Disapproval

[Axel Jonasen]

A xel was lying on the floor of the studio apartment that he shared with Tori. His back hurt. Age was catching up with him, although he was too stubborn to admit it. Lying on a hard surface, like the floor, and stretching helped alleviate some of his pain. Although, he supposed that it would be a safe bet that he would feel better if he stopped engaging in such strenuous activity. He had to stop getting into fistfights for one. It was starting to feel like every time he went back to Seattle, he got into one fight or another. Either way, he was home now (or more accurately, as ‘home’ as he could ever be. He wasn’t the type to settle down very well), and he needed a good night’s sleep. Groaning a little at the movement, Axel reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek, silver plated case. It was slim and fit nicely in his pants pocket. He popped it open to reveal several neatly rolled joints and a lighter. He put a joint between his lips and lit it. After putting the case back into his pocket, he looked towards Tori, who was sitting on a couch about ten feet away working on her laptop. He assumed she was editing photos or answering emails. She always seemed to be doing that. “Want some?” he asked in his faintly accented voice. STARTER TAG Victoria Foster

credit to nat of adoxography.

[Victoria Foster]

Fuck. Does this bitch really expect me to have this ready by Friday? Yeah, it's fine, it's not like I was doing anything else anyway. Stupid little...

Tori's brow was furrowed in both frustration and concentration. Her laptop was set delicately on her lap as she worked. Editing photos was so time consuming, she almost wished she could quit it and hand her clients whatever she shot fresh from the camera. Yeah right, that's not what these women wanted. And so she brushed away at the photo, adding touch ups to magically vaniquish the crowsfeet on the old hags face and make her more bearable to stare at.

She twitched at Axel's voice. It gave her a start despite his soft spoken tone. Her mind seemed to snap to attention, forgetting about the work she really needed to get done by tomorrow morning. But hey, this break was needed and well deserved.

Tori nodded and placed her work on the cushion beside her. She stood and raised her arms in the air in a stretch as she walked over to him. "Thanks, sweet stuff." the words came out more tart than what she was aiming for, but it did the trick. A mischievous look crossed her face as she stood over Axel, her feet on either side of his body. She then plopped down on his chest so she could steal the joint from his lips and take a drag.

"You look sore." He always did. Even if she asked, he wouldn't tell. His life always seemed to be a secret. It was as if he doubted Tori would be able to understand. Insulting, really. "Need a heat pack?"

[Axel Jonasen]

A xel grunted as Tori sat on his chest and took the joint. He was used to Tori's tendency to be physical towards him. Even before they had started living together, she had been very comfortable to interact with him physically. Axel usually didn't pay much mind to it. He had little to no interest in physical relationships. "I am sore," he said in his usual monotone voice. "But I don't need a heat pack." He wouldn't elaborate much further on the matter. The most that Tori knew about his work was he sold drugs sometimes. Axel preferred it that way. He didn't like too many people knowing what he was doing. He never told her what he did when he went out of town, or exactly how much drugs or what kind he was moving, but she didn't need to know. He kept the business outside of their shared apartment. It paid the rent-- more than Tori realized. She gave him rent money for the apartment and the studio, but had no clue that the majority of their bills were paid by Axel's work. He reached up and put his hands on her knees, debating on moving her. The weight was sort of nice, though. The pressure was helping his back stretch out, which he badly needed. "Hop up a second," he said, curling his fingers against Tori's knees to tickle her. "Let me flip over and you walk on my back." STARTER TAG: Victoria Foster

credit to nat of adoxography.

[Victoria Foster]

Tori shrugged when her suggestion was shot down. It was his loss than. He was just gonna be sore and sad about it. Whatever. Not her problem.

No, that was wrong. Tori would care very much. She just felt sad sometimes. Tori was like an open book with Axel, and he didn't always give her the time of day. But she tried her best to not let it upset her. At least she didn't have to deal with her own emotions for long. Her power would leech on Axel and bring her to the same level he was at. Axel either felt chill or very angry. The latter never did Tori any good.

