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The last three months in Toledo have been hell, and all of them could admit that. There was a clear divide between the team members, and nobody knew how to fix it. Alicia was the ring leader of her group, and over the past few months Nairobi has become her "side-kick" in a sense. She always followed Vienna around like a puppy followed around their owner yet nobody else seemed to understand the dynamic. But it was clear to the rest of the group that Alicia cared for Nairobi which was something that rarely ever happened. Meanwhile many members of the group had gotten close over the time they've spent together. Everyone was content for the most part...except...Tokyo.
“What do you even think they’re doing over there?” Tokyo snapped as she watched Berlin, Vienna, Palermo, Lisbon, Marseille, Bogotá, and Nairobi sitting down at the table across the lawn with smiles etched across their faces.
“Probably planning a terrorist attack on America.” Rio joked.
“They can’t keep treating us like fucking outcasts!” Denver exclaimed in frustration. “This feels like middle school all over again!”
“How?” Stockholm asked, clearly confused. “They’re just sitting there.”
“They always look at us like we’re the scum of the earth just because we weren’t friends with them before we got here.” Denver argued. “They never include us in anything.”
Rio sighed, “Denver’s got a point. They all go to Vienna, Lisbon, and Nairobi’s room every night. They never include us.”
“How do you know that they actually do that?” Stockholm challenged.
“I walked past their room the other night and I heard Berlin asking Vienna if she wanted more wine.” Tokyo informed the group. “Vienna made some witty comment towards him and next thing I knew everyone was laughing so hard it was as if their lives depended on it.”
“What do you think is even up with those two anyway?” Denver asked.
“Who?” Rio questioned.
“Berlin and Vienna.” He clarified. “They’re way too close to be just friends.”
“Says who?” Stockholm asked incredulously. “Plus how is it even our business?”
“It’s not.” Moscow said as he interjected himself into the conversation and made his way over to the group.
“You should listen to your father.” Stockholm said to Denver with a disapproving look. “Just leave the others be and let them live their lives without you constantly berating them for being friends.”
“I don’t constantly berate them.” Denver argued.
Tokyo frowned, “Yes you kind of do.”
“So do you!” Denver accused. “Weren’t you just the woman who asked us what we thought they were doing?!”
“Touché.” Tokyo responded with a wink but they all turned their attention back onto the other group when they heard a familiar female’s voice begin to yell out from across the yard.
“Professor!” Alicia called out with her iconic smirk as The Professor and Helsinki made their way out of the house and onto the grass. “Palermo is bullying me!”
“She’s such a bitch.” Tokyo muttered.
“ Tokyo don’t berate them .” Denver mocked.
“Shut up! I’m trying to listen!” Stockholm hissed out as she refocused her attention back onto the scene unfolding before them.
“What’s happening?” Helsinki whispered out as he broke away from The Professor and made his way over to Moscow.
“Shut up!” Stockholm hissed out again and Helsinki immediately closed his mouth.
“I’m not bullying Vienna.” Martín said emphatically as he jumped out of his seat in protest.
“Thanks for the seat amigo .” Alicia said with a cunning grin as she slapped Palermo square in the cheek and took his vacant seat next to Berlin.
“What the fuck?! Why did you slap me?!” Palermo asked incredulously as Berlin and Marseille let out a loud laugh at his apparent frustration towards the petite red head.
“I felt like it.” Alicia shrugged as The Professor just shook his head with a sigh and took one of the empty seats at their table next to Lisbon and Marseille.
“Fuck you.” Martín mumbled as he aggressively shoved Alicia out of the chair and he watched in satisfaction as she went crashing to the ground in a heaping mess.
“Oh shit.” Rio breathed out as he watched Lisbon and Nairobi practically leap from their chairs to check on a cackling Alicia, laying on the ground.
“Something tells me that Berlin isn’t going to like that.” Stockholm commented.
“Palermo better run because it looks like all the men sitting at that table just might kick his ass.” Tokyo said with a bright smile.
“What the fuck man?!” Bogotá asked in disbelief.
“She better not be hurt.” The Professor said sternly.
“If she is hurt then you will be hurt.” Marseille added with a frown.
Berlin said absolutely nothing.
All he did was stare at Palermo in distaste, something he rarely ever did with his younger predecessor.
“Woah! Woah! Woah!” Palermo exclaimed in disbelief as Lisbon helped Alicia to her feet and Nairobi reclaimed her seat in between Bogotá and Marseille. “She can hit me and it’s not a big deal but when I hit her back it’s a problem?!”
“She’s a woman.” Bogotá said with as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s different.”
