“Do you think a month is too early to try and sleep with your boyfriend? Girlfriend? Whichever.”

Catherine looked past her reflection in the mirror to Leo’s blank expression and mentally cringed, her hands never stopping in their quest to fuss with anything and everything visible on herself. If they didn’t tug at one curl or another then they smoothed down her dress, the bow clipped at the back of her head and things were fine, she knew, she looked fine and modest and like an upstanding member of society, but [i]they just wouldn’t stop[/i]. “I mean - we’ve known eachother for at least a year and seemed to have some sort of interest for a little less than that and I guess I should focus more on a good impression to the parents? I think I can do that well enough, but, well. I don’t think he’d necessarily ask for it even if it wasn’t his birthday, but I want to leave the option there, you know?”

The artist took it all in for a good moment, just kept staring for a bit as she swiveled to face him properly. “I don’t see the harm in letting him know you’re up for it? Bring some condoms just in case, I guess.” He scratched his chin. “You shouldn’t do it just because it’s his birthday.”

“No, no!” She shook her head quickly. “I actually want to! I’m just kinda...” she sighed, “he’s done it before, and stuff? And I realize that the first time is probably going to be really awkward, but I want to not be awful. Usually when I crash and burn to get better at something I can usually do it by myself.” Or with Blaise as motivation. Either worked. “But yeah. Should I say it’s part of my gift to him as a joke? Or - mm. Mm mm mm.”

Copper (at least double the size since Christmas, hardly a kit anymore) hopped off Leo’s shoulder and pranced on over to the other man in the room - a blonde fellow as big as Teddy but a lot more quiet. She wasn’t even sure he’d said anything except a polite hello to her with a timid smile. A police jacket that was never there before rested on a hook by the door, and even though it didn’t take too much brain power to connect the two, it was still a bit of a puzzle as to why they were at Leo’s of all places. Sure, Gio could admittedly be a tie but this just felt... different.

“I just hope I’m not being too forward.” Catherine shrugged. “I know that’s probably not the case,” because honestly, if even a few parts of the other girl’s gossip were true, it most certainly wasn’t, “but the nerves are still there. Like Beedrill in my stomach but [i]worse[/i]. You don’t have any tea, do you?”

Leo glanced sidelong to his friend and got up, made way to the kitchen and rummaged through cabinets and mugs. “Honestly, if it’s stressing you out this bad then maybe you should look over your game plan again. Lemon, peppermint, or chamomile?”

She grimaced. “Peppermint please.”

While waiting for the kettle to boil, she went over how she looked in the mirror again, noted with disdain that her hands got clammy as she smoothed down her dress again. The room felt hotter than before. Choking, even.

She looked fine though. Really. The dress was modest, teal and soft on her skin and with pink flowers embroidered on the sheer chiffon sewn on top of the actual skirt. Her makeup was primed and smudge free, and her nails weren’t chipped. The shoes didn’t matter but since she’d have to swap them out as soon as she entered the house, but the heels helped her all the same - made her feel a little taller, brought her back to the conference at Rocket Headquarters, to graduation and funerals and any other time that she presented herself as professional. Confident. Assured in victory. It might’ve been a little much for a dinner, honestly, but she’d take what she could get.

“If it helps any, you look beautiful.” The voice was gentle and [i]low[/i], lower than Leo and lower than what she expected from the fellow on the couch, even if his size matched it.

Catherine nodded and tried to say thanks - ended up cut off by the click of the kettle.

Before she could try again, Leo spoke up. “Honestly, is there any real reason you need to be nervous about meeting his folks?” He set up three mugs and nabbed them, handed one off to his friend, the other to her as she took a seat. “They’re just human at the end of the day, be polite and they’ll probably love you.”

“I guess, yeah.” Emperor and empress status aside, anyways. She took a sip of her tea and allowed herself a moment to just breathe, to try and calm down again and smell how strong the peppermint was and how the aftertaste cooled her tongue even with the hot water. The air felt normal again.

It was just a dinner, jump any other hurdles when they got there.

But wait.

“Hey,” she started, fishing out her phone to check the time, “as a gift how would you feel about -”

She set the tea down on the coffee table and jumped to her feet, nabbed a small scarf-wrapped bundle and her purse from a spot at the foot of the mirror. “I’m going to late -” she swiveled on her heel and hastily bowed, “thanks again for letting me borrow your mirror! I’ll pay you back on the tea, I swear!”

Leo just waved her off. “Just tell us how it goes when you get the chance. Sure you have everything?”

Present, check. Everything in purse, check. What else, what else - “If I don’t, then I’ll just get it next time.” Catherine nodded at the giant before she descended the stairs.  “Nice meeting you!”

She ignored Proton’s judgemental little look when they met up at the parking lot.

or (---?)

cue gio

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