Kas followed her to the door, but stopped when she did, arching a brow at her request. "Alright?" He did as asked, then looked down at her when he caught her staring at him. He tipped his head to the side, lips twitching up in amusement, and leaned his shoulder against the frame. He wondered how long she would go before snapping out of it. She was clearly thinking about something, as he could practically see the gears churning through her eyes, so it wasn't like she was checking him out—not that he was much to look at right now.
Deciding that sleep was more important than whatever this was, Kas leaned down so their faces were almost level and smirked. "Hey shortcake," he murmured with a smirk, "You're staring." He slid a hand out of his pocket and reached over her to hold the door, just in case she got so lost in thought that she forgot she was holding it.
Hearing his purr, she blinked out of her mindless state, and tried not to show any sign of embarrassment. "So what if I was? What's it to you?" She asked trying not to shove him away, her bite her lip, or any other sign of the flustered feeling she was receiving from him. Her heart was telling her one thing, while her head, the more reliable source was telling her another.
"We are suppose to be together. Can I not look at you if it pleases me?" She asked, a little harshly trying not to look away. She wasn't willing to let him feel more powerful, holding himself over her. He was already so much taller than she, Kas didn't need yet another reason to feel he had her wrapped around his finger. Because boy was she not. Yet at least.
He just rolled his eyes and looked over her towards the lobby. "You were thinking, not looking. Now can we please get going so I can get some sleep?" He licked his lips and wrinkled his nose at the coppery tang of blood. "Well, clean myself up and then get some sleep." He still kinda needed to clean up the now dried blood, save for his lip, so that would postpone his cherished sleep.
Her harsh words and questions were snippy and defensive, he noticed, and it intrigued him. He had been expecting some sort of comeback, not defensive questions, in response to his teasing. He didn't dwell on that long, however, and forgot about it as he stood up and flicked his free hand in a 'shoo' gesture to get her going.
Rolling her eyes, she walked in with a stride almost always seen by her. She was seeking someone's attention, most likely his. But never admitting it was her thing, so she kept quiet and walked to the stair well pushing the door open. She mostly did it to annoy him, but also wasn't the fondest of the small metal or glass boxes filled with people. So she started climbing.
"19 flights, let's see how long it takes tonight." She mumbled, pulling her shoes off and started up the stairs quickly. Not bothering to look back to see if he was even there yet, she was already half way up the first set of stairs. Forcing herself to stay focused, and not wander, she counted each step her foot hit. "23, 24…" She mumbled to herself, holding onto the railing tight.
Kas chuckled and followed after her, only to pause when he noticed she was going for the stairs and not the elevator. He glanced over at the much quicker route, then to the girl climbing up the much slower and more difficult route, debating on what to do in his head. It didn't take long to make his decision.
With his long legs, it didn't take long for him to catch up to her, taking two stairs at a time. "Y'know shortcake," he said as he came up behind her and scooped her up effortlessly, gently throwing her over his shoulder, "elevators are faster." He glanced back at her with a cheeky smirk, a flash of teeth before he was bounding up the stairs. He wasn't about to follow her slower pace, but he also wasn't going to just guess which floor she lived on, so this was a compromise he had to make—at least, one that wasn't dragging her into the elevator with him.
Hearing his steps behind her, she nodded and continued counting the steps. "31, 32, 3- HEY!" She shrieked feeling herself being listed from the ground. Once she was over his shoulder she knew it was Kas. And probably should've before, but she couldn't be too sure. "Put me down Kasiya! I mean it!" She cried out, kicking her legs some. She didn't like feeling vulnerable, especially with him.
The remark her made didn't help, along with his smug look. "First thing, stop calling me shortcake!" She whined some, trying to get out of his arms. "Second thing, I know that, but hate them." Now mumbling, knowing he wasn't going to put her down. "And lastly, put me down!" She said louder, hoping he would. There were a few things Joanna didn't like is life, but she never mentioned. Getting picked up was one of the very few things.
"First thing, nope," he chirped, not looking over at her as he took the stairs two at a time, "And lastly, nope." He grabbed onto her legs to keep her from kicking out like she had before, not wanting her to thrash so much that she either hit him or herself by falling. "You're going too slow, and if you aren't using the elevator, then this is going to be the compromise on both of our parts. Which level?" he asked, still not looking at her.
