too_honest | DT MEMES

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DT MEMES

FIGHTING YOUR INNER DEMONS
Everybody has them. Some are louder than others. Some are stronger. Some are overwhelming, and sooner or later you just give up fighting. But there are other people around you who want to help you - maybe they're suffering too, either because of your inner monster or their own. Or maybe they're one of the lucky ones with demons that don't howl so much.

You can help each other. It's better than the alternative.

TURN OVER A NEW LEAF FOR YOU

Here's the thing: in the past, you've not been a nice person. Whether you were just a little nasty, you did terrible things, you were forced to be a monster, or your heart was dark to the core, it's understandable why you weren't anyone's favorite. But those days are behind you. Now, there's someone you care for, someone you want to get closer to, someone you lov-

Well, they make you want to be a better person. This desire could have been a gradual realization, or you could have suddenly decided one day to improve. In the same vein, you may want a complete overhaul, yet you could also be more realistic and try to work on one thing. Still, you know that you're the only one who can change yourself.

How is that going? It can't be easy, as old habits die hard. Do you have a supportive loved one — or someone who wants nothing to do with you, no matter how much you improve?

FIRSTS

You're in right smack in the middle of exciting times, perhaps even the peak of your life so far, and you're not alone. For you and your companion, it's all about firsts: first crush, first love, first fight, first confession, first kiss, first time, first adventure to certain death together - you know, as you do. There is a first time for everything, after all, and they say you never forget your first.

So...first?

1. First Kiss: Is there anything sweeter?

2. First Date: Are you super awkward and nervous or getting on like a house on fire?

3. First Time: A little awkward, a little exciting, always memorable. (Unless you had to get drunk to get up the nerve.)

4. First Place: Apartment in the city, or perfect white picket fenced home! Either way, better make the best of it.

5. First Pet: Dog or cat? Fish tank? Rhinoceros?

6. What is this...Love Thing?: I don't understand love. What is love, baby don't hurt me ---

7. Protected/Safe: You always feel safe with them. How can you thank them?

8. Childhood Sweethearts: You've loved them what seems like forever, ever since you were little.

9. Arguments: You jerk! Look what you've done! I never want to see you again.

10. Unlucky Friend: You lost the person of your dreams to someone else, perhaps because of their allure or perhaps because you never spoke up. What can you do now?

11. I'll Cheer You On: Always supportive, always by your side, they're the person you can count on. Why do they care so much, though?

12. Slap-Slap-Kiss: I could kill you for what you just did! I could - I could KISS YOU.

13. Confession in the Heat of the Moment: You're about to go defeat the ultimate baddie. How about confessing your feelings to the person you love? Seems legit.

14. Sudden Kiss: Kiss from nowhere! There are lots of reasons for this: to stop someone from crying, to make them be quiet, or just to explain yourself when words can't.

15. Waking Up: Fluffy, sleepy, giggly morning in bed.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He couldn't help wince at her immediate response. "My bad." Had it been something of a violation? Ty tensed as he looked around, checking that they were safe before immediately looking to Tandy. She looked up and seemed alright. Her question didn't seem to hold any discomfort which made him relax.

With a slow nod, he answered what she asked. "Yeah. ...Was it bad?" His eyes lingered on hers while shrugging off the jacket one shoulder at a time. If any of her exes had half a brain, they wouldn't be exes. At least, not on their ends. Ty expected a fight if any caught sight of him with Tandy.

And he might be smaller than what he'd seen to be her type but Ty wouldn't back off or run from a fight if that's what they chose.

He let the hoodie drape over an arm then held the opposite hand out for her to take. "What are we doin'? Going to?" the question was quiet compared to the exchanges they had so far. Being along a river that wasn't quiet didn't help matters. Ty waited to see if Tandy would take his hand or if that moment had passed.

The fact that he wasn't anything like any of her exes was probably a good thing. In fact, there was no 'probably' about it. He wasn't like anyone she had really ever been interested in before and that was actually really nice. Not that there had been anything wrong with some of them. Liam was actually a good guy whose only fault was letting her use him. Not like Ty who held her accountable and made her want to be better.

"No." She answered in a rush and with a shake of her head as she took a small step back while he shrugged out of his hoodie. "I just wasn't really expecting it but it wasn't bad. It was actually...kind of a rush. Almost like when I make my daggers appear."

Which she had told him was like sex when it first happened.

Glancing around quickly to make sure no one had spotted them, she heard his question and answered with a small smile. "There is a small club nearby that I like to go to sometimes. Don't worry, it's not one of the ones I used to do my thing in. I would just go there for fun sometimes."

