quickthinkingharkertwins

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

"Cosima if you have an issue with me just say it, I might not have a concussion but I'm at least a few braincell short to play games right now," Quill grumbled his shoulders slumped. "You know you can just have me do it, you don't have to help me," he mumbled. He was watching her idly bringing one hand up to brush against her cheek, "I can handle some stitches and he'd rather be with Fleur," he replied with a small shrug.

"Yeah?" Cosima quirked an eyebrow, almost like a challenge. "You've been normal all day?" She scoffed at his comment, withdrawing the gauze for a moment to peer at the stitches. "Not fresh ones; it's gross." All the same, she pressed the gauze back to his forehead. "Why didn't you ask Quincey for help with that?"

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quincey sighed, letting the exhaustion fully set in as he got comfortable with her. He hadn't realized he'd closed his eyes before staring at her, the word arrangement making him think of what had originally led him to joining the friend group. "Yeah?" he asked softly as he looked at her, bringing his hand up to brush her hair back, "Still never really understood why you picked me for that."

Fleur smiled softly to herself when he kissed her hip and then moved back up to wrap his arm around her. She wondered how differently people would see Quincey if they knew the side of him that she knew; the sweet, considerate, affectionate person she was beginning to think she had very strong feelings for. There was a part of her that wanted people to know that side of him because he deserved to be acknowledged for it. And there was a part of her that was happy it was just for her. "I know," she said with a small nod. "I care about you too. Not just because you're my boyfriend, but like... As a person. I cared about you before all of this. Before this whole arrangement started."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

"I haven't been weird, I've been acting the same way I always act around you," Quill said glancing up when she moved closer to him. For a second he felt his breath hitch when she moved even closer before slowly exhaling when she put the gauze on him. "Your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired," he mumbled, "Thought you liked scars, you dated that one football guy for a while."

It felt like all the air was sucked out of the room the minute Quill closed the door. Cosima flexed her fingers, half tempted to grab him. "I want to heard the fucking truth. You've been weird all fucking day." She hadn't actually witnessed anything that had happened. "I don't know hat the fuck happened. I've been home for hours. Just don't.... be stupid." She leaned across him to grab a few patches of gauze, pressing them to his forehead. "Your stitches look like shit, by the way."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quill grunted, reaching past her to close the bathroom door, half so everyone else wouldn't hear them and half not wanting anyone else to see him. Moving back he stared at her before swallowing and giving a small shrug. "I was scared alright? That what you want to hear from me? I watched a man get dragged to fuck knows where and my brother was in the same water," he said. Staring at the ground he can hear a voice in the back of his head saying he needs to get a grip, that this isn't how Harkers act, hands tightening into fists to keep from shaking. "I was scared Cosima."

"Yeah, so you trust him, right? To take care of her?" Cosima's intensity was equal parts anger and fear. "You didn't need to jump in and put yourself in danger because of it." Another flash of anger, and she lashed out to smack his shoulder. "God, you're such a fucking asshole, Quill. I don't fucking care about that. I care about the fact that you have a fucking gash in your head and maybe a concussion, who fucking knows, because you had to play the hero. Do you really think Quincey couldn't have gotten Fleur out on his own and met you on the dry fucking land?"

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quill stared at her blankly before his shoulders slumped in defeat, glancing down at the sink he picked at the edge. "He's my brother and she's my friend," he mumbled wondering if he really came off that cold. Glancing up at her, he frowned, "Now who's calling someone incompetent?" He knew she was upset but he didn't think he completely understood why she was so upset. Running a hand through his hair and careful of his own stitches, "I didn't drown, I am about 95-about 91% fine. I'll heal in a day or so, and be back to your beck and call like you like."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Cosima hissed. "If Fleur was with Quincey, he was more than capable of getting them out himself - unless you're saying your own brother is completely incompetent when it comes to taking care of his own girlfriend." She stamped her foot, unsure what else to do with all the feelings that were bubbling up in her chest. "You could have drowned, you idiot."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quincey shifted a bit, lifting the ice pack for a second to press his lips lightly to her hip, before setting it back down. Settling back down next to her, he shifted closer and careful as he wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah it could've been," he agreed softly, based on what he'd overheard he was fairly certain that was the last anyone was seeing of that cop. He winced tempted to argue in Quill's defense before slowly nodding, "He cares...think it's just hard for him to think people actually want him for him, you know? Not what he can do." Quincey wasn't sure how accurate it was but Quill was hard to read even to him. Swallowing he caught her gaze again, "You know I care about you right?"

Fleur had been laying in their bed above the covers, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to process what had happened, when she heard Quincey come into their room. Reaching out, she accepted the ice pack with a small smile before pressing it to her hip. "Sore," she said, turning to face him when he joined her. "Think it's gonna bruise. But it could have been worse." She paused. It wasn't often that she got introspective, preferring to externalise all of her problems and insecurities, but things were different now. This town was different. "Gotta thank your brother for coming in to get us. I'll be honest, I... I don't know. I didn't think he cared enough about either of us to do that."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quill's brow furrowed briefly grimacing before sighing, setting his hands on the counter as he debated what to say. "Somehow despite being a lake in no way connected to the ocean a giant tentacle shot out of the water," he said before frowning, he felt insane saying it out loud and shook his head. "Went to get Quincey and Fleur out the water, got a canoe to the face," he said, So yeah guess I am pretty stupid."