Some strands of loose hair floated into his face. He scrunched his nose and blew it away, as it was tickling him and he didn't care for that. He also didn't care to be carrying Joanna up who knows how many flights of stairs—he was still sore from the magic backfiring on him—but he wouldn't voice his discomfort as she squirmed. Once he knew where she lived, and where he'd be living for the time-being, he wouldn't have to continue taking the stairs like her.
Joanna wanted to be difficult, but the faster he got there, the sooner he would put her down. So weighing her options, she huffed out and relaxed some in his hold. "19th floor." She mumbled, resting her elbows against his back, and resting her chin on her fists. It made her nervous, watching the steps go by the opposite way, worried he was going to slip and land on her. It would be a bloody disaster, and the scene flashed before her eyes making her feel sick.
Gagging some, she closed her eyes humming softly to try and soothe the nauseous feeling she was getting from the blood rush to her head. And the thought of breaking her neck and him landing on her. That wasn't helping her either. So to distract herself more, she looked at the back of his head. "How bad is your family situation that you couldn't stay with them?" She asked softly, trying to change her thoughts.
Kasiya was just sinking into the silence once Joanna answered him and decided to not be difficult when she asked that question. He halted on the platform he was just approaching, muscles tensing some as his jaw worked. It took him a few moments to calm his breathing and force himself to start walking again. He didn't answer until he was going up the stairs to the next floor.
"I haven't been wanted since I was a kid," he murmured, telling his all-time rival more than he's ever told anyone before. It was a strange feeling, to be opening up to Joanna, even if it wasn't much. She managed to weasel some information out of him even if he didn't want to, and she had made him worry about her when his brother threatened her safety. The only thing he could think of was 'Why?' Why was she different?
Joanna's eyes widened, hearing the familiar words. 'I haven't been wanted…' Over and over it rang through her thoughts as she tried to clear her mind. "You're joking." She told him, turning her head to face him the best she could. "You've got to be lying to me." She said more sure now. Not knowing why, or how he had found out about her own life, but he had to be pulling her leg. Well both figuratively and literally, as he held her legs down so she wouldn't kick him.
There's no way he could have found out about her family situation. But at the same time, why would he lie about something like that? He wasn't a villain, he wouldn't joke around with her. Even if he tugged around with her feelings, something as sensitive as that he wouldn't. Joanna knew the feeling so well, because she had received it from her parents. But the truth was, she didn't know the real story behind it, though now she wouldn't find out.
He glared over his shoulder at her. He didn't like being accused of lying. He hated liars, and he wasn't so hypocritical to be one. The most he did was dance around the truth when needed. "No, I'm not. I got thrown out over something I couldn't control, alright? I wasn't good enough for them and I fucked up." He scoffed at the idea, and his mood was obviously soured by the change in subject.
He didn't want to talk about his parents, but more importantly, he didn't want to talk about his brother—aka, the main reason he was kicked out. Redore was always the perfect one. Redore was the family golden-boy. Redore was the oldest twin. Redore was the more important child. Redore could do no wrong. Redore burned Kasiya over something petty and got to keep his throne of lies and betrayal while Kasiya was thrown out into the snow, burned, bleeding, and sobbing—a child. He had no desire to ever see his parents ever again.
Hearing his annoyed tone shut her up. He didn't want to talk about it more, and she needed to respect his wished. Otherwise things would get awkward and stiff between the two. Not wanting that she nodded softly, trying to keep herself quiet. Struggling immensely, she gave in sitting up a little, rather awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry I brought it up, I just- needed to get my mind unfocused from something." She told him, holding onto his shoulder.
There, she apologized. Not that hard. Except for the fact that she sounded completely stupid, and rather insensitive. She groaned internally, wanting to beat herself over the head with a broom. 'Why did I say it like that?' Her thoughts moaned as she dug her nails into her hand. But it was said, what could she do about it now?
He took a deep breath, reminding himself to not close his eyes because of the fact he was quite rapidly climbing the stairs. Speaking of, this is ridiculous. I'm getting tired of this already. "Unfocused on what?" he finally asked, soothing his tone to something less terse and snippy. His temper was always quick to flare, so he couldn't blame Joanna for that. She didn't know about his past and that he didn't like talking about it. He barely ever let anyone know about that, so as soon as he said they're out of the picture, they typically left it at that and moved on. But if she was trying to keep her mind off something, then that would be a reasonable cause for prying.
