Chapter Text
"So Natural History Museum in the morning-"
"Mhmm."
"-followed by a quick jaunt through Robinson Park-"
"Yep."
"Then lunch at The Ocelot."
"Wait, what?"
"-and the afternoon at the Gotham Art Museum-"
"Did you just-"
"-with an early evening tour of Gotham Tower-"
"Kate-"
"-and then dinner back here."
"Kate."
"Yes, babe?"
"Don't you 'babe' me, Katherine Rebecca."
Sophie's tone had absolutely no impact on Kate's feigned expression of bewilderment. In fact, it only made Kate double-down, sending her brow shooting to the top of her forehead in mock concern.
"What is the matter, dear?"
"Did you just say The Ocelot?"
"If I say 'yes'...?"
"No. Nope. Not a chance."
"Oh, come on, Soph. The food is delicious!"
"And way too expensive."
"Good thing I have a doting cousin-"
"No-"
"-who has already graciously-"
"-Kate-"
"-foot the bill."
"Absolutely not."
"Oh relax. What's the point of owning Gotham's fanciest hotel if he can't splurge on his favorite intern, her parents, and her girlfriend?"
"I don't care."
"That was good though, right?"
"Kate-"
"With the whole 'his favorite intern'-
"-why are you always-"
"-instead of 'his favorite cousin'?"
"-such a pain in the ass?"
"It was clever right?"
"Yes. It was very cute. That isn't going to change my mind."
"Fine."
"Really?"
"Mhmm."
"Oh… great, ok-"
"But then you have to tell Diane."
"Tell her what?... Oh no-"
"Yes-"
"-you didn't."
"-I did," Kate grinned.
The buzzer rang through the hall, sending Sophie grumbling under her breath toward the entrance door to collect their takeout. Kate couldn't make out the specifics, but it sounded very close to 'abusing your privileges' and 'I would never message Jacob' followed by 'destroy your phone in your sleep.'
"So I was thinking…" Sophie began nearly two hours later.
Night had set over the city, and all of the windows and sliding doors along the terrace were open, sending a cool summer's breeze through the flat. They had settled into a lively Friday evening of working. They'd spent the night before cleaning the flat and preparing for Sophie's parents to arrive the next day, and she was practically beside herself with nerves. It wasn't immediately clear what exactly had Sophie frazzled, other than her general demeanor of over-analyzing anything and everything.
"How brave of you," Kate teased automatically, her brow furrowed while her fingers typed away at an email. She had diligently been working while Sophie's distracted attention occurred as laps around the apartment. The pacing had become such a distraction Kate had posited an hour earlier that Sophie was acting like she was about to meet her parents for the first time ever. A glare of annoyance sent Kate's attention back to her work. "Well I hope for your sake that you hurry it up, otherwise you'll wear through the rest of the flooring-"
"Must you-"
"-and that mahogany didn't come cheap," she continued, peering around her laptop at the hardwood beneath Sophie's feet.
Sophie paused, shooting Kate a quick glare from where she stood mid-stride. "Did you have an especially relaxed time at the gym today?"
"Not particularly, why?"
"Because you've been intolerable all evening."
"Intolerable? Me?"
"Yes. Where is all of this energy coming from?"
"Can I help it if I'm excited to see my favorite person's parents tomorrow?"
"Yes, you can. Which brings me back to what I was trying to say."
"Go on," Kate smirked, her eyes distractedly glancing back at the screen.
"I'm going to tell them."
"Mhm, that's neat."
"Neat? Really?"
"Sure… wait, sorry, tell who?" Kate asked, glancing up, her hands suspended midair over the keys.
"My parents."
"You're going to…" Kate repeated quietly before the words sank in and a cautious surprise grew over her face. "Really?"
Sophie nodded, a nervous smile playing on her lips. "At dinner tomorrow. I figure something more private to… well… away from a crowd. Diane hates a scene."
Kate stood from the stool she was perched on, clambering for a coherent thought to latch onto. "Soph… that… I'm - that - that's great," Kate grinned.
"You think so?" Sophie asked, a flash of insecurity breaking through her delicate mask of bravery.
"I think what you think. If you feel ready, then I am one hundred fifty percent behind you," Kate said, removing the distance to Sophie, lacing fingers around her waist. An optimistic smile emerged on her lips that hid well the hesitation lingering behind it.
