For Lassenby.

Notes: So, this is a plot bunny I just can't seem to connect with anything. I've scraped a bit of a one-shot around it, but I'm not sure I like it. So here, have at it. Maybe I'll pick it up again at some point.

Subtlety

.-

Lilith studied the situation. She looked around for a ladder, for any way up to climb on the roof, but there just wasn't any.

"Hey, Brick, can you give me a push?" she called.

Brick turned his head from the crate full of ammo he'd been searching through. "Huh?"

"I need a push. The guy dropped a good shield, but I can't reach it."

Brick walked up to her, and Lilith was stunned once again by how tall he was.

"I can get it."

Lilith quirked an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Brick stretched out his arms and somehow he did reach the roof. His fingers brushed the shield, and pushed it slightly away.

"Crap, give me a sec," he said.

Lilith snorted; she should have known he'd do that. She wanted to say he should have given her a push as she'd said from the beginning, but decided to let him fumble for a bit before intervening, just to get a chance to really rub it in.

Brick made a frustrated sound and stood on tip tip toes. He was still struggling to grab hold of the shield and he stretched up as much as he could, which made his shirt ride up his back, and Lilith's eyes caught sight of a suspicious looking red mark, peeking over the edge of his jeans.

"Aha!" he said, triumphant.

"Is that a bite mark on your ass?" Lilith asked, loud and incredulous.

The muffled sound of Roland and Mordecai discussing directions over the maps on their ECHOs stopped abruptly, but she didn't notice.

"Huh?" said Brick, distracted with trying to wrap his fingers firmly around the shield so it wouldn't slip from his grasp again.

Lilith strode up to him and lifted his shirt some more. She got another peek of said bite mark, and she thought she could see another one in the dip of his lower back.

Brick jumped away from her touch. "Whoa! Whaddaya doin'?" he asked, shocked.

"There's a bite mark on your ass," she repeated, still surprised but now trying to keep from laughing as well.

Brick blinked, his eyes moved away in the direction of their other friends for a second, then stared back at her.

"I, uh, I don't know what you're talking about," he said in a rush. His ears were quickly turning red, and they took away any trace of credibility - not that there was much of it in the first place. "Here's your shield."

Lilith took the item from his hand without barely paying attention to it.

"No idea? Really?" she asked with a grin. "What, you get bitten in the ass so often you don't even notice anymore?"

"Uh," Brick's eyes flickered away again. "Could be anything. A scratch?"

"I'm pretty sure that's what it was," Lilith said, crossing her arms. "I could take another look -"

"I need to go," Brick cut her off and made a quick escape.

Lilith finally burst out laughing, and the sound chased Brick's hastily retreating form. Roland looked vaguely disapproving when he approached her.

"That was subtle," he said with sarcasm.

Lilith shrugged, still laughing. "So?" she looked around. "Where did Mordecai run to?"

Roland shook his head, but he laughed despite himself. "I don't know. He tried to keep it cool, but then he said something about the car and took off. His face was so red."

"They still think we don't know?"

Roland shrugged. "After this, I doubt it."

Lilith wanted to agree, but who knew with Brick and Mordecai. They thought they were keeping a low profile, so they might as well agree they'd fooled Lilith and Roland again.

"Idiots."

Notes: You can find me on Tumblr