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Nicole frowned as she slurped on the noodles provided by General Chop, it wasn’t that they tasted bad - he had always delivered when it came to customer satisfaction -, it was that every warm, tasty bite that hit her lips caused her mind to jump back to the crazy string of events that happened recently: running into her “old friend” in the Outer Ring, the hired goons showing up that caused everyone to break apart, the warmth of Wise’s lips on hers as she gave him CPR.
Just thinking about that day caused her heart to ache, she came so close to losing someone she cared about, her dear partner, her… she stopped the train of thought before it finished, Wise wasn’t hers, sure she had made some passes at him, always pulling back at the last second and playing it off as a joke, it was really more of a precaution: he was a Proxy, she was a Hollow Raider, not exactly the grounds for a stable and long term relationship.
As the last of the delicious noodles disappeared into her mouth, Nicole couldn’t help but pout at the bowl ‘Precaution’, yeah right, she thought as she fished into her pocket and pulled out just enough to pay General Chop for the meal. Stepping to her right, Nicole couldn’t help as her heart started to hammer in her chest, every step closer caused it to beat faster and faster until it felt like it was going to burst out of her.
She had been into Random Play several times, but as the door sat in front of her, it felt like walking into Hollow Zero completely naked. Taking a breath and stepping inside, a warm smile formed on her face as she saw Eous toddling around, their little nubs holding a few videotapes.
“Ehnaha!” the little round one exclaimed happily, eyes closing as she leant down and patted their head.
“Hello, welcome to Random Play… Oh, Nicole.” Wise said, looking up from the clipboard he was using to take stock of the tapes.
Clearing her throat, and taking a breath to slow her heart, she stood up and offered him a smile, “Well, if it isn’t my lovely partner.” The look he gave her was one of being unimpressed, it caused her heart to drop to her stomach and a frown to form on her lips, not that she blamed him, the debts she had racked up with him alone was enough to fill the store, but it still hurt.
Licking her lips, she quickly steeled herself and fixed him with a genuine smile, “Can we talk?”
Thankfully, Wise didn’t say anything, instead opting to wordlessly put the clipboard on the counter, moving out of the way and putting his arm forward in an ‘after you’ gesture. She was grateful to go first, it stopped him from seeing the dust of red that appeared on her cheeks.
Get it together Demara, the worst he can do is say ‘no’, if he does, we go back to how things were. It was easier said than done, doing something like this and going back to how things were was almost unheard of, but it wasn’t like she could up and leave, never see him again, they were partners after all.
As they entered his room, she felt her heart rate increase, her hands were starting to sweat, she had to lick her lips to provide some sort of relief, this is it, she thought as she turned to face him.
His eyes looked at her curiously, but there was an unmistakable softness to them that made her heart thump in her chest. She knew that even if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings, he would still be the same Wise, that made her feel a bit better.
“So.. uh..” she gulped and cleared her throat, wringing her hands together nervously, “We’ve been partners for a while right?” her words came out in almost a whisper as she walked over and gently cupped his hands, looking him seriously in the eyes, giving an apologetic smile as Wise grimaced at the unexpected slickness of her hands.
“We have..” a smile formed on his lips, but one of his eyebrows quirked in curiosity.
“I like you.” It was blunt, she knew, but it was the most she could do without fumbling over her words.
Wise’s mouth opened but no words came out, her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. A frown formed on her lips, she had a feeling he wouldn’t reciprocate, but some kind of response would’ve been nice.
“..How long?” he asked softly, and the simple question served to invigorate her.
“Well..” she moved one of her hands to her shorts, wiping the sweat off, and then moving it to his face, cradling it gently, smiling as he leaned into her touch, it was a good sign. “I’ve always thought you were handsome,” his eyes widened in realization, she could tell he was putting together all the times she complimented him weren’t just her laying on the charm to push off her debts, at least not entirely, the business savvy part of her couldn’t stop trying to work an angle despite her best intentions.
“But.. I think I finally realized after I had to give you mouth-to-mouth,” her eyes closed at the memory, stomach turning in disgust.
“Some partner, I am, huh?” she asked self-deprecatingly.
“..” he went to say something but she cut him off, the words spilling out of her mouth, she wanted to speak her peace before he responded.
“And, I know that I’m always short on money, and I haven’t been able to pay you back. And if you don’t feel the same, if you want to try with someone else, I won’t blame you.”
A long tired sigh left her lips, and she had to retract her hands to rub up and down her face to calm down, the slick of the hand she didn’t use to cup his face smeared on her cheek, it was gross, but oddly grounding. The hardest part was over, now she just had to wait and see what he said in response.