Then she noticed that he was silently offering his hand and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Even if she had experienced a small moment of panic after their kiss, she reached for his hand without second-guessing herself and even went so far as linking their fingers together as she moved to lead him forward.

"Maybe it'll be better on the way back?" Giving her a head's up that it'd be how they'd leave later. Or at least, what he planned on. Ty never checked a mirror to see how he looked but trusted how he felt in the clothes she picked. Down to the belt, the ensemble looked good together. He almost regretted bringing the jacket but better safe than sorry.

There was a slight incline coming up from the river bank onto the main road. Ty considered scooping her up and carrying Tandy the rest of the way but didn't want to make things weirder than he already had. She seemed okay from what he could see and sense. She even linked her fingers with his and led the way.

"A club, huh?" He'd never actually been to one. He hadn't really gone to parties until first meeting Tandy--Evita, where he first met Tandy. More 'high school experience' as he put it when Tandy tossed a drink on him. Now she was going with him to have one, more than likely. "What kind of fun are we talkin' about?"

Tandy once offered him alcohol and he knew about the pills she took, yet Ty didn't automatically think that's where she was taking him. It could be a comedy club, somewhere they did karaoke (he silently prayed that wasn't the case) or somewhere they could dance and get lost in the crowd. She hadn't said.

The truth was that Tandy had taken the hoodie into consideration when she went about picking up some clothes for him. It made sense to her that he would bring it along because they never knew when they could run into trouble and he would need to take off. Especially with the cops still looking for him at the moment.

She felt like they would be pretty safe in the area they were in at the moment even though she considered asking him to make sure they teleport to firmer ground next time. Luckily, he was holding her hand as she picked her way up the incline without wiping out in her heels which she figured was a feat in itself.

Finally reaching the top, she paused long enough to look this way and that before leading him across the road with a smile. "Dancing. Maybe one or two drinks if you aren't against having that kind of fun. There is also a guy who shows up with a food cart about an hour before closing and he has pretty great burgers that we can grab when we're ready to go."

"Sound good?" She asked, glancing back at him to make sure.

Dancing could be fun. Or infuriating if he was going to be subjected to Tandy grinding with other guys. Not that he wanted her to grind with him. ...Or that he'd admit to that. Drinking was something he'd take a pass on. If he was going to do it, Ty decided it wouldn't be at a group function. He didn't want her to either but wouldn't tell her what to do. After all, it wasn't a date. Was it?

She kissed him. That had to mean something. Ty couldn't subdue the grin forming on his lips when he remembered it. He was holding a closed lip grin when she looked back at him. "Did I hear you right? You wanna dance with me, Tandy Bowen?" There was both teasing and mischief in the coy way he proposed the question. That was more fun to talk about than drinking, although the burgers actually sounded good.

He was enjoying the role reversal more than he probably should, trying to get her tongue tied. ...While thinking of tying their tongues again. Ty had to clear his throat. He was biting his lip as the slightest of surges passed through their joint hands. It made him laugh, a quick eruption of sound. "I think you started something back at the church," he uttered through a smirk and went back to biting his bottom lip.

At this moment in time, Tandy had no plans on dancing with anyone else but Ty if she could manage to get him out onto the dance floor. She knew there was a chance that he would say no but she was also betting on the fact that she could probably convince him to give it a go with just enough pleading. It hadn't escaped her that she was pretty good at convincing him to do things after all. But there was one thing she knew he didn't really care for as she glanced at him, correcting herself. "Or we could just drink pop all night if you want. I don't mind."

Then she caught the sight of the smile on his lips and she slowed to study him, her brows pulling together at the same time her lips curved into a curious half-smile. "What? Okay, shut up! I...just..."

Yes, he had managed to get her a little tongue tied but that was only because her mind shot to the idea of being in his arms again which stirred up the memory of kissing him. Not that the memory had been very far from her mind and suddenly she felt a little hot despite the fact that she was wearing a mini dress. She would blame it on the heavy feeling of heat and humidity in the air....and not him.

"What?" She blinked at him again. "What did I start?"

Was he talking about the kiss?

Seeing her smile had been adorable from day one, regardless of the circumstances at the time. Seeing her truly speechless? Ty needed to find a word that meant the epitome of adorable. His secret goal now was to elicit that reaction from her on a regular. He didn't have the first clue on how but it was a goal nonetheless. Maybe a little payback to how she could get the best of him often.

Tandy also had the knack of pissing him off something awful. Never enough to hate her or feel anything but raging frustration. She understood him better than anyone and infuriated him with her decisions at times. It was difficult figuring out in the beginning of their eight year reunion if she was friend or foe. Her choice initially had been to make him a mark. He'd gone to her to talk after the spiritual bath, feeling a connection like never before. She filled a void left by Billy.

