You Didn't Say Goodbye [Jezika] [Rated PG 13]

Professors Posts : 13

[[Note that there are mentions of having consensual sex, but nothing detailed at all; the act is merely mentioned or suggested between adults.]]

Blake was nervous. In fact, he was probably more nervous than he had been in a long, long time. He had done many dangerous things in his life, infiltrated many groups that would have scared the shit out of anyone, and he meant that literally. From muggle drug gangs to human trafficking rings, he had done things and seen things that would cause most to end up in a mental hospital. He had trained with muggle guns and cast spells that would normally result in an Azkaban sentence so long he would be dead thrice over before he would even be considered for release. He discussed grisly murders over breakfast and picked up body pieces from drains just after lunch. He had, quite literally, been there done that for more things than he would care to mention.

But none of that even came close to how he was feeling now.

Stood outside the Staff Common room, Blake wiped sweaty palms against his pants before running them through his hair as he took another deep breath. He had been staring at the wooden door for the past couple minutes, wanting but not physically able to enter. Not just yet.

How long had it been since he last saw his partner? Too long, his brain provided; the math was too complicated to perform now, not with the anxious thoughts running through his brain. If his mind were allowed to speak, it would probably sound like: ANDI.MISSION.DOESSHELOOKTHESAME.ANDIZIKA.TEACHING.PROFESSOR.HOWLONGHASITBEEN.
ZIKA.OHMYGODIAMREALLYDOINGTHIS.MERLINSACADEMY.SHEISGOINGTOKILLME.ZIKA. But, on the outside, his face was set in this half-grimace of nerves, and gave nothing else away. He hadn't told her he was doing this, hadn't told her that he was coming. It was... terrifying, exhilarating, and all these other things he didn't have words for.

Taking another deep breath, he tried to fix his facial expressions. It was a common enough trick while undercover; they had different memories they called on for different emotions, simulating something that was, for all intents and purposes, genuine. The only problem was his memory for 'relax and smile' was her - Jezika, he reminded his brain, not Andi - and if she was the one he needed to be relaxed around, that probably wasn't gonna help much.

"No time like now," he murmured to himself, gathering the frays of courage scattered around his being and pushing the double doors open.

"Hello Professors of Merlin," he announced, eyes darting around from person to person, a light smirk on his face. "I'm Blake, your newest coworker. Would anyone care to give me a tour? I seem to have a knack for getting lost, and I wouldn't like to be late to class on my first day on the job." His gaze fell directly on his partner - ex-partner? - and then he broke contact, continuing on to the couches and seating himself on the armrest.

His heart was pounding, and he could feel a trickle of sweat roll down his back, but he couldn't help the genuine grin that was taking over at the sight of A..-Zika. If she felt the same, though, was yet to be seen.

Professors Posts : 27

Paper had never felt like Jezika's worst enemy and simultaneously her best friend. It was one of those days where she had a significant amount of time between classes and she was in the staff room, staring daggers at the piece of paper, wishing that her gaze could burn it to ashes, and yet holding to it tightly and never wanting to let go.

It was the last owl she'd received from her partner, with the same news in all the other owls. There was no lead in her case yet. That news made her want to tear the piece of paper to shreds and yet it was the only physical thing that connected her to him. She'd released her frustration in the dueling classroom, taking out all her emotions on the poor punching bag, and now sat in her sports bra and track pants with a light jacket thrown around her shoulders. The work out had done nothing but remind her of the spars and duels she usually had with her partner.

There was no doubt about it. She missed him. Very much.

His first letter had come as a surprise, since protocol forbade her from making any contact with her team. She knew she should get rid of the letters once she'd read them but she'd kept each and every letter. She couldn't help it. She and Mason had formed and unbreakable bond. Sure, he'd been annoying when they were first partnered up but now she was fond of him, more so than she liked to admit. This separation from him only made that clearer.

"Bye, Jezika!" one of the other professors called before exiting the room.

She absentmindedly nodded her head. Jezika. The alias she'd been given that was fully solid and would endure any scrutiny. But she missed hearing her name. Andi. She missed hearing her partner call her 'Andi' and yes, she even missed it when he called her 'Andrea' to tease her.

She sighed and folded the letter, bringing it to her nose, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. She let her imagination run and could picture him standing there, could almost here his voice greeting all the professors of the academy. Wait. Her eyes popped open and her head swung around to see his familiar figure, with its mop of tousled hair, standing at the entrance to the room. No. It couldn't be. She must be hallucinating. She missed him too much and now her brain was conjuring him. And yet, who else but him would enter like that? He was real alright.

