Reed Jensen (_rube_) wrote in willowbrookrpg, @ 2014-04-16 07:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, day: december 22, katherine graves, player: kelly, player: livia, reed jensen |
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Who: Reed and Kat
What: adorable and silly fun
When: Sunday evening, December 22, 2013
Where: his secret apartment in the city
Rating: F for fluffy!!! (we mostly glossed over any smut)
Status: doc/closed
This was just what Reed needed. The first few hours of his time at the apartment with Kat had been filled with a lot of making out, groping, and passionate sex. He was simply too impatient to hold off until later in the evening. May as well get straight to business! Especially since he knew there was a chance he could get called back to Willowbrook. Besides, sex helped calm him, and he knew later in the night there’d be time for more naked fun. But right now they both needed a break and food.
Reed peeled himself away from Kat’s embrace and tugged on his boxer briefs while climbing off the bed. “I stocked up on groceries earlier. I got everything needed for some amazing pancakes and eggs.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before standing upright and strolling into the kitchen section of the studio apartment.
---
It had been nine days since their last visit to the apartment. Just over a week, but it had felt like months since she’d seen Reed. Kat had dropped everything as soon as the apartment door closed behind her and quite literally leapt into his arms. The rest had been a blur; a long-anticipated, blissful blur. She was grateful for it on multiple levels, not least of them the fact that she planned to see Jamie the following night. Kat was doing her best not to think about it. The prospect of pancakes helped greatly.
Kat climbed out of bed after him, pulling the long ‘I <3 NY’ shirt he’d bought her in a bind earlier that month over her head as she went. She stretched her arms high over her head and walked on her tip toes, arching her back as she padded through the kitchen to grab a water bottle from the fridge. “Grilled cheese. Pancakes. Eggs. You’ve got all the essentials mastered, huh?” She shot him a smile over the glow of the refrigerator door, pulling out the eggs and milk for pancakes to set them on the counter.
Kat hopped up on the kitchen island, swinging her feet and sipping her water. “I love this. Being normal like this,” she confessed with a smile. Having a place of their own where they didn’t have to sneak around and hide was such a gift. Kat watched Reed move around the kitchen, eying him without restraint. Besides, where else could they walk around half naked and cook pancakes at night.
---
She looked extremely sexy in that t-shirt. It was a good reminder. She’d been wearing it the first time they kissed. Sure, that night had been all sorts of awkward, but it helped bring them to this point, and things between them were better than ever. Reed wouldn’t change anything. If he did, he might not have Kat now.
He loved it too and smiled brightly at Kat’s comment. “Yeah, same. It’s nice.” Reed glanced at her from time to time as he worked on mixing the pancake batter and warming the pan. “Although, you should know, we’re still sorta sharing the place. You know my friend, Sam? She’s uh...she’s dating a Syndicate guy.” Reed didn’t give Kyle’s name, because he wasn’t sure if that was okay, and because Kat was probably better off not knowing, just as she’d not wanted to know Emma’s identity. “She and I talk a lot about all this. It’s hard, the sneaking around. Having a place like this makes it easier.” Because in the apartment Reed and Kat could be themselves without all the pressure of secrets.
“Oh, so mom wants to do the spa thing on the 24th. If that’s okay with you. She wanted your cell phone number to call and schedule things, but I didn’t know how you felt about her having your number. I mean, she might start calling you all the damn time, or texting, and she texts like a twelve year old girl.” He rolled his eyes. Reed was tired of all the text speak his mother used. “If I have to see LOL again in a text, with her thinking it means ‘lots of love’, I’ll stab myself.”
---
News that another couple was sharing the apartment had Kat rolling her eyes - not because she had a problem with it, but because their situation was starting to sound so commonplace. “How many of us are there, I wonder? Sleeping with ‘the enemy’?” she asked dramatically. “Honestly. If we’re all breaking the rules, why have them to begin with? If most of us like one another in one capacity or another, why fight?” Kat slipped off of the counter with a groan and dropped her hands against her thighs, having no answer to her own questions.
