Post-Valentine's Day Hijinks

## sephet11/29/2018

Lilah hopped out of the car, skidding a bit when she caught a patch of ice with her utterly impractical shoes. Despite colliding hard with the ground she popped back up with only embarrassment to show for it. “Oop. Okay. Icier than it looks. Haha. Watch out.”

She covered her face with a hand and waited for Andy to get out so she could lock up and then head inside.

November 30, 2018

## Mob Boss Peggy11/30/2018

Andy was still in the car inwardly panicking as he searched his jacket pockets for his keys which *weren't there*. He was so busy searching for them that he missed Lilah wiping out on the ice outside!
Finally, he heaved a sigh of relief when he found his keys in his *pants* pocket, and climbed out of the car only to embarrassingly slide on the icy driveway in those leather shoes he wasn't used to wearing.
The man let out a little yelp but was able to stabilize himself. "Agh! Time to salt the driveway again, I guess..." He took a look at Lilah to notice that she looked quite flustered. He offered her a sunny smile and went on to open the front door and let his date inside.
Weird-- the lights were on. Andy looked around but it didn't *seem* like anyone was home. So, he took to taking off his jacket and setting it on a hanger by the door. "Make yourself comfortable! And enjoy the silence... It's never this quiet around here anymore."
Andy moved over to the fireplace and knelt in front of it. It only took a flick of his hand to light the logs, but he lingered there to temper the fire, his gestures resembling that of a person directing someone to adjust something on the wall. *A little more to the left... A little higher...*

December 4, 2018

## sephet12/04/2018

“The superhero life is a life dedicated to noise and confusion, I guess.” She laughed, taking out her phone. She’d noticed as she’d been driving it had been buzzing up a storm, and it wasn’t a normal occurance for her to deal with so many messages. A whole evening of romantic melodrama played out on her phone, getting more and more intoxicated as time went on. She bit her lip, feeling conflicted for a moment before turning back to Andy. “I. Really really hate to be that guy. A lot. But one of my besties is in crisis. Her boyfriend cheated on her and it’s beginning to look like she’s one whiskey sour away from going full Carrie Underwood on his stuff. He’d deserve it but she doesn’t need a criminal record.”
She chewed her lip and tapped her phone against her chin. “I’m really so *so* sorry about this. I know in the grand scheme of emergencies this isn’t morgue zombies, but I really gotta go. I’m sorry.”

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

Andy knew it was coming before she even said it. It was inevitable, you know? The look on her face said pretty much everything. He gazed up at her with a pasted-on smile and the things that he said seemed a little less than convincing. "Oh no... Hope everyone is okay."
A little hug and she was gone, and HQ was eerily quiet again. Pushing back the urge to self-deprecate, Andy plopped himself in the middle of the couch and turned the television on to the nearest Valentine's day movie special.
"Oh, good..." He mumbled as he stuffed one of the cafe pastries in his mouth whole, holding the box in his lap. "The Notebook is on."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

> #pembina-zoo
By the time Rhett was at Headquarters, his legs felt like icicles and even his nose was red as could be. He had to pause on the steps to peek into the window curious as to who would be back with it not even being midnight yet. Shrugging, he guessed that maybe there were others with failed dates. Afterall, some of the pairings seemed to be pretty unlikely to last. With that in mind he was now becoming more and more curious about everyone’s dates and how they would end. He was *not* expecting to find their leader on the couch stuffing his face and watching The Noteboook. This revelation nearly made the young shifter drop the precious cargo stuffed under his hoodie. “Andy!” He shouted out of surprise and quickly turned from the sitting area. “Uhm, why are you here? I mean, I know it’s your place and all but…” He paused as he had to carefully move around the object beneath his clothing. “How’d the date with Lilah go??” He asked as a way to keep the man’s attention while not being too suspicious.(edited)

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

A half hour had passed... maybe 45 minutes...? Andy didn't know. He had already downed a glass and a half of wine and had almost totally finished the box of pastries for two. He was a little teary-eyed already from the movie, dabbing at his nose with a tissue when the door swung open. His head whipped around to see who it was, mouth half full of cookie. His hair was down and slightly messy, hanging over his shoulders.
"R-Rhett...? What---what are you doing here...? Where's... Who was your date again? Nevermind..."
He looked away when asked about his own date and why he was there. Yeah, Eleanor would've been really disappointed to know that he was at home watching TV. He looked so gloomy that the look on his face should've been explanation enough.
"It was..." He sighed a long sigh. "It was fine. I guess. I mean it was a disaster. *Ugh.*" He groaned, and took another sip of the white wine.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

It was a bit unnerving to see Andy in this condition and despite him needing to take care of other things, Rhett took a good look at the nearly empty pastry box and newly filled wine glass. This wasn't something Rhett thought he'd ever see from Andy. On top of all of that, he was in a nice ass suit and his hair was down. "Uh," When the questions started, he simply bit his lip before moving from sight as the man's eyes went back to the tv. "I guess our dates were a bit similar then." He sighed softly and headed into the kitchen without stopping again. "I'm sure it wasn't *that* bad!" Rhett responded while beginning to rummage through the fridge in search of anything he could justify to be lion food. "Hey, Andy, I know you're not feeling the best but do you know what lion's eat? Figuratively, of course." Finding nothing, the man closed the door and started going through the cabinets next. "How would you feel about me getting a cat, by the way? I think it'd be good for you too."
After once again coming up short, Rhett gave up for the time being and squatted down behind the counter to let the little furball out from its confinement. The cub looked around curiously before starting to wander away. Smiling, the shifter discarded the hoodie and removed his shoes before heading back into the kitchen where Andy still sat, eyes glued to the screen watching that terrible movie. "So, what really happened?" The blonde moved in front of the tv and stood there with his arms crossed looking like a mother wanting to know how school went.