“Wait.” Nairobi said as she narrowed her eyes at the man sitting beside her. “What do you mean she’s a woman so it’s different ? Are you saying that you treat women differently than men? Because I can fucking assure you that if I were to deck you in the face right fucking now then I’d expect a punch back with equal force. Is that clear?!”
Bogotá looked at the feisty gypsy with wide eyes, “I...uh...I don’t know what you want me to say...”
Nairobi pursed her lips, “Forget it.”
“You fucked up.” Berlin commented from across the table with a grin as Alicia walked over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, wordlessly communicating that she was okay.
“Children!” Sergio shouted loudly as the table grew quiet at his words. “We have class in an hour. Not to mention the fact that today marks the second month that we’ve been staying here which leads me to say that these “games” you all like to play with each other should stop.”
“Ah Professor,” Alicia said as she plopped herself onto Berlin’s lap with a smile, “don’t take away all of our fun.”
“Vienna.” Sergio drawled out in disapproval but before she could come up with a witty comeback Martíns voice cut her off.
“Hey! Helsinki!” Palermo called out as he spotted the older Serbian standing beside Moscow on the opposite end of the yard. “Come over here big fella!”
“Helsinki. Don’t.” Denver said sternly.
“Come on!” Palermo called out once again as he gestured for Helsinki to walk over to him.
“I’m sorry Denver.” Helsinki said with an apologetic smile as he left Moscow’s side and made his way over to the other table.
“What a fucking traitor.” Denver grumbled.
“He’s not a traitor!” Stockholm exclaimed in an exasperated tone of voice. “He’s making a friend! Something all of you should be trying to do as well!”
"I don't want to become friends with Vienna or Berlin." Tokyo snapped.
"Why not?" Rio asked softly.
"I don't like them." She scoffed.
"This is ridiculous!" Stockholm shouted as she stood up from her seat. "I'm going to go over there and I'll prove that they aren't as bad as you make them out to be."
"That's not a good idea." Rio warned her.
"Yes. It. Is." She said through gritted teeth as she walked across the yard and the others watched as the other table grew quiet at her newly found presence.
"What are you doing here?" Alicia deadpanned.
"I want to fix this." Stockholm said as she gestured to the two separate tables.
"Why would we want to fix this?" Nairobi asked with a chuckle. "We don't need you or your little friends for this heist."
“We have everyone we need here.” Alicia offered with a confident shrug.
“We have the mastermind.” She said as she pointed to Sergio.
“We have the leader.” She added as she pointed to Andrés.
“We have the strategist.” She said as she pointed to herself.
“We have the engineer.” She said as she pointed to Martín.
“We have the counterfeiter.” She said as she pointed to Nairobi.
“We have the assassin.” She said as she pointed to Marseille.
“We have the welder.” She said as she pointed to Bogotá.
“We have the cop.” She said as she pointed to Raquel.
“And now we have the muscle.” She finished as she pointed to Helsinki.
“We have some important people too.” Stockholm pointed out.
“Yeah? Who do you really have?” Alicia asked in disgust. “Two immature little boys, a trigger happy Barbie doll, an old man, and...yourself...a secretary?”
"I want to fix this." Stockholm repeated, clearly not backing down.
"No thanks." Bogotá said simply. "We will work with the rest of you for the sake of the heist but when it comes to extracurricular actives? I think I speak for all of us when I say that we'll pass."
"Why can't we all just get along?" Stockholm asked softly as Vienna's eyes widened in amusement.
"Nairobi do you hear this?" Alicia asked with a smirk. "The secretary wants to play peacekeeper for her little lambs."
Nairobi let out a loud chuckle, "Honey. Just go back to your group. Trust me when I say that Vienna is not in the mood and when she isn't in the mood you should fucking run."
"Stockholm," Raquel said with a sympathetic smile, "I admire what you are trying to do, but it's just not possible."
"And why not?" Stockholm asked.
"I know that most of the people sitting at this table haven't been very warm and welcoming, but I don't think your friends have been very kind to us either." Lisbon explained. "They clearly have a grudge against us for some reason and...forgive me for assuming this but I...uh...I don't think they are going to give it up anytime soon."
"You might be right." Monica admitted.
"Well," Alicia said with a bored sigh, "As fun as this has been I think it's time for you to go back to the delinquents."
"Yeah..." Stockholm said softly. "Right..."
"Goodbye." Alicia deadpanned.
"Vienna." The Professor said with narrowed eyes as Tokyo, Denver, and Rio made their way over to the group. "Be nice. We are sparring with each other tomorrow and in order to do that I need you all to be on the same page."
"Yeah...about that Professor..." Tokyo trailed off with a grimace. "I'm not sparring with Alicia ever again."
