Kaitlin Reinhardt made it back to her apartment, making a note in her mind that she thought of it as hers, and watched as April greeted her, sniffed, found no betraying scents of something she would have wanted to be involved in, and turned, going on her way, as she currently needed no human help. She moves into the kitchen and makes herself a pot of tea and moves into the living room, where she has already, with the help of her son, gotten new furniture. Or rather, used furniture she adored. A nice couch, a dining room table and a lounger. Some of Michael's furniture remains, but it seems to work with the older designs. All very mix and match, even though she loved the result.
Heinrich would have hated it.
But he was dead and Kaitlin was adjusting. It seemed to her that there was no period of mourning. Just trying to learn to live a life where she could make decisions all on her own, if she wanted to.
One of those decisions was shoving Heinrich out of her mind and focusing on something that could make her smile. Sakura Yamada had brought up leprechauns ... and Yuki Tanaka.
And asking Yuki to dress as a leprechaun.
But she had a couple of beers and it was late. Well late for her. She sat up for a little bit, then headed up the stairs for bed. But before she turned off the lamp on the bedside table, she sent a text message to Yuki.
"I was thinking of you today. Call me?"
She plugs the phone into its charger, turns off the light and snuggles under the covers and is soon fast asleep.
Yuki had fallen asleep watching TV the night before and missed the text then but woke up to it and watched the clock impatiently until 8:45 am. He was trying to make it until 9, a reasonable time on a Sunday as his kids had browbeat him about, but...he just couldn't.
He dialed Kaitlin's number and waited while it rang, pacing a bit in his tiny bachelor apartment.
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Kaitlin is in her dining room, looking at her laptop when the phone rings. It's the default picture of the shadow man, as she's still learning to personalize her phone and wants to have fun with it. But she can see the name and picks it up with a smile in her voice. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Had a good lie in?" usually he got back to her earlier if she texted him in the mornings.
Yuki laughs "No I've been up since seven....I guess that is a sleep in. But you said call, so I waited until what my kids tell me is a decent hour. Is everything OK?" In the background he can be heard puttering in his little kitchen, putting dishes away. He's finding sitting still a problem right now, not that he's nervous.
Kaitlin giggles. "It's nearly 10. The mornings half gone!" she half pffts. "I slept till around seven too. Usually I wake around five in the morning. Old habits, right?" she pauses. "Are you working today?" she asks, deciding that if she is going to ask what she and Sakura decided to ask, the wanted to see her friends face when she said it.
Yuki's smile can be heard as he talks "No...I got the kid in the shop. He gets to sleep in a bit though since Sunday is a late start. No one wants fish for breakfast in this town but me..." He laughs.
Kaitlin giggles. "Well, if you haven't eaten, I can make you breakfast. Fish even. I don't have halibut, but I have some salmon I can do something with." she begins looking for recipes. "We might have to fight off April. Michael's cat .. well ... I guess she's mine now."
Yuki's heart skips a beat. She was offering to make him breakfast...and it was fish? He stumbled over his words "I uh.....you wanna cook for me?" He laughs nervously "I accept. What time should I come by?" He asked as he stepped right into his shoes...and then took them off again. He should really brush his teeth first.
Kaitlin nods. "Of course I do. Someone should. You cook all the time.." she proclaims. "Well it's ten now, how about ... after that?" she suggests. "I am up and dressed and ready to cook." she announces, zeroing in on a nice recipe idea.
Yuki exhales "OK you're on. I'll start walking that way in a minute. See you soon." He'd walked her home before and knew which suite it was from her description so he brushed his teeth and threw on a jacket and shoes and was out the door in under a minute. He was at her door knocking in less than 10 more with two take out coffees.
Kaitlin had gone into her kitchen and had time only to take out ingredients when the knock came at her door. She heads for it and opens it. "Oh you brought coffee!" she opens it for him, dressed in a long worn denim skirt and a t-shirt that probably once belonged to Michael, as it comes down to her knees. Her feet are bare. "Come in. Have a seat at the counter and let me serve you." she turns and heads back into the kitchen where she has what looks like the ingredients for some kind of batter. "Now I hope you like smoked salmon, Yuki."
Yuki is in his usual khaki cotton cargo pants with a casual button up shirt. today's button up shirt is a rust orange plaid. He hangs up his jacket and takes off his shoes on the way in, eyeing her feet for a moment before heading to the counter "I like every kind of salmon...." He chuckles.