"Mason?" she whispered as her breath hitched. Her gaze widened when it landed on her. Then he was walking away. But she still had her gaze stuck on the doorway. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the sound of him sitting down. The next second, she was up on her feet and before she even knew what she was doing she stalked over and landed a solid punch on his shoulder. And again and again and again.

"You idiot! You didn't tell me you were coming. I'm going to kill you! You hear me?! I'm gonna kill you!" she whisper yelled, dealing a fury of punches on his shoulder, hard enough to make it hurt but properly placed so it wouldn't actually cause injury. Then she was hugging him ferociously, squeezing the life out of him.

Professors Posts : 13

Carefully, intently, he watched her, waiting for her reaction. It was slow. Each second that passed by took hours, until - finally - she moved. He did not see that coming. The first punch landed squarely on his shoulder, and he winced. "Owww," He couldn't help the exclamation; Andi always could take care of herself, and sparring with her usually ended with him crying for mercy. Of course, she hardly ever gave him that, and while she claimed to pull her punches, the bruises that lasted for days would always prove otherwise. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," he continued with each fresh punch.

"Zika, have we met?" he asked, eyes glinting with absolute mischief. "Or are you always - ow - this rough with strangers? In any case, I'm Blake, it's nice to - ow - meet you," he went on, rambling like he always did when he was in trouble with people he knew well. It was a tell of his that he couldn't control - around friends, in any case. "Anyways, if all the staff are - ow - as... physical in their greetings as you are, I'm - ow - not sure I'll stay for very long. Ow."

But then, she was talking and issuing threats and he just couldn't help but grin widely. It was good to see her again and hear her voice - even if she was claiming she'd kill him, something he knew she was definitely capable of - and he breathed in deeply, taking in the familiar scent. Sweat and lingering traces of her perfume; she must have just been working out, then. Considering her outfit, the alternative isn't really something I want to consider, his subconscious spoke, and he blinked as he realised his brain was right. He would bring this up later to embarrass her. Merlin knew it had been too long since he last properly annoyed the witch.

A split second later, though, he felt arms enveloping him and he grinned into the hair of his partner, arms automatically circling around her and pulling her close. He tried to speak, and then faltered, swallowing past the tension in his throat. He was not going to cry. He was not going to cry. He was not going to cry. So, instead, he went with something sarcastic, though Andi was probably one of the very few people who could read past his outer appearances. "I knew you loved me, Andi," he murmured; it was right into her ear, so nobody else would've heard the name change. "Nobody buys the whole 'killing me' thing anymore, you know that right? I'm too pretty and you love me too much."

Professors Posts : 27

Jezika didn't know what to feel. She was mad that he'd showed up without any warning, relieved to see him again and torn between wanting to rip his head off and hug him forever. She'd sort through it all later. Right now, she needed to deal with him and made sure he knew how murderous she was feeling towards him for appearing out of thin air and shocking the wits out of her.

Hearing him vocalise his pain brought a twinge of satisfaction. She wasn't unfamiliar with it, having elicited similar reactions when they sparred. But hearing it again after so long made her heart jump a little and beat double time. She hadn't forgotten his voice. It was her lullaby every night and her alarm clock every morning. And now, hearing it so near to her told her he was real. He was really there. Alive and well.

She raised an eyebrow at his question, not missing the light in his eyes. It was a redundant question. He called her a nickname and yet claimed they hadn't met. "Oh yes, we have! I'm your worst nightmare!" she responded. "And the feeling is not mutual," she continued in response to his greeting. She stopped her flurry of punches abruptly after his next words.

His arms around her felt like home, like the safest place on earth and she breathed out a long sigh. "Would a physical greeting like this make you stay?" she said softly, her chin resting on his shoulder. She had to tip-toe a bit to reach it but she didn't mind. Holding him made him feel more real, reassured her of his presence, told her that he was not just some phantasm of her mind.

Andi. He'd called her Andi. She reveled in hearing her real name again but stiffened slightly at his words. There was no missing the sarcastic tone in which they were said but she heard something else a few layers underneath the words. Could it be? But no. It couldn't, could it? Did he really mean that? It was hard to make him serious sometimes. But that was the pot calling the kettle black. She also wasn't one to talk about feelings easily. Not knowing quite how to respond she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Oh, shut up."

Leaning back a little, she took a good long look at his face, committing it to memory and relearning every line and curve. "You'd be surprised. The pretty ones are always the first to go." She grinned.

