AN: I dunno, Flock. I really honestly don't know. Set some time before the movies. Usual disclaimers apply.
Slainté
-Shazzy
-Seeing Double-
"So, you and Connor, huh?"
The question was asked casually, like one would discuss the weather. Blaise narrowed her aqua eyes to stare over the rim of her coffee mug, her pen clutched expertly between her teeth as she hesitated to sip the hot beverage in her hand. Reluctantly, she set her coffee down and stared at the speaker.
Rocco slid himself casually into the seat across from Blaise, his own coffee in a paper take out cup in hand. How he found her little hideout in the local coffee shop was beyond her. Not even Connor knew where she hid herself away to write when deadlines were looming and she didn't want to be distracted.
"You say it like you're surprised." Blaise mused around the pen firmly gripped between her teeth. She ran a pale hand through her unnaturally red hair and glared at the intruder.
Rocco shrugged. "I dunno, darlin', just the way you and Murphy carry on, I assumed..."
"Assumptions can be a dangerous thing." Blaise replied, taking the pen out from between her teeth. "Like you could sit here and assume that I don't know about all your less-than-legal activities, and you can assume that I'm not about to call Detective Duffy."
"You threatening me, there, Blaise?" Rocco drawled.
Blaise smiled innocently and batted her eyes. "Again, you're assuming things, aren't you?"
Rocco snorted a laugh and took a sip of his coffee. "Look, all I'm sayin' is that they're kind of a set, y'know?"
"Actually I don't." Blaise said dryly, setting her pen down and folding her hands on the table top. "Why don't you explain whatever it is you're suggesting and we'll see if I stab you in the hand with this here ballpoint."
Rocco flashed the writer his easygoing grin, and Blaise couldn't help but notice how immaculately white his teeth were. And Blaise had to admit that he did have a rather nice smile.
"All I'm sayin' is that you date one, you date the other."
Blaise burst out laughing. She couldn't help it, and she didn't care about the annoyed stares she was getting from the other patrons in the coffee shop.
"Oh, I can see why they nicknamed you the 'funny man' Roc."
Rocco took another sip of his coffee and stared the writer down. "You seem to think I'm joking."
Blaise wiped a tear from her eye and stared at Rocco. Once she had composed herself enough to speak, she turned very serious. "You seem t' think that I'm either a horrible slut, or tha' there's some unwritten rule that dictates if you're datin' a twin, you must have th' hots fer his brother?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all." Rocco replied. "What I'm saying is that you get 'em both or not at all."
Blaise stared blankly at the Italian sitting across from her. "You keep talkin' like that an' I'm gonna assume you've slept with th' both of them."
Rocco's face went abnormally pale, and just a shade green.
Blaise smiled and put her things away, standing quickly. "Trust me, Roc. I think I've got my shit figured out about which o' the boys I want on my arm, never mind about which I want in my bed."
Rocco shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said nonchalantly. "I'm just warning you that one follows the other, an' that doin' shit on your own isn't always in the cards."
Blaise waved over her shoulder as she walked out of the cafe and back onto the Boston streets.
She'd invited the brothers over. They'd almost taken up living with her more than once, and it seemed that they were more comfortable at Blaise's home than at their own, as they had been spending more and more time in the spacious house than ever.
Blaise sat quietly at the kitchen table, chewing on the end of her pen and pretending to work while the brothers milled about, goofing off, rough housing, shouting obscenities at one another and having a generally good time. A small smile hovered about Blaise's lips as she tried to concentrate on the editing she was supposed to be doing, but Rocco's words had been preying on her attention span all afternoon.
She didn't even notice when the MacManus brothers sat down at the table until Connor wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"You're awfully quiet." Connor crooned in her ear.
"Sort of goes with the territory of editing something." Blaise replied, shrugging Connor's arm off from her shoulders. "Concentration an' all."
"You don't normally invite us over when you're working." Murphy pointed out, leaning against the table and stretching his arms across the smooth walnut to steal the pen Blaise was holding. "At least, not when you're this busy." He stared up at her from where he was leaning, chin against the table. "Something's happened, hasn't it?"