Kaitlin smiles and motions tot he stools. "Michael repainted and reupholstered them for me. They were black ... EVERYTHING down here was black it seemed. Except him and the cat." April seems to have taken an instant liking to Yuki and hops on the counter to watch and rub against him, purring. Kaitlin, meanwhile, start taking a few more things out. "I have been expanding my knowledge." she announces. "This week I am playing with Jewish food." she gets everything ready. "But I don't have bagels, so we're having lox and waffles." she nods.
Yuki leans down and scratches the kitty "Hello there.....aren't you a friendly one...aww I had a cat for many years.....big orange tabby pal. The kids names him Garfield, like the comics. It must be nice having the company."Jewish food? Cool. I like the potato pancakes they have on that one holiday but lox and waffles sounds great." He looks at her hands as she cooks and notices she's taken off her wedding ring.
Kaitlin plugs in the waffle iron and lays the lox out, setting one piece on a plate just for April. "I guess Michael named her after s girl in a show he liked. But that girl seems to have had an attitude. April is a darling." the darling begins to feast. "And she is good company. She likes to lay near me, where I can pet her or she can demand I pet her. And she likes to sing with little Jayla sometimes." she begins to work quickly. "Yes, Jewish food. I've never had IT either." she proclaims. "I will make you potato pancakes someday also. Just remind me." the whips up the batter quickly. "I was thinking cream cheese on the waffles instead of butter, plus some dill ... keep it simple." she glances at him. "I have never done this before, so don't count this in my grades for cooking. I saw a recipe and am making my little version of it." she warns him.
Yuki laughs "No grading. I'm fascinated. That and a singing cat..." He grins down at April "Oh she's happy now...look at that. I made friends with a guy named Parvinder on the pizza night. He drives cab but his family also has a restaurant, Punjabi Palace, if you feel brave to try Indian food sometime too. Great guy, kicked my ass in chess the other day too." He admits freely. Yuki doesn't have much of an issue with pride or an ego ruling him and is happy to admit defeat and make fun of himself.
Kaitlin beats at the batter. "Yes, she is getting real fish. My son was feeding her cat food all of the time. The brute." she smiles. "Do I have to be brave to sample Indian food?" she wonders, a bit innocently. "Oh .. he beat you and you can laugh?" that seems to intrigue her more than the idea of Indian food.
Yuki shrugs "Some people find it spicy and some of it is." He laughs again "Oh yeah. I know all my flaws. Better to laugh at yourself than be a sore loser. Parvinder was some sort of wiz kid back in India when he was a boy, I'm just a casual player, but it's good fun."
Kaitlin looks interested. "I can handle a little spice ... I think. Honestly, I'm not sure. European food ... isn't the liveliest in the world." she smiles softly at him. "Oh that's a wonderful philosophy. I just .. knew sore losers." she begins to shred the lox into the batter and stir a bit more, adding a little more dill as well.
Yuki smiles back "Well now you just get to hang out with a wimpy guy..." He jokes and then blushes "I mean not that I'm comparing it....like that...." He suddenly focuses on the cat eating.
April is very much into her food. The lady human had been very generous. Kaitlin looks into her batter. "I think my days with big, burley men is over. And you're not wimpy. You are compact and ..." she glances at him. "Fun sized." she nods and gives the batter a final once over.
Yuki looks like he might fall off the stool and goes beat red. Fun sized? What kind of fun did she mean. His phone rings and he almost jumps out of his skin for staring at Kaitlin before answering it "Hey....Izzy.....well I'm not at home...or work. What's up baby?" He holds up a finger and smiles and then walks around as he listens. Kaitlin may or may no remember his kids names are Yoshi and Izumi and the person on the phone is in fact Izumi, his daughter.
Kaitlin caught the blush out of the corner of her eyes before the phone rings. She tests the waffle iron even though it is one of the new fangled ones that regulated its own temperature. While she waits, she lays out one more piece of lox for April, while finishes the first and is already sniffing around for a second.
Yuki isn't too far away and he can still be heard "Easter? Yeah OK. Yoshi's driving you both? Maybe before he gets here....tell him....tell him Stephanie got engaged.....yeah to a cop. Actually I'm friends with Michael's mom.....we're having breakfast...." He suddenly blushes again and then switches to Japanese quickly, his tone stammering and dissuading. He brings the conversation to a relatively swift end and goes back to English "Alright be safe Izzy. I love you too." He comes back to sit and mutters "My daughter. My kids are coming for Easter."
