Under The Gun (Swearing....as always), Iso: Jez ^^

[Disposable Hero]

In a typical Auror's day, he could face danger, and possibly run the risk of death, but in every Auror's life, he had to sit down and do the one thing that was distasteful and boring. Paperwork. Thomas hated paperwork with a passion, and usually he would try to pawn it off on Jez. But today he had opted to stay in with her and tackle it along side of her. Not only was that the nice thing to do - not that he knew anything about nice - but it was also entertaining to see her so tense around him. Ever since they had accidentally (was there a way to be accidental about it?) had sex, she had been rather awkward around him. To him, the act was nothing really all that big of a day. Two people. of the opposite sex, who ended up drinking together had the possibility of doing something while drunk. Sex was just that, after all, a physical meeting of two bodies. It was nothing past that and there was little point in being awkward about it. But he could also understand her discomfort, she had ended up sleeping with her boss. And if he had been a bastard he could have told the entire Auror division that he had slept with her.

But he had opted not too. Not only would that systematically destroy whatever relationship he had with Jez, he respected her too much. Not to much it was none of the other blokes damn business. So he had kept his mouth shut about the whole experience and just internally chuckled about it. Occasionally he might have let a comment slip just to embarrass his trainee, because she was so easily flustered. Jez had the wonderful ability to overreact to the smallest things, and he just found it so humorous. While she drove him up the wall more often than not, there were times when she just amused him.

"Hand me that stack of papers, Jez," he said out of the blue, looking up from the paper in front of him. He pointed to where the stack was, and then held his hand out for it.

[Thunderstruck]

Sometimes, she was able to lure herself into a false sense of security. Jez could go whole stretches of time now without thinking about That One Night. Those periods weren't the problem; it was when the remembrance leapt up at her out of the blue that she lost coherency. They could be in a firefight, exchanging curses with the enemy, and then she'd bump into Taylor and a chorus inside her head broke into He's Seen You Naked and You're The Girl Who Did Her Boss. It seemed that the only way to survive in the adult world was to brazen these things out instead of running in the opposite direction the first chance one got. Her career depended on her rising above what had happened and excelling in both her job and her studies. All the same, every now and then, she was prompted into a spaz attack, complete with drunken flashbacks, and the one thing she desired in all the world was amnesia. It didn't help that the only other guy she'd slept with had been a - well, a boyfriend. Her life had been spent with random sex as something only her friends ever experienced. The fact that they were just fine with it just boggled the mind, now. Then again, most of them probably didn't have to work daily, for the next year, with one of said randomers.

Well, maybe one of them would die soon. One could only hope.

"Hand me that stack of papers, Jez."

Glancing up from her parchment, where her quill was laboriously scratching out suspect resisted arrest and called me a mudblood as the reason why said suspect had been admitted to St Mungo's Spell Damage ward, the trainee looked down, added a full stop and reached for the indicated papers. In handing them over, her skin abruptly came into contact with Taylor's, and she promptly dropped the sheaf and withdrew her hand as if it had been electrocuted.

It was really quite pathetic.

"Sorry," she muttered, almost inaudibly, as she dropped her quill and stood up to try and sweep the scattered papers back together. "They weren't in an order or anything, were they?" Jez asked, industriously staring at them rather than glance at her trainer's face.

[Disposable Hero]

There was a certain amount of danger involved with antagonizing Jez, to poke her was like a person poking at a lion just for the sheer danger of it. Sooner or later the lion was bound to whip around and lunge for the jugular. With how much he enjoyed poking Jez (in the non-sexual way, though that had been enjoyable too) it was only a matter of time before she struck at him. Merlin, he hoped she did. Because there was nothing quite like watching the prideful fire light up her eyes when she became angry. Plus he was masochistic and thought it would be disturbingly arousing to have her attack him. He never had been one to do things that were good for him after all. It was easy for him to get distracted by her, because she was one fascinating woman. She was remarkably beautiful, and at times he got more enjoyment out of looking at her than he probably should have. Right now was one of those moments when he had looked up to ask politely for the stack of papers. He took her facial expressions and tried to determine if she was in a foul mood, which it appeared as if she wasn't. But appearances could be deceiving. As he looked at her, his lips were curved upwards to show private amusement, his eyes light with unspoken humor. today he had opted to ditch the wizarding robes that showed a Ministry employee (mostly because he planned on staying inside all day) and wore a pair of jeans that were ripped at the knee from one too many days rough-housing in them. A black Nazareth shirt with the picture from the 'Hair of the Dog' album covered his chest and his leather jacket was hung casually from the chair he sat in.

