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Of all the times Talia had undergone some sort of humiliation, she was certain this one was one of the worst. So much so, she didn’t even want to be on Earth anymore. Her love life had completely gone up in smoke before it had even begun. She had thought, foolish girl that she was, that when Kyle texted her and asked to meet up, they’d be going on the date he’d promised her earlier in the year. Now, summer had turned to fall, and she was eagerly awaiting his return. He’d even agreed when she mentioned meeting up at The Smoothie Bar so that everyone else could welcome him back. She'd been so excited, she conceded to letting Auriana and Iris dress her up for the evening. She was so out of her comfort zone, but she wanted to look pretty for Kyle.
She was such an idiot.
Kyle had shown up, and on his arm was a girl they’d never met. He introduced her as Priya, a brilliant robotics engineer who he’d met at camp. She was lovely, unbearably kind-hearted, and glowed with sunkissed skin and the loveliest waves of raven. Her jade eyes sparked to life at every question and she smelled of lilies and lavender. Kyle loved her. Talia hated her. Or at least she wanted to hate her. The girl was like a princess, spending her time excelling in academics and customizing prosthetics for children. Talia wanted to scream at how pathetic she looked in comparison to what she considered the Earth equivalent to an angel. To make matters worse, her friends were all too kind to bring up the relationship between Kyle and Talia.
Apparently, Kyle had met Priya at robotics camp and they connected over being new to Sunny Bay. After that, they were like glue, and by the end of camp, Kyle claimed he couldn’t lose her. He had to keep in touch. So, Talia sat there, listening politely to Kyle talk about Priya, and vice versa. She endured the worried, pitying glances of Iris and Nathaniel, the knowing and amused looks of Doug, the constant comforting nuzzle of Amaru, and the annoyingly tone deaf compliments of Auriana for both Priya and Talia.
She hated it. She hated feeling so helpless and alone. She hated being forgotten.
Life had always dealt her a cruel hand, but this was of the cruelest fates Talia could have imagined. She swore this was another one of Praxina’s evil plots or something. It had to be. If not, the heavens hated her. After an agreement to go to the arcade, Talia quickly explained she was needed at home. Kyle had urged her to come with them, and enjoy the evening, but she was adamant she was needed at home, as there was another exchange student staying with them who was asking for her help. Now she was sitting on the couch, in an empty house, wiping away tears that didn’t want to stop falling.
She’d asked Ellira if she would be home soon, but the elder Ephedian was still at work, and there was at least an hour long commute from the city at this hour. She didn’t think she could call Izira either. Her sister was a queen now, and she had an entire kingdom to rebuild and run. She was far too busy, and far too important, to bother with her little sister’s crocodile tears over a human boy who didn’t like her anymore. She was seventeen years old now, and she had faced the greatest danger on Ephedia. Crying over boys was not to be done. She would only embarrass her sister if she called for that reason and the Xerin Council found out. Or even worse, they’d order her back home.
No, she couldn’t take anymore humiliation today.
“Alright! No princesses, no monsters! Just you, me, tasty snacks, and the TV to ourselves!”
Talia flinched as the door to Mephisto’s room swung open, hitting the wall with a loud thud, a bowl full of popcorn in one arm. She’d forgotten about him. He’d been living with them in the guest room for over a month and a half, and she was still not used to having him at home. That, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Talia’s eyes widened, and she turned away from him, but she’d only drawn the quick eye of his new familiar, Roku, a spiked flying serpent that rested over his shoulders. Mephisto followed his gaze and let out an annoyed groan.
“Ugh, come on! Can’t I just have one day to myself? What are you even doing back, I thought you were out seeing Coco?”
Talia rolled her eyes, “Kyle.”
‘Whatever! Why are you here? Ellira said I’d have the house to myself!”
She sniffed, looking at the floor. She just wanted him to get whatever he needed and go back to his room so she could bow out with grace. Running away would only spark his obnoxious curiosity and further humiliation.
“Well, the new episode of El Caballero Romántico starts in the next fifteen minutes and I will not miss out on Eduado Miguel’s dashing and debonair adventures because of you, so scooch!” Mephisto sighed, gesturing to her to move.
“Can you please just go away?” Talia scowled, turning her head away from him as he sat down.
