This chapter is 'Make Damn Sure'. The song is by Taking Back Sunday, thus, the lyrics belong to them. Chae Lim, Soiree and Alba Meira, Mignon Beart, Southtown, all other SNK characters, etc. belong to SNKPlaymore.
And, to Flame Rising... what makes you think I care about your opinoin of me? I like this story. I think I did a good job. You're a jerk, and maybe you should get some hobbies that don't include berating teenage girls. Go shank yourself in the eye with a spork.
-- You've got this new head filled up with smoke
I've got my veins all tangled close
To the jukebox bars you frequent
The safest place to hide --
Chae Lim did cook, actually. Growing up in Kim's dojo, Jae Hoon and Dong Hwan (the latter especially) were always hungry, and their parents weren't usually around to make snacks. May Lee was too young to make anything, and thus the task was left to Chae Lim.
And then, of course, there was her uncle, Jhun Hoon.
She didn't mind cooking... she was decent at it, but it was not her passion. She'd rather eat food that someone else had cooked.
But, Alba, Soiree, and Mignon seemed to be a lot like Jae Hoon, Dong Hwan and May Lee, so she was stuck with cooking dinner. Kind of rude, she mused, as she was a guest.
"Heeey! Something smells yummy!" Mignon chirped, skipping into the small kitchen.
"It's stir-fry," Chae Lim replied, smiling as the smaller girl leaned over the frying pan to inspect it.
"Isn't that the stuff with all the vegetables...?" Soiree asked, poking his head out from Alba's room.
Chae Lim nodded, and Soiree made a face of disgust. "It has meat in it!" she said defensively. "If you don't like my cooking, then make a sandwich! You're a big kid!"
Mignon giggled and Soiree blushed, but he didn't argue.
"Stir-fry sounds delicious..." she heard someone, probably Alba, mumble from the other room. "As long as it doesn't have fish in it, Chae Lim can cook whatever she wants for dinner. If she yells again, I will kill you, Soiree."
"Don't! Mignon and Chae Lim will have to clean it up!" Mignon called to them.
"No, we won't. He can clean it up," Chae Lim said smoothly, tossing in some ground hamburger and stirring briefly.
Mignon batted her eyes. "But... that's so mean!"
"No, it's not, it's fair. I'm not cleaning up someone elses mess. I don't even live here," she replied.
"Good point! You do that, Alba, and you can clean up the mess!" Mignon called.
"I'm trying to sleep!" Alba said, his voice a bit louder.
"Alright, alright..." Chae Lim gave Mignon another smile. "Soiree can wake him up when dinner's ready," she said with a wink.
-- A long night spent with your most obvious weakness
You start shaking at the thought
you are everything I want
'Cause you are everything I'm not --
After dinner was done, Chae Lim left the dishes to Mignon and went to check on Alba. She knocked politely, and was allowed entrance.
"How're you feeling?" she asked.
"Better, after dinner and a nap," he replied. "You didn't have to cook, you know. Soiree was going to order some take-out," he said, looking up into her eyes.
They were violet, a soft and very becoming violet. She smiled again.
"You smile a lot..." he muttered.
"You don't smile enough, maybe?" she teased. "And yes, I did have to cook. It was the least I could do after you brought me here," she added.
"Patching me up was enough repayment, Chae," he replied.
"I didn't think so," she said evenly. "But... if you're really feeling better... I think I'll head back to the hotel."
She turned to walk out the door, and he said, "Wait..." She turned to look at him again. "Why don't you stay a few days? It's cheaper than the Hotel..."
"You don't have enough room," she said with a sigh.
"You can sleep in Soiree's room," he replied.
"I don't think he'd like that."
"Trust me, he would. He's been sleeping on the couch for the past week because of Mignon."
"If she's unwelcome, you should send her home," Chae Lim told him.
"She isn't, and Soiree adores her. He adores you too." Looking into those soft purple eyes, Chae Lim knew that Soiree wasn't the only reason he wanted her to stay.
She sighed again, and relented. "I'll call the hotel and have them send my things over," she agreed.
