Bah Humbug! {Open}

[loki2]

Leon had been expecting this question, and honestly? He was somewhat surprised Astrid was just getting around to it now; he had nearly hoped she wouldn't ask at all. It made him uncomfortable.
"I couldn't exactly run in there shouting 'OMG EVERYONE GET OUT THIS BUILDING IS ABOUT TO BLOW!!' now could I have? But, I didn't want you... to-"

Then Astrid was shouting about him calling her 'sweet pea' and brandishing one of his cushions.

"-Wait, what?" was all he could get out before getting bopped in the head with the pillow. "Hey!"
Leon reached behind him - but all three cushions he owned were on her side of the couch.
Oh that was just not fair!
Ah well, he had never been one to play by the rules anyway.
He darted forward onto his knees with surprising quickness and brought up his hands, going for a pressure point in her wrist that would make her drop the pillow, and his other hand yanking the offending object out of her paralyzed fingers. Holding her hand over her head, and with the pillow held behind his back, Leon gave Astrid a small, teasing smile. "Sooo what? Should I call you Sweet Cheeks then? How about Dollface? Maybe Buttercup...?" Mirth danced in his eyes; he was enjoying this.

[Astrid Jackson]

She completely had not even expected Leon to attack her back, let alone do some Kung Fu Ninja stuff! So when her hand suddenly went numb, her mouth dropped open in surprise and she just... Well didn't do much of anything other than stare completely shocked at Leon as he smirked at her.

Astrid's bottom lip jutted out and her eyes grew large and for all purposes, Astrid indeed looked more than a bit pathetic. Not that she hadn't already, wearing clothes several sizes too big. But this? Oh, she knew she was milking it, but this... this was friggin war now! Pathetic little girl looks? Oh so worth it because Leon had managed to twist the rules around so he was winning. So not going to happen.

"That's completely unfair!" Astrid protested, her bottom lip trembling a bit for added effect. "I mean c'mon man, I'm like... What? Half your size?" She let out a slow breath, allowing her shoulders to slump a little. But hearing his teasing taunts, her head jerked right back up and if she'd been able to, she would have been shooting daggers outta her eyes.

"Uncool! I don't call you...." She trailed off trying to think of anything a guy might be called, but there wasn't a lot, so she had to resort to making stuff up on her own. "Hunnybunny, big-daddy-yum-yum-snuggle-muffin or, or STUFF!" Ok so she sucked at this crap, but she wasn't one of those chicks who were able to.. whatever this was they were doing! She hung with the guys, watched sports and movies with them, hell played pool and went out the the clubs where they proceeded to drink themselves silly and pick up the type of girl she wasn't.

She tugged, trying to free her hand for a brief moment. Though as soon as his attention had been directed toward that, she twisted a bit and somehow managed to wedge her leg between them. Her foot was planted on his chest and she pushed back with her foot. "Play fair!"

[loki2]

Oh she was good. However, her 'O pity me!' ploy did nothing more than force Leon to choke down a laugh. "Pfft, you started it, Corn Muffin," he threw back - then paused and made a face. "Ok, that was just lame. I'm starting to run out of A material here."
Then he looked at Astrid like she was from another planet. "'Mr Daddy-yum-yum-what?" It looked as though he'd wanted to comment further, but started snickering.
Consequently, he was unprepared when she planted a foot on his chest and shoved him back.
"Hey! Tell me to 'play fair', woman..."

Truth be told, Leon didn't get the chance to indulge in horseplay that often, and he found himself really enjoying it - despite the fact that his opponent was physically no match for him.
"I'll show you 'fair play', cupcake."
At least it wasn't as bad as 'corn muffin'. (How the hell had he come up with that?)

He tossed the confiscated pillow at her as a distraction then proceeded to push her at her thigh and shoulder with his socked feet until she was wedged tight against the other side of his couch.
"Sorry sugar button, but you're way out of your league here," he said, wearing a broad grin and 'gripping' the fabric of her shirt with his toes.

