InsaneJournal

Current mood:

accomplished

Who: Honey and Krycek
Doing what: Meeting for tea and cookies. Yes, really.
When: August 19, evening.
Where: Krycek's quad.
Warnings: Chats about crushes and succubi, and more blushing from Honey than you can shake a stick at.
Also, this is really long.


Finding Krycek's new quad hadn't been that hard. Walking to it, Honey had found, also wasn't that hard. As he stood a short distance away from it, looking at the building as if it were going to spring to life and try to kill him; Honey idly bit his lower lip.

Looking to the ground, Honey's brow furrowed momentarily, and he stopped biting his lip. "I can do this.." he said quietly. He hadn't brought Usa-chan. The doll was back at his quad, in his bedroom. A glance to Krycek's quad again and Honey was finally moving towards it. It wasn't that this meeting was dangerous, it was just foreign. He usually met Krycek under less than amicable times, so the idea of meeting up with him 'just to talk', registered as weird.

Reaching the door, Honey reached into his pocket, feeling his hand close around his cell phone. Fumbling with the side buttons, the item vibrated suddenly; indicating that it had been switched to silent mode. Honey wasn't expecting anyone to call, but he didn't want to be disturbed.

Even though the logical part of his mind was disturbed enough as is. Honey at least usually had someone along with him as protection, but things were different. Friends didn't do that, and as odd as the entire thing no doubt looked to those not involved, Honey worked on convincing himself that that's what he and Krycek were on the way to being. Or already were.

Removing his hand, Honey knocked at the door and waited for it to open. "This is normal.. It's normal." he thought, his arms moving to wrap around Usa-chan, but faltering once Honey remembered the doll wasn't present. Honey's arms returned to his sides, and he braced himself.

Krycek was at his laptop in the common room. He knew how naieve Honey could be, but he hadn't expected to gain his trust back so readily. Sure, it had been a long while since their more hostile confrontations, and he'd made every effort not to cause trouble when they shared a quad. Though part of that need to keep peace had been Scully's presence. Still, he didn't really have a use for Honey at present, so keeping him as an ally in the event of a future need was the best idea. It wasn't like Krycek enjoyed manipulating others or causing them harm... it was just part of the job, part of staying ahead.

Yes, there'd be a use for him someday. Although Krycek was disappointed that Honey didn't have anything... useful... to tell him, from the sound of it. He might be able to pry something out, regardless, or perhaps just keep building on their 'friendship.' That way, should some real issue arise, he'd trust him.

As Honey knocked, Krycek shut down the encrypted files he'd been viewing, closing them until all that could be seen was the wallpaper (a picture of Marita). The files weren't much important, anyway, just the lastest information that the Smoking Man wanted him to know. He'd have to go gather the things that the man didn't want him to know, some other time. That done, he went and got the door, a friendly smile on his face. It was similar to his act back in the FBI. "You found your way here ok? Come on in."

As Krycek's footsteps gave way to the door opening and a friendly greeting, it took Honey a split second before he smiled back; somewhat hesitantly. "It wasn't very hard." he answered, stepping into the quad. Letting his gaze drift around the common room, Honey looked back to Krycek. Getting used to him being pleasant would take a while, and was the slightest bit unsettling.

"That's probably what he's going for.."" Honey thought before he caught himself. It was probably just unsettling because Honey wasn't used to being around when it happened. Right. The logic worked out, Honey walked over to the nearest couch, taking a seat.

It was comfortable enough. Either well worn, or crafted to feel that way. Honey eyed Krycek's notebook, studying the wallpaper for a minute. The woman looked familiar, but Honey couldn't quite place her.

"Are you settled in?" he asked, trying to think of a topic. It was easier when there was some sort of reason behind their meetings. Honey caught himself and sighed. "Of course you probably are." Forcing himself to sit away from the edge of the couch, Honey gave Krycek a semi-apologetic grin.

Krycek noticed Honey's gaze and inwardly cursed. Not that it was a big deal. Still, he wasn't about to let potential questions come up. Nor have it get out that he actually had her on there. Acting casual about it, he reached over to put the computer to sleep. There. A blank screen. He nodded at Honey next.

"More or less. It doesn't ever take me long." He was used to having to move around a lot, or even disappear without much notice. He'd spent a lot of time on the run from various authorities and the Syndicate itself on occasion. The Academy was the most "settled" he'd been in years. But he was always ready to take off any time it'd be necessary. "What about you? Have you..." He paused, a detail spriging to mind suddenly. "Where's that animal you always have with you?"

Honey's first instinct, once Krycek had sat down near him, was to move. But he didn't need to, as Krycek had done nothing to warrant it. Watching as the screen went blank, Honey gave a nod as Krycek answered his question. "That's good. A lot of people on the network mentioned that it's taken them a while."

"Me?" Honey asked, turning his attention fully to Krycek. The question about Usa-chan made Honey smile momentarily. "He's back at the quad, in my room." he responded. That was new, Krycek usually didn't ask about the toy. Of course, he usually didn't have to, since Honey carried it everywhere. "Oh, and I'm mostly settled in, too, except for a few boxes."

Honey's shoulders relaxed. Despite what his instincts were yelling at him, from Honey's point of view, the current situation was safe. Odd, sure, but safe. Still, he moved away from Krycek ever slightly after a beat; obviously not as comfortable as he had thought.

Giving himself a mental scolding, Honey readjusted his position, and found himself closer to Krycek than he had been when Krycek had originally sat down. Not by much, but enough. "Sorry." he murmured, feeling shamed; despite not having done anything really worth apologizing for.

Of course it was safe. At this present time, there was no need for it to be otherwise. Krycek watched Honey shift positions with a vaguely amused expression. He wanted to tell him to make up his mind already, but he seemed to... for now. "Good for you." The fact that the rabbit wasn't with him was still odd. Krycek didn't trust "odd." He knew that when something so prevalent wasn't around, it meant something. Maybe Mulder had put the kid up to this, after all. Who knew? It was a weak effort, though, and Krycek would be disappointed in Mulder if that turned out to be the case. Surely he had more clever ways to get to his information that through the kid.

