Between a Stone and a Hard Place

A slow, sly grin spread across his lips. "Is it really her image that you're worried about me fucking?" He asked curiously. "I mean, you've said a lot about your gang, and how people are going to perceive her and me... But do you wanna know my perception? Maybe you just wanna be where I was a couple nights ago, in that very apartment..." He pointed past her toward the door for effect.

"I'm here to stay, whether you like it or not." He replied, tilting his head slightly to match her movement. "Any of this sinking into that rock-hard head of yours?"

Her mouth gaped for a moment, astonished that he would even think of going there. He wasn't completely wrong, either - Stone would be lying if she said the thought of having a night with Mako never crossed her mind. She was allowed to have her fantasies. But that's all they were and would ever be. Anything more was just a train wreck, waiting to happen

"Little shit." She spat off to the side and gave him a push in the chest to knock him back down a step. "You have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. You think this shit is cute? All you're going to do is get Mako hurt. Or worse."

He chuckled as he took that step back to avoid falling down the stairs and grinned right back up at her. It was clear he'd struck a nerve with her, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"I don't have any interest in you, or your gang. Just Mako." He said, giving it to her straight this time, sarcasm aside.

"I'm giving you one more chance to accept that and get the fuck over it. If you don't let me go to her, you can damn well better believe she'll just come looking for me instead. Either way, the result..." He cracked his knuckles. "Is going to be the same."

"And that, genius, is your whole problem. You think you can have Mako and not get involved with the gang. It doesn't work that way. She's the leader. She is the gang. She's supposed to be." She looked between his face and his knuckles, unimpressed. Stone did a little flex of her own, standing up to full height. She didn't intend to fight, not here, but she had a feeling it would come, sooner or later. Might as well start staking her claims.

"You might live in this fantasy world where you can divorce the two, but in reality, things don't work that way." She huffed, blowing some hot air in his face. "As long as Mako's the leader, you're a problem. A big, image problem. Maybe Mako can't see it, but I can. Clear as day."

"Okay then, 'genius', what exactly is your advice?" He asked curiously, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked up at her? "Just walk away like nothing happened? Sorry, not going to happen. I found something worth hangin' on to, and I'll be damned if you're going to talk me into letting go."

"Seems like you're the only one that has a problem with me and her." He shrugged a bit, uncrossing his arms as he stared up at her with a rather intensely serious look on his face. "So maybe you should go cuddle up to Divine or something instead of bothering me and Mako, eh? Or are you going to force me to make you leave us alone?"

"Yeah, you found something worth sticking into, is more like it." Stone sneered down at him, uncrossing her arms as well and starting to go over a fight plan in her mind. Probably boot him in the chest, knock him down the stairs, then go to work. "And I'm not the only one who has a problem. We're a gang, there's more people in it than just the three of us, and they're-"

"They're my problem to deal with."

Stone looked over her shoulder to see Mako standing above them, looking down on the scene with her hands on her hips and a raised eyebrow. She took one step down the stairwell, starting to sandwich Stone between her and her lover. "You two getting to know each other a little better?" Her face took on a slight frown of annoyance, but that was it. "That's nice."

"Y'know what, FUCK you!" He growled, rearing back a fist, but holding it at bay. He'd been waiting for that boot she was thinking of to come, and already had a counter in mind. He just waited for it. "I don't give a goddamn who you have a problem with, but if you decide to make that person me, you're going to regret it..." He glared at her, but looked past her as Mako came walking into view.

"Yeah... looks that way..." He replied to Mako, returning his eyes to Stone. "Good to see you Mako. Your subordinate here seems to have a problem with you and I being seen together."

Stone tensed up as he reared his fist back, ready for a fight, wanting to knock this guy down the stairs more than anything she'd ever wanted to do, but Mako's intervention cut that idea right out. She huffed as he gave his explanation on the situation, and glanced over her shoulder at her leader, already knowing damn well where this conversation was about to go.

"Yeah. I know." Mako rubbed the side of her head with a towel, drying off her hair. She started washing it after Stone left, wanting to pretty up a bit for Adrian and not smell so much like gasoline. "Already been through this, told her once, telling her again. I. Don't. Give. A. Shit."

"Whatever." Stone sighed and started down the stairs, brushing past Adrian as she went. Staying was just going to lead to more bullshit, and her time would be much better spent putting out the fires that Mako insisted on starting. "Watch your back, Adrian."

Mako watched Stone take off, then turned back to Adrian while she rolled her eyes, chuckling under her breath. "You bring out the best in people, you know that?"

He watched her right back, never taking his eyes off Stone. He's still been waiting for that kick. Waiting for the opportunity to duck it and yank the bitch's legs out from under her then pound her into oblivion. But, Mako managed to put a stop to that fight before it began, it seemed.

He couldn't help but grin as Mako put Stone in her place like some kind of whipped puppy. "I tried to tell her that'd be the case, but that rock-hard head of hers doesn't seem to like things sinking in." He chuckled a bit as Stone pushed past him.

"Would you stop talking and go away alread?" He fired back as she warned him to watch his back. He'd watch it, of course. He didn't trust Stone as far as he could throw her. And she'd be back to get her payback, he was sure. But that time wasn't now, so he returned his gaze to Mako as he ascended the rest of the stairs to meet her. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's my curse." He grinned in reply.

"No, it's not." Mako waited until he was high enough on the steps to bring them face to face, then wrapped her arm around his neck and brought him in for a kiss, shoving her tongue down his throat. It had been about two days since she tasted him. She was jonesing a little bit.

She pulled away after a moment and rested her forehead against his, giving him a straight-on, manic look. "I'm your curse." Mako backed off and gave him a thwip on the nose. "But don't worry about Stone. She talks a lot of game and she is a tough bitch, but if she comes at you, she'll do it to your face. Not the type to come at you from the back, solider-honor-bullshit."