The closer to the Crown that Serena got, the more anxious she felt. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears and she tightened her hand on the strap of her bag. She didn't even realize she was there until she stood staring at the bright golden crown on the arcade's sign. The double doors slide open and she could feel the cool air conditioning blasting against her heated skin. Was it even worth it to come back here? It has been almost eight months already. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Serena? Let's go. You promised you would show me your highest score on Sailor V," an amused voice said next to her. Serena felt some of her anxiety go and she looked at the dark haired man with a grateful smile. She knew that Seiya sensed her discomfort and she was grateful that instead of bringing it up, he eased some of her tension.
Shooting him her signature thousand watt smile, she adjusted the strap of her bag and strolled into the Crown with him in tow.
The first thing she registered were the bright lights and the laughter of students all around her. A quick glance around the arcade showed that it was still the same as it was eight months ago. That brought back feelings of nostalgia and she made the familiar trek to the bar. She paused slightly when she reached the bar.
There, as dutifully as ever, was Andrew in his uniform, cleaning the glasses. He was whistling a tune as he wiped the glasses down with a white cloth. He hadn't noticed her yet, so Serena silently dropped her bag onto the ground and slid onto one of the bar stools. She felt Seiya seated next to her and she found some strength to calm down her erratic heart beats.
"Hey what can I - Serena!" Andrew exclaimed, shocked at seeing the blonde girl.
Serena gave him small smile and waved at Andrew. "Hey Andrew."
Andrew immediately set down the glass he was cleaning and rushed over to where she sat, gripping the counter of the bar.
"Serena! It's so good to see you again!" He said, a large grin on his face.
Serena let out an almost breathless laughter and she forgot why she was so nervous before. She leaned over and gave Andrew a quick peck on the cheek, a smile on her own face. She hadn't been here for almost eight months and she was afraid that Andrew wouldn't want to see her again, especially since she disappeared without saying a word of goodbye to him. But she forgot, this was Andrew. The older brother she's never had. He would always welcome her.
Andrew's eyes shifted to the dark haired man seated next to Serena and raised a brow. "And this is?"
Seiya let out a friendly smile and extended his hand to Andrew.
"Name's Seiya. I'm Serena's," he paused and then caught Serena's gaze before continuing, "close friend."
"I'm Andrew, Serena's unofficial older brother," Andrew introduced, grasping Seiya's hand.
Serena secretly let out a sigh of relief, not knowing what she would do if the two men did not like each other.
"Andrew, two chocolate milkshakes please," Serena ordered happily, swinging her legs idly. He laughed and shook his head. Somethings never change.
Seiya rested his head on his hand, tilting his head slightly to gaze at the blonde. He was glad her earlier anxiousness was gone. He knew how difficult it was for her to come back here again and the girls didn't exactly approve of it, but she insisted that she wanted to make amends with Andrew and seek closure. He frowned slightly and prayed that he wouldn't show up today. Seiya had been with Serena for the past eight months and he saw her heartbroken, torn, and defeated. But, he also saw her determined to change her life. He didn't want all of her efforts to go down the drain.
"Seiya! Were you even listening?" Serena demanded, a pout on her lips. Seiya chuckled and reached over to flick her forehead, smiling at her indignant "ouch!" Serena of course, did not take this passively and she too reached over to poke his cheek.
Andrew watched this exchanged curiously and with rapt attention. He hadn't seen Serena for the last eight months and he knew exactly why she hadn't shown up. He still couldn't believe what Darien had done to her. His little sister! He knew how much Serena loved his best friend and he was furious with Darien when he told him that he dumped Serena. Darien claimed that it was because she was too immature, too childish for him, and he had quickly lost feelings. But Andrew knew that was a lie. For the past eight months, Darien had been miserable, no matter how much he wanted to deny it.
While he pitied his best friend, his heart went out even more to Serena, who had loved that fool to the moon and back. He couldn't imagine the pain she went through and he was happy that she found some joy in her life now, even though that said joy was a little too close to her for his personal comfort.
"Two chocolate milkshakes and extra whipped cream," Andrew presented, winking at Serena who excitedly took hers.
