Haphazard || (Kathy/casual)

[merrill]

Two-Bit was hungry. 

This wasn't an unusual thing and to be frank, it happened more often than not. He was always hungry for many things; food, beer, sex... Basically the essentials of life. This time, in particular, it was food he was craving. Maybe, he would add a little alcohol to the mix if he could find some. French toast sounded good, but there was no bread, eggs, milk, whisky or scotch. Come to that thought, a quick peruse of his fridge and cupboards concluded that he didn't have any food at all. The only thing found in his search were a box of cookies he didn't remember buying. 

In consequence, he pulled on a clean pair of pants (his other pair was stained with motor oil from attempting to fix the car) and grabbed for his keys when Two-Bit remembered that the ol' Plymouth had broken down. A walk to the nearest restaurant - Denny's was the name - wasn't much of a struggle, but it depressed him to think of the fact he possibly didn't have a car anymore. He wasn't the best mechanic (well, to tell the truth, he's one of the worse), but he doubted that not even Steve would be able to revive her. 

With a sigh of dismay, Two-Bit made sure his wallet was in his pocket as he walked into the apartment's lobby after taking the elevator. Once outside, he greeted a few people and sauntered down the sidewalk. When he hit the main street, the crowds were becoming more congested with people and he craned his neck over the cloud of heads. He was only a couple blocks away from his destination and it would take longer than a few minutes with the people in his way. It wasn't easy to jog through this crowd, but he'd managed so far. 

Unexpectedly and unanticipated, there was a flash of blonde hair and he tripped, falling into somebody. "Sorry lady," he began, offering a hand to the fallen girl, but he then got a good look of her face. A very familiar face. So familiar, you could say he knew it like the back of his hand. 

"K-Kathy?!"

[jen]

(OOC. First post. Hope I'm doin' this right )

These heels were killing her. Scowling and pushing through the crowd around her, Kathy silently wondered what the hell she had been thinking by wearing new heels today. They were gorgeous and they looked great with her skirt … and that had been reason enough to wear them. Of course, that had been before she woke late, realised her favourite mascara was bone-dry, and couldn’t find her keys.

She was running late. After weeks of living in this huge city, relying on her savings for rent and food and hot water for a hot freaking shower, she finally had a job interview and couldn’t afford to be late. Her power was about ready to be cut off, she was almost out of food, and her landlord had promised to evict her if she didn’t get him last month’s rent within the next two weeks.

She quickened her pace, shoving ignorant people out of her way when she needed to. She was being rude and she knew it, and she supposed Karma decided to pay her back when she slammed into something solid and fell to the ground.

“Ow,” she muttered, having landed heavily on her ass.

People were still moving around her, and she blinked a few times to steady herself. But then the person who knocked her over spoke, and her mind went hazy and messy and, dear God, she had better not cry.

“Sorry lady.”

She knew the voice, knew the hand he was reaching out to her, even knew the face she’d see when she looked up. Fuck. She couldn’t help it; her gaze flew to his face and she willed herself to hate him for looking so good.

“K-Kathy?!"

Glaring at the hand he had offered her, she huffed out a breath and made it back to her feet without his help. Damn heels. Not only did they hurt like hell, but now they were scratched to hell, too.

“Two-Bit.” She paused, not knowing what to say. Finally, “Well, fancy runnin’ into you.” She kept her voice calm, but she really wanted to slap him.

[merrill]

“Two-Bit. Well, fancy runnin’ into you.”

It couldn't be any other way, could it? Of course, the one person Two-Bit would accidentally knock over had to be the one person he'd hope to avoid for the rest of his life. Karma was a bitch. A cold, ruthless bitch that deserved a slap more than anything else. He never believed that "destiny" and "everything happens for a reason" shit, but after this chance encounter, he might have to rethink his beliefs. It wasn't every day you bump into an ex-girlfriend you had abandoned in a completely different state.

