Exercises in Romantic Tension

[mrballisticsdummy]

The job was supposed to be simple. A popular, up-and-coming app company in Massachusetts had stumbled onto a bit of technology that might threaten Goddard and their CEO had, so far, been resistant to softer negotiations. It's easy to think you're invincible when you develop an app at seventeen and skyrocket into popularity and money and easy retirement by twenty five, apparently.

Enter Kepler's team. Maxwell, down with the flu, would provide remote support to Kepler and Jacobi. Jacobi had told her that it was fine, this was more of a 'manly type' job anyway, which, of course prompted her to ask, if that was the case, why Jacobi was there.

Score one for Maxwell.

Playing Candy Crush on his phone in the passenger seat, one foot pulled up, Jacobi yawns. "How much longer?" he groans, glancing at the afternoon sun out the window. It's not warm enough to penetrate the cold winter day, and Jacobi reaches over to turn up the heat. "Can we stop for coffee? I haven't had Dunks in forever. Since the last time we were on this coast."

He sucks air through his teeth, failing his level. So much for that.

Comments

[questionsonly]

"Hmm."

The answer that meant he was open to the possibility but that it would take a better argument or some sort of offering to persuade him that the coffee they'd make in the motel they'd be staying in during the mission would not serve the exact same amount of caffeine and necessary warmth as stopping at Dunkin' Donuts.

"ETA is thirty minutes."

[mrballisticsdummy]

He starts up a new game on his phone - this one involving moving a little skateboarding kid around a trainyard. Makes a few swipes. Waits a strategic few moments. Gets bored. Opens the maps.

"You know, they have that really good stuff that they put in it? The uh - the coconut? Yeah." He still doesn't look up. Plays it cool. Nonchalant. "And hey! Look. There's one on our way! It'll take five minutes. And I'll pay."

[questionsonly]

The grunt that follows is amusement and agreement, and even if there's no comment made or discussion offered, Jacobi should know that he's gotten his way. The lack of 'no' is more likely than an affirmative on this kind of thing.

When it seems like the topic's been dropped, in fact-

"Samoa. Not just coconut."

He's never made Jacobi pay for food their entire career together. He knows perfectly well he isn't going to pay for anything. The offer is a feint if an appreciated one.

[mrballisticsdummy]

Jacobi's wallet is in his bag. He makes no move for it.

He turns in the seat a bit to face him. "Okay, but they also have blueberry and raspberry. What kind of psycho looks at the list that includes vanilla and hazelnut and coconut and says 'yeah, sure, I'll take the berry."

He makes a face.

[questionsonly]

"I have told you many times, Daniel," he says as he shifts lanes, a crooked grin on his face at a good discussion topic, "that the world is filled with quite a few? very stupid people. Dunkin' Donuts? Is just covering that demographic."

The smile goes a little wider and more crooked.

"Though I'd suspect it might be more popular in the tea they offer as well."

[mrballisticsdummy]

"Yes, but if you want tea, you don't go there. You go to Starbucks," he grumbles under his breath. That crooked smile always annoys him in the best way.

But before he can obsess too much about that -

He gets a quick text. "Maxwell says the fever's down .4 degrees and that she still insists she could have come because uh - " He refers to her words. "She is past the point of being contagious and posed no danger to either one of us."

[questionsonly]

"Unless your CO is only stopping once," which is when he takes the exit to drop by the Dunkin' Donuts. Thankfully, the sign shows that the place is only about half a mile off of the highway and, if Daniel looks, it's right next to a gas station. And their vehicle is, in fact, due for gas.

Two birds, one stone, as per bare minimum. Kepler usually went for three or more if he could.

The comment about their missing third gets a single huff, though an amused one.

"She's lucky I'm letting her work at all. The flu? Can be serious business." He shakes his head. "But it's less serious working on a laptop. in her apartment. in her bed. With an AI to assist her with her duties."