“No, but you can leave. I got dibs.” Mephisto growled back, flopping down on the couch and turning on the TV, smirking as Talia groaned with annoyance. Bothering the princesses was still a fun pastime.
Talia could feel it. Roku’s eyes burning into her. She wished the little guy wasn’t so in-tune with people’s emotions. She grimaced as Mephisto noted Roku had become hyper focused on her, and turned to look at her. She felt him tense next to her, and he turned back to the TV.
“Nope. Stop staring,” he whispered, “I’m not dealing with that.”
Roku seemed to glare up at him, but Mephisto’s eyes stayed fixated on the screen. Roku’s little tongue flickered at him.
“Not my fault, not my problem.” Mephisto hushed him with gritted teeth. Roku stared hard at his master before hissing, earning an annoyed ‘I don’t wanna!’
And then Roku bit him, making Mephisto yelp in response.
“Would you STOP doing THAT?!” Mephisto bellowed, yanking the smug creature from his shoulders and glaring at him, earning another sinking of Roku’s sharp fangs into his hand, “YOW! Okay! Okay! Let go!”
Talia watched as he pulled Roku from his hand, suckling at his palm. He paused, eyes getting large as she looked to him like a deer caught in headlights.
“Wait, are you crying?!”
Talia wanted to crawl into a hole. Mephisto stared at her, waiting for an answer, but was met with silence as she covered her face with both hands, refusing to look at him. He sat Roku on the table, looking worried as the obsidian snake wiggled his head, urging Mephisto to continue. Mephisto shrugged dumbly, and Roku’s eyes narrowed. He gestured with his tail to Talia, tapping at the coffee table.
Mephisto sighed, rolling his eyes, before poking Talia’s shoulder with the remote. She glared up at him, and he flinched, throwing his arms up to shield himself. She made no move to attack him, and he waved awkwardly, “So, um, why are you crying? Not that I care, I just…ahem, Roku wants to know.”
Talia looked at the little snake, who slithered across the table towards her, “Roku should mind his business.”
Roku sank into himself, clearly annoyed by both of them. He hissed aggressively at both of them, a burst of fire seeping from his jaws, his movements mimicking a parent telling off their children to sort out their own messes before teleporting out of the room. Talia and Mephisto stared wide eyed, surprised by his sudden burst of frustration.
“Oh, he did not just dump you on me!” Mephisto yelped, standing and clenching his fist.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Talia responded dryly, wiping at her cheeks.
Mephisto frowned, sitting back down, and crossing his arms and legs, “Okay, what gives. You’ve already ruined my evening, but since I’m a recently reformed villain, I’ll forgive you if you tell me who ruined yours.”
“Oh, we are not doing this.” Talia huffed.
“Well, somebody has to entertain me until my stories come on, and the magical sky snake jumped ship, so spill. Why are you here and not grabbing smoothie, giggling over that robotics nerd?”
Talia frowned, staring down at her feet, which were still clad in the sparkly pearl and lilac satin heels Iris had lended her for the night. Auriana had painted her nails a rosy red violet, and promised her good fortune in love if she wore her grandmother’s old Voltan "love chain" around her ankle. Her face grew hot and she could feel the tears boiling over, her vision blurring as her lower lip trembled. Mephisto’s eyes grew like saucers as the tears began to fall into her lap, watching her lean forward, her hands grabbing fists full of her lilac dress. The matching beret tilted with her, and he felt his stomach flop as he watched her fight back her emotions.
Honestly, what was he supposed to do? This was Talia, the Princess of Xeris! The scariest woman he’d ever met next to his sister. God, he hoped it wasn’t because of his sister. Talia, an exceptionally prideful woman, the usual definition of fortitude, was coming apart at the seams for some reason, and all he could do was watch. No wonder Roku was always biting him.
“Did...did Couscous do something to you?” His eyes narrowed. He and Talia argued all the time, but she was still an Ephedian princess, and he wouldn’t let any old lanky, bald boy insult Ephedian royalty. Technicalities and their past aside, Zaterra as under Xerin rule and as such, it was his duty to serve the Xerin crown now that he'd turned over a new leaf. He had his pride as an Ephedian subject regardless.