It didn’t really matter much now - they couldn’t fix it and there was only so much time they had together each week. She didn’t want to spend it debating the pointlessness of policy. Kat wandered past him as he worked on the pancakes and gave his shoulder a quick kiss between sips of water. “That works. Good call on the cell phone though,” she said with a demure laugh. “My Mom made that mistake a few years ago. She wrote ‘Grammy died last night. She will be missed. LOL.’” Kat bit her lip to keep herself from laughing - it seemed inappropriate, even now. But she couldn’t help grinning like she’d gotten away with something.
Lovely as it was to walk around barefoot, Kat realized that she was getting a little cold waiting for the pancakes. She wandered back to the bed in search of a sweater that had been tossed haphazardly. Kat laughed from across the apartment when she found it hanging precariously from a bookend. “We redecorated the place with clothes, did you notice? Very derelict chic.” Lord only knew where the rest had gotten too. The sweater, when pulled from the bookshelf, was accompanied by an unexpected thump from the floor. Kat peered to find the source, and frowned apprehensively when it was located. It was a little jewelry box.
Quietly to avoid drawing attention, she palmed it up from the floor and popped open the clamshell. Kat blanched like she’d seen a ghost and immediately snapped it closed again, stuffing it back onto the bookcase in the nearest available nook. A huge blue diamond ring was inside. Oh no no no. Pulling her sweater over her head, Kat retreated to the kitchen and did her damnedest to pretend that hadn’t just happened.
---
Reed just shrugged over her questioning of the ‘rules’. He didn’t understand them either. There was really no point discussing them with Kat, because they were in complete agreement on the topic. It was a waste of their time to complain about how Centurion and Syndicate agents had so much in common, and, apparently, were much more cozy than the leaders of either faction would like.
He chuckled over the dark humor. “I haven’t had the heart to correct my mom. Did you ever tell yours what LOL really means?” He figured it might lead the poor woman to feel terrible about her use of it when discussing the death of a family member. “But, yeah, I’ll give you my mom’s number...you can make plans with her directly that way. She hasn’t learned how to program contacts into her phone, so if you call her, she won’t know how to save the number to text you later. She might call you, but I can’t do anything to help you there.”
Reed peeked around the edge of the shelving when he heard Kat go silent. It was just in time to see her shove the velvet box back where she’d apparently found it. Reed looked more pale than normal in that instant. He swallowed hard, looking a little terrified as Kat rejoined him. “I can explain,” he said quickly. He knew that she’d seen the ring inside, and judging by Kat’s expression, she was having an internal panic attack. “I didn’t buy it. I didn’t even ask for it. Mom gave it to me yesterday when she visited the campus. She’s so fucking excited about us dating that she insisted upon giving me my grandmother’s ring. I didn’t know what the fuck to do with it, so I shoved it on the shelf.” All the words flew from his mouth in a hurry, hoping to calm Kat’s fears. He wasn’t planning to propose to her! They’d just started dating and sleeping together. He hadn’t even confessed his true feelings yet. WAY TOO SOON to be getting engaged!
---
What the hell was she supposed to do with this information, this little karmic blooper? She wasn’t supposed to see that, she knew, but she had and she couldn’t unsee it. Reed wasn’t the sort to jump the gun like that either, so as Kat made her way back to the kitchen, she was trying frantically to work through scenarios in her head. Why did he have that? Did it belong to Sam, perhaps? Had Colin skipped town before he could come back and retrieve it, and it was meant for Emma? Kat loved Reed. Even if she couldn’t yet admit that to herself, somewhere in her gut she knew it was true. But this was ridiculous. Even if they DID ever get to that point, she couldn’t wear that! Not as things between their agencies were now. Even the green wire ring was a bit risky.