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

Andy grumbled something to himself in words that not even he could decipher when Rhett went into the kitchen. He stared down at his wine with great stress in his face. "I dunno, like... Other animals? Giraffes and... Antelopes..." He took another sip and mumbled. "I don't have time for a cat! Aren't you..." He hiccuped and it surprised him so much he jumped a little. "Aren't you a cat?"
His attention was on the sappy movie when Rhett rudely stood in front of him. His sullen eyes looked up at the younger man, who always seemed to be wearing the same clothes, but Andy wasn't sure. Not that he had any room to talk.
"I was an idiot." Andy answered and went to wipe the hair out of his face but missed. "I couldn't even talk to her, and it was really cold, and there were a lot of people and I forgot my phone, so I asked her if she wanted to come back to my place, and---"
His eyes went wide suddenly as the realization set in. He had really meant it as an innocent gesture but what if she took it the wrong way? Andy buried his face in his hands and collapsed sideways onto the couch with a loud groan. "Oh God I totally creeped her out!"

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

Prowler did well not to acknowledge all the grumbles and other various sounds that his current company was making. He did, however, try to keep an eye on their newest household member. "Uh, yeah, I can turn into a cat but what happens when I'm not here and you get lonely? Like right now." He stated with a brief hand gesture as he eyed Andy with a bit of pity. "An idiot, huh?" Rhett watched and listened quietly as the situation was further explained and nearly fell over at Andy's revelation. His laughter filled the room and soon he was moving to the couch where the leader was slumped over on his side. "You're overthinking it!" He began while prying his hands from his face and moving the mess of hair from his forehead. "I doubt you creeped her out, she just might not have wanted to do *that* with *you*..."
Taking a moment to try and find a more reassuring way to comfort him, Rhett finally chose to shift into his usual cat form. After all, if he turned into a bear in this small space he'd most likely cause much more mess than what it was worth. Slipping between Andy's arm and the sofa, he laid there and looked at the man curiously. "You're such a mess...if you were Annie or someone, I'd suggest running you a bath but you don't bathe...what can I do to help?" He said it more to himself than to Andy and found himself thinking on those words for a few moments extra. Relaxing against the fire bender, he almost forgot all about the tiny cub wandering the house until he heard a quiet squeak coming from just past the couch's edge. *Maybe Andy won't notice...* The man thought just before the creature jumped up onto the ledge and began pawing at Andy's hand.

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

Andy whined into his hands and weakly fought back when Rhett pulled them away. He was red-faced and totally embarrassed when Rhett mentioned *that*. "I didn't want to either! That's not the reason I--- It was just a--- she's very beautiful, but... I don't even know her that well, why would I---"
He continued to stutter incoherently even as the other man shapeshifted into his floofiest form and placed himself in the crook of the leader's arm. He looked down at the animal and couldn't find the will to be offended at being called a mess. It was true anyway. Andy looked like he was about to cry.
"You can get me some more cook---" His head bobbed a bit at the sound of an odd whine, but he didn't want to lift his head to see what it was. He figured it was just one of Rhett's cat noises.
Before he could even think about anything else, a second animal jumped up onto him and it made him flinch.
Andy's reaction to it was delayed. He stared at the baby animal for a few questioning moments before he literally screamed and wriggled away.
"RHETT, WHAT IS THAT?!" Cried the pyromancer, who had launched himself off of the couch unceremoniously and landed on his rear end.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

All the sniffling and whining wasn't really helping Rhett's own mood but he guessed he needed to help Andy first before reflecting on his own night. Of course it could have gone better but he just hoped his partner had gotten home safely. Sighing into the cushion, he perked up a bit at Andy's words. Clearly he'd been listening to his own ramblings of how to help. That was when the soft and frankly adorable sound made Rhett glance over the edge of the couch. He wasn't surprised to see the cub rubbing against the furniture and was fully prepared to ignore the occurrence for the moment until the animal was no longer on the floor and rather inches from Andy's face.
Everything seemed okay for a second there until Torchlight grasped onto what had just taken place. His scream was enough to make the lion jump back onto the floor and even Rhett ended up there from the startling experience. He'd never heard screams of fear from a grown man. Sitting up from the ground as a human, Rhett scooped up the cub and held it to his chest before looking over at Andy with a frown. "Was that really necessary??" He questioned while getting back onto his feet again. "It's a kitten! I found him on the way back from the zoo!" He quickly thought up the simple yet possibly convincing lie. "He was gonna freeze if I didn't bring him in."(edited)

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

Andy lifted himself to his feet with great effort and stared at Rhett and his *giant kitten* in pure disbelief. He couldn't believe this was happening. He pointed an accusing finger at them both. "That's not a cat, Rhett! That's like, a panther or something! You brought a panther into my house! You need to bring it back!"

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

Andy's reaction wasn't what surprised Rhett but rather being told to 'bring it back'. "No way! I can't take him back to that cramped-" He paused to rethink his words quickly before continuing, "the street! He'll freeze to death!" Rubbing the cub's head, it seemed to be getting tired as they stood there. "He's harmless, why are you freaking out?? Just sit back down and eat your cookies and we can all cuddle?" He suggested with a smile. "Andy, I'll take full responsibility for this lil guy, he's just a baby, after all."

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

Andy's reply was instant. His blood pressure was probably spiking again. He felt a little light-headed. "No. No. No. No." Instead of forming actual words, he just kept repeating until his brain sorted itself. "No. No. No. No. No! You---We are not equipped to care for a wild animal! What happens when it gets big? It's going to get really big! I am almost a *hundred percent* sure that it's illegal to have a panther! And--and it's *not* harmless! It has big teeth a-and claws!"

