Archive of Our Own

Her job wasn’t something that should be called easy, but it was the only word she could use. Slip in unseen and end someone’s life. She made sure her targets were true villains and was paid more than enough. It wasn’t as if she even had to do more than one job a year, but if she was approached people were usually desperate. Her latest target was harder to approach, but still an easy mark. She just had to set up one of her gloves and she’d be done. Any person she pricked would fall ill to a seemingly simple cold only to die within the week. Well, any human should.

She sighed as she looked over her needles again. She just had to let them rest for about five minutes. She could go grab the gloves then finish her prep in no time. She wasn’t happy to be leaving them out with her ‘guests’, but she couldn’t carry them with her. She was a professional; she couldn’t let her mind be consumed with worries. She stood quickly leaving to go get her gloves, she’d use the tweezers to set the needles in place and she could be done.

She was gone for maybe two minutes, possibly less, but that was too long. She came back to find one of her needles gone. If it were any other time she wouldn’t care, but she’d already doused them in the mixture. If either of those two were pricked, or even went near their faces without cleaning it they’d likely die. She kept herself acting calm, scanning their usual hiding places as she walked. It seemed they were waiting, the needle couldn’t be that important for them. She’d have to pick up some extras. That wasn’t important right now.

She was getting a bit more nervous as she realized the two were definitely back in the walls. She’d have to reveal she knew they lived here, that could end poorly. She took some time to pull out the solution that should undo a prick or ingestion of the drug on the needle. She just had to hope with how small they are it would work. She pulled out the bottle, an eye dropper already in it too. She’d have to bring them here to even get it in them. This would probably end badly.

She took a deep breath and calmed her mind. Treat finding them like a job and it would be easy. She listened for anything out of a place, the smallest sound would work. She started to stalk through her home, they were good at being quiet. She was the best, they wouldn’t be able to stay hidden when she wanted to find them. She heard a gasp and a small voice call out. She whipped her head around, that’s where they were. She pulled the knife from its sheath on her back and approached the wall. In quick drags she cut out a square of it and knocked it out onto the ground.

She dropped her knife and threw up her arms when she saw the two small beings. They both looked horrified as she met their eyes. She was impressed with the set up they had for their home. A number of things she’d ‘forgotten’ were strewn about as what looked to be furniture. There was sheath she knew they stole and it looked like it had bits gouged out just large enough for them to sit in. A nice little home in the walls, though she’d like to add some better things for them. She looked over her two little guests trying to tell who might have stolen the needle.

The one that seemed to be more brazen had their arms up like she did. Their hair was close to orange, green eyes staring up to meet her. She could just barely see them shaking as they tried to stare her down. Poor thing, she shifted her gaze to the other one. They looked pale, too pale even for someone who doesn’t go out in the sun. Their black hair was just barely out of their face, but she saw the tears streaming from their blue eyes. The sweat on them was soaking their shirt. That’s the one who probably stole the needle. She would recover it later. Her glove was on; they couldn’t prick her if they tried.

“Sorry about this,” she whispered. She could only imagine they had sensitive hearing. She had to act quickly, moving her hands with hope that neither could react. She grabbed them both in hopefully firm but not painful fists, dragging them out of their home. The pale one started to squirm weakly, they definitely got pricked. The tan one started screaming and biting. She just shook her head as she brought them over to her work table.

She sat in the chair and had to put them both into one hand. She held them against her chest while she set up a kind of cage for them. The knives she had in the drawers would work. Once it was done she used her free hand to put the pale one down first. The other started squirming again, but she just closed the hand around them and put them with their friend. They ran up to their friend trying to body block them. She smiled a little, it was nice to see people who were so close. The one trying to be brave froze when she smiled, smiling was probably scary.

“Look, I don’t want to make you two think you’re in more danger than you are,” she started. She could see them both tense, wrong words she always had the wrong words. “You took a needle I needed for work. I don’t care, you can even have more, but I’d already doused it with a kind of poison. For someone my size it’ll kill them in a week.”

She paused to grab the antidote. A normal dose would be a lot, but this wouldn’t kill them if they took too much. She filled the eye dropper and looked back at them. The one who seemed to be feeling fine was dragging their friend. Could they even understand her? They looked human, but they may not speak like she does. She didn’t care she wasn’t letting them die because she couldn’t put the glove together anywhere else. She’d made the mistake, they couldn’t have known any better.

She reached out for the pale one who seemed to be suffering. Their friend saw her this time and tried to protect them. She didn’t want to hurt them, she wasn’t used to being gentle. The pale one was curled up behind the tan one, how was she supposed to do this? She narrowed her eyes, she was the best assassin to exist and two people the size of her hand were giving her trouble. The protective one stepped forward as she glared at them, she raised an eyebrow.

“J-just let Corus go. I was the one who stole your needle, he didn’t do anything. I-I’ll take whatever thing you want to make one of us drink. I’m the one who took most of your things,” the brave one said. She tilted her head to eye the pale one, Corus. He wasn’t doing well; she had no idea how quickly it would work through someone his size. She let out a sigh.

“Look, your friend Corus there, he’s going to die if I don’t give this to him. I don’t know how much longer he has before it’s too late,” she sighed. “Listen, I’m Mira. It’s great to officially meet you. I’ve known you guys were here since I moved in a year ago. So will you give me a chance?”

“Zeke, just let her do it,” Corus croaked. He sounded awful and it broke her heart. “We’re already caught. Do as you’re told and you don’t get hurt right?”

The tan one was Zeke, they seemed pretty protective. They were looking between her and their friend with a panic in their eyes. She looked at them for a bit longer before her own gaze drifted. She had those needles sitting there. These two were not worth the trouble. She put the eyedropper down and pulled off the gloves. She picked up one of her needles with a tweezer and brought it close to her. She looked back down at the two small people, Zeke looked more terrified.

“Let’s try this again, yeah? I’m Mira, she and her, and I’m an assassin. I don’t kill for no reason and I’m not going to kill or watch two little people living in my home die. We both messed up, I should have been more careful with the needles and you should have not taken from something I was actively working on. So now your turn…” she said and motioned with her free hand.

“I’m Corus, that’s Zeke, both he and him. We’ll listen, just do it,” Corus said. She could hear a sound of defeat. She was going to do this after all wasn’t she? She took the needle and held it by her hand. She’d be sick for a few days, she’d have to hold off on the job until then. She stabbed the needle into the back of her hand, feeling the start of the effects as her head started to feel odd.

“What are you doing?! Didn’t you say that’s deadly?” Zeke screamed. She smirked at him, pulling the needle out of her hand. She put it on one of the gloves.

