Demon Zexion: Of Flirting and Plots

[yuuchankanda]

Yuu was attractive. It was a fact, a well-established one. She could hardly not be aware of it with how many guys flirted with her. More often then not, she brushed them off. Occasionally, she flirted back but usually she made it clear she wasn't interested in anything beyond flirting. Those occasions usually led her getting something from the guy, like making other guys back off for a time, or something for free. She had never been opposed to using her charms.

The difference was that she never pursued anyone. At least, not in the time that her demon would have known her. She steered clear of getting too close to anyone else. She usually didn't stray too far from his side and she seemed to depend on him when guys got too clingy. After all, hadn't that been her wish in the first place? She wanted him by her side, wanted him with her forever. That was her wish and she'd made it clear she met him alone.

So that's what made it so strange, her not even sparing him a glance tonight. Actually, lately, she'd been a little distant lately. Not as though she was avoiding him, but distant, as if her mind was often somewhere far away. But tonight was different, she was avoiding him. And then a man approached her, one that he wouldn't recognize, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and making her giggle. What would be more interesting, though, is when he whispered something and made her flush. They talked on the dance floor, the music drowning out their words so he can't overhear. And then, suddenly, something changed. There's a flash of her mischievous streak, she turns and flashes him a quick smile and a wave…and then she's pursuing this guy.

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[eternal_damnation]

He's been falling for her. He knows it. He'd thought for sure he would have no problem keeping distance. Looking at her, he constantly remembered the pretty demon girl who died in his arms. It kept it in his mind that getting too close could end badly. He didn't want to fall in love. And she'd made him promise not to. He'd thought he could keep that promise, but apparently he couldn't.

He wasn't about to push. He convinced himself it was fine to just be at her side. To protect her and watch over her. He convinced himself it was fine. Even if he couldn't have her the way he wanted, it didn't matter. She let him stay at her side and pushed everyone else away. So it was enough. As long as he was the only one she let even this close... it was enough.

He'd watched her dance with countless guys out in the bars and clubs. It didn't bother him, so long as they didn't bother her. This though... this was different. It was the way she smiled at this guy. She almost seemed to be chasing him. It was like a knife in his chest. Watching them talk. Watching her smile at this other guy... The drink in his hand goes everywhere as the glass shatters in his grip, causing a girl nearby to squeal in shock. The bartender is asking him if he's okay, pressing a towel to his hand as it bleeds. But he waves the man away, irritated. He's not worried about the wound--it'll heal. He just felt so angry watching her flirt with that guy...

[yuuchankanda]

She's playing a dangerous game. She knows it. There's a chance it can blow up in her face in any number of ways but she can't bring herself to care. She's been trying to pretend there's nothing there, that she isn't reaching out to him like he's her salvation, like he isn't everything she wants.

She can't keep blinding herself to the truth forever, though…

So now she's here, seeking anything, anyone to distract her. And honestly? It wouldn't hurt if it got a reaction out of him. That would be a huge bonus. Still, she can't let herself fall for him. She can't let herself…she can't love him. So she does this instead, acts recklessly without thinking of the consequences. Live each day like it's her last, right? This guy used to hit on her and he's more than flattered by her attention. She laughs softly and followed him as he backed off the dance floor, cornering him by the wall. It wouldn't hurt to have a little fun with this, will it?

[eternal_damnation]

He doesn't understand, honestly. Watching the way she's acting with this guy. Why was he different? Why did she seem to think it was just fine to pursue this man? She'd seemed so dead set on not letting anyone so close. He felt somehow betrayed even though he knew there was nothing between them. No reason he should have any right to feel as such.

He's watching. Closely. He can't look away. But he knows if he intervenes now he might do more than cause a scene. No. He is a demon after all. If she didn't stop him in time, that man would be dead at his feet. It would be quick. It would be so easy to snap his neck... It's a thought he tries not to dwell on. It sounds far too appealing in the back of his mind and he knows it's illogical. Pointless. He'd probably only upset her.

So he stays where he is. Watching. Waiting.

[yuuchankanda]

She's enjoying herself, even although she feels a small amount of guilt over doing it like this. She shouldn't be doing this with someone she barely knows. Not that it really matters, not in the long run. She let's in pull her in closer even as she keeps him pinned to the wall. Feels him wrap his arms around her waist…

And then she feels the spike of blood lust just as she turns her head away, avoiding the kiss he wanted to land on her lips. She feels it so strong, running back through her from the bond. She isn't expecting it and she steps back as if she's been burned. She whirls around, confusion and apprehension her primary emotions. Why is he suddenly reacting like this? Even if she wanted a reaction, wanted to make him jealous, wanted his attention, she never thought it would be like this.