“I never blamed you for what happened,” she blinked. Wait, what? his hands gripped hers gently as he pulled them away from her face, holding them and rubbing the backs of them with his fingers, that damned smile on his face.
“Things got out of control, I sort of expected things to go like ever since I became a Proxy,” a soft chuckle left his lips and she couldn’t help but smile at hearing it, it was such a sweet sound.
“And..” he bit his lip, eyes closing and puff of air leaving his nostrils, when they opened he looked at her with a sense of admiration but also trepidation, causing her to eye him curiously, “..I know why you’re always in the red.”
Her heart skipped a beat, how did he find out, that was supposed to be a secret.
“How did you find out?” she asked, it was out, there was no use in trying to play it off, Wise was too perceptive.
He shrugged, but the smile never left his lips, “General Chop told me, said that you had a group of kids with you one day. I thought about having Fairy look into it, but I didn’t want to intrude, I wanted to talk to you about it first.”
Her face warmed at his consideration, really he was too sweet for words, just for that she felt an explanation was owed, so, with a shaky breath, she spoke: “I grew up in an orphanage, and ever since getting out, I wanted to make sure that no one there felt alone or unloved, so I dedicate most of what The Cunning Hares make to seeing the little ones smile.”
A gentle smile formed on his lips, but his brow furrowed in curiosity, a question he was polite enough not to ask, instead wanting her to answer it at her own pace.
“I had a friend,” she explained, licking her lips and letting a small breath leave her mouth, trying to think on how to talk about it, Wise said nothing, but made sure to soothingly rub the backs of her hands and offer an encouraging smile.
“She was sick, couldn’t get out of bed. She told me her final wish, she wanted to see the sun one last time. So I convinced all the kids at the orphanage to rally together to make enough money to buy a suit for her,” a watery chuckle left her lips at the naive idea. Wise didn’t say anything, moving one of his hands to her cheek and wiping at something, the sting of salt registered in her mind, when had she started to cry?
“We couldn’t buy the suit,” just admitting the failed little dream caused her heart to crack, “so we had to settle on the next best thing: we used the Dennies we collected to reflect some sunlight into her room.” The small act caused her heart to mend somewhat, images of her friend’s grateful smile, flashes of all the future little ones she had helped with the money she made, tiny faces alight with varying levels of happiness, simply thinking about it made her heart soar.
A gentle smile formed on Wise’s lips, head tilting imperceptibly for her to continue, his pretty green eyes lighting up with patient curiosity, he knew her story wasn’t done.
A shaky sigh left her lips, letting the memory of her dear friend be locked deep within her soul as she moved onto the next part of her tale.
“After getting out of the orphanage, I ended up with a rich family, too stuffy for my taste, so I ran off in the middle of the night.” she said, turning her face and her nose up at the whole thing, a “hmph!” leaving her lips.
The slightly calloused hand of her.. partner, - had remained on her cheek even after wiping her tears -, gently turned her face back so she was forced to look him in the eyes, but she could tell by how it rested against her skin, that if she really wanted to stop, he would let her.
“They had everything I wanted, all the money in the world!” she said, feeling her heart hammer in her chest, having to fight the urge to drool at the prospect. “But..”
“..It wouldn’t be your money,” he supplied softly.
She didn’t say anything, and that served as enough of an answer as an understanding smile formed on his face, it caused her cheeks to warm.
“So now you know the tale of your lovely Nicole,” a dramatic sigh left her lips. “And like I said, if you chose someone else, I’m fine with it,” she really wasn’t, having to gulp behind her teeth as the bile rose in her throat.
Pulling away from him, she moved to sit on the couch, throwing her arms over the back of it and laying her head back, looking up and letting a tired sigh leave her.
“C’mon at least give me something.” The whine that left her lips caused him to chuckle and it caused her heart to flutter.
“…I want to show you something,” his voice came out quiet, causing her to raise her head from the couch and give him a curious look, taking his hand when he held out and not protesting when he gently pulled her to her feet.
The next thing she knew they were in his car, he didn’t say anything, his face morphing into a look of caution, she could see him chewing on his lip, and could hear the small exhales leaving his nose: whatever he wanted to show her it was definitely big. Not wanting to spook him, but wanting to show that she supported his decision in showing whatever he wanted to show her, she reached over and gently squeezed his hand, offering a smile, heart fluttering at the small upturn of his lips.