Reed’s voice stopped her. She lifted her eyes to him, wider than they’d been in ages. “Alright,” she responded, quiet to let him do so. His explanation made sense, but her nervous heartbeat still felt like an anvil in her chest. Kat nodded, leaning her back against the far wall in the kitchen, well out of reach. “Ok.” She breathed. “Ok,” she repeated. “That’s sweet of her … but I think we might need some boundaries with her,” she added delicately. Kat didn’t want Reed thinking she didn’t like his mother, because she did, but WOW. “I mean, my sisters just met you. Neither of my parents have. It’s been nine days. We haven’t … Or - I can’t even tell Jamie about this until tomorrow night and that’s... It’s beautiful. These are really big things. Mari can’t have my number though. No.” At some point it started to sound like Kat was talking to herself, working through an incoherent web of thoughts before she snapped out of it.
She stopped to take a settling breath. “It’s nice that she approves. It means a lot, but she does know that’s … kind of out of the question, right? It’s been a week.”
---
Reed wasn’t upset by Kat’s suggestion of boundaries, but he did visibly tense when she mentioned Jamie. It was a reflex. Something Reed couldn’t control. He didn’t address it though. Didn’t ask about why Kat hadn’t told Jamie yet, or what was happening tomorrow night (why night?). Reed focused on his mother and the inappropriate gift she’d bestowed upon him. He put his hands on Kat’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Breathe,” he said gently, and she did so. “Technically, it’s been much longer than a week, at least as far as feelings go. I think she could see that when we were home.. back when you and I were trying to ignore it. But I promise you that I’m not going to surprise you with a proposal anytime soon. I…” he couldn’t even tell her he loved her. Not yet. Not now. Not like this. “I don’t want anyone else, but getting engaged would be way too big of a step right now. We can’t even live together.” So even if they did get married, which was a big if even though he was hopeful for a future with Kat, they’d have to keep it a secret.
“I’ll tell her to ease up. She’s just excited. She likes you. A lot.” He grinned then, “I wouldn’t let her anywhere near your supply of birth control.” The idea made Reed chuckle, though it was a legit warning. Mari couldn’t be trusted.
---
His hands on her shoulders, Kat gradually began to settle. She pushed off of the wall and wrapped her arms around Reed’s torso for a moment, resting her head against his collarbone. She fought the urge to explain away her worry, to elaborate on the reasons why her long-held paranoia about situations like this were legitimate. Whether Reed liked it or not, in her head, Jamie was a perfect example. She’d known him for five months before they’d started dating. She’d even lived in her own place in Seagram for six months before she’d moved in with him, because Kat did not dive into things like this. Ever. In that sense, Reed was a first; they’d gone from 0 to 60 in no time at all. And now there was a huge freakin’ ring on the bookshelf.
“Mom Powers, right.” Mari would have to have been blind not to have seen it, but that mattered little. Kat nodded, feeling a bit reassured. “Alright. Sorry. I’m just … yikes.” Kat squinted and made a small whistling noise. “Parents, right?” Her eyes widened at his warning about her birth control. “Are you serious? She really would? That’s … devious! Horrible.” Manipulating people into having children was not okay. Kat really wanted to stop talking about Mari. It was making her nervous. “How about you hang out with Mari on the 24th. I’ll chill with Hunter. Yeah?” she asked hopefully. Kat raised her head abruptly. “Oh crap, are the pancakes on?”
---
“Mom powers. Way more terrifying than mutant powers.” Stronger too. Reed wished there was a negator he could hire to null his mom’s abilities. That would be awesome. But no, he had to deal with her being extremely intrusive. He hoped she didn’t scare away Kat in the process. Shit like that ring really threatened to do so.
“I’m just saying I don’t really trust her to not do something. The woman wants grandchildren badly.” And now that she knew Reed and Kat were serious about one another, she was itching for them to speed things up. She needed to relax. They were already moving in a fast forward sort of way.
He shook his head at Kat’s suggestion and released her to check on the pancakes. First batch never turned out great anyway. Reed flipped them right into the garbage and poured the next round. “Sorry, but you have to learn how to deal with my crazy mom. I’m putting up with your crazy sisters, so it’s only fair. At least there’s just one of my mom. The twins are running me ragged. Did you know they want to have a slumber party and paint my nails? They also want me to wear a fucking trench coat every time I leave campus with them as a bodyguard.” He adjusted the heat of the burner and then stirred the bowl filled with batter to keep the surface from drying out. “I’m gonna get arrested by a mall cop for looking like a pervy creeper at Victoria’s Secret.”
