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It happened piece by piece, Kate thinks, until one day the puzzle was complete and dazzling. It was surprising how well they worked together. Or maybe it wasn’t. They complemented-completed-correlated.
Kate and Javi just knew each other. Even after five years apart, Javi was still not as different as she’d feared, briefly, after discovering the full extent of what Storm Par did. He still knew which side she wanted which tool handed to her, how she liked her coffee, her pancakes, her pizza. She knew where to find his pants after a ‘long night’, that creamer in his coffee was a deadly sin, his grandmother’s phone number. They were friends long before they were lovers, and knew where the landmines were buried (whether they remembered not to step on them in the heat of an argument was a different story) and their long-standing jokes and their ‘that time when’ recollections. There were new parts to their story, but they still matched.
Tyler? He was different. Oh, she could admit she’d liked the way he looked. Confidence- true, reassured self-confidence- was a nice look on a man. Million subscribers or not. But even with their little snipes back and forth, he never crossed a line. And after she’d proved her ability, he’d never dismissed her. And maybe the bar was low, but a man who could admit that someone else could do something better than him, and not resent it was also appealing. In a way, Tyler represented all the good things she’d loved about Oklahoma before she’d run away to grieve her shattered life. Tyler was ready and willing to meet her quip for quip, but also gentle in a way she would never have guessed the first time she saw him pulling up in that monster of a truck.
Both of these men, she thought, were so careful with her. Not babying, or over-protective, but aware that she carried deep hurts and careful not to press the wounds. Hell, even the rest of Tyler’s team took that cue and treated her with respect but also never trespassed on things she wasn’t ready to discuss.
The dynamic between Javi and Tyler was…different. There was competition but- friendly. Mostly. They were united in their desire to protect Kate (dizzying, this thought) and reluctantly respected the other for their respective expertise. Tyler helping Kate perfect her Tornado Taming Formula had definitely helped keep Javi from resenting Tyler too much.
“It’s like you were finally living again, Kate. I’d seen glimpses of it when I got you out of New York, but he really- he really pulled you back. All of you.”
And Kate had pulled him into a hug, and whispered-
“But you were the one who got me out here in the first place. None of it would have started without you.”
Through all of this, they sometimes just sort of circled her like puppies hoping to gain her attention, then tumbling off together with a well-worn argument. It was- cute, honestly. She was pretty sure they didn’t realize how quickly their sniping went from ‘rival’ to ‘pulling pigtail’ type behavior. But they circled and circled, closer and closer to each other. And one day, Javi threw a burger at Tyler’s head, and Kate noted that it was exactly Tyler’s order. And one day, she noticed that slow, soft smile Tyler aimed at her being directed Javi’s way. And she caught Javi watching some of Tyler’s older videos. And saw the way Tyler easily shifted to allow Javi in to whatever group they’d formed, listened to his opinions.
At the time, she hadn’t consciously realized what it could mean. Would mean. It wasn’t until a few months later, as they discussed grants and strategy long into a warm spring night and they all fell asleep together and woke up together- well, Kate woke up, and then Tyler woke up as she accidentally elbowed him, and Javi (as ever) rolled over and whined for just a few more minutes. But they had created a space for themselves with each other.
It felt like the dawning of a new idea, like the moment she realized what she was called to do.
Kate hesitated to put a name to it, though. She and Tyler- but she, Tyler, Javi together- it felt right. But before The Tornado had felt right too, and that had fallen apart in a terrifying few minutes. This could fall apart just as easily with a few words. Kate wasn’t sure she could stand this loss, both of them- and it would likely be both- but also knew that without some sort of- permanence, she could lose them still. It spun her insides tight.
Her two pillars were keeping her sane, but also pulling her apart simultaneously. Kate just hoped, and hoped, and hoped-
“Kate.” Her name came in stereo as she stared over a ridge, watching a strangely empty sky.
“Kate.” She was joined, one on each side.
“Kate.” Javi spoke alone, kissed the side of her forehead. “We’ve got you. You’ve got us. We’ve all got each other.”
“It’ll work out, Kate. Stop worrying.” Tyler sighed into her hair. “Me and Javi- yeah.”
“Yeah?” Kate said, aiming for joking and just barely missing.
“Yeah,” Javi echoed. He and Tyler closed the gap between them, seamless. Ah.
“We’ve talked it out. This couldn’t just be for you, not if it was going to last.”
“And you two are good, then?”
“We’re good. With each other, and definitely with you.”
“So stop staring at us like we’re going to cut and run, Kate. Can’t promise forever, but we promise to try.” Tyler sounded so settled in this decision, and as ever, Kate wanted to meet him there.
“I want us to try,” Kate said firmly.
“So we will.” And Javi smiled at her, and she felt Tyler smiling in her hair, and Kate was smiling too, free and easy in a way that had been rare before this second chance.
They walked back, and got wolf-whistled when they arrived in unison at the campfire. But Javi was grinning boyishly, and leaned exaggeratedly on Tyler, who rolled his eyes but didn’t push him off, instead adjusting his position to better support the extra weight.
“So glad you three finally figured it out!” Lily shouted from where she was fiddling with equipment. “We were worried we’d have to lock you in the truck ‘r something to get it all worked out.”
“Hey now, we needed to catch Kate up-“
“Sorry? Catch me up? I made my decision a while back, you two were the ones who needed to figure it all out.”
“Whatever you say, Kate,” Javi said in his most intensely sarcastic voice. She tossed a bag of Cheetos his way. Tyler caught it for him, and opened the bag before passing it on to Javi with a wink and a flourish.
Boone watched and pretended to gag.
“Yuck, okay, are you guys going to be this disgustingly sweet from now on? Is this a permanent thing? I’m not sure I can handle y’all being twitter-pated-“
“Twitter-pated?”
“Have you been watching Bambi again, Boone?”
“That’s nobody’s business but mine if I have, but the question stands. Having a couple acting cutesy is bad enough, but all three of you now?”
Dexter gave a loud “ha!”.
“Don’t let him fool you, he’s been stressing out about you three working it all out properly. In fact, he’s the reason Tyler and Javi had to stay back together yesterday and fix that-“
“Stop snitching, Dexter!”
The group dissolved into good-natured bickering, and Kate turned to smile at her two partners. Lovers. Friends.
The bickering wove itself in and out of multiple conversations as the night drew closer, and the sky started to darken. Kate rolled her eyes at a particularly childish jibe.
“Fair warning, they’ve been on their best behavior for you two, this is much closer to normal for them,” Tyler stated grimly, but amusement made his eyes crinkle.
“Worth it,” Kate replied. “Worth every second.”
“What she said,” murmured Javi, halfway asleep already.
“What did I say, then?” Kate teased. Javi grunted.
“Dunno. But whatever Kate says, goes,” he said, a yawn almost cutting off his sentence.
“Well, can’t argue with that,” Tyler said as he and Kate maneuvered Javi into a more comfortable sleeping position. They leaned together and kissed.
Their pieces fit perfectly.