October 31. 9:17pm. Granger Residence.
"You aren't actually going to leave the house in that, are you?"
"This isn't funny, Tyson."
"No, that's why I'm saying it. You might want to wear some clothes over that. Or a nun costume." He tapped his cheek with his index finger, cocking his head to the side. I'm voting nun costume."
She sighed, trying to pull the neckline up to be more modest. It was futile. "Look, this is humiliating, I get it. But the party's proceeds go to charity. I have to attend."
The bluntte shook his head. Scrunching up his face as he thought, she winced when he finally leveled her with a sly smile. "You lost a bet, didn't you?" She hung her head. He wouldn't let this go. "Holy bit beast! You did! Oh, this is rich. You gotta tell me how this happened."
She tugged down the hem of her ensemble. "We were drinking."
"Famous last words. You went to that end of summer party last month, didn't you?"
"It's Julia's fault. She drank me under the table and I lost at flip-cup." She sighed. "She and Tala should be kept far, far away from the each other. This was his sick little idea." She motioned to the silver corset and poufy black and and silver skirt that left plenty of midriff showing and required spanks to keep her bare-ass from display. Paired with garters and heels that would do a stripper proud, she was convinced that she was either going to break an ankle or blind someone with the sight of her breasts. Or both.
"So he chose to dress you like this? That horny fuck." Tyson shook his head.
"Yeah. Best part of it is, he knows that McGregor's been trying to sleep with me for the last eighteen months, and here I'll be, served up on a platter. What'd I ever do to deserve this?"
Tyson patted her bare shoulder, trying not to laugh. "Perhaps you shouldn't have gone to a party with the Russians without me."
She hit him for that. "I can't do everything with you, Tyson." She sighed, turning to walk away.
"No, you do boring things with me. Invite me to the good stuff, would ya?"
He moved out of the way of a five-inch high heeled shoe thrown in his direction, and scratched the back of his head at the resounding thud as Hilary tripped, unable to walk in only one shoe.
"At least you're not a Playboy bunny," He yelled to her. "Brooklyn has a thing for animal ears."
"You're not helping, Tyson!" She screeched. He couldn't help but smile. Technically, this was karma.
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31 October. 11:23 PM. Club Miyako, Bakuten, Japan. Bar area.
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"Quit salivating, you gorilla." Tala elbowed the European roughly, causing his drink to slosh over the sides of its cup. "She hasn't even gotten here yet."
"You're sure she's going to be interested in me?"
Rolling his eyes before making direct eye contact, the redhead nodded. "Which reminds me, since we're speaking of interests. You owe me, you James Bond wannabe." He crooked two fingers from the suit wearing Johnny McGregor toward himself.
Shrugging, "You've done a good job," The other man said, reaching into his suitcoat. "Your money, and my thanks."
"Yeah, okay." Counting it – because a good businessman like himself was not about to get shorted for this miracle which he'd rather conveniently executed, Tala smirked and made to stand. Before he left, he leaned over the Majestic's beyblader's shoulder. "By the way, Bond, it's 'Shaken, not stirred,' not vodka-sprite. Order a martini for fuck's sake."
-/-
Kai scoffed at the redhead. "Don't tell me you sold him drugs," The stoic leader commented gruffly. "I told you I'd kick you right back to Siberia if you so much say the word Adderall."
"That was one time. I thought they were headache tablets, not Spencer's ADHD meds." At the quirked eyebrow, he pouted. "The twat made an investment in a service I was able to provide. Although, I suppose it was more like me taking advantage of a situation." Shaking his hands out in front of him like a peace offering, the Russian menace shrugged. "Julia didn't mind. She actually thought it was a great idea."
"Yes, because you and Julia in general is a recipe for unbridled disaster." Bryan approached the two of them, handing Kai a beer while taking a sip of his own. "What'd you do, Ivanov?"
"Not telling." He spotted Julia across the room and took off, his escape looking less forced with a target in sight.
"This is not going to end well," Bryan remarked, and Kai couldn't help but nod to that. "At least we didn't dress up like him, fucking pansy." He motioned to the very much fitted Wolverine costume on Ivanov with distaste.
