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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: For Better or Worse
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,239
Summary: Zayne, Andrej, Trish, and Hilary are doing a ridiculous exercise for work.
Author’s notes: Written for the weekend challenge at 1_million_words. Mu prompts were compulsive and reckless. Thus, Zayne.
Zayne looked at the paper in front of him and frowned. Name two qualities your partner exhibits, both good and bad. What the hell kind of question was that anyway?
“Hey,” he whispered to Zeklos, whose head was bent over the paper, his hand moving in quick, neat strokes as he moved down the page. “Why are we doing this again?”
Andrej lifted his head and looked at Zayne. “Because it was asked of us, Zayne,” he said. “They are trying to understand why some partnerships work better than others.” He returned his attention to the paper, completing another question quickly.
“But you and I work together fine,” Zayne pointed out. “Why are we doing this?”
“You two are an anomaly,” Trish muttered. “You are at each other’s throats half the time, and yet you have the best solve rate in the department. Go figure.”
“He and I do not always get along,” Andrej said, not looking up from the questionnaire, “but we have a mutual respect and that is the key I believe.”
“Maybe,” Trish snorted. “But I bet it’s more due to Reyes not wanting to lose his source of hot meals and clean clothes.”
Zayne glared at the redhead. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Enough,” Andrej said softly. “Finish your questionnaires so that we can get back to work.”
“But Zek?”
“Yes,” Andrej said, looking up, weary of the interruptions.
“I don’t know how to answer this question,” Zayne said, tapping on number three. “I can give them pages of good qualities, but do you have any bad ones?”
Andrej let out a breathy chuckle. “Of course, I have bad qualities, Zayne. I am only human.”
“I’m not convinced of that,” Hilary teased.
“She’s right,” Zayne said. “You’re kind and smart and patient. God, you’re the most patient man I know.”
“He has to be in order to work with you,” Trish added.
“You follow the rules,” Zayne continues, ignoring Trish. “You have an excellent memory and are more compassionate than some of these jerks deserve. But I can’t think of anything not good. I mean, with me? Where do you even start, the list is so long.”
“You’re an idiot,” Trish offered. “You’re also impatient, erratic, compulsive, and reckless.”
“Hey now, you could have stopped after impatient,” Zayne said, hurt.
“I could go on.”
“Trish,” Andrej sighed. “Please do not. He has his faults, but he has come a long way, has he not?”
Trish made a face. “I guess you’re right. But he’s still an idiot.”
Zayne shrugged. “I can live with that.”
“Reyes does raise a good point though,” Hilary said, tapping her pen against her chin. “We all know Zayne’s faults. I know mine, too. I’m an overachiever and can be too quick to judge sometimes.” She shook her head. “And Trish –”
“Is amazing,” Trish interrupted.
Hilary grinned. “You are, but you’re also obnoxious and catty at times.”
“Guilty,” Trish said. “But never without reason.”
“And you think I’m an asshole,” Zayne laughed.
“But I agree with Zayne, I’d be hard pressed to find fault with your character, Andy.” Hilary shot Zayne a look. “With the exception of your taste in men.”
“Which you also share,” Andrej said, winking.
“Unfortunately,” she agreed.
“So, enlighten us,” Trish said, leaning an arm against her desk. “What faults do you have, Detective?”
Chuckling, Andrej put his pen down and observed his partners and friends for a quiet moment. He rubbed a hand over his face and still, they waited. “Let me see,” he said, closing his eyes and thinking about all the things he knew were wrong with him, everything undesirable within. “I am a perfectionist,” he said, opening his eyes and taking them all in. “I am inflexible and demanding. I am too critical both of myself and sometimes of those I love.” He glanced at the paper in front of him again and sighed. “I try too hard.” He pushed the paper away.
“I’ve never been convinced that trying too hard was a bad thing,” Hilary said quietly. “And as far as the rest goes, I think it’s why you and the idiot work so well together. You give him direction and responsibility while he drives you nuts by being well, himself.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not,” Zayne joked.
“It is in a way,” Trish said, surprising everyone. “He takes himself too seriously, but you make him laugh at himself, too. You force him to step outside his comfort zone. It might make us all insane, but it’s good for us all, too.”
Picking up his pen, Zayne studied the paper again. “Okay, so I can say that you’re smart and dedicated, but also what? Too serious?”
Andrej grimaced.
“And grouchy, yikes,” Zayne teased, prompting a small smile out of his partner. “Okay, I’m going with those two, thank you.”
“Are we able to go back to our own papers now, Reyes,” Trish asked.
“You do you, boo,” Zayne told her. “Although I still think this is a stupid ass exercise.”
“Agreed,” Trish and Hilary chorused.