[Astrid Jackson]

Alrighty, so this was getting past the point of being completely unfair (though she did really know that she deserved getting her butt handed back to her by Leon - she had all but asked for it). She really couldn't believe that she was now wedged between the couch and Leon's feet. Ugh! When was she going to learn not to pick on people bigger than her?! Probably never, but really that was beside the point.

Astrid couldn't help but pout again, and her gaze moved a few times between Leon's feet and his face. Oh man, she really hoped that he had changed his socks recently... Because that would have seriously just been a little beyond gross if he hadn't. "Alright! Alright! I give! I'm outta my league and yadda yadda yadda, but dude. Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly cheesy? I mean... Corn muffin? That was way worse than what I came up with."

So now she was feeling a bit better than she had before - well as much as she could considering her night thus far. But hey! Any sort of feeling better was good in her books. She knew though that when she looked back to this night in the future, she probably wouldn't believe half the stuff that had happened. Mainly because it was all a bit... Weird. And that was a lot coming from someone like Astrid.

Sighing, she pushed at his feet absently before turning her attention toward the television. Her eyes suddenly widened and she just stared at it for a moment. Was that... Her friggin picture?! Suddenly, she had squirmed her way free of Leon's wedge and was quite agilely all but climbing over him to grab for the remote. Having it in hand, she half rolled off of Leon and the couch and scrambled toward the television, pressing the volume button on the remote repeatedly.

'-Jackson, lead singer for the popular band, Pink Millennium, is believed to be one of the victims of the tragic explosion of The Dylan. Ms. Jackson was affectionately called Jacks by her fellow band mates and fans-'

"I'm not dead you friggin MORON!" Astrid yelled at the reporter on the television, half tempted to toss the remote at the TV or slap it or something like that. She rocked back on her heels, staring still at the image of herself on the screen in complete disbelief. They really didn't think she was dead did they? Man, ah crap! If only she had her stupid cell phone.

[loki2]

At least she felt better, Leon could sense that much. And, well, it made him feel better knowing she wasn't so bummed out anymore - not that she didn't have a really good reason to be.
Leon shrugged, still smirking. "Hey, I admitted that one was pretty bad. Besides, I never said - Wh-what are you..." He hadn't been paying attention to the tv, and didn't figure out right away why Astrid was pushing him away and freaking out - or why she was suddenly crawling over him.
Awkward much?
Oh... ok. She was just trying to get the remote. Hadn't it occured to her to just ask for the damn thing?
Not that Leon was ever going to complain if a hot chick wanted to crawl all over his body...

He'd been about to try for a joke, but not even he was that tasteless. It had to be pretty disconcerting to hear a eulogy for yourself over the telly when you were alive and well. An uncomfortable twinge set itself up in Leon's chest.

Fortunately, unlike Astrid, Leon wasn't the type to flip out at the drop of a hat; he looked at any problem with cool logic and reasoning. Having a temper tantrum only wasted time that could be used more constructively, in his humble opinion.

"Chill out, Jacks," he said calmly, using a name other than her given one or a pet name for the first time. "Let's see if we can call or email the station and let them know the happy truth, eh?"
He rose from the couch and passed through the kitchen to reach his computer, which sat on a small desk beside the washer and dryer.
Accessing the news channel's website was easy enough, but one item on the front page made Leon pause a moment. Under the heading 'Latest News!' was the Dylan explosion, which was to be expected, but directly under that was a picture of Edgar, the other runner that Leon had been forced to incapacitate back in that alley. The man was barely alive, and was being kept in a local hospital's intensive care unit with severe head trauma and a fractured spinal column. His prognosis was not good; doctors suspected that should the man somehow miraculously live through the night, he was looking at spending the rest of his life in an electric wheelchair.
The youth swore under his breath as he read the eyewitness account:

"...We didn't know what to think! We were walking by and BAM! some black guy is getting hurled against the wall and there's this tall, blonde kid with freaky glowing eyes! I'm DEAD serious! And perfectly sober too, if that's what you're thinkin'! Took off and called the cops. We weren't about to stick around and see what else he could do!"
Much to his dismay, embedded within the article was a link to a consummate sketch that had been done of him. Checking the link made Leon swear ripely in Russian; it was a damn good likeness, if not perfect.
And he was considered 'armed and very dangerous' apparently.