"Leave him alone, he's in love." Kai blanched in response, taking another pull of his beer.
"If I ever decide to wear a couple made of spandex, actually, just spandex in general, ask Ian to shoot me."
"Deal."
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31 October. 11:47 PM. Club Miyako. Main entrance.
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After the thirty minute commute to the club, the fact that she spent more time applying makeup tonight than cumulatively to date, Hilary was absolutely not just going to be fading into the background. It may have had something to do with the Jägerbombs Tyson suggested before they got into their taxi, but mostly, she was bound and determined to enjoy herself tonight. Even if that meant looking good and getting as wasted as possible.
"Well, I'm going to go find the ladies, you have fun and if you need help, scream over the music. Have fun!"
"Tyson you asshole! Get back here." Growling, she scanned the club for someone she knew. Locking eyes on her targets, she took a deep breath and found her resolve. At least she would get something out of this.
Pounding her heels against the floor, she crossed the corner of the dancefloor and proceeded to get directly into Tala's face. "Don't look so smug. Buy me a fucking drink, you bastard."
The redhead wolfwhistled. "Look was the cat dragged in. I wasn't sure you'd actually wear it. I didn't realize you'd look that fabulous in it."
"Buy me a drink, Ivanov. Yesterday."
"What can I say," Wolverine removed his arm from around his girlfriend and motioned to her. Phoenix reached into her bra and removed a wad of cash. "Since you've inadvertently made me some serious spending money, I suppose I could fund you."
"You made money off of me?" She reached for his neck. "You tell me what you've done before I gut you with those fake claws."
Tala shrugged, unaffected by her threats. "You'll have to do worse than that."
"I'll tell Kai."
"Ooh, scawee Hiwawy gonna tell da big bad cap'n. I'm shaking." He laughed at her rage. "Listen, toots, you made it here in this fantastic little outfit. I've seen eleven guys stare at your ass in the last forty-five seconds. You should be thanking us. Besides, I'm not a mean guy. I'll share some of this money with you, but you've gotta work for it."
"You made a deal with Johnny." She deadpanned.
Julia held up a finger, thoughtfully interjecting: "Actually, he's James Bond."
The couple spun her around. "Here's the deal. I'll give you one thousand dollars if you dance with him."
Julia smirked. "I'll double if you let him kiss you."
Hilary shook her head ruefully. "You two are horrible friends." The two X-men looked at each other, smiling with glee. She hadn't said no yet. "I want two thousand for one song, three if it excites him – don't you look at me like that, Ivanov, he's a horn dog – and if his lips touch any part of me at any time during this dance, I get five grand and you're paying for the largest bar tab in history. Take it or leave it, these are my terms."
"You drive a hard bargain, sister. What do you think Kai will say?"
"Nothing, when I hand him the bottle of Scotch from the top shelf and tell him to forget it ever happened."
"What a trooper." Julia and Tala nodded to each other. "Fine, we accept your terms."
Hilary put her hand on her hip. "So, what are you waiting for? If I'm going to go over there, at least give me a shot as a token of good faith."
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1 November. 12:02 AM. Club Miyako. Bar.
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She approached him with the subtlety of a hurricane. "Whatcha doing?" She asked him, leaning casually enough to accentuate her already accentuated chest. "It's been a while since I've seen you."
He gulped, following the line of her sternum from between her breasts up to her face. She noticed, and didn't seem to mind. "It has been a while." He motioned for her to take a seat. "Can I get you a drink?"
She nodded, scooting the chair a little closer to him. "Nice outfit." The bartender placed two shots in front of them.
"You look stunning. Sexiest witch I've ever seen."
"Thanks." She looked at the amber liquid. "Tequila?"
"My favorite," He affirmed.
She hated tequila. "So, you want to dance? I can't drink and sit still, I'll get sleepy."
His smile was nearly predatory. She was making this so easy for him. "Absolutely."
