Jordan the intern stalked into the kitchen, quite irritated at one Mr. Cletus Kasady. She did not want to put up with his... whatever it was that he was doing. He was probably trying to piss her off.
“I can’t handle him,” she grumbled, walking over to the sink to make sure that she didn’t have any dirty dishes lying about. As she was doing so, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out.
“[txt] You wouldn't be able to, even if you tried.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. It was from the man himself. How did he know what she had said? She looked around furtively for a moment before texting him back, not wanting to deal with him. That was why she had left, wasn’t it?
“[txt] I don't need your sass.”
After sending that and ascertaining that were no dirty dishes to be washed, she pulled out a bowl. Maybe she’d make brownies. She hadn’t done that in a while. Unsurprisingly, her phone buzzed again.
“[txt] You couldn't handle that either.”
She drummed her fingers on the counter for a moment, irritated even further. She wanted to snark back at him, but, to be honest, that was not a battle she would win. She typed on her phone.
“[txt] I would try to argue but yeah I'm actually not that great at handling anything.”
Now that she had consented to defeat, perhaps he would leave her alone. She pulled out a box of brownie mix- she felt like being lazy today- and a bowl. As she turned to wash her hands, her phone buzzed once more.
“[txt] Then how do you ever hope to handle two men at once?”
She felt her face turn bright red, and she typed back furiously.
“[txt] That is a fantastic question!
[txt] Wow it looks like my phone is out of battery ahahaha!!!!”
The intern turned off her phone and stuffed it in her pocket, taking deep breaths. No, that was not a subject she wanted to talk about. Especially not with-
“Now, now... I was asking a question...”
She gasped and whirled around, letting out a strangled squeak of surprise. There was Mr. Kasady, complete with a smirk on his face. She knew that she was probably blushing even more now.
“Why would you do something like that!?” she yelled at him, raising a wooden spoon defensively. He feigned a look of innocence.
“Like what?” he asked, still smirking.
The intern took a deep breath to calm herself before replying, “Like appear out of freaking nowhere. Geeze, you're gonna give me a heart attack.”
Kasady laughed, “Well, I have been here for a while. You just are too busy fantasizing about being the middle of a sandwich.”
Jordan’s irritation took a sour turn towards anger.
“I do not fantasize about being a sandwich!” she said, glaring at him, “My personal life is none of your business, anyways!”
Kasady’s smirk grew sour, as well, more dangerous, as he said, “Sure ya do. Otherwise, you wouldn't string along Freckles and attempt to get your annoying lover back.”
Jordan’s nose wrinkled as he used her nickname for Rory. She turned around, facing her bowl again. Suddenly he was right next to her, leaning against the counter.
“And everything’s my business,” he said, chuckling.
“No, everything is most certainly not your business,” the intern said, ripping open the top of the box violently, “Especially my business.”
Kasady shook his head, “When it comes to you attempting to get that thing back to you, it most certainly is.”
Jordan’s hands froze where they were, which was in the process of dumping brownie mix into the bowl. It slid out and landed in its destination, sending up a small puff of brown particles. She glanced at him, struggling to form words.
“The ring,” she said at length, “You know about the ring.”
Kasady smiled darkly and nodded, “I do.”
Jordan set down the empty box and stood there for a moment. She then began to walk to the fridge to fetch a couple of eggs.
“Okay,” she said as she opened the door, her eyes scanning the inside of the fridge for what she wanted, “Okay, why are you telling me this?”
Aha! There they were. She pulled out two as Kasady answered her with a sigh.
“I've been particularly bored today while the real me is enjoying himself. Call this my entertainment.”
Jordan rolled his words over in her head as she cracked the eggs and put their contents in the bowl with the brownie mix.
“Entertainment,” she echoed the word, “Okay. I’ll bite. What do you know that you’d be willing to tell me?”
Kasady left her hanging for a few moments, and she took the opportunity to get a cup of water. When she had poured it into the bowl, he finally answered her.
“Tell me. If that ant loves you so much, what are you gonna do when you watch Grey crush him under his foot?”
That had not been the answer she had wanted. She glowered at her bowl, grabbing a whisk and churning the mix up aggressively.
“I’m not going to let that happen,” she grumbled. Kasady laughed at her, throwing his head back insanely.
“Sure you will. You would do anything to get that ring back. Even if it means killing someone,” he said, still chuckling. She whipped her head around to glare at him.
“I would not,” she hissed, “I would not kill someone.”
“You've already asked to get the ring back by ‘any means necessary’,” Kasady said, raising an eyebrow. Jordan turned back to her mixing, shoulders stiff.
“Not by ‘any means’,” she said as she mixed, “I'm not going to kill someone over this, alright? I'm never going to kill anyone again, not if I can help it.”
Kasady sighed loftily, “Then you better stop talkin' to your second love...”
The intern glared at her hands as they churned the whisk.