She took a second but shorter drag before Axel began tickling her. She squealed, falling on her side and scrambling away from him as fast as she could, accidentally giving his side a little kick. The joint almost fell out of her hands in the commotion, and she shot Axel a dirty look. "You know I hate that!" Tori whined but couldn't stay mad for long.

Tori leaned down enough to place the joint in Axel's lips. "Alright then, flip over." Once he did, she placed a socked foot on his back and stepped up. Her arms were out at her sides, making her feel like a trapeze artists. She prayed she wouldn't fall and bust her ankle. Why didn't she say no to this? She wasn't the most stable individual in the world. In fact, Tori was fairly certain she was the clumsiest girl in the universe.

"This isn't gonna screw it up more, is it?"

[Axel Jonasen]

T ori kicked his side by accident but Axel kept quiet. She was a clumsy girl, but he knew that. He rolled over onto his stomach and she got up on his back. "It's not gonna hurt me more," Axel told her, carefully maneuvering the end of the joint to pinch it between his teeth. With Tori on his back, it would be hard for him to grab the joint with his hands and not hurt himself more. "It'll crack it. I need that." As Tori took tentative steps to walk along his back, Axel closed his eyes and hummed happily in his chest. The pressure felt good. His back cracked satisfyingly and he opened his eyes. "That's good, kid," he indicated for her to get down. Before he grabbed the joint out of his mouth, he reached up to pull Tori down to the ground with him. He had her tucked under his arm with her head on his chest before she could protest. He plucked the joint out of his mouth and put it in hers.  "I bumped into one of your friends," Axel said, and kissed the top of her head. It was an innocuous statement, but Axel was building up to something. "Lizzie, I think. She seemed to be... concerned with our living arrangement. She also seemed to think I was your boyfriend, but I don't know where she got that from."  He took the joint from Tori so she could inhale properly, but also so she could reply. It was getting close to the roach, anyway. STARTER TAG: Victoria Foster

credit to nat of adoxography.

[Victoria Foster]

Tori allowed a smile to herself, satisfied she was able to help him. The last thing she needed was for him to be in too much pain to get up in the morning. She would have felt too bad to get to her own work, and he would probably have complained that she was fussing over him too much.

As she stepped off, Axel pulled her down. Cuddling with him was magical, and she didn't protest one bit to being pulled ontop of him. A hand naturally rested on his side as she held onto him. A little hum escaped her, but the blissful feeling didn't last long since Axel started to play his little game.

She used the joint as an excuse not to answer right away. She took as big of a drag as she was allowed before it was plucked from her lips. She held her breath for a count of five before exhaling, giving Axel one of the most innocent looks she could muster. "I have no idea why she should we say something like that. She knows we just live together."

Would he believe that? Probably not. He always assumed she was lying. Or at least questioned her honesty. But since when did telling partial truths count as a lie? Lizzie was, technically, only told that Tori lived with him. But she supposed Liz would have assumed they were an item with the way Tori talked about Axel. All she said was that they may as well be boyfriend and girlfriend with the way they acted towards each other. Damn, she was going to have to justify herself to him now, wasn't she?

[Axel Jonasen]

Axel held Tori tighter, squeezing her against his body in a hug. She was warm. He extinguished the roach on his tongue and then popped it in his mouth. It was a strange habit he had picked up from being a shitty teenager. Eat the roach. Shotgun a beer. Impress people with the fact that you do not give a fuck. Now, as an adult, he did it out of habit, but not usually around other people. But he and Tori lived together. He was relaxed at home, allowed his odd habits to peek out.

Tori wasn't tell him something. She was giving him that innocent look, the one he didn't trust. Her 'little girl' act did very little for him at times like this. When he was serious. Any other time, she could usually pry something from him, whether it was a new pair of shoes, a new camera, or something of that nature. On occasion, she tried the same thing when she wanted to order in pizza. It was more effective then.

"I don't really mind that she thought we were dating," Axel said slowly. "It isn't her business if we are or not. But what do you think we are?" 

That's what worried him the most. He didn't want Tori to think that they were in a dating relationship. He had zero interest in pursuing something like that. Not that there was something wrong with Tori, it was that he felt that way about everyone. Relationships were messy, uninteresting things.