"You usually have that rabbit with you, though, don't you? I'm surprised not to see him." He couldn't help but keep wondering about it. "Or did you get tired of carrying him around?"

Honey gave Krycek a quizzical expression. "No, I'm not tired of carrying him around. He just didn't feel like coming, that's all." Well, at least they both had something odd to note. Still, from the way Krycek was talking, it sounded like he missed Usa-chan. Of course, Mulder hadn't put Honey up to anything; and Honey doubted that Mulder even knew about this meeting, but Honey wasn't a mind reader, so he couldn't deny Krycek's suspicions.

Honey paused for a brief second. "Do you miss him?" he asked, a faint smile showing up at the idea. Curious, he continued that line of questioning with, "Did you ever have any stuffed toys when you were younger?" He couldn't imagine what Krycek looked like younger, much less see him playing with any sort of toys; except those fake guns that were designed to look as real as possible. Even that was somewhat of a stretch. Just like Honey couldn't picture any of the other professors as anything but professors; but that was normal. Honey knew most of them just as that, with a few exceptions.

Remembering something suddenly, Honey reached into his pocket, withdrawing his cell phone. Flipping it open, he held it out to Krycek. His wallpaper was a simple photo of Usa-chan, seated at a table that looked custom built for him. Beneath the wallpaper, the option to call the main menu on the left, and the speed dial setting on the right.

"Plus, he's kind of with me here! Sort of.." It was a weak argument, since a picture wasn't the same, but Honey made it anyway.

Yeah, right, sure he missed the kid's damn toy. Though up until now, he'd always wondered why they were so inseperable. As if there might be some mysterious reason behind why Honey was so attached to it... Krycek supposed not everything had to have a suspicious motive, but couldn't help making assumptions. Old habits and all. Krycek looked at the picture. "I guess he is."

He made a face at the thought of discussing his background, since that was something he rarely did on principle. The less people knew, the better. Hence the sarcastic remark coming off first: "Yeah, sure, and I had tea parties with them all." He shrugged. "I preferred action figures if that's anything to you." Although the states they often ended up in was probably not worth discussing. "Speaking of tea, did you want anything?" He had to keep playing his part, after all.

Honey arched an eyebrow as Krycek mentioned having tea parties. He may as well have said 'It's raining marshmallows on Jupiter', since it took Honey a second to realize that Krycek wasn't being serious, and a little longer to get the mental image of a younger Krycek seated at a table with a series of G.I. Joe action figures placed around said table, out of his head.

Closing his phone and putting it back into his pocket, Honey looked around suddenly before his attention was directed to the topic at hand.

"Action figures.." he repeated quietly, thinking about it before speaking again with, "I have some of those! I mostly have stuffed animals at home, though." As far as to why Usa-chan was so important to Honey, he didn't feel like explaining it. Mainly because the subject matter was depressing, and the last thing he wanted to do was to start crying. But he and Krycek were friends, or at least working on becoming better acquainted. Honey made a note to tell him the entire story behind the toy if it ever came up in conversation.

"Um.." the mention of tea only helped recall the last time they had tea together, and what had happened as a result. Hesitating for a brief second, Honey nodded. "S- Sure, that'd be nice." he replied haltingly. "Thank you." he added. If Krycek were playing a part, Honey was doing a good enough job of deceiving himself to where it didn't matter.

Remembering what he had been looking for a few moments ago, he spoke up. "Do you have a pad of paper and something to write with?" he asked. "It.. I was thinking. We're friends, right? I should exchange cell phone numbers with you! Or at least give you mine." Although the journal system worked enough for communicating privately, Honey didn't keep his computer on hand all of the time.

He paused. "Do you have a cell phone? I remember a while back that you said something on the network about Professor Mulder calling your voicemail..? There are some land line phones that have voicemail prompts, in addition to an answering machine, though.." Wondering what that had been about exactly, but understanding that it was somewhat private; Honey refocused on the tea offer.

"A- Anyway, never mind. Tea would be really good, thank you."

"I'll get that started." But first, before that, Krycek had to stare incredulously at Honey. He wasn't aware he'd paid that much attetion to his dealings over the network. Well. Hell. What could he say about that? "That's right. Professer Mulder was having a problem that time."

To this day, Krycek would half swear he'd done it just to annoy him, even though there was plety of evidence to Mulder's drunken state at the time. Still. He reached into his pocket to withdraw his phone. "I don't lose it half as much as Mulder." He put the phone away again and then reached for a piece of paper and a pen. Was he going to regret doing this? Yes. But Honey wouldn't drunk dial him, so there was that. He wrote the number down and passed it over to Honey. Then, he got up to start the tea.

Noting the number, and Krycek's stare, Honey gave a sheepish laugh. "I have a good memory." he offered after a moment, a little embarrassed. Taking his phone back out, Honey tore the paper in half, writing his own number down. Watching as he got up to start the tea, Honey glanced at the number again. Folding the paper in half, he slipped it into his pocket, placing it beneath his phone.

He could enter it into his address book later. "Well, that's good." he remarked when Krycek mentioned not losing his that often. "I should buy a strap for mine, then I wouldn't have to worry about losing it." But Honey usually used cell phone straps for decoration, instead of their intended purpose. Besides, he had at least five straps, all weighed down with pink rabbit charms. His phone would be very hard to miss, if it were ever lost.

Remaining seated, Honey fell silent for a few moments. "Ah.. Do you want any help?" he offered, remembering his manners.