Kaitlin smiles. "I guessed. Oh that's wonderful. I don't have any Easter plans. My boys will probably fight over who gets mom." she chuckles and pours the batter just as her own phone rings. She wipes her hands and answers. "Hello Michael." she chimes. "No, dear. I'm having breakfast with a friend." a pause. "No, breakfast at home." she rolls her eyes, looking at the waffle iron. "It's Yuki." and from the phone comes rich laughter, which could be happy or disbelieving. "Don't think like that, you'll go cross-eyed." she chides him. "What ..." she pauses. "Oh .. no, I didn't forget my wedding ring. I left it on the mantel in the old house before I went to Johns. They can sell it WITH the house for all I care." and from the other end comes something that sounds like a cheer. Kaitlin smiles at the sound. "Well, you and John handle all of that. I just want the damn thing sold and out of my life. You boys were right, its time to more on. Now let me get back to my waffles before they burn." she gasps. "Michael!" and then she laughs. "I love you, too. Bye." and she taps the phone, cutting the connection. The waffles are almost ready, she looks at Yuki. "That was Michael .. in case you were in a coma and didn't hear him."
Yuki gulps and blushes again "Nope, wide awake here. How's Crash doing today?" He grins after, partly because it seemed like both their kids were bugging them.
Kaitlin giggles, because she adores the nickname her son got from Yuki. "He was calling to say that my husbands house sold. So I will be coming into some money." she looks at him. "Lobster and chips at my favorite shack." she teases and looks a the iron. The waffles should be done soon and she puts a brick of cream cheese together with a bit of dill and other herbs, whipping them up with a fork. "And to tell I left my ring in the house and the agent wanted to give it back. Can you imagine." she shakes her head in disbelief.
Yuki isn't sure what to do with this part "Well not something you usually sell with a house. You don't want to give it to your kids? Yoshi has mine and his wife Sabine has Rei's......maybe it's different though because of how it went for you. They needed rings, and it had been a long time. I figure Rei would have offered the same if I passed before she did." He shrugs.
Kaitlin smiles softly as she beats the cream cheese mixture and sighs. "I loved Heinrich, Yuki .... " she tells him. "For about five years. From the time I met him, until the first time he hit John." She sets the bowl down. "The boys would not have wanted my wedding ring. It wasn't like other wedding rings that symbolize love and beautiful things. I think they might be a little annoyed I didn't have it cremated with their father." she finished whipping it up ad gets down two plates. Almost ready.
Yuki listens to her, his heart breaking for her and at the thought. "I'm sorry....It's not fair to compare...I wasn't trying to insensitive Kaitlin. It's still hard for me to wrap my head around that he did to to them....and to you..." He looks at her with an agonizing look "I don't know how any man could do either..."
Kaitlin opens the waffle iron to find the perfect waffle. She cuts it in half, giving them each one and spreads he cream cheese mixture over them, followed by an almost blanket of lox over the top. "What you had was what I would have killed for." she admits, setting one plate in front of him and one beside him. April is finished, sniffs the disaster of a meal the humans are going to eat and hops down. "But now ... my boys are right. Now I am free and can life MY life however I want with friends and a social life." she gives them both utensils. "I'm probably ruined for anything more, but ... " she shrugs and looks determinedly into the waffle, which smells good to her.
Yuki looks thoughtfully at the food as she talks and then back up at her "Ruined because of how it all makes you feel?" He's trying to understand her.
Kaitlin looks at him. "Ruined as in having any kind of normal relationship." she scoffs a little. "Even becoming friends with you felt funny to me. More ...." she cuts herself off. "I'll just have to use you as a guinea pig." she mostly jokes. Sakura had mentioned she thought Yuki might have a crush, but Kaitlin never told Sakura that the feeling was mutual. A man like Yuki wouldn't want someone like her, in her opinion and so she basked in their friendship.
Yuki looks at her sadly and blushes at the same time "Well apparently I had a normal relationship, but I haven't dated anyone since Rei.....so I'm a risky and clumsy guinea pig.....but.flattered to be considered." He half jokes and then looks down at the food "This smells really good. We should eat it before April decides we're too slow and pounces."
Kaitlin smiles. "Well ... lets call this friendship. Maybe not dating. So you don't have to worry about my scarring you." she nods. "Lets eat." she nods and cuts into it, eating and pleased with the results.
Yuki gives a little nod, swallowing his disappointment. He would have been good with the word dating, but clearly she didn't feel that way about him, so friendship it was. He would enjoy that too and try not to impose on her with anything else he could hope for and he would never push. He took a bite and smiled after it "This IS good. Thank you for sharing your food."
Kaitlin smiles at the compliment. "Thank you. I have to admit .. it is." she turns to him. "You know what I'm scared to make for you?" she grins. "Fish and chips."
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