It had seemed to understandably devastate her to learn that her father wasn't the man she'd always thought him to be but Ty was glad to be with her at that discovery. Tandy could say there was something rotten at her core--that she was her father's daughter, and believe it with all her might. Ty wouldn't. Neither would he leave her side. She had tried to push him away once... twice? Maybe more. He tried it too, believing Evita that one of them would have to die. Whatever power there was between them seemed to think otherwise.

He glanced at their joined hands then up to her beautiful face. Tandy Bowen could make him feel damn near every emotion but there was one more than all the others; happy. Currently there was another feeling that also started with an H and ended with a Y but Ty tried not to dwell on it. Holding hands wasn't exactly helping yet he wouldn't let go. Even as she asked him what she'd started. "Like you don't know."

In usual shy fashion, Ty looked away while smiling. They couldn't get into the club fast enough. "We can talk about it inside," he uttered after a beat. He was losing his grin as they approached the club, nervousness growing about possibly being spotted. Tyrone should've known better. The guy at the door didn't ask for ID, opening it after a greeting from Tandy. It wasn't the kind of place that had a coat check but neither was Billy's hoodie anything someone would want.

He left it draped over the back of a chair so anyone thinking there was something in the pockets worth taking would quickly learn otherwise if the worn condition wasn't enough of a sign. Tandy seemed to agree with his decision, not objecting to where he set the hoodie down before walking further into the club. They wouldn't go too far from it unless she led him away. Ty trusted her implicitly. His eyes followed her with occasional glances around their surroundings.

The music was a pulsing beat and he started to move to it as they walked away from the hoodie. A little bounce with Tandy still leading him by hand. Ty couldn't find the song more fitting from what he could hear of the lyrics, unable to wind down his grin. So much for talking. He might not have gone to parties or out to club but he was definitely getting his groove on, managing to fluidly match his date. Finally keeping his eyes locked on hers again with a smile as they danced.

If she had known that he found this state adorable, Tandy would have been more flustered in a way she had never really been flustered before. She was usually able to control herself or ghost out if she needed to but it was impossible with Ty. It was almost disconcerting that he was able to strike her speechless but there was something nice about it too.

It was definitely preferable to fighting which they had done their fair share of too, especially in the beginning. Oh, there were moments when they still frustrated each other. She was sure it was more on his side than hers since she was constantly doing stupid things but he seemed to take it in stride. Hell, he hadn't even really said anything to her about the time she pushed him over a railing on the second floor of a party into a fountain below. Maybe she would have to apologize for that sometime.

But he had still shown up for her even through it all and she had shown up for him when it mattered because she couldn't imagine letting him sacrifice himself. And now here they were going out for a night on the town like, well, almost like they were a couple.

It made her wonder if people would think that he was her boyfriend and she found she didn't mind the idea. The little flare of panic wasn't nearly so bad now and she was curious when he told her that they could talk about it inside. Deciding that he was right, she turned her attention ahead and strode forward. Then, as if she could sense that he was nervous, she gave his fingers a squeeze as she greeted the guy at the door. The bouncer barely looked at them while waving them inside, causing Tandy to smirk back in triumph at Ty before they plunged into the darkness of the club.

She thought again about getting a drink but the only stop they made was by a chair where he placed his hoodie. Turning around to face him, she smiled as she started moving back onto the dance floor, still holding his hand and starting to shimmy her hips to the music while he followed.

The lights flashed over them both, making her stand out a little with her white dress and blonde hair but she only had eyes for him as he started to move. There was no hiding her smile or the fact that she was impressed by the way he could move. So she slid close again, sliding one hand to one of his shoulders and her other arm looped loosely around his shoulders while she rose up to whisper in his ears. "Color me surprised. You've actually got some moves!"

"Seriously?" he questioned rhetorically back with a grin while shaking his head in disbelief. "You brought me to a club and didn't think I could dance? I was just gonna sip soda all night?" Each were smiling and maybe even laughing (Ty let out a soft one in what he'd told her). The music changed to something a little slower. His hands came around her frame and held her loosely yet stayed physically close.

The song wasn't familiar but the words were haunting, and he found himself softly singing along. Not every single word but a number of the ones that repeated. "...I'm always here, I'm always here..." Ty wasn't sure what he was saying, only that the words felt right. His arms around Tandy were snug. Others danced faster around them, yet like how she'd been, he paid no attention to anyone else. "...I'll never leave when it's good... I promise to stay when it's bad..."

Music had a way with him. Ty didn't even realize he was singing or dancing, just Tandy in his arms and how right it felt. Given her outfit, her cell phone was in one of his pockets. His was in the other along with his wallet. She'd been able to take his wallet easily off of him without him realizing until he needed it. He wouldn't recognize if someone had knocked into him to take anything off of him again.