When he held his hand out, he hoped she accidentally touched it, because that was always the best reaction. Jez seemed embarrassed by touching him even in the most casual way and it was just so bloody fun to see her spaz about it. So he opted to provide as many opportunities of her touching him in any way as he possible could. Not that he minded. He liked to touch her, enjoyed the feel of her. But that did not stop him from being amused when he fingers brushed against his and she instantly dropped the stack of papers and jerked her hand back.

"Sorry, They weren't in an order or anything, were they?"

"No," he said, his voice casual despite the amusement inside of him. "Thankfully I wanted them so I could start the tedious task of putting them in order." Thomas leaned back in his chair as he enjoyed a rather pleasant view of her figure as she stood up. He knew the expression on his face as he looked at her was anything but professional, but he just could not help it. He just was a son of a bitch, and was proud of it. He also knew that if she chose to look at him, and actually caught him checking out the athletic curves of her body, she might be angry enough to forget her embarrassment. Or she might become even more embarrassment. Either option was fine with him. But she was choosing to not look at him, instead looking at the papers that she was gathering.

"Jez," he spoke in a carefully casual voice, as if he were discussing the weather. Even if his face betrayed him, it was a deeply lustful gaze when he regarded her. "I know you are still reeling from my spectacular love-making skills, but try not to let the thought of it distract you from your work." A wicked grin formed on his lips as he spoke. He really was an asshole.

[Thunderstruck]

"No. Thankfully I wanted them so I could start the tedious task of putting them in order."

You know, Jez thought to herself, he never does tedious paperwork, not when he can throw it at me. At first, she had been too relieved that this particular mountain wouldn't be her sole responsibility, partly because she had several statements to make regarding the various bedraggled or bleeding suspects they had apprehended. That sort of thing took a lot of focus, because she didn't want to get distracted and write well, he called me a mudblood, and I thought he could do with a lesson in etiquette before we actually arrested him. It didn't mean she was lying, per se, just phrasing things in a manner that wouldn't get her suspended without pay.

Now, though, once she'd gotten the statements out of the way, she rather resented Taylor's decision to actually do some of his own paperwork. She lowered the stack to the desk and tapped it side-on, the more out of line papers falling in. The dull work was usually all right by Jez; she was out of his presence and had mundane things to concentrate on. Her skills might have been geared towards the active side of Aurorship, but no Hufflepuff worth their salt would balk at a little homework.

"Jez." By reflex, the trainee glanced up. The look on her trainer's face made her wish she hadn't. Hastily, she looked very intently down at the papers. "I know you are still reeling from my spectacular love-making skills, but try not to let the thought of it distract you from your work."

"That's not--" Jez started, cutting off as she bit her tongue and tried to rise above it. Her last two trainers had been killed in action, after all. Maybe her luck would hold. "That's not professional," she settled for, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Keeping her eyes averted - the light of humiliation burning brightly in them nonetheless - Jez dropped the sheaf of paperwork on his side of the desk and sat down, trying to remember what she'd been doing before Taylor had decided to be a dickhead.

