[A/N: This one goes out to the anon that wanted a fic based on Someone Else by Wild Child. I really hope this is okay, because this is about the best I could do. Also, I've been fascinated by this ship for a while but I didn't really understand it. I think I'm on board now, though, because they're super cute together.]
Kate pulled at the edges of her sweater, trying to fight off the encroaching cold of late fall as she strode across the park.
No. Stormed. She was storming. Storming off. She was mad. Right? Right. Furious. Angry. She looked about her to make sure that there wasn't anyone around that might be bothered by her storming. She wanted to find a quiet place to storm some more. Okay, so she wasn't terribly good at making a scene or doing anything other than being absolutely and utterly herself.
But she felt justified in her frustration and sadness. After less than a month of dating, she'd been broken up with by Victoria. Her social life was not merely dead, but probably her life-life too. She played the conversation over and over again in her head, trying to decide if she'd screwed up far enough to warrant getting wrecked by Tori and her friends.
Kate knew she was being foolish, thinking that such a thing could possibly happen. This entire relationship had developed because she bonded with Victoria after she apologized for the entire video debacle. Sometimes she still hated to think what could have happened if that situation ever got more out of control.
Well, now it had gotten out of control, and she wasn't sure what to do with herself, so she found a tree in a comfy patch of grass and sat down for a while. It was quiet, though after some time she heard footsteps approaching. Part of her hoped it might be Tori coming to apologize, to tell her that she didn't mean it. But they stopped again, and then continued, in some kind of steady holding pattern nearby. The footsteps stopped once more, and now the silence was filled with the gentle clicking of a smartphone.
"You gotta be freaking-" The voice sounded familiar but Kate was too distressed to place it yet, and it wasn't her business anyway. There was more clicking, furiously speedy this time. "Hi Warren~ This is your girlfriend, Brooke? ...Yes, I know it's cool how laid-back I am. ...No, it's not alright that you invited her. ...I don't care if it's 'hella awkward,' you un-invite her now! ...Because I'm not worried about Max Caulfield, I'm worried about you, jackass. You know what, never mind, just... just don't even bother. I'm sick of this, we're through."
Finally Brooke appeared in Kate's peripheral vision and noticed her sitting there. "K-Kate! Shit, you scared me, I was hoping to keep that little explosion private. No such luck, huh?"
Kate gently pulled her sweater around herself again and shrugged, staring off in the distance at some particularly fascinating grass. "Mmm, I didn't hear a thing..."
"Well good." What normally would have worked well as a standoffish posture to ward away attention worked equally as well as bait for the geek, who set the drone she was carrying down on the ground along with her messenger bag, then flopped onto the patch of grass next to her. "What about you? Nothing or 'nothing'?"
She sighed and hugged herself a little tighter. "I'm not very good at pretending like things are okay, so... neither."
Brooke didn't seem particularly happy with that answer and laughed nervously. "Alright, well, I'm not very good at pretending to like touchy-feely stuff, so you can either tell me what the matter is while I nod without a trace of empathy or sympathy. Or, you can fill in for Warren and help me test out my stupid drone-kite idea."
Kate sat up and stared at Brooke for a moment, trying to search her for any kind of ulterior motive. She had dated Victoria and was relatively open to female companionship. Was Brooke 'the same'? Was this some kind of weird pass? No doubt the other girl caught the look on her face because she shot up to her feet with a sardonic laugh and picked up the drone. "Chill out, Kate, I just figured since we're both here the least we could do was make the most of it. C'mon"
Brooke offered her a hand and she took it, getting awkwardly to her feet. "So... drone-kite?"
"Hah, yeah, it's... my very Myth Busters-style experiment. 'Can I fly a kite by hanging it off of my drone?' Maybe it'll be cool, maybe it'll crash and burn. And since someone decided that unannounced polygamy was totally an option, I'm gonna need a new second pair of hands. Let me show you..."
It took some work to get the drone connected to her pad and attach the kite to the top of it, and the two chatted about pretty much anything other than their love lives as she did so. "I'm worried about dangling it from the bottom since the idea is to make the kite fly. If this is successful, I'd love to construct some kind of automatic spool and..." She looked at Kate and suddenly seemed embarrassed and apologetic. "Aaaaand you probably don't care..."
