Author's Note: It's been a while since I've written straight up Romance. And here's another big surprise- no angst! Anyways, I've been wanting to write some fluffy stuff for a while and then I was thinking about non-canon pairings to write about when I came to think of one of my new favorite couples- Chase/Kathy. Just a little fluffy oneshot to fulfill my romantical needs- both in real life and on fanfiction.

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Liquored Lips
Chase/Kathy
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"Aren't you ever happy?"

The question caught him off guard. Kathy was always straightforward when she spoke, but never rude. He glanced up at her as he scrubbed his hands of the grime from his last cooked dish. She stood tapping her foot impatiently on the opposite side of the counter, hands placed on her hips.

Chase's eyes narrowed as he selected a knife to use for his next dish. "Of course I'm happy, Kathy." He responded, his tongue as sharp as his knife. He reached over to grab the remains of some once-alive squid and began chopping at its tentacles vigorously. "You're just not around when I am."

Kathy rolled her eyes and strode behind the counter, mixing margaritas in the vacant martini glasses. "Well then why aren't you happy here? Why don't you ever, you know, smile?"

Chase sighed and brushed back a stray bang from in front of his eye. If there was one thing in the entire world that pissed him off, it was when people tried to get into his business. So what if he didn't always feel like trotting around with a stupid grin on his face for no apparent reason? It was his life, he could do as he pleased. "Does it really matter whether I smile as much as everyone else or not? What's the big deal?"

Kathy grimaced but chose to ignore him, continuing with her own thoughts instead. "You know what I think?" Chase placed the calamari onto the dish and slid it across the counter to the customer who had ordered it. Toby acknowledged him, a small grin spreading onto his eternally tranquil face. Chase finally gave in and indulged in Kathy's pleas. "What do you think, Kathy?"

The blonde delivered the cocktails to Owen and Calvin and shot them her signature smile, her efforts rewarded by a faint blush making it's way across the redhead's cheeks. She returned to her station by the counter and began polishing a wine glass. "I think," she paused to stare straight at him, "it's because you don't have any romance in your life."

She beamed as his knife fell from his grasp and clattered into the sink. He struggled to regain his composure before replying to her idea. "And why do you think I have no romance in my life?"

Kathy shrugged. "Well you're not exactly social, you know." He snickered at this and set aside his cooking utensils, beginning to wipe his hands on a spare rag. "If you must know, I do have some romance in my life, thank you very much."

The barmaid let out an exuberant squeal at this, garnering the attention of several of the local drunks throughout the bar. "You have a girlfriend? Who is she? Do I know her? When did this happen?" She spun the boy around and began shaking him, much to his horror.

He pushed her away and went back to his cooking, a tint of pink creeping across his cheeks. "Geez, Kathy, calm down. To answer your questions, one at a time, she is not my girlfriend, just a simple crush. I'm not telling you who she is, but yes, you do know her. Very well, might I add."

Kathy leapt up to sit on the counter, arms crossed, head tilted in thought. "Let's see, someone I know well…is it Renee?" The chef glanced back at her, eyebrow arched upwards in an unbelieving look. "Have you ever even seen us so much as talk?"

"Yeah, I guess not. I can't really see you two together." The waitress thought for a moment more before snapping her fingers in glee. "Oh, I got it! It's Maya, isn't it?" Chase groaned and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "If one more says I like Maya, this knife is gonna be lodged in their shoulder."

Kathy laughed at his anger. "Let's see, someone I know very well." She scanned the bar for viable options and noticed one woman in particular that was definitely able to catch the eye of her friend. "Hmm, how about Selena? We all do work together after all."

Chase's face twisted. "I don't like them easy, if you know what I mean." She chuckled once again. "Well then I've got nothing. Those are the only people I know well. Are you gonna tell me or what?"

The cook placed a mashed potato on the counter next to her, delivering it to Hamilton. He folded his arms across his chest and stared up at her with his deep, violet eyes. "You're missing something very important here. You're overlooking the obvious." He picked up a Wheat Cocktail he had made for himself earlier in the evening. It was possibly the one thing that kept him sane when the locals started bursting out into bar songs that were so far off key he wasn't even sure there even was a key for the song.

"What is this?" He asked, showing her the beverage. She cocked an eyebrow, unsure of where he was going with this. "Uh, it's a Wheat Cocktail. Why?"

"And when you and I make these cocktails, what do we use?" He inquired again, his gaze remaining steadfast. "…wheat?"

Chase sighed and moved the drink even closer to her face. "No, Kathy, you are missing the obvious! It's even shallower than the wheat! What do we use in every drink we serve here?"

It took her a moment to realize what he was getting at. "Oh! The alcohol!" Chase laughed softly as he took a swig. "So then, who do I like now, Kathy?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and he watched as the realization gradually dawned on her. Her face remained in utter shock for a few moments before she regained her composure and glided down from the table and stood mere inches away from Chase's face.

She leaned in and placed a small kiss on his lips and recoiled. He looked at her, startled. "Uh, sorry…was it that bad?" She shook her head and smiled, making him cock his head to the side in confusion.

"Your lips taste like alcohol."

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The End
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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed reading these little piece. Up next, either my Village Square Forum entry for Alternate Universe (which will be my first attempt at a Horror piece) or a Chase/Selena oneshot, inspired by this oneshot. See how that works?