Welcome to Gaia! ::

Angel walked down a dimly lit street, the sun no longer showing, the beginnings of stars dotted the night sky. A cold breeze made her shiver a meager looking skirt and shirt, which were too small, the tight fabric not protecting her thin body from the cold air. Her appearance often brought looks of pity and sometimes desire (from some of the men). But she was to naive about her beauty to think herself desirable. Just classifying the looks as pity, disgust.

As she continued on her way her thoughts began to wander, about so many things, her pace was slow, leisurely, she wasn’t afraid of what lurked in the night. The way she walked made it obvious that she was more then capable of protecting herself.

A sudden feeling struck her, such feelings often came to her, usually to warn her, but sometimes they were hints, hints about the future. Tonight, it brought unease upon her, as she struggled to ignore it, her body tensed.

The sound of a bottle being kicked, brought her out of her silent revere, she whirled around, thin daggers flashed deadly as they appeared in her hands. She waited cautiously for some sound, some clue to where that unseen person lurked. Though the night seemed quiet as if the person she had heard had turned down some side street or had just disappeared. Still she stayed crouched waiting, she couldn’t be sure that the person had left.
Suddenly a figure burst out of the shadows, automatically Angel backed up, instantly on edge, her eyes wary for any sign of hostility. Pausing for a moment to assess the person’s features. A grin alight upon her face as the recognized her best friend, twirling her daggers before putting the back in her wrist holsters. “Mark…do you always do you that?”

She stepped farther back, the light from the overhead street lamp illuminated her exotic facial features, the high cheekbones, followed with dark seductive eyes, fringed with perfectly arched brows, a small buttoned nose. Thick golden brown hair cascaded down her slender waist and back, to rest almost to her firm post ire. The light from above made sparks of red appear and disappear through the slightly wavy locks.

Her words were met by a quiet laugh and Mark moved forward to throw his arm around her shoulders rubbing his thumb against the soft skin of her creamy olive colored cheek. “Yes my dear Ang, I must, I love to see you on your guar-“ He broke off as Adeline’s elbow made contact with his ribs. “Ow, I was just kidding hun. What’s up? You seem tense, need a massage?” He looked at her, his eyes mischievous, filled with promise.

“Sure you are, no, I’m fine. And no, I don’t need a massage.” She grinned up at him, shaking her head, “If you keep those suggestions up, I might just take you up on them, now shut up and let me talk.” The meaningless flirting usually striking her, as funny but right now she had to talk, the feeling of unease was growing stronger.

“After you, mum’s the word, unless you want me to do something with your lips other then let them talk.”

“One of these days I am seriously going to kill you, leave you in some ditch and let you rot, just you watch.”

“You would never, you love me way to much baby.”

Adeline growled under her breathe, she knew he was right, but right about now the thought of throwing him in some ditch, was mighty appealing. “Markos Jeremy Cerdá, shut up right now.”

Even though Mark was a little more then two years older then her, he grew quiet at her tone, he may never know when and what was too far, but he knew better then the provoke her anger. Which it seemed was close.

Seeing that his teasing was quelled, temporally, she took advantage, of his silence. “Something’s, wrong, or something’s going to go wrong. I don’t know exactly what but I think it might be something to do with the couple that you ran into.”

“You feel it too-“

“Like something is going to go missing?” They finished in unison, sharing a knowing grin. They often had moments like these, like they were one person instead of two.

It was all because of the distinctive birthmark, in shape of an aflamed crown that lay on Adeline’s right shoulder and just above Mark’s pant line. It had brought them together, intertwining their lives. Their bond had been intensified when neighborhood “gangsters”, rivals of the gang Angel had once belonged to had attacked them, Angel and Mark had fought them back, but both had been injured. That day their blood had intermixed, letting them share minds.

“What do you think it going to be? What does it bode to us?” Mark, muttered in her ear, his breathe was hot on her neck, making her shiver, for some reason tonight, his nearness was bringing out some unknown emotion in her. And it scared her, she considered stepping out, away from his warmness. Depriving her of the sense of protection she received every time he put his arms around her.

Deciding against it, Angel wrapped her arm around his waist, squeezing him, unknowingly bringing him closer to him, so she cold feel the muscle of his side through his loose shirt. “I don’t know I have a feeling that it’s going to change something. Something big. I hope it doesn’t mean your going to leave for one of the tramps that are always all over you.”

Before Mark could say ‘you’re the only one I want.’ Which would have been a big mistake. She brought his attention away from those dangerous words to the time, “We need to start heeding home.”

Which was probably a good thing seeing as his love for her was hidden from her skeptical eyes, if he had let that slip that he wanted her in any other way then friendship, she would run away from him. He had worked so hard to gain her trust, to slowly adapt her to his touch.