Professors Posts : 13

"I couldn't tell," he responded dryly. "I mean, I always treat the people I'm glad to see by punching them. I figured you were doing the same." Pausing, he tilted his head; there was no better time. She had quite literally just given him the perfect set up. With as straight a face as he could manage, knowing the twinkling of his eyes would give it away, Blake said, "Wow. My worst nightmare sure looks sexy. What is that, a sports bra and nothing else, Zika? You've either been to the gym or working out elsewhere. Have you already found yourself a significant other, then? Is he cute? Tell me he's cute, at the very least."

At her soft question, his smile widened. Yes. Merlin, yes, he thought, but the only words he said were, "Do you greet all newcomers like this? Wow, Merlin's is more friendly than I thought." He said nothing more, allowing the sensations to wash over him, the whole time repeating I will not cry, over and over. Andi would never let him live it down if she caught him crying at their reunion, even if it had been forever since they last spoke.

Besides, he would probably have to explain that he was secretly in love with her, and that was a conversation he didn't want to have. Not today, and probably not ever.

"Oh, shut up."

Now that was an invitation if he'd ever heard it. "Shut up? Surely you don't mean to say you didn't miss hearing the sweet sexy tones of my voice?" He paused to hide a chuckle, then went on. "I'm almost hurt, Andi. I expected a better reception than 'shut up'. Maybe I'll go away for a few more months. Would that be enough 'shutting up' for you?"

She broke contact first, and momentarily, his mind and body protested. Just another minute, he wanted to tell her. Just one more second. But, he said nothing. She didn't need to know how much he truly missed her; nobody did, really. Again, Blake swallowed, ignoring the lump in his throat, and turned his attention to what she was saying. "They do, don't they? It's a shame, really. But you know what they say - beauty has a price."

He hesitated, wanting to say so many things to her, and not finding the words to do so. It wasn't... him. They were bantery and sarcastic and more often than not ended up exchanging insults instead of having heart to heart - but that was what he wanted. "It's good to see you again," he told her, softly.

He froze. It was too much, too awkward, too non-private, and he bit back anything else, instead holding out a hand. "Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Jezika Fayne. Can I call you Zika? Or would you prefer Jez? Or, perhaps, Ika would be the better choice. Hmm. I don't know. What do you think, Zi?" He flashed her a grin. Ah, yes, it was very good to see her again.

Professors Posts : 27

At his words, Andi put on a hurt expression. "Does that mean you're not glad to see me? I mean, you're not punching me," she said. Although she knew he was being sarcastic, she decided to make his life a little more difficult by taking him literally. Then he continued talking and she felt her face heat up against her own will. She'd worn this outfit - minus the jacket - many times when she dueled with him or worked out. But that wasn't the point. The point was that she was sweaty, not wearing makeup and her pony-tailed hair was probably messier than a bird's nest and he called her sexy. Oh, she knew he was teasing alright but that didn't mean it didn't affect her.

"It's Jezika and I'm wearing a jacket over, if you're too blind to notice," she began then paused for a while, a sly smile creeping on her lips. "Hmm. Yes, he's very very cute. What's that to you, huh?" She kept her expression fairly neutral, not wanting him to know that she was actually talking about him. Blake was definitely cute and he was her partner. Which is sort of a significant other, really. They spent the greater part of everyday together, working, teasing and bantering.

No, just you, she thought in response to his question but didn't say anything out loud, instead relishing the safety and comfort she found in his arms. She'd moved her head so that it was resting against his chest, her toes having tired of trying to keep her at the same height level as him. The scent of his cologne was as familiar to her as a voice of home and she breathed deeply.

"Sexy tones? No, I think yours is more of a babyish whine, don't you think?" she bit back with a grin and twinkle in her eye. How she missed the conversations they had! Since she'd come to the academy, she hadn't yet found a peer that connected with her as much and as deep as she'd connected with Blake. "And you're not getting away from me that easy. You owe me a fist fight," she added, using her forefinger and prodding his chest none too gently.

Andi chuckled at his words. "A price you seem all to eager to pay," she responded. "I don't think I've had a partner that obsessed about his looks." Her grin widened as she reached up and ruffled his mop of a hair with her fingers, stopping when it was a complete and total mess, hanging in front of his eyes.

His next six words pierced her heart. Six little words that held so much meaning. Her gaze remained steady on his baby blue eyes, eyes she missed seeing light up with mischief in the months she'd been away. "Yes, it is," she agreed simply, wanting to add I missed you but she refrained. She'd included those three words in one of her letters when the loneliness got too much to bear. But saying the words out loud was very different from writing it on a piece of paper. Saying it straight to his face was absolutely terrifying.