Blaise shook her head. "Not really." She replied. "Just got a lot on my mind."
"More than what you're working on?" Murphy pressed, his small, pleading smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Blaise shook her head. "Stop it with the puppy dog eyes."
Murphy grinned outright and sat up. "Seriously, Blaise. What's up?"
"You wouldnae believe me if I told you." Blaise warned.
"Try us." Connor replied.
Blaise sighed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out the best way to phrase this most uncomfortable, and delicate of subjects.
"I ran into Rocco today," she began slowly. "He found my coffee shop hideout, I guess I'll have to find new one."
"Dammit." Connor cursed lightly, a smirk playing on his face. "He beat me to it!"
Blaise shot him a look of mild amusement. "He just said some... really interesting things."
"Like what?" Murphy asked, smirking. "Fuck?"
"Well, to be perfectly frank, it was certainly implied that there had been, or was going to be, some form of fucking in the near future." Blaise shot back, unabashed.
"This could be either amusing or disturbing." Murphy replied, looking at Connor.
"All depends on who's doing the fucking, I think." Connor agreed.
Blaise snorted and shook her head.
"Did he give you the 'if you hurt those boys, I will bring the wrath of Heaven down upon your pretty Irish head' speech?" Murphy asked.
"No." Blaise said. "Why? Is that a normal speech for Rocco to give?"
"Not really." Murphy said thoughtfully. He pointed a finger at Blaise. "I love you, Blaise, but if you hurt Connor, or break 'is cold, dead heart, I will bring the wrath of Heaven down upon your pretty Irish head."
"Thanks Murph. I appreciate that." Connor replied solemnly.
"Oh Jesus, maybe he was right..." Blaise mused as she cradled her head in her hand.
Both Connor and Murphy grew very quiet.
"Right about what?" Connor asked hesitantly.
Blaise looked up at the brothers. "He seems to think tha' you're a uh... 'matched set' an' that I can't have one," she looked at Connor, "without th' other."
A long moment passed between the brothers as the meaning behind the words slowly made it's way into their consciousness. The first looks of shock and mild disgust crossed the twins' faces.
Connor and Murphy stood up in unison, their chairs scraping across the floor.
"There is not enough alcohol in Ireland to make me think that this motherfucker is attractive." Murphy said, pointing at Connor.
Connor shot his brother a warning look, before a smirk crossed his face. "An' I'm the pretty one."
Blaise pinched the bridge of her nose, though she was smiling under it all.
Murphy shook his head. "Unbelievable, Conn. Rocco seems t' think your girl is a bit of a whore."
"I know!" Connor replied. "And y'know that can't go unpunished!"
"Do I get a say in this?" Blaise asked.
The brothers stopped their ridiculous banter and turned to look at her.
"Depends on what you've gotta say." Murphy said, still grinning.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I never once considered the possibility of sleeping wit' the both of you." Blaise said slowly.
"Am I not good enough?" Murphy asked immediately.
"I dunno." Blaise said with a wry smirk. "You'd have to be amazingly good to even compare wit' Conn."
Murphy wrinkled his nose and grimaced at the information he hadn't wanted.
Blaise smiled. "Sorry, love, it's just not really my thing." She shrugged. "I'm far less greedy than that."
"Good." Connor said, pulling her to her feet and pulling her close. "Because I'm far too greedy to share."
Murphy huffed a sigh and grabbed his jacket from the front hall. "I'll be a' McGinty's, gettin' drunk while you two procreate."
Blaise pulled away from Connor. "Murph? Are you absolutely sure you don't wanna stick around?"
Connor barked a laugh. "No! Get ta' fuck wit' th' both a' you!" He shouted, grabbing Blaise around the waist and lifting her off the floor. "An' Murph?" He asked with a wicked grin. "Tell Roc we'll kick his ass later, yeah?"
Murphy grinned in return. "Oh aye. That's the one thing we will share."