Damn, and she was looking good today. She was holding her tone in a calm voice, but he knew her too well to think she was feeling bubbly and sociable at this moment. He continued to offer a hand to her despite the fact he wanted to leave her lying there and get a good head start for Canada. Or Mexico, since that was farther. However, being the gentleman he is, he couldn't leave a damsel in distress. Ha, hell of a knight in shining armor he was. 

"Well, well, well," he began, testing his voice and trying to keep the nervous strain from it. Christ on a cracker, only Kathy had that power to do that. It drove him crazy how she could make him feel like a small child. "I really wasn't expectin' to see you in the big city." He wasn't expecting to see her ever again, either. "I s'ppose you can call it a coincidence."

Or Karma feeling especially bitchy on this particular day. He knew that Kathy was pissed and she probably had right to be. It was pretty stupid of him to leave her the way he did, but it felt right at the time. It would still feel right if she hadn't suddenly jumped back into his life. In the past, he used to think that she would never be able to leave his life until their biggest break-up. Apparently fate had agreed with his train of thought from before that series of events.

"Not sayin' I'm not happy to see or anythin'," he said, keeping the tone cool, "but I can't say that this was expected."

[jen]

Coincidence? More like bad fucking luck. She cocked an eyebrow and immediately wished she hadn’t. They were done, he was out of her life, and old habits she had picked up around him shouldn’t be making any kind of reappearance. Especially not so soon after first seeing him again. She avoided his gaze, hoping like hell he didn’t know how much this was affecting her.

As subtly as she could, she wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and thought about replying. She quickly decided against it; the only words that wanted to come out were full of bitterness and snark. This whole new-start-in-a-new-city thing had suddenly - and unfortunately - turned into Two-Bit Mathews - nothing more, nothing less, because when he was around, her whole damn life revolved around him. There was nothing new or shiny about moving to New York anymore … just old problems turning up in her new life.

"Not sayin' I'm not happy to see or anythin', but I can't say that this was expected."

Was there an edge of anxiety to his voice? She wasn’t sure, but she hoped so. It wouldn’t be fair for her to be the only one bothered by this. She looked at him - partly to see if he was telling the truth, partly because she just couldn’t help herself - and narrowed her eyes. She couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth, and that bothered her more than it should have. Not because it meant she no longer knew him like she used to, but because maybe she never really knew him at all. After all, deep down she had expected him to stick around.

“Well, had I known you’d run away to New York I probably would have gone to California or ... you know, Australia.” As far away from him as she could get.

In the back of her mind she thought about her job interview, and knew she needed to get moving if she wanted to make it on time. But she just couldn’t move. Her feet were stuck in place, her legs felt like they might melt the moment she tried to move them, and her gaze was fixed on Two-Bit’s. She swallowed; damn those eyes. She had never been able to say no to them.

Blinking, she steadied her gaze and smirked. “So, does that mean you are happy to see me?”

[merrill]

She arched one of those perfect eyebrows; a habit Two-Bit frequently used and found that she pulled it off really well. God, he hadn't realized how much he did miss her, despite what had happened back in Tulsa. He nearly permitted a small half-smile to appear on his face, but he knew that she wasn't too happy with him as he was to see her. There hasn't been any other girl like Kathy. Not even Sylvia, but he supposed that Sylvia was only a distraction from his guilty thoughts about Kathy.

What he'd done was enough to reward him the title of 'asshole' or 'jerk', but he was younger them, and he had no idea how to deal with that situation. Two-Bit wasn't keen when it came to owning up to responsibility, being the guy he was, he took the cowardly option. Deep down, a strange thought struck him. Did he regret it? Maybe he did, because he knew for sure that he missed seeing Kathy terribly. 

“Well, had I known you’d run away to New York I probably would have gone to California or ... you know, Australia.” 

Ouch. She had reason to be bitter and though she was quite forgiving on the most part, his actions hadn't been very acceptable. Perhaps he even deserved it. Did he? That was probably up to Kathy to make the decision. 

"Fate must have somethin' in store for us," he replied, "'cause this is a pretty huge coincidence. USA's a pretty big country."