Alba's smile was enough reward, she found. "Thanks..."
-- And we lay, we lay together just not
Too close, too close (How close is close enough)
We lay, we lay together just not
Too close, too close --
The prospect of staying in Southtown with Mignon, Alba and Soiree was not a bad one. They reminded her a lot of home, and she did have to stay for another week, until they announced the winner of the KOF. They were all nice... Mignon was bright and bubbly, Soiree was laid-back, but still easily excitable, and Alba was... well... Alba. Chae Lim couldn't find a way to describe him, but whatever he was was something she found herself liking more and more with every word they spoke to each other.
"Hey, Chae Lim! Could you make us some popcorn?" Soiree shouted from his room. Sleeping in Soiree's room hadn't been bad, either. He camped out on the living room couch, Mignon had his bed, and Chae Lim had his couch, which was surprisingly comfy, even better than the hotel beds.
"Sure," she went to make some popcorn, wondering why Soiree couldn't do it himself... put the bag in the microwave and push the popcorn button. Perhaps he couldn't find it. The image of Soiree searching desperately for the popcorn button made her chuckle to herself.
She liked it in Southtown, living with them. Sure, she missed her family... not especially her parents, but Master Kim, Myun, Jae Hoon, Dong Hwan, May Lee and Jhun Hoon. Even Choi and Chang. There was something exciting and different about living in this new place. And then, there was Alba.
Her thoughts about Southtown somehow always linked to him. When she walked down the street, passing by restaurants, she wondered if the food was any good there, and what Alba thought about it. She hadn't trained in days, but she didn't feel guilty about it. She was living with former gangsters, and she wasn't feeling hostile about it.
It was like almost everything she needed was in two different places at once.
Except for Alba.
"Damn..." she mumbled, pulling the popcorn bag out of the microwave carefully by a corner. It was hot, and when she opened the door to Soiree's room...
she wasn't surprised to see Mignon and Soiree cuddled up on the couch, their tongues stuck down each other's throats. She cleared her throat, and they stopped.
"Could you please not do that where I'm going to sleep?" She asked, tossing them the bag. Soiree caught it... and abruptly dropped it.
"Owch! That's not cool, Chae!" he shouted, making Mignon giggle as she picked the unopened bag up from the floor. (1)
Her heart skipped faster as she looked to the redhead's door, wondering if he was still sleeping, if he needed anything. It was strange how she'd lived with 2 boys her age for almost her entire life, and she only felt for them half of what she'd felt for Alba, who she'd met only days ago.
-- I just wanna break you down so badly
Well I trip over everything you say
Well I just wanna break you down so badly
In the worst way
My inarticulate store bought hangover hobby kit
It talks, it says, "You, oh, you are so cool"
"Scissor shaped across the bed, you are red, violent red"
You hollow out my hungry eyes
You hollow out my hungry eyes --
She knocked slowly. "Alba...?"
"Come in, Chae," she had also found that while Mignon was barred from entrance to his room, and Soiree had to wheedle his way in, she was allowed to enter with a simple knock.
She went inside and closed the door behind her. "Mignon finally caved," she said with a wry smile.
"Oh?" Alba's grin was similar to that of the Chesire Cat. Chae had to admit, she loved seeing those faces. Each one was different somehow, but still gorgeous. "So they're..."
"Yup, probably. I don't know why they would want popcorn, though," she laughed.
Alba shook his head fondly. "That's what Soiree does. He puts in a chick flick, and then gets some popcorn, but they never eat it."
Chae Lim blushed slightly. So Soiree was a player...?
"It doesn't always work, mind you, but most of the time..." he trailed off. "I should probably tell them to keep it down in there."
"No, it's fine," she answered, more color coming to her face.
"Are you sure?" he asked, and she nodded. "Do you want to watch a movie with me, then?"
She blinked. "Are you asking...?"
"And if I was?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.
Chae Lim swallowed. She wnated to answer yes to that very badly, but the week was half over... and the chances of Alba actually reciprocating her feelings... "The answer would be... no..." she said, her tone quiet and unconvincing.