"What? Oh, Brooke, no, this is a really cool idea! Seriously, you're a wizard, and just because I don't know how you do it doesn't mean I'm not thoroughly impressed~" She admired the kite which had a TARDIS on a starry background printed on it. She was grateful Max showed her a few episodes, even if it did ruin angel statues for her. "You pilot and I take care of the kite while it's taking off, yes?"
With the gentlest touch, Kate held the kite in place as the drone began to lift up off the ground, and in spite of herself began to giggle brightly as it buzzed around. However, both their moods dropped again when it became clear that the kite wasn't doing anything particularly interesting. They were trying so hard, Kate hated the idea that this would all end in failure and marched over to Brooke. "I think we've got to move with it, like you would flying a kite regularly. Think you're up for it?"
"Kate, you're talking about attaching a string to the kite, getting a running start with it while it's attached to a highly expensive drone, and I have to chase after you piloting it? That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. I love it!"
So that was how the pair found themselves running at full tilt through the park with a 'drone-kite' trying and failing to make the contraption do anything other than look like a hovering piece of technology with a bit of nerdy fabric hanging off of it. But by the time they finally admitted defeat and collapsed in the middle of the grass in a fit of giggles, gasping for breath, exhausted and gleeful, they had to admit that it was a pretty good time anyways.
"I forgot what it was like to be a regular teenager..." Kate mused. "Doing goofy stuff like this."
"Glad I could help. So um... You're on the outs with Victoria?"
"Mmm, we were having a picnic. But we started talking again for the hundredth time how I wish she would actually let me hang out with her and her friends. And then she brought up how closeted I am with my church and family. It turned into this whole argument... I guess she was tired of fighting. I think maybe I was too, in retrospect."
"Well, this was hardly the first time Warren and I have ever... Was I too harsh? Oh, god, what if he was trying to make me freak out and break up with him? Did I play into his scheme?"
Kate pushed herself up to a seated position and smirked in Brooke's direction. "Calm down, Brooke. It's common knowledge that Warren has some very, erm, unresolved feelings, and I always thought it was sort of unfortunate that you let him get away with that. You deserve better." Wait, what? Did I just flirt? I am so shameless! Kate reached up and nervously tucked some hair behind her ear and stared off at nothing. "Sorry, maybe that was presumptuous..."
"Nah, I think everyone likes to imagine the world would be better if they were making all the decisions. Hell, I always thought it was a little dangerous for you to be palling around with Victoria of all people. You're too... fluffy." Brooke waved her hand around in the air as though it could somehow help convey whatever she was trying to say here.
Unfortunately, something was lost in the conveyance. "Fluffy?"
"Yeah, like... I mean, it's cliché, but people have a tendency to reflect the company they keep and the pets they take care of. You're a bunny, Kate. You shouldn't be sleeping with a predator, you're never not in danger of becoming lunch. You gotta find yourself a fellow bunny, or at least something friendlier." Brooke seemed to be mostly just shooting the breeze and talking about whatever came to mind. But Kate couldn't help over-analyzing just a little.
"Okay, so I'm a bunny. What about you?"
"Mmm, hedgehog. I'm super cute, but prickly and defensive." The response was surprisingly quick, and Kate began to giggle brightly as she leaned back to rest against the grass once more. "What, it's true! Well, it feels true, I mean."
"Sorry, I just haven't gotten to see this side of you before. It's nice." She rubbed her hand across her stomach and fiddled with her sweater some more. "Do you think... we could do this again?"
Brooke seemed confused for a moment. "The drone-kite was a total failure, and the weather's only gonna get colder and less hospitable from here on. Today was pretty much the last chance." Oh dear, she'd taken the request a little too literally.
"N-No, not this. This." Even gesturing grandly with her hands didn't seem to accurately convey what she was trying to say, and in truth even Kate herself wasn't completely certain what she meant. Had this been a date? Or just two scorned lovers finding a bit of solace? They had always been friends, did this mean they were better friends now? Perhaps that was why she was so vague about it. "Just hanging out and doing silly stuff together. Even if the drone-kite was a failure, it was fun to run around and try anyway."
For a while, Brooke just stared at the sky and smiled contemplatively, as though she were thinking on something much more grand and interesting than just hanging out with Kate Marsh. "Yeah, I guess it could be worth a shot." The response was a strange one, but then Brooke was strange, so Kate wasn't terribly surprised.