Krycek shook his head. "No, I got it." With that, he headed to the kitchen. It didn't take more than one person to prepare tea, after all. Krycek had everything pretty much ready to go, anyway, since he'd have had a tea-break at some point even if Honey hadn't come by. Besides, a little space from Honey for a moment was a good idea. A little time to think and ponder whether or not Mulder had been acting strange lately, like he was up to anything. He didn't think so, though, and Mulder tended to take a more direct approach at extracting information from him. So, this really could be genuine on Honey's part. Imagine that.

Once he heated the tea kettle a little more, he got some cups and set everything on a small tray so he could carry it in at once. As he headed back to the common room, he glanced to Honey. "Want anything to eat? I'd hate to be a bad host and not offer you something." Surprisingly, it was easy to fall back into this pleasant act... and he'd keep it up for as long as he needed to.

Listening as Krycek worked and looking at him once he offered something to eat, Honey considered the idea. "Do you have any cookies?" he asked. He wasn't sure what kind of tea Krycek had made, but cookies were usually a safe bet.

Letting his mind wander for a few moments, Honey tried to think of what Mulder or Scully would say if they ever learned about this meeting. Honey offering Krycek tea alone had gotten quite a response from both of them. If they ever learned of this, Honey would probably never hear the end of how he was being blackmailed, or whatever other theory Mulder could come up with.

Frowning at the idea, Honey briefly wished that Usa-chan was there. "..Hmph." he muttered. Coming out of his sullen attitude, Honey remembered where he was and flashed another apologetic smile towards Krycek. "S- Sorry about that, I was just thinking."

Resting his palms onto his knees, Honey looked at the tea and then spoke. "Professor Mulder thinks that you're blackmailing me." he said somewhat hesitantly. That conversation had been set up to be private, and that usually included an unspoken trust between the people talking; but Krycek was a friend- or at least a friend-in-the-making so didn't he deserve to know? Would he even be surprised by the idea?

"I told him you're not, since it'd be weird to be blackmailed into making tea for someone. I'm not bad at it, but it's nothing worth blackmailing me over, right?" Laughing at the idea, since it was pretty absurd, Honey soon fell silent.

Looking back to Krycek, suddenly apprehensive, he asked. "You're not planning on doing that, are-" The sentence was cut short as Honey's grip on his knees tightened. The next sentence was said more to himself than to Krycek, though at the same volume.

"No. No, you wouldn't. I shouldn't suspect you, either, because we're friends.." Just like Honey didn't suspect any of his other friends of doing anything underhanded, part of him wanted to believe the same about Krycek. But none of his other friends had kidnaped him, bargained for information that turned out to be unusable, or threatened him.

Wasn't his instinct worth listening to? The conflicting viewpoints just made his head hurt. Honey exhaled, his momentary internal crisis sat aside.

"It's ok." Really, let the kid have doubts and reach his own conclusions. That was the whole point. Krycek would keep presenting undeniable proof that he had no need to harm him and let him make up his mind. Unlike one overzealous FBI agent he could name, who had to always shove his point of view about him at the boy.

Krycek poured them both tea, showing Honey that there was no way he could have put anything in it. "I probably have something out there. I'll be right back." He went to get a pack of chocolate chip cookies and brought them in.

Then, settling down once again, he gave Honey a serious look. "Mulder would think that about me no matter what. We don't exactly have a great history. But you'll notice I don't go around attacking him for no reason. Mulder, on the other hand..." All Krycek had to do was walk into a room and Mulder would try beating him up. It was like a universal law. "...Well. I'll leave it to you to pay attention to things and see just who's doing all the antagonism. I won't tell you what to think, though... because like you say, we're friends." He sipped slowly at the tea.

Coloring a bit as Krycek proved that the tea was safe, Honey helped himself to a cookie and began to eat it, listening as Krycek talked about his relationship with Mulder. Following the few bites of cookie with a drink of tea (which Honey found to be pleasant and not very overpowering), he remained quiet; thinking.

Krycek had a very valid point. Mulder almost always mentioned how untrustworthy Krycek was, even when Honey would point out where it looked otherwise. His shoulders slumped as he quickly made a few connections.

"He does that a lot, and I know you both worked together, but for him to constantly bring it up like that is.. Well, obsessive, really. And-" Honey paused for another drink of his tea. "And besides, it's like by saying that over and over, he's telling me not to trust my feelings. I asked him about that, when I made that entry asking if everyone wanted tea. Do you know what he said?" Honey cleared his throat, recalling the words.

" 'I doubt that Krycek has ever apologized and meant it.'!" Finishing his cookie, Honey frowned. "He eventually told me to just be careful, but if you were going to do something, you would have done it a while ago." Honey wanted to believe as much, anyway.

"I can understand that he doesn't trust you, but he doesn't have to be so adamant about other people doing the same thing.. It's not right. You don't have to push your ideas onto someone. Or constantly tell them they're wrong, even if you don't state it outright."

Sighing, Honey worked on his tea, speaking again after a moment. "This is really good."

"Thanks." It was perfect. Like setting a trap and letting him walk right in. All Krycek had to do was point out the obvious and let Honey fill in the rest. Too easy. Even better, he could end up drawing this out for a good while. He knew there'd come a time he'd need Honey's favor or to use him in some way.

"You've got it. I've never pushed my ideas on anyone. Let my actions show that instead. There's more than one side to every story. Mulder's persective isn't the only one, nor is he always right. That's not to say he can't be right... because sometimes he can be. I've always said we're both after the same thing, just in different ways. I still believe that." He took one of the cookies and ate it, washing it down with more tea. Yeah. Tea and cookies with a little kid. Real top secret black ops stuff, here. The CSM would probably laugh at him if he knew. Still... there was a purpose to this. He mustn't lose sight of it. "He's just got to keep his personal feuds to himself and not draw others into it."

Another drink, and his cup was empty. "He really should." Honey murmured, taking another cookie. "He.. I know he was just trying to help, and using his own experiences as a reference, but still."