If there was one thing Kate had no interest in pushing, it was this. Even now, a nagging selfishness wanted to tell her to wait. It battled the part of her that wanted the weight Sophie carried to disappear and an open relationship to exist between her and her parents. The two sides of her had spent the last months at war with the greedy part of her typically winning out; it was the part that carried the very vivid experience of heartbreak. Out of this came uncertainty, hesitation, and indecision about how to speak on the topic.
The sting of rejection had faded nearly four months earlier, but a dull pang occasionally reemerged. Its presence was often correlated with the moments Sophie would be reminded Diane and Eric Moore didn't know about her true feelings. Those moments had a knack for stealing a smile from Sophie's face. They also often left her contemplative and quiet. But more than that, it left Kate questioning.
"I think it's time. I want them to… I want them to know you as more than just my roommate. I want them to know about all of it," Sophie sighed. It was a sigh of relief intertwined with nerves and excitement. It was a sigh that left Kate in doubt.
It wasn't a doubt that Sophie loved her. It was a doubt that Sophie would give it all up if push came to shove. It was this doubt that left Kate curtailing any discussions about their relationship and Sophie's parents. It was a defensive mechanism: the less time Sophie had to second-guess their relationship, the less chance there was she'd choose them over Kate.
"Bold words, Sophie Moore," Kate smirked.
And it wouldn't be such a concern if Sophie hadn't done it once before.
"Go big or go home, right?" Sophie inhaled, laying a kiss on Kate's cheek before slipping away from Kate and trekking toward the bedroom.
Flashes of Sophie's rejection flared alive in Kate's mind, and she felt her cheeks strain to conceal the feeling that twenty four hours from then would have a lasting impact on their relationship.
"Right."
The next day was an absolute blur. Sophie's parents arrived bright and early - almost too early - and the shouts of enthusiastic greetings between her and her mom echoed throughout the flat. Kate lingered in the background, nursing her first cup of coffee and catching Mr. Moore's eye who gratefully followed her into the kitchen for a mug of his own.
The itinerary was immediately derailed. Instead of making it to the Natural History Museum when it opened as planned, Diane barricaded Sophie in 'her' room to catch up on the summer's gossip.
In addition to cleaning two nights prior, Kate and Sophie had also moved all of Sophie's belongings from Kate's room into Mary's to maintain the illusion that they weren't spending every night tangled in each other's arms. It was an easy enough move, and it was already paying dividends.
The door remained closed for an hour as the two yammered about… well, Kate had no clue. She was never particularly into gabbing, and growing up with a stoic father had wound a tight tourniquet around whatever part of her might have found it appealing. By the time Mary had entered her life, Kate was the spitting image of Jacob when it came to idle chatter. So instead, she found solace in the quiet musings of Eric Moore who had spent the summer replacing the front axle of his motorcycle. A city in the summer typically meant Kate didn't have much space or time to tinker with her own bike, so she settled for living vicariously through Mr. Moore.
"After we tuned-up the engine last summer and this replacement, well… she's practically running as good as new. I'm not sure if Diane is happy or silently stewing over how much time I've spent in the garage this summer."
Mr. Moore chuckled at this last part, but Kate had a sneaking suspicion that there was a tiny bit of truth in his words. Kate had heard and seen enough to know Mrs. Moore ran a tight ship: keeping a clean home, raising Sophie, attending church, and having an uncompromising attention to detail were all parts of Diane Moore that had been reinforced with stories over time.
In particular, the latter was why Sophie got grounded for a week after arriving home ten seconds past curfew, or what sent her back to re-clean the living room after an errant speck of dust was found, or why Sophie herself had such an uncanny critical eye for the same. Whether it was genetic or a quirk picked up over time Kate didn't know. What she did know was that Sophie's eyes were seemingly everywhere, picking up every minor tweak and change in Kate's behavior. It was a skill she both loved and hated about her girlfriend.
By the time they finally left the apartment, it was mid-morning. The city was waking up, and with it came the hustle and bustle Sophie and Kate had wanted to avoid by leaving early for the museum. Instead, they were now in the thick of it - trying to navigate growing crowds while carrying on conversation with her parents.