Fate was playing a bad joke. Two-Bit was unsure whether he should kid in this type of situation, but he knew which one was the better road, knowing Kathy wouldn't forgive him at all if he began making fun of her. At the same time, the only way he'd be able to win her back (did he even want that? Yes, he concluded, had he not admitted at one point of loving her?) was by doing what he did best (besides sex, the egotistical part of him said) and that was making her smile. Boy, he remembered that smile and made him long for it even more. 

She smirked. It wasn't even a real smile, but at least it meant she was in a better mood. 

“So, does that mean you are happy to see me?”

"I guess I did miss ya a li'l and it's nice seein' someone who ain't a pushy Yankee," he said, smiling a little and checking her over. He wondered briefly why she didn't look any different from when he'd last seen her. "You lookin' mighty well. That's a real cute outfit you're wearin', even if your heels are ruined. Sorry 'bout that, though, I never did see how girls can walk around in those. Maybe you can consider it a kindness that you no longer have to wear 'em."

[jen]

"I guess I did miss ya a li'l and it's nice seein' someone who ain't a pushy Yankee."

She fought a sigh; how was it his voice alone was enough to make her feel warm and gooey and stupid? He shouldn’t have that kind of affect on her. He shouldn’t have any kind of affect on her. After the way he had treated her, she should hate him and be doing anything but sticking around to talk to him. She’d had to go through everything alone because of his gutless ass.

But he guessed he did miss her a little and that meant more than it should have. Because she had missed him. She had missed him like crazy, and knowing that he had missed her meant he had actually thought about her, and that made all those nights of wondering disappear.

“You lookin' mighty well. That's a real cute outfit you're wearin' …

He continued talking, but she didn’t hear much more than that. A silly smile crept onto her lips at his compliment, at the way he was looking at her. He had missed her and she had missed him and now he was checking her out. And that sure was nice. Even if it wasn’t meant to be and she wasn’t supposed to care.

She wiped the smile off her face and scowled. He hadn’t just run out on her all those months ago, without a word or a phone call or a fucking letter; he had run out on her, without a word or a phone call or a fucking letter, knowing good and well that she was knocked up with his kid. A few perfectly placed words - and she had to face it; Two-Bit had always been good at saying the right thing - wasn’t going to change shit.

Though she couldn’t help wondering where those words were coming from. Crossing her arms over her chest, she jutted out a hip and stared up at him.

“Well, shit. Listen to you bein’ all sweet and complimentary. Makes me think that maybe I missed you a little, too,” she said, dripping sarcasm. “Must’ve missed all those letter ya sent, too, huh? I can understand you not callin’, what with the economy bein’ so rough, but I wonder what happened to them letters.” She cocked an eyebrow again, not caring so much this time. “Think they got lost in the mail, Two-Bit?”

[merrill]

[ooc=Pardon mistakes. I didn't look it over.]

He nearly had her. 

She smiled, and at that exact moment, he realized that he'd been missing it terribly. It wasn't something that you noticed right away with Kathy, for it wasn't wide or flashy. What it was, a beauty of sorts. Two-Bit wouldn't be able to come up with any poetical description of it even if he tried, but it was the kind of prettiness that a poet would dote about. That was saying something, since Two-Bit normally could never take his eyes off a girl's chest, ass or legs. 

In a second, he wanted her back. He wouldn't admit it, but he knew that it wasn't just for the sex (as good as it is — was) that he was infatuated with. He'd told her once (that seemed to be ages ago) that he loved her; perhaps, he still was. With Sylvia, it was sexual attraction more than anything. The bantering was amusing and it was great to meet a gal with a sharp tongue. Boy, she was good, but she was Dal's. He felt like such an asshole for even trying to go after her. He'd betrayed his buddy. Now, he was an asshole all over again after being reminded of the Kathy incident. 

“Well, shit. Listen to you bein’ all sweet and complimentary. Makes me think that maybe I missed you a little, too."

