A/N: I think I wrote this too fast. o_o;
Disclaimer: Tekken and it's characters are copyright to Namco.Also! Some cameos! (Although they are not explicitly named.):
Razer Athane and Seong-Hada belong to the awesome FF authoress Razer Athane. (Mind-babies!)
Dai belongs to my friend Ashley, who is not a member of this site.
Broken Glass
It was different, Hwoarang had decided, to sleep with a woman without sleeping with a woman.
It hadn't been his choice to actually discover the difference between the two, Faith had refuted all his attempts at groping with a sharp elbow to the ribs, but since he'd experienced both with the same woman he'd been comparing them nonstop. Glancing sideways at the reserved brunette walking beside him, he mentally ran over the differences yet again.
Instead of a wearying night of sweat and passion, he'd spent his night curled around her, face buried in her hair while being lulled by the sound of rhythmic breathing. As he himself was finally falling asleep, the sheer peacefulness of the quiet darkness struck him, setting off the comparisons that were still roiling around his head.
As if feeling the weight of his musings, or perhaps his stare, Faith's eyes flickered over to the redhead. Two thoughtful brown orbs caught her gaze, a small smile shaping the biker's full lips. Letting out a slightly nervous laugh at being scrutinized, she was compelled to find out what was causing him to act so damn cheerful.
"What? What's that look for?"
"Nothin'."
"'Nothin'' my ass. You've been looking at me with that little smirk on your face since this morning. It's making me nervous. You're plotting something. You've gotta be plotting something. What are you plotting?"
Hwoarang laughed at the sheer paranoia of the questions.
"I'm not 'plotting' anything. Relax, woman. Jeez."
Throwing his arm over his suspicious companion's shoulder, the Blood Talon pulled her close to his side as they came to a crosswalk, neon lighting telling them to stop. Faith didn't need such a sign, however, as her feet became lead the moment he'd wrapped his arm around her. It was so casual a movement. It was so public. It was so... comfortable.
Feeling foolish at her reaction, it wasn't like they hadn't done anything more intimate, she wondered what had inspired the sudden display of affection. It couldn't be just because they'd had sex. He'd mentioned many times having sex with plenty of women, no strings attached. Still, he'd continued to visit without the promise of future 'relations', and now this. Or maybe it was just a friend thing? Guys threw an arm around there buddies all the time and...
Faith shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
'This is stupid,' she thought, reprimanding herself. 'Just go with it for once.'
Without allowing herself to think for another moment, the conflicted interrogator simply went with the first thing that felt right to do, snaking her arm around the biker's waist and slipping her hand into his back pocket. Not only did it feel right, it felt firm. A fact she double-checked with an appreciative squeeze.
Both biting back smiles for their own reasons, the pair made their way across the intersection, hips rubbing together with each step. They continued to walk in this way until reaching the intersection that divided their early morning paths.
"I guess I'll see you when you pick up your bike then," the words were half-questioning as Faith slipped out from under the muscular arm that held her. "Still not sure why you couldn't just ride it to the dojang, though."
"'Cause Baek hates it. It's just better if I don't mix bike and Baek."
She chuckled at that, imagining a highly irritated master as he pupil roared up to training every day.
"All right. I'll see you later then," she paused, still unsettled by the look on his face.
Taking advantage of her motionlessness, Hwoarang lifted her chin and planting a light kiss on lips. Several disapproving murmurs rumbled around them, combining with the giggles of two young girls watching them raptly.
Still lingering close enough to her face to be deemed inappropriate by the conservative adults around them, Hwoarang began to smirk, enjoying the small scandal he was the heart of, as well as the look on Faith's face at being his partner in it. The smirk didn't last long though, turning into a grimace and choked gurgle as he was forcibly yanked backwards by the collar without warning.
Ass on the pavement, the redhead looked up into the stern eyes of Baek Doo San. Dressed in suit and fedora, the master sharply contrasted his pupil, who remained sprawled on the ground in rumpled hoodie and jeans.