Honey's eyes narrowed, though not in anger. It was a hesitating sadness. Krycek had a point- Honey had simply taken Mulder's point of view as the right one, instead of thinking things through for himself. He had completely bought what Mulder had been selling, based partially on trust, but also on a need to have things in a black and white viewpoint. It was easier to classify people as "good" or "bad" instead of making things complex.

His expression went to one of disgust. He was disgusted with himself, and partially with Mulder. Why hadn't he stopped? Why hadn't he pulled Honey aside and told him to look at things from different points of view, instead of letting Honey believe him? Was he that determined to have people on his side?

Eying the cookie, Honey took a bite from it. Chewing and swallowing, he sat the remainder of the cookie onto the table. "I owe you an apology." he said, keeping his eyes off of Krycek. Internally, Honey was still conflicted. Part of his mind was yelling about how absurd it was to apologize to Krycek, and Honey didnt' doubt that this was the part of him that wanted to believe everything Mulder had ever told him. The other part was arguing against that, citing their agreed truce, and the glaring obvious as far as not looking at a situation clearly. Honey trusted Mulder, to be sure, but right now he didn't want to think about the various possibilities.

"What if Professor Mulder had told me to hurt him? Would I have done it? Would he have yelled at me that Krycek deserves it before doing it himself and then getting angry with me for not following through?"

Honey rubbed his forehead with his free hand, grimacing. That was the last thing he wanted to think about. There were too many possibilities that he hated.

"I'm.." his voice broke. Setting his tea cup down, Honey forced himself to look at Krycek when he said the next two words. "I'm sorry."

It felt good to get Honey doubting things. All Krycek had done was bend the truth a little. He hadn't even had to lie as such... he just took the evidence that was there and cast it in a different light than Honey had seen on his own. That was worth another couple of cookies. Krycek helped himself to those.

"Apology accepted," he finally said. Then, he reached over and... ruffled Honey's hair. Hell, this act was getting to be too much even for himself. The importat thing was, it kept working. "The world isn't black and white, just remember that. It can be hard to figure out what to believe... but you're a smart kid, so I'm sure you can find answers for yourself. Just pay attention to things that happen around you." He found himself wondering if there'd ever been a time when he'd been this level of naive... but no. There really wasn't. He'd figured out pretty early on that other people couldn't be trusted and always had to work things out for himself.

While having his hair ruffled wasn't a new experience for Honey, it counted as new when it was Krycek doing it. Caught off guard since it didn't seem like something Krycek would do at all; Honey just wrote it off as Krycek trying to be more accommodating. "Really?" he asked, at Krycek's acceptance, though he went back to keeping his eyes averted.

His advice was sound enough, and Honey nodded in agreement. "Right.." He was determined not to cry. Besides, this was supposed to be something to be happy over. Picking up what was left of his cookie, Honey ate. Finishing a moment or two later, he spoke up. "Kry- no, Alex." Well, that would take some time to get used to. Honey hesitated for all of a second and then continued. "Why do you think Professor Mulder likes having things in black and white? It's not fair to the situation, or the people involved, is it?" Again, he kept his eyes away from Krycek, though he was listening.

"Did he do that when you worked together?"

God, this was too easy. Krycek tried not to choke laughing on his tea. "Well, that's hard to say, but from what I know about Mulder... he sees good and evil, and it frustrates him to think that there could be some middle ground, or mix of the two... that perhaps the 'evil' he's always fighting might have good intentions, for example. That's why his father's involvement with the supposed evil side really pissed him off, when he found out about it... but you get the idea. People are sometimes just products of their situations, nothing worse than that. Maybe he's afraid that his own good intentions might sometimes cause more harm than anything..."

Funny enough, the truth barely had to be bent for any of this. Krycek set his cup down and continued. "He hates being wrong. I caught on to that when we worked together. He won't let anything get in the way of his pursuit of the 'truth,' no matter what the consequences. It's a dangerous mindset, if you think about it. How can he know for sure when he's really found the truth, after all? Or if truth even exists?" One couldn't find something if it didn't exist... and Mulder always was on the hunt for just that.

Listening to the explanation given, Honey considered it, staying quiet. "He's prideful, then." Krycek's question about the truth made Honey fall quiet once more. It was a good question, and one that Honey expected Krycek to know the answer to.

Blinking suddenly as Krycek's comment on Mulder's actions doing more harm than good struck him, Honey was quickly reminded of Rei. Wasn't it Mulder who had encouraged him to keep looking for the truth? To retrieve that copy of the article? A small spark of hatred ignited somewhere inside of Honey. While he had found what had really happened, the loss hadn't made it worthwhile. 'Isn't the memory more worth keeping than not?' Wasn't that what he had been met with when Honey admitted that he wished he had never bothered looking for the truth?

The hatred was doused when Krycek added that Mulder wouldn't let anyone get in his way. "Anyone?" he echoed. What if Mulder started to see Honey as a threat? What would happen, if anything? Mulder would probably insist that Honey was being blackmailed or brainwashed or something, and that would become Mulder's truth.

"He wouldn't know if what he found was the truth or not." Honey finally answered. "It's like the idea of an unreliable narrator. He would have to assume that whatever he was reading, or whoever he was talking to wasn't omitting something, or rewording things. Or he'd have to be good at lying to himself.."

Honey moved to pour himself some more tea, stopping at half of a cup. "It is dangerous.. It either means he believes everything, or that he gets caught in the details, regardless of if it's true or not." Taking a drink once his cup had been refilled, Honey sighed.

"And he probably thinks that doing that is okay, since it means that he's still getting his brand of the truth." Honey finally looked at Krycek, apparently studying him for a moment. He was right- he and Mulder were very similar, at least in some ways. Likewise, they contradicted each other starkly where they could.

"It's disgusting, honestly."

Upset, and wanting to change the subject, Honey had some more of his tea. "Anyway.. I'd really like to change the subject right now. Talking about this is depressing."

