🌻

we just want to live, if anyone would let us.

[smokingaceschw]

Ace didn't see himself as blatantly sexual but then again he didn't see himself the way most of the world did so maybe he was. Regardless, he knew Tessa wasn't but he didn't think of her as virginal and pure either so like with most things with her he trusted that if it were too much she'd let him know. "Hell yeah then that's what we're gonna eat. There's this old lady across the street who I do favors for sometimes so she loves me, everytime she makes Xiao long bao she makes extra for me and the boys." They got to the car and Ace opened Tessa's door on a pit stop to the driver's side, "Then you gotta make it for me then. You know the way to my heart is through my stomach and I know you want it." He grinned as he started the car and took off towards his favorite dumpling spot, "So what's up in Lisbon land these days?"

[tessa-lisbon]

"So... is that what this is?" she gestured between them, "doing favours so I'll feed you?" Of course she was kidding, she knew it wasn't like that, but she could see herself in the story of his neighbour. It was slowly opening her eyes too, to the side of the South Side that no one spoke about. Usually it was all about trying to 'clean the place up', rather than the good parts of the community like the way they looked out for each other. She shot him a look as he opened her door for her, glad for the moment it took him to get around to the driver's side so she could double check her cheeks weren't burning up. Sometime's he'd just drop comments out of nowhere that would make her stomach flip. Obviously they both knew what was going on, but Tessa always felt like a deer in the headlights when it was brought into full focus. "And the way to my heart is through doing the dishes so I'd call that a fair trade," she countered with a sweet smile. "What's up in Lisbon land? Everything's fine," she shrugged, the topic always one she tended to be tight lipped on. "I mean, everyone's doing well. Nothing of note to report. We're thinking about going on vacation soon, but that's about it. Nova's requested it, despite how happy I am to stay home, I'll always indulge her. And the news in greaser land? Or if that's classified, just Ace land will suffice."

[smokingaceschw]

"Now you're assumin' they'll be a next time. I tell you what. I don't know what the fuck pilates really is but if it lets me see you in clothes like this sign me the fuck up." Ace laughed big at her reaction, "You're droolin' a little bit, princess." He poked fun at her while she walked passed and he enjoyed the view only to get called out for it. "Hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave." He said, heading to the guys' shower. He re-emerged freshly showered and met Tessa out front. "So what are you in the mood for?" He asked as he draped his arm around her shoulders, "How do you like dumplings? I can eat like 100 of those motherfuckers."

[tessa-lisbon]

Despite their past, Tessa still felt shy around someone so forward as Ace. She wasn't exactly prudish anymore, but she wasn't Ace's level of blatant. When it came down to it he was going to win every attempt to make her blush, that was a given. "Never you mind what I'm doing," she responded, happy enough to admit that she too liked what she saw. When she came out from the showers she instantly had a smile upon her face at the sight of him, and happily tucked herself under his arm. "Dumplings may very well be the pillar of my food pyramid," she agreed with his choice, though she would have been happy enough to go anywhere. "Xiao long bao are heavenly. If I could only eat them for the rest of my life I'd be satisfied. Perfect balance between soup and dumplings, two very precious food groups to me. I make an alright manduguk too, just quietly."

[smokingaceschw]

Ace laughed whole heartedly, "Hey you're tough you held your shit together real well. See I told ya." He held his hands up for her to punch at, a better target than his arms, "Feels like I'm made a masterpiece outta a piece of soft clay. You wanna hit the showers then get some food or somethin'? Showering together or separate I'll leave up to you." Knowing what her answer would be, Ace only offered to make her blush.

[tessa-lisbon]

"Next time I'm taking you to my pilates class," Tessa told him, dropping her hands because her arms really were spaghetti by that point. "At least there I might have the upper hand." She started to agree, until she fully registered what he'd suggested. Her jaw went slack for a moment, letting out a small stammer until she found her words. "You- you wish. Move," she side stepped past him, walking a few paces before she glanced over her shoulder, "and stop looking at my ass."