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

Great. Now not only was Andy a bit tipsy, he was also broken. The lack of ability he had to form words was almost comical as Rhett continued to hold the wild animal in question. He shook his head at Andy saying they weren't equipped for it and flat out laughed at the 'illegal to own' bit. "Who has to know??" It was clear that he wasn't taking the situation even half as serious as his leader. That was why Rhett isn't in charge of much. "And he's not a panther, he's a lion!" His correction was followed by him shifting into his grizzly self. The couch and coffee table rumbling as they were shoved aside by the extra body mass taking up space. "I can be dangerous too," Resuming his normal form, the man stepped closer to Andy and held out the baby. "Here, hold him."

## Mob Boss Peggy12/04/2018

"A *LION?*" Andy was in a state of shock. That was even worse, even though he wasn't sure exactly how. Both things were equally terrible. "H-how could you do this, Rhett? This is--- I can't even---"
He was holding his head with his hands when the shapeshifter took on his bear form, a form that Andy was never frightened of and usually so excited to see. This time, he almost wanted to cry. Instead, he just desperately shouted.
"It's not the same thing!" He stepped back when he was offered the cub and promptly threw his hands up and turned tail.
"Nope! No way! We are not keeping it! I'm leaving." He said, and clumsily went to climb up the stairs.

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/04/2018

Watching Andy was becoming more worrisome than enjoyable, Rhett decided though when he attempted to let Andy hold the cub his attempt was immediately shot down. “Give him a chance, Andy! It’s just a baby, if we raise it right, it’ll be fine.”
His eyes followed Andy to the stares before he too took pursuit. Setting the cub on the floor, he quickly went to the intoxicated man. “What are you talking about? Where are you going??”
Rhett walked up the stairs just behind Andy as if he were Valentine. “You should stay downstairs and enjoy the rest of your wine. Can you imagine having a lion to fight by you??”(edited)

December 5, 2018

## Mob Boss Peggy12/05/2018

Andy didn't want to hear any more. He didn't want to even *respond* to Rhett, but words fell out and he couldn't stop them. "I don't care if it's a baby or a--- a baby! We're not raising a lion! It's not happening! No way! It probably has a mother out there somewhere that's going to hunt us down! That's all we need--- wild animals attacking us in *addition* to villains!"
"No! No!" He whined when he felt Rhett's presence behind him. He twisted his waist as if trying to fight off hands that were trying to grab him, even though there weren't. He turned around to face the shapeshifter and stumbled down a step, knocking into Rhett's body with his own. He steadied himself and placed an finger on the other man's chest. He prodded it angrily. "I don't want any innocent animals fighting with me unless it's you!"

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/05/2018

“Maybe when you’re sober, you’ll feel better about the whole thing.” The young man suggested. “He’s a runt, his mom probably abandoned him in favor of the other three she had…” His words trailed off as Andy started protesting again. When he turned and stumbled, Rhett’s entire body tensed. Out of everyone that lived here why was he the one responsible for their leader’s safety?
Luckily, Andy wasn’t drunk enough to lose his balance completely so Rhett was able to keep him from tumbling down the stairs. He even placed a hand on Andy's arm to keep him on his feet. He was ready to take Andy up stairs to his room but what he said startled him. “W-what?” Processing this, Rhett let out a small laugh. “That might be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me!” His face brightened with a smile as he looked back at the angry adult but dimmed slightly at the persistent squeaks coming from down the stairs.
“Listen, he’s a runt. That means his mother probably won’t want him back, he’s half the size of the others. In a way, he doesn’t have a home. Kinda like me.” The blonde sighed and stepped down a step to back away from Andy. “Please Andy, let him stay? At least until he gets a bit bigger?” Rhett looked up at Andy with pleading eyes while the little squeaks continued below them. The cub having since started attempting to climb the stairs.

## Mob Boss Peggy12/05/2018

Andy had been slow to catch on to Rhett's clues but when he did, his brain struggled to process how angry he was about it. His words came out in a stutter as they usually did when he was upset. He pinched his nose and clamped his eyes shut.
"The others... How do you know he's a... The three... You-you stole him from the zoo, didn't you? You lied to me, Rhett! Ugh!" Throwing his hands up with an irritated groan, Andy pushed past Rhett to go back down the stairs. On the way, he bent down and picked up the animal. Carrying it under the front legs, he held out like it was a dangerous explosive and went to plop back down on the couch.
Andy stared at the baby lion with a lopsided frown. He was... Really cute. "You're the reason I'm missing my movie..." The pyromancer grumbled.
"He can stay the night!" Andy shouted back to Rhett. "But you need to bring him back tomorrow!"

December 7, 2018

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/07/2018

When Andy finally caught on to Rhett's fabricated lie, there wasn't so much guilt as there was hope that the odds were still in the blonde man's favor. He tried to move out of the way but Andy simply pushed his way down the steps and toward the animal behind all of this fuss. Rhett followed the man's actions carefully as he witnessed the adorable sight. "It's a baby, not a nuke!" He snickered then gradually headed down the stairs to possibly join the other two.
His smile returned as Andy shouted to him. "We'll see." He mumbled though still let out a 'yay' while turning to snatch his oreos from the counter. Too bad there was hardly any left. Sighing, he suspected Cole for this misdeed and decided to bring it up later on to the walking weaponry.
"You're planning to stay here on the couch watching sappy movies, don't you?" Rhett wasn't really into those types of films but he guessed having Andy company was better than none. He sat next to him and leaned into the arm rest. Looking to the cub, he smiled and wiggled his fingers in its direction while the small animal continued looking up at Andy. "I think he likes you, it's probably for your warmth." Turning to stare at the tv, Rhett took out his phone and began browsing mindlessly.