"You have to be careful, thinking you know all the answers." Krycek knew that Mulder wasn't quite as blind in his beliefs as he was making him out to be, but he treaded a thin line sometimes. He'd even tried to get him to see otherwise before, to no avail. "Mulder isn't a cautious person by nature. How else does he get into all the trouble he does? He runs in without thinking of consequences. But you're right. It's difficult to talk about. There once was a time when I wanted to trust him, and get him to trust me in return. That's never happening now."

Krycek let his fake hand rest on Honey's shoulder, another gesture of "comraderie". He'd planted the right kind of thoughts in him, and Honey's mind would take care of the rest. He spoke in a much lighter tone of voice, "So. Anything else that you want to talk about?"

"But he doesn't want to get to know you because of how he said you acted." Honey thought, but didn't say it. He opted for, "Sometimes you have to realize when you should stop trying to be friends with someone." instead.

Drinking some more of his tea, Honey tried to think of another subject. It was odd hearing Krycek sound so cheerful. Odd, but Honey had to admit it also sounded nice, somehow. Like it was a look at what Krycek might sound like if he wasn't having to deal with someone constantly labeling him as a threat. His eyes moved to Krycek's fake hand. Honey wanted to know about it, but figured it would be painful to bring up.

Another drink, and he finally found a subject. "Do you have anyone you like?" he asked, quickly clarifying with; "I mean, as more than a friend." It was a weird subject jump, sure, but the concept of talking about one's love life wasn't foreign to Honey. He'd seen the topic in question discussed on the network several times.

Krycek watched Honey closely, and took another few sips of tea, trying to figure out where he stood. He was sure that no matter what they discussed, the doubts would keep going in the back of Honey's mind. Good enough. He wasn't prepared for what Honey asked, though. Far, far from it.

This time, he did choke on his tea, spitting it out and giving Honey a surprised expression. He set the cup down once again. Well. Wasn't that question... unexpected. He'd have to tackle it as he did everything else: make his own form of truth. While he adamantly would deny being "attached" to Marita, she was the only one he consistently returned to, over all these years and places he'd been. Even though they both had jobs to do, and as much as they worked together there were times they got in each other's way. As for the other person he'd been with repeatedly- here at the school, anyway- she was a succubus. It was pretty much understood that emotional attachment was not an issue.

Krycek finally shrugged, making it seem as casual and non-committed as he could. "...Yeah... You could say there's someone like that. It's sort of on and off, nothing too serious. We both like to put our work first... and hey, are you even old enough to talk about any of this? Or do you have someone like that?"

Honey's eyes widened as Krycek spat his tea out, and he was up and in the kitchen, locating a paper towel almost immediately after it had happened. Sitting back down once he had placed the towel onto the coffee table, Honey watched him closely. He seemed to be fine- surprised, (and this was the first time Honey had seen a spit take performed in real life) but otherwise unharmed.

Thinking about things as Krycek took a moment to answer, Honey drank some more of his tea and then paid attention as Krycek replied. Someone he met with off and on? Trying not to work out who that could be (and not making the connection to the photo he'd seen on Krycek's computer), Honey spoke. "Well, work is important, so that's good.. Still, it's a little sad that you can't spend more time together."

When Krycek asked him about his age, Honey laughed, somewhat sheepish, the turned around questioning catching him off guard. "W- Well, I'm in college, so I think I am. Besides, I'm not asking for specifics or anything, and the topic isn't that adult, is it..?"

Being asked about his own love life, however, wasn't something that Honey could laugh off as easily. He, luckily, hadn't been drinking so there hadn't been the risk of choking. His cheeks turned a nice shade of pink as he stammered, "M- me? No," giving some nervous laughter, Honey continued. "N- No, I don't have anyone like that! I love my friends, though, but that's not really the same, I guess." Another nervous laugh. Being put on the spot like this wasn't fun at all, and Honey sat his tea cup onto the table before he risked dropping it. His face was on fire, and if someone didn't know it, the coloring could have easily been mistaken for a sudden fever.

He wished Usa-chan were there. Oh, did he. At least with the doll on hand, Honey could've buried his face into it until his blush went away. As it was, he just waited for it to fade. Thinking of what he'd just said about loving his friends, however, wasn't helping to speed up the process.

"Did you think that I had someone?" he asked, glancing to Krycek, curious.

Krycek watched him intently. He was glad to have turned the tables on him, so he didn't have to say anything else about his own situation. Maybe it was too bad. Too damn bad that he and Marita were often thrust to opposing sides. He never dwelled much on it, though. Usually there was too much else on his mind, leaving her to be shoved to the background until they crossed paths again.

"I don't know, actually. You've never brought anyone up, but that doesn't mean you don't care about someone like that. Maybe it's a grade school crush?" Something caught Krycek's attention, but fortunately he had no tea in his mouth as he eyed Honey, in shock once again. "Did you say- college? What, are you some kind of a prodigy? ...With a college crush?"

"Well, I just don't talk about it that often, since it's not like it has anything to do with.. well, anything!" Honey protested, his face starting to go back to its normal color. Well, it was until Krycek pressed the issue about having a secret crush.

"A secret- No, of course not! Wait.." As Krycek gave Honey a shocked look and tried to confirm that Honey had mentioned being in college, Honey gave him an equally surprised look. "You didn't know?!" he asked. Taking a minute to think about it, it made sense. "Hm.. Well, I never really mentioned it to you, so.."

Reaching into his other pocket, Honey fished out his student ID and held it out to where Krycek could see it. Under the age column, there it was in black and white: 'age: 18'.

"I'm just short.." he muttered. The entire 'love cute things and carry a stuffed animal' thing wasn't helping Honey appear anywhere near his age. Still, Honey had to laugh. "If I were still in elementary, I'd be really concerned!" His laughter was over pretty quickly when Krycek mentioned a college crush.