---
“Lack of trust is almost as bad. I don’t think she’ll be getting anywhere near my medicine cabinet in Seagram any time soon, though,” Kat pointed out. No need to worry about that. Mari would have to shelf her blossoming dreams of grandchildren. Kat faked a pout when Reed declined swapping up his parents for Christmas Eve day’s hangout. “But Hunter thought I was a stripper for a few seconds when we first met. We had a connection,” she mock-pleaded, referencing the ‘Artist formerly known as Kitten’ joke that had gone so horribly wrong at the Indianapolis Airport.
She followed him back into the kitchen and took to leaning against the center island. “Fine, fine. You have a point. You haven’t earned your honorary Theonese decoder ring yet, so I’m sure it’s no walk in the park for you.” Kat laughed aloud when he elaborated on the twins’ particular brand of torture. “So - Tiye wants to paint your nails. Theo’s demanding the trench coat, am I right?” At least they had drastically different personalities. It made their madness easier to predict.
Kat moved to grab some orange juice and other breakfast-for-dinner groceries from the fridge while Reed worked on the pancakes. The kitchen was started to fill with the smell of them. “Do NOT let my sisters take you to Victoria’s Secret. That will not end well. Ever. But I’m sure you could outrun a mall cop. In fact, if you do, please record it. I could use a good laugh over at the tower during my workday.” Kat shrugged. “Or tell Theo she has to wear a pink frilly dress to get you to wear a trench. You’ll be off the hook.”
---
He laughed loudly. “Because I called you Kitten. Totally understandable for a super hot girl named Kitten to be mistaken for a stripper. If you’d been wearing clear plastic heels, even I would have wondered about your career.” He leaned over the island and stole a quick kiss. “I’m going to have to request that you strip for me later. Maybe we could have a stripper pole installed in here…” he mused with a grin that held plenty of mischief.
“They’re both demanding the trench coat, actually. Theo was the first to bring it up, saying it was required if I wanted her to wear a plastic Thor helmet and carry around his hammer. Tiye seconded the suggestion. So, basically, I was outvoted.” Reed suspected that would happen a lot. Two against one at all times. He was screwed.
“What if the mall cop has a Segway?! I’m totally screwed. I mean, I’m screwed either way, because me in a trench coat tagging along after two teenagers shopping for underwear is bound to end badly. I predict photos of me in women’s lingerie.” Reed sighed in resignation. “I’m a toy to them, aren’t I?” he asked.
---
Kat hid her laughter behind a hand, terribly amused but a little embarrassed by the whole thing, even a month later. “That’s Blair’s evil secret, doncha know. He’s assembling an army of highly trained strippers. It get confusing though. Everyone’s codename is Candy or Destiny.” Mention of a stripper pole earned him an amused shove to the shoulder. “April Fool’s is four months away. Besides, a girl with wings on a stripper pole? So cliché. But the strip - that I can manage.” Kat pulled playfully at the band of his boxer briefs in passing, on her way to retrieve glasses for the orange juice.
It was hard to be sympathetic to his plight when the situation was so damned funny. The mental rendering of Reed running from a segway-mounted mall cop in a trench coat with her teenage sisters, one dressed as Thor ... Kat grinned, then nodded. “I’m not sure how Woo would handle that, having to bail out one of his agents, dressed like that, for that sort of infraction. You might want to veto, as the adult, before they tag on any new ideas.”
“You’re a really cute toy?” It was a statement, phrased as a question as if to ask if that made him feel any better. Kat smiled, having had enough of pulling his strings. “I’ll call them, tell them to take it easy on you. I doubt they had any need to go underwear shopping before you volunteered to chaperone. Besides,” Kat added, sliding a glass of orange juice his way before taking a sip from her own. “Theo burnt most of her toys growing up.” Kat made nope face and shrugged.