Kate watched in wonder at Mr. and Mrs. Moore's wide-eyed gazes toward Gotham City. For living a stone's throw away, they'd rarely crossed the bridge into the city proper, and it was like they were experiencing the fast-paced, bustling traffic for the first time. All of Mrs. Moore's misgivings about city life soon faded when the metal gates rolled open to reveal high end storefronts of the summer's latest fashion on their commute to the Natural History Museum. She stared, mesmerized, at the food stalls that popped up along their walk through Robinson park and was quick to scold Mr. Moore for suggesting a light snack before their lunch at the Ocelot.
When they finally arrived nearly an hour after their original reservation, Mrs. Moore winced at the full tables, prepared to be turned away and already uttering an apology for wasting the restaurant's time. Her words were cut off and she was stunned into silence when the host simply nodded in recognition of Kate and ushered them to a table on the second floor that overlooked the rest of the seating area.
"It's Bruce's table," Kate explained as the waiter - Babou - approached with copies of the set menu organized by the head chef.
The meal was out of this world delicious. Over the five courses Mrs. Moore peppered Kate with questions about growing up in Gotham and what it was like to have Bruce Wayne for a cousin. Her genuine interest left Sophie glowing, reassured by the warmth her parents carried for Kate. This confidence slowly chipped away at Kate's nagging doubt about the evening's impending conversation.
Everything was going according to plan. It was nearly perfect. It had the flawlessness of a Michelangelo sculpture. Which was why, even though Sophie seemed relaxed and Mr. and Mrs. Moore seemed happy, Kate spent all of it on edge waiting for the sunshine to turn cloudy.
The first sign of trouble came when they took a detour through the arts district on their way from lunch to the Natural History Museum. Until then they hadn't strayed from the prim and proper edges of Gotham. It was all part of Sophie's curated effort of making sure her parents didn't leave their visit with any reservations about her having spent all summer in the city. This also meant Sophie was relying on Kate to guide them through these lesser-visited neighborhoods.
Over the last few months, the couple had explored the less refined swaths of the city, preferring the hole in the wall Sri Lankan restaurant to the white table cloths and crystal that surrounded the Kane apartment. When Kate veered into the arts district, Sophie's eyes narrowed at the familiar surroundings.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Sophie asked, her eyes communicating a nervous doubt.
"Yea, this is a shortcut. Plus the streets are wider, so more sunshine-"
"Kate?"
Kate's attention was pulled across the street, her eyes squinting at the familiar figure waving and offering
"I thought that was you; I'd recognize that lanky form anywhere," Molly gushed.
"I'm not lanky," Kate muttered under her breath.
"And Sophie! So great to see you," she continued, yanking Sophie into a hug and landing a kiss on her cheek in greeting. "Don't tell me you two ventured into this side of town without calling?"
"Just cutting through," Kate replied, her brow still furrowed from a moment earlier. "Sophie's parents are in town for the weekend-"
"Sophie's parents?!" Molly interrupted, her beaming smile now directed at the increasingly uncomfortable couple standing behind the duo. "Now I see where she gets her good looks from."
"Uh, right," Kate said, shooting her a quick scowl. "Anyway, so we're hitting all the major hotspots."
"Oh! Does that mean you'll make it to Evan's gallery? He's there all day and would just eat up this whole family outing thing."
An unlikely thing had occurred between Evan's birthday bash and now: Sophie had become fully absorbed into Kate's group of Gotham friends. It was like a flip had switched, and after months of Kate hesitantly keeping the two worlds separated, it almost seemed silly in retrospect. Where Kate had seen oil and water there was just water and… well, water. The transition was seamless.
It got to a point where plans were being made through Sophie, leaving Kate mildly baffled but also overjoyed. Molly in particular had latched onto Sophie when she discovered she was working at Wayne Tech for the summer. She was going to school for molecular biology with a fascination in nanotechnology which solidified the improbable pairing.
"No, no, just the big stuff," Kate waved away.
"Don't let him hear you say that," Molly giggled.
"Uh, right, well, we should get going," Sophie finally chimed in, her discomfort slowly edging onto her face.
