Title: Flame Sniper, written for sm_monthly, theme "Attack Name"

Rated M

Barnes & Noble had some very smart marketing decisions: they sold things other than books, they let people without any intention of purchasing sit and read for hours, they were always stocked with a Starbucks or some other coffee bar, and their bathrooms were usually the most accessible and cleanest in the area. Raye juggled an armful of items as she found Jason paging through a picture book of guitars. "I'm going to buy this stuff."

Without taking his eyes off the page, he dug his wallet out of his back pocket and handed it to her wordlessly.

Raye's eyebrows rose; she had him better trained that she thought.

"Wait." He held out a hardcover that had been tucked under his arm. "Buy this, too."

She looked at the cover, and shook her head slightly, trying to find the logic in purchasing a book entitled "T.O's Finding Fitness", when the purchaser made a regular habit of swearing and spitting varied insults at the author whenever he happened to pop up on television.

It probably had something to do with the "$3.00" sale sticker plastered on the cover, smack dab in the middle of T.O.'s face. She wouldn't put it past him to move it there intentionally.

After checking out, she found him in the same spot that she had left him, and handed back the wallet. "Thanks. I'm going to grab a coffee, want one?"

He automatically pulled the wallet out again and held it out, still nose-deep in the guitar book.

"No, I got it. I used up the rest of your cash."

That got his attention, and his head finally snapped up. "What did you buy?" The last word was laden with question marks.

Raye opened the bag and started pulling objects out. "Want to see? I got a new Moleskine, two books, tissue paper, uh, a yoga strap, a room diffuser refill, which I hope comes with the sticks because I don't know where half of them went to, but I'm down to four…you haven't been touching it, right?"

He wasn't listening, as he had pulled something out of her bag and was staring at it like it was a test tube full of Ebola that he was expected to swallow. "Raye."

"Yeah, hon?" She knew that look he was giving her; it was reserved for when she did something completely justifiable but so far out of his comfort zone that it went beyond his comprehension, like when she told him how much her shoes cost, or what sexual position was his sister's favorite.

He held the object up; it wasn't much bigger than a baseball. "You bought a thirty dollar candle."

Oh, piss. She cocked her head. "No, I didn't. It was on sale. It's a twenty dollar candle."

That didn't help at all. "Raye, you bought a twenty dollar candle." He stared at the box for a few seconds, reading the sides. "You're kidding. It's doesn't even do anything; it's just a freaking candle. You just spent twenty bucks on a freaking candle!"

Quick as a cat, she snatched it out of his hand and stuffed it back into her bag. "It's a nice candle."

"That was two thousand cents!" He stuck the guitar book back on the shelf and started wandering towards the Starbucks counter, his blue eyes distant and dazed like he was shell-shocked.

"Jason," she started, rolling her eyes and following.

"A twenty dollar candle."

"Jason."

"What? Sorry, I can't hear you over the tears of starving children who can't believe that you spent twenty dollars on a hunk of wax with a string in it."

This was getting ridiculous. "It's made from organic soy wax. That's expensive."

They had reached the counter. "For twenty bucks, it should be made from ground up diamonds and the tears of Jesus Christ himself. Tall drip, please."

Raye rummaged through her bag and pulled out his questionable purchase. "Really, you're giving me crap about the candle when you purchased this fine piece of literature?"

"It was three bucks! I could have bought six of Terrell Owens's book for the amount you spent on one candle."

The barista was looking at both of them in turn, seemingly amused. "And for you, ma'am?"

"Oh, grande nonfat hazelnut latte. Thanks."

The barista scribbled markings on the cup and nodded at Jason. "I bought T.O.'s book, too."

"Really?" Jason said. "How was it?"

He shrugged mildly. "Worth three bucks, I guess. Wouldn't pay more than that."

"Smart man," he said, elbowing Raye gently. "I don't suppose you would pay more than, I don't know, five bucks for a candle, would you?"

Raye cut the guy off before he could answer. "I'm buying the coffee, so don't take his side."

The barista nodded, trying to hold his grin down into a polite smile. Raye had a feeling that he was going to share this story with his coworkers after they had left. "Five seventy one, please."

Jason was all over that like white on rice. "Oh, look, that's about one third the price of your candle! Maybe you can scoop out a handful and give him that."

I love this person, Raye thought to herself as she paid for the coffee. I love him, and that's why I'm not killing him right now.

He got one more crack in before they left the bookstore. "So can we burn this thing when we get home? I want to see what twenty dollars smells like."

They sat at the kitchen table as Raye trimmed the wick down, struck a match, and lit the contested candle. Jason had cleared the table before reverently placing it in the center, and made a show of dusting the surface around it before pulling the lid off the jar. Raye had never seen an action performed so sarcastically in her life.

Jason poked at the glass jar, causing the flame to flicker as the melted wax sloshed around the inside. "OK, when's it going to do tricks?"

She pulled an elastic band off of her wrist and swept her hair back into a ponytail. "Take off your shirt."

"What?"

She brushed her bangs sideways and gestured at him. "You heard me. Take off your shirt."

He complied, pulling off his t-shirt by grabbing the back and flipping it over his head, in the way that only guys do. "OK?"

She slid over until she was leaning against him, and reached for the candle. "Do you know why soy wax is special?"

"Because it's twenty dollars?"

She gritted her teeth and ignored that. "Because," she said, holding the jar above his bare chest and tipping it over gently. "Soy wax doesn't burn like regular wax. It melts into oil." A few drips of the hot liquid dropped onto his skin, making him flinch with surprise. "It doesn't burn," she continued, using her fingertips to rub the oil over the tight, hard muscles of his stomach, and smiled as she felt him start to squirm.

Carefully, she lowered to her knees in front of him, still gently massaging the oil onto his body. "It's very good for pouring on someone."

His breath hitched as she popped open the button on his jeans and slowly unzipped. She slid her cheek against the flat plane of his pelvis before pulling the elastic of his boxers down and brushing her lips against his erection. Jason was as reliable as a teenager, sporting wood at the slightest hint of stimulation. "I think it was worth it," she whispered, before taking him completely into her mouth.

He had only lasted a few minutes before losing control and scrambling to the floor, tearing her clothes off in the process.

Later, Raye leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to catch her breath as they lay tangled on the kitchen floor. "So, now do you think it's worth it?"

He laid a kiss on the side of her head, right above her ear, making her shiver. "No."

She sat up until she was straddling him, her black hair falling in fans down her bare body. "You're kidding."

"Nope." He yawned, fighting off post-coital fatigue. "You can get me naked for free."