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"Do you actually watch that garbage?"
"It's weirdly addictive. I'm waiting to see if Ana decides to keep Carlo's baby or stick with Lucinda. At least, I think that's what's going on. I don't speak Spanish very well." Jess caught another piece of popcorn with her mouth and glanced over at Trish with a pleased look, to see if she'd noticed. Trish refrained from rolling her eyes. She had always pretended she didn't notice Jess looking at her, ever since they were teenagers. There was always so much in the way--Trish's mother, rehab, Jess's powers, Kilgrave.
"Don't sell yourself short. I'm sure you know a few choice words."
"You should come over here and watch it with me. Misery loves company." Jess batted her eyelashes.
"Where would I sit? The only seat's taken. Besides, you know I don't watch TV."
"There's a seat right over here for you," Jess said innocently, and leaned back in her desk chair to make an obscene gesture at her lap.
"Cute, Jess." But Trish sidled around and leaned her hip against the desk anyway. Ironically, she could hardly see the screen better from the front than the back, it was so small. She could barely pick out two dim figures making dramatic gestures at each other. "Where did you even get this? I don't believe you paid actual money for it."
"It's Malcolm's. He brought it in here to keep him occupied while he does paperwork and answers the phones."
"Is he working for you now?"
Jess gave her a half-shrug without meeting her eyes, which probably meant 'yes, but not legally, and he might not be getting paid.' Trish decided not to inquire too closely. "He says he likes it. It keeps him busy. And me out of jail, according to him."
"Your secret soft side strikes again." Trish reached for the popcorn bowl in Jessica's lap.
Jess snorted deeply and swatted Trish's hand away. "This popcorn is only for people who admit they like to watch Corazones Oscuros, the greatest television show of our day."
Jess might have superpowers, but Trish had years of experience stealing her food--mostly because Jess liked to hog things. "A spectacular metabolism is no excuse for letting yourself go soft," said Trish smugly at Jess's betrayed look after popping a piece of greasy popcorn in her mouth. "And wow, that is a lot of butter, by the way. Next time I'm in charge of the popcorn."
"Ingrate."
Trish ignored her and reached for some more.
"See these two, they both work at the hospital. They're secretly in love with each other but the other doesn't know. It's really stupid."
"That's a high horse for a woman who's allergic to her own emotions."
Jess snorted; Trish took it as agreement.
"Sometimes you don't want things to change," she added after a short pause.
"Change can suck," Jess observed with the gravitas of a philosopher. Her eyes were glued to the screen; Trish didn't think it was because Corazones Oscuros was really that engaging. "But it's not all bad. I guess. You changed."
"You did, too."
Jess made a doubtful noise. They were quiet for a few minutes.
"Oh, let me stroke your hair, that's something friends do," Jess said in a high-pitched voice as the figures on the screen did just that. "Let's gaze into each other's eyes and lean in real close and then--bam! Interrupted. I knew it." She made a scornful, satisfied sound. "Watch one of them die in a car crash next week. Adiós, happiness. Morons."
"You're such a hypocrite, you know."
"My life isn't being written by a bunch of so-called professionals who could do less stupid things with their time," Jess pointed out. "And the Luke thing is kaput. Permanently." She made a slicing gesture. Her eyes slid away from Trish's again.
The familiar gesture cut at Trish. A little thing, like a paper cut. She remembered what had happened to Hogarth: death by a thousand cuts. At some point they became impossible to ignore. "I wasn't talking about Luke."
There was apprehension on Jess's face as she slowly turned. "What were you talking about?"
"I'm not an idiot, Jess."
"I never said you were." Her eyes narrowed. There was a smear of popcorn grease tucked into the corner of her mouth. Trish hesitated, considered. She knew Jess would never make the first move, so she had to take it into her own hands. Which, incidentally, was just how Trish liked things. Fancy that.
Once Trish had decided to do something, god help the person who got in her way as she barreled ahead. Trish leaned down and kissed her. Her tongue flicked out to taste: salty. And surprisingly soft. She felt it as Jess's body tensed, then relaxed, a breath rushing out of her and tickling Trish's cheek.
She pulled away. Jess was staring at her with wide, dark eyes; Trish took the opening to steal some more popcorn. She looked almost as afraid as when she told Trish that Kilgrave had returned, but there was something else tugging at the corners of her lips. The tiniest little smidgen of hope.
"What?" Trish said to Jess's expression. "You might have superpowers, but you don't have any training. You could learn a thing or two from me."
Jess's tight shoulders slipped down a notch, and she half-smirked. "Why don't you come over here and teach me?"