[COLLEGE AU HOORAY] Late '90s, University

[tiltingwithlips]

So two nights ago, Harry and Kate got into another screaming fight on the quad that ended with Harry flinging his key to Kate's apartment at her feet and Kate threatening to use it to key his door, since he's too much of a loser to own a car, and both of them stalking off to separate bars to drink whiskey and tell their friends that it's really over this time.

REALLY.

Kate has sulked through the last two days, slamming doors and breaking pencil points and trying to remember what, exactly, they were fighting about. But it doesn't matter because she is not going to keep dating crazy. She is going to focus on her reading and go to bed at a reasonable hour and not give Harry Percy another thought.

Comments

[valiantrebel]

"Is it this one?"

"I told you the address! Can you not count a number?"

"I'm giving you this ride out of the goodness of my heart."

"And I promised you a handle of scotch, you--"

"Oh, this one!" Hal punches the brake, and the car jerks to a stop in front of a student apartment building. Harry grunts and grips the seatbelt. Hal smiles. "Need anything else?"

"No."

The car's still running. Hal also has the brights on. And the radio.

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate is mostly asleep, up in her fourth floor apartment, but the sound of brakes screeching jerks her awake. She groans a curse and rolls over. Surely whoever the hell they are, they'll be gone once they drop off their friend or find their parking spot or whatever bloody thing.

[valiantrebel]

Hal frowns. "Is she expecting you?"

Harry unbuckles himself, with some trouble, and opens the door. "She's always expecting me."

Hal whistles. "I hope you know what you're doing, pal. You going to need a ride back to the dorms?"

"Go."

Hal nods. "I'll stick around just in case."

Harry groans and staggers up to the front door. He jabs his thumb at the buzzer.

[tiltingwithlips]

Kate jerks upright at the brrring of the buzzer.

"What the fuck," she groans.

If she ignores whoever it is, will they go away? It's the middle of the night, for God's sake.

[valiantrebel]

No. No ignoring him, Kate.

Harry growls and keeps punching the buzzer, at more and more insistent, regular intervals.

[tiltingwithlips]

"Goddamn it."

She rolls out of her bed and shuffles over to the intercom, rubbing her eyes, and thumbs the button.

"Who's this?"

[valiantrebel]

"Kate!"

[tiltingwithlips]

Oh for fuck's sake.

"Piss off, Harry!"

[valiantrebel]

"Kate, enough, let me in."

If he scowls hard enough at the buzzer, she'll hear it and come down, right?

He turns and glares into the street at Hal's car, which is still blaring "Semi-Charmed Life" like a tool.

[tiltingwithlips]

"I said piss off before I call the police!"

[valiantrebel]

"You're not going to call the police! Kate, you have to let me up, I've got something for you."

[tiltingwithlips]

"You are the most exquisitely hardheaded cotton-eared asshole I've ever met," she snaps into the intercom, and takes her thumb off the button, and stalks back to her bed.

[valiantrebel]

"Cotton -- what?" He leans closer to the buzzer. "Kate? Kate! Fuck!" He pounds the door frame and steps back, craning his neck to pick out Kate's flat.

"Kate! I'm not leaving until you talk to me!"

Hal shuts off the engine, apparently settling in to watch.

[tiltingwithlips]

Oh, God, and he really won't, will he?

What a dick.

She is going to do her damnedest to ignore him. She is.

[valiantrebel]

Harry takes a deep breath.

"KAAAAAAAATE. Kate, come out here so I can say sorry to you!"

That's not actually why he's here, but he's got to lure her out somehow.

[tiltingwithlips]

Nooooo fuck oh God her neighbors are going to HATE her.

Groaning, she hides her head under her pillow.

[valiantrebel]

"Kate, I know you're up there, don't do this passive-aggresive ostrich thing! KATE." He winces. "GOD, this itches! KATE."

[tiltingwithlips]

UGH.

She throws the pillow onto the floor, gets up and shoves the window open.

"Shut up, Harry!"

[valiantrebel]

There, phase one accomplished! Harry grins. "Let me up or come down here! You'll want to see this!"

[tiltingwithlips]

"I can see perfectly well from up here!"

[valiantrebel]

"Not this!"

Harry wore a button-down shirt for this, very specifically. He starts unbuttoning, though he fumbles -- he's still jittery with adrenaline. But it should be fairly apparently what's happening, even from four stories up.

[tiltingwithlips]

WHAT.

"I've seen that too!" she hisses at the top of her lungs.

[valiantrebel]

"No, you haven't!"

His chest is... gleaming?

It's covered in... saran wrap?

"Kate, I got this for you, come down already!"

[tiltingwithlips]

"No! Harry, shut up, go away!"

"Will you two be quiet!" someone yells from another window.

[valiantrebel]

"I'd be quiet if she'd let me in! Kate!"