She brought the drink to her mouth and moaned at the sweet chocolate that spread across her taste buds. She sighed contentedly, sipping her drink like an excited child. She glanced at Seiya to see him roll his eyes and she playfully stuck out her tongue at him.
"You're so going to get a brain freeze," he said in amusement, sipping his drink at a considerably slower pace than the blonde.
The two sat at the bar laughing and talking, bringing a bittersweet smile to Andrew's face. Nonetheless, he would jump into their conversation and the three friends soon lost track of time as they joked around with each other. It wasn't until Seiya finally finished his drink that him and Serena got up from their stools.
"Andrew, can you watch my bag? I'll be back really quickly," Serena pleaded, fluttering her lashes at the older man who waved the two of them off. Serena thanked him and then turned to Seiya, grabbing his hand and dragged him towards the games. She spotted her favorite game and a smirk came to her lips. The two of them stopped in front of the Sailor V game and Serena let go of Seiya's hand.
"Nobody's ever beaten my score before," she declared proudly, her blue eyes challenging Seiya. He raised a brow at her and then rolled up the cuffs of his shirt dramatically.
"Well then Princess, you can witness firsthand how you drop from first to second place," he said cockily, sliding in the seat in front of the game. He rolled his shoulders and made a show of stretching out his hands. Serena snorted and nudged him, urging him to start the game. She was confident that he wouldn't do well. For the time she's known Seiya, she's never seen him pick up a game. Not to mention, her score was thousands above the rest of the players on the leader board, leaving her quite confident. She leaned in close, keeping an intense gaze on the game. Seiya briefly glanced up at the blonde and chose not to say anything about how close their faces w. Soon the peacefulness, if there was any to begin with, was broken by Serena's urging and Seiya's retorts as he worked hard to keep pace with the game. They were so enthralled with the game and each other that they hadn't noticed the doors of the arcade open.
Darien shook his head, annoyed with both himself and the situation. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten his textbook here. It was a Thursday and he didn't normally come to the arcade on Thursdays because he had afternoon classes. Unluckily for him, he forgot his textbook yesterday and had to come to pick it up. Hopefully he would still make it to class on time, seeing as his professor was already unhappy with him and his recent behavior.
He strolled into the arcade, rushing towards the bar where his best friend was cleaning the dirty glasses.
"Andrew," Darien called out. The blonde man almost jumped at the sound of his friend's voice, surprise coming over his features at seeing Darien. Today was just full of surprises wasn't it? First Serena comes back and then Darien, who never comes on Thursdays, shows up. Andrew's eyes flickered over the games and he could see a bright golden head leaned into the screen.
"Did you see my textbook? I left it here yesterday by accident," Darien informed, doing a quick glance around the bar area to see if he could spot the book by any chance. Hopefully no one picked it up. His eyes landed on a bright pink and white bag that sat alone on the bar he usually sat at. Reaching over, he picked it up and looked at it curiously.
"I think someone forgot their bag here," he commented.
"I'm just watching it for Sere-," before Andrew finished, he cut himself off, realizing that he had accidentally let Serena's name slip out of his mouth. He prayed that Darien wouldn't notice, but his prayers weren't answered when he saw Darien's eyes go wide.
"What did you say? Serena? She's here?" He demanded, his grip around the bag tightening.
Andrew exhaled and pointed towards the Sailor V game where Serena was leaning in suspiciously close to the dark haired man next to her. She was laughing and teasing the man who looked both annoyed and determined. Darien's eyes followed Andrew's finger. He felt short of breath all of a sudden. While he still saw Serena, it was strictly as Tuxedo Mask and her as Sailor Moon. He had never seen her outside of a battle, not even in the mornings when she would run late to school. In fact, she had almost completely disappeared from his life. He thought that he had gotten over her because of that. The nightmares no longer plagued him and he would keep himself busy with school and girls. Girls who were nothing like her. They were sophisticated, bodacious, and they didn't trip over their own feet every five seconds. But, he realized as he took in Serena in all her glory, that he hadn't gotten over her.
She looked different now. She was no longer sporting her usual odangos and she wore her hair down. It made her look more mature, more like a woman. The last time he had seen her was when he broke up with her and her eyes were so full of sorrow and pain that he almost, almost lost his will to leave her. But now, her eyes were the bright blue eyes that he had fallen for. His gaze shifted slightly to the dark haired man next to her and his eyes narrowed, a sudden jolt of jealousy coursed through his body.
