Overland Park, KS, Sunday Afternoon (Late July)

[vanillajello]

It was the last day of July, and a sunny Sunday afternoon in Overland Park. Tara had wanted to throw a party in the Gregsons' backyard for the end of summer and the return of her daughter and every good thing she could think of, and so it had come to pass. There was food, and people (some neighbors, some friends from a little further off, and Bod who'd already shown up last night), and a karaoke machine set up under the arch that had been prettying up the back yard ever since Charmaine had failed to get married, earlier in the year.

Everything was pretty perfect. All that was missing was the hostess, though, because no one actually knew where Tara was, but... They were sadly used to that. So, Max was grilling, Charmaine and her belly were off to the side having a Diet Coke she shouldn't have been drinking, Ted was mingling with some people, and Lionel was filming Kate and Marshall.

And the aforementioned Gregson siblings? Were singing their hearts out, doing an enthusiastic karaoke version of Mmmbop. They looked to be enjoying themselves.

It was looking to be a good day on Oak Avenue.

[ooc: NFB, and for the boooy up there in the narrative, and myself in various guises. Bits and pieces taken from United States of Tara S03E01, '...youwillnotwin...'.]

Comments

[vanillajello]

"Well, I was basically just running away from the hugely awkward thing that just happened," Kate admitted with a laugh as they were coming up to the door. "But I just figure I kinda wanna keep you in our room as much as I can."

[therewaslife]

"I'm fine with that," he replied fondly, giving her hand another squeeze. "You already know how much I like that room. I'd like to stay there as much as I can as well."

[vanillajello]

"And I wanna keep you in bed as much as I can," she said, and her smirk turned into a half hidden smile as she went to open the door. "So it'll smell like you when you're gone."

[therewaslife]

"How sentimental of you," Bod remarked, smiling at that. "I'll be sure to climb into bed as soon as we get up to the room. And I won't leave until absolutely necessary."

[vanillajello]

"Good." Excellent, even. She tugged him through the door, and straight for the stairs. "It's your fault I'm sentimental."

[therewaslife]

"Why is it my fault?" he asked with a laugh. "I didn't do anything today!"

[vanillajello]

But Kate didn't need him to do much. "You called my mom a strong, successful woman," she replied. "And I love you."

[therewaslife]

"Your mum is a strong, successful woman," Bod reiterated with a smile. "And I love you too."

[vanillajello]

"Considering the last not-you guy I brought here wanted me to move away because he thought she was sick and possibly dangerous," she murmured, as they went up the stairs, "that's kind of a... big deal for me."

[therewaslife]

"She's strong and successful," he said, following her closely so he could whisper those words, "and you've gotten those genes from her and from your dad. She's done a brilliant job of raising two children, helping her sister, and keeping everyone on the right path. That's a strong, successful woman. You don't have to do big things to be that. You just have to do your best."

[vanillajello]

Kate didn't reply, which was not to say she didn't react. She couldn't help smiling, in fact, not that he really saw that.

But as they came to the top of the stairs, she turned to kiss him.

[therewaslife]

Bod was momentarily surprised but he recovered quickly enough. He returned that kiss eagerly, sliding an arm around her waist to bring himself closer to her and mentally smiling.

He liked getting kissed by her. It made his days better.

[vanillajello]

Hers, too. Her other hand found the back of his neck, while she kept the other one twined with his.

And the kiss was lingering and meaningful and full of warm, fuzzy emotions.

[therewaslife]

Bod was feeling those emotions too. He wasn't even worrying about the fact that anyone could walk in and see them either. Kissing her right now just seemed to be more important.

He wasn't the last person she'd brought home by a longshot and even if he knew he didn't have to convince her, it was nice to reassure her.

[vanillajello]

It was nice to be reassured. Kate didn't need it but it was nice all the same.

She nudged him a bit – even if it was awkard and mostly done with her hips – so that he'd move in the general direction of their room. There'd been things said about a bed. She wished to take this there.

[therewaslife]

Awkward or not, Bod got the general idea and started shuffling his way towards their room, concentrating on her lips and not tripping. He might bump into some walls and maybe even her door but he thought they were making good progress down the hall.

[vanillajello]

Luckily, it wasn't even a long way away. And Kate was steering him. ...Well, steering him as much as she could with her eyes closed and most of her focus on kissing him.

If he managed to bump into anything, she'd just kiss it better.

[therewaslife]

Bod actually did scrape against the wall while he was walking but it didn't hurt and it didn't distract him enough from pulling away. He did take a brief break from kissing her so he could ask something.

"Are we almost there?" he mumbled since he couldn't look around and was walking blind.

[vanillajello]

"To the left," Kate replied, equally mumbly. "My left. Your... right. Right."

She sucked at instructions, but at least the door was right there, and hapily for them, it was already open.

[therewaslife]

Bod shuffled in the direction she'd mapped out and was pretty sure he'd stepped through the open door when he didn't hit a wall or anything else. That was an accomplishment, at least.

Of course, he didn't know the room well enough to have it memorized so now there was a whole new obstacle course that he was ignoring for kissing her.

[vanillajello]

Luckily, it wasn't much harder than dodging the edge of the dresser, and Kate knew the room well enough to blindly steer him past that. And after that, it was straight on to the bed.

It wasn't a large room, so his legs were going to be hitting the edge of the bed soon.

[therewaslife]

Soon enough, his legs did hit the edge of the bed and he decided to pull away from her gently so he could climb backwards onto the bed. He'd promised to get into the bed as soon as he saw it and he had no intention of reneging on that promise.

[vanillajello]

Kate did not mind that. No, that meant she could smirk and climb onto the bed as well, and crawl over him.

"Hullo."

[therewaslife]

"Hullo," he returned, reaching to brush her hair back behind her ears. "Are you comfortable up there?"

[vanillajello]

"I am," she said, nodding down at him, leaning into his hand without even thinking about it. "You're a comfortable thing to be on top of."