[Disposable Hero]

He had a saying, that happiness came in short bursts. It was impossible for a person to be happy all the time, so they should just take what ever situation made them happy for a short period of time and hang on to it. This was one of those situations, not that Jez's unease gave him pleasure (well on some level it did) but he found himself happy to just be in her presence. It was disgustingly sappy, and he wanted to slice out the part of his brain that thought that, but it was there and there was little he could do about it. This was why he had opted to stay inside today, that way he could hang out with Jez, and have a mellow sort of day. Tomorrow would be different, because then they would be back to what they were meant to do. Hunt Aurors. But today, today he would tease the living hell out of her, and perhaps they should talk, he mused. A conversation about what had happened between the two of them might help ease her discomfort. Then again, the last time he had attempted to help her in a relatively small way, she had nearly bitten his head off, but then they ended up having sex so there was really no telling what might happen.

"That's not--That's not professional,"

"I suppose it's not," he agreed and watched as she firmly chose to look at anything other than him. It was certainly starting to irritate him, she was acting like a child. "But I think we went way past any sort of strictly professional relationship, don't you?" Thomas lifted his wand and pointed at the door to the rather small office and it locked immediately. It was time to fix this awkwardness. While it had been amusing for a while, now it was starting to get annoying. He would much rather have her look at him when she spoke to him, and he missed that fire that used to shine in her eyes. "We need to talk," he started, and stood up in his chair to stretch out his sore back. Really, they should give Aurors better chairs. It was a might ridiculous that the Aurors went out day after day to face danger and possible death and the Ministry couldn't even have the decency to give them proper comfortable chairs.

"You regret what happened between us," he observed rather bluntly, unsure if he meant that as a question or a statement. Thomas walked over towards he small plant that stood in the corner of the office. Some semblance of attempting to make this place a little less suffocating. "It's understandable, you technically slept with your boss. But I don't see it that way."

[Thunderstruck]

"I suppose it's not. But I think we went way past any sort of strictly professional relationship, don't you?"

Great. She couldn't wait to see his performance review; Jez is a pretty good shag, and humiliating her is brilliant entertainment. Why not, after all? If they'd gone way past a professional relationship, then he could do what he liked. Jez could get fired for her indiscretion, never reach the status of Auror, and he'd just get a wrist-slap and a lot of locker-room respect. So of course it was funny to him. Why be kind and let her forget it when he could be cruel and bring it up constantly? He was getting his amusement at the expense of her composure, and it didn't bother him in the slightest how she felt about it. What a massive, massive dickhead. Glowering at nothing in particular, she flinched slightly when he locked the office door. What now...?

"We need to talk."

Fan-fucking-tastic. He had found a whole new way to make her turn crimson and useless. It was being elevated to an artform, now. As he stood, Jez unconsciously wheeled her chair a little further from the desk. Unless it was absolutely life-or-death necessary, she kept an automatic distance between them, as if a giant invisible metal bar stood between them at all times. By the time he emerged from his side of the desk, her chair was gradually squeaking its way towards the opposite wall.

"You regret what happened between us."

Clearly, it was incisive perception like this that had got Taylor into the elite ranks of the Aurors.

"It's understandable, you technically slept with your boss. But I don't see it that way."

"I have a lot of paperwork to do," Jez retorted, sharing his ability to state the obvious. "I tell you what, we can have this horrific conversation when I'm fatally-wounded, right? 'Cause unless I'm close to death, you're not getting a word out of me." Looking stubborn, Jez stretched her arm out, just managing to reach the nearest sheaf of paperwork. She managed to draged it closer, then picked it up and stared at it intensely.

[Disposable Hero]

On some level Thomas was not even sure why he was bothering to even try to ease the tension between them. Jez had a fanastic way of taking everything he says and does and turning it into something that was an insult to her. But he tried anyway, because it was getting rather irriatating the lengths she went to keep him at a distance. As if she was horrified about the idea of even brushing against him accidently. It was insulting to him, yet he never had made any comment about it before, only enjoyed playfully needling her about it. She had never seemed to be amused by it either. So apparently he just could not win no matter what he did. Well Thomas was used to having every one against him in certain matters, so this was nothing new. He would just have to keep attempting to make Jez see reason, which was something she apparently firmly did not want to do. Of course it did not help that his own temper was starting to show it's ugly head, and he was just barely hanging over the edge of keeping his cool.