So she had moved on? Is that why she was so happy now? Is that why she was currently laughing and teasing him? Is that why she hadn't shown up in eight months? Because she was too busy cuddling with her new man?
He watched as she grinned in triumph, pointing a finger at the man who was seated in front of the machine (what man still plays those childish games? She really moved on to a child? ). She was smiling that annoying victorious grin whenever she proved someone wrong, but no one could stay annoyed at her for long because she was just so damn lovable, even when she was rubbing something in your face. Darien's scowl deepened when he saw the man get up and pinch her cheek, causing the woman to blush and retaliate by attacking his sides.
His hands tightened into fists the longer he watched and he couldn't help but feel anger and jealousy eat at him. Logically, he knew that he had no right to be angry at her. Not when he left her broken and crying. But, damn it, she was his!
Serena still hadn't noticed him yet and she broke away from the man next to her. She was heading towards the bathroom in the back of the arcade. It was as if his body was on autopilot because the next thing he knew, he had dropped Serena's bag and he was walking towards the bathroom.
"Darien," Andrew cautioned, eyebrows knit in worry. He had seen Darien tense and frost glaze over his dark blue eyes as he watched Serena and Seiya play Sailor V. He had also seen Serena excuse herself to use the bathroom and his best friend currently try to follow her. Darien either did not hear him or chose to ignore him because he didn't even spare Andrew a glance. The blonde hesitated, not knowing if he should grab his best friend and stop him. Serena had just come back, but Andrew wanted the two of them to have some alone time to talk it out. Perhaps Darien would come to his senses and fix the problem that he caused. He exhaled and stayed rooted in his spot, hoping that he was making the right decision.
In the bathroom, Serena gripped the edge of the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. She had been here for almost two hours already and while she was happy that she was on good terms with Andrew, in the back of her mind, she knew she was feeling disappointment. It was laughable. She spent almost a year away. Away from his cobalt eyes, his stupid smile, and his ugly green jacket, yet she still couldn't help but still look forward to seeing him. She hung her head, sighing sadly.
Get a hold of yourself Serena. He broke up with you, he's not worth it, she mentally scolded herself. But who was she kidding? He was Prince Endymion, her past was supposed to reign by her side as her king. How was he not worth it?
She exhaled again and looked up to see that her eyes were slightly red. She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water, feeling slightly better. She didn't want to worry Seiya, not after they've had so much fun together. Thinking about Seiya, she smiled. He's been there for her ever since Darien left. Him and her girls. She was grateful that he never asked for more than her friendship. Sometimes she could see the conflict in his eyes, but he always pushed that to the side to focus on her. While at times she would entertain the idea of being with him, it never came to fruit. They were happy with the way they were. She'd much rather have him in her life as a friend than taste a couple months of love and never speak again.
She turned off the water and patted her face dry before she turned for the door. Humming a soft tune to herself, she opened the door and walked out, turning to head back to the arcade. She immediately walked into a hard chest and she muttered a quick apology before step siding to continue her way back.
"Still knocking into people?"
She froze. What was he doing here?
"What, you're not going to say hi?"
Serena, against her judgement, turned around. There he stood, Darien Shields, in all his glory. He hadn't changed much, Serena noted, and he was still wearing that god awful green jacket. She didn't know what to say, or if she should even say anything. She couldn't fathom why he was talking to her now. Her girls told her that they've seen him around with other girls. Plenty of other girls. He couldn't possibly have missed her with how busy he's been.
Darien took a step towards her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. In her shock, she didn't react fast enough before he bent down and kissed her. This wasn't like the soft, languid kisses they used to share when they were together. This was full of passion and unspoken emotions. Darien snaked an arm around her waist and held her tightly. He nibbled at her lower lip, making her moan and he slipped his tongue inside her warm cavern. He groaned in appreciation as her tongue met his, the two of them fighting for control. His other hand went up to her hair and he grabbed a fistful, tugging slightly at the blonde locks.
