What Goes Around... (Kate)

[Adrian]

It had been a long, hard, distraught-filled week for the youngest Hanlon. Suffice it to say, the fact that he was dressed in a pair of athletic shorts and a ratty white tanktop and a regular pair of Nike trainers would likely be one's first indication.

The second would be that he had rode a bike to his destination.

He walked into the apartment suites, nodding only the briefest passing glance towards the man working at the front counter as he stepped into the elevator. His breath caught in his throat as his finger hovered over the button for the top floor.

You know what she said, Adrian, his mind rebuked him. Too many men have left her before.

What, like I had a choice in the matter?! He argued back for the briefest of instants, before realizing how utterly stupid it was to argue with your own mind. Feeding off his sudden sense of anger towards himself, his finger surged forward to press the button, bringing the elevator doors closed and a loud exhale to his lips.

Moments later, he had reached the door to Kate McHallin's penthouse suite. He bit his lip, letting a few moments pass, trying to keep the beath coming in and out of his body at a steady pace. Finally, he reached up and used the knocker, giving three sharp raps on the door. He would stand back after. He didn't know just how well he was in with Kate's bodyguards, but after seemingly just ditching her for a week, he doubted he'd be anywhere near their good graces now, and didn't want to be off guard if they reacted violently.

Regardless, he took another breath, waiting for the answer to the door. He was visible in the peephole, even if he seemed to lack his usual swagger, his exuding sense of self-confidence, and most noticeably, his designer outfits, he was still Adrian.

[Kate]

Kate was going to spend the day by herself. Away from everyone else, and their gazes. She wanted a day away from boys, fights, the cheer leading squad, the Reapers, all of it. Depression was a rather hard thing to work with. Because after all, it seemed like another guy had left her. He asked her out, then left. Typical right?

She didn't hear the knocker, but the boys did. Swan answered the door, leveling Adrian with a glance. Swan knew that the other male wasn't too welcomed at the moment, but he also knew that Kate would be pissed at him if he turned the boy away.

"Come on in kid. I'll get the first aid ready."

It was a warning of sorts. The boys knew what was going on because they just.. knew. They had also seen the Russian kid poking around while Adrian was gone. Which of course, was a "duh" sort of thing because Kate McHallin was a beautiful, young heiress who didn't like to be alone and attracted all sorts of men.

Kate was sitting on the livingroom couch in her pjs. Cute light green shorts and matching tank top. Blonde hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail, curled up on the couch... with an xbox controller in her hands. Left4Dead was playing on the large screen and she had a headset on her left ear.

"NO!!! LOUIS STOP MOTHER FUCKING SHOOTING ME BEFORE I TEAM KILL YOUR ASS!!!"

Yay, that's a happy Kate alright. Sarcasm intended.

[Adrian]

Adrian was actually pleased that Swan answered the door. Out of all of Kate's bodyguards, he was the least beefy, and maybe Adrian had a little more than a snowball's chance in hell of taking him down if it came to that. Moreover, though, Swan definitely seemed like a much more earnest sort of fellow, more genial than the others. The bodyguard allowed the boy in, which he could reply only with a single nod in thanks.

The first hurdle was passed. He'd gotten through the door. The second would be much, much more difficult.

Through Kate's yelling, she wouldn't hear Adrian coming through the doorframe. He turned to hear her dealing with Louis. Adrian wanted to smirk at how it was always the black guy that died first, but even a small, self-fulfilled bit of humor was lost to him at the moment, for multiple reasons.

The yelling died out, and Adrian realized that it was now or never. Figuratively, he was in full sprint forward, heading towards the next big hurdle.

Time to take the leap.

"Kate...." Adrian began, but realized he didn't have any other words to follow. He exhaled, letting the name hang in the air, reaching around her head, past her covered ear and into her open one. She'd know the voice.

Adrian closed his eyes, leaning against the nearest wall and awaiting the beat-down that would soon follow.

[Kate]

"Kate..."

They say a picture is worth a million words, but what about that one word that just blanks your mind? Makes it so you can't think, can't connect the dots, and just plain loose it? The voice that had said her name was the power behind it, not the word. Because the boys working today were Swan and Croaker. Swan hadn't said her name, Croaker hadn't either. Swan would have been light and cheery, Croaker more of a bass and rather... confident. This voice sounded... like... Adrian's.

She turned, even as a hunter pounced Zoey on the screen and began to tear her apart. Those emerald eyes locked onto Adrian and she just stared. Not in the fact that his shoulders were slumped, or that he wasn't wearing anything he wouldn't give a second glance to.

"..."

There were no words. The blonde pulled off her headset, filled with the yells of team mates, and stood. Bare feet touching carpet as she turned and looked at him. Blank, no warmth or ice... just stunned that he had showed up out of the blue.

And she couldn't find the words to explain her anger, and hurt, and well, everything else."

[Adrian]

The girl stood to her full height, her eyes showing nothing, which, of course, hurt the most Adrian. Hate he'd understand, love he would welcome, anything in between he could accept. But for her eyes to show such emptiness, it was this that scared the young Hanlon the most.

