I do not own Darkest Powers~~~
A knock brought me back from the dream world: a dimension filled with emerald eyes and wolves with fur as black as midnight.
"Everyone decent?" Simon's bright and cheery voice calls from behind the closed door. He doesn't wait for a reply before letting the door swing open.
"Simon!" Tori shrieked. "We've been over this! You have to wait for someone to answer before you open the door. What if we had been changing?"
Simon gave an adamant reply but I had better things to do than stick around and listen to the two siblings argue. I slipped behind the blonde Korean, out the open door, and downstairs to the living room. We arrived at this safe-house in Rhode Island late last night. Everyone else who lived here was still asleep, but our little gang was going shopping.
"Hey, Derek." I greeted my werewolf, plopping down on the couch and pecking him on the cheek. He replies with a little half-smile. My smile. I'm pretty sure I've only seen him smile around two other people: Simon, and his dad. But even those smiles were different. My smile was tentative, a little shy. But filled with so much love and care and just general happiness it made my cheeks redden and my heart warm.
"What time are we leaving?" I ask him as I settle down in the cushions. I'm more than half-way leaning on him, but he doesn't seem to mind as he snakes an arm around me, pulling me even closer.
His black hair is still hanging in his eyes, but instead of being lank and greasy it's now thick and glossy. I can't help but compare it to his wolf's fur coat. His emerald eyes are bright but not in a pre-change sort of way. More of in a 'I got a really good night's sleep' kind of way. At first, I was confused. I assumed, based on experience of course, that Derek would barely be able to lay down, never mind sleep well. I then realized - berating myself for not understanding earlier - that Derek must be bone-tired. All the things he did: learn the truth about Andrew; get banished to an attic unable to do anything; drive for hours on end on the highway with a telekinetic ghost and no license; go wolf and basically take down the EG HQ; he deserved a good nights rest.
"Probably about ten minutes," he replies, to a question I almost forgot I asked. He shifts and pulls me even closer, so that I'm practically in his lap. I don't mind, though - I need to hold onto him, to assure myself that something is real. I rest my head against his shoulder and fold an arm over his hard stomach and just enjoy the feeling of being safe. We sit there in the comfortable silence until Simon and Tori tramp down the stairs and Kit calls to us to get in the van.
~~~~~~~~OMG! Time lapse!~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mall is lazy. Probably only a little more than a hundred people are roaming the building, going from store-to-store in a kind of daze. Kit gives us each two hundred dollars. Apparently, Bill Gates helps out with things (including funding) for helpless super-naturals on the run (not unlike ourselves). Aunt Lauren is sort of in a state of shock, so Kit thought it was best she stay home. He tells us to just buy clothes for now, and that we can get anything else later.
By noon, our little group of four (Kit was meeting with some people while we got lunch) was walking toward the food court, Simon and Tori bickering about a foot ahead of where Derek and I lagged behind. Even with his arm wrapped around my shoulders I could see more than a few girls checking him out. His acne had cleared up and he had ditched the baggy hoodies and sweats for baggy low slung jeans and loose T-shirts. Through the thin white cotton you could easily see the lines of his chest and abs, the bulging muscles of his biceps. He smelled like a mix of Axe and a freshly rained-in forest. I couldn't even begin to describe the scent, but whatever it was practically made my mouth water.
One thing still the same though, was his trademark scowl. It was etched onto his face like ink scratched into parchment. Immortal, ugly bleeding tears of black and blue spreading over the pristine paper.
"Stop scowling like that," I tell him, frowning myself. "You'll get premature wrinkles."
At this his fierce expression cracked, but only a smirk crossed his lips.
"Right now I think wrinkles are the least of my worries."
"Oh, come on." I finally argue. "We're safe." I look deep into his jade orbs. "We're together. There's no need to frown like that."
He sighs and rolls his eyes but clears his expression of the ugly grimace he wore like a mask. Now, it was only carefully blank.
I raise my brows. "You can do better than that. Smile." I command.
I can tell he's resisting another roll of his eyes. He gives the tiniest twitch of his lips and I quirk a brow and cross my arms in skepticism. Let's just say I've… developed, and as my arms folded his eyes followed their path, lingering for a bit before his cheeks color and he quickly looks away. This gives me an idea. I attempt a sultry smile and wound my arms around his neck, whispering, "C'mere,"
His eyes go wide but he immediately leans down to meet me.
We kiss for what seems like forever and no time at all, just standing twined together in the middle of the mall.
When we pull away from each other he has this dazed look on his face and a goofy smile spreads over his lips. My cheeks are flushed and I can practically feel my pale eyes sparkle as I beam back at him.
"Now that's a smile."
With a low chuckle he pulls me to where we know Simon and Tori will be waiting. The witch will be tapping her toe and making countless remarks that are bound to make me blush and stammer.
But you know what? I think that one smile was worth it.