Highly disappoint... [Andrei + Nicoleta]

[Deleted]

Andrei was upset, very upset. Words could not describe how disappointed he was in Nicoleta. She thought she could hide this from him, but no. He found out, and he was not happy, not one bit. Besides, no one can keep anything away from their shadow.

Well, not for long, anyway. There's always someone who'll tell them what's going on if they are unaware, since keeping it a secret would lead to dire consequences. Especially when that shadow belongs to the Lynx of all people. They know better than to hide things from him.

How could she not trust him with this information? They were close, like siblings. Heck, he even told her his real name. She was like the older sister he never had. He did love her like family, she was probably the only family he had left. Well, not blood-related of course, but emotionally.

From what he could tell, she probably felt the same way....judging on how she always insisted that he should move in with her. She would always ask him when he visited, even trying to offer things in return. She was trying to bribe him to stay at her place. It was a bit annoying, yes, but it was kind of heartwarming at the same time.

Nicoleta was a nice woman, she meant a lot to him. Her happiness was more important than anything. And if saving that Greek made her content, then so be it. But she didn't have to hide it from him, or at least not even ask for his help. She should have learned by now that he would always be there by her side when she asked for help.

'Really, she should have just told me when it happened...or better yet, not do something so stupid. She could have gotten herself killed! And what's so special about the guy she went and saved? He's just a teacher, nothing more. He's not even a lawless, broker, or agent! He's just your average run-of-the-mill civilian!" he thought, opening the door to the Romanian's apartment. It was a nice place, yeah, but he already had somewhere else to call home.

"Where is she...?" he muttered under his breath, closing the door behind him. Probably in her room, no doubt. Though, he should check everywhere else before in case he was wrong. He couldn't believe he took time out of his day just to bring this up to her.

Oh, right, if he didn't then she would probably do something as equally stupid later on in the day. That was the last thing he needed. Besides, he would probably have to clean that mess up. God, why can't she just chill and not act on impulse so often? Why did she have to be so brash and reckless?

It didn't take long to search the place. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of her door. He sighed slightly as he put his hand on the doorknob. "Nico, we need to talk about what happened earlier with that teacher friend of yours," he said as he opened the door.

Oh, he was ready to rant. He would probably blow his fuse by the end of it. Surely Nicoleta would figure out a way to keep his temper in check...for the most part. "That stunt you pulled....was....OH GOD PUT A SHIRT ON WOULD YOU!"

[Nicoleta]

Evening came. Time to awaken. Nicoleta yawned as she sat up. God, how she missed her own room. The man she was with earlier in the morning had such an uncomfortable mattress. She was so glad she had managed to slip away before getting too irritated. The performance was decent but she would've preferred a more decent work space. Only in her black panties, the topless Nicoleta easily slipped out of bed and then did another stretch, letting out content sighs in the process. Casually, she picked up the matching bra and put it on to give her assets a bit of a support. Not to mention, the pair of undergarments was a cute duo. Just as she was about to slip on some pants, she heard a litany of orotund words pooling in. In a few instances, the door swung wide open. Without even flinching, Nicoleta glanced to the side to see Andrei and his countenance of utter bewilderment. Towards his uproar, she gave him a coy and devious smile. "Ohh come on, Andy," Nicoleta cooed in a sing-song tone to counter his frustration. [color=red"What did I tell you about knocking?She snickered teasingly as she pulled up her gray pajama pants. The woman was in no hurry to explain herself because she already foresaw this coming. Andrei found out about that night with Heracles, to no one's surprise. Of course, usually he wouldn't get too ensnared with her sexual midnight dalliances; yet her night with Heracles was a little more sporty and dangerous than usual. Well. That night, the two of them could've been killed. Therefore Nicoleta sensed the betrayal in his strangled tone. She didn't tell him simply because... well. That was a hard one. Andrei. How much love could be poured into a name of only two syllables? The young man before her was someone who she treasured above everything. Although she kept up a silly demeanor before him as of right now, she thought of him as someone of far more importance to her than anyone. Probably because he... looked like someone she used to know. Nicoleta clicked her tongue as she set her hands on her hips, not ashamed of her body at all. "Not like this is the first time seeing a lady in a bra right? I mean if it is then... I'd be more concerned about you." She gave the younger man a playful wink before casually tossing a shirt on. After rubbing her neck, she plopped down the armchair in front of her desktop computer. The momentum made her spin on the chair in a half-crescent before it stopped. The woman set a leg over the other and propped up an arm, resting her chin against the back of her hand