Every bit of him wanted to turn around and scramble away, run as far from the world as possible, just to get out from under that scrutinizing stare.

Well, maybe not EVERY little bit. That tiny piece of his mind that was still his, still, under everything he had gone through, Adrian motherfucking Hanlon, knew exactly what he wanted, and it was right here in this room. The boy drew upon that part, and held his ground. He would even manage to crack the barest, weakest of smiles, doing his best to appear better than he knew he did.

"I... I missed you..." he said finally, still leaving that odd trail to the end of his words. It was if there were a billion things he wanted to say, but the words would only come out a few at a time.

[Kate]

He missed her. Oh goodness, he missed her. She looked away with him, and her body began to shake. Not because she was crying, oh no, not because of that. Kate was NOT going to cry in front of him... he... he didn't deserve it. She was laughing. Chuckling with laughter at what he had said.

"You missed me."

The way she said it was not nice in any terms. This was her anger, starting to bubble out. She had TRUSTED HIM. When Kate looked back at him, there was plenty of anger dancing in those emerald eyes. He had left her, left her, left her.

"No calls, no letters, not a clue, not a hint, nothing. You've been gone. I've been worried... and suddenly you show up with 'I've missed you'. You ask me out, and then fall off the face of the planet Adrian. AND YOU'VE MISSED ME?!"

Now she was yelling. Swan and Croaker were still around, not giving them space. Instead they were staying in the area to make sure Adrian didn't do anything. That's right, they were doing their job.

[Adrian]

There was the reaction he was expecting. In some ways, even, the one he deserved. Not fully, of course, as he in no way was expecting events to turn as they did. Even so, he had done what she said had happened to her too many times in the past, even if he had done so inadvertantly. Even SO, here he was, looking like he just walked out of a meat grinder, and the first thing out of her mouth is how she was mad at him for leaving?!

Adrian's temper got the best of him, as it so often did.

"Yeah, that's right, I missed you, Kate!" He fired back, not moving from his position, but raising his voice all the same. "You think for one second if I had just walked out on you on my own terms, of my own volition, just for shits and giggles, that I would even come crawling back here, looking like this?!" For the first time he would gesture down to his outfit.

"For God's sake, Kate..." Adrian's temper flare had already died down, and his last words were much less furious, indeed, they carried a rather somber tone to them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you... I've had..." while he had no intention of lying to the girl, he definitely didn't feel like talking about his ordeal, at least not at the moment. "A long week... to say the least."

[Kate]

He yelled at her, Kate felt like walking up and slapping him. Really she did. She looked him up and down, noting his clothing was... well, yeah he didn't look up to normal Adrian fashions. Those emerald eyes flashed, and she stayed right where she was. Apology or no apology, the blonde was not coming closer to him.

She wanted to beat the living shit out of him. Her lips turning into a scowl. She glared at him, and crossed her arms in front of her. A growl almost seemed to come from her before she spoke.

"Clothing doesn't make a man Adrian. I don't see how it can be 'crawling back' to me wearing that. Clothes really don't matter."

When they had met they had spoken about clothing and basically flaunted price tags. But frankly, Kate really couldn't care about what he was wearing. Clothing was clothing.

She had had it. The blonde stormed up to him, pulled back a hand and slapped him across the face. Hard. She was breathing heavy, and NOW on the verge of angry tears. While he had been gone... someone else had shown up and made her feel... it was weird. It was just plain weird.

[Adrian]

He saw the slap coming a mile off. Regardless, he held his ground, taking the stinging smack across his cheek. His face recoiled from the strike - it had hurt. His face remained facing down and at an angle from the strike, and he resisted the sudden desire to spit. He swallowed instead, feeling the coppery taste in his mouth. The girl had managed to draw blood, as Adrian had accidentally bit his tongue from the force of the blow.

"Regardless," he began, still not looking at her. She was missing the point. "I'd like to think you know me well enough, at least, to know that if I was to come here begging your forgiveness for disappearing on you for, what? A week straight?"

Adrian paused, his face finally looking back up to the girl he cared more for than anyone else in the world, especially now. His eyes met hers, and he could tell she was on the verge of hot tears.

"I'd at least have the common decency to not look like I just crawled from the gutter."

Adrian shook his head, and looked back over his shoulder at the door. He had not in the least bit missed the presence of the two bodyguards, especially the way they tensed when Kate had slapped him. A part of Adrian wanted to think they were tensing with the idea of stopping her, but he knew better: They were making sure he didn't hit her in return.

What kind of monster did they think he was, anyway?

He let out a sigh as his gaze returned to the girl. "I'm sorry I went away, Kate. Believe me, if I could have avoided it... I very, very much would have."

[Kate]

Her hand met his face, and she... felt bad. It didn't feel good, like it was supposed to. This was Adrian Hanlon, her boyfriend. The man she trusted, the only one. He had dissappeared, leaving her feeling... alone. All alone again. The blonde looked up at him, taking a slow deep breath.

"Why did you leave?"