"Fine, fine - we're still on for Monday night drinks though, right? Because I can not wait to tell you about Cass. Talk about a break-up from hell. She's holding my favorite sweatshirt hostage - you know the one I let her borrow the night we hooked up-"
"We've really gotta get going," Sophie interrupted, her eyes ping-ponging between Molly and the startled look on Mrs. Moore's face. "We'll see you Monday though."
"Genius. We can save the hot goss till then," she winked. "Pleasure to meet you two," she called before dashing back across the street.
The day was less of a blur from that moment on.
Their next stop, the Gotham Art Museum, had been chosen by Kate because of the temporary exhibition of Picasso's works. Since Sophie's first exposure to Mondrian weeks earlier, her interest had grown in modern art, and Evan had nothing but praise for the collection on display.
Everything about it was going along swimmingly until they arrived at Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, a piece completed in 1907 depicting a group of naked women in a brothel.
"This isn't art; it's pornography," Mrs. Moore whispered loudly, sending a room of eyes in the group's direction. Sophie's eyes turned downward and Mr. Moore placed a calming hand on his wife's arm.
"Actually, that's what a lot of people said when it was first shown in 1918. Matisse hated it - he thought it was slight to modern art," Kate explained, taking the criticism in stride. "But in time it became accepted for the eventual influence it had on the creation of Cubism as a whole."
"Well, I think it's a grotesque abomination of people living in sin. This shouldn't be on display for people to gawk at; think of all the young eyes who see this."
The visit wrapped up shortly after that.
It was at this point Kate split off from the group: Sophie was going to take her parents to Gotham Tower while Kate returned home to begin preparing dinner. The recipe and timing was closely watched by Sophie for fear of a repeat scenario that seemed to occur whenever Kate ran the kitchen.
"I'm not going to burn dinner," Kate insisted a week earlier.
"Tell that to every meal you've ever made ever, ever."
"Whatever."
The goal was for Sophie to return in time to keep an eye on the oven, and it could not have been more perfect if they'd synced their watches. Twenty minutes into the bake time, the front door opened and in walked the trio. Sophie and Mr. Moore lagged behind Mrs. Moore who was lost in the point she was trying to make:
"I just don't understand why they need to do it in public."
"You and dad hold hands all the time."
"That's different," Mrs. Moore replied without further explanation. Her eyes turned toward the kitchen, inhaling deeply. "What is that lovely smell?"
Kate's eyebrow cocked in curiosity, snagging Sophie's eye. Instead of clarity, all she received was a quick shake of her head.
"Lasagne - Kane edition," Kate replied, matching Mrs. Moore's smile. "Should be ready in an hour; Soph insisted on being here in case I set anything on fire."
"Oh, Sophie, don't be-"
"No, it's for the best," Kate clarified. "I have a uh… a bit of a reputation."
"I highly doubt that."
There was a look of approval in her eyes that was accentuated by the glimmer of excitement in Sophie's.
"Can I tempt you with a drink, Mrs. Moore?" Kate offered, pointing to a bottle of white.
"Really, Kate, how many times do I have to say it: Diane, please. And well, one glass won't hurt."
Sophie ushered her parents onto the terrace where they fell relaxed into a set of chairs before she returned inside to help Kate clean up.
"What was that about?"
"Hm? When?"
"With your mom when you walked in."
"Oh, nothing."
"Soph."
"She's just… opinionated about things."
Kate stopped wiping down the counter, turning her gaze to meet Sophie.
"What?"
"Are you sure you want to tell them tonight?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I don't know… call it confirmation bias?" Kate offered lamely.
"My parents would not stop talking about you the entire walk home. That soup kitchen earned you some serious brownie points in Diane's eyes. I don't think you have anything to worry about," Sophie smiled. It was genuine, too, which did little to quell the pit of dread in Kate's stomach.
"Ok," Kate replied, offering the best forced smile she could. It was definitely confirmation bias, but in which direction she wasn't sure.
Another round of drinks came, and Mrs. Moore didn't even bat an eye when Sophie poured a glass for herself. The sun set over the terrace as stories of Sophie's childhood filled the space until the timer finally went off.
A third round of drinks appeared with dinner, and it was when Mrs. Moore tipped back the rest of her red that the influence of it appeared on her tongue.
"The girl we met today. The one with the- the… 'girlfriend'," Mrs. Moore said with air quotes.