[Victoria Foster]

Tori hummed softly as she was squeezed. Her eyes were closed now. It would have been near impossible to look Axel in the face even if she kept them open. At the proximity they were at, her eyes would not be able to focus. Especially not with the nice feeling taking over her body and muddling up her mind. She was high and loving it.

It took Tori a while to even physically respond to Axel's question. What did she think they were? It wasn't so much as what she thought... it was what she wanted their relationship to be. Yes, it would be weird to date someone so much older than her, at least that's what all her friends loved to point out. But it wouldn't bother Tori. Not one bit.

Her body shifted lazily, not really moving since Axel's grip was still so tight. It was nice. Anchoring. She wouldn't float away with him holding her here. "I think you're me best friend, silly. I've never been closer to anyone in my entire life. I love. But we're one step too far to be a couple." Tori got a wicked smile on her face and she laughed. "That step being fucking. But if you fuck me we're gonna have to reassess what we are."

[Axel Jonasen]

Knowing that Tori couldn't see his face, Axel grimaced at her statement. Of course Tori wanted to have sex. As good as their living arrangement was, there was that one downside. Axel had no interest in sex. Karoline had once told him that he was probably asexual, but Axel didn't find value in labelling himself. He found no value in labeling his relationships, either, but re-establish boundaries with Tori was useful. To him, Tori was essentially a sister figure. A sort of replacement for Karoline, someone to fill the empty hole in his being from being separated from his sister.

Not that Axel felt much in general. Karoline brought up the most emotion that he had ever felt in his life. Sure, he was fond of Tori. She was probably his favourite person in Kalispell, but considering that he didn't have any relationships beyond acquaintances, he wasn't sure how much of a compliment that was. He had a deep affection for her. But he had no other feelings for her beyond that: sexual, romantic, or otherwise. This is how they shared a bed without incident. Tori liked to cuddle, and would kiss him on the cheek or his neck occasionally, but that was it. At night, when she woke up from her night terrors, Axel would grab her and hold her tight, much like he had her now, and they would both fall back asleep.

Actually, it was sort of a relief that Tori thought sex was the next step to make their situation a dating relationship. He was capable of it, and thought that it could be fun, but it was too much effort to pursue. It was kind of like food to him. Sure, cake was fine, but if pie was available, he'd choose pie instead. Or if there was no cake, he wasn't itching to go out and get some. Basically everything else in his life was pie, whereas sex was cake. 

"Don't get ahead of yourself, love," he said softly. "Being your best friend is enough." His words weren't unkind.

[Victoria Foster]

"Suit yourself. But if you ever change your mind..." Tori shot back, sticking her tongue out at Axel while playfully flicking his nose.

In truth, Tori wouldn't mind being involved romantically with Axel. If she wanted to lie to other people, and even herself, she would tell them that she had never, ever thought about jumping his bones. It would not only be incredibly fun but... Axel had been the most supportive and kind man in her life. What did that really say about Tori? Her friends told her the German man was no good, but his actions had spoken otherwise. Had Axel ever hit her? No. Had he ever used her for sex? No. Had he ever lied to her? No (and no, with holding the truth didn't count as lying in Tori's book). Axel, by far, had been the best man she's known. Plus he came with the bonus of drugs. Score.

As she was thinking, her body was getting more relaxed. And she was getting the munchies. Tori wriggled out of Axel's grip with practised weasel-esque style. "Do you want a beer and nachos? I could really go that that. I bought Tortillas and some jalapeno havarti. It's the bomb." Without waiting for him to respond, she got to her knees and walked to the kitchen, preheating the oven and snagging all the ingredients she would possibly want. Cheese, tomatoes, chicken, chives, etc.

[Axel Jonasen]

From his place on the floor, Axel watched Tori go to the kitchen. "Yeah, a beer," he called after her. He rolled onto his side, head propped up on his hand with his elbow on the floor. His back felt much better. As Tori busied herself in the kitchen, Axel eventually heaved himself to his feet. He stretched, relishing the deep feeling in his muscles as he did. Then, he walked over to join Tori in the kitchen.

