"Again..." For the PicFic Tuesday Challenge

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

The prompt:

“How am I going to get through this paperwork?” Solo moaned.

“If you kept on top of it, there would be little to do,” Kuryakin mumbled from behind the newspaper he was reading.

“Hey be a pal and help a guy out, Illya buddy, partner mine? I’ll never get through this and I have a date tonight. I’ll make it worth your while, free dinner place of your choice, within reason of course.”

“My friend, it is our responsibility to have these reports completed and filed on time,” Illya clicked his tongue. “Now as to your dating schedule; you seem to have no problem keeping up with that, do you? You need to get your priorities straight my friend. As far as trying to bribe me; it will not work, not this time.”

“I’ll take that upon advisement tovarisch.” Solo pushed the stack of reports to the left corner of his desk. He put on his suit jacket and headed to the office door.

“Where are you going Napoleon?

“I’m prioritizing. It’s Friday night and I have a date with someone from the Translation Section. I’m going home to shower, shave, change after which I will be stopping at her place for a drink. I’m taking her to dinner at the 21 Club and then to the Biltmore Theatre to see ‘Barefoot in the Park.’

“And what about…?” Illya’s sentence went unfinished as Solo disappeared through the pneumatic doors.

A moment later the telephone on Solo’s desk rang Though he hesitated at first, Illya finally picked up the receiver.

“Kuryakin here. Mr. Solo is gone for the day.” He heard an audible sigh.

“Illya, it’s Lisa. Mr. Waverly wants the report for the Seven Cities affair. He’s looking at the expense reports that Napoleon submitted and wants to compare the mission report to see if those expenses were warranted.”

It was Illya’s turn to sigh. “And what of my report?”

“Oh yours is fine. He has questions about, well you know what he usually asks about Napoleon’s expenses.”

There was no response.

“Illya?”

“Sorry Lisa, I was just thinking. Should I complete Mr. Solo’s report that is sitting here on his desk, or should I just let him…”

“Don’t you dare. Napoleon needs to learn to stay on top of these things. I’ll tell Mr. Waverly that I was unable to get the paperwork tonight. Just let that partner of yours know he’s been forewarned; he better have that report to me by eight a.m. tomorrow.”

He was a bit taken aback by Lisa’s adamancy but decided it was best to do as she wished. The last thing he needed was to be on her bad side.

“I will make sure he knows.”

“Thanks Illya. Now you better disappear before our boss goes on the warpath.”

“Yes I agree Lisa, thank you again.” Illya gathered up his suit jacket and slipped into it. He glanced over at the pile of folders on his partner’s desk and shook his head. Napoleon would never learn, but if he went ahead and did the report for him, he would just be enabling the man.

Still partner’s had each other’s back and Kuryakin started to feel guilty. There was no way Napoleon would have that lengthy report finished and submitted by tomorrow’s deadline.

“What was the worst thing that could happen to him?” Illya chuckled as he knew it would be no more than another serious lecture from Mr. Waverly. Then again he might deny Napoleon’s expense requests for the affair just on principle.

No doubt the Old Man was aware of the two deliveries that arrived post mission for he and Solo from a certain THRUSH femme fatale. Oddly nothing was said about it by their boss.*

Illya shrugged as he made his decision and headed out the door. He quickly walked down to reception where he turned his badge over to Wanda. Once he retreated out the door of Del Floria’s he paused in the stairwell, out of sight.

Kuryakin pulled his communicator. “Channel F- Solo.”

Napoleon fumbled as he reached through the shower curtain to grab his communicator sitting on a nearby shelf, while at the same time holding his face under the water to rinse away the soap.

“Solo here.” Needless to say he wasn’t happy.

“Ahh, Napoleon I am glad I caught you. Mr. Waverly is looking for your final report on the 7 Cities Affair.”

“Oh come on! Could you do me a favor and finish it for me did you chum, pal, partner mine? That bribe is still good.”

