Note: Written for prompts Travis and dandelion at PJFC's Endgame. Set a few years after everyone's graduated from camp; 764 words on MS Word.

Disclaimer: Characters not mine. Not written for profit.

prompt: slippery

pairing: katie/travis

Travis scowled mightily at the Iris Message, or at least tried to. Katie didn't even look at him.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Not really. I told you I was getting ready for my date. But painting nails is easy so I can listen now. Recap."

Travis grumbled under his breath about girls and told Katie again about his dazzlingly simple and elegant plan to steal the Pollock from a downtown private art gallery with screamingly hilarious security (for a Hermes kid, anyway), and about how everything went wrong because of that one girl-

"Wait." Katie held up a green-nailed hand. "Let me get this straight. You distracted the guards, and finally snuck past them, only to realize that the girl had already slashed the painting from the frame and was trying to shove it into a canister."

"I charged at her like Clarisse charges at a practice dummy," Travis said darkly, "This is the fourth time she's used me as a distraction. But then she screamed. And dumped the painting and ran. Leaving me to knock out three armed men- I nearly lost an eye, by the way- and then I had to grab the stupid painting and outrun the stupid cops-"

"Travis, should you really be confessing to white collar crime over Iris Message?"

"What's the FBI going to do? Bribe Iris with hippie merchandise till she rats out on me?"

"No, but if I'm a programmer and you're a wannabe-"

"Hey!"

"A wannabe criminal mastermind, then don't you think there's a possibility that some demigod somewhere is an agent?"

"Uh…"

"So really, she's been doing you a favor, breaking into all these places and getting away before you could do anything. And it doesn't look like you're calling me from jail, so you didn't get caught, right?"

"Not thanks to her! And you are missing the point- I didn't even get the stupid painting! She did. She left me with a copy of the painting with a hugeass dandelion and a winking smiley face at the bottom!"

There was marked silence for a few seconds. Travis squinted at Katie's tense shoulders and compressed lips, sighed and made a 'go ahead' gesture. She promptly burst into giggles.

"For the record," Travis said with as much dignity as he could muster, "This is why we broke up. You like to laugh at my pain."

"True," Katie agreed, "Hey, think you should ask her out? You could team up and be this unstoppable art thief duo."

"No."

"She could be the brains and you could be the muscle. Also, have you talked to Connor yet?"

"I try, but he's being really secretive." Travis said glumly, "He literally stuffs his fingers into his ears going lalala when I try to talk to him about any of this. I don't even know why. I really need to go to Boston and see him one of these days."

"Uh-huh."

"Right after I find this girl."

"That could take a while."

Sticking his tongue out at her would only be juvenile and prove her point, so Travis didn't stoop to that.

"Connor's just finding his place. He'll get back to being your soul twin soon enough," Katie said matter-of-factly, "And your mystery thief is smart and ruthless and talented, so I figure it's time you cheat to get the better of her. Stop thinking mortal, think demigod. And really, ask her out. Sounds like you'd enjoy her company."

Travis grunted.

"Really Travis, this is the third time this month that you've called me up and admiringly ranted about her plans. I think even Connor gets your crush by this point."

"I don't have a crush-" Travis began halfheartedly.

"She's been constantly pranking you. For you, that's a little like leaving giant hearts at your doorstep. And as for the dandelion-have you looked in a mirror lately? What is that hairstyle? She's flirting with you. Via painting. It's kinda cute."

Travis grunted again.

"You're just in denial. Let me know what happens, will you?"

Two weeks later, Travis finally caught up to the woman he was starting to darkly refer to as his nemesis. She managed to get away from him in oh- about ten minutes, but during that time she had visibly checked him out and called him gorgeous twice. She'd also dumped a tankful of something slimy on him, but he figured it wasn't personal.

It was just really clever. And funny.

Travis brushed off the slime and decided to screw dignity and bug Katie for dating advice.

end note: Too many episodes of Leverage/White Collar, Y/Y?