A/N: KP does not belong to me in the least.
Kari was twitching violently when she came through the door of the Gregory house. "I'm…" she paused, trying to control the anger in her voice, "…back."
"In the kitchen, dear~!" She took longer than usual to shrug off her coat and kick off her pumps, taking time to plaster a smile on her face. "Kari?"
"Yes?" Mae smiled from the across the table when she stepped into the kitchen. Tessa blinked at the strained expression on her lips. "Tessa?"
"Did he finally ask you out?" The Twins looked sharply at her blonde friend, then to their teacher. Kari shuddered, collapsing into an empty seat while Mae clasped her hands to her chest, hope rising in her eyes. "And it didn't go well?" Mae shot her a disapproving look.
"Affirmative."
"Mark asked you out?" Kari looked at Walker in surprise.
"Seriously? I didn't think he had it in him." Warren shrugged lightly and Kari blinked at the other.
"Mark…? No, your principal." They flew back against their seats, staring at her in horror. She mimed gagging. "Agreed."
"Did he threaten to fire you?"
"We could start a petition to fire him," said Warren in all seriousness. "Just one more person to add to our list." Kari smiled lightly, waving them off.
"No, I handled it, thank you boys." Tessa rested an elbow on the table, holding up her chin and gazing at her friend.
"By 'handled', you told him you already have a boyfriend." Kari looked over at her, narrowing her eyes lightly, trying to warn her off this path. Tessa's lips curled into a grin. "To which he responded that he would absolutely love to meet this man." The twitching returned and Warren nudged Walker, snickering softly.
"M-maybe."
"This could get interesting." Kari's eye twitched once again before she rose from the seat. "Hm?"
"I'm moving in with you, aren't I? We better get packed up and going." Tessa waved from the table as the brunette grabbed the Twins, bringing them with her as she marched up the stairs, the both of them loudly objecting to this manhandling by their homeroom teacher.
"I don't think she told him her and Robbie broke up, but instead made it out that she was still dating him. But then again," Tessa raised a finger to her lip as she thought, "I don't think she ever said who she was dating…" Mae nodded a bit, sipping at her tea. "Although, this should still be interesting. I wonder if they'll ever meet…"
Mae looked curiously over at the blonde. "Who?"
Tessa grinned, resting her chin in her hand. "Steve, Kari and her significant other."
"Mother! I'm hoooome!" The door burst open and Tessa was faced with the eldest son of the Gregory household. She smiled while he floundered about, trying to figure out what to say to the wheelchair bound blonde before him.
"Hi, Hal. How was work?"
"A-ah, it was wonderful, thank you for asking!" Kari trotted down the stairs with another box, pausing at the bottom of the steps while Hal continued to flail around. "K-Kari!"
"Hey. I'm moving out, so, you get your room back." He calmed, gazing at her quietly. She smiled lightly, resting a hand on Tessa's shoulder. "You ready for this, Tess? You're stuck with me now."
"I'll manage." Kari patted her shoulder, moving past Hal to take another box out into the cold of winter, her jacket pulled hastily around her. "Mae mentioned that you have your own apartment. Do you come back to visit often?"
"A-ah, well, I miss my family in all! Yes, I visit! Often! A lot! Ahaha!" Tessa smiled at him, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"That's nice." Her voice was quiet, subdued. "Kari's just about finished. I'll see you soon then, Hal."
"Y-you will?" Red dusted his cheeks and she nodded. "When, e-exactly?"
"Hm? Oh, Mae said she'd have us for dinner sometime. And you won't forget your promise, right?" The Twins leaned over the balcony, gazing down at their older brother in the lobby, grinning at each other. "To show me around your work?"
"O-o-of-course! It's an honor!"
He was obviously in too deep now, in this thing called love. Like Mark. And their principal.
"I'll see you then," and she moved carefully, rising from her wheelchair as Kari returned. She stood just a little shorter than their teacher, but her form was unsteady, unused to standing up. Kari wrapped and arm around her, helping her walk towards the door as Hal watched on, a look they couldn't describe on his face.
"L-let… Let me, Kari," and the older woman was in his arms once more before their teacher could protest, carrying her easily out the door and to her car. She wrapped her arms around him once again, smiling as he pointedly avoided eye contact. Kari shot a look up to her students.
"How long do you think?" Warren rested his elbow on the rail, grinning at her.
