[Are you ready] Are you ready to go? (rp for no_substitution)

[magic_fratboy]

The new paint job looked damn good.

It was one of a thousand things Tommy was noticing as he sat in the dining area of the club, absently rolling a quarter across his knuckles while his brethren chatted all around him. The bright red paint cheerfully illuminating the scene behind the bar was eyecatching and vivacious...but at the same time, too plain. Maybe if he offered, Belle would let him do a mural back there...

"Dog's right. Something's different about you, T."

Tommy glanced back at the group of men who were all staring at him with odd looks. "What?"

"You're like...the man tonight. Do you see yourself?"

Tommy frowned, looking down at the way he was dressed. He'd been sick for days, so what if he'd traded his usual neat jeans and t-shirts for a pair of stylishly worn jeans and a black leather vest that laced down the front? He wanted out of the casual and into something that felt more human. Besides, it looked kind of interesting with his new haircut, and with his usual sandals on, it felt good to be able to slip them off and pad around the club in his bare feet.

They were right about one thing, though...he did feel stronger, stronger than he'd ever felt in his life. And the coin was rolling between his fingers more easily than it ever had...

"I feel good, that's all I know." Tommy admitted with a shrug. "But I've felt like shit this week, so how's that bad?"

His compatriots were saved from an answer as a familiar figure caught Tommy's eye, weaving her way through the club. Grinning as he spotted her, Tommy stood up and climbed on his chair, waving his arms to flag her down. "Yo, Sass! Over here!!"

Comments

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Some of the Brothers might have called it a misuse of power, unduly influencing a human heart not in desperate need, but he wanted to see her eyes light up like they had at home.

Reaching up to frame her face between his hands, he smiled and reached into himself, letting a brief connection flare between them so she could feel it...the living, breathing essence of hope that lived inside him, feel it rise inside her heart as if it were her own.

"News flash: you never lost it." he replied softly before pulling her into another hug, letting the link dissolve naturally on its own.

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

Oh she was getting spoiled tonight, that was for sure. But for some wacky reason she didn't have it in herself to feel in any way put off by that fact. She kind of enjoyed being spoiled. Especially so when the waitress placed the lovely milkshake in front of her empty seat.

As much as she loved being hugged... With a beaming smile and slid off Tommy's lap and back into her seat barely hesitating a second before diving into her drink. She was starving, okay? Give her a break.

After another second she let the straw fall from between her lips and her nose wrinkled up. "Oh damnit," she whined quietly, pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. "Brainfreeze!"

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy chuckled as she overdid it on the milkshake, leaning over to press his hands to her temples, pretending to try and warm up her brain.

"Easy, Tigger." Jay laughed from his seat, staring at her hard for a moment. As he did, the illusion of warmth flooded her, easing the ache in her head that came from drinking the milkshake too fast.

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

"Thanks Jay," she murmured, glaring at the offensive milkshake. It sat there, looking delicious and mocking her. The milkshake was the Sassy version of temptation. It was her jailbait. Damn it.

Taking breath, she softened her look, picking up the glass and sipping it. Like a normal human being. When she got past the first sip without her brain exploding she looked up to beam at Dog. "Thanks Puppy!" she singsonged, her cheeks dimpling up as she smiled.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"Hey, when the hell did I become a puppy?" Jay laughed as he eased back in his seat.

"When you loyally ran forward to fetch her slippers, that's when." Tommy joked, casually letting his arm circle Sassy's shoulders as he shifted to prop his feet on the edge of the table.

"That'll be enough outta you kids." Martin joked with a grin before he became slightly more serious. "At any rate, back to what we were discussin' just a bit before the twins started up and Miss Lally got in here...this title ain't something I can give or not give, Tom. You are who you are, and last time you were here, you were the King of Handcuffs. That's not changed."

Tommy wilted a little, returning still more true to form as his gaze fell and a deep sigh of uncertainty escaped him. "That's not me, sir...with all due respect, I can't do what he did. I can't even remember all of it."

"You can do what he did and more, son. I ain't handin' you no undeserved titles, just giving back your mantle. Harry Houdini, Tommy Karras...you're the King of Handcuffs and, by right of that position, a full and proven master level magician."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

Letting her head tilt to rest on Tommy's shoulder, Sassy listened to Ben's uncle with a sort of confused curiosity. She got the whole title thing and the idea that Tommy didn't want it, but then it all went fuzzy and didn't make sense.

"Tommy," she whispered, tugging on the hem of his shirt and looking up at him, the curiosity outweighing the confusion in her expression. "Not to totally interrupt again, but what does he mean?"

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Glancing over at Sassy's prodding, Tommy sighed and ran a hand back through his hair, seeming more troubled by the title than her curiosity.

"It's...who I was before." he explained. "Harry Houdini was the King of Handcuffs. It was a public moniker for a private level of power and status he'd reached within the Fraternity. He was a master level magician. That made him a leader within the order, and a serious threat to the Darkness."