He still hadn't said why. Just saying that he couldn't help it, that it had been bad, and still no reason why. Her hand came up again, and it almost looked like she was going to slap him a second time. Instead the girl caressed his cheek where she had hit, her eyes so... sad. So hurt.

"Why did you leave? I need you Adrian..."

It was choked. There were the tears, they couldn't be held back any longer. Spilling from her emerald orbs and down the sides of her face. Now the bodyguards began to pull back and away, feeling that they should give the two a little more space.

[Adrian]

She asked the million-dollar question, causing him to bite his lip a bit, still tasting the blood in his mouth from the slap a little. Her hand came up to touch the cheek she'd slapped, and Adrian's own hand came up to cover hers. His eyes gazed into hers, and he blinked a few times, trying to find the words, and realizing that the wounds he had suffered were still too fresh. He couldn't find the right way to say it, but he would, and very soon. He just needed time. All he had to do was convince Kate of it.

"I..." he shook his head. "I don't really want to talk about it. Not right now. I know it sounds shady, and... I know it's asking a lot..." he let out a sigh. "But I just need time to make sense of it all... I need you to trust me, and just..."

Tears were beginning to well in his eyes. He was aware of his weakness, but he was simply too tired to worry about covering it. "I just need you to be here for me..."

His lips turned upward, in a sad sort of smile, and he pushed himself from the wall, his other arm reaching around Kate's waist and pulling her into a warm embrace. He didn't know if she would fight, or wheedle for more information. He'd tell her what he could, but not everything, not yet.

[Kate]

His hand covered hers, and he felt so warm. The pale girl began to smile, began to think that everything was alright, and everything would be fine. Adrian made everything right in the world, right? He was good, and good for her.

But he refused to give her the reason why he had been gone?!?!?!

WHAT THE FUCK???

When he first pulled Kate into the hug, she was soft and warm. However, as the facts registered in her body, she completely tensed up. As in, she was not comfortable in his arms, nor would she be if he continued to hold her.

In fact, she'd push away slightly, looking at him without tears in her eyes. Now she was just shell shocked. He had dissappeared, and was not giving her a reason.

"You can't tell me...? Or won't, Adrian."

She was there for him alright. She'd be there for him every way to the next universe... right after she got her reason. There had to be a reason. There had to be. And she needed it. If Adrian wasn't going to tell her...

Well, it wasn't going to end pretty.

[Adrian]

She stiffened and pushed away, and Adrian was in no way unprepared for it. He allowed it, releasing her and letting her speak. He shook his head, blinking back the ever-present threat of tears.

"I..."

He let a sigh escape his lips, realizing the presence of the situation. She assumed the worst, feared that he had done something stupid. And really, he hadn't done a thing, so why could he not tell her? There was literally no reason to not talk about it, it was simply too fresh a wound. His eyes steeled somewhat. For Kate, he'd rip open any physical wound he had to if need be, this would be no different.

"I'm... no longer a Hanlon."

He paused a moment, trying to let the words sink in, before he'd explain.

"My father disowned me. I was back at Long Beach, because... er, I found myself there," he said, his pride not wanting to admit his kidnapping, and his shame not wanting to go into the details of it. "He didn't approve... of my friends, of my, er... lifestyle," he didn't explicitly mention the Reapers, but Kate would probably understand. "He wanted me to stay back with him, but I refused... I hitchhiked and train-jumped a ways, until Teacher picked me up and brought be back, and found... my apartment had already been re-leased. There was a note left with the front office... if I wouldn't comply, I was not fit to carry the family name..."

His gaze was cast down, he didn't really want to say any more. He hoped that would be sufficient for her. Regardless, he made no move toward her. He'd let her decide to believe him or not, understand or not, at her own choice.

[Kate]

He explained, and it suddenly all made sense. His clothing, why he didn't want to talk about it... And why he had been gone. It was something that she could... accept, truth be told. The pale girl smiled up at him, slow, soft, and sweet. Her heart hurt, but it would heal. As long as he stayed here.

"Adrian..."

She wouldn't give him a chance to think about things. She surged upward, even as her arms went back around him her lips pressed to his. There was only... one problem. She kissed him, tasted his lips. One hand in his hair like always, emerald eyes closing... and yet she had a flash of a memory of the Russian who had kissed her. She pulled away with a weak smile.

"Stay here Adrian... always. Move in with me."

She wouldn't let him go again. If he left again, she'd be done and over it all. The pale girl kissed him again, trying to express what she wanted. She wanted to keep him right here, with her.

[Adrian]

It seemed that explanation was enough for Kate. She came forward again, kissing him once, before pulling away rather strangely, but her proposal caused Adrian to forget to wonder why she stopped kissing him in the first place. His eyes went wide, and he opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, her lips came across his again, and he kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her body to pull her in closer.

After the kiss, he smiled down at her, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Kate, thank you. I... I wouldn't even have wanted to ask, but, with my apartment no longer mine, none of my things belonging to me, and Mathew having his little... revelation, I just... I don't know where else I could have turned. You're a life-saver, Kate,"

He smiled and pulled her in again, giving her a tight, warm hug. Living with Kate? Maybe this whole being thrust into destitution thing wouldn't be so bad after all.