"Do you just want to watch a movie, then?" he asked, sitting up on the bed to make room for her.
"Sure. Popcorn?" she offered.
He laughed, only the second time she had heard it. "Alright."
Chae Lim left, closing her eyes as she opened Soiree's door. "I don't care if you guys are indecent, just give me the popcorn!"
They shrugged, and handed her an empty bag.
-- I just wanna break you down so badly
Well I trip over everything you say
I just wanna break you down so badly
In the worst way (worst way) --
Chae Lim earned her third laugh from Alba when she told him this. "I guess Soiree is trying a new tactic... actually watching the movie!"
Chae Lim smiled, watching the tv screen. Alba had chosen a Japanese action movie called, 'Versus'. It was a mix of comedy, action, and science fiction (if vampires and the walking undead were science fiction).
The fight scenes were rather gory, and in the end, the only two gang members left were the stoic guy with glasses and the crazy guy with a butterfly knife. Chae Lim was pleasantly surprised to see a nice implied-gay scene with one man stroking the other's face as they stood drenched in blood.
Alba looked down at her face. "Ah... so, flaming homosexuals turn you on?" he joked.
"That, Mr. Meira, is none of your business. Keep your eyes on the movie," she replied. Smart Chae Lim hadn't missed Alba trying to sneak a peek down her neckline (she'd hadn't known he and Soiree were BOTH perverts).
She was rather flattered that he was taking an interest in her body... it made her feel feminine, but rather violated at the same time.
"That girl screams too much," he muttered, indicating the girl in the white dress.
Chae Lim nodded her agreement.
The final fight scene was disappointing. A lot of special effects and bone-breaking, and too many swords, both of them found. As the credits rolled (the characters still unnamed), Chae Lim's hands moved to the edge of the mattress, getting ready to stand and move away.
"Hey..." Alba started, grabbing her wrist. "Do you want to know something?"
"What?" Chae Lim asked, feeling her face heat up as he leaned in closer to her.
"I taught Soiree that movie trick," he smirked, and one hand snaked around to the back of her neck, burying in her hair and pulling her close for a kiss.
She didn't resist, placing her hands softly on his chest. His grip tightened momentarily, then loosened as he realized that she was kissing him back. His mouth opened, tongue seeking entrance to hers. He got it, and almost as soon as their tongues slid up against each other, Chae Lim found herself on her back, Alba's weight pressing down on her.
"S... stop..." she gasped in between kisses. "Stop it, Alba."
He stopped. "What?" he asked, violet eyes clouded and confused.
"We... I can't, okay?" she said, sitting up. He obliged and did the same, moving off of her.
"Why not?" he asked, brushing his crimson hair back.
She stood up. "I'm leaving in a few days. And... it wouldn't work you know? You and me, it's totally... bogus!" she said.
"No, it isn't. Are you sorry I kissed you?" he asked.
"No," she answered truthfully.
"Then why wouldn't we work?" he asked.
"I have to be in South Korea. It's my home," she replied. She wanted him... she wanted it to work, but she knew it wouldn't. Long distance relationships failed, with one partner being unfaithful while the other pined.
"Why couldn't you stay in Southtown?" he asked.
She hated that face. She'd never seen anything so sad or defeated, or felt so evil because she knew she'd caused it. She shouldn't've agreed to stay with him. She should've stayed in the hotel.
Part of her didn't regret it at all, though.
"Because... I have to go home..." she said. Maybe if she stood behind that excuse, he'd buy it. She did want to go home... but Southtown was starting to feel like home, too.
"Look..." he shook his head. "I'm sorry... just forget it happened. I shouldn't ask you to stay. Forgive me," he finished.
Chae Lim nodded and left his room, but she wasn't going to forget. Not ever, because she loved Alba Meira.
-- I'm gonna make damn sure that you can't ever leave
No, you won't ever get too far from me
You won't ever get too far from me
I'll make damn sure that you can't ever leave
No, you won't ever get too far from me
You won't ever get too far from me
You won't ever get too far from me (ever get too far)
You won't ever get too far... --
Chapter fin.
That's chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed! Leave meh some reviews!