[smokingaceschw]

Ace didn't exactly revel in the 1000 ways his dad had knocked him around so he could appreciate Tessa sharing details of her own abuse with him, rather appreciated that she felt comfortable enough to do it, and that rice shit was next level, like how the fuck did they even come up with some shit like that. "Yeah, that makes sense, you got some firsthand experience for sure." He let her take his hand and observed her observing it and kissing it, "Nah I can tell. I think you could get a little more power if you work on your stance, but stance is somethin' that's gonna have to become second nature when you're throwin'. It's a good feelin', ain't it? I think we can call the lesson for the day finished."

[tessa-lisbon]

"We're done? Oh, thank God, my whole body is spaghetti." Tessa sighed in relief. She'd been holding herself together pretty well, but it was a lot more physical exertion than she was used to. "I had more fun than I expected to. Really thought I was just going to embarrass myself," she raised her hands in a fighting stance, sending out some soft jabs into Ace's arm, "How's it feel teaching a prodigy?"

[smokingaceschw]

Ace likely wasn't thought of as a self sacrificing person, but that wasn't true, his brand of self-sacrifice just looked different - he did what he had to do to toughen Cam up knowing his brother would grow up hating him but he wasn't going to tell someone who wanted to be around him that it was too dangerous to do so if it was what they wanted. Even if Tessa never spoke to him again, it was better for her to know how to handle herself because danger didn't begin and end with him even if that's how most liked to believe. "Good girl." He told her with a sly wink. When she said her hand hurt, he took it, examining it, "Shit...I think it might need to be amputated." He chuckled then brought her fingers to his lips, kissing them. Afterwards, he let her hand drop but didn't let it go, instead he ran his fingers over them in what he hoped was a soothing gesture, "I don't know, just used to it. Do anything enough times and it don't hurt you as much as people want it to. Built up a high pain tolerance I guess. I'm real good princess. How'd it feel? Besides firm."

[tessa-lisbon]

She'd be lying if she said him calling her a good girl didn't send a tingle up her spine. He was accomplished at that, making her feel powerful without rolling over himself. More like they were on equal footing than her being some mystical, ethereal being. "Amputated? No, I need that hand," she whined, playful in the way she pouted. He was sweet with her even if he wouldn't put it that way himself, and she was soaking up every second of it. "I get it. Sort of, relevant to my own experience. Like the, uh, kneeling on rice I told you about. My knees had callouses for ages, still scarred up a bit. Didn't hurt so much by the end. Here, your turn," she tugged on his hand, bringing it up to survey his war torn knuckles. Even if he was fine she still brought them up to mirror the way he'd kissed hers, perhaps trying to impart some wish that he would get to spend more time using them for good from now on. Rather than just shrugging and saying that throwing the punch had been a bit of a stinger on her end, she dug deeper, thought about everything he'd taught her so far. "I tried to follow through like you said instead of pulling up at the point of contact. I feel good, strong."

[smokingaceschw]

Ace raised an eyebrow at Tessa, "You just been restin' on beauty and charm your whole life huh? Don't answer that, your little eye flutters tell me that yeah I'm on the right track with that one. Who said I couldn't handle it? You see me foldin'?" He let out a sigh at her question, not annoyed but of course violence was necessary. "Real application is knowin you can't anticipate how you'll need to defend yourself, princess. What if somebody tried to snatch you up. I ain't givin' you runnin' lessons." He didn't use kid gloves with Tessa, but he gave her time to wrap her mind around it or say fuck this or whatever she was going to do. He hadn't anticipated her next move being to feel him up but he didn't stop it, curious to see where it would go. Then she hit him and maybe he was a fuckin' sadist but it made Ace smile while he brought his hand to his side, "That right there is the sexieist shit you've ever done to me. Did you hold back any? Better not have or you're doin' it again."