[Deleted]

Andrei rolled his eyes. She had some nerve trying to joke around with him right now. He wasn't in the mood for games.

"That isn't any of your business. And what do I want to know? Oh, how about why you risked your neck out to save some guy!" he exclaimed. He really thought she would have trusted him enough to tell him herself instead of hide it. If she told him beforehand, he wouldn't have been as upset as he was now....for the most part.

"What if you got caught and turned in? That wouldn't be good for the both of us, now would it? Even worse, you could have died! That man as well! Why did you do that? What would I do if you died?..." he asked with a small sigh. Well, it would only make sense for a shadow to follow it's owner to the grave, now wouldn't it?

"Why would you keep it from me?! Am I not worthy enough of your trust for you to confide this sort of stuff to me?! Did you think it wasn't important enough for me to know?! That there being a chance you could have died shouldn't be something you told me?! Do you know how betrayed I feel?! How completely untrustworthy and useless?! How am I supposed to protect you if you run around, pulling crazy stuff like that?! Especially when I'm not around! What if you're put in the same situation again, with me nowhere in sight?! You can't really expect you can take care of everything by yourself and end up fine! That one time you came out lucky, but a second time you could get injured! Why must you do such idiotic things. especially by yourself! You know, I am very disappointed in you! Usually, it's supposed to be the other way around, since you are the older one! But you act like a child, always thinking that every rule of the universe doesn't apply to you!"

He began pacing around the room. "I am so very upset with you... You know you could have let me know somehow, so you would have some sort of backup! But no, apparently I'm not good enough help! No one ever is, are they?! I know you prefer being on your own, but you need to face the facts and realize that no one that does our line of work survives long on their own! Even if they constantly have their guard up! They do well at first, they get cocky, they get reckless, they make mistakes, then they end up behind bars or with a bullet lodged somewhere on their corpse in an alley somewhere. Do you want that to happen to you? I sure don't..." he went on, walking closer to Nicoleta.

He pulled her out of the chair and hugged her. "Do you know how fucking worried I was? I thought you might have gotten hurt or something.... You really should be more careful, you know," he muttered.

He was worried when he first heard. Probably about all other emotions he had at the moment. It was his boss, after all, the one who cared so much about him, the one he cared so much about. She was all he had, he wouldn't know what would happen if she were to simply disappear.

Then it hit him, why else would she go and put her life on the line for some man? She probably knew him. Even more so, she probably loved him. He couldn't imagine the Romanian ever falling in love, but it could have happened.

"...You like him, don't you?" he asked in slight disbelief, letting go of Nicoleta and grabbing her shoulders. He scanned her eyes, looking for any signs that could tell him if she was lying. "Out with it. What's his name? How do you know him? Does he know you're a criminal? Come on, tell meeee," he whined, shaking her slightly. His anger faded completely at the thought of his "sister" ever loving someone. In fact, he was actually happy, in a way, even if a relationship between her and the Greek was close to impossible.

Wait, what if she didn't love him, but instead owed him a debt? Or worse, he threatened her afterwards. "...He didn't hurt you, did he? Didn't lay a finger on ya, right?..." he asked softly. Oh, if that man did Andrei would surely make him regret it...

"Well, you're alright so that's all that matters," he smiled, hugging Nicoleta once more.

