ruffians | the punchline to the joke is asking "someone save us"

Should I start passing a basket at my shows? 'Give a tenner, get a selfie.' [She sips his coffee, makes a face, and puts it back down. Gross.]

You look like shit. [Never one to pull punches, even un-brainwashed. Luci runs her hands down the sides of Terry's neck and starts rubbing. It's like trying to massage a boulder, and she grimaces.] I'll get the money for the accountant, put all this down for a bit, yeah?

[He starts to laugh when she tells him he looks like shit, but then someone's attempting a massage and Terry hisses and flinches away in pain. There's a lot of knots, even the devil might not be able to beat those out of him.]

There's a whole lot of other stuff too. It's endless.

[Yikes, he really is bad off. Luci lightens up a little, being very gentle with the rubs to start-- but something has to be done, otherwise Terry's going to turn into a rubber band ball.]

So that means it'll always be here and you can come out with me tonight. I'm crashing that dive on sixth, the owner fired a bartender for body slamming a guy who groped her. Should be fun~

I don't--

[God. The thought of going out actually causes a short panic and he shakes his head.]

I don't really feel like going out.

[Luci lets out a whine and leans all over Terry.]

C'mooon. You do nothing but this, it's boring even watching you.

I don't... I don't know if I can.

Why not? [Luci frowns.] You know I'll put anybody who looks at you funny through the floor. Still a god, Terry, remember?

A god and a demon walk into a bar, huh?

[It's almost a joke, and he turns his head up to look at her and raise his (patchy) eyebrows.]

And one of them says, 'Bartender, a drink for my mopey friend here.' And the other says, 'Grumblemutterbitch' but takes it anyway and they have a good time.

...later the god takes over the bar, it's still a good time, this joke kind of got away from me. [Luci continues to frown, but puts her hands on Terry's cheeks. This poor boy is suffering, and she hates to see it.] What about a compromise, then?

What kind of compromise?

[He hasn't shaved in weeks he's not doing anything where he has to take clothes off. Especially in public.]

[Fortunately, even Luci isn't daft enough to suggest Terry go stripping.]

Movies, takeout, on the couch. But you don't look at any of this crap for a few hours. Then we both get what we want.

[Well. Luci gets less of what she wants, and Terry gets dragged away from his very important documents. Not so much win-win here, but she's convinced she knows best.]

[God that sounds good. And he knows well that Luci is a top-tier cuddler and he could use some of that right now. He's absolutely on-board for it, but given she was planning to crash a bar when she came in...]

You sure that's enough excitement for you? I'm not really...

[He gestures vaguely. He's not great company right now; he's sad and tired.]

Darling nothing will ever be enough excitement for me. But I can let this bar remain standing one more night. Might be more fun to trash it on a Sunday anyway.

Come on, that's enough of this. [She reaches over him and starts shuffling all the paperwork into a stack-- definitely not paying attention to any groupings or stacks Terry might have made.] If I'm not ruining a deserving person's life tonight, we're starting on improving yours right now.

[Oh-- Oh, Luci what are you doing. Terry smacks her hand away like a parent smacking a kid's hand away from the cookies and grabs his bag up off the floor.]

Let me put this all away so you're not making more work for me later, at least.

[Luci draws her hands back, but obviously not because Terry hurt her-- she's just surprised by his gumption.]

I don't know if I'm annoyed or aroused.

Both?

[He glances up at her with something that's almost an amused smile while he shoves all the folders in his bag.]

Maybe even at the same time. [She smirks and ruffles his already wild hair.] Alright, confiscating this~ [Luci reaches to take the bag and maybe even hold it out of his reach if she can manage it.]

And you can find us a place that delivers.

[Terry snorts and shakes his head. He ordered in enough times with Maxxie, he probably knows every place in a 2-mile radius that'll deliver to the building. If they're still willing at least.]

Just don't wreck it. The lease for this place is in there.

I would love to see the landlord who could forcibly remove me from these premises. [But she doesn't destroy the bag. She does carry it over to her room and pitch it somewhere in there and shut the door. She's probably rationalizing that Terry won't go into her space without her permission.]

I don't want pizza, but anything else is fair game.

[If it was Yuffie, he wouldn't care, he's literally wrestled her for stuff she's hidden in her clothes before. But he has a bit more respect for Luci's space. He just flops down on the couch and pulls his phone out.]

There's a Chinese place that me and... Uh... We...

[Terry swallows and shakes his head. Maybe not that one then.]

... How about Lebanese?

[Luci comes around the back of the couch, watching Terry closely but not saying anything immediately. She can read between the lines, of course. After a moment, she leans over the back of the couch and wraps her arms around Terry's shoulders.] Sure, sounds good.

[She lets that sit for a moment, then:] It's alright darling, you don't have to hide it around me. You're wearing it like a particularly oversized coat.

[He appreciates it more than he has words for, bringing a hand up to rest on her arm in a small gesture of thanks.]

I'm not hiding it, I just... Gotta keep moving forward, you know?

[Grief takes time, and it's not something Terry has an abundance of right now. Maybe when they make real strides forward he'll reach out to a therapist or something, but until then the bes he's gonna get is moments like this.]

[God but he's so fucking thankful he still has friends like this around. Even if he can't fathom what he dis to deserve them.]

Well you could at least say his name. Just because he never got to second base with me doesn't mean I don't miss him too. [She finishes that with a particularly firm and aggressive squeeze of Terry's shoulders before letting him go and heading for the kitchen. Delivery booze is not a thing, but she can provide.]

It feels like every time you get close, you pussy out and pull up.

[Rude.]

I just don't want to talk about it.

[Terry kicks his shoes off and pulls his feet up on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest. Absently he picks at a loose thread on one of the rips in his jeans and sighs.]

I mean, it's not like sitting here all "I miss Maxxie more than I've got words for" is gonna change anything. He's still gone.

It doesn't feel any better to say it out loud? [There's noise from the kitchen that sounds like Luci's making herself a drink.] Because I hear that confession is supposed to make everything okay.

[Jokes aside...]

You're right that it won't change anything. But if you want me to tell you that it's better to keep your thoughts and feelings inside and to yourself, you're going to be disappointed darling.

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