Overland Park, KS, Friday Morning (September)

[vanillajello]

Six plus six was twelve, and twelve was the same as one, if you were talking about months first and then switched to years. The bottom line was, Kate and Bod had now been an item for a whole year in total. (There really was no need to talk about that four month gap between the first and second six month stretches. Because that was just a really fucking depressing topic all around.) And that was a huge fucking deal.

Enough of a huge fucking deal for it to be the first thing Kate become conscious of as she woke up this morning, all warm and tangled up with Bod, in their bed, in their room, just like they had been every night for the past week or so. That alone would've made her happy, but remembering the anniversary made her doubly so.

So, as much as it saddened her to do it, she tried slowly disentangling herself from her pale, pale boyfriend, so she'd be able to slip out of bed in her panda-print tunic. There was something she wanted to get from downstairs.

[ooc: NFB, and for that guy in the bed.]

Comments

[vanillajello]

Kate grinned, momentarily distracted from any thoughts of licking things. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "I've only wanted to visit Arrakis since I met Leto over two years ago! And now I finally get to do that. And if I get to share that with you, even better."

[therewaslife]

"I have no idea how I'm supposed to act or what I'm supposed to do so you'll have to help me," Bod said, nodding. "I don't want to do something wrong and embarrass you or anger your friends.

[vanillajello]

"You're not gonna do either, come on," she replied, reaching out with her free hand to wipe off the bit of frosting she'd smeared on his nose. "Just be your polite self and you'll do fine. Act polite, greet Leto and Alice kindly, and don't do anything to upset the baby."

[therewaslife]

"That's easier said than done," he pointed out but smiled anyway. "I'll just hold quietly to your hand and follow your lead, if that's all right."

[vanillajello]

"They might find that rude," Kate said, but she was teasing. She knew that by the time they'd get to the palace in Arrakeen, she was going to be so hyper she wasn't going to need him to do any talking at all.

She took another bite out of her cupcake, trying not to get icing all around her lips. "No, you'll be fine. You can hold my hand as much as you want. Your my plus one, I'm the actual guest."

[therewaslife]

"Thank you," he said and laughed at the sight she made. "I'm glad I get to see another world and I'm very glad you get to see your friends and their new child."

[vanillajello]

"Is there a word for that?" Kate wondered, licking her lips. "A friend's kid? Or, in this instance, an ex's kid. And an alternative universe BFF's."

Her friendships were messed up. She was used to that by now.

[therewaslife]

"The words I would use is 'interesting situation' but I don't think there's a specific term, no," Bod said, shaking his head. "Fandom gives birth to many interesting situations though."

[vanillajello]

"It does," she agreed, before finishing off her cupcake, licking her fingers. "I mean, even saying 'ex' feels like an oversimplification."

[therewaslife]

"So, don't say that," Bod suggested easily. "Say 'friend' or something like it. I know he's close to you so don't use something like 'ex' if it doesn't fit."

[vanillajello]

"I think I just prefer 'Leto'," Kate decided. "Nothing else really fits."

Because there really wasn't a word for a former lover/confidante/lie detector/comfort-provider. She gave him a little smile. "We're gonna go to a royal function on a different planet, boyfriend. How weird is that?"

[therewaslife]

"I'm sure it won't be the strangest thing I ever do but I'm quite excited about it nonetheless," Bod admitted, laughing. "That'll be a first for me. That'll even beat Silas, I bet."

[Ugh, I worked all day. I forgot to warn you!]

[vanillajello]

"Definitely," Kate replied with a wry smile. "I mean, Silas is a lot of things, but an intergalactic time traveller? Nope."

[Nooo worries!]

[therewaslife]

"Not at all," Bod replied, giving her a smile. "And I'm sure you're really enjoying knowing that Silas can't top this. I know you are. You can say it."

[vanillajello]

Kate snorted. "I'm not competing with Silas." Much. "Come on."

[therewaslife]

"That's not what I meant," he said, reaching to brush his fingers through her hair. "I just meant that you like knowing Silas doesn't have the knowledge of this area and that you do."

[vanillajello]

"I know," Kate sighed, closing her eyes and leaning a little closer to him. Touch-starved. Yes, even after a week of constant company. "I do."

[therewaslife]

"Since this is my first trip to a new planet," Bod said, keeping his hand pressed where it was and stroking his thumb along her cheek, "I guess this means you've taken yet another first of mine."

[vanillajello]

"Technically, that might be Leto's honor," Kate noted, jokingly. "But it sounds better if it's mine so yes. It totally means that."

[therewaslife]

"It's Leto's planet but it's your friendship with him that allows me to go," he said, smiling. "I'm almost certain that you've taken all of my most notable firsts. Congratulations."

[vanillajello]

Kate snickered and opened her eyes to smile at him. "Thanks," she said. "It's been fun taking your firsts. Some more than others..."

[therewaslife]

"Has it?" Bod asked, rubbing his thumb under her eye before he dropped his hand. "Which have been your favorite to take, if I can ask? You can't say some more than others without expecting me to ask."

[vanillajello]

"You could've also asked which I've liked less than others," Kate teased, reaching to take the tray from him because she had plans. "Being the first girl you ever dumped would've been first on that list."

[therewaslife]

Bod let the tray go easily and leaned back on one of his hands. "I don't like to think about that particular moment in time so that list will never be brought up if I can help it."

[vanillajello]

Kate got up in one smooth movement, to go and put the tray on the desk. "I like to keep it in mind," she shared, idly. "So I don't screw up again."