Faith, having observed the cocky student's downfall up close, was covering her mouth with one hand in a feeble attempt to hide her laughter. The look on his face and throttled gasp of surprise kept replaying in her mind, worsening the urge go burst out laughing. The image was too much, however, and some of the giggles slipped through the cracks in her fingers, earning her a glare from the ruffled biker as he got back to his feet. His hostility ended their, however, as his mentor began to speak.
"I hope you weren't planning on coming to training in that outfit."
"No, Master."
"And that you weren't planning on repeating that little show in public again. She may not know better, but I expect more from you."
"...."
The Killing Hawk narrowed his gaze.
"No, Master," the redhead gritted out, lowering his gaze.
"Good. Now go change and I'll meet you at the dojang. I have business to attend to."
"Where are you..."
Hwoarang's question trailed off, his master already heading down the street. He stared after the beige-suited back for several long moments, wondering what his Master would have to be doing right before the start of a training session. Faith's voice broke through the cranking of the gears within his brain.
"I really do have to get going. Good luck with the training, grasshoppa'."
"Shut it, woman."
Faith smiled, feeling an echo of his mischievous streak. Grabbing his shirt, she pulled him into a kiss on the cheek, the innocent peck wiping the smiles off the faces of those who'd nodded approvingly when Baek had arrived and brought the redhead down a few pegs.
"Are you trying to get me in trouble?"
"No," the still smiling woman began walking towards her own destination. Calling back over her shoulder, she added, "You do that pretty well on your own."
"Isn't that the same girl you were so angry at?"
Hwoarang started at the break in the silence. Master and pupil had been sitting quietly, taking a brief respite after several hours of nonstop sparring. The Blood Talon was feeling himself wear out already, although he knew for a fact that the older man was going easy on him compared to the last few days. Right as his blocks were becoming more sluggish, Baek had stopped and initiated the break.
Kicking his brain back into gear he replied without elaboration: "Yeah."
Since when had Baek became so interested in his love life?
"You didn't look very angry out there on the corner."
The tiring fighter braced himself, waiting for the lecture on proper public behavior, but it never came. The Tae Kwon Do master simply gave him a reproachful look and left it at that. The two men lapsed into silence again.
A few more minutes passed and the older got to his feet, stretching his muscles in preparation for the next round. Hwoarang followed suit, but stopped mid-stretch at the next words out of his mentor's mouth.
"Just don't let her keep you from training again."
"... Master?" How did he even know it was Faith that had stalled him?
"Don't forget that I was young once too, Hwoarang."
The redhead thought about the connotations of that statement, but shuddered and stopped before it could be fully processed. He'd rather not have thoughts of his mentor and his... youthful escapades popping up later during his own night of fun.
"I stayed in with you, now it's your turn to go out."
"Yeah, Faith! It's time you go out again!"
Faith glared at the tag-team against her, fighting the urge to back up as they metaphorically circled around, waiting for a sign of weakness.
"Does hair dye leak through the scalp and kill brain cells or something? 'Cause you guys aren't getting the message. You go out. I'm content here, damnit."
"Scar invited you personally. He's expecting you to come," Hwoarang reminded her, expecting that she wouldn't want to disappoint a friend.
"Yeah, but..."
"Come on, that guy has been super nice to you. You don't wanna be bitchy and let him down, do you?" Eun added, bringing home the point that the biker had left unspoken.
"... What is this even for?" the harassed one of the trio asked, her defenses starting to crumble.
Eun smiled, knowing victory was soon to be had.
Hwoarang held his own triumph back and answered, "It's just something he throws for everyone in the gang. Just a reason to go out and be stupid among friends. Plus, Scar knows the doorguy and a bartender, so it's free cover charge, and he's covering all the drinks at cheaper prices."
"But..."
"Give it up, Faith!" Eun exclaimed, becoming exasperated. "It shouldn't be like pulling teeth to get you to go out for a friend! Stop being a child!"
"I'm not...!" but she stopped, realizing how childish the argument really would sound. "... Fine. But you guys have to leave me the hell alone once we're there. No torturing. You've already dragged me to a club once already."
"Anything you want. I'm gonna go pick out an outfit!"
The announcement was followed by the happy blonde bouncing off to her bedroom, the sounds of her closet being rifled through echoing out into the living room.