Kathy's tone was everything but honest, and he couldn't blame her. Two-Bit deserved a good kick in the ass, it seemed. He bit his tongue and wondered why he had such an attraction with causing trouble and screwing things up so badly. A sudden realization dawned upon him as he focused on her smoldering, blue eyes. If he was going to have any success in even having chance of regaining her, he was going to rid himself of the jester facade. Being a dumb ass got him nowhere. 

"Aw, c'mon babe, you must've missed me a tiny bit," he replied, forcing his tone to be playful, but avoided smiling too widely. He couldn't afford to piss her off completely. "I just was noticin' that you looked rather nice today. But in all seriousness, I did think about you a whole lot."

"Must’ve missed all those letter ya sent, too, huh? I can understand you not callin’, what with the economy bein’ so rough, but I wonder what happened to them letters. Think they got lost in the mail, Two-Bit?”

He remembered thinking about it several times. He didn't own a phone, seeing as he had no use for one and didn't want to bother paying the bills, but mailing was cheap. Of course, Two-Bit didn't know Kathy's address (he only remembered her place from sight — wasn't it in Bixby?), but his mother did. No wonder she was pissed. This was difficult territory to tread, and joking around wasn't going to help with making a mark. 

Two-Bit dropped the smile, and replaced it with the best thoughtful expression he could muster. He nearly began grinning at the thought of him becoming an actor. Hell, he'd be pretty good at it. However, this time, he wasn't pretending. Two-Bit had to be serious. As against nature this was like telling a woodchuck not to chuck wood, he knew that he could manage doing this. 

"I ain't much of a letter writer, hell, forget about the content, I doubt you'd be able to read my writin' and my spellin's real awful," he said, "an' I'm never sure what to write. Plus, I've been pretty busy with my job and tryin' not to starve." His stomach growled and he remembered why he'd left his apartment in the first place. "I was just headin' out to eat. Care to join me? It's a better place to hold a proper conversation than here."

[jen]

Fighting back all anger and bitterness - and were those tears forming? - Kathy watched his expression change and thought over his words. He had thought about her a whole lot; that was … something. Something so much more than it should be. She wasn’t supposed to care anymore - not after he had left her like he had. But his voice, the things he said to her, hell, even just looking at him made a part of her want to forgive everything.

And the fact that he had called her babe just about melted her heart.

But then she remembered being knocked up with his kid, and all anger, bitterness, and goddamn tears came back. She blinked the tears away, not wanting him to know how much just standing in front of him was getting to her. Because it wasn’t just their past that was upsetting her, it was knowing that he was right there, in front of her, so close she could reach out a hand and touch him … but nothing was the same.

He wasn’t her boyfriend anymore, he surely didn’t love her anymore - if he ever had - and she was willing to put the few dollars she had left on the fact that he didn’t care about her anymore. He was being nice, that was it. A whole lot nicer than she expected considering part of her had expected him to go running the moment he realise he had bumped into her. But he hadn’t asked how she was, and he hadn’t even seemed to realise she wasn’t knocked up anymore.

She pulled her attention back to Two-Bit, who, despite taking off on her, was now right in front of her and not running.

"I was just headin' out to eat. Care to join me? It's a better place to hold a proper conversation than here."

All her frustration at having not received a letter disappeared at that. A proper conversation with Two-Bit sounded like one of those once-in-a-blue-moon situations, and she wasn’t sure how she could say no to it. There hadn’t been many times she had ever been able to say no to him, and apparently his taking off on her hadn’t changed that. She vaguely wondered if anything would ever change that and wasn’t sure what she wanted the answer to be. Maybe a part of her liked having someone who could do that to her.