## Mob Boss Peggy12/07/2018

Andy stared back at the lion cub in his cute, fuzzy face. He felt older than usual. At least ten years older. His face felt like it was growing wrinkles by the second. He set the little animal down in his lap and continued to stare at it for a moment. It looked back at him with its big, brown eyes. The leader frowned even deeper and leaned forward to take his glass of wine. He tipped it back into his mouth, finishing the whole thing.

"What else am I supposed to do?" He said, his voice breaking a bit. "So... is that all you and Kyle did? Steal a lion...?"

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/07/2018

Glancing at the older man, Rhett sighed and let his phone screen go black from clicking the lock button. "I'm sure there's *something* to do...and no, this happened without Kyle so he's basically to blame for it happening in the first place." His words came out with a smile but he did feel like if the other man had been around he wouldn't have done what he did. Or maybe he would have.
"He headed home while I was in the polar bear exhibit..he got caught by a guard and headed home." Frowning down at the device in his hands, he sat up a little straighter and shook his head. "At least he messaged me. Hopefully he'll get home safe."

## Mob Boss Peggy12/07/2018

The lion cub curled up in Andy's lap, comforted by his warmth. The pyromancer was still upset, but the thoughts of how he messed up with Lilah seemed like a figment of his imagination now that there were other problems sitting right there on his couch.
Another sigh left him as he grabbed the tv controller and started switching channels now that he had successfully missed most of the movie. He found himself switching channels furiously. Andy shook his head to get rid of some of the dizziness forming. "Why were you in the polar bear exhibit?" He asked flatly. He shouldn't have been surprised. He held out his empty glass and wiggled it a little at Rhett, hoping he'd get the hint. "Causing more trouble?"(edited)

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/07/2018

Rhett watched the cub in Andy’s lap absently for a couple moments before going back to his phone. There had to be something else he could or *they* could do? Coming up with nothing, he dropped the cell onto his leg and looked at Andy emptying the remnants of his wine into his mouth. When the glass was held out to him, he scrunched his face but complied, taking up the bottle of wine on the coffee table and filled the glass like he’d seen on tv.
“It’s what I’m good at.” He answered simply. “And I wanted to pet the baby bear. If you got the chance to pet a cute fluff ball, wouldn’t you?” Reaching over, he ran his fingers over the cub’s head. “We could always go sneak back in if you wanted?”

## Mob Boss Peggy12/07/2018

Andy wasn't even paying attention to the channels he was flipping through. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going. As soon as his glass was filled, he tipped some into his mouth again and spilled some all over his clothes. "Ughh!" He grunted, but didn't even try to clean it up.
"No, I-I'm not doing t-that." He said as sternly as he could, which wasn't terribly effective. He stopped flipping channels, leaving it running during some sort of romantic movie. All of the channels seemed to have been running those tonight. "We are heroes, we're n-not supposed to be... sneaking into zoos and doing illegal things. Unless it helps people. A-and it doesn't. You need to... stop doing those things. Because I can't... bail you out for that stuff."
He trailed off and looked down at the cub in his lap, and the hand petting it. The little animal seemed to be falling asleep. "Ugh! I should never have brought her back here. E-Eleanor is gonna' kill me if she finds out what happened and sees me like this."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/07/2018

Rhett jumped a bit at the groan before turning his head and looking Andy dead in the face. The answer was of no surprise so he didn’t even pretend to have not expected it. His head did fall back against the oddly colored sofa with a heavy sigh. “I can bail myself outta ‘that stuff’.” He retorted lightly before continuing to speak. “Who, Lilah?? I’m telling you, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Slapping a hand on Andy’s shoulder, he let it rest there for a minute longer before pulling it away. “You know what’ll cheer you up *and* make Eleanor happy? Making the best out of this Valentine’s Day thing!”
“What better way to do that then have some fun? So, I invited Marci over and she’s bringing more wine and cookies.” With that, Rhett shoved a oreo into his mouth and looked back at the tv. “Do you think this stuff actually happens in real life?” Suddenly a new question burst into the man’s head and he couldn’t keep himself from shifting to face his companion. “Have you ever had a serious relationship??” He hadn’t realized until this moment that he knew very little about Andy on a personal level. Time to change that!

## Mob Boss Peggy12/07/2018

Andy rolled his eyes away from Rhett when the shapeshifter placed a hand on his shoulder and then looked at him again when he voiced his idea to fix things. Then, his gaze dropped back to the television with his jaw clenched. Rhett was right; he needed to make the best of it. Sitting there moping wasn't doing anyone any favors.
"Marci...?" He wracked his brain to match a face to the name. It wasn't like they needed anymore wine (there were only 18 more bottles of it sitting crated in the kitchen), but the cookies would be appreciated.
It seemed as if Rhett caught him watching the movie again when he remarked on it. Andy could tell the younger man didn't really like movies like that. He didn't seem the type to either way. Andy was a sucker for a good 'chick flick', so they say. The one playing was a good one, he thought.
 "W-well, yeah sure, why not? I'm sure at least once in the history of the world there was a guy who taught a girl how to dance and they fell in love. It's not *that* unbelievable..."
He didn't want to answer the question that followed, but his inebriated brain threw up an answer anyway. "Of course I have! I-I was in a relationship for five years, you know..."