The moment passed and Andi let it go. She wasn't one for personal conversations and revealing feelings. Taking his hand she gave it a firm shake. "Jezika," she emphasized. "Je-zi-ka." She narrowed her eyes at him, the meaning in her glare loud and clear: Call me anything else and you're dead. Deciding a look wasn't enough, she let the heel of her foot come down hard on his toes, smiling sweetly as she did so.

Professors Posts : 13

She was doing that on purpose, Blake knew. Sarcasm came as naturally to him as irksome did for her, but he wouldn't have it any other way. Still, as he debated his options, he realised he was in a corner unless his brain could come up with something - and fast. If he said no, and hit her, it would be a reason for her to (quite literally) humiliate him. A flip wasn't out of the question, and neither was a rather painful arrest position, with his arm pulled out behind him. He winced internally at those two thoughts. And then, the solution presented itself and he flashed her a grin. "Of course I am, but I was always taught never to hit women. Are you saying you're not?"

Her blush made his smirk widen. Bingo, he thought, regarding her with a slightly smug expression. "Awww is the Auror Professor shy about her sex life?" he teased. Ignoring the part where she corrected him on her name, he pondered her words. She could just be taunting him, saying things that weren't true to get a reaction from him; or, alternatively, she could be serious. The latter was not one he wanted to think about, if he was going to be honest. It was a smart move if she was undercover, but a small stab of pain couldn't help but be felt at the idea of her with someone else romantically. Not that they had ever... Merlin, no, but sometimes undercover missions had them pretend to be a couple, and if he were to be honest, that were the ones he liked the most.

After all, it was the only time Andi would hold his hand, and he could tell her "I love you" and genuinely mean it without anyone realising it was him speaking and not the persona.

Erring on the side of caution, Blake tilted his head. "Oh, just wanted to make sure you were getting some. I mean, undercover work can be very stressful, and it always pays to have something to unwind with," he continued, making his tone as serious as he possibly could. "Are there no rules against sleeping with your coworkers, then?" He made a show of glancing around, but the room was mostly empty; nobody there was within earshot. "If there isn't... Maybe I'll find someone too. Merlin knows our jobs don't leave us with much of a personal life. Where do you hide the sexy ones?"

"I don't whine," he whined, putting as much effort into it as he could, reaching up to slap her hand away. "Hey! Don't mess with my hair. It takes me hours to get right each morning. You know that!" he added, almost immediately followed by another "Owww," as her finger collided with his chest. He'd almost forgotten how hard she poked, if not for what he swore was a permanent bruise in the exact area she'd just prodded, from years of her doing... well, exactly that.

Three words.

Not quite the three words he wanted to hear, but three words that made him smile nevertheless. It was something, though, and Blake would take what he could. There was silence for a few moments, and he let his eyes travel her face as though he'd forgotten what it looked like; as though he hadn't spent months dreaming about her and staring at the last photograph they took together.

The comment about her name only made his eyes glint in mischief. How many nicknames could he come up with for 'Jezika'? He let out a tiny squeak of held in pain when she stepped on his foot, but the opportunity was too great to let it go, and he forced a grin on his face. "Whatever you say, Zizi."

Professors Posts : 27

Andi waited for his reply, wondering what he could come up with in response to her statement. She wouldn't deny that he could match her wit; he was probably even better than her, but she'd never admit it. She loved the game, the battle of wits and seeing who could make the other surrender first. So far, they were on fairly equal in their score and she hoped she hadn't gotten rusty and out of practice during the months she was away from him. She knew she had to be prepared for anything he might throw at her. And he didn't disappoint. "That never stopped you before," she retorted with a grin, recalling the number of times they'd engaged in hand-to-hand combat and also the number of times he'd had to tackle a female suspect to the ground. She raised an eyebrow at his question. "Are you afraid of me, Mason?" she taunted, a sparkle lighting her eyes.

The smirk on his face irritated her to no end. He'd gotten the better of her and he knew it. Arrogant idiot she thought to herself. "Why? is the Healing Professor jealous about the sex life of the Auror Professor?" she returned, her heart racing with adrenaline at their banter and her mind whirring to try to keep up with him. She kept as neutral a face as she could, not wanting to let him see how much she missed their conversations and how alive she felt when they were exchanging carefully chosen words.

Then he started talking again and her heart sank a little as he began talking of finding someone to sleep with. A stab of jealousy punctured a hole in her heart and she felt the blood drain out little by little. Summoning willpower from deep within her, she called upon her undercover instincts to erase every emotion from her face, keeping only her previous smile on. Oh, she knew he was teasing, knew he was trying to rile her up and get the better of her but no matter how hard she tried, she could ignore the hurt his words left behind.