"Power touched him twice, and touched him like no other." Dog explained. "He stood toe to toe with that coming night and won the day."

"Translation: Houdini's the only man that ever took on the Darkness alone and almost beat it." Tommy added with a rueful grin.

"Some even believed Houdini was a Titan god born in human form." Ben threw in. "At any rate, he's the most powerful magician anyone's ever known, and as a master magician, he was one of our elite. Uncle Martin's a master level magician, and there are others around the world leading chapters of the Fraternity, some of them even masters in training."

"It means Tommy's a leader among his own people now, as it should be." Martin added. "In his lifetime, Houdini guarded his title as the King of Handcuffs jealously for just this reason. He also took on the Spiritualist movement head on, a direct attack on us by the Darkness. Now he's back...and the title, the prestige...it all belongs to him."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

Frowning in thought, she chewed on her pinkie nail, mulling over everything they'd said, glancing up at Tommy between every new tidbit of information.

"So... it's a destiny you don't particularly want from a past you can't really remember that was thrust upon you from birth that you're going to have to take up whether you want to or not, but you don't think you can entirely live up to He Who Came Before? Am I kinda close? Getting warmer?"

Smiling, almost shyly, she nudged Tommy with her shoulder. "You're like magic Slayer. Kickin' ass and killin' Darkness."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

In spite of himself, Tommy had to smile at her sweet, shy expression, rocking a little with the nudge even though it was gentle enough not to actually move him. It kept her shoulder in contact with his arm a little longer as he moved back and forward again until she straightened completely, and he was almost loathe to lose that little bit of warmth that came from the contact.

"I guess so. Sorta." he admitted with a bashful grin of his own, shrugging. "I mean...in a way."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

"Cool. I mean, I knew you were a rockstar but..." Pausing mid thought, her lips slowly curved up into a devious smile. A smile she turned on everyone around the table before settling on Tommy.

"You know, I'm thinking now that I should rethink my indebtedness, y'know? I mean, I just saved the magical Jesus or something and all I asked for was a lifetime of strawberry flavored brain freeze? Not real smart of me. I think I'd like to sweeten the pot."

Deviousness, she assumed, was a genetic trait.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

The look on her face was laughable, but not in the name of mockery or ridicule. Just seeing that deliberately wicked, fiendish grin on Sassy's face was an absolute joy. It was all Tommy could do to hold his laughter in, and he could feel it around the table: the rest of them were gripped by the same mirthful joy.

He needed to have her around more often...the kid was like a battery pack, she could keep the whole damn Fraternity running.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say that I move forward with trepidation and fear in my heart." Dog declared, not meaning a word of it. "Just what exactly does your lovely heart desire, little sister?"

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

Oooh, fear and trepidation, she liked that. She also liked being called little sister, it made butterflies go spastic crazy in her stomach. Generally, she just liked Dog.

Glancing up at Tommy and suddenly finding herself at an absolute loss of words -- because really, the man did not know how attractive he was to the opposite sex in general (and Sassy in particular) -- she merely shrugged.

"I'm thinking about it," she finally said, moving he focus back to her milkshake. For all her bluntness and complete and utter lack of filter between her brain and her mouth, the one thing that could quiet her was a fear of rejection.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

A resounding, good-natured groan of disappointment rose up from the occupants of the table, which Martin immediately tried to silence, laughing all the while and winking at Sassy with his usual good-humored charm.

Tommy, however, just smiled, regarding her thoughtfully. The things he was sensing...it just didn't seem at all like her. Leaning in, he lowered his voice so only she could hear him.

"C'mon, seriously." he pressed gently. "You got a whole secret society of superpowered dudes and dudettes at your disposal, and you suddenly don't know what you want from us? You can tell me."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

"It's not that I don't know..." she corrected slowly, carefully saying each word in an equally quiet tone. "But it's..."

She sighed softly, the breath making her shoulders sag for a moment before she put one hand one her seat and the other on Tommy's shoulder, pulling herself up to kiss him very quickly and very shyly. "It's complicated," she murmured, blushing as red as the walls as her hand fell from his shoulder and back into her lap.

And golly her nails were interesting.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

It wasn't much more than a chaste press of lips, but it spoke volumes to Tommy, who honestly hadn't had a clue that Sassy's feelings might have gone past friendship and into...what? A teenage crush? Something serious? Geez, she was only eighteen...then again, technically he was over a hundred if he considered Houdini's life, right?

Forcing himself to table that consideration until later, he focused instead on Sassy, who was staring at her hands and far too quiet. Leaning in a little, he smiled and bumped her good-naturedly with his arm.

