KCMO & Overland Park, Morning into Early Evening, Sunday Fandom Time
Kate had slept at the airport.
Correction: Kate had tried to sleep at the airport. It hadn't worked out all that well, so while staying there had allowed her a little more time alone with herself, the lack of proper sleep was still putting a dent to any mental clarity she could've been feeling. She'd come all the way down from her manic high of panic and pseudo-revelations, though. Now she just wanted to go home. Maybe sleep in an actual bed. Figure all this shit out.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Katie," her dad said, as he picked up her call. "How's Japan?"
Ugh.
He seemed to take it in stride, though, and Kate thought that maybe he was happy she hadn't vanished into Asia after all. He seemed to be in a good enough mood when he showed up to get her, at least. Almost obnoxiously so. "Goddamn," he grinned, as they were walking to his truck, "that was a fast trip." Kate groaned and asked him to please not get into that, but he just chuckled. "Are you okay, kiddo?"
"Well," Kate said, rubbing the back of her neck, as they came up to the car, "I'm feeling kind of hurt, and hung over."
Max heaved her bag into the back of the truck while she leaned against the side. "In a... existential, 'life has gotten me down' crisis kinda way?"
She shook her head, making a face. "In a 'Tylenol PM, slept on the floor of an airport' kind of way," she sighed. "And that crisis thing too."
Her dad gave her a compassionate look, then gestured for her to step closer. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms, and pressed a kiss on the top of her head while he embraced her. "You'll get used to it." Kate leaned into him, really feeling for the first time just how tired she was. Everything kind of sucked right now. "Why can't I do anything right?" she mumbled against her father's chest. She heard him sigh as he rubbed her back. "'Cause it's a process, Katie Kate," he said. "You just got to feel your way through it."
-----
The rest of the morning was kind of a fuzzy blur. On the ride home, Kate found out Charmaine had finally had her baby. Yesterday. Because she'd been kicked into labor by T threatening to run her over with Tara's car.
Yeah.
She and the baby, a healthy girl destined to be called Cassandra (which Kate and her Wikipedia knowledge of Greek myth was already cringing at), were apparently coming home tonight, so Kate was choosing to give them some space and hang out at her parents' for the day. Also, when she went by her and Bod's room to grab some stuff, it smelled like teen boy cologne and something else she'd rather not think about. Ew. Her old room it was, then. She passed out on the bed as soon as she'd laid down on it. She didn't come to for another couple of hours, and it was way into the evening that she finally saw her mom, coming into the room just as she was trying to write a list of things she was probably going to have to do now that she wasn't going to Japan. When her mother appeared at the door, she stuck the notepad under her pillow.
"Let's just pretend that I went to Japan and learned some valuable life lesson."
Tara gave her a wry smile as she came in. "Well," she said, coming over to take a seat on the bed, "can we also pretend that your new cousin wasn't ushered into life by my hood ornament?" This family, seriously. Kate couldn't help a tired little laugh. "How does that even happen?" she wondered, pushing herself up to sitting. "I mean, now there's this little person."
"Well," her mother said, "when a man really likes a woman..."
Kate pretended to be shocked, wide-eyed and drawing in an exaggerated breath. "Oh, no," she said, once it looked like Tara wasn't going to go with the charade of revelation. "Keep going. I dare you." Tara looked almost embarrassed, holding her hands up. "Haven't we already had this conversation?"
"Sort of," Kate allowed, thinking about it. "Alice did the birds and the bees thing, which was very confusing. Buck did the porn thing, which was also very confusing." Very, very confusing. For so many reasons. "T showed me how to give a blowjob to get out of having sex, which was very helpful."
Tara cringed and waved a hand at her to get her to stop. "You share way too much," she said, then quirked a crooked smile at her. "But at least you're not pregnant."
"Hooray," Kate sighed. "I'm not a total fuck-up."
"In this room," Tara shook her head, smile growing fainter, "you're not even in the top five."
They were silent, for just a moment, and Kate's lips twisted as she thought about the last day or so. She thought of Bridgette and her impossible perfection, this weird glow of confidence she'd seemed to have. Kate was envious. "Mom, there was this woman at the airport," she ended up sharing, "and she was so... confident, and secure, and everything I'm not..." Tara patted her leg, leaning towards her. "There is no reason in the world why you can't be just as strong, just as... confident, just as purposeful as her or anyone else." And she sounded so convinced of that, like it was a fact. But it wasn't enough for Kate, somehow.
"I know," she sighed. "It's just, why aren't I?"
Without missing a beat, Tara replied. "Because you're an asshole." And they both laughed, despite themselves, and Kate stole a hug from her mother before she got up. "Dinner's in half an hour if you're up to it."
"Yeah," Kate replied, waving her off. "I'll be down in a mo'."
First, there was someone else she needed to talk to. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and picked Bod's number.
[ooc: NFB, taken again from USoT S03E04. Primarily for the boy getting the call, but open for other texts/calls of the 'how's Japan?' variety as well.]