Kate sat on Brooke's bed holding the foreign looking controller and whimpering pathetically. "Brooke, you cannot possibly think this is a good idea. I don't even know if I'm holding this right!"
Her friend was thankfully understanding and didn't laugh in her face, though it was obvious that she was holding back an amused smirk. "That's... because you aren't holding it right..." She reached over and rotated it slightly, but apparently she didn't even have her thumb placement correct and Brooke shifted her digits with careful patience. It was an innocent gesture, but Kate's cheeks started to glow regardless as their hands brushed together a few times. "One on the joystick there, and the other over these buttons. We're playing a pretty simple game, all you should need are these. I'm not cruel enough to start you out on something super-confusing."
It turned out that Brooke was indeed correct, the game was very simple, a kind of board game with challenges and mini-games spread throughout. Sometimes skill was required, when Brooke would occasionally very clearly let Kate win, which happened more often than she expected it would. But other games were more luck-based, and in those Kate was shockingly successful, enough to claim victory in the end. She gave a cry of success and held her controller aloft, doing a little dance there in her spot on the bed. "I did it! Oh my goodness, I totally understand now~ This is wonderful"
The other girl chuckled and gave a small stretch. "I was taking it easy on you, Marsh. So the question is, would you rather face me at my best? Or watch me play something a little more difficult on my own?" Kate could sort of see the appeal in either case, but she knew that she wasn't particularly competitive, not really. So she opted for the latter and settled into the bed to find a more comfortable position. "How are you with horror?"
"Terrible. Like really bad."
"Great! Then this will be some healing catharsis for you..." Brooke said as she flicked through her console's interface, hovering over something called 'Dead Space'.
"I don't understand how in the world that makes any kind of sense! I'm still gonna freak out when I see monsters or whatever..." Kate pouted and began cuddling one of Brooke's pillows, noting the pleasant smell and the soft cover.
"Exactly, the monsters are scary, but not as scary as me. So when I viciously fight my way through, I'm avenging your fear! I'm your hero, baby~" Brooke winked, and Kate laughed bashfully and hid behind the pillow slightly. Kate still wasn't sure how to differentiate when someone was being goofy and when they were being flirtatious. That was something that she kind of was able to deal with when it came to Victoria. She was never not flirting. But with Brooke, she was always chill, and difficult to read.
"Okay, but just so we're clear, I can't be held liable for any screaming I may do. I may also latch onto you in a moment of panic. If that screws up your play style, it's your own fault. You've been warned, Brooke." The other girl just shrugged and started up a new game.
The thing was, she had to know. She couldn't not know. Kate didn't know which label fit her best, but her relationship with Victoria hadn't been a secret exactly, not around Blackwell. And Brooke was cute, and smart, and snarky, and smart. There was every danger of the religious girl falling in love with her without even meaning to. Heck, she was already kind of getting there. She'd barely been single a week and already she was in another girl's room contemplating what it might be like to kiss her.
Kate wasn't in danger of falling for Brooke. She was afraid it was already happening. So she turned her attention toward the screen and watched quietly as Brooke began wandering around the spaceship in the video game. When the first monster finally showed its face, Kate screamed in fright and buried her face in the pillow, but Brooke wasn't kidding when she chatted up how brave she was in the face of polygonal terror. She fired off two shots and the beast was quiet, the silence only punctuated by a soft "fuck you". It seemed to take a moment for Brooke to catch up to her gamer tendencies and she looked back at Kate in embarrassment. "Sorry, that happens sometimes."
"N-No, I'm fine with it. Even Max can't stop herself from cursing all the time, and I understand it happens. Just keep playing before you get attacked again~" That elicited a chuckle from Brooke who resumed playing. With each new alien that popped up on screen, Kate felt less terror and more tension and worry. "Brooke... Brooke, oh god... Oh god, Brooke, they're coming! Shoot shoot shoot! Ahh! Never mind just run!" In her excitement she'd shifted closer and was now up next to her friend, still hugging the pillow tightly.
At one point Brooke actually clutched her shoulder, stifling a loud laugh. "Katie, oh my god, you are being so loud. It's fine, I've got this. But thank you for worrying about me..."