When he stood, she moved automatically away from him, as if afraid he was going to jump on her. It made him want to growl at her, but he refrained as he spoke with relative calm. She was acting as if he were a leper, and while he understood it, that did not mean he had to like it. Jez had a fascinating way of making him lose his cool, and he was not sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

"I have a lot of paperwork to do, I tell you what, we can have this horrific conversation when I'm fatally-wounded, right? 'Cause unless I'm close to death, you're not getting a word out of me."

A tic appeared in his jaw as he stood there silently for a few seconds. She had succeeded in pissing him off, and he was not sure if that had been her goal. "Damnit," he snarled as he stalked towards her. He reached out a hand and clasped it on the papers she held in an attempt to yank them away from her. "What is it that bothers you so much about it? You think I'm gonna tell everyone about it? No, I'm not going to do that." He glared at her for a moment before he continued. "I want to be your friend, why do you make it so fucking impossible?"

[Thunderstruck]

(Sorry for the extreme lateness, love)

There was something about blokes that Jez was finally learning, and it was that saying things very clearly really didn't matter. She could have torn up the office screaming 'I don't want to talk about it!' and it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference. If a bloke wanted to talk about it, then by any god one cared to name, he would talk about it. Even if it was a conversation bawled in your face because you had your hands clamped over your ears, singing 'LALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU'. Come hell or high water, their will would overrule Jez's, totally regardless of what she said or did. At times like these, she felt like shutting up for half an hour, seeing as it wouldn't change anything and at least she could spare her breath.

"Damnit."

He was coming towards her, but she was already at the wall. Reflexively, she held the papers up in front of her, like a shield. More a metaphorical shield than anything, of course, because... paper. He tugged at them, but she held on, stubborn as a mule, and earned herself a slight papercut.

"What is it that bothers you so much about it? You think I'm gonna tell everyone about it? No, I'm not going to do that."

Okay. Great. It was a cross-your-heart-hope-to-die secret. So there was no need to keep talking, ri-

"I want to be your friend, why do you make it so fucking impossible?"

"Huh?" Jez said, not terribly cleverly, blindsided by this new accusation. A couple of moments passed in which she tried to remember if not-being-friends had been mentioned already, before casting a not unbewildered expression his way. "Look- it's just embarrassing, all right? And you keep taking the fucking piss, which by the way isn't exactly friendly. So excuse me for trying to put it behind me."

Tugging at the papers abruptly, which caused them to snap back and graze her chin, Jez started edging to the left as subtly as possible. The moment she was far enough away, she was going to break down the bloody door and leg it. "The... friend shit, I think that's new. You didn't bitch about it before." Slide, shuffle, freeze - she was going to be halfway down the office before he knew what hit him. Theoretically.

[Disposable Hero]

There were moments in his life, such as this one, that Taylor wished for nothing more than to slam his head repeatedly against a concrete wall. Perhaps he would knock himself out, give himself amensia and he could forget everything, start a new life. That sounded like a winning situation did it not? Or perhaps he could slam Jez's head into aformentioned concrete wall, and then about ninety percent of his problems would be solved. Then again, his life certainly would be less enjoyable if Jez was out of it, so perhaps he just needed to re-examine the situation, and choose the best course of action. What would be the best course of action in this particular situation? Back off and let her leave? Tell her everything that he felt for her? (That would never happen.) Thomas just was not sure at this point, and it did not help that he was so blasted irritated with her that it clouded all reason and logic at this point. Maybe someday soon he would actually get killed by a Death Eater and then Jez would not have to put up with him anymore. What a cheery thought that was. Of course he could always put in a transfer for her, get her a new trainer. Since she seemed so unhappy with having him as her trainer. That might be something to discuss with her.