“For Melzor’s sake, his name is Kyle!” Talia cried out, finally lifting her head, “Stupid, stupid Kyle!”
“Okay! My bad, sheesh!” Mephisto jerked back as she glared at him, “I was just asking! What does it matter, anyways? He broke your heart, didn’t he? Look on the bright side, at least now we know you have one!”
“Stop talking! Just stop! You’re always making things worse!” Talia continued, “I am so sick of boys! You’re all only ever thinking about yourselves and making my life ten times harder! I’m tired of all of you making me feel so stupid!”
“Well, are you feeling stupid or are you genuinely just stupid?” Mephisto grinned, looking at her with amusement.
“Are you done?”
“Are you?"
“I’m having the second worst day of my life, and you’re insulting me?” Talia gave him a deadly stare.
“What was the first?”
The harshness of her expression and the silence between them was palpable to say the least.
“Oh…right.”
“What are you doing?” She muttered, “Is it really that fun to kick me while I’m down?”
“You make it so easy,” Mephisto gave her a sheepish smile, “but I’ll stop. My show is about to start.”
Talia frowned, crossing her arms and letting out a huff as she fell back into the cushions, glaring at the screen. The two of them sat in silence, staring as the unnecessarily long theme song blared.
“You still haven’t given me all the juicy details.” Mephisto spoke up, grabbing at the popcorn bowl and stuffing his face.
“There’s nothing to tell.”
“So you admit you’re crying over nothing?”
“Be quiet. The show is on.” She ground out.
“Did he dump you?” He pushed.
“NO!” Talia snapped, sitting up, “In order to be dumped, you have to actually be dating someone, Mephisto.”
“So you’re single then?”
“Very funny.” Talia bit back, crossing her arms once more. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself, and he held out the bowl to her. She sighed as she grabbed a handful, and in a very undignified manner, shoved the entire fist full into her mouth. Satisfied with her simmering temper, he teleported to the kitchen and began digging around the fridge.
“He brought a girl with him.”
Mephisto gasped, pulling two bottles of soda from the fridge. He kicked the door shut, teleporting back to the couch, eager to hear the tea, “He didn’t!”
“He did. Priya the Princess of Prosthetics. She’s beautiful, smart, and generous…”
“Damn. You had no chance, huh?” Mephisto added, using his fang to pop off the lid. Talia snatched the drink from his grasp, earning a grunt of irritation.
“Apparently not.” Talia finished after taking a long swig.
Mephisto eyed her curiously before sipping at his drink. She’d grown quiet and contemplative, and he didn’t know what to say to her. She stared at the screen, but he could tell she wasn’t watching it. Her mind was elsewhere, and for a moment they stayed that way. Talia’s dampened cheeks glistened as the bright lights of the television illuminated her face under the dimmed lights of the room. Mephisto watched her, captivated by the rawness of the exhaustion on her face. She looked so worn and defeated, and he found himself unable to enjoy her disappointment. It wasn't the war torn soldier he was seeing.
For the first time, he was seeing a woman who wanted to be loved by someone, anyone. He'd never really considered her; overall she kept to herself and seemed more rigid and aloof than everyone around her. She scoffed at romance, hated hugs, and didn't seem to have much to smile about. A lot of times when he did look her way, she had a far off look in her eyes, as if enjoying any aspect of happiness was undeserved. Reserved and taciturn, she was like a Zaterran night orchid, dancing alone in the shadows, as if afraid to blossom in the company of the ever-changing chamelion carnations and star poppies that painted the countryside. She was the reason he was on Earth, alive and safe, and yet they’d both shied away from whatever connection seemed to be between them. She kept to her books and her band, while he flourished in others company. He’d realized overtime that it wasn’t only that Talia was incredibly guarded, but she was shy and didn’t know much outside of wartime. Unlike Auriana, she was raised for battle and strategy, a child of war like himself and his sister, but she struggled to find her footing and turn down her defenses. Now that she did, she’d gotten her feelings hurt in the worst way, and she was still trying to wear the mask of their unshakeable Xerin leader. It was fascinatingly tragic.
“You know what the worst part is about all this?”
Mephisto blinked back his surprise at her melancholy tone, and waited for her to continue. She smiled, her eyes filled with sorrow.
“I thought I’d gotten used to being number two.”