And then she kissed her cheek. Brooke kissed her cheek! Kate's face was glowing and she held the pillow tighter, immediately shutting up and putting all attention on the screen in front of them as Brooke began playing again as though nothing had happened. Perhaps according to nerd next to her, nothing had happened. But she didn't strike Kate as the type to kiss just anyone on the cheek. And their friendship wasn't perfect or super close or anything.
Chill, Katie, you're thinking way too hard about this. She forced herself to take a deep breath and watched as Brooke flawlessly executed another baddie with three shots. "You're really good at this..."
Her friend gave a humble shrug. "I've played it a lot. You're seeing years of practice at work here. I was as terrified as you are the first time I tried it. Screaming at jump scares, firing everywhere but at the monsters... One time, I actually got so freaked out I had to pause the game, drink some water, and eat an entire dinner before I could start playing again." Brooke was laughing at herself and that seemed to help Kate feel better.
Slowly her anxiety drained away, and while she wouldn't likely forget the kiss any time soon, she at least managed to stop freaking out about it for the next little while. But it wasn't to last, and rather than losing sleep over terrifying monsters popping out of her closet, Kate was kept up for almost two hours wracking her brain trying to decide if it meant anything.
It was the next day and Kate's mind still wasn't exactly at rest. But on Brooke's request, she had taken her tablet and was very carefully guiding the drone through the air. It was chilly out, but the air was still, and she felt comfortable letting her pilot it briefly. Though it hadn't crashed yet, she didn't exactly feel adequate with her skills. But Brooke was right there giving her pointers and stopping herself from being a total backseat driver.
But the comments became something of background noise as her eyes left the drone for a moment and drifted across the quad, landing on a group of students, Victoria included. It was hard to ignore that shock of blonde hair. She heard one of the other students laugh and look in her direction. "...nd how crazy your ex is already hooking up with someone else, Vicky!"
"Katie? Katie? Kate!" She was only snapped back to the present moment by Brooke grabbing at her hands, causing her to almost drop the pad. Brooke apparently realized she didn't have time to actually fight with Kate, so she just rested her hands over top of hers and began piloting the drone back to the ground. Finally she moved in front of her, hands still on top of Kate's. "Hey. You totally spaced. Are you okay? You worried me..."
It was a little tough to come back around to the present moment, even more so to realize that Brooke didn't seem to care all that much about the drone – not nearly as much as she did Kate herself. And honestly she just hadn't been expecting that, silly as it sounded. She felt herself starting to panic and passed the tablet back to Brooke as her nerves ran havoc through her body. "Brooke, I'm sorry, I-I-I can't... do this anymore..." Brooke put the tablet away in her bag and made a vaguely pouty face as she tried to understand where this sudden change was coming from.
"Can't do what, Katie? Fly the drone? You were doing a good job, you just got a little distracted..."
"No! No, I... People think we're dating, Brooke. I don't want people thinking you're a... Um, a 'rebounder' or whatever. I-I don't know the terms, okay! But you know how Victoria's friends can be..." Brooke seemed surprised but not upset. Kate cocked her head to the side. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"Nah, I mean, you're interesting, smart, and cute. If I had to be a 'rebounder' with anyone, I'd think Kate Marsh would be a pretty decent choice." She shifted her messenger bag strap slightly, and for perhaps the first time she actually saw Brooke Scott look bashful. "I thought I made that pretty clear yesterday. I let you win that game, played a horror game specifically to freak you out and impress you, and I kissed your cheek! Are you telling me I was too subtle?"
There was a sort of... whooshy feeling in Kate's head as her ridiculousness came crashing down on her. She had overthought it, far too much. "No. I was too dense..." There was one last speck of worry to cover now. "I don't want to freak you out, but would you be okay maybe being more than just a... 'rebounder'? That's not actually my style"
Before she knew it, Brooke had closed the gap between them, fluidly removing her glasses. One arm sneaked its way around her lower back and pulled her close, and her free hand rose up to rest against her cheek. Her head canted to the side and she moved until they were centimeters apart. "Not to sound like a laid-back nerd stereotype, but I'm pretty much good with whatever." Finally Kate's lips were captured in a surprisingly passionate kiss, and any fears of Brooke being too nonchalant were gone in an instant.
Kate noticed some cheers and a few boos coming from the rest of the students on the lawn, but she didn't even care anymore. Let Victoria and all her friends watch. Let her see what she had let go of. Let her understand what Kate could do when she actually felt wanted and cared for. She'd found someone else.