[Nicoleta]

He rolled his eyes at her. Nicoleta mockingly rolled her eyes at his notion, only to finish with a slight smirk to express it as a joke. To her, Andrei was one of the biggest, soft-hearted punks out there. His sassiness wasn't a novel sight; she had been used for it for some time and knew it was always best to greet it with her dry sense of humor. Oh but Andrei was quite serious this time around. "That isn't any of your business. And what do I want to know? Oh, how about why you risked your neck out to save some guy!" Nicoleta let out a slight groan, expressing an instant look of disapproval towards his choice of words. The fuse had been lit and these words were the sparks that inched closer to the bomb. He was going to explode. "Da, well," She began hastily with an irritable edge. She was cut in by his unwavering words. "What if you got caught and turned in? That wouldn't be good for the both of us, now would it?..." "Andy." She interjected with a tired sigh. Yet he didn't stop there. "...Even worse, you could have died! That man as well! Why did you do that? What would I do if you died?..." Her eyebrow twitched. "Andy oh come on give me some more credit--" Bam. A whole litany of the familiar guilt-tripping, condescension, and hypothetical situations. She felt like a rebellious teen that was taking a chide from an older adult. Ironically, Andrei was the younger one here. But it was not the matter of age or maturity that grated on her nerves. The fact that Andrei was as hard-headed as Nicoleta challenged her to counter his claims. She almost didn't want to listen at all. It annoyed her to no end as she mutely sat on the chair. Rare was a physically dormant Nicoleta, especially in the face of a challenger. The reason behind her stillness was because she was fighting every inch to raise her voice and bloody argue with him. Admittedly, most of his points were right. Nicoleta was reckless, lucky, and all of that. Yet she could not muster the sensibility to accept that after feeling so demeaned by him. In fact, she was a little hurt and defensive herself that Andrei did not trust her talents. But then again, she might just be blinded by that very cockiness he mentioned. She was glad he cared yet his oppressive protectiveness could not be welcomed. When he walked closer to her, she immediately thought he was going to give her the well-deserved punch in the face. Nicoleta tensed up as she frowned, her eyes intense with jagged emotion. "Andrei. You don't want to fucking start--" He took her by the shoulder and hurled this dynamite question at her. "...You like him, don't you?" In turn, she expressed disbelief. "What?" "Out with it. What's his name? How do you know him? Does he know you're a criminal? Come on, tell meeee," Ahh. Right. Andrei had an interesting talent for hopping places on the emotional spectrum. Nicoleta could hardly keep up with how whimsical he could be at times. She made a wry smirk at this make-shift interrogation. "A friend," She pronounced very definitively. "For God's sake, I can have friends! He was in some fucking trouble and I was friend-ly enough to save my friend." Well. A white lie--one that Andrei was surely going to see through like a book. Still, Nicoleta wasn't going to go down without a fight. Heaven and Hell knew about Nicoleta's true feelings towards Heracles. Yet fate adjusted it so that she could not realize it herself. To ease the mood, she added, 'Friend' as in a real friend, yes, surprise. Nicoleta knows how to make friends that are normal and don't wield flamethrowers and shit like that. In case you're wondering, he's not a fuck buddy either." So tempted to include a '...yet'. Nicoleta snorted, despite feeling a light flush on her cheeks. Sleeping with Heracles was... strangely an opportunity she passed a couple of times. By God, she wouldn't deny absolutely wanting to have Heracles' body--but she... didn't need to. Strange. Complex. Curious. A matter for another time. "...He didn't hurt you, did he? Didn't lay a finger on ya, right?..." "Noo... No, no noo." Nicoleta drawled as she shrugged off his grip. Her previous indignation was cooling down, thankfully. It was the only way to not escalate this situation. Last thing she wanted was to see one of her two favorite people be killed because of a misunderstanding. "He wouldn't hurt a fly." Then she remembered when Heracles knocked out her traitorous 'ally' with the stone tablet to save her life. "Hmm well... For the most part, he's harmless. Not affiliated with the underground. So stop worrying. Honestly." Surprise smile. Nicoleta looked at him quizzically before he continued with an embrace. Shocked. Nicoleta had never been so fond of hugging but this was one she was going to accept. Andrei's warmth. The blood rushing through his body. His heart beat. All signs that showed that he was truly alive. Nicoleta let out an exhale as she hugged him back, probably half as affectionate than his. Still, her inward gratitude soared as she held him close. "You're cute, you know that?" She hummed, amused, as she gave him a squeeze.

made by FLOU of OTE.

