Who: Cate Adler and Kent Brightstar What: Kind of, sort of planning for a future date. When: Sunday, April 6, 2019 | Afternoon Where: Kent's room Warnings: Some sexy talk
Any plans this afternoon?
Finished shopping for my dress for next weekend earlier than I expected.
We should actually plan a date or something ;-)
Plan? What is this madness?
Have fun?
Or maybe tell me in person.
So we can plan. Like people do.
Does that mean you're free?
Be over in a few. JJ is giving me a ride.
Cate still had her shopping bag in hand as she knocked on Kent's door, but she managed to raise it to give the girls a half wave as they disappeared into their own rooms. She was feeling particularly bouncy after a successful trip, despite some small lingering doubts about the dress itself, so she was already grinning by the time he opened the door. "Ready for a little madness?"
"With you? Always." Kent leaned out of his door and kissed her cheek before relieving her of her bag and then taking her hand to tug her inside and properly into his arms. The interior of his room was a bit better from the last time she'd come by, but only by degrees. There were books everywhere, but he'd made some effort to neaten it a little. He took just a moment to kiss her, because that was a thing he could do now, and then made a vague gesture to his space. "Make yourself comfortable. And now I can ask you properly: how was shopping?"
She never would have thought it only a month ago, but getting this sort of greeting from Kent felt comfortable and...well, normal. That wasn't to say the magic had worn off yet, because it definitely hadn't, and she dug her fingers into his hair and leaned into him, dragging him back down for just a little more before she let him release her.
"It was fun," she said brightly, only slightly winded from the kiss. She patted her bag. "And productive. I only hope it's not too much. I have no idea what to even expect from a Quodpot gala, and Tony is kind of useless for putting it into perspective. He's too used to it." Which, really, was part of his charm.
There was a significant increase in his body heat that lingered where Cate had been pressed against him. It left him with a soft smile on his face. "I hope you'll take this in the spirit that it's meant, but better you than me. I think we both know I'd be miserable and grouchy the whole time. Regardless, I know you'll both have fun, and you'll look amazing while doing it."
An impish look crossed his face. "You could always give me a preview of your outfit. Strictly for planning purposes, of course."
Cate giggled at that mental image, and not for the first time since that initial discussion. "Not that I wish pain on you, but that would kind of be adorable and hilarious for at least two seconds." She gave him one last kiss on the cheek and then wandered over to the bed to sit down. "If things get weird, I'll just talk my way out of them. I mean, famous people can't be any worse than drunken townspeople, right?"
She glanced down at the bag and then back up at him with an arch look. "Maybe if you cooperate with the planning." She patted the bed next to her and pulled out her phone. "Come on. I poked around and found a couple of lists we can start with."
He'd started toward the bed to join her, but hesitated a moment, his apprehension evident. "You brought lists? Plural? I really shouldn't be surprised, and yet…" Kent settled in next to her, shoulders together. "Hit me, Adler."
"They're not my lists," Cate said with an eye roll, bumping her shoulder to his as he sat, and then scooting back until her back hit the wall. "I just googled it and pulled up a few pages. Haven't even vetted them yet, so you'll get the fun of discovery right alongside me." She grinned over at him, greatly amused at his hesitation.
The first website advertised 32 cheap and fun ideas. She tilted the screen so that he could see it as she scrolled. "Go on virtual vacation together. Hmm. I mean, that sounds interesting in theory, but it loses something when you consider that you could get anywhere you wanted in a few minutes."
Pondering the idea for a moment, Kent worked through the logistics of such a thing. While it sounded absurd, there was something in it that spoke to his people-are-terrible heart. "Chances are, none of these lists were made with magic in mind. Could be novel. Or we could find a way to adapt one or two of them."
Since Cate had scooted back against the wall, Kent simply laid back and crossed an arm over his stomach. He was relaxed with her in a way he hardly ever was with anyone else. Open, almost vulnerable. He summoned his wand without a word and made a few motions. The lights dimmed, and glittery lights came from his wand tip. He smiled up at her. "We could preview number three: stargazing."
As he laid back on the bed, Cate ran a hand over his cheek and up to the top of his head, where she started idly combing her fingers through his hair. "Cheater. It distinctly says it's supposed to be outdoors. Besides, I thought we were planning a date." She dragged the pads of her fingers over his scalp. "Does this count for number eight: spa night with massage? Or should I have painted your nails first?"
His eyes slid closed of their own accord, and the only reason he didn't moan aloud was because he'd bitten the inside of his cheeks. After a moment, Kent gazed up at her, a hungry look in them that he just couldn't hide. He arched a brow, challenging. "I'll have you know that I would be more than happy to rock a set of red nails. I can just say they're dyed in the blood of my enemies."