December 8, 2018

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/08/2018

Listening to Andy’s answer, Rhett shrugged before splitting an oreo in half to eat the filling from the middle. “I guess.” He muttered while watching the film for another moment. He finished chewing just as Andy answered his second question. It wasn’t so much a surprise that the leeder had been in a long-term relationship as it was that he admitted it.
Not worrying about anything else, the shifter’s undivided attention went to Andy and the response he had given. “*What*?! You had a five year relationship?? With who? What happened?!” Prowler’s excitement had shot up since finding out about this new information. “Guy or girl? Did it end because you’re a workaholic?” More and more questions until he finally stopped to take up another oreo. Thankfully, he wasn’t one to talk with his mouth full so Andy was blessed with a couple moments of silence. “And no, I didn’t know!” It was quite possible that he had forgotten this info but he seriously doubted that.(edited)

## Mob Boss Peggy12/08/2018

Andy thought that was a good enough answer somehow. He was sipping at his glass of wine, mouthing the words to the scene on the TV when Rhett *burst* into a talkative frenzy. Andy flinched and the lion cub shifted too. Andy placed a warm hand on its back and gave it a few strokes. He didn't have much of a filter with the alcohol taking more of an effect with every passing moment.
"A *girl*!" He stated. "...and I'm not a workaholic!" Yeah, he *was*. Even back then. Still couldn't get through college though. "And *no* it didn't end because I'm that. Which I'm not. It ended because we were basically only together to keep our parents from bugging us. They thought I was a loser anyway. They were only cool with it because I'm also Chinese. We weren't like, in love or anything. Anyway, she's a surgeon now and I'm, uh... *This.*" He said, matter of fact, before taking an oreo and stuffing it whole into his mouth.

December 11, 2018

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/11/2018

A broad smile spread across his face, "Ooohh, a *girl*." Rhett put just as much emphasis on the word as Andy had previously though let out a ‘pfft’ at Andy’s denial of being a workaholic. By the time Andy was finished, Rhett was sitting back against the sofa with a deepening frown. "That doesn’t count.” He said simply before pushing himself up from the couch. “I was expecting something, more *interesting*...” Admitting this, Prowler left the two in search of milk. “There’s no way that’s the only relationship you’ve ever had, right?”
Opening the fridge, he grabbed the gallon from the box and turned back to look in Andy’s direction. He was about to make another comment just as an explosion of cold air entered the house and a new figure shuffled their way inside. “Marceline!” Rhett shouted her name excitedly, sure that anyone and everyone inside the house would be able to hear him.
“What’s up, kitty-cat? Thanks, by the way, I needed an excuse to ditch the perv I was out with. All he wanted was to get me back to his place, the damn fool.” Marci’s somewhat brash entrance caused the cub in Andy’s lap to jump awake, a sound of surprise leaving him but as soon as the door shut, he snuggled back against his personal heater. “Someone wanted more sweets?” The woman took one look at the coffee table with the scattered debris and bottle of wine then dropped the pack of snacks next to Andy.

“I figured it was a bit too early for a booty-call, though.” She teased while leaning over Andy, her arms wrapping loosely over his shoulders. "God, you're warm." She sighed then let her eyes drop to his lap at the unfamiliar sight. She let out a gasp and reached down to poke at the small animal. “What’s this? Andy, I didn’t know you adopted a new cat? I told you he’d replace you if you didn’t start acting right, kid.” She pecked Andy’s cheek then sat back up. Heading into the kitchen, she grabbed a glass of her own and returned to the unoccupied space on the couch. "You mind a drinking partner, A?"

## Mob Boss Peggy12/11/2018

Andy really wasn't expecting Rhett to scoff at his experience, so it made his body sink further into the back of the couch. "Of-of course not! It.. it still counts--"
The door flinging itself open caused Andy to flinch as if something was attacking him, although the movement was so lazy that if somebody had attacked him, he would've certainly gotten hit. He tried to lift his expression a little and failed.
"O-Oh, Marceline. Hi." He said, forcing his voice to inflect positively. He was about to ask her if she had been working before she answered the question herself. Andy cringed. He couldn't imagine doing the type of work she did. Not that he could, anyway. He didn't have the same amount of... *assets* that Marceline had. He was petting the wriggling cub again when she set the food on the couch and didn't even realize that the animal had been pawing at his clothes, raking little tears with its sharp claws.
Andy's reaction time was so bad at that point that he didn't even move as Marceline embraced him, pressing her ample cleavage into his face. If he hadn't been blushing enough before, he certainly was after that and after she kissed him on the cheek, finally drawing a bashful smile from the half-drunken man. She was nice.
"Make yourself at home, Marceline, I'm just trying to watch a movie. And by the way, this isn't a cat, it's a lion." His words were a little bit slurry. "Rhett stole it from the zoo but he's going back tomorrow."
While she was in the kitchen, Andy grabbed one of the packages of little peanut butter cookies and opened it up. "We were talking about past relationships, unfortunately..." So, *why* did he bring it up again? He had no idea. Andy's frame of mind wasn't entirely stable at this point. "I think five years is a long time! I-it totally counts..."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/11/2018

“That’s what he thinks…” Rhett whispered to Marci as she retrieved a wine glass and went back to sit on the couch next to the drunken leader. “You stole a lion?? What a gutsy boy, you’re becoming.” She teased Rhett with a breathy laugh which caused the shapeshifter to turn a little red then went back to where Andy was.
“Oh, relationships, huh?” She did, in fact, notice the red glow of Andy’s cheeks and gave him a sweet smile. “Five years is nothing to laugh at for sure.” She grabbed at the already opened bottle and poured herself a glass full. “I’m assuming it’s your love life we’re discussing and not the loveless child in the kitchen, correct?” Her eyes darted to Rhett who seemed unbothered by the comment before making his way back to the others. He snatched up his oreos as Marci reached for them and turned from her. “Yeah, sure, but he said they were only dating because of their parents. It wasn’t because they liked each other!” Rhett protested.
Marceline, sipping her wine, paused before turning her gaze back to the disaster that was Andy. She looked him over before reaching out with her free hand to move his hair behind his ear. “I suppose that can be a bit worrisome but it still takes commitment, something I’m sure you don’t have.” She shot a look back to Rhett who let out an audible groan of annoyance.
“My last..*faithful* relationship only lasted a year and a half so, I’d say you’re on the right track. Although, you gotta put yourself out there, babe.” Taking her phone from her black skinny jeans, she soon pulled up the dating app in her phone. “Grind on me is the best place to look for a potential date, you should give it a shot! There's actually quite a few cuties..." She was engrossed in her device now that she'd begun swiping through. "Isn't there a girl in our group named Annie? She's not bad, either." With a grin, she locked her phone and looked back to the man beside her. "You're handsome, don't let it go to waste, hun."(edited)