Leon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Today just wasn't his day.
He quickly sent an email to the station, giving them his cellphone number for them to call if they wanted to verify that Astrid was alive. Once his task was complete, Leon continued to sit at the computer, the knuckle of one forefinger in his mouth.

[Astrid Jackson]

Astrid hated to admit it, but... Well Leon was right. She needed to chill and well think about this in a logical sort of mind. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized something he had said and she quickly rose to her feet. "Hold on, did you... I must have been hearing things because you actually called me Jacks and not Astrid or buttercup." Trailing after him she continued on, "Are you alright, because... Well you called me Jacks and for you that's just not normal."

She kinda smiled, because it was nice to be able to tease him over something - even if it was something stupid like what he called her. He'd been off and on antagonizing her with various things like that since they'd met each other so he deserved a bit of teasing.

She watched as he sat down at his computer and pulled up the news station's site. Chewing softly on the corner of her thumbnail, her eyebrows furrowed as the image of the destroyed Dylan Hotel popped up on the screen. Even though she had been there, had SEEN and felt the explosion, it was still seriously weird and a bit creepy to see the after images.

Though the Dylan Explosion didn't really seem to interest Leon as he suddenly clicked on a link to another story. Her eyes widened when she spot a composite drawing of Leon - there was no doubt at all that it was Leon, and she found herself leaning over Leon's shoulder to get a better look at it. He obviously wasn't very thrilled to see himself like that, the whole him saying something that didn't sound very nice in a different language was enough to get that point across.

She leaned back, and allowed a bit of the barrier she'd built up around her mind to drop down so she was able to get a feel on Leon. Worry, surprise, a bit of fear even. That's what she thought she was getting, but who knew? Tonight really hadn't been her night, and those could have been after feelings or something.

Astrid looked away, and took a deep breath. "What are you going to do? I mean... Turn yourself in?" She asked, her voice surprising soft and gentle. She knew she wasn't going to be here when Leon would have to deal with that, but she really didn't think that... Well he'd meant to hurt whoever the guy was.

[loki2]

The irony of her teasing wasn't lost on him, but Leon was a bit too preoccupied with the more pressing matter of his fugitive status to really appreciate it.
Big boner on his part opening up that article with her still standing there, too. What had he been thinking?! Man, curiosity really did kill the cat.

"What are you going to do? I mean... Turn yourself in?"

Yeah, right... Leon thought, face tightening.
If he hadn't had to use his powers... maybe. NYPD cops were usually pretty good about cases of self-defense, but this...? No way. No matter how he would try to fudge his story, it would always come back to two things, "If you were pinned against the wall, how did you throw him with so much force?" and "How'd you make your eyes glow?" he was sure of it. He'd be caught in a serious Catch-22 if he turned himself in...

"I don't know..." Leon finally replied after a minute of thoughtful silence, mumbling around his knuckle. He pulled his finger out of his mouth; "I... I didn't do it on purpose, Jacks, I swear. I know the guy; he suddenly attacked me in an alley back there by the Dylan and I... retaliated." He half-rotated in the chair so that he was facing her, a hint of fear and uncertainty in his crystal-blue eyes.

Turn himself in... What other choice did he have? Granted, the sketch of him was only on the website, but Leon was ready to bet his sorry ass that it would be somewhere in the morning paper, if the media weren't already airing it. If that was the case, all his friends in the area knew by now that he was a suspect in a serious case of assault.
Man, this sucked.

Though he faced Astrid, part of the kitchen fell into his line of sight, along with a corner of the small blackpack peeking out from beneath his coat where he had thrown both on the countertop. Oh yeah. Shit.
Dammit, he couldn't stay out of trouble on either side of the law!
"Ugh, why do I still exist..." he grumbled aloud. With a sigh, he let himself go limp in the chair, arms hanging off the sides, long legs at an angle to the floor and the back of his head resting on top of the chair, eyes closed. "Spluuuuhhh... do not want."
Yeah, tonight royally sucked.