While face to face, there wasn't much of a chance with Tandy close to where his pockets were. The opportunity came in when another change to music came and Ty led her to turn away from him so her back rested on his chest. His arms returned to wrapping around her small frame as they moved in sync. Until the scent of a woman sprouted behind him and he felt hands that weren't his date's on his hips.

He'd seen and heard of people getting sandwiched while dancing but wasn't sure what to make of this stranger on him. It was a fleeting uncertainty, although not a knee-jerk immediate response; Ty didn't like it. Tandy could probably sense something out of whack as he tensed and straightened his head rather than keep his face cheek to cheek. He was caught off guard and wasn't even sure how to dance out of it.

"No." She bit her bottom lip but it did nothing to hide the fact that she was amused or that she was smirking a moment later before she leaned up to bring her lips near his ear again. All because he needed to hear her over the music, right? "I figured maybe you would just sway cutely and let me do the rest."

She was teasing him a little but the real tease came when the music changed. The feel of his hands sliding over her hips and moving around her frame caused her heart to race again. She didn't know the song but it seemed that he did and she found herself leaning into him so she could listen to him as much as the words of the original singer. She didn't even mind that they were swaying slowly while everyone else danced around them.

She decided that she should have known that he could dance as well as he could sing. There was also the words that sent slow trickling heat through her as she found herself aching to believe he meant the words he was singing. That he would stay around when it was bad....

Biting her lip gently, she peeked at him through her lashes until the music changed and he shifted back. The way he did it had her arching a brow at him until he was urging her to turn around and she started to smirk in understanding. Shifting back into him, she started to move with the beat as she danced with him pressed against her back.

It felt good, really good, and it started to stir different emotions inside of her all over again. Feelings that had her considering turning around and kissing him again but then she felt his energy change. It was in the way he tensed, causing her to twist about to look at him with a hint of concern before she realized what it was throwing his vibe off. Looking past him to the woman behind him, she immediately rankled at the interruption and tugged at Ty at the same time she stepped forward to place herself directly between them.

Then she reached out to push at the woman's shoulder, glaring at her rather hard. "Back off, he's mine."

Why did this always happen to them? Getting along great one minute, into a fight the next. Granted, it wasn't a fight between them. Ty was glad for that much. The way he'd been feeling with life on the run was isolated if it weren't for Tandy. She'd become everything to him, more so with Evita's absence. Arguing a little from time to time (mostly because they kept each other in check) was one thing. Being at odds how they'd been in the past was something he didn't want to revisit anytime soon.

It wasn't just his new lot in life, but now knowing first hand how Tandy had to feel over the last eight years, Ty didn't want that for her again. She had a friend who'd be there no matter what. As the song had said, whether things were good or bad. He needed that almost as much as she did. He'd been fortunate to have his parents who had done their best for him, definitely better than she had it.

Yet as much as he wanted this to be a good night for them, the sudden frisky dance partner was nothing that could be overlooked. The chick made Ty uncomfortable and Tandy immediately picked up on it. He never would've expected her to get into a fight over him but then it wouldn't be as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind to get in one over her. 'Back off, he's mine.' Those words weren't were what he expected.

From the surprised look on the taller woman's face, she hadn't expected the shove. Neither did she appreciate it. Ty immediately reinserted himself between the two with an arm wrapped around Tandy in an effort to cradle her in place. "Yeah, not interested. I'd appreciate it if you don't ruin our first date," he uttered over the music. The words got the stranger's attention to where she quit glaring back at Tandy but rolled her eyes instead before finally moving on.

The dress (if it could be called that, Ty thought he'd seen one piece bathing suits that covered a woman more) left little to the imagination and the woman wore it well but he didn't look more than what was necessary to make sure she went about her way. His eyes immediately moved down to Tandy. "Not that I wanted her to, but you know she would've regretted touching me skin to skin, right? Let's try not to get into a fight and attract any attention."

Ty put his hands on her hips while talking. He could've been considered to be bossing her around but his tone wasn't that at all. Neither was he worried about himself, but the both of them. There was also something else; his powers. Tandy could touch him but he couldn't shake how Connors suddenly disappeared into the unknown. The occurrence bothered him. He didn't want his anger escalating to that point where someone else might suffer the same fate at his hand.

Unless they hurt Tandy.

He wasn't thinking about anyone daring to do that, even after the incident they'd just had. "..'Sides, I think she got your message loud and clear." There was a grin forming at the end. He nudged affectionately at her forehead. "I'm yours." A statement. No question, like he often did. Maybe a little teasing. Tandy had caught him off guard with the declaration. "I just hope that means date and not a mark." Ty held a crooked grin, swaying how she'd initially thought he'd do with her.