He nodded and removed his arm from around her shoulders, but instead of letting her go, her let his hand drift down her arm to capture her hand in his, interlacing their fingers, he felt her tense, but he grasped her hand firmly. Slowly he felt her relax, convinced that she wasn’t going to protest further, he drew her down the street. Towards, the “complex” if it could be called a complex that they lived in.

Tonight, though, he was going to change that. He was going to show, just what she meant to him. And what he could mean to her. Just not at this moment…

Oblivious to his deceptive thoughts, Angel brought their conversation back to their previous one. “What did that couple want, the ones that ‘cornered’ you on Market Street?”

Pausing a moment, to get his thoughts straightened, he replied, his voice distant. “I don’t know. They just started to ask a bunch of questions. Like how old I was, if I had someone.” Grinning mischievously, “I told them yah, I told them I was corrupting the mind of a minor.”

Angel shook her head; it was so typically Mark to tell someone that he was dating a minor. He had no regard for the law. Nothing seemed to ever faze him. “Who is this minor? Who is the pretty boy?” She teased gently. “Some one I know?”

“Yes you do know her. She’s one sexy little thing, yum. Guess what her name is.”

“Uhuh, and who is she? Mary? Lisa, May?” Grinning, Angel muttered underneath her breathe, “My dear, all I think you need to begin corruption, is two legs and a skirt.”

“Not true! They don’t need a shirt, and I could take them one if they had one leg, I could do the extra work for them no problem.”

Angel chocked on her laughter, though she partly disapproved of his humor. “Markos! You pervert. I don’t need to know about your sex life.”

“Yes you did. Your always curious and always jealous.” Grinning Mark waited for her to take the bait, knowing she couldn’t resist.

A growl, spilled out of her clenched teeth, Mark was seriously getting on her nerves. "Oh, just one smack right across the back of the head. It’s would hurt much, for long anyway. Please just once.”

Reading her thoughts, Mark glared down at her. “Yes it would, a lot thank you. No touching my head, unless you have some naughty little thoughts in yours.” His tone changed almost instantly, “What do you have planned for me when we get home? We are almost there.” They were just down the street, excitement growing within him. He couldn’t wait, as soon as they got there, he was going to pounce. Show her exactly what he was capable of.

“I don’t know…depends on how bad you’ve been.” Angel slyly lowered her lashes, the sight of her dark lashes touching her skin, made the hair on his whole body stand on edge. His breathing quickened, as he bite back the arousal the crept upon him. Shaking his head again, he forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t make any mistakes, or he could just lose his Ang-forever.

“Not very bad…I try to be soo good, baby. Lest you whip me shitless.” Shaking his head he twirled her around, he grinned as she let a giggle break from her. The sound squeezed at his heart, making him light headed. Quickly lest she move away from him, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.

Angel’s back pressed against the tight muscles of his stomach. Momentarily distracted by his closeness, she breathed deeply, “Mhhm…” She had never really noticed his scent, he smelt like cinnamon, and-and chocolate? Such a comfortable smell, she dropped her guard, just letting him hold her.

It wasn’t the first time he had held her, he did so almost ever night. Often when he snuck in late at night, he slipped into the bed they shared. Moving close to her as she slept, slipping her into his strong arms. Almost every morning she woke up in his arms, it was a comfortable repetition, though she would never admit it to anyone let alone him.

Slowly Mark moved forward, keeping Angel lightly pressed against him, they were two doors from the shabby house they resided in. The other houses that filled the street were also dilapidated, but theirs, was depressingly more so. As they kept walking, Mark sighed, inhaling her scent, hers was soft, floral like. Hoping she wouldn’t resist he bent his head forward to rub his nose against her cheek. Her reaction was instant, her body tensed, at his movement; quickly she left the comfort of his arms to walk several inches away from his side.

He sighed, he should have know to have waited till the got into the house, that way she couldn’t escape from him. “Anggg…? Are you okay?”

Angel bit her lip, she wished she could answer, but her heart was racing. She had felt, felt- she couldn’t explain it. Being in Mark’s arms in that moment had felt so right, so much so that it was scary, she wished that she could trust him, to let her guards down so she could be held, to be loved for just one instant. But, that was way too much to ask for, that would mean surrendering to him.

She shook her head, trying to clear it. It didn’t work, the little voice in the back of her head, was scolding her for her mental justification. “I can’t do it, I mean I trust him, it’s just…”

“You’re being stupid, It’s Mark you’re talking about. He would never hurt you, you know that.”

“I know it is, but-“

“No buts, it would do you good to let him in. He loves you, even though he pretends he’s just your friend. And you won’t admit it but you love him too.”

“Do I?”

“Do you really need to ask yourself that? Seriously, who is it you dream about? Who is it that you can’t bear to even think about living without? Who?”

“Mark…”

“Exactly, so stop being an idiot and let him show you what it is to love. Because one of these days he is going to lose is everlasting patience and just come after you. Don’t make him do that. Give yourself willingly to him.”