[Deleted]

"A friend... For God's sake, I can have friends! He was in some fucking trouble and I was friend-ly enough to save my friend. In case you're wondering, he's not a fuck buddy either."

He found it a bit hard to believe that she could make a friend who wasn't either a psychotic murderer or a sex-craving she-witch. Well, not like he could exactly stop her from making friends with who she wants. Besides, he knew a lie when he heard one. Man did he hate liars...

"He wouldn't hurt a fly.... Hmm well... For the most part, he's harmless. Not affiliated with the underground. So stop worrying. Honestly."

It was just a precaution. He hasn't met the guy, so all he could do was ask and demand answers. Really, she should know that very well. Besides, she did answer all of his questions...some more truthfully than others.

"You're really cute, you know that?"

"....I'm not fucking cute. I am a being of mass destruction. No way someone as terrible and bloodthirsty as me can be anywhere near 'cute'," he said, laughing slightly. He was still a bit upset, but most of his anger completely disappeared by now, which was a good thing. Who would have known what could have happened if he did explode?

"I still don't like that you felt as though you had to keep it from me. Really, you know you can tell me anything, right? There shouldn't be any reason for you to hide things from me, especially when I find out someway or another..." he sighed, not releasing Nicoleta from the hug. She wasn't really much of a hugger anyway, so it was nice to have her return his embrace. Why wouldn't he try to make it last as long as he possibly could?

[Nicoleta]

"....I'm not fucking cute. I am a being of mass destruction. No way someone as terrible and bloodthirsty as me can be anywhere near 'cute'," "A 'being of mass destruction'. Suure." Nicoleta drawled jokingly as she smiled over his shoulder. Honestly, he was such a kid at times. Despite the quip, she wasn't questioning his talents. Andrei was definitely a force to be reckoned with and she could spot that from a mile away. "I still don't like that you felt as though you had to keep it from me. Really, you know you can tell me anything, right? There shouldn't be any reason for you to hide things from me, especially when I find out someway or another..." She let out a short sigh as she gave him a pat, notifying him that she was going to break the embrace, even though she enjoyed it. Once she escaped his warmth, she curled her lip and tilted her head. "You have a point, frate. But I suppose... I thought it wasn't as important, you see--or maybe I forgot. Yeah I probably forgot to tell you because I was so fuckin' tired." Nicoleta patted the conspicuous bandaged wound one her neck. "Then again I wasn't very good at being subtle, was I? Ah well, Andrei sometimes, I do things I shouldn't do. But I do them anyway." A knowing smile. In short, that statement was her form of an apology. "I can assure you, it was nothing really. Just... you know. Me having fun."

made by FLOU of OTE.

[Deleted]

"You have a point, frate. But I suppose... I thought it wasn't as important, you see--or maybe I forgot. Yeah I probably forgot to tell you because I was so fuckin' tired."

Forgot to tell him? Nicoleta tended to hide things from him often, surely she couldn't have simply "forgotten". She put it off, didn't she? She probably thought that she could keep him in the dark for a while, thinking that he wouldn't learn of it until later.

"Then again I wasn't very good at being subtle, was I? Ah well, Andrei sometimes, I do things I shouldn't do. But I do them anyway. I can assure you, it was nothing really. Just... you know. Me having fun."

"Fun? So risking your life is a new hobby of yours?" he asked, frowning slightly. She really should be more cautious. At any moment something bad could happen, she can't just assume he was in fact nearby to save her. He was usually, yes...but not always, unfortunately.

He had things to do that didn't involve her, just how she had things to do that didn't involve him. Despite that, he would at least like to know what happened. Not in great detail, but a short summary would suffice. Just enough to ease his mind... She could at least do that much for him, right?

"Just promise me you won't do something so dangerously stupid again, alright?"

