Emma's Flat, Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY. Sunday Afternoon.

[icecoldfrost]

It had been the best place Emma could find with the little she could afford as rent and her unwillingness to have a stranger as a roommate. Sure, in ten years Bed-Stuy was going to be very hip, but this was now, and it was still Brooklyn. And it was still costing her a fortune at $650 a month. At least the brownstone her studio was in was in good repair, and Emma's little room had recently been redone, with new paint and windows, to better block out the noise of the street.

And despite the fact she'd only been there a few weeks, there were books everywhere. Emma was taking a double course load - again - and was doing her best to ignore the increasingly distracting texts that Jack kept sending her so she could focus on writing her paper on Dewey's philosophy of education against current teaching trends.

Yes, this is what she did for fun. And maths. Maybe it wasn't too late to add a maths class...

[OOC: Open for calls, texts, and an unexpected visitor!]

Comments

TEXT, SUNDAY AFTERNOON

[bitten_notshy]

No picture this time:

Are you offended by my taste in lingerie, or did you die? Should I call Hank? He told me to call if I was worried.

Dr. McCoy had said said no such thing, but Jack figured -- and he'd bank on being correct -- that Emma had no way of knowing for sure. And he disliked being ignored.

Re: TEXT, SUNDAY AFTERNOON

[icecoldfrost]

Out of idle curiosity, Emma picked up the phone as it beeped with an incoming message to glance at it and --

DON'T YOU DARE CALL HANK AS A GIRL I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE HIM STOP ASKING QUESTIONS.

Hi, Jack, Emma was alive.

And stop trolling me, Priest. Put up and come rescue me from ramen, again, or shut up and go twirl for someone else.

[bitten_notshy]

But I like twirling for you, Jack sent back, weighing his options. All right. No call to Hank.

He'd gotten her to react, which meant he'd won a few points, and Fandom-to-New York portals were actually fairly cheap once you factored in Jack's frequent traveler miles. Still a bit absurd for what was basically a booty call, but given he hadn't seen Emma in some weeks ...

He was in the portal hub in fifteen minutes, tapping at Emma's door within the hour.

[icecoldfrost]

Jack hadn't texted her back after that, which, seemed odd for him, but Emma decided he was obviously scheming and she wouldn't start to worry until after dinner.

Therefore the knock at the door caught her completely by surprise, and it took a moment for her to believe what her telepathy was telling her.

"Don't pick the lock," she called, unearthing herself from under her research articles. "I'm coming."

[bitten_notshy]

Of course Jack would be there when she opened the door, looking -- if he said so himself -- quite ladylike in a print sundress and sandals.

"I wouldn't pick the lock," he said grinning at her innocently. "You need it functioning in this building."

Surprising Emma, when he could manage it, was priceless.

[icecoldfrost]

Well, congratulations, Jackie, because Emma was rather staring at you like a startled goldfish.

Please give her a few moments to reboot her brain.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack laughed and kissed her on the forehead, moving to step into the foyer and close the door behind them as he did.

"Don't stand there gaping," he said. "It's rude, and anyhow I think we'll let rats in if we leave the door open."

[icecoldfrost]

"We don't have too many rats," she answered absently, throwing the deadbolt and two other locks once he'd closed the door. "Guy on third lets his pitbull roam the halls at night, and he doesn't feed it dinner."

Welcome to Brooklyn, Jack!

"It's a nice dog, though. Doesn't give me or the other tenants any trouble. Why are you wearing a dress?"

[bitten_notshy]

"Because I like it," Jack said, deciding the pit bull and the rats were better shuddered at inwardly than further discussed. "I got bored and went shopping, and -- well, why not own one decent thing, if I'll be doing this every year anyhow?"

He looked down, smoothed the skirt over his hips. "I like the poppies."

[icecoldfrost]

"Yes, Jack, you're very fetching," Emma teased, a wry smile on her lips. "How does it feel, wearing a dress? Although I'm sure you didn't come all the way out here for me to critique your style."

[bitten_notshy]

"Breezy," Jack said, after a pause. "And I keep wanting to put my hands in my pockets and there aren't any. And my ankles are cold. Don't your ankles get cold?"

He smiled at her. "You asked me to spare you from the horrors of ramen again, darling. Remember? I'm here to take you to dinner."

And hopefully to finish what they started back in January, but Jack had some mental shields up so his filthy thoughts could be kept to himself for the moment.