“It’s not love, Mr. Kasady,” she said sharply, “It’s hate.”
“A hateful lust is a distinct love,” Kasady said, “Just like how you hate me.”
Jordan recoiled, pulling the whisk from the bowl. She walked quickly to the sink to throw the whisk in.
“Oh god no,” she said, shaking her head, “I hate you platonically.”
“Someone should get Thorby,” a new voice said. Jordan whirled around, making another squeaking noise, to see McDeadpool standing there with a smirk of her own. Jordan smacked her forehead with a palm.
“What, how long have you been there,” she mumbled, “How long have you been listening.”
“I’m everywhere and nowhere, intern,” McDeadpool said, trying to sound eerie, while Kasady said, “Ah, so you do admit that it is love.”
Thorby poked her head in as if she had been summoned, took a quick scope of the situation, and made a face.
“I am not shipping Kasady and Jordan,” she said.
“Thanks, sis,” Kasady said, smiling at the Asgardian. McDeadpool looked outraged.
“Whaaat? C’mon, it’s hate ship gold!”
Thorby and Jordan each shook their heads, stating various comments of disdain for that idea.
“Hey, if I can put up with the Joker, she can put up with Kasady,” McDeadpool said with a devilish grin.
“No. And a very emphatic one, at that,” Jordan said before continuing her argument with Kasady, “And ugh, no, I don't love Grey, I love Rory! I am in love with Rory. I am in hate with Grey. There's a difference.”
Thorby looked confused as Kasady laughed at Jordan.
“You love the guy!” he said, “You are doing whatever you can so you can giggle and banter and do anything your lust-filled mind can conjure.”
“Whatever, I’m still shipping it non-canon,” McDeadpool said to the room at large. Rather than deal with what Kasady had said, which had caused a blush to reappear on her face, she turned to McDeadpool.
“I already have a kismesis, and that's how this whole debacle started in the first place,” she said, not noticing Kasady’s face growing increasingly angry as she spoke. When she finished, he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.
“Answer me,” he growled, his voice dangerous. Jordan blinked rapidly, startled and unprepared.
“Wh- What did you ask? I didn't even hear a question!” she spluttered, her hands shaking. Kasady leaned down, bringing his angry face closer to her frightened one.
“You are doing whatever your sick, disgusting mind can think of to bring him back just so you two can have your hate/lust. And yet you claim that you love Rory,” he said, his voice a furious rumble.
“I do love Rory! Why can't quadrants be a thing? Quadrants should totally be a thing! Relationships would be so much less confusing,” she said, once more avoiding the actual question, “Or more confusing, depending on how you look at it.”
Kasady, tired of her dancing around his words, closed a threatening hand around her throat. He wanted answers. Jordan immediately panicked and closed her own hands around his wrist, although he was not yet applying any pressure.
“You have become a threat to everyone here,” he growled, “Threats are to be resolved swiftly.”
“Woah, woah, woah,” the girl said, eyes wild with fear, “What the heck am I even doing!? I don't want to hurt anyone here! How am I threatening you?”
Kasady’s eyes narrowed as he said, “You continue to call to him and find ways to bring the demon back. That is the threat.”
“Oh,” the intern said, falling silent, “Well...”
Kasady was fed up with waiting. He tightened his hand ever-so-slightly, causing her to squeal in panic again.
“I'm listening intently,” he said, staring into her terrified eyes, “Do tell me why you aren't a threat now.”
“Okay, okay, okay!” the intern squeaked, her voice high-pitched with terror, “I won't... I won't....”
Kasady’s fingers tightened again as he chuckled, “I can’t believe you with that.”
“I won't let anything happen!” Jordan said frantically, although he was not yet choking her to the point where she couldn’t breathe.
Kasady shook his head and tightened his fingers once more for a moment, cutting off her breathing, before opening them wide enough that she could still draw in air, “Not what I need to hear.”
He smiled toothily at her, while she struggled to form words.
“Okay, I won't do it!” Jordan choked out, “I won't... bring him back...”
Kasady raised an eyebrow, his face morphing into a disgusted sneer, “And?”
“And?” Jordan repeated, her voice trembling with panic. What more did he want?
“Cut all communication with him,” Kasady rumbled.
“I...Okay,” she said, feeling tears prick at her eyes. No, no crying. Not now. “I’ll... cut communication with him.”
He nodded with satisfaction and released her. She stumbled back, coughing and rubbing her throat. He wiped his hand on his pants, as if his hand had gotten grime on it from touching her.
“You are too stupid,” he sneered at the intern, “You fall for his words, and you believe him. That's why you need to be cut off.”
He turned to walk away from her.
“Just be happy with the Ant-boy. Start acting smart.”
“I...” Jordan looked up at him, a glare on her face. Oh, yes, she would definitely start acting smart. She would need to be smart if she was going to get around him. Because she wasn’t a perfect human being.
She lied, just like everyone else.
“Of course, Mr. Kasady.”