Knock knock.
"Mhrm."
Knock knock.
"More puppies?" he mumbled in his sleep.
Knock knock knock.
"Five more minutes, Pasha," he begged.
Bang bang bang!
Doctor Julian Devorak flew from the couch and landed in an unceremonious heap on the carpeted floor. He flopped helplessly in his cocoon of blankets, knocking down his bag of medical supplies, and jerking Asra awake.
"Whuzhappenin'?" He gasped. His arms tightened instinctively around Kate as she sat up with a start.
"Noise where? Fire?" Her hair was adorably mussed up, and her eyes were still closed.
"No!" Julian called out dramatically. "Even worse. Asra, Faust has grown and is trying to squeeze me—to death this time. I can't breathe. Help!" He flailed even more. The accused snake innocently peeked out from underneath the stove and went back to sleep.
Asra gently patted Kate on the head and rose to help Julian out. He chuckled gently at the sight that greeted him: a mass of blankets that had managed to trap their guest in a cocoon of cloth and medical supplies. He looked like a freshly wrapped mummy. Seeing the highly esteemed Doctor Devorak doing The Worm across his carpet only made him laugh harder.
"Ilya, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he teased. He bent down to untangle Julian from the mess he'd made, keeping a close eye on Kate as he did so. She was wide awake now, and able to successfully string words together into sentences. She slowly approached them and smiled softly at the state Julian was in.
"I'll see who's been trying to bring our door down," she said, unable to resist dipping a hand into Asra's soft hair. Asra's gaze followed her until the she disappeared down the stairs. One of Julian's well-groomed eyebrows rose to attention. He batted his eyelashes and grinned from ear to ear in the charming way only Julian could pull off.
"So…" he started. "The Master and his Apprentice, huh?"
"She's not my apprentice, and I am not her master," Asra said carefully, as Julian was freed from the torso up. "We're partners. Equals. She's technically the shop's owner. That whole apprentice thing just started because of a…" he gulped, looking for the right word, "…misunderstanding. With the um… neighbours... that one night." He thought about it for a while. "Well, nights actually…" Asra trailed off, blushing so openly that it showed on his golden-brown skin. He kept his eyes trained on the floor as he picked up any medical supplies that didn't need to be sterilized again and threw them into Julian's medical bag.
Confusion scrunched up Julian's beautiful eyebrows. Then his eyes widened in understanding. His mouth dropped open in disbelief right before he clapped Asra respectfully on the shoulder. "You sly fox, you…"
"It's not what you think!" Asra defended. "We were just—"
Julian raised one cocky eyebrow.
"We were playing—"
Julian smirked and wagged his eyebrows.
"Fine," Asra huffed. "Don't believe me. Make an ass out of yourself. Just… don't drag me in it."
"Oh my sweet, Asra…" Julian resumed packing up his medical bag and placed the folded blankets neatly on the couch. "I would love to drag your ass someplace special."
Asra was saved from responding when the sound of glass breaking and raised voices came from downstairs. Kate, his heart tightened at the thought of anything bad happening to her. Without a second glance at Julian, Asra rushed down the stairs and collided with a fuming magician.
His hands automatically went to her shoulders to steady their pacing before they tumbled down the staircase. He took in the purple flame blazing in her otherwise warm, brown eyes; her ragged breathing; and the stiff set of her entire body. His heart melted into his toes in relief. She was mad at something, but safe. He could work with that.
He felt Julian pause behind him, before deciding to give them both some privacy and investigate what was going on downstairs.
"You're okay—"
"I was just about to get you—"
They spoke at the same time. Asra chuckled softly, wrapped his arms around her waist to bring her body flush against his and bent down until their foreheads were touching. "Deep breaths Kate," he instructed softly. "Close your eyes and breathe."
She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths until her breathing calmed down. Her hands moved up to rest over Asra's chest, taking in the calming beat of his heart. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. The fire had abated, leaving him to stare at the mesmerizing brown left behind. He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "That's much better. Why don't we go down and see what all that commotion was about, hm?" He started walking back down the stairs, entwining Kate's hand in his.
"The moment I opened the door, they just barged in," she explained hastily, taking the steps two at a time. "They completely ignored me and were bickering like a pair of two-year olds on the playground. He accidentally knocked down a vile of your favorite belladonna smelling salts and started complaining about how small and shabby the shop was and—"
Asra stopped abruptly. They'd reached the foot of the stairs. She didn't anticipate his change of pace and bumped into him from behind. "They?" he asked. "Who's they?"
Before she could answer, Julian brushed back the curtains leading to the back room. "Asra, the Count and Countess of Vesuvia are here to see you."