“Yeah, but now you can believe me. If a little bit hurts me, a little bit can kill you. This here, counters it. It won’t let us be better right away. I’ll be down a few days, Corus you may be down a few weeks. Either way see,” she grabbed the eyedropper and squeezed the contents into her mouth. She filled it again from the bottle. “I used it too. Can you feel a bit more confident?”

Corus climbed to his feet and took shaky steps forward. Zeke tried to stop him, but he pushed the other small man away. Seeing them next to each other like that, it seems Corus was a little taller. He came forward until he finally stood only inches from her lowered hand. He looked up at her, those blue eyes held a lot of fear. He tried to stand still, but fell to his knees. She brought her hand close and cupped it around him. She used a finger to tilt his head up so he was looking directly in her face.

“Corus, I’m going to need you to get a big gulp of this solution. It’ll help you start to feel better. It won’t clear the toxins out immediately, but you won’t die,” she explained. She brought the eyedropper close to his face and let it hover. She brought it as close as she could before she couldn’t see well enough. “Can you meet me bud?”

He leaned forward and reached up his arms to grab the eyedropper. She felt as he grabbed it and gave a small squeeze. He started coughing almost immediately and she frowned. He let go leaning as far back as he could, further into her hand which was probably not comforting. She didn’t want to pull away until she was sure he’d had a good amount. Once his coughing fit ended he looked up and met her eyes. He looked almost shocked.

“Are you ok? I was worried it may be too much but I don’t know the best way to take care of this… If you didn’t get a good mouthful we might have to try something else,” she offered. She knew the eyedropper wasn’t the best idea, but she really didn’t have better options. She looked at her kitchen trying to consider other options when she felt a small hand start to tap against her finger.

“I think I got enough. It was just a bad taste. Are you…are you really just helping me? I was the one who took the needle…” he said. She heard a bit of wavering in his voice. They’re still trying to cover up who took it. She doesn’t care who took it, just that they’re safe. She laughed a bit at his reaction. Her laugh seemed to take any confidence out of him, the shock devolving to fear once again.

“Hmm, stay here.” She slowly pulled her hand from around the small man. He shivered as she did so. She considered grabbing them in case they ran, but that seemed unnecessary with how bad Corus already was. “Zeke, will you come with me?”

“W-where?” he asked. She started reaching towards him, the tensing of his body making her halt. She reconsidered, turning her hand and flattening it in front of him. He met her eyes, but slowly climbed onto her palm. She curled her fingers before pulling him up towards her. “Bye, brother…”

She pulled her hand up near her chest and had to hold back a laugh. This was probably the closest anyone ever was to one of her weak points. She made her way to the spot where the two had their home. They’d probably be moving unless they decided to trust her. The thought of her little guests leaving made her more sad than she expected. She pushed the thought away, bending to get a better look in the home she’d pulled them out of. She brought her hand up close to it, but just far enough Zeke wouldn’t be able to jump off. He was curled up in a ball in her hand.

“Hey,” she said gently. Zeke slowly uncurled and looked up at her. He’d been crying since she took him. “I need to know which needle it was that you guys took. I don’t want to tear apart your home. I don’t want you touching it either, can you just point it out?”

Zeke slowly sat up and turned to face his home. This was probably the worst way she could have gone about meeting them, but she wasn’t letting them die. He pointed to a spot in the back of their home and she sighed. She used her free hand to move the things they’d set up until the needle was in sight. She felt like a monster destroying their home this way. She pulled her hand back and pulled a tweezer from her pocket. She grabbed the needle out of their home, curling her fingers around Zeke again. She went to her disposal bin and dropped it in.

She paused, staring at her kitchen before turning back to their home. She couldn’t just leave it like that. She bent down again and started to put the things back as best she could. It wasn’t easy and she did have to pull out the sheath. She laid it on her hand that Zeke was in carefully as she kept moving things. It wasn’t as easy as it was to get them out of the way. She started to get angry as she failed to set it back up. She growled a bit at her own ineptitude, she was a master assassin for fuck’s sake.

“I-I’m sorry we took so much. W-we can give it back,” Zeke offered. She froze in her attempts to fix their set up. He thought she was trying to take back her things. She was terrible at this, she almost wanted to call Kaya. They were better with people, but would most certainly freak out. She’d also have to explain why she even had the poison. She grabbed the sheath off of the hand Zeke was in and placed it back as best she could. She held him up and opened her hand again, showing him their home again.

“I was trying to clean it up. I didn’t feel right leaving it a mess because I had to get the needle. Although I may need to pull everything out and scrub it all down to make sure there’s no danger anywhere. Actually…yeah I’ll have to do that. We’ll need to set you two up somewhere safer until I get this all cleaned out…maybe there’s a box…”

“No no please, we won’t run please don’t put us in a box. I’m the problem, I’ll stay, Corus will leave, you’ll never see him again! Please no box please.” He sat up on his knees turning to stare up at her. He clasped his hands together and looked close to tears. She had no idea how to handle this. She curled her fingers slightly to keep him safe and started walking.

She had to say something, but right now she had to get back to Corus. If he didn’t actually take enough he’d last maybe a day. She went to her kitchen and started to search through cupboards and drawers. Finally finding a set of measuring spoons, she needed to start having more normal home things. She held them near Zeke who had spent the time trying to sit and look at her. They’d work it out once she’d had them both drink some. She went through each spoon deciding a teaspoon could hold enough they could try to drink with.

“What do you use as cups?” she asked. She knew ignoring his fear about a box was wrong, but she was going to struggle to calm him down anyway. Corus seemed a bit more willing to believe her intent so she’d try to leverage that. Zeke didn’t seem happy to have to answer her, but her silent stare seemed to push him.

“We…make them from the foil you use a lot. You leave out basically clean sheets so we took a lot. I’m sorry,” he answered. He had ducked his head down and seemed like he was trying to hide. She was impressed to be honest. She knew they liked the tin foil, but assumed it was more like ravens collecting shiny trash. She walked to the drawer it was kept in and took out the whole roll. She’d let them have it after all of this, clean cups and plates and all that were important.

She finally walked back to her desk, relieved to see Corus had actually stayed. Once she sat back in her chair she placed her hand flat on the desk again. She uncurled her fingers and waited. Zeke seemed to be waiting for encouragement of some kind, but jumped off when he saw Corus nearby and ran up to him. She put the measuring spoons to the side first. They needed cups. She pulled off a sheet of tin foil and placed it near them. Hopefully it was enough.

“Can you make some cups?” she asked. Zeke nodded and ripped parts of the tin foil apart carefully folding it. He made one, then two, then three, and then she pulled the sheet away. “We only needed two for now, you aren’t making a dining set.”

