The Sore Head Incident
She smelt him before she saw him. The smell of a fresh shower and expensive cologne twiddled with her senses, almost making her forget where she was. Quickly she came back to reality and braced herself for the fall out of such a sweet smell.
"If it isn't the meatball head." The suave college student smirked as he sat down in the seat next to Serena. Serena let out a sigh. "Here we go again!" She thought to herself before playing out the next line in the usually afternoon banter.
"It's SERENA jerk, S-E-R-E-N-A!" Serena sighed again mentally; this was the same 'play' they had been performing for going on three years now.
"I'm impressed meatball head; you can spell your own name."
"Ok, Ok, enough you two" Andrew broke in. He had been standing by listening to the conversation pretending to wipe down a counter nearby.
"Darien come on, give it a rest" Andrew pleaded with his best friend. Darien raised a eyebrow, shook his head and sighed.
"What?" Serena asked in annoyance. Darien swivelled on his chair to look at her side profile. One concentrated look at her and he was breathless. She always seemed to have this effect on him, and he knew why. Different parts of his body where telling him, right this second.
Trying to control, himself, and mentally smacking himself for following the dirty thoughts in his head, he took a deep breath. He took hold of her stool and much to her surprise swivelled her around to face him. Serena's mouth had formed a tiny 'O' at the sudden shock, but it soon turned into a bewildered look once she was caught up in his eyes. "So blue" she thought.
Silence had surrounded them, but neither seemed to have noticed. Over the past few months, since Serena's seventh birthday to be exact, they seemed to be having more of these strange 'moments'.
"So beautiful" The silence was broken, by an almost inaudible whisper coming from Darien's mouth.
Serna pulled back, blushing, gathered her things up quickly, and ran out the arcade door. Darien watched her retreating form, before snapping out of whatever trance he was in, shaking his head and turning back to the counter.
Instantly the arcade had erupted with noise, customers coming, and going, kids playing games, almost as if the previous scene had never happened.
Andrew on the other hand was looking at Darien with a evil little smirk on his face.
"What?" Darien enquired.
Andrew shook his head, "Nothing, nothing at all"
"Then what's with the…" Darien was cut off by a suddenly loud noise of a pack of girls entering the arcade, and right in the centre a certain blue-eyed blond, with the hue of a blush still staining her cheeks.
"This is going to be interesting" Andrew smirked grew into a huge smile. Darien suddenly seemed fixated on his empty coffee cup.
"Andrew… Andrew" Mina called out once the group of girls had settled in their regular corner booth. Andrew picked up his order book and headed for the girls.
"Come on Serena, it can't have been that bad, what did he say this time? You want me to go over there and kick his ass?" Lita enquired while cracking her knuckles. Andrew gulped hard, before turning on his sweet smile towards Mina.
"And what can I get the lovely ladies today?"
"Let's see…" Mina began to scan the menu when it was rudely snatched away from her.
"Nothing, we won't be here that long, in fact we're leaving now" Serena jumped up from the booth, and tried to escape the human made cage around her. She had little luck, as Rei grabbed her pigtails to sit her back down. Serena struggled, tripping over Amy's book bag and landing, hard, on Mina's foot. Mina yelped and jumped up trying to protect her now sore foot, spilling a milkshake over the table and right in to Lita's lap, who in turn knocked into Andrew, who fell forward onto of Serena.
All in all, there were five girls, and one shopkeeper trapped in the booth. Darien tried not to laugh as he casually slid off his stool to go and help the group.
"Oh no, I'm stuck" Amy said from the very back of the booth, in front of her the carnage of what just occurred. The rest of the girls and Andrew began to try and wiggle free, all cursing one another as too whose fault this really was.
"Let go of my hair Rei" Serena struggled to life Andrew's weight off her. Rei obliged, too interesting in removing the lump of chocolate ice cream that had found it's way into her hair.
By the time Darien reached the group, he realised, Serena was trapped under Andrew's weight. Jealously ran though him for the second time that week and he stormed forward, pulled Andrew into a stand position with one hand and took hold of Serena with his other. Andrew stumbled on his own two feet for a second before diving back into the mess to help clean up the other girls.
Darien's brow burrowed as he looked at the pale blond. She had a small but deep cut on her temple and a faint black mark on her neck, that he was sure would turn into a nasty bruise.
"And they say girls are all sugar and spice" He had to scoff at his own thought. Registering that the blond was still standing in front of him, he took evasive action. Taking off his jacket, he threw it over her shoulders, and taking her by the hand he led her slowly but steadily out the door of the arcade.
Serena waist still too stunned to say or do anything. She wasn't as much stunned now but the mess created in the arcade, but the actions of the man she thought was her mortal enemy. He seemed to be worried about something, thinking about something.
Fishing for the keys in his pocket, he guided her to what he referred to as 'his baby'. His black porch he had been saving for many years for. Opening the passenger door he gently nudged her into the seat. Closing the door and getting in the other side, he started the engine up and headed for the other side of town.
Serena had started to panic a bit of this point, too scared to say anything as she didn't want to interrupt whatever it was that had turned harsh, cold, mean Darien, into the sensitive Darien she was seeing now. Glancing at the clock she realised she had no choice but to ask their destination, she was due home very soon and knew she would be in big trouble if she didn't call.
Quietly she asked, "Darien, where are we going?" Instantly she bit her lip, almost scared she had ruined it all.
As if he had just been revived from a coma, he turned to her and smiled. "Work" was all he said.
