The Fact That Chrissy Probably Knows Her Own Limits Doesnt Do Much To Make Riffs Nerves Go Away. But

The fact that Chrissy probably knows her own limits doesn’t do much to make Riff’s nerves go away. But then again, he supposes she’s been cheering for a lot longer than he’s been watching her cheer, so his worry is probably unfounded. He glances over at the other girls on the team, flashing them a grin just to watch them try to hide their blushing faces. His grin gets a little wider. “I guess.” Riff wasn’t the type to work hard unless he wanted to. And most of the time, he didn’t want to.

“To the mall? Sure.” He’ll never say no to the mall. He’s pretty sure half the guys are already there, so he can meet up with them if he wants, too. “Who’s car are we takin’?” Riff doesn’t own a car. He can drive just fine, but he doesn’t have a car. Or his license. “Yours?”

Maybe, if it had been someone else, she might have been a little more prickly about such advice. After all, she'd been cheerleading for years, nearly half of her (very short) life. She'd had to learn her body and its limits, and she thought she had it down to a science.

But there was something very... nice, about Riff being concerned. Nicer still that he was even there at all, at school after hours, just to see her at practice. It made her stomach swoop not unlike the throws that had her in the air. "I won't pass out, promise," she said with a bright smile, aware that the other girls were most likely looking over and getting ready to feed the gossip mill, but not finding it in herself to care for once. He was more interesting than them at the moment anyway. "That's why we usually go to the mall after practice. Work hard, play hard, you know?"

A glance over her shoulder and then she was looking back at him, smiling again. "You wanna go, by the way?"

“Right.” It’s incredibly clear that he still doesn’t believe her. Jack Kelly isn’t a boy that trusts easily. He’s also not a boy that forgives easily. And for Katherine to break his trust the way she had, well, it’s going to be hard for her to get it back. Jack isn’t sure if she ever will. “Dunno. Money? Power? Stickin’ around just to feel better ‘bout yaself?” He crosses his arms as he glares at her. “You tell me. I ain’t the one that sold us out.” He’s being unfair, but he thinks he’s justified. She’d lied to Jack. She’d lied to everyone. And Jack has never liked liars. Not ones like Katherine, anyway.

the jab at her intelligence is what digs under her skin, just as she suspects he meant it to. she’s so sick of people gently trying to steer her away from what she wanted, telling her she wasn’t smart enough, wasn’t tough enough for this field because she was just...some girl. no one cared until her last name was brought into the conversation. as if all she was ever going to be good for was her inheritance and her future as someone’s bride. there were so many doors closed to her because of what people saw at first glance, and yeah, she messed up by not letting jack or davey or any of the boys know about her connection to the man they were striking against, but she couldn’t figure out why it had to be this personal. 

she wasn’t a spy, she didn’t sell them out. her father was smart, far more than anyone gave him credit for, and had real power and reach in this city. he’d known all he needed to before her story had even made it to the presses.

“maybe it started like that,” she concedes, eyes narrowed and not budging from her defensive stance, “but that’s not how it is anymore. i saw an opportunity for a story here, but what this is is so much bigger than that. we could make things better for not only the newsboys, but the whole city, jack. i took a chance and i got my story, so if that’s all i was in this for, why am i still here?”

jerome valeska - s2ep2 // s4ep13

ladies and gentlemen, good evening! // here comes the funny, okay! ©

Steve nods, reaching forward to lift Ben’s elbow a little bit. “Just like that.” He nods at the punching bag in front of Ben, a small smile on his face. “Try it again.” He knows it’s probably frustrating, going through the same motions over and over with a guy you barely know, but Steve knows it’ll pay off. He had to practice when he was a kid. And then he had to relearn everything once he’d taken the serum. That was the worst part. He was fine with his new body, but he’d hated having to relearn how to do everything. “You’ll get it. It just takes practice.”

it’s always odd and slightly unsettling training with people outside those he’s allowed himself to get comfortable to, but he knows steve means well and can be trusted so ben makes the effort to be grateful for the opportunity presented to him.

with a little nod and a deep breath inhaled through his nose and exhaled past dry lips, he adjusted his stance and does his best to take the advice given. once he settles into place he glances uncertainly at steve, feeling a little silly.

“like this?”

He blinks at her. “Nothin’?” He’s never said there was anything wrong with it. It’s not really the life Riff would choose to live, but there’s nothing wrong with living an easy life. “Why?”

@notefinal's rolf lautmann sent, 💬 for a random line of dialogue from here.

❝ i just want a nice, easy life. what's wrong with that? ❞

SEND IN A SYMBOL FOR SHIP DEVELOPMENT

✩ what is their go-to food when they want to have a treat together?

♡ who said i love you first?

✧ how do they break the tension after a disagreement?

◛ what is their preferred method of communication when apart?

♥ how do they cuddle when they share a bed?

✿ do their music tastes align? are there some things they clash on?

❀ what is the dumbest argument they've ever had?

✾ what kind of 'couple talk' have they developed? (baby talk, weird words or phrases that are an inside joke etc.)

᯽ how has your muse changed since their relationship? in what ways do they rub off on one another?

❉ what was the first quirk of the other's which became endearing but annoying?

❁ what moment made them realize they're in love?

★ what foods do they swap or pick out of their food that the other will eat for them?

❥ what song(s) would they send each other when first beginning to date?

◇ who likes to cook and who cleans? how do they generally divide domestic labor?

◉ what hobbies do they do together? if they prefer parallel play what sort of tasks and hobbies do they like to do in each other's company?

▣ what is their favorite color(s) to see the other in?

❖ how does their casual intimacy look? what part of the body do they tend to innocently/comfortingly caress?

◈ what was your muse's first impression of the other? how did it change over time?