She put the foil out of reach and grabbed the bottle of the antidote. She grabbed the extra cup he made and measured the depth against the measuring spoons. She’d been off, a tablespoon was better. She filled it almost all the way then placed it in front of the two. They both looked up at her like she was trying to trick them. They were clearly intelligent, how could they need so much guidance? She started to play with the little cup Zeke made she still held.

“This seemed better, I want each of you to drink as much as you can,” she explained. They nodded, Zeke filling both of the cups before giving one to Corus. Corus made a face before drinking the liquid down. At least she hoped he was really drinking it. She looked at the cup in her fingers again. It was so small, but didn’t seem to have any leaks. It was something she could even try to use on one of her jobs, no one would believe a little cup like this existed let alone caused a death. “This is unbelievable.”

Both of the little men seemed to choke on their drinks. The cup was dropped as she hovered her hands near them, hoping something horrible wasn’t occurring. They both seemed determined to hide their faces from her, as long as they were fine she didn’t care. She had to get started on a temporary place for them while they were recovering and she was disinfecting their old home. She’d have to fix the wall too. She stood, pulling the chair as far from her desk as she could in the room. She had a feeling they’d try making the jump from the desk to the chair to the floor.

She went to a closet in the room. She always kept extra boxes in there, there had to be a good one. She spent a little time digging before pulling out one that seemed spacious enough. She nodded to herself and went back to their home. She pulled out as much as she could without tearing things apart. Placing them in the box as gently as she could. She could wipe them down easily. She grabbed a bottle of bleach wipes and went to return to her desk. As she walked up she saw they’d had a good amount, they could stop safely by her guess. She grabbed the chair and pulled it close. Looking at the two…who had started to shake.

“Oh no, what happened? Are you getting worse?” she asked. She was panicking. She wasn’t supposed to panic. She was lavender, she was the calm yet moral killer. She can’t lose it over two people she barely knew. She wanted to get closer, see their faces clearer, but Zeke quickly turned with an anger that made her feel small coming through.

“I knew you weren’t going to listen when you stayed quiet after mentioning the box! Are you just trying to keep us alive as some pet or weird thing to show off?! I won’t let you do that to Corus. I won’t go back to it either!” Zeke yelled. He picked up one of her needles and aimed it at her. She acted without thinking, dropping everything she’d brought with her and shooting her hands out. It was less than a second and Zeke was in a tight fist the needle safely held in her other hand. It was a full second when she realized what she did.

“Zeke you were right, we should have left before…” Corus said. There was so much guilt in his voice. How does she fix this? She tried to be gentle, letting Zeke go back on the ground. He was in front of Corus glaring at her. His trembling body betrayed his fear. She had no idea how to prove she meant to just help them. She looked back at the things she dropped, they could help.

She picked up the bottle of bleach wipes first, opening them and grabbing all the needles. She had to make sure they didn’t do something like that again. She had a disposal box in here too thankfully. She wiped the table down all around the small enclosure she had them in. She’d let them be on their own again soon. Once the desk was cleaned, she moved on to the things she grabbed. She wiped each thing down, placing it off to the side of the table itself. Finally the box, she looked down at it again and reconsidered. She turned behind her and pulled the blanket off the bed. It wasn’t like she couldn’t use a new one. She dug a bit, finding a stapler in her desk drawers.

She started off by laying the blanket in the box covering all sides. This way if anything dangerous remained it would be out of their temporary home. Then she stapled it down all over. She had to make sure it was set enough so they couldn’t get hurt. She looked at one of her empty desk drawers…that would be a better bottom. She pulled the drawer out and quickly broke it apart. She had to force herself to ignore the flinches and stifled yelps as she worked. They’d see the end result. Once she was satisfied she pushed it into the box getting it settled as a floor.

Her next step had her slide over slightly to place it on the desk. She grabbed the dagger from her back and started cutting a door. She used the size of her hand as a base, they were a bit smaller than it after all. Then she tried to use the knife to saw off part of the wood from the drawer to make slight steps. To finish her quick work she set the box on the ground and placed the things she took in as close to the way they were before she moved them. Then she put it back on the desk and turned it to face them, lifting the knife she’d used to keep them trapped.

“This is what I meant about the box. It’s not safe until I clean out your home. Even then you should wait about two weeks to go back to the areas you traveled with the needle. If you want I can bring you back over and you can tell me everything else I need to grab. I don’t want you going in there in case there’s more. It will kill you two a lot faster than my usual targets,” she explained.

The two little men looked in shock at the box. It was far from what they expected she was sure. Corus was the first to move, taking steps toward it. Zeke tried to stop him, but she could see the determined look on his face. He walked up to the box, smiling as he stepped in. She waited to hear any reaction, instead Zeke went flying to meet him. They were both inside for only a few seconds before Zeke was back outside and looking at her. He seemed determined, but cautious as he stared at her.

“C-can you take me to our h-home again? T-the stuff we need to get around isn’t here,” Zeke asked. She hadn’t even thought of how they get around. She’s an idiot of course she missed something so important. She laid her hand in front of Zeke again, the man seemed to lose a bit of his determination. He climbed on slowly, once he’d sat down she curled her fingers and pulled her hand close. She walked over quickly hoping to get what they needed and clean it off fast.

“All right, just point out what the things are and I’ll grab it,” she said. She held her hand where Zeke could see his home. He pointed towards the thin string on the ground which she reached for quickly. It had paper clips on the end, they almost looked like grappling hooks. This was an awful thing to use, she had some strong hooks and thin wire coated not to hurt her own hands that would be better. “Ok, we’re not keeping this.”

She pulled him close as she stood to full height. She went to where she’d dropped the needle adding the two poorly made grappling hooks to it. As soon as they hit the bin she heard sniffling. She looked down at Zeke, he was crying. Her eyes went wide, why was he crying? That was flimsy, it could kill them, she had better things at her desk. She brought him up to her eyes, trying to look comforting. She was bad at this.

“Um, don’t cry,” she tried. The small man glared at her and she winced. Still not good at this. “It’ll be ok? Don’t cry, or I guess do if you want to, but you’re safe don’t worry.”

Zeke turned away from her and she was tempted to just turn her hand. She respected him though, putting her hand by her chest and going back to her desk. She let Zeke off, Corus was standing in the door of the little house. She saw him look over her hands and Zeke only to seem to collapse. She didn’t know what was going on. She just had to get the hooks and wire. She had both next to her anyway. She turned and reached into the desk a set of sharp pristine hooks and wire she’d have to strip to let it hurt anyone. She preferred that, it avoided any risk to herself.