The girls dipped their heads and went back to work. Andrej followed a moment later. Zayne watched them as they scribbled away, thinking.
“If you do not finish, Zayne, we will not be able to get back to our case.”
“Sorry, Zek,” he said, writing a couple words on question number four. “But do you think the girls were being honest or just yanking my chain?”
“Yanking your – oh, no, no they were not.” Andrej’s face scrunched up in confusion at one of the questions, then smoothed out into their usual, handsome features. “I do not often realize it, but they are correct. You keep me from getting lost inside my own head. While I do not always appreciate it, sometimes it is necessary.” He wrote a few words, scratched one out, started again. “I try not to be as hard on you as I was when we were first partnered up, however, sometimes I must be tough for your own good.”
Zayne nodded. “Either way, thank you for putting up with me.”
Andrej flipped the page over to the front and tucked his pen away in his desk. “And thank you for doing the same, Zayne.”
“No problem, baby,” he said, grinning. “Just keep on feeding me and I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Heard that before, Reyes,” Trish said, snickering. “Really would rather not hear the details though.”
“Are you almost done,” Andrej asked, his face flushing pink with Trish’s insinuations.
“Yeah,” Zayne said, loving how easily embarrassed Andrej was at times. “And just in time for lunch.”
He stared at Andrej until his partner met his eyes, blushing even more deeply than before. “Do not push your luck.”
Shrugging, Zayne filled out the last question and handed Andrej his form. “You say that now, baby, but we’ll see what later brings.”
“Get a room you two,” Hilary said. “Please.”
“I’ll just take him home, thanks,” Zayne said. “Come on, let’s get out of here before I embarrass you any more.”
“I am not sure that is possible,” Andrej said, grabbing his jacket. “However, I am not willing to risk it either.”
“Probably for the best,” Zayne said. “I do believe one of my traits you missed was ‘unpredictable’.”
Andrej smiled at Zayne, a hint of pink in his cheeks still. “I do not always consider that a bad thing.”
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,239
Summary: Zayne, Andrej, Trish, and Hilary are doing a ridiculous exercise for work.
Author’s notes: Written for the weekend challenge at 1_million_words. Mu prompts were compulsive and reckless. Thus, Zayne.
Zayne looked at the paper in front of him and frowned. Name two qualities your partner exhibits, both good and bad. What the hell kind of question was that anyway?
“Hey,” he whispered to Zeklos, whose head was bent over the paper, his hand moving in quick, neat strokes as he moved down the page. “Why are we doing this again?”
Andrej lifted his head and looked at Zayne. “Because it was asked of us, Zayne,” he said. “They are trying to understand why some partnerships work better than others.” He returned his attention to the paper, completing another question quickly.
“But you and I work together fine,” Zayne pointed out. “Why are we doing this?”
“You two are an anomaly,” Trish muttered. “You are at each other’s throats half the time, and yet you have the best solve rate in the department. Go figure.”
“He and I do not always get along,” Andrej said, not looking up from the questionnaire, “but we have a mutual respect and that is the key I believe.”
“Maybe,” Trish snorted. “But I bet it’s more due to Reyes not wanting to lose his source of hot meals and clean clothes.”
Zayne glared at the redhead. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Enough,” Andrej said softly. “Finish your questionnaires so that we can get back to work.”
“But Zek?”
“Yes,” Andrej said, looking up, weary of the interruptions.
“I don’t know how to answer this question,” Zayne said, tapping on number three. “I can give them pages of good qualities, but do you have any bad ones?”
Andrej let out a breathy chuckle. “Of course, I have bad qualities, Zayne. I am only human.”
“I’m not convinced of that,” Hilary teased.
“She’s right,” Zayne said. “You’re kind and smart and patient. God, you’re the most patient man I know.”
“He has to be in order to work with you,” Trish added.
“You follow the rules,” Zayne continues, ignoring Trish. “You have an excellent memory and are more compassionate than some of these jerks deserve. But I can’t think of anything not good. I mean, with me? Where do you even start, the list is so long.”
“You’re an idiot,” Trish offered. “You’re also impatient, erratic, compulsive, and reckless.”
“Hey now, you could have stopped after impatient,” Zayne said, hurt.
“I could go on.”
“Trish,” Andrej sighed. “Please do not. He has his faults, but he has come a long way, has he not?”
Trish made a face. “I guess you’re right. But he’s still an idiot.”
Zayne shrugged. “I can live with that.”
“Reyes does raise a good point though,” Hilary said, tapping her pen against her chin. “We all know Zayne’s faults. I know mine, too. I’m an overachiever and can be too quick to judge sometimes.” She shook her head. “And Trish –”
“Is amazing,” Trish interrupted.