---
“You can let your wings out whenever you want. I know the apartment is small, but there’s room enough if you’re careful.” He didn’t want her feeling like she had to keep them contained. Reed knew it was more comfortable for her to let them out. Her playing at his boxer briefs made him want to let something out out as well, but he behaved for the time being. Food first.
Reed chuckled too. It really was funny. “They walk all over me. I have no power over them. I’m blaming you though.” He gave her ass a little slap as she fetched orange juice.
His eyes went wide at the idea of being burned. “I’d rather not be turned into a well-done steak, thanks. No burning.” He grabbed the glass she’d poured for him then and took a big slurp. Then Reed motioned toward the entertainment center. “Put on some music?” He was cooking, and they were going to eat, may as well have something to listen to.
---
“Thanks,” Kat said, wearing an appreciative smile. It was nice to have the option. “I don’t hit things though - my spacial awareness kind of … expands when they’re out, if that makes sense? Like I wouldn’t ram my arm into a doorway walking through it. Same thing.” She’d think about it. Somehow that felt intensely personal to her in this new space - their space. Besides, she’d gotten spoiled, used to having a bio manipulator around to help when she wanted to make that change. Shifting bone and tissue to allow for 26 feet of wings wasn’t like changing one’s shoes.
“Teenage girls walk all over everyone. Blaming me?” She scoffed while heading for the entertainment center, searching for his phone to hook up a music player. “Can’t imagine how it could be my fault. I left for school when they were six. We’re nothing alike.” Truth - truth - lie. Kat smirked while sweeping through his iTunes. Who had he mentioned? Radiohead and … Weezer. She poked around at a few options, set both to shuffle their full collections, hit play and returned to gather some plates and utensils.
Kat had no idea what it was that was playing. Admittedly, she only knew a few Radiohead songs. She was pretty sure the vocals that started to fill the apartment belong to Radiohead, not Weezer. Regardless, she loved the sound. She was dancing by the time she reached the plate cabinet.
---
Reed was simply putting the possibility out there. He didn’t want Kat to feel like she wasn’t free to be herself. Besides, her wings were beautiful, and Reed rarely got to see them. But it was her call. Maybe later.
Reed gave a hearty laugh. “Nothing alike. MY ASS! You’re all terrible.” But he adored the three of them. Theo and Tiye were basically his sisters now too. “Good thing I like you,” he said with a wink at her while she searched for something on his phone to play. Reed had plenty of music on his iPhone. Wouldn’t be hard for her to find something. Apparently, she’d remembered their conversation about Weezer and Radiohead. Nude started to play, somewhat appropriately. It was a little slow paced, but Kat sure did look good moving to it.
Flipping the first batch of pancakes onto a plate, he waited to pour the next batch, opting to grab Kat to his body instead. “You. Are so very sexy,” Reed informed her between kisses, his hand on her ass.
---
“Well I’m your terrible. You’ll just have to get used to it.” She shot him a pout in mock sympathy. “Poor Reed.” Kat nodded - it was a very good thing he liked her. The fact that her sisters so obviously adored him (they wouldn’t have given him such a hard time otherwise, or even bothered with him) was just an extra dollop of icing on a five star cake.
Kat came willingly when pulled close, but didn’t stop moving to the chorus of Nude, even when Reed’s hands moved down her body. She loved his touch; strong, gentle, playful. Their mid-kiss conversation made her smile. “Leave the pancakes. For a minute?” She requested, returning the affection he peppered on her lips. She slipped her hand in his and pulled him away from the counter to dance around the kitchen.
“You’re adorable, cooking pancakes at night in your boxers.” Kat scratched at the shadow on his jaw before wrapping herself beneath his arm, turning her back to him in a moment of swing-inspired enjoyment. “All you need is a pair of argyle socks, sock suspenders and a tie.” She grinned. “You’d look like 50s lady porn.” Kat laughed aloud, turning back out into her own space on the tile floor.