“Zeke and Corus can the two of you each pick a hook from these?” she asked. They shared a look with each other before cautiously approaching. They each grabbed one and she could tell it was too heavy. She sighed. “I could blindly pick one like that. Pick ones you can hold and throw. There’s various weights and materials here. I could buy more lightweight ones if these don’t work.”

“Why are we doing this?” Corus asked. He sounded a bit better already, but she knew it wouldn’t last. She could feel how tired the mixtures made her, he must be exhausted. She tilted her head in confusion they wanted to get around didn’t they?

“So you can have those hooks we’d gone to get, but less flimsy and stronger strings. Paper clips can break pretty easily. These should last years without a replacement.”

They looked at her like she was insane, but put the heavy hooks back. She didn’t want to just stare at them, so she pulled out the wire. A few feet should be enough, she unwound it to be about three feet and cut it free. She wound it back into a small pile and placed it on the table. It looks like too much, but she ignored that instinct and cut another three feet free. She turned her attention back to the two who looked to be settling on a hook. She smiled a bit as she watched them. It reminded her of when she was training and picking out her first dagger.

“We’ve picked them,” Corus spoke again. He didn’t look good on his feet. She held her hand out to them, both hooks placed onto her palm. She put one down in front of her and picked up the end of one of the wires. She quickly tied it to it, the same ways she did when she planned to use them to end someone. It felt odd to tie them like this for use like a grappling hook. She tied the other quickly and placed them on the pile of wires. She pushed them towards the two borrowers.

“Here you go, I suggest you get some rest. I can feel how tired the solutions made me, it can’t be easy on either of you. I will make dinner later, is there anything you need?” she asked. They shook their heads so she stood from her desk and laid on her bed. She needed sleep, the poison was strong. She’d clean up their home while she cooked.

She had no idea how long had passed when something small started to touch her nose. She stayed faking sleep, the intruder would act and she could defend then. The gentle touches on her nose turned into hard pushes against her cheek and she remembered finally meeting her little house mates. She whipped her eyes open, unsure of what to expect. Seeing the face of Zeke with tears streaming down his face was far from what she wanted. She scooped him into her hand sitting up as she held him near her face. She tilted her head waiting for an explanation.

“C-Corus he won’t wake up,” he cried. “His breathing sounds weird too. You said you wanted to help us please…”

She was on her feet in seconds, rushing to the box she’d left on her desk. She put her hand down sliding Zeke off before looking into the box. Corus was laying on the ground, he looked dead to the world. She reached in with both hands, carefully nudging him onto one. She pulled him out and sat down with him close to her. He was still breathing which was a good sign. It didn’t sound good though, like he wasn’t managing to get a real breath. He needs something to open his chest more. She tried to remember anything to help… steam steam helps. She stood and started to walk to her kitchen.

“Wait, c-can I come?” Zeke called out. She was an idiot, she couldn’t leave him here to worry. She didn’t want to walk with Corus in one hand either. She looked at Zeke for a bit before she came up with an idea. She could keep her walk steady, she had to for some of the places she infiltrated. She placed a hand down next to him. He climbed on quickly and she lifted him up to her shoulder.

“Ride here and hold on tight. I want to make sure I don’t jostle Corus much as we walk,” she explained. He climbed off her hand and sat next to her neck. If this was a ploy against her, he would be able to kill her instantly. She ignored the part of her screaming to get rid of him and started to walk to her kitchen. She had to set something up that they could use, for now just the sink would work. She turned the water on its highest heat and waited for the steam to start.

“What are you doing?” She jumped a bit, the voice close to her ear was a bit shocking. He sounded scared, she hoped it wouldn’t last.

“He seems to be having trouble breathing, steam can help with that. I just need to find a way to help him breathe it in without hurting him. For now I’ll just hold him near the steam until he starts to sound better.”

“Oh…” The two stayed silent as Mira leaned over the sink.

She was hyper aware of the weight on her shoulder. She couldn’t let him fall; the water would definitely burn him badly. She held her hands over the steam helping direct it to Corus. She could barely remember Kaya making her do this once when she’d gotten sick years ago. This had to help. She stayed like that until the water started to run cold. She didn’t want to take him away even then, but a small gurgling sound came from near her ear.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked. She could feel the man fidget a bit, he didn’t want to answer.

“It’s been about a day,” he murmured. She cursed, she had four days left to hit her target, if he wasn’t dead by the rendezvous date she’d be in trouble. She couldn’t do anything with these two. Not to mention she’d left them without anything to eat or drink that long. She sighed, turning from the sink.

She grabbed the dish towel and walked over to the table. She curled her fingers in around Corus tighter then placed the towel down and folded it as best she could. She held the hand she’d been using up flat to Zeke. This time he needed no prompting, jumping off her shoulder onto her hand. She grimaced, that didn’t seem safe. She let him down first, then started to lower Corus. She reluctantly maneuvered him with her fingers. This was probably the first time she was glad her hands were small and slim.

She got one of his arms over her fingers before she started to scoop him up. He started to open his eyes. He looked up at her and a weird grin appeared on her face. He leaned against the hand she was trying to scoop him into. She must have woken him, she felt awful. She caught it quickly, but his small body would suffer longer. She had not expected him to hug her fingers with the little strength he had.

“…I love this dream, warm and soft hands,” he breathed. Her eyes went wide, he had dreamed about her? Rather, he dreamed about her hands? “Wonder if that’ll be wrong too…”

She finished moving him then looked at Zeke. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. She went to get some water for them, returning to her room to grab the two cups. She grabbed the tin foil too, dishes would be helpful soon. She came back to Zeke holding his head against Corus’s chest. She walked quietly, trying to give him a chance to hear. She could see the relief in his form by the time he pulled away. She set the cups and tin foil down before getting the actual water. She put it in a low bowl, hoping that was easier.

She set the water down before searching her cabinets. Soup would probably be best for now. It only took a little time to find a can of tomato soup. She poured it in a bowl and started the microwave. It would be a few minutes, a few minutes where they could move without her watching them. She knew how awful it was to constantly have someone staring at you. The loud beep sounded and she pulled the bowl out carrying it over to the two on the table. She’d make sure they had enough then eat the rest.

“Can you make some bowls to use for the soup once it’s cooled down some?” she asked. Zeke nodded, though his eyes wouldn’t leave the bowl she’d set down. “Is there something wrong with soup?”

“We don’t get a lot of warm food,” he murmured.