She had already pulled a beer out of the fridge, and he popped the bottle top off on the side of the kitchen counter. He refused to drink beer from a can. So, the fridge was always stocked with bottles. He drank some beer before grabbing a cutting board and a knife. He set up on the long countertop beside Tori, and began helping her chop up ingredients. He wasn't necessarily a great cook, but he could prepare edible food. Tori was much better at it than he was. While Axel knew a lot about good food, he had no talent for cooking it. 

"Everything at the photography studio going well?" he asked. He knew that things were indeed going well, since he had financed it for her and both of their names were on all the paperwork and accounts, but he knew that she was immensely proud of her work. Axel wasn't artistic, anymore than he was an inventive chef, but objectively he recognized that Tori was talented. That meant that she was a good investment.

[Victoria Foster]

Tori took a swig of her own beer before setting it down on the counter behind Axel. She liked doing that since her arm and body blocked him from moving away. She always got a sniff of his smell, it was like leather, flowers, and cigarettes; it really drew her ot him. And to add, it was nice having a guy who hated cans. Canned beer got way too warm too fast. It was disgusting. With Axel, Tori felt like she always got the royal treatment. Admittedly, that was most likely due to Axel’s selfish intentions, but that wasn’t something Tori worried herself over.

“The studio is doing super awesome! I’ve made more money this past month than I have any other. It's just been a steady incline. I think the advertising is really working. People keep coming to me and hardly say no when I ask if they want a photographer for this and that event they're doing. I might start looking into expanding. You know, hiring out so there are more options and stuff.” Tori went on as she piled the nachos high on the tray. She took good care to add multiple layers of cheese, vegetables, and meat. Once she was satisfied with her tasty creation, she proudly shoved it in the oven and turned the timer on.

At that, she turned to Axel with a large smile. “What do you think? I don’t even have to hire permanent staff, just casuals. More photographers, models for advertising purposes- who can even be hired out by people who need them- and I can get a janitor, props guy… there is a lot I could do with this. I should really sit down and make a list of pros and cons, huh? Oh, it would be so exciting to have a monopoly on photography. Everyone would know my name. Our names.”

[Axel Jonasen]

Tori's movement was possessive. She was blocking him in. Axel passively let her do it as he scooped chopped green onions onto the plate of nachos. His contribution to the dish overall was meagre, but Tori liked when he made an effort to participate in things. She put the nachos in the oven and set the timer, and Axel leaned back against the counter and drank more beer. 

She was talking about hiring staff. It wasn't necessarily a bad idea. He knew there was a lot of work that went into photography. He had acted as her assistant a few times. Mostly she got him to hold reflector discs because something about him unsettled her models. If he was off to the side behind a disc, they tended to relax more. "Well," Axel said thoughtfully. "I would suggest getting one staff member first. Hire someone part time, see if you can afford to pay their salary long term before running off and hiring a full team."
 
He finished the bottle of beer and went for another one. This would be his last beer before heading to Club Silver to work for the night. He had opened the club fairly recently, so there was still quite a bit he had to do every day to make sure it ran smoothly. "Don't just hire a bunch of people on a whim," he cautioned. That would be reckless, and he was listed as the co-signer on the loan Tori had applied for to start up the studio. If something went wrong and her business went under, then he would be the one tanking. As much as Tori wanted them to be inextricably linked and to have their names associated together, and to be equally well-known-- he stood to have the most to lose.

[Victoria Foster]

"Yeah," Tori turned to him, a look of contemplation on her face. "You're totally right. One at a time. If I'm not making the money, I wouldn't want to go to the shit hole right away. I wonder who I should get? Should they be another photographer or what? What do you think? Maybe even an assistant to help me set up appointments and payments. A personal secretary. Oh, wouldn't that be sweet? I'd look like a real professional."

She got very talkative when she was no longer sober. It was easier to be her authentic self, so to speak, without her power taking hold all the time. And with that thought in her mind, she grabbed her bottle and hit back a couple of mouthfuls.

"We should sit down and budget before I make too many decisions."