As it was, he attempted to tug the papers out of her hands, papers that she had held up as if they were a shield to protect him from her. Any other time, he might have found that amusing. But as it were, he was too irritated by her seeming inability to move past, or hell, see humor in, something that had happened between them.

"Look- it's just embarrassing, all right? And you keep taking the fucking piss, which by the way isn't exactly friendly. So excuse me for trying to put it behind me."

"Flinching anytime I touch you is not putting it behind you," he snapped, and let go of the papers just as she tugged on them. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, or made you uncomfortable." His hands slid into his pockets, moving just a bit aways from her. This situation was making him uncomfortable, and he wanted it over with, damnit. The only way to get it over with was to ride through it, or simply walk away. Since Thomas had never been a person to walk away from anything, he would ride it through. Of course, that was until he noticed the way Jez was very "subtly" attempting to move towards the door.

"The... friend shit, I think that's new. You didn't bitch about it before."

It was easier, he noticed, to let her walk away. She needed time away from him, or perhaps she needed to get away from him permanently. "I care about you," he said softly, then turned his back on her to walk back to his desk. "Go away. I know you want to leave anyways." He sat down at his desk, shifting through the papers the he had left there. It would be nice, tedious work that would distract him. That was what he needed at the moment, tedious, brain-numbing work. "If you want, I can put in a transfer to get you a new trainer. It's up to you though." Thomas lifted a shoulder in a careless sort of shrug. She could leave, and he would just work. Work until he squashed down what ever it was that he felt for Jez.

[Thunderstruck]

"Flinching anytime I touch you is not putting it behind you. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, or made you uncomfortable."

What a load of utter bollocks. He wasn't sorry for taking the piss, he was just sorry that he wasn't getting away with it. Honestly, the man delighted in her discomfort, revelled in her mortification and then repeated the cycle whenever he was slightly bored. It had never bothered him before, why would it bother him now? Huh, men. They did deliberately screwed-up shit and then pretended that it wasn't deliberate at all. It was an exquisite form of denial, like a higher plane of repression reachable only to those with testicles. And they called women fickle, too; what the hell was that all about? Jez was pretty damned consistent, and she didn't magically forget the things she'd purposely done just because the outcome of them was no longer funny. The mind of a man was incomprehensible, which was weird because once upon a time, Jez had found them very comprehensible indeed. Sex, beer, Quidditch, sex - maybe cars or bikes for Muggles, and fast brooms for wizards - it was straightforward. If they weren't thinking about one of those three things, then they were having Deep Thoughts.

But now the male mind was a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a kebab. Their simple motivations had suddenly hit puberty and become completely opaque to her. There was the I love you. Bye! thing, which was just inexplicable. There was the I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, which was just plain stupid. Not to mention the new habit men were employing, wherein they interrupted a discussion or argument with a whole new field of accusations, like why aren't we friends?

There had never been a novelty in this new world of complex masculinity. It was stupid, it was random, and frankly it was just plain weird, and Jez was tired of it. Long ago, she'd only had bloke mates because they were the only other people who spoke their minds. Now, their minds had hit a growth spurt and they expected Jez to pyschically understand what in the name of Merlin's giant flowery pantaloons they were talking about.

"I care about you." See? Random! Weird! "Go away. I know you want to leave anyways. If you want, I can put in a transfer to get you a new trainer. It's up to you though."

And now he was sulking. He could flaff about with papers and lazy shrugs all he liked; Jez knew the signs very well. Sirius was not unknown to big fat toddler-style sulks, either. Apparently, when men reached the stage at which they could cross over into the testicles-only land of denial, they got the free gift of sulking like children. And Jez had just had it with this ridiculous behaviour!

"Of course!" she exploded, in the same tone as the bloke who'd said Eureka! "I don't want to have a touchy-feely talk so clearly I'm asking for a transfer! I didn't prance around going ooh, I care about you too, let's be best fwends so obviously we can't just work together!"