Cosima had left the lake hours ago, needing to find any sort of distraction from her last interaction with Quill. She had settled on watching tv, but even she had heard people rushing to their own homes, talk of a giant tentacle shooting up out of the lake floating up into her open windows. She made her rounds as soon as everyone was home, leaving Quill for last - Quincey had told her where to find him.

"You're literally so stupid," her scowl seemed more worried than angry. "What the fuck happened, Quill?"

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

WHERE: Party Bus House WHO: Cosima (@backmaskcd)

Quill was in one of the bathrooms in the house, he'd stitched up his forehead and was leaning towards the mirror to make sure everything was fine. He probably should have gotten one of the medical team members to look at him but he'd wanted to get his people home. Besides it wasn't like his father hadn't taught him to handle it, as he searching their first aid kit for gauze to cover it with. Hearing the door open he scoffed, "I said I'm fine Quinc-," pausing when he glanced up and saw Cosima. "If you need me to grab you something, it's gonna be a minute."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

One second they'd been having fun in the water, the next everything was chaos. His first thought had been keeping Fleur close and getting her out of that fucking lake. The next had been both relief and genuine surprise at Quill rushing towards them. Though dealing with the canoes and oars that had ended up their way hadn't helped, rubbing at his shoulder. Walking into their shared room he handed Fleur an ice pack, "Everyone is still here, Quill wouldn't let me help patch him up so I think he's fine if he has the energy to be grumpy," he said softly as he moved to lay next to her. "How's your hip babe?"

Fleur let out a high-pitched squeal and a laugh when Quincey suddenly wrapped his arms around her and started pulling her further into the lake. Making sure to keep her drink upright, she made a few half-hearted, unserious attempts to pry herself free before resigning herself to her fate. Not that she was complaining about it. "All right then, sexy," she replied, downing the rest of her drink. Wrapping her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist, she settled into a more comfortable position. "So, what now? Because I can't promise I'll keep it PG if we stay in this position."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quil's jaw clenched, clicking his tongue against his teeth, he really shouldn't have been surprised that's what she stuck to. It wasn't like she knew the shit he'd thrown at Quincey's face before realizing how wrong it was. Sometimes he thought Fleur knew, the looks she shot him when he was a little too quick to scold his brother. "I've had plenty of girlfriends Cosima," he grumbled, "I don't need tips for how to keep someone I don't want."

This conversation had gone in a direction he wasn't sure how to feel about. Taking orders was easier, he didn't have to think about feelings, just his actions. Fully turning his body to face her, he reached over cupping her face with one hand. There were a lot of things he could say or do, instead he closed the gap pressing his lips against hers. Pulling back he sighed and shook his head, "Sorry, that was...," he dropped his hand, "Just...Look forget it. I'm being stupid." He pushed himself up to stand, maybe it would kill him to show an emotion he thought bitterly. "Let me know if you need anything...I'm just going to...not be here anymore," he said moving to walk away.

"Feelings don't make you a shit person, Quill," Cosima quickly shot back. "You can't control them." Her expression darkened very slightly before she let out a scoff. "No wonder you can't find a girlfriend, Quill. You're the unavailable one. Maybe try saying things with an emotion behind it. Otherwise it's all just words. You can say whatever you want, but I can hear the hollow tone. Don't bullshit me." Maybe she'd reacted differently when she was shit faced. Maybe he'd said it differently when she was shit faced. But his lack of any sort of emotion of feeling behind his words was starting to grate on Cosima. "I'm not stopping you from experiencing emotions, you know. You should try it. Maybe you'll find that future Mrs. Harker if you tried to be more genuine and smiled once in a while."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quill rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna hit you...not without a reason anyway," he added towards the end. It was a hollow threat, at most he'd shove Nixon into the lake. Being angry about things had been exhausting, at the end of the day there was nothing to be done, so he'd forgiven the trio of Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, and Tweedle Dipshit. Now though he cracked a grin and shook his head, reaching for a juice and handing it to Nixon. "You're way too easy to rile up," he said chuckling before pulling out a flask. "Want some from our actual reserves?"

continued from here. ( @quickthinkingharkertwins )

who he hadn't expected to walk up next to him, was quill. on a good day nix was aware he annoyed him but ever since he crash landed them in huntsville, he'd been pissed and honestly nixon couldn't blame him. he has tried to apologize to all of them but it was obvious it would take longer for some to forgive him versus others. ❝please don't hit me,❞ were the first words out of his mouth as he took a step back in surprise. he made a face but took the drink down the moment he suggested he was any sort of weak. ❝oh god,❞ he coughed and covered his mouth, trying not to gag. ❝absolutely not. that's toxic as fuck! last resort like everclear in a plastic bottle type shit.❞

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

"Ugh, yeah I don't do boring shit like that," Quincey said shaking his head, that was for his brother to take care of. "Yeah you'll probably find someone, ran into Danny earlier, pretty sure he's gonna love your casino. Which is it gonna be like bring your own booze and shit? Still got some of the shit we brought in, can probably wrangle a couple bottles."