His lips parted, and his brows furrowed with confusion, “Number two?”
“Don’t you know? I’m the spare; the surprise that no one planned for and accepted anyways. I’m the second born, and cursed to always be the second most wanted. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. My sister is a queen. She’s brilliant. They’ve always called her 'Xeris’ crown jewel,' and I was always just ‘the child.’ I should be mad about it, but they’re right about us. She’s the leader, the hope of our people, our most powerful magic wielder who led the resistance. She’s beautiful, graceful, and kind. And I’m just lucky I'm her sister.”
Talia took a sip of her drink, and Mephisto was left to swallow all that she had shared. Is that really how she thinks it is? Mephisto could understand her feelings. Praxina was powerful, she had their mother's beauty, and she was a natural with sorcery. People respected and feared her in a way they never did with him. It was frustrating to always be seeking approval, and ironically, Praxina was the only one who truly respected him.
“Well,” he mustered up the courage to counter her, “you helped.”
Talia snorted in response.
“You helped find the oracle gems, and you trained Iris! On top of that, you helped defeat Gramorr. That’s a pretty big deal.” He argued.
“Yeah. So did Auriana.”
“Yeah, but still.”
“I did my duty.” Talia nodded, “But I’m not like Auriana either. Where people open their arms and hearts to her, they close theirs to me. The only person who was happy to see me home was Izira.”
“At least you got to go home.” Mephisto frowned, sipping at his drink.
Talia frowned, her brows furrowing, “I’m sorry...”
“For what? It was my fault. At the end of the day, I chose the losing side, but I’d like to think you set me on the right track.”
He smiled at her, and for a moment, her lips tugged into a smile. She looked away from him, tucking her hair behind her ear and staring down at her lap.
“It's funny. I’m dressed like her, but I don’t even feel like I can compare with her; with either of them.” she continued.
“Who?”
“Auriana…and Iris..Priya just reminded me of what I already knew.” Talia sighed, closing her eyes.
“Which is what?” Mephisto raised a curious brow.
“I’ve been demoted.” Talia chuckled, “I’m number three now.”
“Number three, huh? There’s always been three of you. What difference does it make?” Mephisto shrugged, watching as the screen flickered to a commercial break.
“I mean, I’m different. I’m not nearly as kind and understanding. I don’t like parties, I’m not turning heads, or making friends everywhere I go. I haven’t changed a bit. I’m still the same lonely, creepy freak everyone said I am. They’re like staring at the sun or the moon and I'm just the sky, sitting there supporting them in the background.”
“Talia…”
“Don’t say it's not true. I don’t want to be lied to tonight.”
“Okay fine, you’re all those things,” Mephisto sat his drink on the table, “in fact, you’re also mean, petty, and annoying. You have a huge pole up your butt 24/7 and you’re all prickly.”
“Seriously?” Talia glared back at him, taken aback by his sudden verbal onslaught.
“What? I thought you wanted to sit here and feel sorry for yourself? I’m helping. What else is terrible about you?” Mephisto rubbed at his chin, “Did you know snore a little?”
“I do not!”
“You do! I heard it, Roku heard it, I’m sure all of planet Earth heard it. Gramorr can hear you from his grave.” Mephisto continued.
The corner of Talia’s lip twitched, and she began to fight off a smile.
“You’re smiling because it's true.”
“I’m not.”
“Are too.”
“What are you, five?”
“You’re the one being a big crybaby killjoy.”
“I'm sorry, I forgot that was your job.”
“Hey! At least I’m talking like an adult instead of whining about my life and my life has sucked. You're all, ‘My name’s Talia, and I'm spooky and sad and ugly!’”
“I never said I was ugly!” Talia gaped, turning to him abruptly.
“Yeah, you did.”
“I said I don’t turn heads.”
“In that dress?” Mephisto scoffed, “You’re crazy.”
Talia’s eyes widened, her face falling, “Why? What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. It’s just…it's different.” He gestured towards her, but quickly opted to stare back at the screen, “It's not yours, right?”
“It is mine. The accessories are Iris and Auriana’s.” Talia tilted her head, fixing the hat on her head, “Does it look bad on me?”
