for kate

[triskehale]

"Look, I know you're mad that I haven't been home much," Derek says, sputtering a bit when he gets whacked in the face with a bunch of fur. "But this isn't helping anything."

Jinx settles herself more firmly on her perch on Derek's shoulder by digging her claws into his skin, and he winces slightly. Derek has been incredibly busy lately, what with the truck and getting Semele's ready, along with out running around the streets at night in case anyone needs help. It leaves him tired, and also leaves him with a very clingy cat. She meows and butts her head against Derek's temple, wrapping her fluffy tail around the back of his neck as she sits on his shoulder. "Are you a cat or a parrot?"

Jinx meows and looks down at the stove, sniffing and pawing at Derek's face. "Yeah, you'd think you'd get some of my bacon, but you'd be wrong." She lets out a low reow and headbutts him again. "Okay, you'll probably get some of my bacon."

The puff starts chirping and bouncing in its cage, and Derek rolls his eyes. "Fine, everyone gets bacon."

While the bacon cooks, Derek goes over to undo the latch on the puff's cage. He lifts it out and sets in on the floor, growling in warning when Jinx goes tense and sticks her tail straight out. "Remember what I said? We don't kill pack members."

She lets out a little mewl and Derek rolls his eyes, but she doesn't abandon her post on his shoulder, swaying easily when he moves. Derek would deny how many one-sided conversations he has with his pets until his dying day, but the truth is that they help. For all he likes the cabin being so secluded, it's incredibly lonely. Derek has friends, but he's lacking in true companionship. In pack. Jinx helps with that. She keeps him company and cheers him up, and he can always get a read on her moods. He's glad that she chose him that day, and he turns his head to give her a nuzzle before transferring the bacon to a paper towel and turning off the stove.

Just as he's getting ready to assemble his lunch, he stiffens because he hears someone approaching the cabin. They're still a little ways off, but they aren't trying to keep their arrival a secret. Derek frowns, because he doesn't often get visitors, and then he wipes his hands on a rag before going to open the door with Jinx still on his shoulder. She's as fearless as ever, and part of that is because she knows that she's under Derek's protection.

"Kate," Derek says in vague surprise, cocking his head as she comes up onto the porch. Jinx flicks her tail irritably and wraps it more solidly around Derek's neck, regarding Kate with cool golden eyes. "You're just in time for lunch. Come on in."

Comments

[everyonetakes]

"She's pretty," Kate says when she takes the picture from Derek and studies it for a moment. "Of course she's smiling and you're all broody, scowly face, though." It's obvious the picture means a lot to him and she handles it with care before she gives it back, and she totally gets why. A lot of the time she's still mad she had to leave behind Alice's photo album on the island. It had come to her there, it had been given to her, and she doesn't see why she can't still have it here. It's still special, still important and she still wants it.

"Bet your ass we would," she agrees. "Because that's sort of what I do."

[triskehale]

"She had the most annoying laugh. It was so loud," Derek tells her, and he's a little surprised to feel his eyes start to burn. He blinks and takes a breath and the sensation goes away, and he manages a small smile when he looks over at Kate again. "I don't talk bout her very much. Or any of them. They deserve to be remembered by more than just me, but-- it's hard."

He tucks the photo back into his wallet carefully and shrugs. "When I was young again, it was like all my memories were refreshed. Things had forgotten are back. Stupid little things. And I'm kind of glad, you know? The city gave me something, even if they were assholes in the way that they went about it."

Maybe Kate is pack. Derek feels a bond with her, if he can tell her all this. It's been a long time since he's had someone who would just sit there and listen, and even longer since he was willing to talk.

[everyonetakes]

"The city is often an asshole in the way it does stuff, but it's not always bad," she agrees, thinking of some of the stuff that's happened to her. Not all of it is good, she still doesn't see any point to what had happened to her two years ago near Halloween, what sense or lesson there was in being paralyzed by a dress and nearly being buried alive.

But she doesn't talk about that. Not even with the people who had been there for it.

"It's like you said, they deserve to be remembered. People who didn't know them should know them. At least what they look like and that your sister had the most annoying laugh," she says, flashing him a grin. "Now I know it."

[triskehale]

"You're right," Derek says with a faint smile, sighing deeply and looking over at her. "And I'm glad it's you."

He relaxes back against the sofa for awhile, looking over at the bright afternoon sun filtering in through the window. They've talked about a lot this afternoon, and Derek feels sort of mentally exhausted. He looks over at Kate and reaches out to pat her knee. "How about I walk you back into town, huh? We could grab some ice cream."

[everyonetakes]

"Deal," she says, because if anyone ever asks her if she wants ice cream, she's all over that shit, and it'll be nice to have a little longer with Derek. They've talked a lot and they've talked about a bunch of different stuff, but for all that she's glib and tends toward cynical, sometimes it's just nice to have something like this, too. Just an afternoon where she can talk to her friend and have it be generally relaxed and there's no fear. They can talk about anything, no judgment. That's what she gets here and it's good.