If she did, he was bound to get more upset than he did just now. He would probably bring this up in the argument as well, and there was also a chance his anger wouldn't fade.

[Nicoleta]

"Fun? So risking your life is a new hobby of yours?" Nicoleta blinked, using the pause as an indication of innocence. When she smirked and laughed, her innocence faded in an instant. "Pretty much." The Romanian replied with ease, amused with the look of his frown. "Look Andrei, we're criminali. We walk on the high wire because everything we do is another danger to our lives. Plus," She leaned back and stretched her arms behind her head, "You can go anywhere and die at any time. Reality is, no one is safe. Walk out as a civilian, shit happens, you get hit by a car--you die. Just the way it is. Death finds you regardless." "Just promise me you won't do something so dangerously stupid again, alright?" Nicoleta made her irritation more obvious as she drawled a sigh. Playing the 'good-natured big sister' was becoming too much of an effort. "Doamne, the British really got to you, didn't they? Don't let their stuffy asses rub off on you. So let's remember a few things here." She propped a leg over the other and then leaned on the back of her hand. Her facial expression was a mix of even seriousness. "I do things the way I do it because I am far from stupid, dragul meu." She began, her voice at a contained edge. The real tip of the blade were in her eyes. "I know you care but I am far more capable than anyone in this shit of a city. I'm The Lynx, and lynxes don't die easily. Besides, promises aren't all that good of my style."

[Deleted]

Andrei was just about finished with this conversation. His anger was starting to flare up again, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Might was well leave than to explode with more arguing...well, after a "few" last words.

"Tch... There you go, talking all high and mighty again. I know you're very skilled, I know that you like to think that the rules don't apply to you, I know you hate promises. Likewise, you know I'm a liar, you know that I want what's best for you, and you know that I will sacrifice myself for your well being. What good would that do if I lose my life for you, only for you to lose your own life because of being reckless? Yes, I know life is unpredictable, and I know you do things how you want to do it and the way you do it. Hooray! Good for you! Your plan worked despite how dangerous it was in the first place! Like you said, no one is safe. You kill people, I kill people from time to time, but what if your plan causes someone close to you to die? What then? Will you sit in front of me like you are right now, and act the same way? Telling me that death finds you regardless, that you're more skilled than everyone, and that you did everything the way you did and their death was just meant to happen? Will you try to tell me that you weren't wrong, or will then would you finally understand the consequence your actions have?" he asked, making his way to the door.

He didn't know how much of this he could put up with. He put his hand on the doorknob, glancing back at Nicoleta. "...I know you're The Lynx, who in the underworld doesn't know the name? And they know that Lynx has a shadow, and that where she goes he's sure to be around somewhere. Just keep in mind that if you live, it doesn't mean that I will... That's why I want you to be careful, because who else will look out after you if I were gone?" With that, he opened the door and walked out, only to close it gently behind him. Well, while he was still here, he could at least get something to eat before heading out.

[Nicoleta]

Nicoleta scoffed in utter disbelief. His assertions were stemming from baseless assumptions. So much for keeping this to a few words. To be frank, she was more than done with people telling her what to do yet it was partially her fault as well. Keeping this enigmatic persona of limited words apparently ushered in misconception. Her ruby nails gripped the surface of the armchair as the vexed expression became more apparent. It seemed that no matter at what position, there was always going to be someone telling her how to live. “ Don’t you dare,” she hissed in cold steel as she stood up, “Assume that I don’t understand the concept of ‘consequence’. I am the byproduct of all of my consequences and I damn well know how far it can push people to the brink of desperation. Don’t expect me to wallow in ‘what ifs’ now that it has been done. I’m not a fucking estrogen-fueled teenage girl.” The woman drew in a breath and she rubbed her temples. This discrepancy was probably due to her unwillingness to debrief him about the rescue mission. In all honesty, it was not even a dangerous mission to any extent. Dealing with less than ten goons in an abandoned factory was childsplay. Perhaps, the real anger sprouted from how he sounded like his willingness to protect her was only one-sided. That hit the tender nerve; did he really think she wouldn’t risk her life for him? Nicoleta let out a sharp sigh as he headed to the door, showing no evident signs of stopping him. Truth be told, she was holding back so many words to keep her contained lividness. Breathe in. Breathe out. She shouldn’t let this get the best of her. Nicoleta knew he didn’t know all the things she had done in secret for him. For her to continue the favors, it required a steady relationship. “I can take care of myself.” She remarked tersely as he readied to leave. Those words rang so familiarly to her. That phrase had been repeated so many times from her lips. Prior history of solitude and anguish had reminded her so many times that dependency was the most whimsical concept to adapt to. As quickly as her anger rose, the flames died down to a more peaceful magnitude. “With that said, I can’t take care of you too. We've got our strengths, our weaknesses--but we sure as hell can't always do things alone. Understand? There is sarmale in the fridge,” She uttered as she underhandedly mumbled some Romanian curses underneath her breath, “Heat it up and you’re good to go.”