"Molly," Sophie offered.
"Molly, yes, you're… friends? I don't recall you telling me about that one. She's, well… quite handsy. What's her story?"
That one.
Kate wasn't easily triggered. In fact, she prided herself on letting most things roll off her shoulders. Except now. The word choice and tone made her see an unexpected shade of red. In hindsight, she'd question whether her next words could have been avoided; perhaps her subconscious was forcing an inevitability she'd spent months side-stepping. Regardless of those simmering reasons, one thought overwhelmed all of that, and she shot Sophie a quick look of apology before replying.
"We used to date."
"I'm sorry?" Mrs. Moore asked, and next to her Sophie's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Mr. Moore's fork sat suspended mid-air, a bite of the lasagne inches from his slack-jawed mouth.
It wasn't entirely true - Kate never dated in high school, but it sounded less offensive than to say they hooked up or fucked or had a strangers-with-benefits relationship.
"Back in high school," Kate confirmed. "We dated first; now we're friends."
"I don't understand."
"I think what Kate means-"
"About which part?" Kate interrupted calmly, her tone not betraying the irrational anger stewing behind her words.
"You dated? A girl?"
"Yes," Kate said evenly, interrupting Sophie's rushed explanation. The words landed like a knife, silencing Mrs. Moore with a stone-cold look of horror.
"You're… I'm sorry did you just say you… so that would mean you were... that… well, you were… um..."
"Gay?" Kate asked lightly. "Yea."
"In high school?"
"And now; it isn't really something that goes away."
The stunned silence that followed was deafening - wholly terrifying even. It sent Sophie's eyes fixed unblinking on her mother, it sent Mr. Moore's hands firmly in his lap, and it sent Mrs. Moore's eyebrows into her bangs.
"And how long has this… well, this phase been-"
"Mom."
"Well what else would you have me call it?" Mrs. Moore hissed, her eyes now trained coldly on her daughter.
"It's ok," Kate chimed in, her gaze focused on Mrs. Moore. "It's not a phase. I've known since I was a kid."
A moment passed before Mrs. Moore's eyes scanned back across the table toward Kate. Her face morphed into a forced smile - the strain was obvious around her eyes, and the sweetness of her next words did little to hide her growing contempt.
"Forgive me; this just wasn't the dinner conversation I was expecting."
"Technically, you brought it up," Kate said pointedly, and this brought Sophie's eyes from Mrs. Moore to Kate, shooting her a look of warning.
"Yes, I suppose… What I mean is, everyone can live their own way of life, of course. Teens… they rebel and think that - what I mean is that I have no doubt things can be difficult. What with your upbringing and everything, you might have a skewed understanding of what's normal. Plus, living in a big city can confuse people with immoral temptations, but-"
"I've actually never been so sure of anything in my life."
Mrs. Moore's forced smile widened as she set her cutlery down with a soft clatter against the wooden table. "Kate, I don't doubt you think you're sure-"
"Mom-"
"Diane, honey, perhaps we shelve this for another time."
"I'm sorry, you expect me to just sit here and listen to this nonsense and do nothing?"
"Nonsense?" Kate interjected. She wore a look of innocence well. It was the face anyone but Sophie could see through, and it was doing wonders against Mrs. Moore.
"You're a smart girl," Mrs. Moore replied coolly. There was almost an insistence in the way spoke. "And you know better than to choose to live in sin. Surely you can't think this lifestyle will bring you eternal happiness."
"It isn't a choice, Mrs. Moore."
"Of course it is. The Lord did not make you this way. He gifted you with free will, and with that you've chosen to become infatuated in a way of life that is immoral and will damn you to Hell."
"Maybe, but I'm not going to live my life afraid to feel what I feel."
"Is anyone ready for dessert?" Sophie tried to segue. "Kate got a cheesecake from-"
"Actually, I'm awfully tired from today's little adventure. I think… yes, I think I'll just retire," Mrs. Moore said, interrupting her daughter and promptly standing to leave. "Dinner was lovely."
"Mom, what if-"
"Sophia, a word, please."
Sophie stood, her cheeks flush with a confused mix of anger, sadness, embarrassment, and frustration. Kate watched her knuckles unfurl from the cloth napkin she'd been wrangling under the table and drop next to her plate. She shot Kate a quick look of uncertainty before falling in line behind her mother.