Still, of all the emotions she feels, fear isn't really there. Hands on her hips, she steps forward, making sure to place herself in his path. She knows he's coming, with the inhuman speed of a demon, but she's not exactly normal herself. And she will get in his way, if he tries to go for the man. Hopefully it doesn't get to that point, though. She keeps her voice steady with the command she issues. "Zexion, stop."

[eternal_damnation]

Something snaps in him as he's watching them. He can see that the man is going in for a kiss and the next thing he knows he's moving across the distance that separates them.

Her being in his path doesn't register at first. It's her words--her command that halts him. He's right there in front of her, nearly touching her. His body is tense, held in place only by her order. Trembling with rage.

For a moment he seems to fight the order, still trying to reach the man. Then he seems to realize she's there, in front of him, and he settles. Slowly. The anger is still there, under the surface. The blood lust too. Churning inside him. But his body relaxes and he carefully lowers his head to her shoulder. He doesn't apologize, just stand there, carefully focusing on her and not the stranger.

[yuuchankanda]

She sighs as he settles his head on her shoulder. She doesn't mind the curious looks they're getting. She's never really been bothered by that kind of thing. Right now, her only thought is calming him. She didn't give him an order to attack, an order to defend her. She won't let him stain his hands in blood unless it's for her, unless it's by her will. She doesn't want to dirty him, as strange as that might seem, doesn't want to drag him down.

But when she pushed, she hadn't expected such a violent reaction. It seems like he's taken to being rather controlling where she's concerned. She hesitates, much more gentle and sincere with him when she wraps her arms lightly around his shoulders. Her hands shake slightly, worry filling her that he might be angry at her, might push her away. She never thought things would work out this way…

"Jeez… What am I going to do with you?" She keeps her voice light, knowing he can sense her emotions, her apprehension, her confusion, her worry and wonders vaguely if he can sense why she's feeling this way. Still, she keeps up the front, as if she's completely fine with him nearly murdering someone in the club. "You're the one who said I take a lover if I want to. But if you're going to react like this, I guess I can be good. I'll keep myself alined with you, love, so calm down, hmm?" She says the word lightly, as if her stomach isn't in knots, as if her throat doesn't tighten when she says it.

[eternal_damnation]

Her touch drains most of the remaining anger out of him and he sighs softly, letting her lay her arms around him. She's not mad at him, he can tell, but he picks up on the worry and confusion.

He had said that, he knows. He just hadn't realized how much it would hurt if she did turn her attentions elsewhere. He'd thought she didn't want to let anyone close. To let anyone love her.

He feels somewhat ashamed for interfering. If she changed her mind, who was he to stand in her way? He was there to protect and serve her after all. Nothing more...

But when she murmurs that last sentence, there's a different kind of twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. Not anger or jealousy... It's almost pleasant. He almost feels a bit guilty for it. For holding her back when she seemed to want to reach for someone else...

"I'm sorry."

[yuuchankanda]

She laughs softly and then there's a warm feeling, the brush of her lips on his forehead, before she pulls back a little. She takes his hand instead, making sure that he can't get away from her. There's still a small worry that he might attack the man, even though the bloodlust and anger aren't radiating through their bond anymore. She wouldn't care if he killed him, honestly. It's the reactions afterwards that she worries about. Luckily, this isn't the angel's club so he won't have to deal with a pissed guardian, a fallen one at that… But what about the police? And the hysterical people? How could she explain it away, if he killed him?

She wished for him to always be by her side and she meant it. She won't let anything separate them. Not the police, not jail, and she's pretty sure he feels about ten times stronger on that matter. It would not end well if he killed that man, so she keeps a tight grip on his hand and leads him away. "You don't need to be sorry," she tells him, leading him through the throng of curious people. She passes through the dance floor, making sure to do so, so that the sound of her voice won't carry back to him. "After all, it's my fault to begin with. I shouldn't have fallen for you…" She'll have to be more careful in the future. She can't let their bond grow any stronger, let her feelings for him control him again. She thinks that's what happened, that because she cares for him, he reacted instinctively to fulfill her feelings and her wishes. That he reacted violently is just a side effect of his nature.

[eternal_damnation]

He doesn't know what to say. She hadn't given him an order. He'd acted on his own. If she'd felt threatened or cornered or something, he could have explained it away. As it is...