She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, thinking through her options. One: tell him to get lost, go to her job interview, and beg them to see her even though she was so damn late. From there she could forget she had ever seen Two-Bit, and go about her life the way she had intended when first moving to New York. Two: have lunch and a proper conversation with Two-Bit. But it was what happened from there that had her head spinning, because anything with Two-Bit - even fighting - usually became flirting with Two-Bit and laughing with Two-Bit and even going home with Two-Bit …

“Okay,” she finally said, promising herself it wouldn’t come to that. Not only would she not let it, but he probably didn’t want her anymore anyway. “So long as it’s on your dime; I ain’t got a job yet and I’m three dollars and a bit of change away from bein’ broke.” She glanced up at him. “But I’m curious, Two-Bit, what is it you’re wantin’ to have a proper conversation about? I can think of a few things we ought to talk about, but this was your idea, not mine.”

[merrill]

"Okay, so long as it’s on your dime; I ain’t got a job yet and I’m three dollars and a bit of change away from bein’ broke.” 

Two-Bit's grin grew a little wider at this. "That's fine, babe," he replied, patting his pocket where he kept his wallet. "I've been pretty well off here in the city of opportunity what with gettin' a job and just bein' so damn good at poker. So good the regulars I play with call me ace." He quirked both eyebrows, and began to weaved her through the congested crowds of Windrixville. It must be strange for her to see such a large and preoccupied city. Tulsa seemed so tame compared to New York. 

Two-Bit remembered his first few weeks in the big Apple. It was hard to adjust, but he'd managed once he got to know the right people, and went to the right places. It was good ol' place to live in, but it wasn't the lifestyle for some people. For him, it was like a second hometown. He glanced down at Kathy, and wondered how well she was fitting in. He also perused the question of how bold he could get with her. She was very most likely not in the better terms with him, but he'd managed to win her back before— that is, if he did want her back, and he was quite certain that just a few seconds he was telling himself that he did. 

“But I’m curious, Two-Bit, what is it you’re wantin’ to have a proper conversation about? I can think of a few things we ought to talk about, but this was your idea, not mine.”

This better not be some sort of trick question. 

Two-Bit would be crazy if he admitted that he hadn't been a douchebag, but she would be crazy to want him back. When it came down to the gritty truth, he'd been a dick. Maybe he was a little slow to have taken this long to realize this, and maybe the reasoning "he just wasn't ready to have a kid" was good enough for him, and, the knowledge of the possibility that there were far worse things that he could do than what he'd done to her, but truth was that there was no way in hell did that provide a steady defense as to why he had dumped Kathy. The only feasible way he could achieve redemption was admitting his assholery. This would be a first. 

"We can talk about what you wanna talk about, I suppose," he said, his tone smooth and even. "But I guess the main thing we're both probably wantin' — well, maybe not wantin', more like obliged — to talk about is the past. But for now, I think it would be better just to settle with how things are right now."

They reached the end of the sidewalk at a crossing with the lights flashing in urgency for the people to scurry across. Automatically, Two-Bit grabbed Kathy's hand as they headed for the opposite side, and dodged vehicles. New York was a difficult place to maneuver around, and that was something Kathy ought to know first. Her hand felt really warm in his. 

"How you farin' here? You have a place to live in?" he asked, mildly. 

[jen]

"We can talk about what you wanna talk about, I suppose. But I guess the main thing we're both probably wantin' — well, maybe not wantin', more like obliged — to talk about is the past.”

Ah, yes. The past. If they started that conversation she wasn’t sure how they would ever finish it. There was far too much to get through - fights, breaks-ups, make-ups, fights, sex, flirting with other people, sex, pregnancy, fights … it was all too much. Not only would they never make it through everything, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to, either. The only one she really thought needed discussing was the whole her-getting-knocked-up-with-his-kid-resulting-in--his-taking-off thing. And that could wait.

“But for now, I think it would be better just to settle with how things are right now."

She nodded. “Right now, huh?” Right now was a mess of unpaid bills, lukewarm showers, and the most depressing apartment she had ever set foot in. And suddenly, she realised just what a bad idea this was. Not just the fact that she was about to have lunch with the one guy who had managed to break her heart, but she was running out on her job interview! Sure, it was for a shitty job, but she really needed the money.

She had had such high hopes upon moving here - hopes for a good job, a nice place to crash, and school. Going to school - even if it was just night classes - was her whole reason for moving there. She had been there for months and didn’t have anything - no job, no nice place to live, and no classes she could afford to enrol in.