"You don't think you're a little young?" he ventured gently. "Or for that matter, you don't think I'm too old? I mean, I'm pretty sure you got your pick of the litter, babe."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

"Slayer," she reminded him, scowling a little. He just had to bring up the age thing, didn't he? Could that be the most mind-bendingly annoying thing in the world? Yes, possibly. She crossed her arm across her chest and glared. "I'm practically middle-aged. The oldest Slayer, ever, was twenty-nine and she was called the same age I was. So... I've got eleven years left, if that. Sure, I'm young, but I haven't been a child since I was eleven, so don't treat me like one please."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

"Hey." The word was quiet but sharp, and as his eyes narrowed there was no anger in them.

"I know we ain't known each other long, but have I once, in the time since we first met, ever treated you as anything less than an equal?"

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

"No," she conceded, frowning at her hands again. "Look, I'm fine with the lifetime of milkshakes. I uh... Need a few."

Jumping up from her seat, she disappeared into the crowd, making her way to the door. It was easy, being so small she just snuck inbetween the patrons until she walked through a cloud of smoke right outside the front door, turning swiftly to escape the inevitable coughing and lean against the wall.

Perfectly good evening, lovely really, and she just had to speak. Words? She shouldn't use them. She was going to look into sign language. Because to top it all off? She'd given herself a headache. Epic fail had a name, it was Sassy. Stupid, selfish, over-sensitive Sassy.

"Eleven years of free milkshakes would have been fine, you freakin' loser."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Just as she spoke, a soft sound rang out in front of her, just loud enough to keep from startling her. A hand offered her her milkshake again, connected to a familiar body and an all too familiar face, which was currently set in a small, gentle smile.

"Somehow I doubt that." Tommy replied evenly, regarding her with a thoughtful, but strangely unreadable expression. "Word of warning, Sass: don't try to disappear on a magician. We're a hell of a lot better at it."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

"I didn't try to disappear," she protested, glowering. "I said a few, which, by the by, meant I was coming back. You know, in a few. Novel concept, right?"

Pushing away from the walk, she walked to the edge of the sidewalk and sat down, legs splayed like a newborn colt in front of her. With her arms dangling at her sides, fingertips brushing against the ground, she was a rag doll. "Sorry, about before... and now for that matter. Lots of sorry to be had."

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

With a sigh, Tommy vanished the milkshake with a dismissive flick of his wrist and moved to sit down beside her, resting his forearms on his knees as he watched her.

"You don't have to be sorry. You're upset." he replied simply. "Look, Sass...I like you. A lot. And I think you're fantastic. You're gorgeous, you're funny, warm, ballsy, and I don't care what you say to me? You've got high hopes, and that's a beautiful thing. But...you're eighteen."

Realizing how that sounded, he made a face and tried again. "The age ain't an issue for me, all things considered. Maybe a couple months ago, but not now. Still, your age is a thing to consider...and I guess that's what I'm doing."

Hesitating for a moment, he reached out to caress her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"I guess what I'm saying is I'm interested...but I won't let you tie yourself down when you still got options. Just...I see you, okay? Let's just kinda go with the flow. See what happens."

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

Picking at her nails she frowned thoughtfully. "You know, my dad's never said no to me? If he wanted to say no he'd just say we'd see how it went. That way he wouldn't feel bad about just saying no. So you can just say no. I mean, I'm eighteen right?" She laughed slightly, bitter and soft, and looked up with a crooked smile that was so obviously for show.

"This is probably just some silly crush and I'll get over it in no time. No worries. Hakuna matata, or whatever." Crossing one arm against her ribs, she stuck her index finger between her teeth, grinding it across her teeth with a clicking noise as she looked at a stain on the ground.

Funny how the most interesting things popped up on the ground when you didn't want to look anywhere else.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Taking the initiative was not what Tommy did. He took his time, he thought things out, and making a move on a girl? One of countless reasons he hadn't had a lot of girlfriends in his life.

But something moved him then...maybe the way hope faded from her so quickly, that mercurial ebb and flow of teenage emotion, or maybe he just wanted her that bad. There were a lot of maybes, but still no explanation for what he did.

Letting his hand slide to her chin, he turned her head to face him, leaned in, and kissed her...it wasn't much more than a soft, lingering press of lips, but it was still a kiss.

His cheeks were flaming with heat, his stomach was filled with butterflies...but damn it, at least he was making his point.

He hoped.

[no-substitution.livejournal.com]

This? Was not fair. Tugging her bottom lip between her teeth, Sassy gently eased away from Tommy.

She was eighteen, and as much as she hated her age defining her and as old as she was for her age, she was still eighteen, and as such, incredibly naive and breakable. And she knew it.

"Tommy..." Biting down harder on her lip, she frowned. It was a desolate picture and she couldn't even figure out how to say... anything.

[magic-fratboy.livejournal.com]

Tommy let her pull back, reaching out only to lay a hand against her cheek in a comforting gesture. "I'm not asking you for anything." he whispered. "I'm offering you something...I'm serious here, Sass. I don't want you to get tangled up in anything you can't get out of if you want to, but I don't want you thinking for a second that I don't want you. Okay? Just...I'm here. Whenever you feel ready, I'm here. Ten minutes or ten years from now...I'm here."