While she wasn't making her point very eloquently - or possibly at all - Jez felt extremely righteous. She'd had enough of irrational men, with their sulking and their demands and their denial and then their sulking again, and so help her God, the next bloke who sulked in the same room as her would never leave it. "You! You." Jez snarled, tossing the papers across the room and brandishing her finger at him. "If I don't behave exactly the way you want, you get completely insane about it! First I wasn't passionate about the job, how dare I be annoyed about a break-up? Then you take the piss out of me for weeks and when the fun wears off, it's just despicable of me to be annoyed! And now I don't want to talk about sappy shit, so God knows I need a transfer!"

Pausing to take some breaths, in case she ran out of air and couldn't finish, Jez lowered the finger of admonishment and observed her trainer with narrow eyes. "I don't want a transfer. If you want to be a big freak, then sort it out yourself."

[Disposable Hero]

It was not often that Thomas admitted that he was being irrational and stupid about something, he was far too stubborn for that sort of thing. However, he subconsiously knew that he was being just that in this situation. After all, he was the one that had pushed Jez to this point, to the point that she could barely stand to be in the same room with him. Hell, he could barely stand to be in the same room as himself half the time. So he had no reason to be angry, or irritated about the fact that she was having issues with him. So as soon as he got a chance, he would re-evaluate the situation, and admit that he was wrong. Which was something he hated to do, but he also was man enough to do so. He shifted through the papers on his desk, wondering how to go about getting an apology out that would not sound like he was just blowing it out of his ass for the sake of doing so. But it seemed as if Jez was not done with him, he had given her an out and she had chosen to not take it. He looked up from his papers and met her gaze, and noted impassively that she appeared rather furious at him. Well he certainly did not blame her for that.

"I don't want to have a touchy-feely talk so clearly I'm asking for a transfer! I didn't prance around going ooh, I care about you too, let's be best fwends so obviously we can't just work together!"

He grimanced inwardly, aware that he deserved that. So he sat there silently as he allowed her a chance to rant out everything she was feeling. He certainly was being an idiot about everything that had happened between them. Why couldn't he have just left well enough alone? He wanted to bang his head against the desk because he felt like such an idiot at that moment.

"You! You. If I don't behave exactly the way you want, you get completely insane about it! First I wasn't passionate about the job, how dare I be annoyed about a break-up? Then you take the piss out of me for weeks and when the fun wears off, it's just despicable of me to be annoyed! And now I don't want to talk about sappy shit, so God knows I need a transfer!"

Thomas gritted his teeth as he fought the urge to defend himself, after all, he had no reason to. She was laying out everything he had done to her over the past few months, and it was his own damn fault that she had gotten to this point. So he kept watching her as she pointed an accusing finger at him, before she finally put it down to glare at him. He sat there silently the entire time, watching her with a furrowed brow, but it was not so much a glare as it was thoughtful. It certainly was nice of her to tell him exactly how he made her feel over the last couple of months.

"I don't want a transfer. If you want to be a big freak, then sort it out yourself."

"You're right, Jez, I'm sorry," he said softly as he stood up. Taylor stood there, an awkward sort of look on his face. "Given everything I've put you through the last couple of months I'm shocked you haven't tried to kill me, or transfer." A half-laugh escaped his lips before he cleared his throat. "In all seriousness, I do sincerely apologize for being an idiot."

[Thunderstruck]

When her tirade wound down, Jez found herself bouncing very slightly on the balls of her feet. Her blood hummed with violence, anticipating an unholy row and very likely some flying furniture and gruesome paper cut attacks. And it would be brilliant, because there was no way she'd have to finish the stupid sodding paperwork when it was sticking out of her trainer's eyeball. It would be a creative, glorious, bloodsoaked explosion of pent-up frustration, stress, and - let it never be said - misdirected anger. If Sirius was there, then it would have been perfect. She could bang their heads together so hard their pitiful excuses-for-brains trickled out their earholes, and then she jump and down on their bloody carcasses and conjure vultures to peck at their—

"You're right, Jez, I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Jez retorted. It lacked a certain kind of coherency, but it came straight from the heart.