Glancing up at Two-Bit, she wondered if she could get out of this somehow. The idea of earning money was eating at her, but then her hand was being held by his and she felt warm all over. Screw the interview, screw having no money, and screw the goddamn landlord. The only place she wanted to be right then was wherever Two-Bit was, and despite how angry and pathetic and stupid that made her feel, she didn’t even try to push it away. Instead, she held tight to his hand as he led her across the road.

"How you farin' here? You have a place to live in?"

She barely heard him over the sound of her own heart. This was the first time he had touched her in so long, and she swore she could feel it everywhere. She frowned, making herself think through his words.

“I got a place,” she finally said. “It ain’t that nice and I’m sure I’m about to be kicked out pretty soon if I don’t find a job, but I got a roof over my head for now, and that’s enough.”

She was downplaying it; it wasn’t enough at all. Her hand gripped Two-Bit’s tightly and she smiled at him. “How about you, Two-Bit? What the job that’s helpin’ you to be pretty well off? I know you’re an awful good poker player, but what else have you been up to?”

Maybe she was subtly asking if he had a new girlfriend, if he had moved on. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she also wasn’t sure she could continue this if she didn’t like the answer. It was one thing to look past the past and talk about the present; it was a whole other thing to be polite and pretend like nothing had happened if he had some new girl he was claiming to love.

[merrill]

“Right now, huh?” 

Two-Bit felt her hand tighten around his, but the feeling of warmth wasn't intended in anyway as romantic, unfortunately. His sex-deprived mind could hardly envelop the fact that here Kathy was, not as lovers, but as mutual acquaintances. That's all they were — nothing more, nothing less. How he willed the circumstances to be different, and that he hadn't been an idiot running off. What did he gain from this? he wondered, but no plausible answer came to mind aside from the fact that he couldn't handle responsibility. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it was the truth.

Once they'd crossed over, Two-Bit had forgotten that he was still holding her hand with its tepid smoothness. It was curious why girls always seem to have such soft hands, and he'd never figured it out, but he then realized that it was a little inappropriate to be holding her hand at a time like this. He quickly dropped it with an awkward grin on his face. 

"Right now, yes," he quickly replied, his grin faltering a little. "The current state of affairs."

After a silence from between the two, she finally said, “I got a place. It ain’t that nice and I’m sure I’m about to be kicked out pretty soon if I don’t find a job, but I got a roof over my head for now, and that’s enough.”

Before he stopped himself to think, he blurted out, "I have plenty of room in my apartment." Well, that wasn't stupid of you, he thought, with the sarcastic tone included. However, he wasn't about to change his mind. "I reckon that I could put together one of the rooms an' you could pay me every two months or somethin'. Plus, I think Charlie - my boss - is hirin' a new barmaid. Josie is joinin' a convent, so we're a l'il short."

It was a struggle for him not to be so impulsive, but Two-Bit was inherently a friendly guy (for the most part, that is) and ex-girlfriend or not, Kathy could still be considered a friend. In terms of letting her stay, it was merely an act of kindness, not influenced by his desire. Well... he was lying if he actually thought that was true, but the weight of kindness outweighed the personal factor in the decision. Perhaps, he would be able to mend things between him and Kathy. That, or chaos.

“How about you, Two-Bit? What the job that’s helpin’ you to be pretty well off? I know you’re an awful good poker player, but what else have you been up to?”

Two-Bit wasn't sure if he was supposed to catch any underlying meaning in these words, but he answered the question with an air of honesty. "I work a couple shifts as a bartender," he said, "and outta work, I haven't been doin' much but hang around. I'd like to maybe find somethin' to do during the day, but currently, I only hang around my apartment. What about yourself? Why'd you leave Oklahoma?"

[sorry about the extreme lateness. DX I've been deprived of muse.]