[Deleted]

Andrei headed to the kitchen and went straight to the fridge. He grabbed sarmale, put it in the microwave and began heating it up. And now to find something to pass the time while his food was spinning around on that plate.

He began looking through the fridge again and came upon a bunch of grapes. He heard somewhere that they caught on fire when they were microwaved. Well, he couldn't test it out now for a variety of reasons. One, he was already cooking something and it would be a waste to take the food out now just to test it. Second, there was a chance of it not working. Third, it wasn't his place anyway. Fourth, Nicoleta would surely kill him if he were to ruin her stuff beyond repair, a microwave would could as "stuff". Looks like his curiosity would have to be put on hold.

He took a seat on the couch, patiently waiting for his meal to get done. He nearly forgot how he sort of skipped breakfast on the way there, so food sounded rather good right now. He could at least stay until he finished eating...and possibly trying out that grape thing.

He refrained from turning on the TV, since he had no interest in seeing what lame morning shows were on at the moment. He could always check the news later, it wasn't that hard to find out what had made headlines. He just hoped most of it didn't pertain of celebrities, like in magazines.

How can people even like stars with their names all up in lights? He muttered a few curses under his breath as he crossed his arms. He wasn't the least bit jealous...well, for the most part. He did have a gift for acting, even more so then those so-called "celebrities", but there he was, stuck using that gift of his for crime. Well, beggars can't be choosers...

"They can all rot in hell for all I care..."

[Nicoleta]

There were times when she loved him unconditionally, and by the same token, there were times when she didn't.

At this very moment, Nicoleta was stuck between how to feel about him, but for one, the feeling was not positive. She was ages his elder, and yet he dared to belittle her as if she was a teenaged rebel with a knife between her lips and her ass sticking out. Granted, Nicoleta had done some crazy endeavors, but she would never let it merit someone the chance to scold her. Inevitably, her biggest vice was her pride.

She was especially not pleased with taking criticism about a stunt that was actually important to her, and she was doubly crossed that Andrei had found the means to figure out. But this was expected, in a way. Nicoleta was keeping secrets from him, and so this was truly a natural reciprocate. However, she was still blinded by her own mixed feelings to even consider being cooperative. Therefore, she merely vented out some emotion by rearranging her desk vigorously. Damn fucking people sometimes, shit.

Her mind pedaled to the thought of Heracles. Then it struck her. Andrei's little prickly speech was life's nice reminder to straighten the fuck up. Nicoleta was a criminal. Heracles was an ordinary civilian. He got caught in the Underground, and who escorted them to him? The answer was obvious as day, and what was worse, was that she could very well be the one in more hurt than anyone else. Tidbits of Andrei's words crept back into her mind, but she denied it the worthiness of being acknowledged. High and mighty was right. This was one of the times she reveled in being a stubborn bitch. Otherwise, she'd feel like shit.

Fuck Herc, fuck Andrei, fuck everything, Nicoleta thought as she threw herself on the mattress, thereafter she covered herself with a blanket.

Screw it. She decided she didn't want to do anything, and inwardly gave Andrei the grace to do as he pleased.