December 12, 2018

## Mob Boss Peggy12/12/2018

Marceline couldn't have been more different than Andy or even Lilah. On the outside, she looked entirely intimidating, with her body, her sharp features, piercing eyes and tattoos. Not to mention her terrifying and amazing super abilities. But from the short time Andy knew her, he knew her to be a rather sweet person. In fact, he thought *almost* everyone from the group were very nice, despite many of them having incredibly dangerous powers.
The exchange between her and Rhett only made him laugh. He was soon grateful that the shapeshifter had called the woman to lighten up the mood. Andy was still upset about the lion cub and the way his date went, but the feelings were fading. Funny how a little attention from a pretty woman tended to do that.
"Ah, I know, I know..." Andy was aware that he wasn't awful-looking. He had always gotten some attention from his looks. That wasn't the problem. He had let out a snort when Marceline mentioned Annie. "Gosh, Annie..." He trailed off, failing to elaborate because he couldn't find the words. "Y-you know, I'm on that app and I've gotten a few hits... Last time I checked. But to tell you the truth I'm not really looking for a... A hookup, I guess? I'm not sure an app called 'Grind on Me' is right for that. B-but yeah, you're right I gotta' just... Put myself out there."
He shoved some of the peanut butter cookies in his mouth and totally missed with some of them, but was too uncoordinated to prevent it from happening. He washed them down with some more wine. "But I was thinking..." He said slurred, mouth still a little sticky from the peanut butter. "I thought about it a little... It's probably a bad idea, you know? To date within the group like that... Seems like it would be awkward... If-if it didn't work out."

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/12/2018

“Don’t worry, I’ve seen your profile.” Tilting her head back a bit, she wasted no time finishing off her first glass and moving on to start the next. “You’re very photogenic.” Her smile widened and with a hearty giggle, she nodded. “I guess you’re right about all of that but...friends with benefits is still a thing in this day and age.” She wiggled her brows like the goof she was before shifting around until she was leaning against Andy’s shoulder.
Slowly swirling the wine under her nose, Marci didn’t worry to look at Andy, letting her eyes stay settled on the tv screen in front of them. This was a movie she was familiar with and it honestly didn’t surprise her that Andy was so into it. “You don’t need an app to find a keeper, though. I know plenty of sweet girls looking for a guy like you.” She suggested with another sip. Her head moved to the side at Rhett’s laughter. “Are they in the same line of work as you?” He asked with a mischievous grin which was returned with a frown from the woman.
“What’s that supposed to mean, twerp? Just because I dance on stage and wear skimpy clothes doesn’t mean I sleep around...I’m no whore.” She huffed, seeming a bit agitated now. Yes, Rhett had actually managed to hit a nerve though she shrugged it off and turned her attention back to Andy. “Going back to what you said, babe…” She gulped down another mouthful of wine and grabbed one of the cookies that had somehow been spared being eaten and popped it into her own mouth.
“I think it’d be better for you to take a break, you’re stressed all the time, hun.” Tracing a finger along his jaw, she sat back up then set her glass of wine on the table to take the cub from Andy’s lap. “What better way to unwind than with some good wine, good company and a good show?” Cradling the little lion, she laughed as it played with a few strands of loose hair before setting him back down onto the cushion.

“I suppose everyone else is out enjoying their evenings?” Marceline glanced around the room, it’d never been so quiet and she wasn’t entirely sure that she liked it. “Not that we’re not enjoying our own, of course.” She added with a reassuring smile directed at Andy.
“Why do I feel like we’re sulking more than actually enjoying ourselves?” Rhett sighed into his milk cup before finishing it off. He tossed the now empty oreo pack into the trash and turned to look at Andy and Marceline one more time. “I’m going upstairs to bed.” He wasn’t tired in the least but it gave him an excuse to leave the room and get away from the depressing atmosphere. It was mainly because of Andy, he needed to stop eating those damn cookies and watching those horribly unrealistic romances. “Come on, Rhett Jr.” The shifter had gone to retrieve the lion before heading upstairs. “Goodnight!”
“Goodnight, kitty-cat.” Marci watched the youngest of them as he climbed the stairs out of sight. Her intentions hadn’t been to run off the boy but it seemed as though she was now in charge of Andy’s recovery. “Babe, you gotta get yourself together...we should start with removing that stained up suit of yours.”

## Mob Boss Peggy12/12/2018

Andy was super flattered at all of Marceline's compliments and yet snorted at the idea of 'friends with benefits'. He didn't think he was terribly photogenic, though, if anything, he had a goofy smile and less-than-perfect teeth. His posture was alright, but everyone had always told him that his sense of style was lacking. Not to mention the state of his hair... He combed his hands through it mindlessly. His crumb and cookie-covered hands.
She was being so close with him that he was flustered and hardly knew how to respond. He saluted Rhett as he left with the lion cub and looked to Marceline with an airy head. She mentioned his suit. He instinctively looked down at it.
"You should be nicer to Rhett, he's super young! Like-- twenty. Or something." Andy reached down to unbutton the jacket part of the navy blue suit, but clumsily fingered at it a bit and gave up. "I can't take a break! This is my life! There's so much to do... I-I started this--this cause, and I have to do everything I can to...to cultivate it. Even if it means I don't have any time to myself."
Despite his drunken dizziness, Andy started to lift himself off of the couch. He spoke with as much passion as he possibly could, with his words running together and his stutter hard at work. He got to his feet and stumbled a little before steadying himself. He spilled a little bit of the wine he was clutching.
"We are going to bring heroism back to this city, and back to this country, and protect the-the people from---from dangerous. super. criminals!"(edited)