[mrballisticsdummy]

"Hey, you're preaching to the choir over here. You didn't have to listen to her whole complaint while she was trying not to cough." He's back to texting her, but doesn't share this round of conversation. "Fortunately, we don't live together anymore, so you're not down both of us."

And while Maxwell doesn't like being left out, Jacobi being out sick would have resulted in at least 800% more bitching.

"But she already has the security system of the building downloaded for us, so at least she feels like she's being useful."

When the car parks, Jacobi takes a breath, braces himself for the cold, and steps out.

[questionsonly]

He glances over, and doesn't say a word because he says that, but he also knows that Jacobi's probably commiserating with Maxwell over 'Colonel Helicopter Dad' on that phone. The comment on being down both of them gets a dissatisfied grunt; that would have been... unfortunate. Doable? Certainly. But unfortunate.

"She is being useful. Maxwell on cold medicine still better than no Maxwell."

His departure from the car is significantly more smooth, as Kepler's (thankfully) always been a furnace of a man. If the cold bothers him at all, there's no indicator of it. Instead, he's locking the car and stepping purposefully towards the doors. There's a glance at Jacobi, but just to make sure he doesn't get run over while texting.

[mrballisticsdummy]

Jacobi might have his nose buried in his phone, but he's still an agent. Armed to the teeth and situational awareness high enough to step around a single piece of gum on the ground. He's not letting anything slip by him. And he's highly aware of the man with him. "I can get coffee if you want to get gas," he says without looking up.

He does hold out a hand expectantly. "Before I fucking freeze to death out here."

[questionsonly]

Kepler's expense card is slid into Jacobi's hands as smoothly as if he was pickpocketing one out of it, and if he shares a little of his warmth through the shared touched for a moment, so be it. He'll give Jacobi a quick smile.

"Mitchell Koenig," he'll note, the name on the card, so Jacobi knows what to expect. Then he's dipping past him to get back to the car. "You've got five."

A pause.

"And I want one of the seasonal ones with sprinkles too."

Jacobi, after all, knows his coffee order (coffee, no sugar, let it see the tiniest drop of creamer before it runs screaming). But if they're stopping at a donut shop, he's getting a goddamn donut.

[mrballisticsdummy]

His fingers curl, just slightly, at the touch, but it's gone in a flash as he comes back to himself with a blink. "Right," he tells him, arching a brow. But he stays the comment for a moment (sprinkles, really?) because he's not really surprised, just judgmental every time.

He whistles as he walks across to the shop, charming as always. And when he comes out, balancing a tray with two drinks and a bag in one hand, it's within his five minute time frame. But only just.

"Oh my god, this town sucks," he mutters, getting back into the car where it's warm.

[questionsonly]

The car has Kepler in it, the heat blasting on his side, the gas tank full and as soon as Jacobi's inside, they're pulling out to head for the highway again to get to their destination.

He doesn't ask for the card back. He has full faith it'll find it's way back into his wallet once they're at their temporary base of operations, namely a small rental property a street over from their mark's own home.

He does hold his hand out for the coffee.

"Something the matter with the donuts, Mr. Jacobi?"

[mrballisticsdummy]

He situates himself in the seat, coffee in Kepler's hand, though he's careful to not actually make contact with him. The bag is placed on the console between them and Jacobi finally buckles his seatbelt, taking out his phone as he sips at his own coffee.

Sweet caffeine. He might be gloating about it to Maxwell.

"No, donuts are fine. But the place is run by half-trained idiots. Two of them? Obviously dating. Too busy flirting to notice that they almost - almost - gave me decaf. I watched - his hand - touch the decaf, and I swear my whole life flashed in front of my eyes."

He rolls his eyes.

[questionsonly]

Kepler will blow on his, carefully, and then sip as he gets onto the highway again, all smooth as silk. Doesn't even burn his lips on a bump.

"I? Will never understand 'decaf'. It's an accident waiting to happen."

He shakes his head with deep disapproval as he gets into the fast lane again and settles them in for the ride. Then, and only then, does he go for his donut.