“No.” Mephisto answered quickly. Talia tilted her head at his response, jutting out her lip to reconsider her outfit. Mephisto grabbed at his drink, letting the fizzy flavored concoction numb his tongue. He wished he hadn’t mentioned her appearance. He’d been so keen on stopping her from crying and the tv that he hadn’t really allowed himself to look her over. He didn’t make a habit out of looking at her, and he’d never planned to start but…were her legs alway that long; her skinned so plush and smooth? He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, watching as she removed the beret from her head and ran her fingers through her chocolatey bangs. Her lips were pouty and painted a soft fuschia, and her long, silky strands were pushed back behind her ears to highlight the daisy earrings he recalled seeing on Auriana. He mentally slapped himself for noting she had cute ears.
She flipped the hat over in her hands before leaning over to set it on the table, and his eyes were mesmerized at the cascading fall of her hair over her shoulder. The gold buttons at the front of her dress caught the reflective light of the room, and his eyes were drawn to the fullness of her bosom as it pushed against the lilac tweed minidress. He scolded himself to look anywhere but there, and like a fool, his eyes followed the row of buttons down to her thighs, and then those dangerously appealing legs that were becoming a major problem as she crossed them.
“Auriana said this charm would bring me luck in love. It feels more like a curse.” Talia noted, pointing at the delicate golden clasped around her ankle. His eyes widened and he turned his head back to the TV immediately.
“Put that away!” he hissed, straightening in his seat.
“My leg?” Talia raised an eyebrow, then looked at her leg with confusion, “But I’m going to take off my shoes.”
“Whatever! Just…I’m trying to watch!” His voice cracked and her face scrunched in response.
Shrugging, she leaned over to unlatch the heel’s buckle, but huffed in irritation instead. Mephisto tensed, hoping he was not about to be pulled back into her surprising allure. She shrugged off the matching bolero, letting it drape to her elbows before pulling her arms out of the sleeves and setting it to the side. Mephisto stared at her toned arms, sucking at his tongue and contemplating his own lucidity. Since when was Talia hot? She was easy on the eyes, yes, he could swallow his pride and admit that all the princesses were beautiful even. But hot? The idea of being attracted to her scared him. Talia of all people? Maybe he'd had too much Earth soda. Maybe he needed to get out more. Maybe…she'd always been attractive and he was just an idiot.
Kylie, Kerry? Whatever that human’s name was had to be out of his mind. A regular human over an actual, Ephedian princess of such…His eyes wandered to her as she stretched, a soft groan escaping her lips.
Oh, that Earth boy was delusional.
He had to be. Was she really so unaware of her own appeal? Why had he not noticed it before? Did she really think she was so plain?
“Delusional. Fucking delusional…” he mumbled, his eyes trailing over her shoulder.
“What?”
He blinked, “Ha?”
Talia stared back at him, “What did you call me?”
Mephisto stared back dumbly, “I..”
“What exactly about me is so delusional you have to say it twice?” Talia frowned.
“I…Kylie. Kyle. The guy you like. Him, not you.” Mephisto cursed himself. His brain was misfiring.
“Kyle? Why do you say that?”
“You and him. Honestly…” Mephisto grumbled, running his hand through his hair.
“Me? What did I do now?” Talia demanded.
“You…you’re an idiot.”
“You keep saying that and it's getting on my nerves.”
“Well, you and your stupid dress are getting on mine!”
“My dress is getting on your nerves? That doesn’t make sense.” Talia defended.
Mephisto rolled his eyes, whipping around to look at her, “Honestly, has the Earth’s air gotten to your brain?”
“You’re the one not making any sense!” Talia threw her hands up, clearly exasperated.
“What doesn’t make sense is you! ” Mephisto mimicked the gesture, his arms flailing about, “And him! And this stupid dress! And those stupid earrings and your pretty shoes, and you smell delectable, and I don’t know why, but I like it so just, stop acting like you’re so unbearable and unattractive! So what, you’re annoying and weird, who cares? You’re smart and hot, and people like you even if you don’t try to make them like you. Isn’t that enough? Who cares what Kato…Krypto…whatever his name is thinks?”