---
"You're the best kind of terrible," he said with a grin that simply could not be contained. She made him so damn happy. Even Kat's sisters made him happy. He enjoyed their teasing. It was heartfelt. They treated him like family and helped ease the pain of not being able to see Kat everyday. They were part of her, and having them close was comforting. It also felt good to be able to take care of them in Kat's stead. It was something he could do for the woman he loved, and that made him feel needed.
Kat pulled him away from the burner, and Reed pulled the pan off the heat so it didn't catch fire. That would be bad. Now he could focus on the blond bombshell in his arms. "You know I don't like ties," he whispered as he rocked with her, moving to the music. Kat spun away, but Reed was quick to follow and scoop her up once more. He wrapped her hands around the back of his neck then placed his hands upon her lower back. "I don't smoke either, so I'm not sure I fit this image you're cooking up in your head. Unless you've got a naughty stewardess fantasy, I am a pilot..."
---
That they couldn’t have this every day made her heart ache. At the same time, she couldn’t have been happier that they had each other at all, even once a week. Her arms resting around the back of his neck, Kat took a moment to adjust to the beat of the next song as the shuffle moved forward. This one she thought she knew, but only vaguely; Radiohead’s ‘All I Need.’ The lyrics she liked. They felt appropriate. Kat kissed his neck following his response to the mention of ties. She knew they aggravated his claustrophobia. “I know. No ties. I’m not really into Don Draper, anyway. But a naughty stewardess…”
Kat nipped gently at his earlobe and whispered “permission to come aboard, captain?” She couldn’t hold back laughter afterward and tucked her face against her arm to stifle it. The line had sounded much better in her head - that was just ridiculous. She loved it. As the week trudged on, she hadn’t realized how stressed she’d gotten - this easy, carefree fun was exactly what she needed. Kat picked her head up and shook it pointedly. “Let’s keep it that way. Have you ever kissed someone with cigarette mouth? It’s gross. It’s not an image I’d ever want you to fit.
---
Reed hummed along with the song. He wasn't a singer. He wasn't tone deaf either, but music wasn't a talent of his. He liked this song though. A lot. It made him think of Kat every time he heard it. Probably why it was on his phone to begin with.
The humming was interrupted by laughter. "That might be the best and worst pickup line I've ever heard." The chuckles continued. The visual of her joining him in the cockpit was nice though. "One day, I'm taking you flying." He didn't know when or how, especially since Kat couldn't hop in the Centurions' jet, but he'd make it happen. Until then, they'd just have to settle for this apartment. Not a bad compromise.
"And just who have you been kissing that had an ashtray mouth?" He asked with a raised eyebrow before twirling her and then pulling her back right to his chest. "Can't say I've dated any smokers. Haven't dated many women at all." Three, including Olivia. And there was a lot of time between each of those relationships. Each one had been someone he dated because Kat wasn't single. She was rarely single.
---
Kat was a bit disappointed that her lame pick-up line had caused him to stop humming. She’d liked the sound of it, but the laughter was almost as pleasant. “I know, right? Someday I will be able to use that. It will be such a perfect, ironic moment. Mark my words. And I’ll hold you to that. Seems a little unfair that we’ve never been flying together. You know - ignoring the trip to Indiana.” That didn’t count. They’d both been in coach trying to ignore how uncomfortable they both were.
“I said ‘kissed,’ not ‘kissing.’ I’m not kissing anyone but you.” She did so, as if to prove her point. “I kissed a guy in a club oh … yikes. When I was 22? It was one of those ‘yay I can legally drink, now it’s time to abuse the privilege’ moments. I didn’t know he smoked. Not pleasant. You didn’t miss out.” Cigars were an entirely different matter, but she glossed over that, as she did the little bit about the fact that her wilder school days had happened the year after Reed had left.