Correction: Kate had tried to sleep at the airport. It hadn't worked out all that well, so while staying there had allowed her a little more time alone with herself, the lack of proper sleep was still putting a dent to any mental clarity she could've been feeling. She'd come all the way down from her manic high of panic and pseudo-revelations, though. Now she just wanted to go home. Maybe sleep in an actual bed. Figure all this shit out.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, Katie," her dad said, as he picked up her call. "How's Japan?"
Ugh.
He seemed to take it in stride, though, and Kate thought that maybe he was happy she hadn't vanished into Asia after all. He seemed to be in a good enough mood when he showed up to get her, at least. Almost obnoxiously so. "Goddamn," he grinned, as they were walking to his truck, "that was a fast trip." Kate groaned and asked him to please not get into that, but he just chuckled. "Are you okay, kiddo?"
"Well," Kate said, rubbing the back of her neck, as they came up to the car, "I'm feeling kind of hurt, and hung over."
Max heaved her bag into the back of the truck while she leaned against the side. "In a... existential, 'life has gotten me down' crisis kinda way?"
She shook her head, making a face. "In a 'Tylenol PM, slept on the floor of an airport' kind of way," she sighed. "And that crisis thing too."
Her dad gave her a compassionate look, then gestured for her to step closer. "Come here." He pulled her into his arms, and pressed a kiss on the top of her head while he embraced her. "You'll get used to it." Kate leaned into him, really feeling for the first time just how tired she was. Everything kind of sucked right now. "Why can't I do anything right?" she mumbled against her father's chest. She heard him sigh as he rubbed her back. "'Cause it's a process, Katie Kate," he said. "You just got to feel your way through it."
-----
The rest of the morning was kind of a fuzzy blur. On the ride home, Kate found out Charmaine had finally had her baby. Yesterday. Because she'd been kicked into labor by T threatening to run her over with Tara's car.
Yeah.
She and the baby, a healthy girl destined to be called Cassandra (which Kate and her Wikipedia knowledge of Greek myth was already cringing at), were apparently coming home tonight, so Kate was choosing to give them some space and hang out at her parents' for the day. Also, when she went by her and Bod's room to grab some stuff, it smelled like teen boy cologne and something else she'd rather not think about. Ew. Her old room it was, then. She passed out on the bed as soon as she'd laid down on it. She didn't come to for another couple of hours, and it was way into the evening that she finally saw her mom, coming into the room just as she was trying to write a list of things she was probably going to have to do now that she wasn't going to Japan. When her mother appeared at the door, she stuck the notepad under her pillow.
"Let's just pretend that I went to Japan and learned some valuable life lesson."
Tara gave her a wry smile as she came in. "Well," she said, coming over to take a seat on the bed, "can we also pretend that your new cousin wasn't ushered into life by my hood ornament?" This family, seriously. Kate couldn't help a tired little laugh. "How does that even happen?" she wondered, pushing herself up to sitting. "I mean, now there's this little person."
"Well," her mother said, "when a man really likes a woman..."
Kate pretended to be shocked, wide-eyed and drawing in an exaggerated breath. "Oh, no," she said, once it looked like Tara wasn't going to go with the charade of revelation. "Keep going. I dare you." Tara looked almost embarrassed, holding her hands up. "Haven't we already had this conversation?"
"Sort of," Kate allowed, thinking about it. "Alice did the birds and the bees thing, which was very confusing. Buck did the porn thing, which was also very confusing." Very, very confusing. For so many reasons. "T showed me how to give a blowjob to get out of having sex, which was very helpful."
Tara cringed and waved a hand at her to get her to stop. "You share way too much," she said, then quirked a crooked smile at her. "But at least you're not pregnant."
"Hooray," Kate sighed. "I'm not a total fuck-up."
"In this room," Tara shook her head, smile growing fainter, "you're not even in the top five."
They were silent, for just a moment, and Kate's lips twisted as she thought about the last day or so. She thought of Bridgette and her impossible perfection, this weird glow of confidence she'd seemed to have. Kate was envious. "Mom, there was this woman at the airport," she ended up sharing, "and she was so... confident, and secure, and everything I'm not..." Tara patted her leg, leaning towards her. "There is no reason in the world why you can't be just as strong, just as... confident, just as purposeful as her or anyone else." And she sounded so convinced of that, like it was a fact. But it wasn't enough for Kate, somehow.
"I know," she sighed. "It's just, why aren't I?"
Without missing a beat, Tara replied. "Because you're an asshole." And they both laughed, despite themselves, and Kate stole a hug from her mother before she got up. "Dinner's in half an hour if you're up to it."
"Yeah," Kate replied, waving her off. "I'll be down in a mo'."
First, there was someone else she needed to talk to. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand, and picked Bod's number.
[ooc: NFB, taken again from USoT S03E04. Primarily for the boy getting the call, but open for other texts/calls of the 'how's Japan?' variety as well.]