Just like always, or at least usually, Ty is the one stepping in and diffusing the situation where Tandy has flown off the handle just a bit. But she was annoyed at the idea that the woman would interrupt or think what she had done was at all fine. Not that she had done anything horrible but it had made Ty uncomfortable and that hadn't sat well with Tandy at all.

But she let him step forward to position himself between the two of them again but this time to urge the lady to leave them alone. He was nicer about it, of course, and Tandy relaxed when the lady decided that this whole situation wasn't worth the trouble coming her way if she pushed anymore.

That didn't stop Tandy from glaring at her over Ty's shoulder as he walked away but she was quick to relax when he turned to look at her again. Tipping her head back, she arched a brow at him until it registered that he was saying that he wasn't interested before pointing out that the woman wouldn't have liked it if they had touched. Not that it actually made Tandy feel better but she decided it helped a little. As did the way he slid his hands over her hips, tugging her close once more as she relaxed further.

"Well, you were uncomfortable. She should have kept her hands to herself..." She trailed off as he repeated the words she had used and the realization that he was right had hit her. She had meant to say something more like he was with her or that he wasn't interested but it hadn't come out like that. So she was as caught off guard as he was, pressing her lips together as he talked about hoping that this was a date.

"It's not a mark." She replied, starting to sway with him as she reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Did that mean it was a date? Had she meant for it to be without really admitting it to herself? "Does that mean you want it to be a date, Ty? With me?"

"Well, I don't want it to be a date with her." There was a smirk tugging at his lips, amused at the conversation between them. It was usually Tandy who quipped and teased with Ty being the one to play along or follow her lead. Something changed tonight, yet didn't feel out of place. He didn't mind the role reversal. It had nothing to do with a thirst for control or getting back at her for the past--Tyrone didn't have either of those in him. Not with her.

If he were honest, craving control for his life was a thing. As was evening up a score. His feelings for Tandy had changed after learning of their destinies but he would have gone toe to toe with her, no. He still would go toe to toe with her when it mattered. Not out of spite. There was nothing to spite her over. In fact, it felt too good for words to describe hearing her claim over him.

His parents never seemed able to, not after Billy. Ty suspected that she knew that feeling too well since her father's death. She talked about not having any friends. He'd seen differently but believed Tandy regardless. It was easy to believe she pushed people away who tried to get close but he wasn't buying that. She had her defenses rightfully so after being taken advantage of time after time. In the end, she had known better.

"I want it to be a date. With you," he simmered rather than continue the teasing. That was her wheelhouse in which he could play along but ultimately settled on truth. She called him too honest, Tandy wasn't wrong. "I mean, it doesn't have to be like a real date, if you weren't thinking that. What were you thinking, Tandy Bowen?" Ty rambled a little, his nerves starting to show. He could kick himself.

How did this start with Tandy questioning but he was the one nervous? It felt like his jacket getting some high school experience on it all over again, which in itself should have been a flag. He'd been a mark then. No. Ty couldn't believe she would do that to him again. Not after everything. His hands kept her close to him as they swayed to an older yet fitting track.

"Are you sure? Because I could always call her back for you?" Tandy countered rather quickly, her lips twitching with a smirk again as she teased him right back without hesitation. It soothed something inside of her to hear that he wasn't interested in the other woman though. Not that she thought he actually would be but she still liked hearing it.

She could tell things were changing between them and had an idea that maybe it had been happening for a little while but tonight had been a definite turning point. Towards what, she wasn't quite sure yet but that was her issue and not really his. Except that she was starting to realize that he wanted more from her than she could have ever anticipated. Mostly because she hadn't thought he would want her like that.

Knowing that he did though was scary because she wouldn't be able to hide from him like she could with others. She had excelled at holding Liam at arms length and further rather cruelly but she couldn't pull those tricks with Ty. She had done more than enough to push him away before but he had stuck it out by being there when she felt like no one else was. Even with seeing all the crappy things she was capable of.

Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears as she heard his confession that he wanted the night to be a date between them. He was too honest and definitely way too good for her but she couldn't pull herself away from him. Oh, the whisper of doubt was there as was the urge to run in the other direction for his own good but she stayed. If anything, she seemed to tighten her arms around him even as the self-doubt flickered in her eyes.

"Are you really sure you want that, Ty? I mean, this isn't about that girl disappearing, is it?" Giving voice to her doubts tasted bad in the back of her mouth but she needed to ask. Something about him made her want to be honest too. "I mean, I'm kind of crappy at this relationship thing. You saw what I did to Liam. What if....what if I can't make you happy?"