The click of the door released the breath from Kate's lungs, and she dared a glance at Mr. Moore who was very focused on the plate of half-eaten greens in front of him.
"I'm sorry. I… that wasn't-"
Mr. Moore lifted a hand to silence Kate. The stillness made room for the tense voices reverberating past the closed door beyond.
"Should I-?" Kate asked, gesturing toward the bedroom.
"No," Mr. Moore sighed. "As heroic as that might be, it wouldn't help anyone," he said, mirroring Sophie's actions from moments before and relieving his hand of the napkin clenched in it before rising to follow the breadcrumbs of uncertainty Sophie had laid.
Kate remained alone at the table for a moment, fighting her desire to run interference on Mrs. Moore's anger. It was the least she could do, and by the slowly increasing volumes, Kate was beginning to regret the spout of anger she'd let loose. Curiosity getting the better of her, she silently rose from her chair and crossed the kitchen to the edge of the hall where the proximity made the volume of Mrs. Moore's words difficult to ignore.
"No, Eric, I will not calm down-"
"Mom, what is the big deal? She's still the same person-"
"The big deal?" Kate heard Mrs. Moore interrupt. "Sophia, don't you dare take that tone with me. You have lied to both your father and me-"
"I didn't lie-"
"For years I might add. You were roommates with her and didn't think to tell us? You've been living under her roof all summer, and then you have the audacity to invite us to stay here, too?"
"Living...Mom, wh-Kate is… what?"
"Don't make me say it."
"Say what?" There was an unexpected edge to Sophie's voice, and Kate felt an instinct to intervene but knew it would only make things worse.
"She is gay, Sophia. She is… you know it's probably because she was raised by her father. You can't expect a poor girl not to be confused by that."
"Confused? No, Kate isn't… Kate isn't confused; this is who she is, mom."
"You're telling me Mr. Kane doesn't look at her in disappointment? That his surviving daughter has committed herself to a life of sin? To never have children? Never have happiness? To never be normal-"
"Kate seems pretty happy to me-"
"And you think Mr. Kane would want that life for his daughter? Would want to see her cast out by society and rejected? You think Mr. Kane wants a daughter like that? Could love a daughter like that?"
The words slapped the energy out of the room, and Kate could barely make out the soft words Sophie said next: "You don't mean that."
"I do. And while I hate repeating myself, I'll say it again, Sophia: I don't appreciate being lied to-"
"Honey, Sophie didn't lie-"
"No, Eric, she has and she did. She has been untruthful about this whole situation knowing full well I wouldn't endorse it."
"Mom, I didn't-"
"I thought I raised you better."
"I wasn't lying on purpose. Would you just - wait, what are you doing?"
The sound of a zipper was enough to startle Kate into action. Shadows moved around the edge of the door as Sophie pleaded with Mrs. Moore to hear her out; to reconsider what was happening. Kate just managed to slip into her own room and seal the door when Mr. and Mrs. Moore's bedroom burst open and the sound of wheels on hardwood rolled across the floor toward the entrance.
Muffled exchanges, disappointment, and resignation bled through the door. Sophie's voice took on a familiar sound of apology. She was pleading for… something, and Kate felt a growing anxiety over what was transpiring mere feet away. Then came the words, clear as day, that cut through the door:
"Are you coming or not?"
There was a clear ultimatum in Mrs. Moore's voice followed by a pause. The pause could have lasted a second or a millenia. It wouldn't have mattered - Kate had no context for space or time. But what did come next was silent shuffling.
Then the click of a door.
Then nothing.
Silence engulfed the flat, and Kate felt the familiar darkness swallow her with it. A moment was spent craning her ears for a hint of sound, but instead the absence of life echoed off the walls.
She stepped backwards, deeper into the bedroom. It all felt disorienting, like a nightmare she'd lived through before. Her fingers grazed over the stack of clothes that filled the lone chair in her room. Without a second thought she dumped them into a pile on the ground before falling into it.
She sat for seconds, and then minutes.
A tiny voice in the back of Kate's mind taunted, claiming an inevitability in her month's of suspicion: given the choice - given the ultimatum - Sophie would choose 'normal'. Her eyes fought back the feelings of rejection that stung at her eyes, instead focusing on the warm orange of the city lights floating outside the window.