Eventually the car stopped at a familiar place: the memorial for the Old Capital. It was like an arrow was shot into her heart: so many people had been lost on that day, it would’ve been easy to assume that he lost someone then, but she wanted to respect his privacy. A sigh brought her out of her musings, Wise had walked up to the fence of the memorial, gripping the metal with one hand so hard she could see his knuckle turn white.
“What do you know about Carole Arna?” His voice was quiet, dropping the cool, inviting nature she had come to associate with him, in its place was a quiet and mournful near whisper.
She couldn’t help but blink, everyone knew Carol Arna, but the way Wise was talking, it sounded like he actually knew her. Not wanting to alienate him, or make him feel worse in his saddened state, she twirled a lock of her hair with her finger before she spoke.
“Just what people have said,” she answered softly, moving to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her body into his back, letting her lips reach his ear. “But, just because people say it doesn’t make it true, right?” she asked sweetly, letting the question drip into his ear like honey.
“…Who was she?” she asked after a pregnant pause, waiting patiently, exhaling softly, guiding him to follow her as she felt his breath hitch.
Her eyes widened slightly as Wise easily twisted in her arms, his silver hair covering his eyes, tentatively she reached up and brushed it away, a small, inviting smile forming on her lips.
They stood in silence for what felt like an eternity, Wise’s handsome face softly contorting and twisting, clearly at war with himself, she didn’t rush, working with so many little ones - as well as managing the Cunning Hares - lead to her developing a sense of near limitless patience.
“She is my mother,” he finally said, a warm smile forming on his lips at the familiar title, but it didn’t reach his eyes, his eyes closed solemnly, a puff of air leaving his nose before they opened a calm resolve looking directly into her, it was a quiet intensity that she felt burrowing into her soul.
“She’s innocent, I know it. That’s why Belle and I became Proxies’, we’re going to prove it.” he believed it, and the calm, resolute way he said it caused her body to shiver in a mix of fear and primal lust, he really was hot when he was serious. Focus, Demara! she chastised herself, trying to focus on the task at hand: comforting him.
“Well, don’t we make quite a pair? Both got our own closets with its share of skeletons,” she said with a small smile, thankfully the calm intensity left his eyes, softening in a way that made her heart warm.
“What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t help with a noble cause?” a wink caused him to chuckle. “Clearing the name of a dead woman..”
“She’s not dead,” Wise cut her off, eyes flashing with the same calm determination. The declaration caused her to blink, there was more to the statement, but she wanted to focus on one thing at a time.
“Alright, clearing a woman’s name is pretty up there in terms of noble causes. Honestly I feel honored to be the fir…”
“You’re not the first,” he said, a small, teasing edge entering his voice.
“Who is?” she asked with an annoyed huff. Please don’t be her. Please don’t be her!
“Miyabi.”
SHIT!
A sigh left her lips at the revelation, closing her eyes, she opened them after a few seconds, fixing him with a tender look, her hands moved his face, cupping his cheeks, she leant in and placed a gentle peck on his lips.
“Consider that a contract between you and me,” she said breathlessly, a shaky smile forming on her lips as the kiss broke, resting her forehead against his.
“We’re partners, right?” The label took on a new meaning and the gentle smile he gave her caused her heart to hammer in her chest.
“Right,” he said simply, leaning in and claiming her lips, wanting to secure the ‘contract’, his hands moved to her hips, which worked out for her: her legs shook and wobbled like she just won the lottery, if he wasn’t holding her, she strongly believed she would’ve hit the floor right then.
“I expect regular payment,” she said teasingly as the kiss broke, moving her hand to his and pulling him gently back to the car.
His lips smooched her cheek as the vehicle roared to life, but he didn’t say anything as he started the drive back to New Eridu, and, as they rode, she couldn’t help thinking about trying to get him to ‘pay up’ as soon as they got back to the video store. Her hand moved to the hand, - making sure to go for the one not handling the wheel -, fingers gently tracing the back of it, and it was like was getting to know him in a whole new way, a resolve of determination to learn about the ‘new’ him as deeply as she could formed in her mind, it was only fair: they had entered a new partnership and every business savvy schmuck knew to do extensive research before entering one, so it fell to her to be very thorough.
As they made it back, she made sure to lead him to his room, closing the door with her foot, pushing him gently towards the couch, guiding him down and straddling his waist, hands moving to his face, a smirk forming.
“I expect payments every hour, we can discuss the ins and outs, later,” he rolled his eyes at her ‘business savvy’ talk.
”I’ll honor the contract,” the gentle seriousness he said it with caused her to abandon all preamble and smash her lips against his.