[Astrid Jackson]

Astrid looked down at Leon, and sighed. OK, so he was afraid, and man seriously, she did not blame him at all. The police were looking for him for something that he hadn't meant to do. It probably really sucked being him at the moment - way more that it sucked being her without her cell phone. She'd never been in trouble with the police, well serious trouble (she was sure rowdy parties so didn't count as anything) and she could only imagine what would happen to Leon if he turned himself in.

Her eyes widened a bit as she suddenly just let her imagination run completely wild. What if the police who questioned him weren't like... Good cops? He could totally get beat up and crap! That would be just CRAZY! And she hadn't even started thinking about what life in jail would be like! She'd so seen Prison Break, it did NOT look like a fun place to be.

Astrid quickly shook her head, pushing her crazy thoughts off to the side. She needed to focus on what Leon was saying. It was like he didn't know what to do, and she really had no idea what to tell him. She wasn't normally one to encourage lying, but crap - this was so not a normal situation. "Well... I mean maybe you could tell them he was like that and you kinda... stumbled onto him or something and that's when those two crazy people stumbled by? I mean, obviously they're crazy if they actually think a vampire is real."

She grew quiet for a few moments, just studying Leon. Oh dude, why hadn't she thought of this before? Man, sometimes she was so brilliant she surprised herself. "Or, you could dye your hair. You'd be surprised how different hair colors make people look." She nodded her head vigorously, obviously quite pleased with her suggestion.

Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she flashed Leon a smile, hoping that he would get that... Well what exactly she wasn't sure. That she was on his side? That she believed him? Something like that. She figured if Leon had helped her out before he really wasn't the type to just go around beating random dudes up unless they deserved it. She was pretty sure though he would have gotten all of that beforehand though since she had just been giving him suggestions about how to skirt around the police.

Her brows furrowed and Astrid sighed, dropping down into a crouch beside Leon. "Hey, it might just be stupid media talk. I mean they did just announce to all of New York that I'm dead. And besides, who in their right mind is gonna believe those two crackpots?" She reached out with her hand and patted his hand, trying to be reassuring.

[loki2]

At Astrid's touch, and upon sensing the well of concern and sincerity therein, Leon could scarcely breathe. She was genuinely worried about him; it was beyond his comprehension. He'd purposefully been a total jerk and a pain in the ass so she'd keep her distance from him. Ok, yes, he'd saved her life and was putting her up in his apartment for the night, but so what? Anyone would have done the same in his position, he was nothing special.
Still...
Unconsciously, Leon's fingers tightened around Astrid's. Before he could stop it, the small rift that had opened in his chest from her touch was forced wide open, and all the longing, all the need he supressed came rushing to the surface. It was nothing sexual, just a desire for companionship and a kindred soul to turn to when his own spirit was world-weary and worn.
His handsome face contorted in a grimace and he felt the corner of his eyes sting.

Don't be stupid.

With that thought, Leon sat up straight once more, releasing Astrid's hand and slamming his mental walls back in place. No. He wouldn't burden her of all people with his own stupid issues.
He stood and said, "I don't know, Astrid. Personally, I think it would be best if I just went down the station tomorrow morning and pleaded my case. Here's hoping they don't figure me for some freak and ship me off to a laboratory beneath the Pentagon, eh?" His words were light and meant to be humourous, but secretly Leon quailed at the thought.
He'd never admit it to another living soul, but one of his biggest fears was that his powers would be discovered and he'd spend the rest of his life in ten foot square cell perpetually naked and covered in needle tracks and wires. No thanks.

[Astrid Jackson]

Astrid's eyes widened a bit and for the first time possibly in her life, she was speechless. She glanced down as Leon squeezed her hand and well... Crap! She so didn't know what to say. She could feel his conflicted feelings rushing from him like a wave, and it really wasn't something she'd have thought Leon would feel. He'd come off as one of those ' I don't need no one' types. But suddenly she was seeing, OK feeling, that he wasn't, and she didn't know what to say!

She wasn't good at this. Really, she was normally the last person people who knew her came to if they had a problem or needed to talk about their feelings. Alright, so maybe the whole fact that she already knew didn't help. But still! She just wasn't good at that sort of thing. She wasn't good at sharing her feelings either, but... Crap! Leon looked like he was going to cry!

