

She pulled up her mental map of Baltimore and estimated the time. "Give me...seven minutes?" Even though odds were poor she'd fall in her shoes, she figured they'd probably slow her down a little.

[gunslingerpose]

"I think I can handle seven minutes," Gorgon decided. "Unless there are eagles out and about tonight."

Yeah. Darn those big, scary eagles.

[spin_kick_snap]

"If you are messily devoured by the time I get there, I'll tell you I told you so and then mourn you appropriately," Kathy promised. "Talk to you in a few, Gorgon."

Shoving her phone into her clutch and her clutch into her dufflebag, she took off towards the Causeway. Yeah, she'd probably get there slightly faster if she changed into her Banzai gear first, but...it was prom, dammit. She was going to wear her prom dress for as long as she could.

Closer to eight minutes later, Kathy strolled into the McDonalds, looking for the guy in the leather duster and mirrored shades.

[gunslingerpose]

And yeah, the guy in the leather duster with the mirrored shades was giving a low whistle as Kathy walked into the restaurant.

"Jesus fucking Christ," he said, making his way over to her. "You come into a restaurant like this dressed like that? I feel like I should be taking you by the arm and walking you down the red carpet I spent my afternoon on today. What's the occasion?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Prom," Kathy said, grinning up at him. It had been a night for compliments and she was feeling really good tonight. Better than she had in weeks, in fact. "And since I only bought this today, I figured I should get a little more use out of it before I change into something a little more utilitarian. But, hey, if Mr. Hollywood likes it, I must've done well."

[gunslingerpose]

"Mr. Hollywood, interrupting a rainbow-striped starlet from her high school prom," Nick mused, shaking his head. "Shit, now I feel bad about calling you. Can I at least get you the finest big mac that money can buy to make up for it?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Eh, she'll have another, it's no big deal," Kathy said. "And it's not like I bailed on a date or something. But here, to make you feel better, I'll let you get me the whole value meal. Extra-large."

Honestly, as much fun as she'd been having, she was kinda happier right here.

[gunslingerpose]

"See, now I feel much better," Nick decided with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Here, I'll let you order and just hand them my card, then."

Which was finally recovering after paying off the damages to that hotel room, goddamn.

[spin_kick_snap]

In fairness, he'd bled over most of it. That whole room had been a biohazard.

"My hero," Kathy said, dimpling at him. "That just means I'm going to add a McFlurry and an extra triple cheeseburger to my order."

[gunslingerpose]

"I didn't even know they made triple cheeseburgers," Nikolai admitted, blinking. "Learn something new every day. I was going to just get a chicken sandwich and a Coke."

Of course, the cashier was going to think all the food was going to him. They generally did. And then he laughed at them, on the inside. Little did they know.

[spin_kick_snap]

Yup! They had no idea the tiny Asian chick next to him could eat him under the table on her worst day and his best.

"Shall I order you a side salad, too? Swap your Coke to a Diet?" she teased, giving him a wink over her shoulder. "So Hollywood."

[gunslingerpose]

"There's nothing wrong with being Hollywood," Nick countered. "Hollywood's paying for me to be here right now, and for this meal. And damn right I'll have the side salad. But I want that Coke super-sized, and if I detect even a hint of aspartame in that shit, I'm taking your flurry back and eating it myself."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Them's fighting words," Kathy gasped. "Stealing food out of a growing girl's mouth. But like I'd do that to you. Swapping out for a Diet on someone is just cruel."

She was a superhero, Nick, she wouldn't do you like that!

At the register, she ordered for both of them, hiding a smile as the cashier starting giving Nick weird looks about the time she got to the third item, and handed over his card to pay for it all. The sodas she filled up herself, bringing Nick over a cup almost as big as her head, brimming with regular soda, as ordered.

"Thank you for dinner, Hollywood," Kathy said sincerely, handing it over. "We're order 38, the rest of it's going to take a bit. So, what's got you on the East Coast? Besides me not doing my job, I mean."

[gunslingerpose]

"Doing my job," Nick replied, shrugging as he took the Coke. "One of my clients had a red carpet thing going on not too far from here, so I figured since I was in the neighborhood, I'd swing by the old stomping grounds, see how it's holding up. A bit of getting back to my roots, you know?"

It didn't seem to be coming apart at the seams, at least. That was a good sign.

[spin_kick_snap]

It had been hard, but Banzai had managed to soldier on, even in the Gorgon's absence.

"Oooh, fancy," Kathy said, eyes bright. "You sure no one's gonna need you to hold their hand later? Or their hair? Cause, so help me, you bail on me in the middle of a fight to go baby-sit a grown adult...!"

[gunslingerpose]

"Bail? Me? Never. I'll bring you along so that you can laugh at some famous jerk's shame. It's the only way they'll ever learn."

Really, they probably needed babysitting more than Kathy did, anyway.

[spin_kick_snap]

And, let's be real. As soon as Kathy got there, she'd do her best to help somehow, even if by only tidying up the trashed hotel room.

Or holding someone's hand. Or even--sigh--their hair.

"I see how it is," she said, laughing. "You decide to walk the carpet by yourself, but as soon as you want to tangle with drunks and dealers, then it's 'let's call Kathy, see what she's up to.' Feeling the love here."

Was she happy he called to tangle with drunks and dealers? Oh hell yeah.

[gunslingerpose]

"Well, I could've called Allie instead," Nick mused. "For both of those things. I'm sure she would've happily left Tiny to handle The Devil's Nest for the night, after all."

But then, he didn't have his bike with him, so maybe it was a toss-up?

[spin_kick_snap]

Wait. He'd called her first? Kathy dropped her eyes and smiled, warmed down to her toes in her ridiculous little shoes.

"But if you called her, you wouldn't be getting such weird looks from the McD's staff right now," Kathy said, getting up to fetch their meals. "And what a loss that would be!"

[gunslingerpose]

"True, true," Nick chuckled. "Just wait until we sit down and start doling out our meals, though. Where do you even put all of this? That soda isn't going to fit in your little clutch purse."

A bit of lighthearted teasing, right there.