He crossed his arms, sitting back into the cushion scowling, his cheeks flushed and reddening with every second. He could feel her eyes on him, and he turned to complain, but froze as she stared back at him, her face just as red. Her golden eyes were wide and alert, bright and shining, but not with tears. Genuine surprise was evident on her face. Her lips parted slightly, as if she was trying very hard not to let her jaw drop to the floor.
“Don’t look at me like that.” He whispered, his body relaxing as he stared back at her.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re happy.”
“It's not a crime.”
“You're making it a crime. Go back to being sad.” Mephisto's eyes fell to her lips, and he watched as a small smile played on her lips, “Is it really that big of a deal?”
“You said I was hot.”
“I didn’t!”
“That’s so embarrassing.”
“For you!”
“I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to me before.” And then she giggled. Sweet, blessed Melzors, she giggled. Since when did Talia giggle? Mephisto didn’t know, but he found himself thinking it was…cute? He shook his head at the thought.
“It's not that big of a deal! I’m sure you’ve heard it before.”
“Nope. Just from you , Mephisto.” Talia smirked.
He felt his ears burning, “Well, you’re practically a celebrity around here. And it's not like you haven’t had a boyfriend. There’s more embarrassing things to hear.”
“Like what?” Talia cocked her head and Mephisto wanted to scream and run to his room.
“What?”
“What’s more embarrassing than that?” Talia asked.
“You…you know…”
“I don’t.” Her smile widened and he gulped.
“Sure you do-!”
“No, I’ve never had a boyfriend.” Talia blushed, but kept her intrigue, “You obviously know something I don’t.”
“N-no, I don’t. Let’s stop talking now. I wanna watch this part.” Mephisto fumbled, pointing at the TV.
“This part?”
“Yeah.”
“They’re kissing.”
His head whipped back to the TV, and sure enough, the cape-clad hero was intertwined with his darling Marisol, kissing her passionately. Mephisto squeaked, and he heard Talia chuckling from the other end of the couch.
“Is this what you have on your mind? I guess there are more embarrassing things.” Talia raised a quizzical brow, glancing over him as he stuttered.
“I-Its just a k-kiss. Nothing to be, ahem, embarrassed about.” Mephisto cleared his throat.
“Of course.” Talia shrugged, eying him knowingly, “I wouldn’t know, either way. I’ve never kissed anyone.”
“R-really?”
“I wouldn’t joke about that. Like I said, I’ve never dated. Courting is not something I’ve experienced, just something I’ve observed. It's not like we had the time and…nobody ever wanted to court me anyways.”
“Oh…” Mephisto replied, his mind blanking. His eyes were too focused on her lips. He’d grown up surrounded by other Zaterran students of darkness. He had his own experiences before working for Gramorr. He was surprised, as Auriana and Iris seemed so well-versed in romance. Talia, however, seemed to be under lock and key by the Xerin household. He should just leave it that way.
“So you’ve never really been kissed? Or dated? Dated mostly.” Mephisto mentally facepalmed and screamed ‘Dumbass!’ at himelf.
Talia tilted her head to look away from the TV, “No, I haven’t done either.”
“Do you want to?”
Talia stiffened, but eventually relaxed, “Doesn’t everyone want to try it? At least once?”
“I mean, I guess some people don’t and some people do. I’m specifically asking about you, though.” Mephisto reddened, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“Oh.” Talia gasped, “I…yes. I guess I would. At least once.”
“Oh. That's...interesting.”
“Yes, I suppose it is...” Talia cleared her through, pressing her hands into her lap, allowing them to fall back into silence and the television blared, neither wanting to make eye contact.
“Do you want to try it…now?” Mephisto continued.
“Oh? N-now?” Talia looked at him, wide eyed.
“K-kissing. I mean. I guess, technically dating takes more time…”
“Right! And we only have a few minutes left of the commercial break.” Talia nodded in agreement.
“I mean, you are dressed up really nice. And we are doing something together. Alone. In the evening. Alone…” Mephisto added, scooching closer to the center of the couch.
“That is a valid point.” Talia encouraged, gesturing to the television as she turned her body to face him.
“Just a quick experiment, really. For science.” Mephisto concluded, moving closer.
“Just while there’s a commercial break, to pass the time.” Talia finished, her eyes fluttering shut.