December 13, 2018

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/13/2018

Marceline, glass of wine back in hand, glanced to the side as Andy spoke to her. She almost laughed at his words and watched with the slightest bit of pity as he fumbled with the jacket buttons. “He’s a good guy, for sure but he has a long way to go before he’s a man.” Her thoughts trailed off as she gulped down what was left of her second glass and put it down once again. Shifting herself to face Andy once more, she smiled at his determination. “You’re doing a wonderful job, babe. I don’t think anyone in this group would have the balls to do what you’re doing so don’t sweat it. If anything, you *should* take some time to yourself to keep from going insane.”
Watching him push up from the couch and stumble about made her giggle. This wasn’t the first time nor would it be the last that Marci had ever experienced such instability from a drunk. “You’re getting wine all over the floor, darling.” She got up shortly after he started preaching about *bringing heroism back* and other things alike. “Well, you can’t very well do that in your current state.” An arm snaked around his waist as she used the other hand to confiscate the spilling wine glass.
“Maybe you’ve had enough for tonight?” It was more of a statement as she downed what was left in it before putting it back onto the table with her own. “Where’d you get this snazzy suit, anyway?” By now she was fooling with the buttons, popping them open one by one with little effort. “Must’ve been from that Lucius guy, huh? It suits ya, babe. I’m sure I can get those stains out if I try.” She trailed off while finally slipping the jacket from his shoulders and draped it on the couch.(edited)

## Mob Boss Peggy12/13/2018

Andy had gone through a rainbow of emotions within the hour, it seemed. He had gone from depressed, to angry, to fiercely determined. It remained to be seen what could possibly come next.
"No, no, I won't sweat it. I can't. I can't sweat. I literally can't."
He was about to start pacing when Marceline smoothly grounded him. She was very close to him and it made him stand up a bit straighter. He was indeed a little taller than Mirage but one wouldn't know it by the way he slumped.
"Yeaaahhh," He whined. "It's from Mr. Greene... I was going to wear something different tonight but I guess it-it wasn't good enough. I'm cold. Aren't you cold?" Andy was fidgeting as Marceline removed his suit jacket. With his long hair, with his shirt buttons, and with his belt.
He wore a fitted shirt and tie underneath, and the garment hugged his body well, not something that he was used to when it came to clothing. He didn't have anything like this in his closet. The white shirt was dotted with little drips of both yellowish and red wine, and what looked to be chocolate near the collar.
"I-i'm supposed to be figuring out a way to beat this-this zombie woman, and-and solving a string of murders and... Getting us tech, and getting us *trained*, agh, today was such a waste of time."

December 14, 2018

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/14/2018

His fidgeting was a bit amusing, Marceline noted as she turned him slowly to face her. “You’re cold? Don’t you have a built in heater in that fiery body of yours?” She didn’t try to hide her interest as she looked him up and down. “Thank God for Lucius.”
Grinning, her fingers brushed against the shirt’s collar, taking in the various stains over the white fabric and wondering how he’d managed to get into such a predicament. There was no time to question him, however, as he began stuttering out the various tasks he had on his mind.
“Even intoxicated, all you do is think of work.” She wasn’t surprised in the slightest. This was why he was leader and she admired the devotion he had for the cause but by the end of his rambling, her grin had softened into a smile. “Was it really? From what I heard, you’ve had the pleasure of enjoying not only one but *two* beauties. That’s certainly not a waste, babe.”
Marci’s hand slid into his as she continued to speak. “It’s only a waste if you don’t enjoy it.” She corrected herself as her misty eyes took in his features thoughtfully.
There was a brief moment of consideration before the illusionist closed any space between them. She didn’t take her eyes off his as she guided his hand to her waist while pressing her free hand against his chest. “Maybe I can change your mind?” Her mouth spoke inches from his own before pressing against it. Nothing too passionate, though she truly hoped to relieve some of that stress in his head.
A moment or so later, she pulled her face from his and gave a pleasant smile. “So?” That was all she said before letting the hand on her waist go while also removing the hand from his chest. It would have been easy for her to melt into him but she held herself together enough not to do so.

## Mob Boss Peggy12/14/2018

Andy wasn't quite finished rambling, but Marceline had a mysteriously good method of preventing him from doing so. When she replied to him, she replied sweetly, not criticizing him like Rhett had done, making him feel like he needed to defend himself. Marceline was making him feel secure and stronger than he had been when he was huddled in the corner of the couch, stuffing his face and watching The Notebook for the 200th time.
His mind was firing off in all sorts of directions and it only confused him more in his drunken state. He felt heavy. He wondered *why* she was doing this. Her fingers moved calculatingly, touching and caressing him like they knew each other better than they really did. His hand hung there uselessly when she grabbed it, and he did nothing to prevent her from placing it on her body. All he could do was stand there looking ever so slightly down away from her because he didn't know what to do.
In his stupor, he didn't expect her to press her body against him, the swell of her chest up against his as he loosely clutched the taper of her waist. There were probably a lot of men that would have loved to pay to be in that position. Did Rhett....?
He didn't want to think of the kind and caring Marceline with such disrespect. She was impossibly close to him by then, and he felt her breath upon his face. Her scent was sweet, indicative of her expectations for her own night out that had been interrupted by Andy's madness. Even as she was just inches away, Andy never expected what happened next.(edited)

When their lips connected, Andy instinctively stood motionless. His heart had jumped, and his mind was hitting critical mass. He hardly felt that any of this was happening in the real world. How did it get to this point? How did his night turn to this, of all things? After being forced into unfamiliar clothes, forgetting his phone, his cringeworthy date with Lilah, and Rhett bringing home a stolen zoo animal...
She made him forget all of it.
When they broke contact, the pyromancer was speechless. Any inkling of complaint lingering on his lips had gone as if she absorbed them right out of him. His face was stuck in a midly puzzled expression, gaze focused on Marceline now instead of nothing. He wanted to ask *why*.