She had to be talking about Evita. He couldn't imagine Tandy was still questioning him over the woman who took her exit after groping him. At the thought of his once girlfriend, Ty felt lousy. Was this cheating on her? Weeks had passed. Her phone went straight to voicemail. He'd checked where he could for Evita, Tandy knew that. Why was she asking-- Oh. That. "You don't have a monopoly over being bad at relationships. I don't even know if I had one."

That was the truth. Ty had given Evita his jacket but found it among his things when he'd picked up some of his belongings before escaping to the church. His thoughts after saving the 504 from Roxxon was that she'd kissed him goodbye, for good--believing he'd be the one to die. That realization had made him a little bitter. Divine Pairing or not, Tandy had refused to leave his side. No, he had no guilt to feel over Evita.

His eyes peered at Tandy and he gave a slight shrug. "I'm not him. You can't lie to me like you could him. I mean, you could but... I don't know. You make me happy most of the time. And sometimes I can't with you. If there's anything I learned from my parents is that everything isn't always happy. It's important to stick together no matter what and we've done that. So... it's really up to you."

They had stopped moving to the music in conversation and Ty didn't want to continue standing there. He reached for one of her hands, attempting to lead her off the dance floor. "Thirsty. We should get something to drink." And avoid the conversation they were having? It might have seemed that way. Tandy didn't seem happy with the talk. They could forget it for the time being.

Tandy certainly wouldn't call this cheating. Evita had disappeared on him and she wasn't sure if it had broken his heart or not but it had bothered him on some level which meant the other girl was no longer cool in her books. That and, honestly, Tandy sort of felt like she had first claim on Ty. Okay, maybe 'claim' wasn't the right word to use but their connection meant something and not just because of their powers.

But she did worry about whether she could make him happy or not. She wasn't sure what kind of girlfriend she could be but she knew that he deserved a good one. Looking up at him, she realized that maybe she could try. For him. If he was willing to be patient enough with her not to push or be upset when she inevitably screwed it up somewhere. As long as he was willing to stick with her through it which she was sure he would.

Remaining silent as he answered her, she bit her lip while realizing that he was right about the fact that she couldn't lie to him. Then she found herself smiling softly when he admitted that she made him happy most of the time which warmed something inside of her. It almost amused her but she didn't laugh because she didn't want him to think she was laughing at him during this kind of talk.

But instead of waiting for her response, he surprised her by grabbing one of her hands to lead her off the dance floor with the intention of getting a drink. Blinking at him, she dug in to stop from being tugged along and ended up tugging at his hand to make him stop. Then she was tugging at him again once he did, urging him to turn around before she smiled up at him.

"I think I have already proved that I'm not going anywhere, Ty. You're right too that I can't lie to you and I don't want to either which is why I'm warning you that I'm not very good at this." She drew in a breath, tugging again to draw him closer as her smile grew and somehow softened at the same time. "But if you're willing to deal with that while I learn how to be better, then...I'm in."

"Don't sell yourself short. You're pretty good at arguing," he teased lightly at seeing her smile. Ty matched her grin, his had a tendency of looking as if he were trying not to smile--not because she shouldn't have that power over him but because she did. His eyes had fallen to her lips briefly then picked up as he slowly leaned in.

It was weird yet not, kissing her. He'd barely gotten used to kissing Evita. Tandy... was better. Not necessarily a skill level, or maybe it was, he didn't really know. Ty didn't want to think about all her experience. Particularly that she'd used her sexuality to play a mark.

He never forgot their reunion where he'd been distracted with the conversation she struck up. Ty had fallen for her in the brief conversation and if Tandy hadn't stolen his wallet, Evita might not have ever gotten his varsity jacket.

Yet he also never forgot when Tandy talked about having everything taken from her. Whatever he'd done to Connors would undoubtedly happen to anyone who'd hurt her, if she ever let him know. Something told Ty that she knew that. Just like he knew she did her best to protect him. He often had the image of her holding a blade to Connors when Ty had already handled him pointing the gun at her.

The kiss this time was chaste, having a strange feeling that someone was watching them. Ty licked his lips and made eye contact first. "You're also really good at that but I think we better get the hoodie." He swallowed thickly, almost apologetic over not kissing her longer. A part of him wished to be wrong about someone watching them.

Maybe it was someone she knew. The music picked up in beat and the crowd would be a little harder to navigate around but also provided them cover.

"Oh, stop. All this flattery is going to go to my head if you don't stop." Tandy replied, teasing him right back even as she poked at his arm when he told her that she was pretty good at arguing. He wasn't wrong and she knew it but that didn't mean she had to cop to it at the moment. Not really. "You're pretty good at keeping up with me too if I recall."