This was expected. There was no reason to be surprised. If anything, Kate knew she should feel relieved - at least now she knew the truth. She didn't blame Sophie; if there was one thing years without a proper family had taught her, it was the importance of keeping loved ones close for as long as possible. Sure, she'd lived most of her life rejecting getting close to most, but she understood what it was for others to choose family first. If given the chance, she might have done the same. She might have chosen Beth or her mom or Jacob. But all of that was hypothetical. More than that, it didn't actually compute; the truth was that she loved Sophie more than she ever thought anyone could love another human. Maybe that's what Sophie's parents were to her.
That didn't make the creeping loneliness any easier to handle. Her first instinct was of anger. Anger was something she was intimately familiar with. It had shaped her childhood after Beth died. Weeks rolled into months of a teenage temper hell bent on finding her sister. When that materialized into discovering her remains, a new kind of anger unfolded. It was white-hot and violent.
Jacob spent the first few years redirecting that anger into training. It was what prepared her for Point Rock. It was what prepared her right now - knowing that she'd walk out of her room and face the same loneliness of her childhood.
She clenched her jaw, unwilling to succumb to disappointment. Instead she turned her thoughts to more pragmatic things, like whether it was too late to put in a request for a roommate change. Surely rooming with an ex would be a terrible way to spend the fall term, and she could only hope a litany of failed attempts wouldn't result in another.
Then there was the fact that Sophie technically still had three weeks of her internship left. Maybe Kate could book a flight and spend the remainder of the summer in Italy. At the very least it would give Sophie a place to stay without the awkwardness of her being there. Without giving it a second thought she patted herself down in search of her phone. It was late, but she could fire off a quick message to Jacob and get a flight secured for the next day. Her mind wandered to where her passport could be, and she gripped the edges of the chair to climb to her feet when a soft click distracted her.
She froze, her eyes latched onto the door. It slowly opened, revealing the silhouette of Sophie Moore standing behind it.
"Kate?"
"Hey," Kate stammered in reply, swallowing the sinking feeling of heartbreak that latched onto her moments earlier.
"Where are...?" Sophie jumped at the voice, scanning through the dark. Kate fell back into the chair. "Hi."
She slowly crossed the room to sit at the edge of the bed nearest Kate.
"You're still here."
It was meant as a passing remark, but it came out for what it really was: an admission, an answered prayer, a sigh of relief. She wanted to jump up and pull Sophie to her, too afraid to let her out of her sight again, but saner heads prevailed and she remained fixed to the chair.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Sophie asked. There was a cautiousness in voice, and the silence that followed exacerbated the vulnerability Kate felt in her words.
"I… I guess I just assumed you'd… I don't know."
"I'm not going anywhere."
The words came out soft; slow; intentional. They also relaxed every fiber in Kate's body. She didn't realize just how tense she was until those four words soothed her into a state of calm.
"They're going to find a hotel." It was cryptic and glossed over the reason why.
Kate nodded in the dark.
"I heard your mom," Kate confessed.
"They shouldn't have… that…" Sophie began, still rattled from moments earlier. She paused, taking a slow breath, hearing Kate lean forward, and feeling the warmth of a comforting hand entwine itself with hers.
"You heard everything?" Sophie whispered, almost afraid for the looming confirmation of another nod.
"I heard enough."
"I'm so sorry. That isn't… I didn't expect them to-to-"
"Hey, it's ok. I should be the one apologizing."
"That isn't-"
"And thanking you."
"Yea?" Sophie choked out with a dismissive laugh. "You're having a blast hosting my homophobic parents?"
"While this is definitely in my top ten life experiences..." Kate said lightly, "I meant for standing up to your mom. You didn't have to do that."
"Standing up? I didn't… I didn't stand up to them."
"Diane."
"What?"
"You keep saying 'them'. It was just your mom."
Sophie scowled at Kate's observation, realizing she couldn't recall hearing any negativity from her father once during the confrontation.
"It doesn't matter though," Kate said lightly, trying to diffuse the room's tension.
"But she had no right. She… the look on her face. The fact she just completely dismissed you for this one… this one inconsequential thing," Sophie said. "It's not like I told her you were a serial killer."