He climbed one more flight before sighing and slipping her off his shoulder, trying to hide his wince. Yup, he was definitely sore, and he probably got hit more than he initially thought. 'Damn magic,' he mentally cursed, rolling his shoulders to see where exactly was bothering him. It was mostly his dominant hand—his left hand—and arm that had gotten hit, as he had used it to cast the lightning, but it still spiderwebbed some, as lightning does.
"Well, just bad thoughts in general. It's not important." She shrugged her shoulders, as he slid her off his shoulder. Watching him, she could tell something was wrong. Her heart twinged some, and she tried not to show the sympathy on her face. But she was also not going to give him a smart-aleck remark. "You OK? I can walk if you're hurting." She told him in as much of a mono-tone voice as she could, without sounding robotic. "I mean it, you don't look so great."
She looked him up and down, noting how awful he looked, but she wasn't going to ask about it. Any time she did, Kasiya mostly got offended and brushed her off. She wasn't about to ask another obnoxious question, and only stepped up to him. Placing a tender hand on his arm, she looked up at him. "And then you can go rest."
Kasiya brushed it off in his usual manner, not wanting to delve into it. As far as Joanna knew, he was magic-less, and he was perfectly fine with keeping it that way. Really, he'd rather that was true. Maybe then he'd be less repulsed with himself. He rolled his eyes and flexed the fingers of his left hand some, feeling the scabs stretch with the action. "Thanks, every guy wants to be told he doesn't look great," he drawled sarcastically.
He assessed himself as best he could, figuring he'd need a mirror to properly figure out what was the extent of the damage, and moved on from that. "Walk faster if I'm not carrying you," he said, more enticed by the promise of getting sleep than anything. 'I'm going to have to stop by my hotel to grab my stuff tomorrow morning,' he thought after glancing down at himself.
"I don't know if I can Kasiya, so why don't you take my key and book it up the stairs. If you're so keen on getting there quickly." She said pulling the key for room 1907b from her pocket. She didn't want to let him tell her what to do, so she dropped it in his hand and started up the stairs again. She was already tired of this, knowing it was about to be a long- however long this lasted.
Now that's all she was able to think about. Would they be doing this for the next six months? Year? The next few years? Her pace quickened some as she thought, attempting not to slip on the steps. Her heart began to pound, thinking of the fact that maybe she would be stuck with him, forever. 'Nooooo… What did I really truly sign myself up for?' She asked herself, gripping onto the railing.
He watched her go with a bewildered look on his face, rooted to the spot. He shook out of his confusion, then followed after her, easily catching up. When he made it beside her, he slowed down to her surprisingly brisk pace and dangled the key in front of her face. "Easy, shortcake. You're going to hurt yourself if you're not careful."
Kasiya didn't move past her, just kept pace with her as they made their way up the stairs. After a moment of deliberation if he should say something, he finally spoke up. "Don't think just because of this bet I'm going to try anything with you. I'm not interested in taking you to bed or whatever you're afraid of me doing."
She came to a break in the stairs, taking the keys from him. "I was, but I'd kick you out if you tried. Twenty bucks or not." She told him, watching him carefully, before turning back and starting up the stairs once more. "Though, I'm more concerned about how long I have to put up with you." She told him, hugging her self.
Being honest, Joanna was actually worried he would. But hearing the reassurance from him, calmed some of her nerves. She skipped up the steps quickly, trying to get back to her room a little more quickly now. More eager to go to bed than before. With a huff out she sped up just the smallest bit more, attempting to make a comfortable pace for Kasiya behind her.
"Hmm, I suppose we should've set a timeframe I have to make you fall for me," he hummed, grateful for the quicker pace. His mind quickly erased any thoughts about Joanna thinking he was going to force her into bed with him or something. It just wasn't something he naturally dwelled on. He had no interest in doing such a thing, so there was no point in him bothering to waste his time thinking about anything related to the topic.