He holds her hand, following her. Wondering what she's thinking. He inwardly warns himself to watch it. To be more careful about controlling himself. Tells himself to be thankful just to have her presence. It should be enough that being at her side made him want to live. Nothing and no one else had made him want to keep going like she did...

"I was planning to kill him. You know that right?" He says it quietly, so only she will hear. "All I could think was that he shouldn't touch you. It's not appropriate for me to think like that. It's not my place to interfere without your order, unless you're in danger."

[yuuchankanda]

"If you're going to kill someone, don't do it in a public place." She replies softly, although there's a slight edge to her voice. The worry is back. "I can't explain it if you kill someone publicly. In a dark alley, well, anything could happen. But please think of the cops before you go about trying to rip someone's head off."

She'd seen it, there in his eyes. He'd wanted blood. It had bothered her a little but strangely, didn't frighten her. It made her want to protect him. She tugs him outside, so they can talk in private. She glances back at him quickly, as if to make sure he's still there and not contemplating going after the man. Then she tugs him along again. "You are free to do as you like. I'm not going to stop you unless I think it's going to end up putting us both in danger. And it's fine, I didn't really care about him one way or another."

Once she's sure no one's following them, she drags him into a side alley, brightly lit by the buildings nearby but empty. Now she's cornering him against the wall. "Now, what I want to know, is two things. One, why you thought it wasn't appropriate for him to touch me. And two, are you going to be willing to risk breaking my wish because of something like this in the future."

[eternal_damnation]

She didn't care? It didn't make any sense. Why had she been behaving that way if she didn't want the man? Hadn't she been the one talking of taking lovers? The reaction she's giving now only confuses him further.

But now she's got him backed up against a wall and those thoughts drain away to be replaced by ones he tries to force down. Of pulling her in and kissing her. He forces himself to focus on her questions instead.

"I said it wasn't appropriate for me to be thinking those thoughts. I never said it wasn't appropriate for him to touch you." Though that's actually how he'd felt. He's not about to admit it. It's already painful enough without it hanging between them that he's become attracted to her. That he wanted to be the one touching her.

Her second question only drives the point home. Her wish was for him to be at her side. Nothing more. He had no right to take that wish away from her.

"I'll be more careful in the future. If you give me the order me now not to interfere unless asked, it will be enough to keep this from happening again."

If she doesn't... he certainly can't promise it won't.

[yuuchankanda]

She rolls her eyes but stops cornering him, running a hand through her hair instead. "Well, technically, it wasn't but whatever." The hint that there might be something there for him toward her is killing her. She wants to hope and she wants to push him away at the same time. She's so conflicted...

"I don't give orders lightly." She shakes her head. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm at fault. That whole emotion thing, I didn't think it could sway you. I'll be more careful in the future."

She doesn't want to let on more than that so she starts to pull away. "...Let's go home. I think we've had enough excitement for one day."

[eternal_damnation]

He grabs her arm as she tries to move away, frowning. Emotion thing? Sway him? What was she talking about?

"Why would you think it's your fault? Regardless of your actions, I have no right to interfere if you decide to take a lover. It isn't my place and so I should have handled myself better. It wasn't your fault. I..."

Just wanted to be the only one at her side, actually...

[yuuchankanda]

"If you don't know, if you haven't realized, I'd rather not go into it. I just didn't realize that my emotions could effect you or sway you into action. I'll be sure to keep that in mind in the future."

She shakes her head. If she can avoid saying it, avoid speaking about her feelings and her confusion, her apprehension and her, for lack of a better word, desire… Well, if she can avoid saying all of that, she will. She doesn't pull away from his grasp, just glances at him. What's he thinking right now?

[eternal_damnation]

"I told you, it wasn't your fault. Certainly I can pick up on how you're feeling at times but I didn't sense any discomfort or fear from you. You seemed to be enjoying yourself."

Now he's curious. What emotions could she have possibly meant? Had he missed something while he was distracted by his own feelings?

"Was I mistaken in thinking that?"

He won't admit his own thoughts out loud. He's trying to push his feelings down, suppress them. Because she told him not to fall in love with her. And because he promised himself he wouldn't.

[yuuchankanda]

She shouldn't have said anything. She'd been so sure he was reacting to her, she hadn't thought that it might bring up more questions. Questions she honestly didn't want to answer. She turns away as she answers, feeling more embarrassed then discomforted right now.

