flame on !

[ peter 📲 sms ] —— if that was true you’d be bringing me pizza while i did all this marking  🤔

“i don’t think i’ve ever actually felt old until right now,” she joked - though there was some truth to it. modern technology really made her feel her age. “and that would be…” she minimized the browser she had open ( she had that down, at least ), and searched the screen, “one of… these symbols, i’m sure.” 

“you know, that was something that i always wondered -” she took the offered bottle of water more than gratefully, small smile tugging at the edges of her mouth, “you drinking water, i mean. you turn into a literal flame, i could just… never work out what that meant for you and staying hydrated.” it was a silly line of thought. tova was MORE than aware of that ( which was why she’d never googled it ), but… what was this excursion, if not an opportunity to talk? the mention of work reminded her. “i think we’re doing okay. we’re on schedule, at least - and with the bigger pieces of debris gone, we’ll be free from the rest in no time.” 

Theora had liked this type of crowd once upon a time. When she was younger, before she understood the ways the world could be cruel, she’d met Ziva in a place like this. (Perhaps that, more than anything else, soured her to the venue.) She finished her drink. “Yeah, karaoke sounds better. Hopefully we get a video if it gets to messy. My kid says shit like that embarrasses him.”

“it’s so different to what i’m used to,” granted - everything WAS, when you’d spent a couple decades not on this exact plane of existence. it wasn’t bad. but it was confusing. “and they all do the exact same thing?” she quirked a brow, looking from the screen to johnny and back again, “seems… strange, to have so much choice for one job. not at all thought out. i don’t know which is best - what’s your favorite?”

“is there…- an alternative? to internet explorer?” well… now she felt silly. even without the confirmation from johnny, it was clear enough that she was missing something, here - and she wondered, briefly, if that was maybe why the browser in question was taking such a long time to load ( three minutes and counting ). “so i don’t have to dial up the internet at all? it’s just… there?”

“ so GRUMPY , “ marisol put her hand over her mouth to muffle the laughter that escaped her. “ you sure - you don’t sound super excited. “

      she calms down for at least a second or two,   the light amount of hyperventilation slowing down to a more   normal   breathing pattern.   it takes another couple of seconds until she can muster enough breath to formulate a a response.   ‘ well, i – uh,   i started out in the auditorium, but then w-we ran out of snacks and everyone looked so hungry so i snuck out to get everyone something to eat – -   but someone destroyed all of the vending machines and looted everything – -   so then i felt bad because all the smashed glass could hurt someone,   and it’s just  – so much and no one is doing anything about it ! ‘ 

   it’s not a very cute picture, melody’s already sodden sleeve being used to wipe away the streams of tears as she finished crying it out with someone who was clearly not feeling the whole ‘ bleeding heart ‘ breakdown she was having.   of course,    she can’t help but push away the tears for the largest smile she’s mustered in a good 24 hours, because it was her dad // @trchie , and melody knew full well that there was nothing that her dad couldn’t fix.

    ‘ dad ! dad ! daaaad ! ‘   she bounded up in an almost skip, clearly moving in to a hug, ‘ oh you don’t know how happy i am to see you, everyone is – everyone is … ‘ 

It was strange to feel this way, Johnny felt as if some of his emotions had left him. He was usually always feeling too much, crying often on his sister’s shoulder. What changed? He had decided to spend some time away from other people, collecting himself before he was going to look for his daughter. 

“ everyone SEEMS so upset - what do you think is going on ? “ marisol hadn’t felt so LIGHT WEIGHT in years. the downside of childhood trauma. “ you wanna get out of here ? break into the vending machines for some snacks or something… “ 

“i’m not – i’m not rejecting you, idiot. i’m just – you’re messing with me, and i know it. i know you.”

“I’ll let you know in on a secret — I wasn’t messing around with you.” Johnny says as he licks over his bottom lip, looking away after that. 

“uh – depends how you define dancing.” pete scoffed, a small smile on his face. pete was never much of a smooth talker but he was even worse in situations like this. “‘cause i doubt it’s gonna be very pretty.”

“I know I don’t look like the dancing type, but trust me — I won’t step on your feet.” Johnny admits as he smiles, starting to lead the two of them to an empty place on the dance floor. “You trust me, don’t you?”

@trchie

to say peter was out of his element was a huge understatement. he never did the whole school dance thing, it was mainly he and ned standing in the corning getting rebuffed by teenage girls. chaperoning was slightly better, though he still stood just as awkwardly as he had done as a teen, this time in a slightly better fitting suit. clearing his throat, peter took a sip from his plastic cup, free hand awkwardly in his waistcoat pocket. 

While knowing rejection could easily happen again, always happening when it comes to Johnny trying to put himself out there — he doesn’t want to see Peter standing around. “Hey, you want to dance?” His hand extended outward for his best friend to take it.  He enjoys dances, and social events to a certain extent personally. Unless it was those businesses with the team.

“oh, c’mon, johnny.” peter rolled his eyes, nudging him again. “if it was gonna happen it would’ve by now.”

“Breaking my heart, but I can accept rejection.” Johnny says as the smile fades off of his face. He wasn’t going to push it if Peter really wasn’t interested.

“oh c’mon, we all know the legacy of ol’ johnny storm. i’m pretty sure it’s worse than stark’s.”

“You know me too well, but you’re different. How do I get you to see that?”