*Why? What are you doing? Did Rhett put you up to this? Are you doing this because you feel bad for me? Because you're drunk too? Are you using your powers on me right now? …Why?*(edited)

So many thoughts, and none of them manifested in words. Andy's actions decided to express the very opposite of them as his body overruled his inebriated mind.

After a mere, lingering moment that seemed like it lasted ages while Andy stared blankly down at Marceline, he suddenly took her body in his hands once more, arms wrapped around her waist to pull her back to him as his lips firmly and impulsively found hers for the second time, closing the distance between them again.

December 15, 2018

## birdman | Valentine12/15/2018

When Valentine woke up, he found himself with a hangover deep enough to drown a man, probably still a little drunk. He remembered most of his night with Leo, but had continued to down beer after highball after beer for hours, until he finally found himself a little too dickered to carry on a conversation- especially over loud late night free jazz- and... he supposed the rest was history. He'd appreciated the decency the fella had to at least get him back to... well, it certainly *smelled* like HQ, but he couldn't be certain. These sheets were jersey, not flannel.
Valentine tried to lurch himself up as quickly as he could, buttoning up his shirt and pulling his hair as flat as it'd go, before he stumbled out into what he could only assume was the first floor of HQ. "Anyone home?" he called, prompting a couple of seconds of silence for him to glance into what'd happen. Oh, thank god, there were loads of folks here.

December 17, 2018

## Rose | Rhett | Marci12/17/2018

With Andy’s blank expression looking down at her own, Marceline’s mind began processing everything she’d just done. She hadn’t fixed a thing, but created a new possible problem. *He’s going to hate you now!* Her brain screamed at her behind closed doors and the delighted smile faded from view. When he still hadn’t said anything after an additional minute, the illusionist, now partially panicked, prepared to remove herself from their current position. That was the idea up until a pair of sturdy hands wrapped around her body and closed all available space again.
The warm sensation of Torchlight’s embrace made it beyond easy for Marci to ease back into the interaction. Clearly he hadn’t hated it, after all. She tilted her head a bit to the side and pressed into him. Savoring every second their lips were joined together and while they were occupied, her hands were busy letting her fingertips glide up the backside of the tight fitting button up. When they reached the base of his neck, one hand caressed it and the other slid over his shoulder and worked its way to the buttons keeping what was beneath mostly hidden from sight. Not for long.

“Anyone home?” Every fiber of Marceline’s being froze and her misty eyes sprang open in search of the voiceless being. She’d managed to pop two of the buttons open by this time but soon halted in her attempt to undress the man. “Uhm,” Her lips broke from Andy’s quickly and her head turned until finally laying eyes on the non-too familiar individual. He was a giant! Her brows furrowed before speaking at last, “uhh, hi! Sorry, I didn’t know you had company here..” She was glancing from Valentine to Andy.

Moving from Andy, the underdressed woman went back to the couch and took a seat, grabbing her glass in the process and pouring herself some more wine. “You sure are a tall drink of water,” She was talking to Valentine while eyeing him curiously. “So, babe, how long have you been in there?” Clearly he’d exited from the downstairs bedroom. This urged her to thank God she and Andy hadn’t chosen to take their moment to the bed. "Anyone want more wine?" Her glass was already emptying into the back of her throat by the time she reached for the bottle again. This time disappointed by the lack of liquor.

December 18, 2018

## Mob Boss Peggy12/18/2018

*And I've had the time of my life....*

For once, Andy had stopped thinking. He let his body do what it wanted. In his intoxicated state, that wasn't much. As he locked lips with Marceline, all he could do was taste the wine on their tongues, and press her body closer to his.

*And I owe it all to you....*

He undid his tie and let it hang as the woman's fingers found the buttons on his shirt. He was convinced this was a simulation, just a spell Mirage had cast on him that he couldn't resist. Why would she want him otherwise?

*Anyone home?*

"Mm..?" Andy questioned into Marceline's lips. When she disconnected, he was suddenly thrust back into reality. His hands lifted from her as if he had been doing something he would've gotten in big trouble for as they both simultaneously whipped their heads toward the voice.
"Val...? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on a date with---"
Marceline moved away and Andy paused, his face taking on an expression of total horror. His hands moved to his eyes.
"Oh, God!"
 It hadn't been an illusion, after all. He really did *kiss* Marceline. "Oh, *God!*" He moaned loudly. "What-what did I do? Ahhhh! I'm so sorry. Crap! Uggghhhh!" Totally mortified, Andy made a move to take back his jacket from the couch, and nearly stumbled over the coffee table, knocking his shin against it painfully by accident.
He tried to steady himself while putting it back on, but nothing could stop the drunken, red-faced man from swaying dangerously. "I gotta'---I gotta' get outta' here!"(edited)

December 20, 2018

## birdman | Valentine12/20/2018

Valentine could only stand in confusion as he listened to everything play out, stalk-still in the middle of the hallway. "Did I interrupt anything?" he asked, when it was a little too late, his head whipping around as Andy started grumbling. There were always new folks coming in an out of the HQ, from what he'd seen so far, but they didn't always have what Valentine could only imagine as an openly erotic encounter in the living room of such a place. "S-sorry, um, yeah- he dropped me back off after I kinda passed, uh- what time is it?" he took a careful moment to consider his options on where to put his hand (the wall seemed to be the best option, allowing him to guide himself back into the living room with less than a fair amount of grace), and leaned forward. "Been here um... god, a week or so? Who's this, Andy? Andy- you good?"