Kissing him was different than kissing Liam but she had expected as much. His kiss was sweeter and yet more exciting as she felt a sizzling jolt rush through her every time. She knew it was the attraction but she was sure it was also their powers. Which made it feel nice.

It was an attraction she had felt the first night at the party but she had been too focused on making him a mark. But looking back, she could see it now and sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she had just stayed around to actually talk with him instead of stealing from him. Still, things had worked out rather well. In a completely crazy sort of way that wasn't all fun but here they were.

Leaning back when the rather chaste kiss broke, she studied his face for a moment before giving him a curious look. Then she felt it too and she frowned, suddenly more alert than she had been a moment before. Not that she turned around to look as she continued to watch him, not wanting to tip off anyone that was watching them that she knew.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly, still leaning into him though she did it now so he could hear her. Then she looked concerned. "Do you think someone called....you know?"

Instead of answering her, Ty moved through the crowd with an arm around Tandy to lead her along. It wasn't just to make sure she followed but also shield her from anything. He wasn't the tallest guy but enough to provide cover. If anyone had recognized him, she wouldn't take any of the heat the way O'Reilly had. Not if he had anything to do with it.

They were in hand's reach of his hoodie when a hand grabbed his opposite of Tandy. He only had a second to look as a fist came flying in his peripheral. Ty teleported out of the direction of travel, making the guy question but not stopping him from attempting another swing. At first glance, Ty recognized the aggressor; the guy Tandy had been with at the church. It only made him angrier and darkness started to slowly swell around him.

"You're really slummin' it these days, Tandy!" Liam barked before the second swing made contact with an innocent bystander. The strike was at the tail end of the swing and not the full force intended for Ty but still unwanted contact. Ty was visibly angry but torn between protecting Tandy from being associated with him (if anyone happened to recognize him as a wanted man), not to mention wanting to put her... whoever this asshole was to her, in place.

As the other man went in one direction from his second swing, Ty swung and landed a hook across his jaw. It was the only punch he'd be able to throw as the guy who Liam had made contact on entered into the fight. The opportunity presented itself for them to cloak away if Ty could shake off his anger and think straight. Shadows formed around him wherever Tandy wasn't closest, his body seemingly able to recognize her proximity.

It was probably a bad idea but Tandy was already considering different ways she could provide a distraction that would give Ty the cover that he needed to get away. She wasn't concerned with shielding herself but rather she wanted to protect him, especially since she was the one who had dragged him out for the night instead of letting him hide away where he was safe.

It was enough to make her feel guilty as she hurried along with him, her eyes darting this way and that. Which was how she saw the punch coming and who was behind it, the sight of Liam shocking her enough that it took her a second or two to realize what was happening.

"Liam!" She yelled, her hand tightening around Ty's before she let go so Ty would have the room to move if he needed to. She also needed it as she quickly sidestepped the wild swing, moving out of the way as it connected with innocent bystander. Wincing, she wondered then if Liam was drunk and she started to take a step forward but stopped as Ty suddenly punched Liam hard enough to send him stumbling back.

Then she was torn, a part of her wanting to make sure that Liam was okay but she still moved towards Ty as instinct pulled her towards him instead of to her ex-boyfriend. Ex-lover. Whatever he was. Turning to Ty, she looked at him with a wide-eyed, apologetic expression before yelling. "Go!"

She didn't want to risk him getting caught because there was no doubt in her mind that someone was calling the cops. She also knew she should stay behind but she was reaching for Ty's hand even as she saw the shadows starting to pull around him.

Ty wasn't sure who Tandy was choosing. Her connection to the past, even if he'd left her at the church. She'd called out his name. Liam. Yet she didn't seem mad at Ty for punching the ex who insulted her. She yelled for him to go. "Not without you," he countered firmly. The kissing was over as she seemed torn between past and present, unable to decide who to go with, but that didn't mean he'd leave her.

He wasn't sure she would listen but felt her hand take his again. Ty reached for the hoodie that almost fell out of reach. Or maybe he'd used his power to reach it with Tandy in hand. There was a growing fight brewing that took the attention off the couple disappearing. They were back in the church without him ever putting on the hoodie. He held it tight in a hand, opting to let go of hers rather than make the moment more awkward than it already was.

"Sorry," he muttered to the floor. His eyes moved to the hooded jacket that was once his brother's. Ty moved to put it over the bench it usually rested on when he wasn't wearing it. "I can get you home," he offered over his shoulder. It was as if he refused to look at Tandy, expecting her to regret everything that had happened between them so far that night. He'd been able to land a punch on Liam but it wasn't a satisfactory fight as far as Ty was concerned.