That got an outright laugh out of her, and she gave his hair a playful tug before resuming her caresses. "You better be careful making statements like that, Dr. Brightstar. I might expect you to follow through with them." She watched the magical stars for a moment, but her gaze naturally drifted back to Kent's face. He looked really, really comfortable. Impulsively, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I wonder if there's anything on the list about lounging on the bed reading about date ideas?" She didn't lift her phone again to look at the list.
A faint growl slipped out from his best defences, but it went back to contentment when Cate resumed her gentle ministrations. "I'm excellent at follow through. And probably a little reckless in my commitment to a challenge. School was fun, if you can believe it." There was something vaguely wry in his expression for a second, but it passed. "And if doing exactly this isn't on it, then what kind of shit list is it?"
"Hey, don't go knocking other people's lists. They put hard work…" Cate giggled. "Okay, even I can't keep a straight face about clickbait." Now her fingers had gone back to tracing skin, starting down his temples and around his ears. "So are you saying I can get you to do pretty much whatever I want so long as I frame it as a challenge? Of course, that's assuming you don't already want what I want."
His low hum of agreement sounded suspiciously like a moan. It wasn't--never-- but it just barely skirted that line. There was his own challenge in his return gaze. "And what is it you want, Cate Adler?"
Cate debated, but it took long enough that she got distracted by the need to replace her fingers with her lips. It was just a feather-light kiss to the shell of his ear, but rather than bother to sit up again, she slid down onto the bed next to him. "There is officially no answer to that that doesn't sound impossibly cheesy," she murmured against his ear. Her now-free hand slid down his arm to find his hand. "Or maybe I just like being mysterious. You'll never know." Though, it would probably have helped if there wasn't a hint of a laugh in her voice.
"You know I love a good mystery." His voice had dropped to a low rumble in his chest. He didn't care at this point. "And I love cheesy. Maybe--" he grinned slowly, warming to the idea as it formed--"we can throw together a charcuterie and have a picnic somewhere. Surely that has to be on an internet list somewhere."
He turned on his side a little and moved in close, the arm that otherwise wasn't pressed to Cate's coming to rest across her stomach. He liked this, being able to touch her like he'd wanted to for years. He set up a loose pattern against her side and kissed her cheek. "Maybe it's not a given yet, but there's really not a whole lot of things that I wouldn't do with you." He paused, and the devil's own smile tugged at his lips. "Including our boyfriend."
He managed to hold that look for a beat, and then one more, before cracking into a grin. "Turns out I've got jokes."
Cate nuzzled the warm spot under his ear, laughing quietly. "You are the only person I know who can use the word 'charcuterie' in a sentence and somehow make it seem entirely natural. But yes, if there's not a picnic of some sort on there, then it is most definitely a shit list." She slid her fingers between his and shifted so that she could turn on her side to face him. "I'm pretty sure I've never been on a picnic. Like, a real one. I don't really count grabbing food from the cafeteria and eating it on the quad. Though, the quad had sun and warmth. Do you have somewhere in mind for this?"
She put her free hand on his chest, smiling back at him. "It's a joke, sure, but that doesn't make it untrue. I know that much, at least." She ran her fingers along the fabric of his shirt in a rhythm that unconsciously matched the one of his hand on her side, and her eyes dropped to watch the movement. "I have a question, actually. Sort of about that. Would this still be a thing if you and Tony weren't a thing? I'm not complaining about the package deal—I mean, Tony is a very nice package—but I can't help wondering."
The desire to point out that Cate might be better served to find a new class of people to hang out with never made it past his Broca's area, because Kent still had mastery over some things at the very least. The comment would have come from a good place, but even he could concede that it would have made him sound like an asshole. He was attempting to be better, because there were some pretty ugly truths about himself that he was finally in a place to realize that he didn't particularly like. So rather than respond with snark, he smiled and slipped his hand around to settled into the small of her back when she turned to face him. "Still working on the location piece, but probably somewhere warm and sunny. Would Hawaii be too much? I know Apparating and portkeys are a thing, but at some point it all starts feeling ostentatious. And then after that you've just set the bar too high."
Her question turned him thoughtful, even though he knew the truth almost immediately. He watched her for a moment, the way she was looking down, and, God, she was so beautiful. His heart ached. "I don't know. I'd like to say yes, it would have happened eventually. But… I'm not sure what would have pushed me to go for it, if it wasn't for Tony. We've been friends for so long, you and I. I guess I was always afraid to say anything. In case you didn't feel the same. Or feel anything like this. And I don't know how to read people anyway, so I was never sure. I know that's dumb. But at this point we'll never know, unless someone goes back with a time-turner and fucks with history. They'd better not, because this current timeline is working out really well for me. I'd hate to have to kill a time traveler on general principle."
