On some days, the synchronicity of minds between Magnus and herself scares Kate. It starts off as a tease: they'd all been drinking too much, even for a holiday, sequestering themselves as a team in Magnus' office currently littered with empty bottles. Henry is completely bladdered and seems to drift between unconsciousness and mild insanity. Will, however, is staring at her intently. Or actually, her leg. More importantly, where her leg is touching Magnus'.
"See something you like?" Kate snorts ryely, tracing the lip of her beer bottle with one thumb.
"You two seem awfully…chummy." Will dips his chin and grunts, as if he had trouble finding the right word.
"That's 'cause we're the best of friends."
"Really." even pissed-as-a-squirel Will doesn't believe that. He can see it with those freaky eyeballs of his, the rigidity of her leg, her spine as the night went one and Magnus migrated from one end of the couch to almost perch in Kate's lap.
"Oh the dearest." Magnus is the one that answers. She'd been so quiet before but now Kate can hardly bring herself to look at her. Doc's eyes are bright, and Kate swears she can see deviousness incarnate through the watery blue. "I never had many female friends as a child. Only cousins."
There was a confession Kate wasn't quite ready for. Magnus was always so guarded about her past. Teasing, yes, but revealing nothing. "Kissing cousins…?" Kate's mouth goes dry, as she gives Will her most shocked expression. Magnus merely quirks an amused eyebrow at her protege, leaning forward to balance her mostly-empty wine glass on one knee. "Now where would a girl be without her secrets?" is gentle chastisement enough that they all get the hint (except poor Henry, whose begun to snore, crumpled in one of the lounge chairs).
"Oh." Kate says before she realizes clapping a hand over her mouth. She's twelve kinds of red in the face which the Doc finds absolutely hysterical, and giggles in that way she does and it runs straight to somewhere Kate would rather not discuss. "I think it's time we all go to bed." Kate thinks that's very good advice indeed.
She springs to collect an armful of bottles, muttering good night and rushing as fast as her buzzed legs could handle into the kitchen. Tossing that away Kate wants to drown her head under the sink in the kitchen, which would do quite well as she could just about climb inside it. She settles for splashing water over and over instead and when she finished there is someone else handing her a towel.
It's the Doc. Of course it would be the Doc. Because this night needed to get more embarrassing Kate could always pass it off as not remembering only she is much too in control of her faculties. Henry and William are a pair of pansies who don't know how to hold their liquor like a lady. Apparently, Magnus is still quite inclined to agree.
"I just came down to get a bucket for Henry." she says by way of explanation "But I don't really remember where they were. I've been told the kitchen was just reorganized."
More like completely refurbished after their last Hangover adventure Kate thinks bitterly before wandering into the pantry and coming back with a plastic green pail. "Thank you, Kate."
And Magnus' lips are on her's and Kate doesn't know what else to do but lean into it, sighing as the tip of a foreign tongue weedles and slides once against her own and just like that suddenly it's all over. Those damn bright eyes. When Magnus leans back she's got that coy mask set in place again, her perfect Mona Lisa smile. "Goodnight, Kate."
"…night, Doc."
For once, the coldest of showers seems like a perfect idea.