He picked up the hoodie he'd just put down and started putting it on, setting out to do what he'd told Tandy: get her home.

Tandy could feel a bitter sort of laugh bubbling up inside of her the second they landed back in the church and let go of her hand in the blink of an eye. She had tried to warn him that she was messed up and that getting involved with her could be trouble, so it only seemed fitting that shit would go sideways the minute that shit hit the fan. And oh boy, had it ever.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched as he moved away from her and refused to make eye contact while offering to take her home. She almost agreed but she also resisted telling him to do something nasty to himself before taking off. She normally would have but she found herself hesitating because she couldn't do her normal thing with Ty. She was trying to be a different person and that was largely because of him.

She started to take a step towards him but paused, hesitating for a moment as she tried to figure out how she was supposed to do this. She opened her mouth, closed it and frowned softly at his back like the problem was continuing confusing her. Then she drew in a breath and sighed, looking down at the ground without realizing the vulnerable sort of portrait she made at the moment.

"I'm....sorry." She managed then, softly. "But he was wrong. If anyone is slumming it, it's you. I did warn you about getting involved with me, Ty. This kind of shit just might be normal...if you still want to."

"You still have feelings for him."

It was stupid. He knew she did. No different than he had feelings for Evita. No. That wasn't right. He cared about Evita but unless Tandy was done with him, his feelings were wrapped up in the stubborn mess who--

Did she really just apologize to him?

Ty looked up, giving up the zipping of the hoodie and letting it slouch off his shoulders. "Tandy, I'm not--" He exhaled in frustration, breath leaving him like a sigh. "I still want to." He stepped in closer. "Do you want to?" Instead of looking anywhere else, his gaze focused intently on her. "Seems like you've got unfinished business. I've made my peace with mine..."

Was he jealous? Yeah, maybe he was. More than he knew was right for him to feel. Ty didn't care what Liam or anyone had to say, he cared about how Tandy felt. Her torn feelings made it hard for him to tell what that was. "...Have you?" He could always go into her dreams and find the truth. This was her opportunity to change her mind without having to explain anything to him.

"No! Ty, no." Her response was immediate and sharp, almost desperate even but she needed him to believe her as she took a step towards him. Then she stopped herself, keeping her distance as she drew in a breath to steady herself before she could explain.

"Of course, I want to." She told him honestly but she was still scared of something. Of him, of herself, of the thing between them that was so large and intense that it could feel all-consuming. It was also the thing that made her feel safest which was a scary feeling to have considering all that she had lost before.

"What I feel for him, about him, is guilt." There was a part of her that didn't even want to tell him all this but she suspected he knew or could figure it out on his own. He had seen her at her worse or close to it but it still felt hard to say the words out loud. As if she could keep him from remembering if she didn't say anything but she had warned him already that being with her wouldn't be easy.

"If I had the feelings that he wanted me to have, I would have been better to him than I was. But all I did was use him and then...abandon him when he needed me." It made her feel gross to say it, the shame rippling across her features as she looked down at the ground. "I don't think I can ever make it right with him. Not right now. All I can really do at the moment is to try to be better and not do all the shitty things I used to do."

Swallowing thickly, she looked up at Ty again. "But I don't want to be with him."

Of course she wanted to? Ty wasn't expecting that response. He didn't know exactly why, Tandy had said she'd be willing to try. Maybe that was it. She was willing didn't exactly translate into wanting. Something shifted in her explanation now that made him understand better. Until she mentioned guilt.

His mouth opened in question but closed again as Tandy continued. She was... cute about her guilt? He knew with full certainty if Tandy found out what he was thinking, she'd slap him. Or worse. It wasn't just being smitten and see these new sides of her he'd somehow missed before, there was something really sweet seeing that she had this inner struggle--not just trying to be someone she wasn't for him. He couldn't handle that much responsibility.

She needed to do better, be good, of her own accord. And she was. There wasn't more proof than what she just went on about with nobody but him to listen. Ty felt the need to step in, physically and verbally.

"He's a grown man, Tandy. I think he's got plenty to guilt over himself. You need to let that go. He's still among the living, able to do better for himself. At least, if he quits being a petty crazy ex."

It wasn't as if Ty didn't understand guilt. He knew it all too well, still carrying it for Billy. Yet what he said about Liam wasn't with any bias. He was sure the other guy had his use of Tandy from what little he knew of him. It wasn't as if the guy helped her live a better life. Even if she didn't hold feelings for him, guilt was making her miss out on all of that. Ty closed what little distance was between them.

"You do have the tendency to make people crazy so I feel for him too."

There was a gentle hand that cupped her cheek but a very low key tease coming from him with a soft smirk.

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