The Night After
"Later Emil... Mercy."
Those were Oliver's final words as he left Watchtower, but Tess' eyes remained firmly on the device that had played the footage of the night that was.
Oddly enough, it was Tess that wanted to cry out that word, wanting peace from whatever mocking Oliver or Lois would send in her direction. But Clark and Lois zoomed away before much could be said, likely caught up in the 'love of my life' declaration or just acknowledging that their cool and collected leader was capable of loosening up. It also appeared that Oliver had his own romantic problems to resolve as Chloe had been nowhere to be found after Tess had successfully managed to stop the tape from running.
That left her and Emil...alone in Watchtower. He stood over by the computers, analyzing something, but Tess couldn't find her steps. For once, she had let herself go and had fun, and as embarrassing as it was, she couldn't find it in herself to regret it.
In the past, she gave others hell just because of the bitter contempt she had for the world, even though she still wanted to save it. She refused help, being abandoned by her birth parents, and betrayed by most of the people she thought she could trust. So to Tess, any job had to be done first-hand, but that was a lonely life, and happiness was a hard thing to come by.
Eventually, seeing the world end in different reality made Tess realize her allegiances had been all wrong, and through plenty of work and determination, everyone had started to accept her.
Yet despite finding a place where she could contribute to the world in a positive manner, there wasn't much time for fun in Tess' life. With the world tempting to end as it always seemed to do, there was always work to be done, and maybe that's what made last night so special. As scared as Tess was of the reality on the tape, the truth was that night, along with its aftermath, had produced more smiles from her newfound family than anything else.
Sure, drunken Oliver wasn't new, but him volunteering to wear a showgirl costume while he's sober? That was something that Tess would have paid to have seen live, but she supposed it would only be a matter of time until it showed up online. Then there was Clark stealing an armoured car… even if his intentions were good, and burning walls into his own home. She chuckled wishing that she could remember more than what the video showed.
Then there was their own ordinary hero in Emil, who had dropped his insecurities about singing and dancing… and he had done it with her no less. He really did have an amazing voice, and she only hoped that he would take her earlier advice.
But the big question was defining where they stood now thanks to the previous night. They had crossed some lines, everyone had witnessed that, but what did that mean? He had been a person that Tess had gotten along well with, being the odd ones out amongst the couples and their super-powered friends. They also seemed to speak a similar language, as her marine biology background allowed her to understand a sufficient portion of Emil's talk of his day job, which did fascinate her.
Tess may help Oliver run Luthorcorp, but she almost felt envious of Emil, who saved people's lives day and night, living the dream she hoped for herself. But more importantly, Emil gave Tess a more stable friendship than many of the previous men in her life had.
Pre-Chloe Oliver wasn't always a pretty picture, as she was reminded of the commitment-phobic man who did the unthinkable to scare her away. He had grown up thankfully, but their relationship wasn't exactly a beaming example to live by. Of course, that aftermath brought her into Lex's clutches, a thought that caused her stomach to clench. Tess always thought that she respected the man, but he was destructive, invasive and manipulative. Worst of all, he was her half-brother.
Her father may have left her behind, and had done plenty of misdeeds throughout his entire life, but it was Lex that pushed Lionel out the window, falling several stories to his death. With Lex, there had been no sign of redemption, he had put down his gauntlet to start a war, and even though he's dead, the truth of her family haunted Tess. She was a Luthor, their blood ran through her veins, so what did that mean for her redemption effort?
"Tess?" Her head popped up, seeing Emil at the doors. "I'm heading out, you coming?"
"Yeah," she replied, eyes scanning the room for her purse. Finding it where she dropped it on the couch, she slipped the recording inside and headed towards the doors. Her smile faded as she slipped past him, knowing that she was kidding herself if she genuinely thought anything could progress from this moment. Stories like Tess' didn't get happy endings.
She tried to maintain her focus and cool as they stood for the elevator, while Emil continued to act like everything was okay, likely as if nothing happened. Or at least, that's what it seemed to be before he said, "Thank you Tess. For everything."
It wasn't the sentiment that she had been expecting, but one she wasn't about to take for granted. "My pleasure."
The whole ride down was spent in silence, exchanging the odd glance. Tess hated to admit it, but she felt nervous, unsure of herself. The doors opening was the equivalent of a sigh of relief as she quickly left the elevator.
He had followed her towards the entrance, even holding the door open for her. She nodded as she walked past him, but before she had a chance to get too far, Emil asked, "You want to go get a drink?"
Tess stopped, feeling confused over the offer. Curiosity getting the best of her, she turns around with a raised eyebrow, "I thought you didn't drink."
His reaction agreed with her words, but that didn't stop a grin from coming across his face. "Well, I made an exception last night, didn't I?" He found himself chuckling as he held his hand out to her. "Besides, it's just one normal glass of alcohol. I think I'll survive."
She stared down at his hand, wanting to deliberate what to do, but instead of talking herself out of it, she replied, "Alright, let's go."
~End~