For a moment, Astrid panicked. What if she told him the wrong thing?! What if whatever she said just sucked?! She chewed nervously on her bottom lip, her eyebrows furrowed in worry as she just sat there watching Leon. She wanted to help him, she did - but what could she do?! She didn't have any nifty super powers! She was just some chick in a band whom was having a rather crappy day!

She rocked back onto the balls of her feet and stared up at Leon and shook her head. "No way! You can't just... Turn yourself in! You said it yourself, there's no way they'd believe you...." She paused, chewing on her lip again before she suddenly grinned. "Oh I know! You can come with me! I mean, you know... You can help out with the gear and stuff! How cool would that be? And I could totally... you know, fib to the police and say you were so with me and... Well you know. If you wanted me to that is...."

[loki2]

She was so sweet and innocent Leon was uncertain if he wanted to weep or puke. Sometimes ignorance was bliss, he supposed.
He smiled sadly and shook his head. "Ha ha, thanks, but... no. This isn't something I should run from; it'll only make things worse for me down the road."
He spoke from experience.
But more than that, he didn't want Astrid's image marred by being associated with him.

As he began to move away from his desk, there was a small, "Ppppprrrrr?" and a large long-haired orange and white cat squeezed itself out from behind the desk and sat at Leon's feet, glancing up at Astrid warily.
Leon visibly relaxed and a small smile even tugged at his lips as he stooped to pick up the cat. "Well hello there, Baxter! How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence! And don't worry you little wuss, Astrid's cool."
Hugging the cat beneath his chin, Leon then said, "Look, just... don't worry about it, ok? It's my problem and I can deal with it. You've got enough problems of your own right now."
And to close the subject, he returned to the couch and sat with Baxter on his lap, the animal now purring loudly and regarding Astrid with a measure of curiosity.

//OoC; Baxter!//

[Astrid Jackson]

Astrid knew he was right, but she couldn't help to feel a small twinge of disappointment. For a second it had seemed like a really cool idea! And then, well he just had to go and make sense. Some times life, as Astrid was rapidly discovering, was highly unfair. She shrugged her shoulders and flashed Leon a smile, "It's OK, it was a dumb idea anyway."

She was about to rise to her feet when a large orange and white cat seemingly appeared out of no where. Her eyes widened for a moment as it stared her down and she glanced quickly over at Leon half wondering if the cat was gonna start using her legs for it's scratching post. It was cute though... A cute thing with claws...

>>"Well hello there, Baxter! How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence! And don't worry you little wuss, Astrid's cool."<<

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Astrid slowly climbed to her feet, tugging the extra large track pants higher up on her waist. Regardless of the attempt to keep them up, they sagged right back down low on her hips. She frowned and shook her head, wishing she actually had something of her own to change in to. Again, Astrid found herself thinking how unfair life could be.

>>"Look, just... don't worry about it, OK? It's my problem and I can deal with it. You've got enough problems of your own right now."<<

Her frown deepened and she just stood there for a moment as Leon made his way back into his living room. What could she say really? Nothing. Once again he was right. She reached up pushing her ponytail back over her shoulder and finally moved back into the living room herself.

Dropping to her knees before the stuff she'd dumped out of her purse earlier, she began to slowly shove everything back inside. "You know...." She began, her voice taking a slightly teasing tone as she tried to make things a little less serious. "There's no way I can like show up at my manager's office tomorrow wearing this. Not only is it a complete fashion disaster... But you know people might think we... Well you know? Did stuff...."

[loki2]

Yeah, it had been a pretty dumb idea, but for a brief moment an old dreamed had sparked up in his chest - only to be snuffed out shortly after by the ice that imprisoned his heart.
Now was not the time to be thinking of chasing old dreams. Right now all he could think of was getting through tomorrow unscathed - or at least relatively...
With a sigh, Leon pulled off his sweater, revealing a form-fitting green t-shirt that read, 'When I think about you I touch my ELF' and beneath the words rested a tiny, grinning cartoon elf. Perhaps he didn't lack holiday cheer entirely after all.