She narrowed her eyes again. She should have left more out, acted more forgetful. She could have tried talking to them sooner too. She was an idiot, she could have done so much better for these two. She wanted to scream at how foolish she was. Then again, at first she planned to ignore them completely. She had the image in her mind of the two looking starved in those first weeks and shuddered. She should have been better.

“Once Corus and I are both better and I’ve finished my job we can try some others,” she offered. Zeke just focused on making the bowls. It wasn’t long before they were done, he’d even made a third again. He held it out to her and she held back a chuckle before turning it over in her hands. “This really is amazing…”

She took the bowl in between two fingers and carefully filled it with soup. It held fine and didn’t seem too warm. She held it back out to Zeke, carefully checking his face for signs of trouble. He took it with a shocked look and took a small sip. She smiled then picked up the other bowls he’d put to the side. She was doing her best not to hurt their shapes. She filled them each with caution then placed them near him. He had finished the bowl while she filled the other two. Before she could say anything he took another and brought it to Corus.

“Here this is warm and good, I promise,” he said. Corus groaned a little, but she could almost see his mouth open. Zeke used the bowl to help make him drink. It was slower than he’d eaten, but she could see the bowl being emptied. She filled the other bowl once more before resting her head on her arms. As much as she hated to admit it, that poison was hitting her hard. She couldn’t keep her eyes open, falling asleep again.

In her dream she saw the two small men staring at her with fear. She couldn’t understand why, she just wanted to make sure they were safe. She stepped towards them and saw them tremble. She froze, had she done something to them? She reached towards them, her eyes going wide as she saw her arms were soaked with blood. She looked down and saw dozens of faceless people dead piled around her. She could understand their fear now. It was the truth of who she was, a killer.

“Miss Mira, Miss Mira,” Zeke’s small voice echoed in her mind. He had no reason to talk to her. He was trembling right there. She should have done something to scare them away before she grew attached. They’d learn her truth soon enough and hate her for it. She couldn’t hide from them like she did Kaya. “You need to eat Miss Mira.”

She felt her eyebrows furrow. She didn’t need to eat. She was a weapon, a tool, she just had to do as ordered. She was defective though, letting her own morals determine if something was carried out. Her family would hate her if they were still here. She wanted to reach Corus and Zeke, to make sure they were safe. Their faces were so scared though. There was something warm in her mouth. It almost tasted like soup, but she wasn’t eating. She’d left it for them before…

She sat up with a gasp. Zeke stumbled back falling to the table. The bowl in his hands falling to the floor. Nothing was left in it though. She licked her lips, the taste of tomato soup lingering. Had he tried to make sure she ate? She reached for him, freezing as he turned his head up. He wasn’t showing fear though, just relief? They were both strange people.

“Y-You fell asleep, I couldn’t wake you up so I-I called your name. W-when that didn’t work I poured some of the food in your mouth. I’m sorry,” he said. She tried to soften her gaze before ruffling his hair.

“Did you both have enough?” she asked. He nodded. She picked the bowl up and drank the remainder of the soup. Feeling bad when she saw his eyes going wide. She put the bowl down, tempted to rest her head again. She still needed to get something set up. There weren’t many options. So she’d go with the easy one. “We’ll stay here now if you’re ok with that. I’m going to struggle staying awake, but it’ll be easier for you to wake me up if he needs help.”

“That should be fine Miss Mira.” She sighed, where did he get miss from?

“Just Mira is fine, do you want me to get anything? Oh wait-” She stood quickly. Walking to her room and scanning the area near her bed. On her nightstand she could see the hook she’d given him before. She grabbed it and looked into the box she had put together. She grabbed the hook in there and went back to the table. She placed the one from her nightstand by Zeke and the other by Corus. “That’s better, just in case.”

She settled back in her seat, pulling out her phone and setting an alert. She’d have to set up her gloves and reach her target. She shoved the phone in her pocket and placed her head on her arms. She closed her eyes, planning to fall asleep quickly. She could hear some shuffling and was tempted to see what Zeke may be doing, but didn’t move. After a bit more shuffling she felt a light weight on her arm. She peeked open an eye and saw Corus had been pulled closer and moved to be laying on the towel more. Zeke was leaning against her arm, his head falling as he started to sleep. She was shocked, but let herself relax, the weight a nice feeling.

The next day and a half was a mess of Zeke waking her in fear because Corus was breathing strangely again. She did as she had the first time, making soup or something more solid when Corus was more lucid. Once her alarm went off she couldn’t put things off anymore. She knew she could hear if Zeke called her and went to her desk again. Her gloves were sitting where she’d left them. She only took about half an hour to set everything up then had to get her disguise together. A simple black dress, black wig and color contacts. She would attract the target’s attention then pretend she dug her nails in by accident and her contract was done

She had to leave tonight, which meant leaving the two alone. If she did that Corus could get a lot worse. Kaya had medical knowledge and worked with small animals. They could look after them, but she’d have to tell them her job. She looked over the two borrowers from her doorway, Zeke had cried when he thought she was sleeping. She couldn’t leave things up to chance. She walked up taking her seat by them and preparing to start an awful conversation.

“Guys,” she started. Zeke was at attention, Corus at least awake, “I need to go do my job, but I can’t bring you with me. I might be out for a few days, I don’t want to leave you two alone while Corus is still this bad. I have a friend I can call, they have medical knowledge and should be able to do more to help than I have anyway. I need you to trust me and them. Can you do that?”

“They’re like you?” Corus asked. She gave a bitter smile.

“They’re better than me. Probably the kindest person to exist. They’ll be kind I promise.” They shared a look before Zeke stepped forward.

“Then we’ll trust them,” he said. She nodded and stood to walk away. She had an awkward phone call to make. She never wanted to let Kaya know what she did. She hit the contact and the ringing started.

“Mira? What’s up?” they asked. She’d said she’d be low contact for two weeks when she took this job.

“Hey, I need you to come over and bring the medical supplies you have on hand maybe. I’ll explain when you get here. I’d pick anything for some really really bad colds,” she said. She heard Kaya gathering supplies on the other end already.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes, I just have one question. Are you safe Mira?”

“I am…”

They said quick goodbyes and now she waited. She hated the taste of the words in her mouth. She was never safe. She hadn’t been safe a single day in her life. She waited near her door for Kaya to show up. Sitting near the two small men felt like it would make her feel more anxious. When they’re car started up the driveway she almost hoped it would be someone here to attack her. They stepped out with a big bag of supplies and Mira opened the door.

“Hey, follow me,” she said. Kaya nodded and they jogged to the door. She brought them to her living room, keeping the borrowers out of sight. She knew they could hear though, she wanted it that way. She sat down waiting for Kaya to join her. Once they were across from her she took a deep breath. “I need to tell you about my job.”