"How about a month? Ample time for a budding romance," he drawled sarcastically, "And also enough time for me to find a place of my own and get me out of your hair. Money is a slight issue, but I'll figure that out as I go. If it's back to hotel-hopping, then so be it." He shrugged nonchalantly as if it didn't matter he didn't have a place to call his own. And it didn't, not really. He's been on his own for years, it wasn't anything new.
"A month. Sounds do-able." She shrugged, but hearing the next comment made her cringe some. "Or we can do longer. Maybe until you get a good job and a chunk of money." Joanna bit her lip, hoping she didn't sound insistent. Not wanting to sound pushy or annoying, more than she was to him. She assumed she was at least, not knowing that for sure.
"We wouldn't want you out on the streets by yourself now would we?" Her more playful, witty side starting to come out. Her fogginess was almost cleared, but her tired was seeping through. A subtle smirk slipped onto her lips, and she glanced over her shoulder before picking up her pace a little more.
He flicked his eyes down at her, a vaguely blank expression slipping over his face. "I'm getting mixed signals, shortcake," he stated, then shrugged it off and looked off to the side at nothing in particular. But when she sped up some more, he slid his gaze over to her with an arched brow. "If I didn't know better," he murmured loud enough for her to hear, "I'd say you were trying to run away from me."
Even still, he matched her pace, though he slid behind her a bit. He was starting to slip back into his head, and it'd be easier for her to not question him if he was behind her. His hand glided over the railing as they climbed, the cool metal stinging his palm in a welcoming way that distracted his head just enough to not let him think about all the demons that still haunted him to this day—Redore and his magic included. It grounded him, reminded him that he wasn't a complete monster, that he could still feel pain like a normal human being.
Joanna looked, and saw the number seventeen came up. She smiled and turned back to him. "Two more flights, let's hurry!" Joanna chirped, taking his hand and pulling him on up after her. Going as quick as she could, the next to flights seemed to fly by. Though she was thinking through the next to flights, not saying a word to him.
His hand was warm, but brittle. It wasn't soft, but it was rather comforting, and it felt more real than anything had in awhile. It was much larger than her small petite hands, that didn't ever seem to match her smallish curved figure. She liked the feeling of his hand in hers', trying to soak in the moments she had here in the stair well. It was silly, but it was a memory worth remembering.
(Night)
Kasiya blinked and was snapped out of his thoughts when his hand was grabbed, and he suddenly found himself being yanked along by Joanna. He caught his footing and found a suitable pace that wouldn't run the risk of tripping with how she was pulling him along. He lost count of all the levels they passed, trusting her to know where she was going as she was the one pulling him along. 'How does she do this on a regular basis?'
His eyes flicked down to their intertwined hands, thoughts all over the place. He truly was getting mixed signals from her. On the one hand, they hated each other. She was snarky and never put up with his shit. She would've usually loved an excuse to not be around him for longer than needed. On the other hand, she was constantly asking him if he was okay, if she could help. She wasn't abandoning him when given the chance. She was holding his hand when she could just leave him in the dust. He didn't know how he felt about that last one. Her adorably small hand fit almost perfectly in his—'Wait, adorable?' He shook his head and cleared those thoughts, though he did lace their fingers together to make it a bit more comfortable.
Joanna felt his finger intertwine with hers', and her face grew slightly warm. Not knowing why, she loosened her grip on his hand to try and keep herself from feeling the strange fluttery feeling she got at the sensation of just holding his hand. Reality was slowly slipping in as she came up to the flat with her door, pushing it open. "We're here." She mumbled, pulling him through the door.
Once he was standing at her side, and the door had shut, she slid her hand from his. She tried to push the thoughts from their trip up the stairs out of her mind, so to not have them ebbing at her the rest of the night. The thought of his hand in hers', or him carrying her, or the fact he wasn't going to try to sleep with her. Well, maybe she would remember that part, and only that part. "It's this way." She answered his unasked question walking up to her door. Only three down from where they stood.
Kasiya arched a brow when he felt her loosen her grasp on his hand, but said nothing more as they made their way through the door to her floor. He didn't even get to ask his question before she was already answering him, and he smiled faintly at that. As she started to walk, he followed along, hands stuffed back into his jacket pockets and mouth sealed. He just wanted to get cleaned up and to sleep.