"What'd you get?"

[mrballisticsdummy]

He glances at him out of the corner of his eye as he takes another drink. "Um - " He falters a moment because surely he doesn't mean the coffee? He knows he always gets the same coffee - oh.

"The one with the chocolate cream inside," he answers, waiting for Kepler to get his before he reaches for his own. "The only one worth having. It's like - two desserts in one. You get the donut and you get the filling."

He leans back, taking the most indulgent bite out of it and then getting rewarded by having to lick the chocolate from his hand in a rather undignified manner.

[questionsonly]

"And then? You get the aftertaste," he says with a rueful shake of his head. Leave him his icing and sprinkles. Chocolate cream has him tasting the whole thing for ages, until he can brush his teeth. Nu-uh.

He takes a bite of his own, follows it up with a sip of his coffee, balances the two like a goddamn juggler with how easy it is even as he keeps his hand on wheel. One does not ask how he does that unless they want a story.

"Chocolate cream is an 'only in the office' for me."

He glances over at Jacobi just as he's licking the cream off and thankfully he knows how to keep his eyes on the road. Because it's...

Hmm.

[mrballisticsdummy]

"Nah, boss, I'm going to respectfully disagree there," he tells him, not noticing him looking over.

"That's where the coffee comes in. It's a symphony of flavors, you know. You have the donut and the cream and the coffee. I didn't go to culinary school or anything, " says the man whose recipe repertoire includes sandwiches, cup noodles, and a kickass charcuterie board - "but I know how to pair together coffee and a donut better than any cop on the beat. But...uh....you just keep your sprinkles."

[questionsonly]

He huffs and shakes his head.

"Sprinkles... offer heterogeneity," he says with some authority, "providing a textural counterpoint to the softness of the donut, and bursts of extra sweetness. Sweetness which fades quickly, giving the coffee a chance to get in there and cleanse the palette. They also don't contribute much to the scent, which means the coffee clears the board for ever. bite. to be unique? And perfect."

[mrballisticsdummy]

"Sprinkles taste like sweet chalk," he protests, not buckling under that authority. There are some things that he will concede - this is not one of them. He isn't going to back down on this.

"There's not textural counterpoint because they're not crunchy. They give. I would take nuts over sprinkles if you're looking for texture."

He's digging his heels in on this one.

[questionsonly]

"Nuts are preferred," he agrees with a quick nod, "and, were they an option? I would have chosen them. But..."

He gestures vaguely ahead of them.

"Our target? Has a brazil nut allergy. A rather severe one. And. Any nuts? Could, potentially, be contaminated such that close communication. Could prompt an allergic reaction. So..."

He spreads a hand.

"I make due."

[mrballisticsdummy]

"As long as you acknowledge the superiority of nuts," he says, watching his hand, finishing his donut. He snorts at his words, though. "Is that what we're calling it now? Close communication?"

That's definitely Plan A. He doesn't expect Plan A to work.

Instead, he takes out his phone again to text Maxwell.

[questionsonly]

"Talking to one another in a confined space or a distance of less than a foot," he says amiably, "would be what I consider 'close communication'. If it gets closer, well-" and he can't help a short, easy laugh, "it's been a while since I played the raven. But if it gets the job done..."

He definitely doesn't look over at Jacobi.

[mrballisticsdummy]

He grunts. "Where's the file on this guy again?" he wonders, unbuckling his seatbelt and turning. They have only a little while until their destination, but he can still work for a while. He twists to go between the two seats and digs through his bag, brushing against Kepler's arm, trying not to think about the warmth of it against his side.

He pulls out his laptop and sits back down in his seat, opening it.

"I still say we shouldn't even fuck with the guy. We can get all we need from his computer."

[questionsonly]

Kepler will watch him with part of one eye, not really acknowledging anything until the laptop is open and Jacobi says something-

"The problem being. that our mark? Doesn't let the computer. out of his sight. At any point. Our recon said he even sleeps with it on the bedside table."