-/-
Kai had him by the throat, which was all he could focus on at this very moment in time. Silver hair framed livid purple eyes, making them look menacing. "Chto ty delal? Eto vashe imya napisano nad nim." He paused, switching from Russian to Japanese. "You tell me or I'll kill you."
"Jeez, calm down, Dad," Tala replied, despite the interrupted flow of air to his lungs. "She wanted to make light of a bad situation."
"You mean, someone – who couldn't possibly be you – blackmailed her into coming here half-naked for no apparent reason, and since you certainly aren't profiting from it no matter what, you just bet her to go make a fool of herself and seduce someone desperate enough to put his hand on her even after she says no. Correct?"
"I would nev-"
"The answer is 'Yes Kai,'" He snarled, cutting off his long-time teammate with a sharp push on the redhead's throat. Tala coughed.
"Who tattled? Bryan?"
"One of the girls Tyson danced with heard your entire conversation and was more than happy to share the details."
"Granger needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. But it isn't like you can do anything to stop this from happening." Tala looked smug as Kai released him.
"You severely underestimate me."
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1 November. 12:12 am. Club Miyako. Dancefloor.
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He was touching her. Not provocatively – though she could practically feel his sexual intent through the hands on the small of her back. He was touching the exposed skin between the corset and skirt on her costume, and it took more willpower than she thought possible to keep his pelvis from hitting hers as they moved. She didn't want to know if just being near him turned him on as much as she got the feeling it did. His eyes were wide, by alcohol or (shudder) arousal she wasn't quite sure, and he made sure to keep his eyes on her. Mostly down her corset, since he was taller than her, but he did dare to make eye contact from time to time.
She was grateful for the makeup she'd applied, otherwise he'd see just how red her cheeks got from the thought of him trying to see her more intimate places. He'd tried only once to move his hands lower, but her skirt was excellent interference, and she was used to wearing short shorts, so with the tights pulled to her mid-thigh and the garters to hold them in place, she wasn't too concerned about her rear end. But that corset, despite being tight as sin, had a lot of wiggle room. It pushed her bosom up almost to her chin, and if she moved too fast, she was worried that someone might get an eyeful. It also didn't help that the material was rather flimsy.
"You havin' fun, babe?" He semi-shouted over the music. She shrugged. By now, she was sure that everyone had seen her dancing with the guy, and if she was honest, her heels were causing blisters that were definitely going to hurt her for weeks. She really just wanted half of what Tala had made off of her, and three grand was definitely fair enough considering James Bond did not have a gun in his pocket.
"Let's take a break, okay?"
He shook his head, wrapping his arms around her tight. "No way. This is my favorite song!" He proceeded to make sure she was completely flush against him, rocking to the beat of some pop song she really didn't care for.
"Please, my feet are really hurting," She tried, playing up her ailing appendages.
A warm hand touched her exposed shoulder. She looked up into livid violet eyes that were not trained on her.
"I'm pretty sure she just said she wanted a break."
"Fuck off, Hiwatari. You can have any girl in here. Leave mine alone."
Hilary took a step back, reaching one hand out to Kai who took her by the wrist. "She's not your girl. Right now, she's your doll because you paid Tala and Julia to dress her for Halloween. That's pretty perverted." Kai fixed her with a stare she didn't quite recognize and began to pull her gently away.
Naturally, Johnny, who had released her when she took a step back, immediately tried to catch her from leaving him. So, he wrapped his hands around her shoulders…
Inadvertently grabbing two very pronounced mounds on Hilary's chest.
She screamed.
Johnny figured that if he was already there, though it had been an accident, he might as well sample the goods. So he squeezed them, for science's sake.
"Hilary, move."
The words were so quiet amidst all the activity happening around them. People were staring. McGregor had a death wish, his hands still loosely covering the young woman's bosom. She darted away as if struck by lightning – she'd just been given the shock of her life. Lip-lock? No big deal. She'd kissed her fair share of men. But this was bedroom stuff, and at least fifty people saw the whole thing go down.
"Listen, it was an accident."
Kai's voice was the very essence of calm. "You don't have to explain it to me."
He looked relieved. "I knew you'd understand." He knocked Kai on the shoulder in what was supposed to be a showing of man-to-man appreciation.