That blush was the current bad penny of this entire meeting. "Like I said, of course I don't have one." Finishing his tea, Honey tried to stop his mind from working out who he would have a crush on, if anyone. "...Hmph." he muttered, picking up a cookie but not eating it.

Identifications could be easily faked, but Krycek had seen enough of those sort to more or less tell that this... seemed legit. Well. Imagine that. He was surprised at himself that he'd ever let such a detail slip. But it had faded into the background, somehow, amidst other concerns. Did this mean the kiddie act had fooled him? Him, the experienced manipulator? He'd have been impressed if he weren't so annoyed by it. A boy like Honey could go far in his organization.

"Ok, so your growth was stunted. I'll buy it. You mean to say that you've never thought about anyone in that way? Maybe a girl in your classes who you've shared a pencil with or... who the hell knows?" Yeah, Krycek had to keep up the awkward questions if only to draw the attention away from his own mess-up. It was an easy enough mistake. One that hadn't cost him anything, so what did it really matter?

While Krycek may have considered Honey's childish personality an act, Honey knew better. It was just who he was. Putting the ID away, Honey floundered for a reply. "W- Well, I've loaned things to people before, sure, but I've never really.. I mean-" Flustered, and realizing Krycek's statement as having a distinct adult undertone to it, but unable to work out the exact specifics, Honey looked to the ground, his face still a fetching shade of pink.

"N- no." he got out. His gaze didn't stay lowered for very long, though, as Honey again looked up at Krycek. "What do you mean, 'or who..' Honey paused, not letting himself curse, 'or who knows'? What else would you do in a classroom?" Oh man, that was the wrong question to ask, at the worst possible time. Honey was determined not to go down wherever that road lead.

The remark about his height made Honey frown a little. "'Buy it'? I'm being honest, I just.. didn't really grow that much, that's all." Honey had to admit that the idea of such a short college student was a pretty hard one to swallow, though. Even the shorter students still looked like teenagers; instead of passing for elementary kids. As far as Honey being an asset to the organization Krycek worked for, that would've required Honey to be actively manipulative.

Which he absolutely wasn't.

The talk about crushes, and sharing things was obviously working as far as making Honey noticeably uncomfortable. "Just because you loan someone something, that doesn't mean you love them." he said, more to convince himself. Besides, he loaned school supplies out fairly often, even if he never really mentioned it. "That's like saying if you meet someone beneath an oak tree, you'll be together forever." Honey added, recalling that as being one of the, if not the major plot point in a dating sim game he'd seen advertised. What had it been called? Sweetheart Memento? Honey couldn't remember.

"Not sure, what sort of things do you do in a classroom? That you wouldn't be disciplined for, that is..." Krycek let Honey come up with his own thoughts on that, but knowing him, they'd be pretty tame anyway. It seemed like he really was just very 'young' in ways, despite his age.

He had to be smug about Honey's reaction to the conversation, overall, noticing that he was still uncomfortable. It told him a little more about him. This entire conversation had been very illuminating. "But you're right enough, it- love- doesn't work that way in reality, and anyone who thinks that way is deluded. Realy, you're better off not getting too involved in that sort of thing." Krycek wouldn't be willing to use the word "love" when it came to the relationship with Marita, despite how things always seemed to end up. He couldn't, either. Not in their line of work. It was like they had a mutual understanding on that aspect.

As Honey thought of a few things people could do in a classroom besides studying (which, luckily, didn't amount to much besides holding hands and kissing), he gave Krycek a sideways glance. "..Right." he finally managed. His face didn't feel as warm as it had been.

"Of course it doesn't." Honey agreed, looking surprised that Krycek had assumed that he thought that a video game had any kind of basis in reality. "I'm not that naive.." he said, more as an aside. He fell quiet, thinking about Krycek's comment.

If anything, Krycek struck Honey as a very lonely person. Manipulative and dangerous, sure, but also lonely. But given Mulder's constantly pointing out how much of a threat Krycek was, Honey really couldn't blame him for it. If Honey had someone at the school constantly pointing out his faults, he probably would've reacted the same way. Well, not the exact same. But he would make it a point to avoid that person.


"I'm not?" he asked quietly. Taking a bite of the cookie he'd picked up earlier, Honey tried to imagine what it'd be like going through life like that. While he understood the difference between romantic love and friendship; for him they were close to each other. In Honey's eyes, love was love regardless of the specifics.

He sighed. "Love's really complicated, isn't it?" he asked. His face was almost back to its normal color. Honey finished his cookie, considered having some more tea, and decided against it. Remembering his manners, despite Honey being the guest; he indicated the tea pot.

"Would you like some more?"

"It is." That was about all he was willing to elaborate on the topic for now. It would have to be a slow day in the conspiracy meeting room for him to report findings like this. But for his own knowledge about Honey... he'd gotten a lot of insight into his character. Stuff that could be used in the future. That was what this was all about for him, wasn't it? Krycek was pretty sure he wouldn't have bothered agreeing to this otherwise.

He shook his head. "No thanks, but go ahead and help yourself. Have another cookie while you're at it, we may as well finish them off." Krycek helped himself to one. "Hope you're ready for classes to start, speaking of pencil-lending."

Pouring some more tea, since it'd be rude not to. Honey eyed the remaining cookies and then took another. "Thanks." The entire meeting had been interesting, really. Honey had learned that Krycek wasn't as bad as Mulder painted him, and had even felt comfortable enough to talk about relationships, which he didn't do very often with Mulder or Scully.

Taking a drink of his tea, Honey choked when pencils were brought up again. Quickly swallowing the tea and coughing a few times to clear his throat, he took a second. "I am." he answered. "I'm looking forward to it!" Smiling, though his cheeks were once again a faint red, Honey busied himself with his tea and cookies.