Hilary grinned. “You are, but you’re also obnoxious and catty at times.”
“Guilty,” Trish said. “But never without reason.”
“And you think I’m an asshole,” Zayne laughed.
“But I agree with Zayne, I’d be hard pressed to find fault with your character, Andy.” Hilary shot Zayne a look. “With the exception of your taste in men.”
“Which you also share,” Andrej said, winking.
“Unfortunately,” she agreed.
“So, enlighten us,” Trish said, leaning an arm against her desk. “What faults do you have, Detective?”
Chuckling, Andrej put his pen down and observed his partners and friends for a quiet moment. He rubbed a hand over his face and still, they waited. “Let me see,” he said, closing his eyes and thinking about all the things he knew were wrong with him, everything undesirable within. “I am a perfectionist,” he said, opening his eyes and taking them all in. “I am inflexible and demanding. I am too critical both of myself and sometimes of those I love.” He glanced at the paper in front of him again and sighed. “I try too hard.” He pushed the paper away.
“I’ve never been convinced that trying too hard was a bad thing,” Hilary said quietly. “And as far as the rest goes, I think it’s why you and the idiot work so well together. You give him direction and responsibility while he drives you nuts by being well, himself.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not,” Zayne joked.
“It is in a way,” Trish said, surprising everyone. “He takes himself too seriously, but you make him laugh at himself, too. You force him to step outside his comfort zone. It might make us all insane, but it’s good for us all, too.”
Picking up his pen, Zayne studied the paper again. “Okay, so I can say that you’re smart and dedicated, but also what? Too serious?”
Andrej grimaced.
“And grouchy, yikes,” Zayne teased, prompting a small smile out of his partner. “Okay, I’m going with those two, thank you.”
“Are we able to go back to our own papers now, Reyes,” Trish asked.
“You do you, boo,” Zayne told her. “Although I still think this is a stupid ass exercise.”
“Agreed,” Trish and Hilary chorused.
The girls dipped their heads and went back to work. Andrej followed a moment later. Zayne watched them as they scribbled away, thinking.
“If you do not finish, Zayne, we will not be able to get back to our case.”
“Sorry, Zek,” he said, writing a couple words on question number four. “But do you think the girls were being honest or just yanking my chain?”
“Yanking your – oh, no, no they were not.” Andrej’s face scrunched up in confusion at one of the questions, then smoothed out into their usual, handsome features. “I do not often realize it, but they are correct. You keep me from getting lost inside my own head. While I do not always appreciate it, sometimes it is necessary.” He wrote a few words, scratched one out, started again. “I try not to be as hard on you as I was when we were first partnered up, however, sometimes I must be tough for your own good.”
Zayne nodded. “Either way, thank you for putting up with me.”
Andrej flipped the page over to the front and tucked his pen away in his desk. “And thank you for doing the same, Zayne.”
“No problem, baby,” he said, grinning. “Just keep on feeding me and I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Heard that before, Reyes,” Trish said, snickering. “Really would rather not hear the details though.”
“Are you almost done,” Andrej asked, his face flushing pink with Trish’s insinuations.
“Yeah,” Zayne said, loving how easily embarrassed Andrej was at times. “And just in time for lunch.”
He stared at Andrej until his partner met his eyes, blushing even more deeply than before. “Do not push your luck.”
Shrugging, Zayne filled out the last question and handed Andrej his form. “You say that now, baby, but we’ll see what later brings.”
“Get a room you two,” Hilary said. “Please.”
“I’ll just take him home, thanks,” Zayne said. “Come on, let’s get out of here before I embarrass you any more.”
“I am not sure that is possible,” Andrej said, grabbing his jacket. “However, I am not willing to risk it either.”
“Probably for the best,” Zayne said. “I do believe one of my traits you missed was ‘unpredictable’.”
Andrej smiled at Zayne, a hint of pink in his cheeks still. “I do not always consider that a bad thing.”
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no subject
Date: 2022-02-26 02:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-26 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-26 03:39 am (UTC)At least he has the brains to recognize Andrej is good and good for him.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-26 04:50 am (UTC)It took him a hot minute, but he's finally figured it out.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-26 03:52 pm (UTC)what do I owe ya?
no subject
Date: 2022-02-27 11:43 pm (UTC)Add some words to a WIP for me. :)
no subject
Date: 2022-02-28 12:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-28 01:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-28 03:42 am (UTC)and the first draft is finally finished at 589 pages...
thank goodness
no subject
Date: 2022-02-28 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-28 06:09 pm (UTC)but for now it will set while I do some final edits on another project.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-28 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-27 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-02-27 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-24 12:48 pm (UTC)