"I understand perfectly." And with that, Kai swung his right fist so hard into the side of Johnny McGregor's face that he broke the man's nose on the follow-through. McGregor went down like a ton of bricks, the crowd cheered, and Kai set to unbuttoning his black dress shirt like it was the most obvious thing to do in the middle of a dance floor at twelve-thirty in the morning. He threw it at the shaking woman whose arms were crossed protectively over her chest, leaving him only in a very form-fitting black undershirt. "Put that on. We're leaving."
She didn't have to be told twice. The shirt smelled like him, rugged and wild. The difference between him and the scum that had just groped her was that much more apparent. Johnny didn't even smell nice. Seeing that she had righted herself and was using his shirt much like a robe, he offered her his hand as the club returned to dancing.
He didn't look at her as he led her off the dancefloor. Instead, he found Tala and Julia near the bar and dragged Hilary over to them.
"You two."
Julia pulled a brave face. "We didn't think he'd have the balls to grab her boobs, Kai, calm down."
"There will be no more gambling. For any of you." He looked over at Hilary, who had the decency to look ashamed. The trio nodded. Kai looked appeased. "Now then." He looked to Hilary. "I presume that whatever conditions there were on this bet, that they were exceeded by that fucktard's stunt, yes?"
The trio nodded.
"Tala. Your credit card."
"What?"
"Your credit card."
"Well," Julia said, nudging him gently, "There was a clause about the bar tab. Cough it up, Ivanov."
Grudgingly, the costumed Blitzkrieg Boy relinquished his platinum card into his Captain's hand. Said captain turned, still holding Hilary's hand, and flagged down a bartender.
"My friend Tala," Kai began, pointing out the Russian wolverine, "Is really a wonderful guy. He actually decided that he'd like to pay for drinks for everyone until closing time." He handed the astonished water the card. "And don't be shy, he doesn't tip any less than fifty percent of the bill."
Tala's face was whiter than it had ever been. He stared at the slate and navy haired man with a look of absolute fury. "You bastard."
"You'll learn your lesson," Kai said tersely. He pulled on Hilary's wrist. "Say goodbye."
Julia looked upset. "But she's not going to get to enjoy the free bar! You should at least have one drink!"
There was no reply from the brunette, who was staring mostly at the floor. He shook his head at them. "C'mon," Kai touched the small of her back and guided her away, setting his eyes on the door. This was why he hated clubs and bars and people, for that matter. Nothing but trouble. And drama.
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1 November. 1:03 AM. Kai's Vehicle. Driving East.
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"You realize that you asked for this, right?"
Hiromi nodded.
"What he did was uncalled for, but you're lucky that's all that was. He could've put something into your drink, Hilary. He could have raped you."
Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, and she sniffled, looking away from him out the window. "I know," She whispered. "Thank you for saving me."
He hummed his acknowledgement and turned onto a less busy road. "We're going back to my place, unless you'd like to listen to Tyson bang whoever that girl was that ratted Tala out all night. Speak now."
"Your place, please."
The rest of the ride was spent in silence.
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1 November. 1:25 AM. Kai's Apartment, East Bakuten, Japan. Living Room.
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"That walk up the stairs nearly did me in," Hilary exclaimed, cursing the shoes still on her feet as she entered the living room. Kai had gone to the kitchen, getting them each a beer from the fridge. He handed hers to her in exchange for his dress shirt, which he threw over the couch.
She threw her hat at him. "I need to get out of these shoes." With that, sat on the coffee table in front of him, extending her feet to him. "Lend a girl a hand?"
"You like playing with fire," He replied, handing her his beer.
"How so?" She cocked her head to the side. "I asked you to take my shoes off, not take me to bed."
"Like you'd even know what to do if I took you to bed, Hilary." He shook his head and unclasped the first shoe.
She laughed. "I've slept with people before, if you must know."
"You almost slept with Johnny."
"Yeah right." She wriggled her toes, wincing at the discomfort. "Unless he drugged me," She swallowed uneasily at the thought, "there isn't a chance in hell that I'd sleep with him."