Kat twirled under his arm, her face lit with a bright smile. She came back, one hand still in the one he’d used to spin her, the other at home at his chest where she could feel his heart through her fingertips. “I know. I remember all of them,” she owned, indirectly admitting she’d been watching his dating life closely. Kat hadn’t been single much, but she hadn’t stayed with any of them but one longer than a couple of months. Otherwise she’d been non-committal, just passing time. “Is this the part where you add but I have dated a lot of men? Because that sentence sounds like it was supposed to go somewhere…”
---
"The trip to Indy definitely doesn't count. I'm a terrible passenger." He was so very nervous in a plane unless he was the one flying it. "But thank you for holding my hand the whole trip," he said sweetly while kissing her jaw line. "Someday, we'll fly in style. You can be my copilot." She had to be better at it than Brian. He might be a lost cause.
Reed relished the kissing. How had he gone so many years without tasting her lips? "Glad you're not kissing anyone else. And I'm hoping the ashtray man didn't have herpes," he joked with a snort. "Honestly, Kat, a bar hookup? I'm really starting to wonder if you actually are a stripper and the Syndicate is your cover."
He laughed heartily. "Busted. I'm sorry to inform you, dear, but I loooove cock. Can't get enough of it. The three women I dated before you were just beards. Same as you. I'm really just using you to make my mom happy. When I go back to Willowbrook tomorrow, I plan on taking an ass pounding or twenty from all my hairy lovers." Reed let one hand slide up her ass, around her abdomen, and finally come to rest on her breast, giving it a squeeze. "Nope. Doesn't do a thing for me. Just chest fat. Boobs are lame."
---
“I thought you had a stuffed dinosaur for that? Just a rumor? Shame.” She shrugged. The kisses were a welcome thanks, though not needed. Kat hadn’t minded. She’d been so looking forward to leaving New York with him she’d been willing to overlook a case of early-onset arthritis from his white-knuckling.
Kat’s eyes grew large. “Herpes? Ok, just because you never made out with someone at a bar … oh come on!” She laughed. “Ashtray Man was probably a superhero, with a moniker like that. And he was a perfect gentleman. With really horrible breath,” Kat defended, one hand moving to her hip to stand akimbo, wearing a haughty, defiant look that took every ounce of her concentration not to mess up. “Besides, if Syndicate was just a cover and not a real association, don’t you think I would have stripped my sexy self past Willowbrook security and crashed at your place by now?” There. Point made, she felt.
But it just got worse. Kat’s face started to blush from laughter. He made such an impassioned case for his love of cock she might have been worried if she didn’t know him better. “Perfect. Tits McGee and CockHound. What a pair.” Kat waited patiently while Reed determined whether or not boobs did anything for him, then arched an incredulous brow at him. She pulled at the band of his boxers and peered downward, exasperated when she found no response. Kat threw her hands in the air. “Jesus, twelve years and he’s a fairy. Thanks, Karma. Suck a dick!”
---
"Gentleman? Woah, a second ago, he was just some random dude you made out with while drunk, but now he's a gentleman. Maybe even a superhero." Reed raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to suspect there's more to this story that you're hiding from me." But the idea of her visiting him at Willowbrook was a nice one. "You can climb through my window any night of the week. Just no cigarettes."
An insult to his manhood! Reed couldn't allow that. He spun them until Kat's back was pressed right against the wall, with the whole of Reed's body holding her firmly in place. He kissed her with all the passion and love he felt until they were both breathless. "I'm calling you Tits McGee from now on," he whispered against her lips, grabbing hold of her hand and cupping it to his crotch so she could feel that she did indeed excite him. Mental images of her had only been his spank bank material since nearly forever. It was a miracle any other woman ever managed to get him hard.
---
“He was, and that’s the whole story. I didn’t get his name, but he was a nice guy. We talked as much as you can over that crazy music. I kissed him once, and the fat lady sang. Because it was gross. And Ashtray Man does sound like a bad superhero name. Or Villain. Whatever.” Kat was amused by the whole exchange, but that’s really all there was too it. She’d been a bit distraught, and more than a little bit stupid at the time. “If I didn’t think Woo would call in Centurion SWAT, I might.”