[icecoldfrost]

"When you're a woman, you're expected to forgo comfort in favor of style and class," Emma said dryly. "Being a bit chilly around the ankles is considered child's play."

"But if you're willing to be my date for the evening..." Emma crossed the tiny space to a closet, opening it to offer Jack a cardigan. The entire apartment was perhaps 300 square feet, although Emma had clearly done her best to make it cozy rather than cluttered. "Where shall we go? Chinese? Thai? Russian? Italian? There's supposedly a killer kosher deli down a few blocks, if we can find it..."

She shot him an impish grin over her shoulder as she rooted for a sweater for herself. "We can go as fancy as you like; I could use practice zapping waiters when the bill comes."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack considered the question as he slipped into the cardigan and cuffed it at the sleeves. "What's the place that would make your classmates the most jealous if you dropped the name?" he asked. "No point having a dinner date in New Amsterdam if not to be seen, and I'll handle the bill if you convince them we have a reservation."

His eyes were approving as he took in the apartment. It was tiny, but showed taste.

[icecoldfrost]

The only reason they had needed to pay their food tab at the Library was because both Emma and Jack steadfastly refused to let their admirers do so. Drinks, however? Well, it was fair to say that Emma, at least, was giddy by the time they were back at her flat, and she hadn't had to pay for a single one of her dirty martinis.

"That," she declared, as she quickly unlocked the door and gallantly held it open for Jack, "--was magnificent, darling."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack slid past her, flopped back on the futon in a very unladylike manner. He'd gotten the giggles in the cab on the way home, and was still recovering; little burbles of laughter escaped between his words.

"Fantastic. I am not going to eat for a month," he agreed. "How many bottles of champagne was that?"

[icecoldfrost]

"More than one and less than ten," she said, locking it after them before going to join him on her futon. Mmmm pillows. "Don't fib, either. You'll eat sooner than that; you're always hungry."

[bitten_notshy]

"True enough, but this time I'll make it to breakfast," Jack granted, then -- eying her from under heavy lids -- added, "unless I decide you're the midnight snack."

It was playfully said, playfully meant, not entirely a joke. Emma smelled amazing.

[icecoldfrost]

Emma let out a giddy peal of laughter, playfully kicking at his foot. "That's what those dirty old men kept thinking about you!" she teased. "I was very confused, until I remembered you're a girl!"

Beat.

"Not that I normally forget or things, given that dress, but there was more than two bottles and very bubbly, and you still feel like you mentally and --"

Emma's brain to Emma's mouth: Shut. Up.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack collapsed back into the pillows in a howl of giggles of his own.

"And I'm normally irresistible to dirty old men of particular tastes anyhow?" he asked. "It's too bad neither of us is in the market for a sugar daddy. We could have been set for life."

Or until Jack woke up a boy again, but even that might not be a dealbreaker with the proper lover.

[icecoldfrost]

"You're just normally irresistible to almost everyone," Emma scoffed between giggles. It was a vicious, vicious cycle of laughter. "Besides, we could easily find higher quality patrons if we ever decide to give up on ambition."

"But I like my ambition, and my partners not quite that old. Old people snore!" Given how much champagne she'd consumed, Emma found that hilariously funny, and was dissolving into giggles again. "'S why you're the proper lover! No snoring!"

"...wait, that was your inside-voice talking, wasn't it? Oops."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack tried to talk, realized he was laughing too hard, gave up and just nodded his agreement.

"It's okay," he said. "That's why I let you take me home. You don't snore either. And you have better legs than me."

[icecoldfrost]

Emma just nodded along. "Two pretty girls who do not snore," she agreed, scooting over to place her legs next to his.

"I definately have the better legs 363 days out of the year, but yours are nice too. Very toned, probably from all that running around you do."

[bitten_notshy]

"Toned but short," Jack said critically, and ran a fingertip over Emma's knee and up to the hem of her skirt as if to make the point. "You have the lovely long legs. But I think my ass may be better."

Sorry, Emma; it was true.

[icecoldfrost]

"Bullshit," Emma retorted. "If it was that nice, you wouldn't be hiding it under a sundress. You'd have stolen my leather pants already."

Although they'd probably be long in the leg for him.

"Oooo...if you're still this way tomorrow, I get to dress you for your shift at Devil's Nest."

[bitten_notshy]

"First, we aren't the same size, and second, why do you own leather pants?" Jack queried. "And ... ooh. C'n you make me look like a small blonde Bo?"