Mephisto swallowed, leaning towards her. Her nose scrunched as the warmth of his breath graced her lips, and he gently grasped her shoulders, waiting for her to relax. She bit her lip for a moment, before relaxing, and giving him a small nod of approval. He licked his lips, knowing there would be no turning back if he kissed her. He went over every other alternative in his head, considering the options, and then throwing them out the window as he shyly pressed his lips to hers. It was but a peck, but it was a kiss nonetheless. He pulled back slowly, and watched as her eyes fluttered open. They were so rich and warm, like fresh honey, so enchanting, he didn’t think to stop from kissing her again. And again. And then once more. Each time, she kissed him back, goosebumps prickling her skin as his hands pulled her into him, moving to her waist.
Was it wrong? She knew she was vulnerable, she knew she was hurt and humiliated. Was it wrong of her to sit there, kissing Mephisto so willingly? Was it okay to want to keep kissing him? They didn’t even like each other… She’d only just found out the boy she’d been crushing on all summer was in a relationship with another girl. She’d been sobbing on the couch like a child just an hour ago, and now her fingers were getting tangled in strands of crimson. She knew she should’ve stopped, should’ve never conceded to be kissed, but she reasoned she deserved it. She liked it. She wanted more of it. She wanted to stay where she was, basking in the heat of his body, tasting the tangy sweetness of orange on his lips, and forgetting her sorrows for the rest of the night. The stings from Kyle’s apologies, his request for her quelled anger, and the frustrations of the night were melting away, soothed by the unpredictably tender caress of Mephisto’s arms cradling her. She didn’t mind the mild ache in her neck at the angle he held her in, or the unusual shape of his forked tongue brushing against her own. She didn’t mind the way he made her gasp for air, or the way her lungs burned. She didn’t mind the way his calloused hand gripped at her hip. She just wanted to indulge in him for as long as she could.
“Oh! My…”
Mephisto jerked back, ripping his lips from Talia’s, a mortified expression on his face. Talia gasped, pushing him off of her and wincing as he fell to the floor. She looked over at the doorway, her jaw dropping as Ellira stood in the doorway, clutching her purse.
“I’m sorry, I thought…you said you…” Ellira blinked rapidly, before taking a deep breath, “I thought you needed me to come home, dear.”
“I-Yes, I, um, was…”
“Occupied? I can see that.” Ellira's expression impish in nature, “Mephisto, dear, are you alright down there?”
“Yep!” Mephisto stood straight up, his voice strangled.
“Well, then. Why don’t I put up my bag and shower. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Ellira shot Talia an amused glance, causing the girl to blush profusely. She side eyed Mephisto once more, as if daring him to try something more, and seeing his pale complexion flush pink, left with the notion that he was far too bashful to make any more moves on the princess in her care.
The two young sorcerers stayed silent as the echo of her heels slowly dissipated up the steps. As soon as her door closed, both of them let out a deep breath.
“I can’t believe I forgot I called Ellira.” Talia facepalmed. She turned to look at Mephisto, who had his hands behind his back, looking at the ceiling, her lipstick smeared across his lips, “You…um…I guess you missed your show too...”
“I…I am a man with no regrets.” He declared, letting out a deep breath.
“...I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“Was…was that okay?” Talia whispered shyly.
“Was that okay? Shouldn’t I be asking that?” Mephisto mumbled, looking down at his shoes.
“Right. Sorry…” Talia paused, “Still..”
“Stop. Talking.” Mephisto growled, his hands cradling her face and pulling her into a searing kiss, his tongue pushing past her lips as she squeaked with surprise. He kissed her hungrily, desperately, like he was trying to memorize her like it was his last chance, before pulling away from her. His lips grazed her cheek and it left her skin tingling as she touched the spot. Leaving her in a daze, he walked back into his room, and slammed the door shut. She looked back at the door, and she could hear his muffled ranting at both himself and Roku. She bit her lip, wincing as it stung her and the taste of copper fell to her tongue. She touched her bottom lip, noting the trickle of blood on her finger tip. In all his impatience and eagerness to kiss her one last time, his fang had pierced her lower lip. As she grabbed a tissue to wipe away the smeers of lipstick, which for the most part, was probably on Mephisto’s lips more than her own, she found herself smiling. Perhaps Auriana’s charm did work after all.