@elenatherookie, Cont. from here:
At the mention of the Temple of the Ancients, Tseng looked away with a soft sigh. He felt terrible for making Elena deal with that. Sure, it was he who almost died, but Elena had been the one with his blood on her hands. She'd taken care of him, if not directly. The fact that she had been there, even if not in the room, meant the world.
While she was right that he was meant to be at home, resting, there wasn't an opportunity to do so. Work had to be done, and Tseng felt that he was the only one who could do it.
"Elena, please, no need to worry. Don't worry about anything. That's my job." He set a firm hand on her shoulder; maybe it was too firm, but he didn't mean for it to be rough. He meant for it to be comforting, but being a fairly cold person, he felt that his gesture didn't seem as it was supposed to. "I enjoy hearing your voice. I only have a problem with your talking when you divulge confidential information to our opposition."
"I can handle it from here, thank you."
Tseng held out her briefcase with a chuckle. Her attitude was, to him, hilarious. Very spunky and independant, and very much a reflection of her days at the academy and of her fast rise from cadet to fully-fledged Turk.
He held her briefcase out in silence, fondling his keys in his left hand, as she fumbled to climb into her car. It was a Friday, and he was more than eager to get home, although he very much enjoyed watching her squirm while in his presence. She always had, and he wasn't sure if she'd ever adjust. Not to say that he was entirely unaware of her attraction to him.
"Well, Elena. Drive safe." He nodded to her, then turned on his heel and begun to walk away, stopping himself after a few steps. Maybe he could have fun with this. After all, he had two days to himself over the weekend, a rare occurence in itself. Slowly, he turned back to her and crossed his arms over his chest, serious as ever.
"... Elena, would you like to join me for dinner?" He could swear that he saw panic in her eyes, and he very nearly felt her heart stop. She looked like a deer in headlights. Maybe he felt bad, sure, but he loved to tease her. "Short notice, I know. But consider it a celebration of a good working week."