[jen]

Her heart sank when he dropped her hand, and it felt like the whole damn world came rushing back to her. For a second then, things had just been right again. The crowd around them had seemed to disappear, the somewhat-awkward conversation hadn’t been a problem, and the fact that she was missing her job interview just stopped mattering. But then he let go and it was all back. She took a steadying breath and forced herself to just not care.

“I have plenty of room in my apartment,” he said. “I reckon that I could put together one of the rooms an' you could pay me every two months or somethin'. Plus, I think Charlie - my boss - is hirin' a new barmaid. Josie is joinin' a convent, so we're a l'il short."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, breath coming out in a long whoosh. They were treading on dangerous territory here and he must know that. Her living with him could - absolutely would - only end in disaster. The kind of disaster that involved yelling and screaming and possibly a few tears from her. Or - if fate had it in for her as much as it seemed to - ended up in his bed, in her bed, on the living room floor.

“Thanks for the offer,” she said softly, not sure what else to say.

Part of her wasn’t sure how she could ever turn down that offer, but another - only slightly stronger - part wasn’t sure how it was she could even be considering it. This was Two-Bit, who had left her alone, pregnant, and scared shitless. But still, this was Two-Bit, who she had never stopped loving. She had spent so long wishing things could have been different, and maybe this was a second chance …

"I work a couple shifts as a bartender, and outta work, I haven't been doin' much but hang around. I'd like to maybe find somethin' to do during the day, but currently, I only hang around my apartment. What about yourself? Why'd you leave Oklahoma?”

She stopped mid-step at his words, ignoring the people around her. Looking at Two-Bit, she had to remind herself that he didn’t know what had happened, that getting pissed at him wouldn’t help anything. Of course, the fact that he didn’t know was all his own doing didn’t help her anger, and she briefly wondered how he could be so goddamn stupid.

Chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip, she worked through an answer. “Well, there wasn’t much left for me back in Oklahoma, you know? And, plus, I got accepted into some night classes here - I can’t afford to take them yet, but hopefully once I get some cash behind me …” She trailed off, not sure how to say what she should say; that it was all his fault, that she had left because he wasn’t there, that everything had turned to shit after he left.

And then, despite his practically offering her a job to go with a place to stay, despite how warm she had felt holding his hand, and despite her agreement to talk about the ‘current state of affairs’, the words were out before she could stop them. “What about you, huh? What was it that had you running away from home?”

She couldn’t even find it in herself to be proud of her subtle sarcasm.

[merrill]

“Thanks for the offer.” 

It didn't sound like a yes, but she hadn't said 'no', either. There wasn't a definite reason that Two-Bit could produce as to why he was even daring to take such a risk to tread within unfamiliar - yet familiar at the same time - territory in such an unsubtle manner that could risk the loss of the one gal who had managed to convince Two-Bit that he was in love. It had surprised several people - including his mother - that he had let himself fall trap to the emotion that was far more than infatuation; but, he had been sure of himself, despite the fact that it took him a long time to even admit such feelings. 

Deciding not to reflect on the past, Two-Bit returned to present with a bitter taste in his mouth. Of course Kathy wasn't going to be tripping over herself to attain a room in his desolate apartment. In his honest opinion, it was a good deal, because he knew for a fact that he definitely didn't do well in New York when he'd first come. It had been a struggle, and he wasn't about to let her - even if there were hardly even friends anymore - fall to the clutches of poverty. 

"I don't mind at all," he said, "in fact, I insist. Don't worry, it ain't as messy as it was back in Tulsa." 

A good-natured smile slipped onto his face, and he peered at Kathy with a wistful look. He hoped that didn't sound desperate, but he couldn't help feel the agony of knowing that he owed it to her. One good deed for all the shit that they went through. That he put her through. Even if this single thing did ask of Kathy to deal with himself, but it was an offer thoughtfulness, nonetheless.

She had stopped walking, and after a heartbeat, Two-Bit realized that she looked a little pissed. Obviously, this wasn't a good sign, but at least, it felt like old times. God, did she ever look beautiful when she was angry - an old reaction, but also a thought that he had never rid out of. Not even Sylvia was that sexy. “Well, there wasn’t much left for me back in Oklahoma, you know? And, plus, I got accepted into some night classes here - I can’t afford to take them yet, but hopefully once I get some cash behind me …” she said, trailing off. 