His mind whirred more and more the closer they got to her door, thinking through the situation he got himself into. He'd have to be living with his rival for at least a month, as well as pretending to be her boyfriend so as to get her to like him—to fall in love with him. It was slightly cruel to her if he did win the bet, as he highly doubted he'd ever reciprocate those feelings. He's never had a crush on anyone, or ever felt anything remotely romantic towards another person. He's come to accept the fact that simply added onto the pile of ways he was a freak, a disappointment, a nobody. Kas shook his head and looked off to the side, forcing himself to think about something else. Anything else.
Joanna pulled up her key, and unlocked the door to the place she called home. Stepping in, she sighed dropping her shoes aside and walking over to the leather couch and sitting down. "Welcome to what I call home." She laughed a bit, tilting her head back to look at him. "You know, you look strange when you're upside down." She teasingly said, lifting her feet to rest on the edge of the coffee table.
The living space was large, and open. The wall across from the door was covered with glass panes that making windows displaying the city-scape down below. The windows were dotted with water drops, and you could see the twisting clouds above, seemingly ready to strike a flash of lightening. A decent kitchen was more closed off and secluded over towards the right when you walked in, and a small set of stairs led up to Joanna's bedroom. The guest room was also on the same wall as the kitchen, closed off by a white wooden door. "There's a bathroom over there," She said pointing to the opposite wall from his room. Swinging her arm back she pointed to the white door. "And you can sleep in there, I'll get sheets on the bed in a sec." She said dropping her arm and relaxing for only a moment.
He rolled his eyes at her comment about him looking strange, not in the mood to snap back. He instead took a moment to survey the place he'd be living for a month, ignoring Joanna for a moment so he could get his bearings. He was so used to hotel rooms that he was momentarily surprised to see a full-sized kitchen instead of a kitchenette tucked into the corner of a single bedroom. 'Time for an adjustment period,' he thought with a flicker of amusement, then looked down to Joanna when she started talking.
"Alright, thanks," he murmured, then turned towards the bathroom and shut the door behind him after stepping into the room. His eyes, once again, bounced around the area, but he didn't dwell on the layout for long before stripping his torso of his clothing. He shrugged his jacket off his shoulders, then peeled his shirt off and tossed both articles of clothing onto the floor. His eyes were glued to the mirror, surveying the damage he had done to himself with his stupidity.
Split lip, face peppered with spiderwebbed cuts going along his left cheek and jaw, just barely stopping before his eye. His neck had a similar pattern of wounds, and they continued down to his shoulder and part of his chest and back. The further down his arm the wounds got, the deeper they cut into his skin. He winced at the damage done to his wrist and forearm, though he was lucky he had used that to block the strike instead of his hand. He'd be sore for a while, but at least he could still use his hand. Kas let out a breath and just leaned against the counter, head bowed, as he finally let himself break down as much as he would allow himself.
Watching him go, Joanna groaned forcing herself off the couch after her minute to relax. She'd have plenty of time to rest her feet once she was done fixing up his bed. She hustled up the stairs, and grabbed a thing of white sheets, a couple pillows, and a quilt. All balanced in her arms, as she carefully made her way down the steps once more that had lead her to her room. Quickly making her way to his room, she yawned realizing how tired she actually was. For the first time in hours actually.
After finally opening the door to the guest room, she tossed all of the pillows and sheets on the floor. "This is going to be fun." She noted sarcastically to herself. Gathering up the fitted sheet she brought it over to the bed, getting it on after a rather large amount of struggle. After that, everything was a breeze. Tossing the last pillow onto the bed, she walked out of the guest room, and over to the bathroom door. "Hey, Kasiya." She said softly, knocking on the door.
Kasiya had only given himself a minute to wallow in his self-hatred. After that, he pulled himself together like he always did after that horrible night. Each movement he made was deliberate and meticulous, carried out like that of a robot. He washed off all the blood with a soaked towel, careful to continuously wash it out so it didn't stain, and dried himself off. He found some smaller cuts going down his ribs, but they were barely noticeable.
He was just finishing up with drying himself off when he heard a knock on the door and Joanna's voice on the other side of the door. He glanced over at it, then pulled his black hair out of its tie before opening the door and leaning against the frame—using his right shoulder instead of injured left. "Yes?" he said, arching a brow and looking down at her. His arms folded over his chest, those they were loose and mindful of his injuries.