She made an agreeing sound in the back of her throat. "Mmm, yes. Ice cream in beer is perfect for unwinding," she replied, pretending to be completely oblivious to the actual meaning of his statement. "And there's a very stringent rule about relationships with coworkers but who said my significant other is a coworker?" she added, putting emphasis on "very" in an effort to discourage him from actually carrying in out. She didn't think he would sleep with a coworker but better safe than sorry. "Sexy ones? You're looking right at her," she grinned.

She laughed heartily. That was another thing she missed. Laughing and the joy that came with it. "Oh yes you do!" she chuckled. "You're worse than a teenage girl trying to get the cute boy next door to notice her. What next? Gonna wear some makeup?" At his cry of pain, she grinned trying her best to suppress the fierce urge to kiss the spot she'd poked.

She didn't miss the way his gaze soaked up her face. She'd done pretty much the same thing. Of course, in the dark of night when she was in bed, she'd scroll through her phone, smiling at the pictures they had that captured special moments and memories. Looking at the real thing was much more satisfying though.

She gave him a hard look. "Yes, whatever I say," she repeated. She paused slightly, letting the knowledge that her partner, the person she'd go to the ends of the earth for was standing right in front of her after months of separation. "What are you doing here, really, Mason," she inquired softly. There had to be a reason he turned up all of a sudden. Having two Aurors from the same unit - one of whom had her identity leaked - would be suspicious to a close observer.

Professors Posts : 13

Ah. He had expected that reply, and hoped she wouldn't have said it, because he didn't have an answer; she was right. His father had taught him hitting women wasn't right, but then again, his father hadn't counted on what Blake - or probably Martin - would have ended up doing. Blake's job wasn't exactly the best one for a gentleman: if the suspect was female, he would do whatever it took to take her down, even kill. And if killing wasn't worse than hitting, nothing was. So, that rule of being gentlemanly had very quickly flown out the window, not that Blake ever really took to it in the first place. Gentlemen didn't flirt, or have the casual fling, or admired...well, you got the idea.

But the second question... That he could toy with. "Me? Afraid? Psh. Haven't you read history textbooks, Zika? The only thing you have to fear is fear itself."

More than you know, he replied inwardly; outwardly, he grinned. "No, just concerned for the unfortunate soul you've got wrapped around your pinky." He made another show of glancing her up and down. "Or perhaps somewhere other than your pinky." With a suggestive wink, he bit back the grin so that it just showed, and waited for the fallout he knew he'd get.

Her response made him roll his eyes quite obviously. "Actually, the kind of unwinding I was talking about starts with 'S' and ends with 'E-X'," he said, spelling it out for her quite literally. She'd get embarrassed, that much was for sure. It was almost too easy, the way she kept setting herself up, but just because it was easy didn't mean it wasn't fun. It was. Very, very much so.

Her statement made him blink, his insides contorting once again in that uncomfortable mess. So she does have someone she's sleeping with? He shook his head, pretending that it was at her words and not to clear the haze of doubt that had just entered his mind. Don't be stupid, you know she's just messing with you. You would have said the same thing, he countered himself. Aloud, and putting as much pretend shock into his tone as he could, he said, "So it's a student?!"

At her remark, he once more pretended to give her a lookover - and, if he were honest, actually did take her in. "Mmmm yes, I would have to agree," he said, making sure his tone was teasing so she wouldn't realise he was being completely serious.

He let out a laugh at the idea of him applying makeup, shaking his head rather violently. "Is that how you're getting the student to sleep with you?" he asked, smirking full on once more. "Makeup - Andrea's secret weapon. I should've guessed." He used her full name on purpose; it was the last ace up his sleeve, because he knew just how much she hated it.

Her question made him pause as he deliberately spent time thinking about it and ignoring the sarcastic answer that was first to present itself. This was serious; this was real. It wasn't a banter opportunity, and it wasn't something that was said for the sake of being said. It was genuine and Blake knew her well enough to know she wanted an honest-to-Merlin answer and nothing less.

Because I love you, was so obviously out of the question. So was Because I missed you. He'd already said that last one, so what she wanted to know stretched further than that.

And then, before he quite knew what he wanted to say, he spoke, the words coming out all by themselves. "Because you didn't say goodbye."

He paused. Swallowed. "Because you are my-" Secret love. Crush. Sexy-thing. "-my best friend, and partner, and partners don't leave partners behind. You go, I go. So here I am."

» Jezika Velia Fayne
» My One Good Thing (Bland) [Rated PG 13]

You Didn't Say Goodbye [Jezika] [Rated PG 13]

You Didn't Say Goodbye [Jezika] [Rated PG 13]

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