“You just do some translating work right?” they asked. The lie made her feel cruel. A simple job she picked to explain her travels.

“No, that’s far from right.” Memories of her life with Kaya flooded her mind. All the times they supported her. When she had tried to push them away and they pushed back harder. She’d be all alone after today.

“Mira, you can tell me anything. You’re basically my family.” She narrowed her eyes. No tears or struggling. She was an assassin, she was hardened and cold. She could lose everyone and keep going. She was ready to have the solitude she should have in the first place.

“I’m an assassin. I kill people for a living. I’m the best out there, if I’m hired there’s likely no one else who can do the job.” Kaya didn’t react so she started to rush. “I don’t work like you’d think though. I study my targets and ensure they are bad people. If they aren’t either the client becomes my target or I fake the target’s death.”

There was silence. She couldn’t look at them. She kept her head down waiting for the shouting and anger. She’d been a killer this whole time, they couldn’t accept this. When hands grabbed her shoulders she tensed. Instead she was pulled into a tight hug. She had no idea how to react, Kaya should be furious. They can’t really accept this, accept her.

“Mira… thank you for finally telling me,” they said. They laughed a little and she felt her anxiety rise. “I hate to tell you, I’ve known since before I was a medical student. I found out when one of your targets was my mentor. I overheard a call you got, and knew I didn’t misunderstand when you started to ask about him. I was terrified. I really thought you’d kill him.”

They pulled back and met Mira’s eyes. They looked the same they always did. There wasn’t any hint of fear or anger. They didn’t understand, probably thought Mira didn’t kill much. Maybe they thought Mira didn’t kill at all. She hadn’t killed their mentor, but her client died that time. She would need to explain more.

“He didn’t die, but he mentioned that someone who’d been trying to steal his work turned up dead. I knew that was you Mira. I decided I’d be able to support you then. I went for a medical degree, but switched when I realized human patients were a bit much for. I’ll support you Mira, I know you’re doing the things you think are right. I may not love it, but I won’t stop or abandon you.”

Her eyes narrowed again. She couldn’t cry, she had too much to do. Kaya was too much, they really were the best person to exist. Mira pulled them into a hug again, as tight as she could. They laughed and held her tightly too. She can’t believe she wound up with Kaya. She’d keep them safe, even when they learned all the death that followed her.

“You keep doing that narrowing your eyes thing. Just cry if you want to. Was I just here because you wanted to tell me finally?” they laughed. Mira let them go and stood facing them. She knew the look on her face was the same one she used as she heard a client briefing. This was the scary part.

“No… I met two tiny people who have been living in my walls for about a year. They took something because I’d been leaving out things and pretending I didn’t notice. It was a slow acting poison that would make them sick until their lungs shut down. I gave them the antidote, but one isn’t doing well. I have to deal with a target tonight. I need to leave. I need you to help them while I’m gone,” she explained.

Kaya looked like they were about to say she was lying, but a hook was thrown up on the couch in between them. Both of their eyes went wide as Zeke slowly came into their sight. He was panting and looked ready to collapse. He gave a fearful look to Kaya before turning to Mira completely. She could already tell what he’d say by his face.

“Corus, his breathing got really bad again, Mira. It’s worse than before,” he said. He turned to Kaya. “Mira said you’re good with stuff like this. Can you help him?”

She saw Kaya seem to come out of the shock Zeke hit them with. They stood and looked at Mira, she pointed to the kitchen. Kaya grabbed their bag and walked over, they were in treatment mode. She walked up to Zeke and held her hand out. He climbed on quickly. She grabbed the hook, and handed it to him. She curled her fingers over him and pulled him up to her face. He had tears running down his face.

“That was really brave, I’m glad you came to tell us. Let’s make sure he’ll be ok,” she said. Zeke nodded. She moved her hand to her chest and walked over to the kitchen.

Kaya was already checking Corus out. He looked scared, but that was expected. She had brought the tools she used at work which was definitely a good sign. Mira set her hand down so Zeke could climb off. He stayed by her, fidgeting as he watched Kaya’s hands. It took a few minutes before they sighed and let Corus sit back again. Zeke ran up quickly inspecting Corus. He seemed satisfied and looked up at Kaya, Corus had his eyes on Mira.

“It looks like he needs some better treatment than what you gave him. It worked through his system faster and brought up some sickness he likely had dormant. I can go get what I’d need for him, it’ll be a little while,” Kaya explained.

“Go now, I’ll get ready and leave when you get back,” Mira said. Zeke hugged Corus again but nodded along with what they said. Kaya nodded and left. She looked down at the two who were clearly terrified. “I promise Kaya will only help you. Will you be fine while I get ready to leave?”

They nodded and she turned to her room. She shut the door and got ready. First the dress, making sure it fit snugly, but hid anything identifying. Then the wig, she had to hide all of her lavender hair. It took a few minutes to get the wig on, but she was able to move around without it slipping. She spent a few more minutes styling it. Makeup was next, to make herself look like she had a different facial structure. She put the colored contact in, brown to go with black hair. Her red eyes would stand out almost as much as her hair.

“I’m back,” Kaya called.

“A few more minutes,” she called back. She looked herself over, she looked like another person. Then she grabbed the gloves and slipped them on. She was ready for her target. She returned to the kitchen, the three people pausing as she entered.

“M-Mira,” Zeke asked. That seemed like a good way to tell her disguise was good. She nodded, he visibly calmed. She couldn’t touch Zeke or Corus now. The gloves were a risk.

“I need to head out, will you three be ok?” Two nodded, Corus was a bit out of it again. “Kaya there’s a card in my nightstand drawer you can use for anything you need while I’m gone. It might be a few days. When I get back we can talk again.”

She made her way out. The shoes for the party and the next few days in her car. It would be a different one when she gets back. She took off on the drive, letting her mind go blank. She had a goal and that would be met. She would meet her target tonight, make appearances for a few days then she’d ‘die’ from some accident she’d set up. An easy mark and an easy few days.

As she arrived at the location she knew something was wrong. The building was far too empty for a party to be happening. She carefully stepped out holding a small black clutch that held a few extra tools. She walked up to the door, slowly pushing it open. She wouldn’t risk falling for a simple trap. She took a few steps in when the door was slammed and she was in the dark. It’s a trap after all. A single light turned on and she sneered.

“So the one I let go becomes the one who came to kill me?” he asked. His hair had grayed, but those fierce eyes never left her mind. So dark they were almost black and filled with nothing. “If I heard right, you have morals, shouldn’t I be excluded?”