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa knew Ace well enough to know he wasn't a paranoid person, he was prepared. It wasn't that she was doubting allowing him back into her life, more that she was coming to terms with the underlying seriousness of what he was teaching her. The concept was harder to grapple for someone who'd never seen it all up close and personal, and maybe she was playing a personal game of out of sight out of mind, but she wanted to trust that he wouldn't have let her back in without any consideration for what she could handle. That he was smiling about her punching him made her loosen up, her own smile mirroring his. "I know better than to hold back around you, come on." She rubbed at her hand, though she was clearly feeling pretty stoked with herself compared to before. "How do you do this all the time? My knuckles are on fire. I was trying to find a soft bit but you're so... firm. Are you okay?"

[smokingaceschw]

"I didn't think you did. I'm just sayin' I like the way you look. You might be a little rusty with flirtin' and shit." He smiled in her direction and how she fluttered her lashes did not go unnoticed by him and he called her out for it, "Mmm you tryin' to work me, Lisbon? You think lookin' at me like that is gonna make me putty in your hands or somethin'? Nah." He told her and gave her a squeeze before jumping up, "Alright break's over, want you to punch me as hard as you can, don't care where as long as it ain't my face. I ain't gonna get home and explain to the boys that my princess gave me a shiner."

[tessa-lisbon]

"I'm going to be honest with you, I don't think I've ever intentionally flirted in my life. You just like me because I'm so naturally strong and ruthless," she joked. Even when he called her on her fluttering eyes she played innocent so well, "I was just looking at you. If you can't handle it, that's on you." Her nose scrunched when he announced her next mission was to try and hit him. It was one thing to hit a bag, or for him to hold his hands up as targets, but to strike with intent was not something she was comfortable with. "Is that necessary? I mean, I think in a real world application I'm not going to be hitting anyone, I'm going to be running. Maybe that's what we should be doing. I'll run and you try to catch me, seems more realistic." She fidgeted with her hands, thinking, thinking, thinking, until she pulled herself out of it. There was no harm in it, he'd told her to do it, and she could guarantee he'd seen more formidable fists coming his way than her own. Perhaps her lead up was unconventional, the way she walked up to him with her brow knit in concentration, left hand running over his chest and down, her right hand cocking back and striking him in the soft part of his side right under his ribs as hard as she could.

[smokingaceschw]

Flowers and fancy dates and shit Ace could do but they didn't come as natural to him as fighting and wanting to empower someone to be able to fight? Well that was his love language weather Tessa knew it or not. He grabbed his water bottle nearby and took a drink from it, then held it out to Tessa, "Alright, Rocky. Drink up, even though you're full of shit." He moved closer to her, and being pretty physical guy, Ace put his arm around Tessa's waist, just to be close during their brief break, though he was already itching to keep goin, he had to keep in the back of his mind that this was also about just spending time with her. "You know you look good, right? I gotta check every so often that my eyes are lookin' in respectful places."

[tessa-lisbon]

She gave him a self deprecating huff of laughter as he handed her the water bottle, knowing she was never going to raise her fists to another person. Even if she did, she was tiny, it wasn't going to do her any good. Real world application aside though, she was having more fun than she expected. Which, historically speaking, was pretty standard when it came to them spending time together so she had no idea what she'd been so worried about. "I wasn't trying to," she started, almost defensive in the sense that she wasn't striving for vanity over practicality, but eased up when his arm snaked around her and she remembered she was allowed to feel good about his compliments. "Was hoping to get the jump on you," she chuckled, looking up at him and all but fluttering her lashes. Not that anyone could get the jump on him, she was sure.

[smokingaceschw]

Ace and Tessa had been at it for at least a half an hour in the local boxing gym after hours and they were taking a quick break. He was serious about teaching her how to fight, he wasn't expecting a miracle or anything, but regardless of what did or didn't become of them, she was affiliated with - Ace that wasn't a secret to anybody who would wanna know and in the least paranoid way possible that meant if some clown wanted to get to him she was one of the avenues to do that so leaving her vulnerable didn't feel right. Even if all of that was off of the table though, Ace firmly believed that everyone should know how to defend themselves at the least and know how to most efficiently fuck someone up at best. He couldn't say he wasn't out of his element in this teaching style, being his version of gentle but he also couldn't say that Tessa in workout clothes didn't make it worth it. "You can't fight for shit…yet. But you are stronger than you look. That's good." @tessa-lisbon

