—Lost Tales… is an imprint that explores and expands stories from earlier time periods in the Descendants Universe. All Lost Tales… stories are canon, but contain little to no retroactive continuity. They’re just meant to be fun and interesting stories for fans of the series.–
This story takes place immediately after DESCENDANTS #15.
The dance was winding down. Chaperones were starting to clean up the snack table and the members of Snackrifice were breaking down their equipment. A lot of their fellow students were filtering out and somehow, Warrick and Tink ended up pulled with the flow out onto the stairs outside the gym.
As others were headed to the parking lot, the commuter pod station across the street, or the bus stop, the pair instead started down the short hill to the ‘stadium’, which was what the school optimistically called their football field. It was surrounded by the running track and flanked on two sides by risers with a minimalist announcer’s stand perched atop one of them.
They walked in silence for a while, neither completely sure if they were directing the path they were taking, or if they were following the other. Occasional shy glimpses were stolen out of the corners of eyes.
It wasn’t a romantic night like in the movies. There was a half moon out and it wasn’t uncharacteristically huge or brilliant. The light that fell on them now was from the banks of stadium lights, some of which doubled as security lights.
As they reached the bottom of the hill and stepped onto the track, Warrick finally had something to say.
“So… how was it? The first date, I mean.” It didn’t sound as good as it had in his head.
Tink folded her arms and pulled the jacket laid across her shoulders close. It was February after all. Despite the chill, she smiled. “I wouldn’t have guessed this when I left home tonight, but I had fun.” Her smile faded a bit and she focused on the track before them. “I know I wasn’t your first choice and all, but…”
His face grew hot and he rubbed the back of his head. “Listen, about that…”
“No, it’s okay. I get it. I’m not… I’m too tall, and I’ve got freckles and the glasses…”
“But I like all those things!” Warrick insisted, then frowned. “I thought you didn’t care about this stuff.”
She was staring at him from the moment the first part left his lips, studying his face to try and discern lies. Finally, she shook her head, registering what he’d asked. “I don’t! I mean… well just because classes are more important doesn’t mean I’m totally unfeeling about this kind of thing.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” said Warrick.
“No, it’s okay. I’m just reading too much into it.”
“And assuming I thought things through when I was asking people out.”
Tink cocked her head, confused. “Hmm?”
By now, they had reached one set of risers. Warrick pulled over the gate separating it from the track and motioned for her to go through first. “You’d gotta remember, I was pretty sure every girl in the school considered me radioactive. I wasn’t exactly going down a list—hell, I even asked one of Betty’s friends.”
“Not making me feel any better.” Tink chided, but her tone was playful.
“I’m not real good at talking like this.” He confessed. “But I guess that part’s not important. I only really knew you as a quiet girl in my class before the day we got put in the same group for the project. I didn’t know anything about you, really. But, you know, now I do and I’m really glad I did.”
He failed totally to read her expression. “Um, was that good or did I screw up again?”
“No, it was good.” She assured him. “And for what it’s worth, I’m glad I got to know you too. It was nice to do something new for a change and you’re good company.”
“Thanks. I… guess I better get you back to your ride, huh?”
Tink shrugged. “I should probably go, but I don’t have a ride coming; my parents gave me money for the commuter pod.”
They both stood, looking around as if noticing for the firs time where their meandering had taken them.
Warrick let Tink back through the gate. “Um, so where are you headed?”
“Twin Timbers.”
That was on an edge of the city outside of the range he normally patrolled, on the other side of Wagner Park. “That’s a pretty long way to go to this school.”
“Oh, that’s because the science department here has a magnet program. Otherwise, it just caters to the suburbs kids and the kids from Archipelago that got kicked out of private school.”
Warrick almost laughed. That was why Laurel had sent them there. Of course she would want her charges in the best science curriculum, whether it helped their powers or not. “Huh. Didn’t know that. So that sounds like a pretty long ride out… want some ‘good company’?”
She slowed down and turned her head to study him for a long second. Even under the harsh lights from above, she was still exceedingly pretty to him. “Aren’t your friends waiting for you?”
“Not a problem, I’ve got a bus pass.”
“Not a pod pass?”
He shrugged. “Pods don’t run up to the Hills.”
Tink’s eyes widened in surprise. “The Hills? You live up there?”
“Whoa, don’t jump to conclusions; I’m not Mr. Rich Guy. I live at Freeland House, same as Cyn and Jun. It’s pretty fancy, but none of the money behind it’s mine. My, uh, parents sent me here after there was some trouble back home. I got in one little fight and my mom go scared… you know how it goes.”
His date nodded and slowed down so he could catch up. She still hadn’t accepted his offer to ride home with her. “So where are you from anyway.”
“Not obvious from the accent?” He asked with a laugh. “I’m a Brooklyn guy all the way. Some guys are born with silver spoons in their mouths, I had a slice of the best pizza in the city.”
“I’m just pain from Mayfield… And Chicago style’s better.” Tink said, glancing at him with mischief in her eyes.
Warrick snorted. “You had to go all the way to Chi-town to knock the NYC pie? That’s sad. Come on, there’s no Mayfield pizza? Mad by robots maybe?”
That made Tink laugh, which was instantly one of his new favorite sounds. “We’re more of a food truck sandwich town. I’ll tell you what; this weekend, we can find a place that sells New York style pizza, and then I’ll take you to Benni’s Rolling Grill and we’ll see which is better.”
It took a second for Warrick to process that, and when he did, he almost tripped over his own feet. “Does that… I mean would that be like a second date then?”
Tink looked at him in surprise at her won self. “I guess I am, aren’t I?”
There was no stopping something stupid from coming out of his mouth. “A guy and a girl that like each other going out alone and then there’s food? I think so… I mean assuming it’s not like, you know, me and Cyn—I mean in that we… she and I are not dating in any way.”
“Bad at talking, got it.” Tink laughed to cover her own nervousness at the question that was now between them. Eventually, she looked back at him shyly. “So. Do you want to?”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets to avoid fidgeting with them. “That depends: did you mean to ask? Or was it just one of those ‘caught up in the moment’ things?”
“Only if you want to.” She said quickly to avoid the fact that she neither intended to ask, nor wanted to take the possibility off the table.
An easy smile came to his lips. “Well we did both have fun tonight. And I like you, and you’re really pretty… Yeah, I’d like that.”
Tink blushed at being called pretty. “Maybe not so bad at talking as you think.”
“If I just keep talking, I’m bound to say something less stupid.” He chuckled, finally coming up beside her and offering his arm like a gentleman. She smiled at the gesture and threaded her arm through his. He took another chance as they climbed the short hill back to the parking lot. “Taking the pod with you…”
She offered him another shy smile. “Maybe once we get to know each other better. But you can walk me to the pod stop?”
“I can do that.” He nodded.
She took a breath and steeled herself. “Just so you know, just because I didn’t want to date doesn’t mean I’m socially dumb or anything.”
Warrick blinked, trying to decipher that one, especially the fact that she said that she ‘didn’t’ want to date. Past tense. “Don’t worry,” He said lamely, “I’m socially dumb enough for both of us.”
Tink laughed and tugged on his arm, which bought them close together and made him now fully aware of hos much taller she was then him. Not that he minded. “Just letting you know that even though you’re not walking me all the way home, you’ll still get a goodnight kiss.”
End.