They finally broke apart for air. Serena's face was flushed and she was panting for breath. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at Darien with both confusion and a glimmer of hope. What did that kiss mean? Did he want her back?
Darien leaned down again, but he didn't kiss her. She felt his hot breath against her ear and she shivered, a jolt of arousal travelling down between her legs. He licked the shell of her ear, making her let out a soft moan.
"You still want me, Odango Atama," he whispered smugly in her ear.
At the sound of his nickname for her, Serena tensed.
"You're a child, Serena. Did you think I was serious about you?"
A child. That's what she was to him. She felt tears swell up in her eyes and she put her hands on his chest before forcefully shoving him away. Darien wasn't expecting her to push him away and he stumbled a bit.
"What's wrong? Can't wait to get back to your boy toy?" He laughed, but there was anger behind his words, as if he couldn't believe that she was seeing someone new. Serena grew angry at his words. Did Darien think that she was like him? And even if she moved on to someone else, what right did he have to be angry? He broke up with her! Not to mention his blatant disrespect for Seiya who was constantly there for her.
"Seiya isn't my boy toy," she snapped.
Darien took a step forward and grabbed her wrist again, jealousy coursing through his head. Now she was defending that boy?
"Let me go Darien!" Serena said hotly, struggling to free her wrist from his grip.
"Who is he then? Your boyfriend? How would he feel if he found out that you were back here making out with your ex-boyfriend," he sneered, rationality thrown out the window. All he could feel was red hot anger. She enjoyed that kiss, he knew that. She had kissed him back with as much passion as he had kissed her with. Yet she was still trying to go back to that boy? He didn't leave her because he wanted to. He left her for her own good! For her future!
"You have no right to be angry with me! You're the one who left me Darien! Not the other way around! So you don't have any right to be angry with me. Not when you're the one who left me broken," Serena yelled, giving up on struggling out of his grasp. Instead she hit his chest, anger rising in her own.
"You can't replace me Serena. When you go back and kiss him, remember this moment. How you still want me," Darien said lowly, his grip on her wrist tightening. Serena winced and she was sure that she would be seeing a five finger bruise there by morning. Darien turned and pinned her to the wall, almost knocking the wind out of her. Before she could protest, his lips were on hers again. But this time, instead of kissing him back, she struggled to get away, the anger and hurt from before not receding. Despite her heart's protest, she pushed in vain against him, trying to get him off of her. She felt the tears coming back and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see him look at her like this. Weak. Helpless. Not again.
"Serena? Serena!"
Suddenly, Darien was pushed off of her and she was pushed to stand behind Seiya. She gripped the back of his shirt like a lifeline and cried into his back, staining his clothes with her tears. Seiya felt her tears seeping into his shirt and her body shaking uncontrollably. She was crying. He looked up to see Darien glaring daggers at him and he felt anger.
"Leave her alone," he growled, brows furrowing in displeasure.
Darien felt himself bristle at the other man's warning, but then his gaze went to Serena who was hiding herself behind Seiya. She was trembling and the sobs coming from her was unmistakable. All of a sudden he felt guilt. He had almost hurt her. Physically. He felt disgusted. How could he do that to her?
"Serena," he said softly, taking a small step forward, only to pause when he saw Seiya push Serena further behind him.
"Let me talk to her," he said, taking another step towards Serena.
Seiya scoffed when he felt Serena tighten her grip on his shirt. She stopped crying but she didn't stop trembling.
"I think we're done here. Stay away from her," Seiya spat. He turned slowly and loosened Serena's grasp on him. Seiya shot Darien one more look before leading Serena out of the hallway. The entire time, she didn't even look back at him, afraid that she would burst into tears again if she did.
"Serena," Darien called out.
Serena paused and Seiya looked down at her, concerned.
"Serena?" He asked softly, his hand on the small of her back. She shook her head and smiled up slightly at him, but her eyes were still red from crying and he knew that she was trying hard to stay strong. He felt his anger come back full force but he took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to plummet Darien, no matter how much he wanted to.
Darien watched as Seiya led Serena away.
"Fuck," he swore, running his hand through his dark hair. He needed to see her, to explain to her what happened and apologize. For everything. He was going to get her back, no matter how long it took him.