"Given everything I've put you through the last couple of months I'm shocked you haven't tried to kill me, or transfer."

The trainee tripped over her own anger and tried to right herself, blindsided by this sudden understanding. What the—?

"In all seriousness, I do sincerely apologize for being an idiot."

"Oh," she said, sort of flatly. Much as she'd prefer not to admit it, she was somewhat flummoxed. Taylor appeared to be having moodswings, and she - her experience with PMS aside - wasn't equipped to handle them. Now her anger poured into a puddle, not certain where to go or what to do when it got there. Bloody, bloody blokes. Just when you declared war, they surrendered, and there you were with an army that was suddenly surplus to requirements. And she was still angry, but now she had nothing worth being angry at. Though the logic involved was twisted, she still felt Taylor's selfless apology had been rather selfish. What was she supposed to do now?

"Well- well, you should be. So... good." Yes. Wonderful. Was he aiming for the Most Unpredictable Weirdo of the Year award? Or was there some kind of sense he was making that was perfectly clear to people who didn't like to beat other people up? Jez felt like she was listening to half a conversation, like the other half was inaudible and she was left with something that amounted to gibberish. This deeply irked her, and with her pool of defensive anger so close to the surface, it was very likely she would have seized upon it and started yelling at him about his random madness, thus righting the world again. But a knock on the door stopped her before she'd even formed words; she pulled out her wand, unlocked the door and answered it with a mixture of annoyance and relief. "Yeah?"

"Everything okay?" Auror Winkleman peered through the crack in the door, and Jez couldn't help but notice that he was straining to get a better look at the room. Christ, she thought, you'd think I'm the only one who ever yells around here!

"Fine," she said, shortly, and closed the door in his face. Instead of turning back to Taylor right away, she waited until she heard Winkleman's steps fading into the distance. God, Aurors were nosy bastards. Which made sense, of course, but it could be very inconvenient. Still, the interruption had given her a chance to calm down. Absently clucking her tongue, Jez went to retrieve the papers she'd hurled across the room, shuffling them as she sat down across from Taylor. "Well." Shuffle, shuffle. "So that covers everything, yeah?"

[Disposable Hero]

It seemed that he had taken her off guard by his apology. While he had hated to do it, and certainly would have liked to continue fighting. Maybe he could have slammed her head against the wall a couple of times until he felt better. Instead he had chosen to go the mature route and apologize for being an idiot about things that he had no business being an idiot about. So he had swallowed the nasty pill of apology and done so, the look on her face was almost worth it though. She seemed utterly confused by the turn of events. He could tell that she had been brimming for a physical fight, and any other time he might have accommodated her, but not today. Merlin, he could use a good fight also, and maybe some other time they could beat the shit out of each other until they were both bloody and bruised, but perferably not inside of a broom closet sized office where there was little room to manuever as it was.

"Well- well, you should be. So... good."

Thomas sat back down in his chair, and rifled through his paperwork, in a vain attempt to concentrate again. It seemed as though their fight was over with, and he vaguely heard another Auror come in to make sure that everything was alright. As if they were the only two that argued in the entired building. Aurors were naturally nosey by nature, it was part of the job after all, and he had no doubt that Auror Winkleman had just opened the door in hopes of catching some part of a brawl. At least that was Taylor's theory on the matter. It did not matter, since he seemed to be easily convinced to go away by Jez's short answer and the fact that she slammed the door in the Auror's face. Thomas almost laughed, but held himself back. At least he wasn't the only one in this office that was rude to his superiors. And technically Auror Winkleman outranked Jez.

"Well. So that covers everything, yeah?"

Thomas lifted his gaze from his papers in order to look across the desks at Jez. She seemed intent on shuffling her papers, which was an annoying sound if he had ever heard one. "Yes, I expect so," he said, a smile touching the corners of his lips. He looked back down at his papers and continued to organize them. It seemed as if all was right in the world again between them. At least as good as it ever was going to get.