Sergio frowned, "Why not?"
"Did you forget the fact that she broke my arm?" Tokyo asked incredulously.
"It was an accident!" Alicia defended.
"No it wasn't!" The younger woman argued back.
"Berlin fractured my wrist but you don't see me complaining like a little bitch!" Vienna shot out.
"You broke my arm." Tokyo repeated in disbelief.
Alicia let out a low growl, "Everyone knows a fracture is worse than a break."
"Oh yeah?" Tokyo challenged as she stood up from her seat. "Why don't you come over here and I'll break your arm. Then we'll see which one is really worse."
"So help me god Tokyo if you even think about touching Vienna then I won't hesitate to break you." Nairobi snarled.
Tokyo let out an amused chuckle as she locked eyes with Alicia, "Oh. I see. You've made a friend."
"She's mi hermana." Nairobi informed the firecracker currently staring daggers into the red head.
"Mi hermana?" Tokyo spit out in disgust.
"She's my gypsy." Alicia said as she looked at Nairobi with a smirk.
"You are a freak." Rio suddenly commented causing everybody to turn their attention onto him.
"And you are sleeping with the bitch standing in front of me." Alicia replied with a wicked cackle. "But I suppose we all can't be perfect. Right?"
"Wait." Sergio said with a blank look on his face as he turned to face Alicia. "What did you just say?"
"Oh you didn't know?" Vienna asked innocently. "Barbie and Ken have been fucking since the first day we got here."
"What a fucking snitch." Denver muttered.
"Did you just say something knock off John Travolta?" Alicia said as she glared at him.
"Don't think I haven't noticed the way you stare longingly at the blonde peacekeeper over there." She said, clearly referencing Stockholm. "Is she going to be your new Sandy?"
"What?" Monica asked barely above a whisper as she looked at Denver with eyes full of confusion.
"Don't listen to her." Denver said softly. "She's lying."
Alicia shrugged, "I'm really not."
"And who are you to talk?" Tokyo sneered. "It's clear as day that you are fucking Berlin."
"You think we are fucking?" Vienna asked with a loud laugh. "Really?"
"Well aren't you?" Rio asked pointedly.
"No." Berlin deadpanned.
"Showing affection by touching another is not the same as actually sleeping with a person." Nairobi said as if she was speaking to a five year old. "Did you miss sex education class in high school?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Denver asked Nairobi as he turned to face her.
"What's wrong with me?" She repeated in disbelief.
"You seemed genuine when you first got here but now that you are hanging out with these psychopaths you've changed." He said as Tokyo nodded her head in agreement.
"I haven't changed." Nairobi said in a tone of voice that left no room for argument. "So fuck off."
"Perhaps it's time for all of us to leave." Marseille said, trying to find a way to defuse the situation as quickly as possible.
"What a great idea." Palermo said as he grabbed Vienna's hand and helped her off of Berlin's lap.
After all he may not love Alicia but he sure as hell liked her a lot more than the "newbies".
"It's been a pleasure. Come spar with us next time." Andrés called out to Tokyo with a smirk as he led his group away from the others, and he definitely didn't miss the look of betrayal on their faces when they saw Helsinki gleefully follow Martín.
"What should we do now?" Palermo asked when they were at a far enough distance so that the others didn't hear them.
"Does anybody want to come to my room for wine?" Nairobi asked with a smile as she clutched onto Bogotá's arm affectionately.
"Do you want to?" Sergio asked as he looked down at Raquel.
"I'm in for a glass of wine." She responded as The Professor nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm always in for a drink." Palermo said as everybody let out soft murmurs of agreement.
Helsinki huffed out a laugh, " I'm not much of a wine guy but I'd love to join."
"I'll get the glasses." Marseille said with a simple nod of his head.
"Vienna? Are you in?" Bogotá asked curiously.
"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm always in for wine." Alicia replied with a smirk as she grabbed onto Berlin's hand and interlaced their fingers together.
"Berlin? What about you?" Nairobi asked.
"I'll go wherever Vienna goes." Andrés responded as he tightened his grip around her hand. "Always."
"Wow." Palermo breathed out in a dramatic voice as he began to fan himself mockingly. "I think my eyes started to water."
"I hate you." Berlin snarled.
Palermo gasped, "Well. You didn't have to make your answer a big declaration of love."
"Shut up you asshole." Andrés said with a chuckle as he smacked Martín on the back of his head and everyone let out a laugh at the elegant man's antics.
"I fucking love this group." Nairobi commented with a bright smile.
"Why?" Lisbon asked with a grin. "We're always a mess."
"Yet...somehow...we still work." The Professor said as Alicia wordlessly nodded her head in agreement.