"i haven't yet but i'm hoping i'll find someone who will while i'm at this thing, sure there's someone out there who wants to cause a little mischief." romeo said with a slight smirk. the house really was proving to be the difficult thing to find. "i'd go to town but i'd have to get more people involved or whatever i don't know."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quill lowered his sunglasses enough to shoot Cosima the blankest of looks. "Well thank god you can avoid that, no I don't have the hots for Fleur. I'm not that much of a shit brother," he grumbled relowering his sunglasses. "Yeah cause Piper is the only one of us who doesn't go buckwild every other hour," he said. Other than Cosima, Piper was the only one he actually had any patience with, mostly because it was never tested like the others in the group. He placed a hand over his heart, "Look at me being 5% more special than the others. I'll ride this high for the rest of the week," he said blankly, pausing before giving a one shoulder shrug, "Love you too Cosima." He didn't worry about saying it, it had never changed anything before, though half the time she was drunk when he'd say it.

"Oh?" This piqued her interest, and she fully rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow. "Hasn't been available? Quill Harker, do not tell me you have the hots for your brothers girlfriend, because I will laugh so hard I'll pee myself." She paused. Her relationship with Quill had never been cut and dry. She constantly complained about him and bossed him around, and he did just about anything she asked with little to no push back. And yet. "Other people clearly haven't been as useful to me." She briefly rolled her eyes. "Piper is the only person who's place with me is set in stone. Everyone else is usually on thin fucking ice." Another pause and a brief roll of her eyes. "I guess your ice is more solid, since you do whatever I tell you to do."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

"Like I said, no one who fits the criteria for a future Mrs.Harker has been available," Quill said taking his own sunglasses and lowering them over his eyes. Not a total lie, really the only one he saw in that light wasn't technically available to him, especially considering her side comment over her own marriage criteria. Behind the sunglasses he rolled his eyes without fear of a comment from her, giving a vague grunt. "Is that a bad thing?" he finally asked after a beat, "You've gotten rid of other people for less."

"I guess, though usually the end goal is marriage," Cosima let her head tilt to the side so she could resume looking at him. "But it's easier to have a friend with benefits than it is to find a rich guy who isn't old as fuck to marry. You think I'm gonna marry someone who can't afford to make sure I don't work? Never in a million years." She pushed her sunglasses back down over her face, letting out a noncommittal hum. "Yes, yes. You're very cool and well traveled, Quill." Despite the fact that she was the one who wanted to go on an exciting, overseas adventure without knowing how to speak anything because other influencers made it look desirable. "You just wanna make sure I can't ever get rid of you."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quincey laughed, taking a second to fully tilt his beer bottle and chug it down, shoving it into his shorts pocket and zipping it for now. He normally wouldn't have cared, but he wasn't looking to get on the bad side of any of the cops in town. "Who you calling Harker," he grumbled rushing up to her, fully wrapping his arms around her waist and playfully pulling her deeper into the lake. "My name is babe, hottie, or sexy to you," he said grinning as he pulled her along even if he was conscious of the drink in her hand.

If it had been anyone else, Fleur might have made a joke about preferring Quill when he didn't speak. But she knew how Quincey felt about his brother, had known about it since before they were even dating, and being the person he had chosen to confide in then was something that made her genuinely happy to think about. That part of their relationship had never been fake. "I said you were hot!" she called back, hopping back and letting out a delighted squeal that was partially from being splashed back, and partially from hearing the drawl in his voice. Careful not to spill her drink, she moved closer to kick up more water at him before flitting away again. "Bring it on, Harker."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

Quincey gave a shrug placing the joint in his mouth and lighting to take a slow drag. "Yeah Romeo didn't have any better luck finding anything," he said shaking his head. He knew Quill was poking around and was hoping his brother could pick something up. "You know if the moonshine any good?"

"Seriously? Weed is crap." Danny shook his head a bit then laughed. "It's true, no one cares if you've got all that. Except for the women part for me." Then he sighed at the offer of the joint. "No thanks, I don't do weed. Thanks anyway."

[quickthinkingharkertwins]

"Least Quill is speaking to us and not communicating through the neutral face of displeasure anymore," Quincey said, though there was some genuine relief in his words. There was a part of him that was always worried he was one step away from Quill hating him, a part that only Fleur knew the full extent about. He yelped spitting his beer when the water hit his chest, "Ey what the hell," he said though he was grinning, his drawl coming back in full force. Letting go of her hand he bent down splashing her back, "You really want to start this fight?"

Fleur rolled her eyes at the innuendo, but the smirk on her lips as she followed him into the lake was just as suggestive, and only slightly hampered by the brief face she pulled at how cold the water was. "Think we would all be less miserable if we were stuck in a beach town," she mused, steeling herself against the cold and wading a little further into the lake without letting go of Quincey's hand. Spinning around, she had a sip of her margarita and then gave him a mischievous grin. "You're hot," she said, before playfully kicking her foot to splash water on him. "Maybe you need to cool down."