Late Summer Nights // Hal & Kate
It had been, admittedly, a long and frustrating day. Most days so close to opening were, but this particular day was awful. Not only were he and Will still not on speaking terms, but he was riddled with anxiety over how Kate was going to react to that whole article business. He’d done everything in his power to keep it from running but, unfortunately, the magazine wouldn’t budge. On top of all of that, Harry — the prick he was — decided to actually hit Hal with his sword as opposed to faking it, which left the entire company taking an hour long break while the medics checked out his torso. The worst part was, Hal knew Harry had done it on purpose. He was a jealous bastard, always had been, and he took his chance to injure Hal in the only way possible. It’s not like anything the B-list actor could do would hurt his career. The thought itself was laughable. Hal was just ready to go home. He was just tired, in all honesty, and done with the day. Rehearsal had, as unsurprisingly, run late. Hal, bruised and battered as he was, headed home on his own and left Nick to fend for himself… or go home with Will, as per usual.
It wasn’t until he’d reached his flat that he remembered he had plans with Kate. He should have felt worse about forgetting, but he’d been so annoyed by the events that had occurred after he’d spoken to her that morning that he wrote it off as a viable excuse. Getting hit by a blunt sword seemed like a pretty decent reason to be forgetful. Still, part of him was guilty for not remembering. She probably wouldn’t even notice, though, as she didn’t seem to be too invested in any sort of plans. He didn’t even know what time she was coming over; though, after checking his watch and realising it was already half nine, he began to wonder if she was going to bother at all. He decided to hop in the shower, wash off the bits of blood and dirt that had been inflicted on him earlier before she got there. It seemed like every time she saw him these days, he had some sort of wound. Hal could take care of himself, of that much he was certain, but it definitely hadn’t been looking like that as of late. No, he’d taken quite the beating.
Once he was out of a particularly grueling shower, Hal dressed himself. In an effort to hide his injury from Kate, he put a shirt on. It was uncommon for Hal to wear a shirt in his own flat, and he suspected she’d notice, but it was only to keep her from worrying. She still hadn’t arrived by ten, which was erring on the late side, so Hal sat out on the couch and watched some telly. He’d left his phone in his room, as he was quite over the possibility of talking to anyone, and didn’t hear the ringer go off when she texted him. Instead, Hal ended up nearly falling asleep on the sofa. He startled back to consciousness at the sound of rapping on the door. Hal smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair as he pushed himself off of the couch. The man approached the door and opened it, shit mood instantly washing away as he saw Kate’s face. For the first time that whole day, Hal smiled.
"Hey, night owl. How was rehearsal?"
It had a been a mediocre day for Kate. She might have worked herself to the very edge of okay, but nonetheless she was fine. The studio had been quiet, even more so than it usually was. There was a small air of tension, however, with auditions approaching. She was bit more tired than she usually was, considering how accustomed she was to the lengthy schedules she brought on herself. It had just been a long day, and she had a lot on her mind. She had to clear her mind for rehearsal, hence why she had come home so late. Dancing consumed her that way. Things would fall away as she heard the music, and focused on perfecting every move, extending every line, and always keeping her toes pointed. Needless to say, she was glad to be back at the Globe. She wanted to see Hal before schedules became even more hectic. Kate knew that he was in rehearsals as well, and those only turn more feverish as performances approached. She wondered if relations had improved between Will and Hal subsequently. She hadn't seen Will in ages--since his birthday actually--she assumed that he was probably at the theatre the majority of his time. Hal would have told her if things were had changed, though. Still, the production would still be great; she was excited to see it.
As the doors opened she smiled at the sight of him, glad to see him after such a long, rather lonely day, "Surprisingly very tiring. Sorry, I'm late. I had lost track of time." Her words were paired with an apologetic smile, "How was yours?"