“When I first got the offer, I was going to turn it down or get rid of the one targeting you, but I changed my mind. See I was sent a file on you with the request, I’ve made a name for myself after all,” she said. She started to move through the empty room, she knew it would be too easy if the client was right. “See I wasn’t spared because you spared kids, I was spared because you were only paid to kill my parents. I dug deeper and saw you had a history of killing the kids cruelly. Making them ill so they die a week later. I got spared since they paid extra so I survived.”

The man burst out laughing, he may have freed her from a bad future, but he was part of the problem. He stood and clapped, the room filled with light. A lot of people were here after all, and had guns trained on her. She wasn’t going to be caught like this, not when she promised those three she’d come back. He wasn’t the only one who made preparations. He took a few steps towards her, he still towered over her.

“I see so you found out all my little secrets kiddo, well I know yours. I know about that friend you have, the only person you seem to keep in your life. If you kill me here, these lovely folks of mine will make sure she dies.”

“THEY are more safe than you could guess.” She pressed her hands together on her bag, a button pressed. There was a strange sound echoing through the areas all those gathered waited. They collapsed in an instant, dozens of assassins dead. It’s almost funny how many of them there are in the world. The man sneered and rushed at her, she never learned more than his handle. “Crimson, you’ll be dead before you realize.”

He tried to grab her, but she was faster. She wasn’t big and strong like him, she relied on her agility and cunning. His arm was close and she grabbed it, each needle injecting it into him. There was a reason she had to use this, the only antidote in existence was in her own home. Once this job was over she’d destroy all she had, this was special for him. He had made so many die suffering, he’d feel it all at once.

He took that chance though, throwing his arm back at her and hitting her face. She did as she needed and moved to run. She would spend the next few days avoiding him until it started acting. The heels she was in slowed her down more than she liked. He managed to grab the wig and pull it off her head. That was fine, she still had her hair hidden. She kept running, pulling at the doors once she reached them. They were locked.

“Oh darling, you think you get to see my face a second time and survive? You think you get to put whatever you did in me and run? I’ll make sure you suffer, kill that little friend of yours and make you watch. I’ll kill anyone who you care about then give you the same thing I gave to everyone else. You’ll die slow and painful and I’ll get to watch,” he laughed.

She saw the two small men flash through her mind. They would be part of his targets. She had the memory of defending Kaya once before her parents died. They had no idea they almost died. She’d make sure that happened again, none of them would be hurt. She made the connections, she added them to her life. She wouldn’t let them suffer for knowing her. She picked these gloves for more than one reason. She bent her pinky and ring finger, a blade slipping out of the arm of the glove. She then stabbed and twisted it in the gut of Crimson.

“You think I only had one trick? I’m not the best for no reason,” she said. She pulled her blade free. Crimson leaned his full weight toward her, planning to knock her down surely. She was faster though, dodging him and laughing as he collapsed in a pool of his own blood. She knelt beside him pulling his head up to face her. “Now, who the fuck hired you to set me up?”

He laughed before reaching an unsteady arm up to grab her. She glared at the man, she was a professional and would get her answers. She felt blades dig into her arm under his hand. She smashed his face down to the ground before he got too far. His grip loosened and she pulled her arm away. Her blood dripped mixing with the puddle of her enemy’s. She kicked his face relishing the scream. She kicked him so he was on his back and glared down at him.

“Who hired you?” she emphasized each word. She could see the acceptance of defeat skate across his face. She won and she’d take out his own client. Someone after her can’t be good. He started to laugh, coughing as he did so. She kicked his side again, he wouldn’t survive so he should stop stalling.

“The same rich fuck who hired you,” he said. She widened her eyes at that, she thought she was fishy. She had an intent for her anyway. She started to walk away and felt something hit her leg. A dagger with a remote attached to it. She glared at the dying man. “I have my standards, that opens the door.”

She sighed and pulled the remote off the dagger, she’d be limping until she got to the car and could treat it. She hit the button ready to move, but the doors actually opened. He wasn’t lying about the standards. She limped out and hit the remote again, smirking as she saw dread on Crimson’s face. He wasn’t getting a chance. She reached her car and pulled out a small detonator. She wouldn’t do it yet. She started to treat her wounds, the leg one first.

She ripped the dagger out, relieved it was a smooth blade. She had tied a bandage on the top of her leg, then bandaged the wound. It would last until she got home. She just wrapped her arm. Those weren’t deep and would be fine overall. She’d been hurt worse and lived. She sat in the driver’s seat and rolled the detonator back and forth in her hand. She’d intended to leave them, to make sure he suffered. She couldn’t put the three innocents who surrounded her at risk for her selfish vengeance. She pressed the button and the first of a sequence started. The building collapsing and being set aflame. She could hear the scream of Crimson, fuck him.

She started driving, leaving town and getting as far from home as she could. She pulled over, set up the supplied GPS she only picked up today. She hit the call on her phone she’d placed next to her. The ring started and ended almost immediately. It was followed by a robotic tone beeping. It gave her the directions, her GPS in the car would translate and direct her. It looked like she was right as the location was set, it wasn’t far from here. It was an open area, easy for her to be targeted.

She walked up as though nothing was wrong, she knew how to deal with these people. She never intended to let them go after they paid. The woman had platinum blonde hair and green eyes, boiling with barely concealed anger. Mira smirked, it looked like she was the one the bitch wanted dead. She threw the GPS at her then raised an eyebrow. Mira never spoke to her clients. The woman made a show of sending the payment and Mira’s phone dinged. Good that meant she was good.

She dropped her phone and crushed it under her heel. Then approached the woman to shake her hand with the glove that didn’t prick Crimson. The idiot took her hand and she flexed her hand slightly. The jump telling her it worked. She walked away and waited, an attack was coming her way. When she made it to the car with no attacks she grew more suspicious. She checked the car and nothing was perceptibly wrong. She hopped in and started driving. The winding road soon made it clear, her death would look like an accident.

She pumped the brakes as they failed to work and got an idea. She grabbed the important things and tried to open the door. Of course they messed with that. She started to kick the door, the damned cut in her leg making it hard. It finally broke open just as she saw an ending to the road. She jumped out rolling to try and cover the damage as best she could. They’d think Lavender died, but regret using her in only a week. She climbed to her feet, just barely able to stand. That was hard on her.

She had to walk a long time to reach her stashed car. It was a few hours at least. Once she made it she climbed into the back seat and slept. Things had gone poorly, but still within her expectations. When she woke up her phone was ringing, good thing she stashes a prepared one in the new car each time. She grabbed it, checking the time first. She’d been out for at least a day. Next she checked her message and saw about a dozen from Kaya, all of them with updates. Corus was doing much better. She climbed to the front seat, she’d have to head home now. She hit the call button, time to get Kaya gone.