She’d hardly finished her karmic reprimand when she found herself borne back, pressed firmly between Reed and the wall. Barely able to catch her breath, she was more than a little surprised -pleasantly- by the result of her taunting. All timidity from the week prior seemed to have left him. This was much more fun. The sudden racing of her heart and the color in her cheeks was enough to testify to how greatly he affected her. “Sure, Cockhound,” she murmured in reply, giving the body part that would inspire his new nickname if he chose to continue calling her Tits McGee an exploratory grope. Kat claimed his lips for her own pleasure a moment longer before slipping away from the press of his body.
“Aaand now I need some water. Cold water. Probably everywhere, but I’ll settle for a bottle. Want one?” Kat padded barefoot back to the kitchen to rustle through the fridge. If ever there was a good time to gloat, now would be it.
---
"Just ask Ashtray Man to help you sneak in. I mean, he's got superpowers, right? Like, he can use a cigarette smoke screen to create a diversion, allowing you to fly up to my window and climb into my bed where you belong." If Reed had his way, they'd never leave his bed. The one in his apartment or the one at Willowbrook. Either was fine by him.
He was thinking about returning to the bed right now, what with the half mast he was sporting and Kat encouraging it with her groping and kisses. But she peeled herself away and hurried into the kitchen space. Reed groaned. "I think I need a cold shower. But I'll settle for cold pancakes." He grabbed one off the plate after dragging his bare feet after Kat. The doughy flapjack was room temperature now, but still good. Even without syrup.
"I brought your Christmas present with me," he said, looking for a change of subject since they were apparently taking a break from sex.
---
“I feel like this is turning into Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along, not a legit superhero reference,” Kat commented with a grin. “Alas. I never thought I’d regret not getting his number. I’d never have guessed he’d be able to get me where I want to be seven years later. Hmph. Life.”
Kat popped a piece of cold pancake into her mouth, then cocked her head to the side. “Did you just groan at me?” She took a swig of her water, put it down then curled her arms around his neck, brushing flapjack-flavored kisses all over his face until he smiled. “We just got out of bed less than fifteen minutes ago. I’d be happy to spend the rest of the night there,” she added earnestly. “But feed me first,” Kat pleaded, making little threatening ‘nom nom’ noises under her breath, like she’d be tempted to eat him if he didn’t churn out a few more pancakes.
“Oh? The ring wasn’t enough?” She gave him a quick kiss before pushing herself up to sit on the counter. Joking about it just a little now that the oddity of it had worn off made her feel a little less jarred by it. Kat dangled her legs over the edge of the countertop, reaching for the orange juice she’d left earlier.
---
Reed gave her a smooch with a grin plastered on his face. “Good thing we have this apartment, eh? If I ever find out where the fuck Colin and Emma went, I think we should send them some sort of thank you card at the very least.” Reed owed the man much more. Having a place where he and Kat could be alone together was probably the main reason they were together. This apartment made their relationship possible.
“Yeah, yeah, feed me, Seymour. Got it. Back to cooking.” Reed grumbled, but he was playful about it. He put the pan back on the burner to let it heat up again and then gave the bowl of batter a good whisking. It was getting too thick from sitting out so long. A little milk would help that. Soon enough, more pancakes were poured out onto the pan where they could bubble.
“The ring I actually gave you wasn’t enough. The ring I didn’t give you is too much. I got you a little something that falls somewhere in between. So unless you’d like to try on my grandmother’s sapphire and diamond ring, why don’t you open the bathroom door instead.” Reed wore a very pleased smile. He’d asked for Theo’s help, of course, and she’d come through in a big way. Kat needed a cat, but not just any cat. A king among cats. The animated stuffed tiger was extremely well behaved. Reed had instructed it to remain quiet and still until let out of the bathroom. Amazingly, it did just that. Of course, if the big cat decided to announce his presence early, Reed simply would have surprised Kat sooner. As soon as she opened the door, a creature the size of a large dog stretched out it’s front legs, his hindquarters and tail rising high in the process. He yawned as he righted himself onto all four legs and pranced over to Kat to greet her by rubbing the side of his head against her leg.