"The way he's going? Two weeks. Tops." Walker shook his head lightly, mimicking his brother.
"No. A month." Kari watched as he settled her carefully in the car and she didn't miss the brilliant smile she sent him, or how Tessa rested a hand against his cheek as she thanked him. "Shoot…"
"Now now, he might not ask her out. He's still a little awkward," she said, as Hal flew back, stammering and stuttering like a fool as she laughed.
"Scratch that. He'll propose in a month!" Kari lifted the last box, zipping up her coat once more. "See you."
"Bye, Miss Sullivan."
"I'll see you boys tomorrow. Tell Mark I said 'bye', okay?" They nodded and she paused once more. "Oh. Mae?" Their mother poked her head out from the kitchen. "I'll be seeing you. Take care, and thank you so…much. For everything." Mae waved her off, not knowing she missed a critical point in her eldest son's life.
"I'll see you tomorrow, dear, as usual. Nothing changes." Kari gave a small nod.
"Alright… Until then." The door closed behind her and the Twins watched through the large window as their teacher shoved the box into the trunk, closing it and moving towards the front seat. Their brother was still freaking out when she slid in, closing the door and starting the car. Tessa waved and closed her door. Only then did Hal calm down, standing in their driveway as they pulled out and sped away.
"Hey…"
"Hm?"
"You think he will?"
"Which one?" Walker rested his head in his hand, watching their brother. "Walker?"
"The both of them." Warren shrugged, folding his arms along the rail, taking in Hal's dejected state as he returned to the house. "I mean, even we can see how they feel…"
"Who knows? Mark's too chicken and Hal's too awkward."
Mae leaned against the wall, listening to their voices as the door slowly opened.
"He's liked her since she kissed him."
"True. And Hal's just had the fated "Love at First Sight"."
A smile curled onto her lips as Hal returned, shrugging off his coat. "Boys?" The Twins stiffened and Hal looked over at her quietly. "I'm in need of your… expertise." Her youngest slowly tried slinking towards their room, hoping to avoid such a disaster. "Oho, no you don't. If it's the last thing I do, I'm getting the two of them together. So, troops! Assemble! NOW!"
"This is… nice." Mark shifted uncomfortably in the doorway to Tessa and Kari's apartment. Three days ago, she moved out. Three days.
"I know, right?"
She smiled and he hunched his shoulders a bit, ducking his eyes. His brother, his older, idiot brother, had decided he would channel 'Hego' and summon up the courage to ask out Tessa. The blonde had at first declined—politely—due to her condition, but Hal had insisted. He had said something along the lines of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I'm beholding the most beautiful woman on Earth."
Gag.
That just about broke the both of them, Tessa tearing up and Kari covering her mouth with her hands, trying not to laugh. Since then? The big dolt had been going on and on about how she was the most perfect woman on the face of this Earth and how it physically hurt to be away from her.
Which was rich, coming from him.
"I'm here for Hal?" And the idiot also had a curfew. Which he was currently ignoring. Well, to be precise, Tessa had a curfew. Which Hal was also ignoring.
"Well, you're outta luck. Him and Tessa split for the weekend." Mark's eye twitched dangerously.
"He has work tomorrow, that idiot…" he ground out, hands tight at his sides. Kari shrugged lightly, offering a small smile.
"Do you want to come in?" He cursed himself and the situation. Yes, he would love to come in, but should he? Most definitely not. One, because he would most likely make a fool of himself in some way, shape, or form, which tied into two, he hardly wanted to be an idiot in-front of her and do something like, oh, I don't know, confess?
"S-some other time, Kari. The twins wanted me to take them to a friend's." She nodded in understanding.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." He jerked, just in the process of turning away to retreat down the hall.
"T-tomorrow?" She gave him a curious look, obviously noticing his panic.
"Mae invited us—well, now just me—to dinner." He cursed his mother while she watched on in concern. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Just fine." He ran a hand through his hair and her smile lightened. He didn't notice the pink dusting her cheeks. "Mother always forgets to tell me these things… Tomorrow then."
"See you," she sent one more smile as she closed the door. He shoved his hands in his pockets, hunching his shoulders as he stomped towards the front entrance to their apartment complex.
Mmm, a little short, huh? Well, it's been awhile since I updated this, so, better short than nothing at all, right?
Don't know what else to say here, other than thanks, I guess. For reading all this time.