Much left for me... Did this mean that Two-Bit's leaving was what had kept her there? Or had something else occur? Once again, shame joined the battling thoughts within him, along with guilt and general stupidity. Out of curiosity, it made him wonder whether he was actually that irresponsible. The answer, unfortunately, was yes, and even today, it remained the same. Maybe, if she had been pregnant this time, he'd do the proper thing, but he knew that he'd make a terrible father, either way. 

"The offer still stands," he said, in a casual tone, but his eyes adopted a serious gaze. "I have friends here an' there, if you ever need that help. Who can resist a charmin' girl like you?"

They had finally arrived at their destination without much other event. The restaurant was locally owned, and the food was decent, but the waitresses were hard to resist from even glancing at. The image they were upholding here was effective enough to start fights between couples. Couple or not, Two-Bit knew that checking out the redhead's legs wasn't proper etiquette with Kathy. 

“What about you, huh? What was it that had you running away from home?”

The sarcasm was hard to miss. He'd have to be deaf and blind to have thought otherwise. The bitter taste in his mouth increased with guilt, but he kept his expression stony and emotionless, aside from the tiny smile that was the only thing he could emit. Honesty wasn't something that Two-Bit was good at, but there were times to use it, and now seemed proper. 

"I was stupid, babe," he said, falling back in his habit of calling her 'babe'. "I was a kid - a dumb one - an' it ain't easy for me to handle responsibility. I'll admit it, I was scared shitless an' didn't know what to do." For good measure, he added, "And I regret it."

[jen]

He insisted? He insisted? He wasn’t talking about lunch or a movie or sitting down just to have a catch up. He was talking about the two of them living together, which was more than they had done when they had been together. It would be in separate rooms, sure, but she wasn’t sure how long she thought that would last. She had never had much resolve when it came to Two-Bit.

But this was different. She was away from home, she was on her own, she was a freaking independent woman … who didn’t have a job and would soon be out of a place to live. She glanced at Two-Bit; she hadn’t missed the slight hint of desperation in his voice, and with the way he was looking at her, she found it really hard to say no. So she said nothing.

"I have friends here an' there, if you ever need that help. Who can resist a charmin' girl like you?"

If she was charming, they both knew who she had learned it from. Two-Bit could get away with just about anything if he was charming enough, and a part of her wondered if that’s exactly what he was doing. Charming his way back into her good books to make up for what had happened. The serious look in his eyes and the way he purposely didn’t check out the gorgeous redheaded waitress made her think twice.

“Thanks, Two-Bit. That’s real nice of you. And, you know, maybe I’ll take you up on some help. I do need a job after all.”

It was real nice of him, but it wasn’t enough and she needed answers. This sweet side to him was killing her and making him fall for him all over again - and so quickly that she had to wonder just how over him she had really been. Maybe she had been fooling herself better than she realised.

"I was stupid, babe," he said. "I was a kid - a dumb one - an' it ain't easy for me to handle responsibility. I'll admit it, I was scared shitless an' didn't know what to do. And I regret it."

It was only four sentences, but every single one of them made her crazy. She was suddenly very glad for the booth they were sitting in, because as she sat across from him, she was sure she would melt into a puddle at his feet were it not for the seat keeping her upright. Planting her feet firmly on the floor, she sat up a little straighter.

He had called her babe, and it made her palms sweat and her head dizzy and her stomach tight. And if she wasn’t careful, she would end up forgetting exactly what they were talking about and she would never get her answers. All because of one nickname that meant more than it should.

“You regret it?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper. “You really mean that?”

She met his gaze, forcing herself to stay strong and not cry. She knew what this conversation was leading to - had started it because she wanted Two-Bit to know exactly what had happened after he left - but she wasn’t sure she was as ready for it as she had thought.