[tessa-lisbon]

Admittedly Tessa didn't fully understand the scope of the purpose behind his insistence on giving her self defence lessons, but she wasn't adverse to the idea. She went to pilates classes occasionally, and preferred riding her bike to driving where possible, so she liked to think she was at least some level of fit. It had been a long time since Scott had taught her how to throw a real punch though so she was definitely rusty, but she was nothing if not a willing student. Ace wasn't the epitome of a gentle teacher either but she knew where his intentions lay when he pulled her up on her form over and over. Didn't hurt that he was distractingly handsome when he was focused and teaching. "I knew throwing bags of flour around at the bakery would pay off," she huffed, wiping a loose strand of hair out of her face. "You're not half bad either. At teaching, I mean."

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: I ain't talkin' bout fightin'

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: Noted. Tessa: Like I said, I bite.

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: I would have come around a lot sooner because I happen to enjoy watching you work 😚

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: Might even fuck around and experience how I work first hand one of these days

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: I don't know If I want to fight you... I don't want to bruise your ego if I win. I'm small but I have some bite in me.

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: Nor should you be. I'm not.

Tessa: You can talk about things without it being whining. I like that you trust me with that.

Tessa: If I knew you being my man meant I'd have to sign up to boot camp...

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: Finish the sentence

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: I would have come around a lot sooner because I happen to enjoy watching you work 😚

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: I ain't even sorry about it

Ace: Well I'm Ace Claymore so that's why she don't trust me. A reputation is a double edged sword

Ace: I ain't whinin' about it. As long as she lets me and Cam stay in his life I'll play by her rules

Ace: Don't think I forgot you said I could teach you how to fight. Next time I see you that's what we're doin'.

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: Nor should you be. I'm not.

Tessa: You can talk about things without it being whining. I like that you trust me with that.

Tessa: If I knew you being my man meant I'd have to sign up to boot camp...

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: You gotta get yourself a better poker face

Ace: I don't think what you did and a drama camp for 6-12 year olds are the same thing exactly

Ace: I dunno he's a kid and she don't really trust me all that much

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: Uno reverse: it's your fault for making me what was apparently 'suspiciously' happy.

Tessa: I don't know... we got some real divas in Rosewood.

Tessa: Just because he's a kid doesn't mean he isn't aware on a molecular level. He'll realise when he's old enough to understand. Does she not trust you because of what you have done, or what she thinks you'll do? I've been there. Look at me now.

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: Yeah you ain't beatin' the allegations with your sisters. Bet you're smilin' right now.

Ace: The fuck I am. I'm leavin' after, not hangin' out with those people. Maybe take Jack and his mom out if she's down for it

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: I was called out the second I got home the other day so yeah, the Lisbon detectives remain undefeated.

Tessa: You'd win that bet.

Tessa: Careful, I'm adjacently one of those people. I've partaken in a few Rosewood musicals. I'm sure they'll love that, it must mean a lot to them that you're putting the effort into keeping the family tie intact. In my experience it's usually the other way around, people run from responsibility.

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: I dunno might be too early call but you like the sound of it, don't you?

Ace: Business takes up a lotta time but besides that hangin' with the boys. My nephew is in a drama camp, he's got a performance tomorrow night Cam and I got an invite to

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: I do, but I won’t throw it around. Not yet anyway. I can wait.

Tessa: You’re such a good uncle. This is the kind of thing he’s going to remember forever, you showing up. You hanging out with a bunch of drama camp parents is quite the mental image though.

[smokingaceschw]

Ace: You ain't exactly known to be a deviant of any kind, princess.

Ace: Tell em you're talkin' to your man. Stun em into silence.

Ace: Yeah well you gotta be careful, those plant stores are fuckin' dangerous

[tessa-lisbon]

Tessa: Is that who I’m talking to? Can’t take it back once they know.

Tessa: They are when the basket on my bike is only so big. I know you have business, but what else have you been up to?