“Mira?!” their voice betrayed any attempt to hide their worry. She could swear she heard Zeke and Corus call her name too. Weird having people care. She cleared her throat as she started up the car.

“Hey, things went better than I planned. I’ll be home in about half an hour. I need you gone though Kaya, can’t have anyone around after a job for safety. I’ll call you to come by again once it’s safe,” she said. She winced at the act of driving aggravating a potentially broken ankle. “Corus is fine right?”

“O-oh yeah, it’s like he never got any of the mixture. He just needed some deep treatments to clear out his lungs. I brought some extra to leave here just in case.”

“Thanks Kaya, tell them I’ll be back soon.” She ended the call quickly, there couldn’t be a chance of them asking anything. She was much closer than she said, and watched from afar as Kaya’s car drove off. She pulled up slowly, grateful Kaya had a trusting heart. Once she was inside she would pass out for a few days then work on her injuries.

She limped up to the door, relieved it was unlocked for her. As she walked in she was shocked to see the place cleaner than she left it. Zeke and Corus were sitting at the edge of their home, where a little platform was added. It was amazing, Kaya truly was a miracle. She made her way to the two sitting there, a feeling of awe at their serenity. It was destroyed as she came close, the two immediately trembling. It was like her dream, covered in blood and scaring them. It would probably be better this way.

“Mira are you ok?” Corus said. It was the first time he’d sounded so awake talking to her. She just nodded at the small men, planning to wander to her bed. “We should reach Kaya, they taught us how to call them.”

She acted fast, years of acting taking hold. She slammed her fist into the wall seeing the small room shake from the force. Zeke and Corus were thrown off their feet, guilt tried to fill her. She shoved it down, letting the cold and cruel persona take hold. She bent so she was casting a shadow over them, the look of fear on their faces hurt her. She needed that fear though.

“You contact Kaya and I’ll throw your tiny asses out on the street,” she seethed. The two quickly nodded and she slammed her hand near them for emphasis. They were trembling and she just turned away. She wouldn’t comfort them or apologize. Her phone dinged again and she pulled it out. An alert about the client, she was sent to a hospital. She smirked and looked away, but the world started to spin. She didn’t have a chance before her vision went white and her thoughts stopped.

Corus felt the world shake as Mira fell to the ground. She was doing awful, he was finally getting to talk to her and she collapsed. He placed the hook she’d given him on the edge and slid down quickly. He ran over to her, panic pushing him forward. The spot she landed was starting to turn red, it had to be blood. He hadn’t seen so much blood before in his life, he started to gag. Zeke was grabbing him and pulling him away quickly.

“What are you doing? We need to help her!” Corus shouted and pulled out of Zeke’s grip. Zeke looked between him and the human girl a few times.

“I know you have a crush on her, but we can’t risk that anger. She made the fucking wall move. Cor,” Zeke pleaded, “let’s take the chance to hide until we can move. You can crush on a different human one that maybe doesn’t kill other humans.”

Corus turned back to her, that face he’d seen looking cruel was scrunched in pain. She had freed them without knowing it, Zeke had been brave enough to make noise so she moved the broken cage so long ago. She must have been leaving things to help them survive, she only grabbed them to save them. If returning the favor meant leaving when they weren’t ready he’d do it. He looked back at Zeke, determination on his face.

“I’m calling them, she dropped the phone thing. Come help me,” he demanded. He walked off, ignoring the blood pooling around his feet. He heard Zeke sigh, but was sure he’d follow.

They found the phone close to Mira’s face. They were lucky it was unlocked. Zeke could read better, so he found Kaya’s name. Together they typed out a message saying Mira fainted. Kaya’s response was quick, a picture of their car as they left. Corus and Zeke shared a look before returning home. They started packing up what little they could carry. Kaya was there faster than they expected, but they didn’t do anything besides run to Mira. Their packing was finished quickly and they sat together watching as Kaya did a bunch of strange things to Mira.

“I know you were right,” Zeke said. “She saved us more than once, but she may hurt us. Humans never truly care about us. Will you be able to handle this? We can leave now.”

“I want to see her wake up, you can go ahead if you want,” Corus said. Zeke laughed and shook his head.

“I want to say goodbye too.”

It took a few hours before Kaya sat back and looked at the two borrowers. They stiffened when they came over, but climbed on their offered hand. The three of them waited for Mira to wake up, Corus couldn’t sit still. He started to wander around the table playing with everything that was manageable. When the first groan sounded, he rushed to the edge. He would have fallen if Zeke didn’t grab him. As those pink eyes opened, he saw an awareness fill them. She knew what they did.

She started to sit up, but Kaya quickly pushed her back down. She glared at them, her gaze shifting to himself and Zeke quickly. She was angry, she was definitely going to hurt them. Kaya was saying words, but they weren’t coming through to his mind. He couldn’t take his own eyes off her beautiful pink ones. There was something there that wasn’t anger, but he couldn’t understand it. After a bit he fiddled with his bag and saw her face morph into confusion.

“Why do you two have all that stuff?” she asked. Her voice was always soft and kind, even when she’d threatened them. It was as if the kindness was integral to the sound itself.

“W-we won’t make you get up to do anything. We’ll leave on our own. Y-you saved us more than once and w-we couldn’t ignore you even if you are going to kick us out,” Corus explained. Zeke came up next to him and nodded. She narrowed her eyes and he grabbed Zeke’s hand. No matter what they would make it through this. Before she even moved Kaya smacked the back of her head. They both jumped, widening their eyes. The pink glare finally left him for Kaya.

“Did you fucking threaten them not to call me? They don’t know you, this is why you can’t make more friends,” they said. They turned and bent a bit closer to Corus and Zeke. “She does that a lot, she doesn’t mean it. She threatened to break my arm once and the next day just grumbled about how I have no sense of fear.”

She sat up while Kaya was distracted. Her narrowed eyes widening as tears seemed to fall. He didn’t really think it through, but backed up on the table. He made a running jump to try and reach her, the tears bothered him too much. She reacted before the other two, catching him in the hands he’d hoped were soft. She brought him close to her face and started to scan him.

“What the hell were you thinking?” she asked. He was a bit distracted, she was prettier up close. Her hands were softer than he imagined too. “That could have killed you.”

“It made you stop crying though. So are you throwing us out?” he asked. She made a soft face, a hint of a smile and her eyes were warm. He had way more than a crush on her.

“No, if that was happening it would have been a year ago.”