"Enjoying myself might be putting it a little strongly but no, I wasn't afraid or uncomfortable. Look, obviously you didn't sense anything so it's fine. Let's just drop it." She tugs on her arm a little, trying to gently disengage herself from his grasp. She's flustered and embarrassed and feels like an idiot. She'd gotten full of herself for nothing.

[eternal_damnation]

He doesn't let go at first. Instead he takes a moment to read her emotions, searching to see if he can figure out what's bothering her. The embarrassment he picks up only confuses him further. He wants to press a little further, to see if he can find the root of the embarrassment, but he doesn't. That wouldn't be fair to her. But the way she talks, he feels he should have felt something from her. What had he missed?

He slowly releases her arm.

"If you won't tell me what the problem is, I can't fix it. But if you'd rather not say and you don't want this to happen again, then I really do strongly suggest you order me not to act without your signal. I'm not human. I have instincts I can't always control without my master's guidance."

[yuuchankanda]

She flinches and even though she knows he didn't mean anything by it, his words strike a cord. Problem. That's right, this is a problem. Her feelings are a problem. The hurt and rejection build up and she turns away completely, pushing the feelings down. She can't help feeling that way, even though she's desperately trying not to react to his words.

"If you want me to give you an order, I shall. I order you to act however you best see fit, on the condition that in the future, you reframe from trying to kill anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. Now let's go home." It looks like it's going to rain soon and while it would be a good cover for the tears she feels like she's going to cry if they continue this conversation… In the end, she'd rather not get wet.

[eternal_damnation]

He only barely catches the flash of hurt as he's pulling back. And he really doesn't know what he did to cause it. She seems to just want to let it drop though, so he accepts it.

"Understood." Her order should hold him back if he ever snaps like that again. He's satisfied with that at least. He doesn't want to ruin her happiness for her. Neither of them know how long she has and if she wants to pursue someone... he'll just have to stand back and let it happen.

But for now he reaches for her hand as she usually did for his whenever they walked anywhere. He's becoming aware of her habits.

[yuuchankanda]

She flinches and pulls her hand back, giving him a slightly pained smile but she just shakes her head. "I'm sorry... I just...not tonight okay?" The pain will hurt less if there's at least a little distance between them. She convinces herself of that much. They're too close, she relies on him too much, that's what led to this...problem.

The first few drops of rain sprinkle down and she looks up at the sky. They better run home if they don't want to get too wet. She glances back at him and nods to the street. "Come on, let's go." She turns and begins running back to her shop. The hurt is still there, echoing deep in her but she's doing her best not to focus on it. Dwelling won't do her any good. She needs to just forget about it, forget about her feelings for him.

[eternal_damnation]

It stings for her to pull away from him. Even though he knows it's probably best not to let himself get any closer. Already he was feeling possessive of her when he knew he didn't have any right to be. Maybe distance was best.

He follows her, but at a slightly slower pace so he can hang back some. Give her space. It's tempting to read her emotions. Usually he would do it without a second thought. But he hesitates with her--not wanting to invade on her privacy.

[yuuchankanda]

She heads back to her shop, breathing a little harder than she needs to once they get outside of it. It's not from running but from bottling up everything inside. It's a suffocating feeling, one she doesn't know how to handle.

She ushers him inside, both of them soaked from the rain. Several minutes in constant misting rain can leave a person soaked through. "Come with me. We'll get you a towel and you can dry off." She offers, gesturing for him to follow her.

It's hard. Her instinct is to take his hand, to lead him, but she tampers it down. It's because there's no distance between them at all that these feelings started in the first place, that she can't separate herself from him. Distance. Distance is the key, and then everything will be alright again. They can be just friends.

[eternal_damnation]

He's become quite good at shutting people out. You had to be good at it with the sort of life he lived, bound to the book. You had to keep a certain distance, even with the few, rare, pleasant ones.

She was different. Special. But clearly he was wrong to think that he would be allowed to get close. Fate was not that kind. She was a flame, brilliant and bright on the other side of the glass, protected. And he was a moth, knowing that even if he could bypass the glass he would only burn and suffer. And yet what he wouldn't trade for that sweet suffering...

What he hadn't already paid for it many years ago with another girl, so similar that it made his heart ache. Apparently, he had not paid nearly enough to have that again.

Distance. If it's what she wants, he'll have to oblige. Even if he weren't bound to her, he would. He follows her in silence, keeping his emotions expertly locked away so she won't see how much it wounds him.