Illya lied of course.”I have already left headquarters and it was Lisa who called the office looking for you. I told her you were gone for the day. She says the report must be submitted to her by 8 a.m. tomorrow or heads will roll.”

“You have got to be kidding me?” Solo thought it strange Lisa hadn’t contacted him on his communicator.

There was a long pause…

“Napoleon?”

“I’m here. Just thinking,” he sighed. “Is there any way you…”

“Sorry I am already in the Village as I am meeting an acquaintance at a new storefront jazz club.” That wasn’t quite a lie as Illya was indeed meeting a girl name Delilah, but it wasn’t until Saturday night, and this was Friday.

There was another pause.

“Okay,” Napoleon sighed.” I don’t have any choice; I’ll make sure the report is ready for tomorrow, but could you at least do me one small favor?”

“And that is?”

“Well, you always go to Headquarters early so could you drop off the finished report to Lisa for me? I’ll go back in after my date with Delilah and finish it up, and can leave it on my desk? Please?”

This time it was Kuryakin’s turn to pause…

“Illya?”

“You are taking Delilah from Translations out tonight?”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

“No.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Oh not at all. I am sorry but I can not drop off your report for you tomorrow as I will be out of town until Sunday.”

“Oh? Got a hot weekend planned with your date.”

“Yes, ummm that is it. Now I must go Napoleon, I need to get to a table in the club before umm… my date arrives. See you on Monday. Out.”

“Dammit!” Napoleon swore as he got out of the shower. The first thing he did was go to the phone and call Delilah to call off their evening.”

He tapped a damp foot on his kitchen floor, though he was wrapped in ta towel, he was still dripping. The phone rang and rang until finally she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi Dee, it’s Napoleon. I have some bad news; I have to cancel. Duty calls.”

“I understand. Say is Illya going on assignment with you?”

“Umm, why do you ask?”

“Oh I have a date with him tomorrow night. I’m meeting him at a new storefront jazz club in the Village.  He said he hasn’t been there yet and since I liked jazz, he thought I’d enjoy it.”

Napoleon flashed that Solo grin of his; he was wise to his partner’s game now.

“Actually he is, going on assignment that is. We’ll be gone the whole weekend.”

“Too bad. I was looking forward to going out with both of you, well not at the same time,” she giggled.”He hasn’t called me yet to cancel, maybe I’ll call him and save him the trouble.”

“That’s a good idea Dee.”

“I guess another time, then. Good night Napoleon.” There was a click as she hung up, not waiting for Solo to reply.

Hours later, Napoleon was in headquarters finishing up the report as well as a few others of less importance that remained on his desk. He’d actually made good headway in catching up.

When it was a sufficiently late hour he called his partner at home; the telephone waking a very sleepy Kuryakin.

“Hello?”

“So tovarisch I thought you had a hot weekend planned...oops, you don’t have company do you?”

“No, plans changed. What is wrong and why are you calling me at…” Illya picked up a little wind up alarm clock from his night table, “ two in the morning?”

“Oh nothing important. I was just sitting here in our office all by myself finishing up my reports. So what happened to the big weekend? “

“I found out my date was seeing someone else and I thought it best to bow out...again, but then she called me saying it was okay about cancelling before I even called her.”

“What do you mean, again?”

“Well you were seeing Delilah, as was I and I found it odd that she was told by you that we were going on an assignment this weekend. Is there something I do not know about?”

“Ugh, yeah about that….”

“Never mind Napoleon, I do not think I want to know. Just let me go back to sleep and I will see you tomorrow.”

“But…”

“Good night Napoleon.” Illya hung up the receiver, but shook his head as he realized he’d been out maneuvered by his partner...again.

* ref “The 7 Cities Affair” the link takes you to AO3

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Thank you! 7 Cities isn't getting the readership that I'd hoped for, though you're being quite loyal and commenting on it (thank you again) I figured throwing a little PR for it in another story couldn't hurt.

Yes, poor IK, well he's the number 2 man so I guess he has to try harder to outwit his partner, who is the strategist i the team. Thanks for the comment here! :D