Remembering something else about the comments he'd read in Mulder's journal, Honey decided to ask. "Are you and Professor Aensland friends? She was.. well, it sounded like she was poking fun at you a little when you were telling Mulder to stop leaving you voicemail."

Looking into his cup of tea, suddenly finding it amazing, Honey kept his gaze away from Krycek. He doubted that he knew anything about Honey's run in with a succubus, and if at all possible, Honey wanted to keep things that way. Of course, thinking about her only caused Honey to remember how Morrigan had looked disguised as him,; which had been interesting if not a more than a little shocking.

"Why did she say your bed was cold, though..?" Honey had a vague idea, but it was better to ask. "Ah, if you don't want to explain, then don't feel like you have to!" he quickly added. "S- Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, it's probably something.." 'Something adult', is what he wanted to say. Trailing off, he quickly worked on finishing his tea.

"It's none of your business why she said that," Krycek snapped with that, remembering only right after to take a lighter tone with the kid, less harsh. He just wasn't going to be the one who gave Honey a certain talk which seemed to be years overdue for him. Maybe everyone always assumed he was too young for it? That was why he didn't seem to know much? Some things, he didn't want an answer to.

"Anyway..." He attempted to fix things, giving him another light touch on the shoulder. "Mor- Professor Aensland- and I are-" Uh- well, that was complicated to explain to him. Krycek tried to work out how to word it, but no, there was nothing else in the world that could be used around this kid. "-friends. Yeah. You've got it right. We, uh, spend a great deal of time together, since we share a hobby. Though we sometimes have our off times, too. That can happen with friends, sometimes."

Honey jumped, nearly dropping his cup as Krycek snapped at him. Shrinking away, he eyed Krycek warily for a brief instant. "I said you didn't have to answer..!" he started to protest, but stopped himself once Krycek seemed to realize he'd said the wrong thing.

Tensing, but just as quickly calming down as Krycek placed his hand onto Honey's shoulder, Honey nodded. "That can happen, especially during the school year. Everyone's usually busy with work." While Krycek might have thought Honey was overdue for a talk about what adults did behind closed doors, Honey wasn't as blind about it as he let on. He was just really easily flustered when the subject was brought up, and didn't like thinking about things beyond a specific point. "A shared hobby?" he asked, curious.

He hesitated for a second. "Nevermind. Just.. It's nothing." Honey had no idea if Krycek knew what Morrigan was. "She's pretty nice, isn't she? She likes talking about adult things a lot, though, but it makes sense, since she's an adult and.."

There was really no way to get past this. "..And, well, she's a succubus." There. It was out, regardless if Krycek already knew that or not. "But she's not very mean. The website I read about them said they weren't usually nice and, that they.. W- Well.. th- they.."

Fidgeting, Honey finished his cookies, leaving the statement unfinished.

Krycek narrowed his eyes and observed Honey closely. Raising his voice a little apparently was enough to really throw the kid off. Good to know. He didn't think it was any secret now that Morrigan was a succubus, so it wasn't surprising that Honey knew. Krycek nodded. "Yeah, you've got it. She's a succubus, but she's controlled about her power. She's not here to go around stealing the campus' energy or anything. What she is, is just her nature. She can't help that. Like how some people can't help the environment they come from."

Hint, hint. Although Krycek didn't think he had to say much to argue his case at Honey, considering how things were going here. "But regular succubi are obviously more dangerous, as you seem to have read." No, he wasn't going to go into detail or carry that any further, because despite the kid being of age, he still resembled a child, which was just... weird as hell. "Maybe you should consider taking her class? The fighting one, I mean." Though damn, did he probably need the sex ed one.

Honey looked momentarily confused when Krycek suggested taking Morrigan's class. "She doesn't teach fighting anymore. It wasn't listed under her courses on the school's website." Remembering what was listed, Honey ignored it.

"Well, no, not everyone can help their environment.." he agreed, mulling it over. The few comments about succubi made him stay quiet for a few moments. "I know she's not here to hurt anyone!" Honey spoke up.

"I also know that regular succubi are dangerous. Like you said, I've read about them.." There was something he wasn't saying, though. Setting his tea cup onto the table, Honey tried not to think about it.

"Anyway, it's good that you both are friends. Even if she likes making fun of you a little.." Not that Krycek couldn't handle it. Friends often joked around with each other. Still, there had been something in Morrigan's comments that held a noticeably mocking undertone. "It's weird, because she said something similar to me, but she wasn't nearly as mean."

Realizing what he'd just said, Honey hoped that Krycek didn't ask for clarification. Why would Morrigan have been making fun of a student, much less Honey? Only three people on campus knew. Well, for the time being, anyway.

'A little' was quite the understatement, but he wasn't going to get into that. Many of Morrigan's statements probably went over Honey's head anyway, or caused a frenzy of blushing. He shook his head, again amused by this, but not particularly wanting to keep things that awkward for too long.

"Why, what did she say?" All Krycek figured, was that it was something that again, went over the kid's head. Morrigan sure got around... and not just in the sense that she was known for. He didn't really think it that odd that they talked, considering that they had a mutual friend in Mulder.

"She said that it was good that I was confident." Honey answered, not wanting to get into the reasons behind that. "Which it is, but.."

Quickly changing the subject, he asked suddenly; " Anyway! What made you want to teach Russian here?" There. That was a safe topic. One that wouldn't let Honey's mind wander too much, or bring up memories. While he and Morrigan had talked, it wasn't as often as Krycek might have imagined, and aside from the few times, they hadn't really talked very much since then. Honey didn't know that Morrigan or Jeanne had been with Mulder and Scully during his rescue, either. As far as he knew, the two of them had only met during the succubus problem.

"It seems like a hard language to learn." he remarked. But the same could be said about Japanese, easily. Or any language outside of a speaker's natural tongue. "Did you grow up in Russia?"