"There's no way I can like show up at my manager's office tomorrow wearing this. Not only is it a complete fashion disaster... But you know people might think we... Well you know? Did stuff...."

He regarded her with a raised eyebrow then yawned and stretched dramatically, raising his hands and arms to the point where the hem of his t-shirt lifted slightly. Just enough to give a hint of well-defined abdominal muscles. "Hey man, I don't know if you're gonna try and take advantage of me tonight or something, so hey, that would be entirely your fault if we did 'do something'. But if your reputation means something to you, then restrain yourself madam, please."
Baxter burbled a protest when Leon dropped the sweater behind him on the back of the couch as he lowered his arms.
"I'll move it when I go to bed, your Highness, just chill..." he grumbled. "Friggin' cat thinks he owns me. Gives an entirely new meaning to being 'girl thingy-whipped', eh?" He smiled cheekily in her direction.
If Astrid wanted to play that game she was about to go head to head with the master. Yes, he was tired, and wasn't feeling his usual sharpminded self, but it was better than listening to her come up with crazy schemes to save his sorry ass, or to have her asking further questions about himself.

[Astrid Jackson]

Dropping the last of her things into her purse, Astrid kinda pushed it to the side and rose back up to her feet. She turned just as Leon finished tugging his sweater off and her brows perked seeing the... rather interesting shirt he was wearing. "Nice...." She chuckled and quickly cleaned her throat, tearing her eyes away before plopping down on the couch.

As much as she tried not to, she found herself stealing a peek over at him - no it was the shirt; at least that's what she was telling herself. Yeah, if caught she was so going to say it was the friggin shirt and nothing else. OK, so she knew it wasn't true... But the man wasn't playing fair. It wasn't like she could stretch and emphasize anything! She was wearing clothing several zillion times too big and that? She knew it wasn't gonna be working to her advantage anytime soon.

>>"Hey man, I don't know if you're gonna try and take advantage of me tonight or something, so hey, that would be entirely your fault if we did 'do something'. But if your reputation means something to you, then restrain yourself madam, please."<<

"Wai- what?" Astrid found herself stammering, fully looking over at him. Her cheeks began to flush a deep pink and she suddenly felt the urge to pull a pillow flush against her face. She really couldn't believe he had actually said that! Like she would... Well not that she would seriously try... She groaned and quickly covered her face, wondering how she got herself into messes like the one she was currently in.

>>"I'll move it when I go to bed, your Highness, just chill..."<< Astrid heard Leon grumble as she'd slowly began to lower her hands. >>"Friggin' cat thinks he owns me. Gives an entirely new meaning to being 'girl thingy-whipped', eh?"<<

Her mouth dropped open and she seriously just wanted to bury her head under something and just hide there until the morning. Of course her cheeks had flamed up again and she quickly shook her head and looked away. It wasn't like she was embarrassed, it was more along the lines of - What the hell was she suppose to say back to something like that? With the boys from the band, they never went in that direction with her so it wasn't like she had a whole lot of experience with this sort of banter.

Sucking in a breath, Astrid finally looked back at Leon, her expression completely serious. "You, sir, have a mind that never leaves the gutter," she informed him, her voice sounding very prim and proper as though she was some high class person. "As if I would ever do such a thing." She continued on, lifting her nose haughtily as she continued to stare at him. "I think I should be very offended."

[loki2]

Leon felt a small degree of smug satisfaction upon noting her quick, furtive glances at him. As if he'd take advantage of her - or ANY woman for that matter! It actually hurt him for a brief second.
Then he realized he was taking her words way too seriously and mentally slapped himself.
Meh. Either way, that oughtta shut her up in that regard.

"I am innocent of all accusations, madam," Leon stated. "You started it, I merely reacted in kind! So if anything I think you should be wondering if you've offended me." He lifted his chin with the same condescending air that Astrid had and folded his arms behind his head. "I demand you make amends at once madam, or my affront shall know no bounds!"
He really had to stop reading Shakespeare all the time...

"Well? I'm waiting, ma'am," he said snootily, turning his face away from her and pointing his nose higher than she had.
In Leon's lap, Baxter yawned and huffed.