Serena just sat there with a focused look on her face. What did he mean 'work'? It took a few more sets of lights to figure out where they were going. Tokyo general hospital, but why?
Darien pulled the car in to the car park, and parked in a staff parking zone. He got out and quickly went round to get Serna out of the car.
He took one look at her and frowned. Not only had she lost more colour but the cut on her head had begun to bleed down her face. Taking a white cloth from the glove box he helped her out of the car and pressed the cloth to the wound.
Serena smiled at him, she couldn't help it. He was actually trying to help her, and he was being nice about it.
"Come on, let's see to that cut" Darien flashed her one of his best smiles, and took her hand.
"You work here?" Serena asked as they made their way into the emergency department.
"Yeah, when I'm not at school, I'm here, when I' not here, I'm at home sleeping, studying, or visiting Andrew at the arcade."
"Wow, I'm impressed" Serena said with a slight smile on her lips. The shock of the incident at the arcade began to wear off and Serena could start to feel the cut on her head. She made a small moan, which Darien picked up on.
"Don't worry we will have it all fixed up shortly" Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze they entered into the emergency department.
"Darien? You're not rostered on for tonight dear" The grey haired lady said as they approached the nurses' station.
"No, I know Rose, my friend here had a little accident with a table and I was just wondering…" Darien trailed off, as if hinting to the nurse his intentions.
" Oh I see, you poor dear, why don't you head off to one of the treatment rooms, I'm sure Darien can see to your cut, we are a bit run off our feet tonight" She smiled at both of them before going back to review a patients chart.
Darien still hadn't let go of Serena's hand and she was beginning to wonder why. Why was he in fact holding her hand, why had he brought her here, and why was he being so nice. Her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her, and her nose began to twitch.
"What?" Darien asked as they walked thought two large double doors marked 'staff only' and proceeded down a long white corridor.
"I didn't say anything"
"No, but your nose is twitching, means you're thinking about something"
"How do you know that?"
"Because, I just do" Darien suddenly stopped at a door and opened it, guiding Serena in.
"Ok, take a seat" He motioned to the bed. Still slightly weary, but knowing that her head was still sore, she slipped up onto the bed.
"So, what is it that you do here?"
"I'm a student, I want to be doctor"
"Really? Wow, that's kind of amazing job, Doctor Darien" She giggled.
"You really think it's that amazing?"
"Sure it is, getting to know people, their stories, their family, helping them when they need helping the most, I can't think of anything more satisfying as a career"
"If you feel that way, why aren't you studying to become a doctor?" Darien asked as he began to set up a few tools he would need to fix Serena's cut.
He was surprised at the free flow of communication from both of them. For years they had done nothing but fight, but today, they seemed to be getting on as if they liked each other. That was a new concept to Darien, he had always liked Serena from the moment she first hit him in the head with that test paper, but as he saw her more, he liked her even more, from a distance of course. He never let anyone else know his feelings for the young blond, instead covering his emotions with a brick wall of name calling and teasing. It had only been the past few months, since he had seen her at her birthday party that he knew he was in love with her. He was invited of course, but didn't feel like being around all that cheer all that love, having never felt any himself. But something drew him there that night, drew him up to the balcony overlooking the city gardens. There she was, all alone, with the moon shining down on her, the light dancing around her making her look like a goddess. It was that moment that he knew he loved her, he always had.
He smiled to himself at the memory, as he turned back to her.
"You're kidding, right? Me a doctor, you know I'm not smart enough for that" She almost laughed at the thought.
"You don't give yourself enough credit you know"
"Yeah well it's hard to do when everyone around you keeps reminding you how much of a failure you are."
Darien looked at her and lowered his head in shame. He had given her such a hard time, about everything. Her grades, her hair, everything, he never realised how much he had tortured her, and how miserable he must have made her feel.
"I never meant to hurt you" He said in a soft low voice. Serena frowned for a moment before gently tilting his head up to meet hers. Sky blue met dark blue and all was quiet for a moment.
"I know, I could see it in your eyes" Inch by inch they moved towards one another, almost like magnets. Serena parted her lips in a soft silent sigh, her heart racing, she gently closed her eyes.
Darien had lost all sense of up or down, left or right, all he saw were her eyes and what was in them. All the longing he had felt, all the need, want and anguish. He felt all his thoughts where echoed by her eyes. Not being able to take the waiting anymore, he needed to feel her lips on his.
Darien's hands found their way to her arms and he pulled her into him and kissed her with everything he had inside him. He was surprised by her response, she was kissing him back, with the same amount of energy.
Without breaking the kiss, he rose from the stool he was sitting on and manoeuvred onto the bed, Serena was currently sitting on. Again to his surprised she deepened the kiss, lightly sighing into his mouth, he took the opportunity to slide his tongue across her lower lip. Hearing a tiny whimper from her, he continued. His tongue toying with hers, she tasted like vanilla and candy. His hands started to move their way up, gently caressing her neck, he pressed deep into her, until he felt her struggle and she pulled away.
Mentally smacking himself, he was just about to open his mouth to apologise, when she giggled.
"My head hurts" She half giggled again. Darien laughed.
"Oh, right" He went to get off the bed and return to fixing her head when a hand on his keen stopped him.
"But when we're done with my head…" She paused for a moment, and blushed. "Can we go back to my lips? I think they need some more attention" She smirked. Darien had to laugh, there was nothing in the world he would rather do.