"You certainly acted like you would."
"You know that means shit. I'm not the kind of girl," She leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows as her other foot was free, "To sleep with just anyone. Besides, half the world thinks I've slept with you and Tyson, and I'm sure you both get way more tail than me. Thanks, by the way." She motioned to her stocking clad feet, lifting them from his lap.
He pushed them back down, instead reaching up to her thigh to grab the garter and roll the whole thing down one leg.
"That tickles," she breathed softly, as rough fingertips brushed the inside of her knee. "You don't have to do this, you've already helped me so much."
He shrugged, moving to the other leg. "All this was completely unnecessary."
"What do you mean?"
"This costume." He rolled down her thigh-highs carefully, looking up at her wide brown eyes. "If McGregor knew what was good for him, he'd be content with seeing you how you're comfortable. You look good like this, but it just isn't you."
He discarded the fishnets on the floor by the couch and ran a hand down her calf. It gave her goosebumps. He moved his hands to her left foot, rubbing the sole of the red appendage. She groaned at the sensation. "Are you saying I can't be sexy?"
He rolled his eyes. "That has nothing to do with it. If the prick actually wanted you, Hilary, you wouldn't need to prance around in hooker heels like a boudoir model. A woman has to be sexy as herself," He said, shrugging. "McGregor is just a pervert."
"Do you often rescue women from shady men at nightclubs?"
"Only when they make stupid bets with my teammates."
She giggled. "You give a killer foot rub." She paused. "You decided to be prince charming for Halloween, I see."
He scoffed. "Fuck that."
"If you had dressed up, what would you have been?"
"I don't dress up."
"You're no fun."
"What would you have been?" He indulged her, though he was honestly curious. "If you hadn't lost a bet," he amended.
"Well, maybe next year I'll dress up as you. Think I could borrow a scarf?"
That earned her a toothy smile she wasn't expecting. She moved her feet to the side. "Promise me something."
"Sure."
"No more trying to lead men on." He looked down at her, considering her for a moment. "And no more doing it for money."
"I know." She leaned forward, surprising him with a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. "Thank you for rescuing me. There should be more men in the world like you."
"Hilary-"
At the exact time, they drew back, noses nearly touching. Kai's arms wrapped themselves around her, drawing her up over his lap so she was facing him, her knees at his mid-thigh. Knowing words weren't the way to go right now, Hilary leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He relented against her, and let her take the lead. She smiled against him when she broke it off, her fingers trailing into the fine hair at the back of his head.
"If you don't want me to," She began, but he shook his head, pulling her against him. She settled into his lap, and he cocked his head back, looking over at her with half lidded eyes.
"Your outfit has to go," He replied. "I can't look at you without seeing that piece of shit with his hands on you." His hands moved possessively down her sides. "You've had a rough night." He removed his hands from her altogether. "I can't do this to you."
"Wait. You can't do this to me? I kissed you."
"It's been a traumatic night."
"It isn't like I've never thought about being with you!" She clamped both hands over her mouth and looked at him sheepishly. He quirked an eyebrow. She sighed. "It really isn't," she confirmed. "But you're not exactly someone to just approach and be like, 'hey, I know we've been friends forever, and I'm in to you, want to hook up or date or something?'"
"All of those things, huh?" She turned crimson, and the makeup wasn't providing any cover anymore. "Well?"
She removed herself from on top of him and sighed. "I'm going to go raid your closet for something to sleep in."
"You're going to sleep? Now?"
"No, I'm going to get rid of this ridiculous outfit. She turned her back to him. "Loosen up this corset for me." She moved her hair to the side, and waited. Nothing happened. "Kai?"
"You're in to me?"
She nodded.
"You've been."
She nodded again.
He seemed to consider something for a moment and then nodded. "Just making sure. This isn't because I saved you from Johnny Pervert?"
She shook her head.
He nodded again. "Alright."
"Alright?"
He shrugged. "Go get changed."
"I need help."
"I'm not going to be helpful, Hilary. I'm a man. If I get your clothes off, they're not going back on."
"I don't see the problem."