Kate knew on some level Sophie was angry at Mrs. Moore's words about Kate; it had been a surprise to her just how forceful Mrs. Moore's opinion had made itself known. Part of her was disappointed in Diane for being so closed minded to the news even in the face of Sophie defending it, but it did drive home the fear that had petrified Sophie for so long. The anger was the easy part to see. It was the part of her that was outraged that her mother could say such cruel and awful things about someone she loved.
But under that anger was fear: a fear that what Diane Moore had just said about Kate would be just as easily applied to her. If her mother could so quickly flip on someone she'd been otherwise smitten with, who was admittedly a close friend of her daughter's, what could happen when that same daughter came out?
For the first time, the selfish voice in the back of her head wasn't arguing for secrecy to protect Kate. It was arguing to protect Sophie.
"Can I suggest something?"
Sophie shook herself from her thoughts, glancing at her girlfriend with a questioning gaze. "You're asking me if I want your opinion?"
"Yes?"
"I've never known you to ask."
"That's not true-"
"No, you sort of just assume I want to hear it," Sophie jabbed.
"So is that a 'no'?"
Sophie restrained an eye roll as her silhouette nodded for Kate to go on.
"Don't tell them."
Sophie gawked in confusion.
"What? No, if anything-"
"Soph, hear me out-"
"No. I've been hiding and lying about this long enough. If my parents… if I can't tell my own mother… I'm not going to shy away from this," Sophie said with a conviction that was betrayed by the crack in her voice. "You don't deserve all of Diane's venom."
A small smile glowed from Kate as she pulled Sophie's hand to her lips, pressing them to her for a moment.
"I love you, Sophie Moore," Kate whispered.
"You sure? I won't hold it against you if you've changed your mind after tonight," Sophie sighed.
"Not a chance. I love you. And I also think I know you pretty well. Even without that you have the worst poker face on the planet, and I… I think you should wait."
"But Kate, I-"
"Just for a little longer. Consider this a test run."
"A test run?"
"Mhm," Kate hummed against Sophie's hand.
"You did this on purpose," Sophie said, suddenly understanding Kate's motives. "You intentionally let it slip tonight."
"Give her some time," Kate continued, neither confirming nor denying Sophie's conclusion.
"You're not always right, you know."
Kate shrugged. "But I'm rarely wrong."
"One day you will be."
"Maybe. But even then, worst case she just drives a stake through my heart and casts some garlic on me-"
"Are you a vampire now?"
Kate shrugged. "Depends. Do you think it's hot?"
Sophie chuckled, shaking her head. "Not remotely."
"Maybe a sexy pirate then," Kate offered, pulling Sophie toward her. She complied, rising from the bed to join Kate on the chair. "I'm trying to get an early start on my Halloween costume."
"Not the greatest hygienic track record," Sophie teased from Kate's lap. "What about a maid?"
"A maid? Really?" Kate asked, her lips grazing Sophie's neck.
"Yea, then maybe you'll finally clean up all these clothes," Sophie said, pointing to the pile sitting next to the chair.
"You really know how to kill the mood," Kate pouted.
"Oh, is that what we were doing?" Sophie asked dryly.
"I just figured," Kate began, leaving a small trail of kisses along Sophie's jawline, "if I'm already going to hell," she continued, her hands growing excited as they slipped under Sophie's shirt, "I might as well indulge."
"Indulge?" Sophie smirked, leaning in to capture Kate's lips.
"Mhm," Kate replied, the sound vibrating between their lips as she melted into Sophie.
When they finally came up for air, Kate's eyes glowed brightly in the dark. "So you'll wait?" Kate asked, wanting confirmation from Sophie.
"Kissing me doesn't mean you get your way."
"I can always try more drastic measures," Kate smirked, leaning in to graze her lips against Sophie's.
"Fine."
"Fine, what?"
"Fine, I'll wait," Sophie sighed, and Kate could hear the small relief in her voice concealed behind her frustration.
"Thank you."
"How did I get so lucky," Sophie whispered.
"I wouldn't call you lucky."
"What would you call me?"
"Settling. I'm definitely the lucky one in this operation," Kate grinned.
"Agree to disagree."