Krycek raised an eyebrow at Honey's discomfort. What, had Morrigan given the kid some kind of... lesson? No, that made absolutely no sense, given Morrigan's attitude toward younger students. She wouldn't do something like that. But Honey switched the subject, abruptly. Ok, then. So Honey had a weird hang-up about succubi, which wouldn't be so weird, considering how he was.

"It's not too hard to pick up if you study carefully. My parents immigrated from the Soviet Union during the Cold War, so I grew up speaking it. It's come in handy more than a few times... especially any time I've made a trip back to Russia." So what if those trips weren't usually for particularly... legal reasons? He didn't really have the luxury of just going there to sight-see. Usually it was on business, whether for his own purposes or the CSM if he felt like following through for him. Sometimes, it was the best place to escape the old bastard if he was being particularly demanding or threatening. He'd spent quite a while laying low there after the Tunguska incident.

Honey thought about that. It made enough sense. "Do you visit there a lot?" While Honey's abduction had been to Russia and Honey had recognized the guards as speaking something besides English, he hadn't made the connection. Being asleep for most of the transport and waking up already in a cell would do that to someone. Not wanting to think about the circumstances surrounding his abduction, or the fact that he was having tea and cookies with the person behind it; Honey ignored that part of his mind.

"That's one way to make sure you don't forget much of the language, though. I should do that sometime.. Ah, I mean, visiting Japan, not Russia. I still remember a lot, but there are some times where it takes me a minute." Laughing, embarrassed at admitting that, Honey rubbed the back of his head. "But that's bound to happen since English seems to be the predominate language used here, right?"

Thinking about what he'd read on studying languages, Honey looked to Krycek again. "Isn't it harder to teach older students? I read that the best time to learn another language is when you're young, since you have a higher chance of remembering things, or something like that."

The abduction had obviously crossed Krycek's mind as well, and he found it interesting that Honey was talking so much about Russia, considering that was where he'd brought him. Like he'd have been able to tell. He was fine not bringing it up if Honey didn't... besides, it was ancient history. "You should think about visiting there, someday."

It still took some getting used to, having this perfectly ordinary talk with Honey. He nodded at the rest of what he said. "It can be hard. Some of them are really tough to teach." Like a certain red-eyed monster-man who sat in the back of his class and just... stared at him the whole time. He dreaded looking at this year's class list, already knowing he'd be on there. Some people were a lot harder to make up with than Honey, unfortunately. "But most people who sign up for it are interested enough to work on it. It just takes more time and patience with older students." And he could play the part of 'just a regular professor' very well. He generally had his classes well fooled, unless they were the sort to believe network rumors.

"Maybe." Honey agreed. As Krycek went on about how learning took patience, Honey nodded. "Well, learning anything new will take work." But languages struck Honey as especially hard. Looking around the common room, Honey was surprised that it looked normal. Disarmingly so. "This room is.. nice." Nice worked. 'Normal' would have been rude.

Honey didn't believe all of the rumors he saw on the network, but if they came from his friends, then there was a high chance that Honey would at least consider them; if not outright believe them.
His friends had no reason to lie, after all.

"Maybe I should sign up for your class. I haven't taken a language course since I've been here, and it could be neat!" Honey realized something and asked, "Are there any free slots open, though? If not, then I can wait until next year."

It was tempting to tell him to wait another ten years, then sign up, but that just wouldn't be "friendly" at all, would it? Sigh. Krycek already had one problem in one of his classes that he didn't want to deal with, and now potentially Honey. At least Honey didn't go batshit and turn into a monster on occasion? ...That he knew of.

"Sure, I think there are still a couple spaces in the beginner level. I can add you in if you want." He was going to regret this. He was really going to regret this. Krycek had to work hard to keep a friendly, polite expression.

"I'd like that!" Honey said with a smile. "It'll be fun learning something besides English, and I'll work really hard at it!" Beginner level or not, Honey was determined to do just that. He rarely slacked off in any of his classes, and if Krycek was just putting up a front to mask his displeasure, Honey hadn't noticed.

Suddenly mindful of the time, Honey pulled out his phone and looked at the display. "Wow, it's kind of late.. I guess I should go." Standing, Honey stretched and then placed his tea cup onto the tray, along with the packaging for the cookies. "The tea was good, and this was.. Well, honestly, a little strange, but not really bad."

Aside from the chat about Morrigan, anyway. Walking to the door, Honey briefly considered giving Krycek a hug. Considering it for a split second, Honey figured it was safe enough. "I'm glad we're working on being friends." he said before hesitantly moving to give Krycek a hug. It was a common enough goodbye gesture with some of his friends, and Honey used that logic to justify it; no matter how weird it might look.

If he were the Wicked Witch of the West, he would have melted then and there. As it was, Krycek was really shocked- he wouldn't have expected this outcome in a million years. Sure, the kid was affectionate, as he'd seen in the way he got along with Mulder and Scully. But... wow. Did this mean he'd passed some kind of test? That he'd really won over Honey's trust that completely?

After he recovered from the initial surprse, Krycek managed to ...sort of... hug him back with his good arm. "I'm glad we are too. Be sure and keep it that way, ok? You're welcome by anytime." ...He really needed to get a mission in the middle of nowhere, Siberia again, so he didn't have to put up with this. Not that Honey was such bad company, really, it was just really too weird to deal with this.

It wasn't a matter of passing a test, Honey just liked hugging. Besides, if he'd sensed something was off, he would have left sooner. "I'll try to." he responded, breaking the hug. Double checking that he had everything, Honey opened the door to the quad and headed outside.

Waving at Krycek with, "I guess I'll see you in class, then. Good night!" And with that, he was off, back to his own quad. Aside from the weird conversation topics, the meeting hadn't been as horrible as Honey originally thought it would have been. It had even been pleasant, to a point.

Honey would have to remember to enter Krycek's number into his phone when he got back, and to look up the books he'd need for his new class.