forum what're you in for, love? (closed, o/o with @Dances_with_Shadows)

Started June 28, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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"thank god. i'm hanging on by a thread." he joked, moving from the doorframe so she could come in.

Tessa chuckled and came into the room. She set the trunk on the bed and flicked up the latches, then opened it up to reveal a bunch of different snacks. "Dig in."

nik picked a random one, sitting on the bed and opening it. he watched tessa before eating, seeing if she would sit next to him or tell him to stand back up.

Tessa grabbed a bag of chips and plopped down onto the bed, legs crossed beneath her. She didn't sit directly next to Nik to give him space, but she was still close-ish to him.

a whisper of a smile crossed his face in relief. he ate cautiously, careful of making even the slightest mess, but at least he was eating.

after a few minutes, he looked up at tess.

"thank you."

She shrugged and popped a chip into her mouth. She covered her mouth with a hand as she said, "It's the least I could do to repay you. Besides," she added with a wink, "you haven't lived until you've had the twins' cooking."

"then i guess i haven't lived. what are they making?" he asked, holding off on eating while they talked.

She finished her chip and set her bag off to the side, turning so she was fully facing him. "From the smell of it when I walked by, I think it's either spaghetti, goulash, or my ultimate favorite, spaghetti cake. Wolf's expertise lies in the dessert department, so we'll have to wait on that for a bit."

nik did as well, facing tess.

"no idea what two of those are, but i'd say i'm still excited. do tell about the, uh… spaghetti cake?"

Tessa snorted. "Lasagna," she clarified, "I call it spaghetti cake because it pretty much is that." She rested an elbow on her knee and propped her head up in her hand. "Any preferences for dessert? We usually do a vote."

"oh. yeah, i had something a lot worse in mind. you ever put noodles in a thermos and had 'em solidify into a block of carbs? and on dessert i honestly don't care. y'all are feeding me."

nik pushed his sleeves up to his elbows, running a hand through his hair.

"That sounds like more fun than it should," Tessa said with a small laugh, "Alright, but you'll be tie-breaker if you need to be." She fell serious, though, as she looked him in the eye. "How are you, really? I want none of that 'oh I'm fine' that I do."

"i consent to being a tie-breaker, then. and well, to say it nonchalantly, terrible! but it's alright, i'll survive." he leaned back the tiniest bit, lacing his fingers together.

She sighed and fell back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Fine, fine. I'll stop pestering you about it. You have any advice for me and Con? For the interview?"

"my only advice to you is to one: don't show weakness, and two: don't laugh. anything else is a free for all, and the more you can rile him up the better. you aren't considered the professional here, so feel free to get loud or physical with him. just no full fledged fights."

he shrugged. "should be fun."

She pouted when he said no fights. "Awww. But I wanted to break his jaw…" She sighed dramatically. "Fiiiine. But sounds easy enough. I just can't wait to call him out on his bullshit and make him look like an idiot on live TV. You're right. Should be fun."

he smiled in response, amused by her antics.

"the interviewer's name is alex, and they're even shorter than i am. what about that?"

"Ppffftt." Tessa snorted, then covered her mouth as if that would smother the sound. "Worry not, good friend," she said after her small fit, "I have a friend that's 5'2."

"yikes, poor friend. bet they get used as a shelf by everybody. i'm lucky to be… what, two inches taller than them? maybe they can be a part of the short kids club."

he straightened up, giving a feeble attempt at making himself look less ruffled by smoothing out his hoodie.

Tess held up a finger. "Actually, she's our resident bully. She calls our 6'7 assassin Squishy. Also, don't mention her height. She can and will throat punch you."

"…duly noted. damn, every short person i've met is super badass to make up for it, and i'm just a twink! where did the gene skip?"

he laughed quietly, sounding rather like a cough.

She chuckled and sat up, running a hand through her hair and messing it up in the process. "I'd say you're pretty badass. You don't gotta be a bully like me to be badass." Her lips quirked up slightly in a lopsided smile.

"hah, thanks. i wouldn't say you're a bully, though. bullying is continuous abuse over a period of time, and just taking out hits doesn't fit that description. if one of us is a bully, it's me."

he cocked his head slightly, giving the lopsided smile right back.

She scrunched up her nose in a playful manner as her eyes swept up and down Nik. "Mmmmmm, yeah I don't see it," she said. "I usually know a bully when I see one, and you, my good sir, aren't."

(my replies are going to be really spotty, i've just started school again)

"oh? what if i've got one of those ~innocent personas?~" he tilted his head, giving her a mischievous look. "i bet you've seen it happen before."

((School isn't going to start until towards the end of August, but my replies will be really spotty as well. Going to a different school half the school day for "drawing class," as I like to call it))

She snorted and folded her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure. Let's go with that, then. Still don't think you're a typical bully." Stubborn as always, Tess refused to be proved wrong.

he raised an eyebrow, but shrugged.

"you're probably right. as long as my family's around i'm still soft. i'd… feel bad if i had to hide anything else from them, but i guess i've already destroyed that reservation." he chuckled softly, briefly glancing at his hands.

She tilted her head but didn't pry, simply shrugging off her question in favor of talking about something else. "My mom knows what I am and does her best to make me like her. Might be guilt, might be something else, who knows. My brothers know as well, though they have two very different opinions on the subject. My little sister thinks I'm at some dance school. She has no clue, and I intend on keeping it that way. She's too innocent for our world."

"aw." he gave a tired smile. "she sounds cute. who told her you go to dance school?" he was eager to hear more about tessa's sister, she sounds like she really loves her.

Tessa shrugged again, ruffling her hair. "My stepfather—her dad. He's well-aware of my profession thanks to his status as a cop." She snorted. "I can't tell if he's a double agent and that's why he won't arrest me, or he has nothing on me for a solid arrest." She shook her head and fluttered her hand as if dismissing him from the conversation. "Anyway, yeah. Angel is adorable and precious, and I love her to bits."