Leaning in, Kent kissed her, fingers trailing up her spine and pulling her even closer. After some moments, he pulled back and searched her face intently. "Now I have a question: are you really okay with this? With trying to work something out between you, me, and Tony?"
Cate wanted to laugh at Kent's mention of Hawaii, mostly because her No-Maj college friends would flip if she posted pictures on social media, immediately flooding her with questions about her rich boyfriend. The strange part, though, was that it didn't seem like too much in some ways, because Kent himself was often too much, and it was the sort of thing she'd come to expect from him. It wasn't bad, but it was definitely a quirk. "That would be hard to top. Maybe start with keeping it in the continental forty-eight? San Diego is nice this time of year, and I could show you some of my old haunts. Not quite bikini weather yet, though."
She wasn't sure what she was expecting for an answer, or if she even really had an expectation, but it was the sort of question that would eat at her if she didn't get it out. "It's not dumb. It's probably not a fair question. I mean, it isn't as if it's all up to you. I'm not sure anything would have pushed me your direction, either." And then she sank easily into his kiss, because whatever the thing that had prompted this turn in their relationship, this was something she could hardly believe she hadn't wanted all along. Maybe if she'd known just how these parts could be with him, she would have.
"I'm really okay with this," Cate said without hesitation. "Still a little unsure of the logistics, tenuous about navigating certain parts of it, but I've never really put limits on myself when it comes to this sort of thing. Romance, I mean," she added, drawing the word out into almost a tease. After a pause, she asked, "Have you ever done this before? Three people in a relationship? Or wanted it before?"
Something akin to a pout flitted across his face. "You dangle the possibility of a bikini in front of me and then snatch it away, all because of a little thing like weather? That's just cruel and unusual punishment. I think there are international conventions that were established against that kind of torture. Hawaii might still have to be on the table, crazy expectations be damned. But I wouldn't mind seeing your San Diego. I never made it out that way very much when I was at school. Might be nice to see the actual cultural side of the city, as opposed to just its library."
It was a little difficult to hear that Cate hadn't really felt the same way until fairly recently, but Kent told himself that at least she was here now. The fact that she hadn't run screaming when Tony first talked to her about it spoke far more volumes than any what-never-was regrets. If nothing else, he appreciated her honesty. Her last question brought up a dark memory, however, and he didn't bother to keep its effects out of his expression. "Once. I've done it once-unintentionally. Couple of years out of vet school, during my healer training, I was dating a girl who neglected to tell me that she was also dating another guy. I walked away with a split lip and an above-average hatred for guys named Gary."
He laughed wryly and pulled himself even closer, now practically pressed against her. "But this is definitely not that, and I'm really not expecting it to turn into physical violence between me and Tony. Or even magical violence, for that matter. Your brothers on the other hand…"
This time, Cate didn't hesitate to laugh, and she ran her thumb across the pout of his lips. "You do know there are other places to see me in a bikini that aren't Hawaii, right?" She was still giggling even as the question came out. "Even Montana probably has a hot tub somewhere. Or San Diego, for that matter. But seriously, the library? I've got some serious educating to do if that is all you've seen."
She gave him a doubtful look. "I'm fairly sure it's not the same thing if you didn't know it was happening, and neither of you wanted it. Though, I have to say, you have an awfully optimistic attitude about this whole thing for someone whose total experience is an asshole named Gary." She slid her arm around him and closed that last tiny but of distance between them, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. She brushed her lips lightly across the bare skin. "I don't know why you two think my brothers are so scary. You've obviously never seen Freddy playing Princess Tea Party with Iris."
Kent smiled when her thumb grazed his lip. He almost nipped at it, but got distracted when she nuzzled into his neck. He hummed in approval to the petal softness of the light kiss. It made it a little hard to think. Hard, but not impossible. "The participating parties have a lot to do with my optimism. And we all know. Everyone's upfront with what we want. For instance, did you know that I no longer have seeing you in a bikini as my number one priority? Nope, it's a princess dress or nothing. I mean, preferably nothing, given the two. But you'd be surprised how intimidating a dude can be when he's rocking a cocktail dress and four inch heels."
He paused. "Not that I'm speaking from personal experience. Or my brother's. I… may have said too much. Out of unrelated curiosity, what are your thoughts on voluntary obliviation?"
Cate laughed into his neck, the vibration of it leaving an odd sensation on her skin. "I never, ever want to lose that mental image." She tilted her chin up and caught his jaw with her lips, lingering a little longer this time. "I think I can do one better. Find me an appropriate location, and I'll make it a princess cover-up with a bikini underneath. As for the rest, well…." She gave him a teasing smile that she wasn't entirely sure was even visible at this angle and in the dim light. "You lose clothing, and I lose clothing. It's pretty much as simple as that."
That smile against his throat made him go flush and pleased and hot all over. "All that losing, and yet I feel like a winner here."