"She's happier than you are," the biker stated, raising an eyebrow at the unhappy woman still in the room with him. "And I remember you're last club venture ending amazingly."
Faith ignored the blatant innuendo in his words and waggling eyebrows and replied, "That's because she enjoys clubbing. And because she's going to go now, invited or not."
"... What?"
The redhead frowned. He didn't particularly like the bubbly woman, despite their teaming up for a common goal.
"You got it. Not only did you just mention going out, you said free cover charge and drinks. That's like dangling steak in front of a lion. She's going."
As if on cue, Eun's trilling voice issued from the bedroom, "I'M GOING TOO, SO WAIT UP!"
"Told ya."
The night was not going as expected, not that she had actually been expecting all that much.
Seated at the bar with a sobbing woman on one side, an empty seat on the other, and a man who looked to be passed out on the bar just beyond that, Faith wasn't quite sure what to do with herself.
Most of the gang, which was slightly bigger than she'd originally thought, was already hammered and out stumbling in a fashion they called dancing.. Some sane individuals remained, most of them just the general club goers, but a few from Hwoarang's crowd as well. She and Scar, for example, had been having an amusing conversation on the qualities of the local clubbers. Another pair seated farther down seemed to be doing the same, if she was to judge by the grin on the blue-haired man's face and the flash of a smile that would grace the brown-haired woman's lips every so often as they watched the comings and goings of the others.
Mid-conversation, however, her marred companion had had to leave to settle a dispute at the other side of the club and Faith's attention was free to actually observe the crowds. She'd been so absorbed in talking and laughing that she hadn't been paying too much attention to the horde of dancers behind them. With the distraction of a conversational partner gone, she certainly wasn't going to engage the weeping woman in a light chat, she turned around to check on Eun, wondering if her energetic roommate had found her man of the night yet. Scanning the mass, it wasn't blonde hair that caught her eye, but red, and the dark-haired girls bobbing around it. Her thoughts suddenly convoluted, torn between brushing off the scene and getting angry.
Whipping back around to the bar and taking an enormous gulp of her drink, Faith decided that she really didn't care that Hwoarang was out there grinding against those girls. She didn't. Not in the slightest. Not even a little bit. Not an iota. There was another reason, a completely rational reason, why she felt the urge to go and stab the little hussies before turning on the redhead himself. She just couldn't think of it at the moment...
As if the thought of stabbing was manifesting in a backfire, Faith felt a slicing pain shoot up her palm, cold liquid dousing the rest of her hand and adding an intense burning to the original affliction. Crying out at the sensation, the brunette looked down at the shattered remains of her cocktail glass and the dripping mess that had been it's contents.
Staring for a moment at the chaos of glass, alcohol, and an increasingly large red pool spreading throughout, she suddenly realized that it was her blood dyeing the mess, and that the broken stem had been the reason for the open gash now splitting her palm. Feeling a flush of embarrassment beneath the hurt radiating from the wound, she realized that the delicate glassware must have broken under the force of her grip.
Luckily, one of the bartenders noticed the incident and processed the situation quicker than she had. By the time she was getting up he had brought over a bar towel for soaking up the mess and a towel for the mess she was still leaking.
Apologizing profusely and promising to pay for the damage, Faith was ushered to the bathroom. Along the way, Eun caught sight of the pair and joined them, worriedly hovering by her friends side and trying to assess the damage. Scar crossed their path on his way back from breaking up the tussle and also tried to investigate, but was shooed away by the anxious blonde.
As the women entered the dim lavatory, the bartender muttered something about a first-aid kit and scuttled off. He returned a few moments later, hurrying the desired kit in and rushing out of the women's room as if it were a toxic gas chamber.
Ignoring Eun's fussing with the plastic box and it's likely outdated contents, Faith began washing the laceration, making a face as she saw the length of it.
"Gonna suck while this heals."
"No shit! What the hell happened?"
"Just had a stupid girl moment. And apparently I don't know my own strength," the brunette sighed, wincing as she pulled too hard at the edges of the cut as she dried it with a paper towel.
"Stop having a stupid girl moment then," Eun chastised in response, grabbing her friend's wrist and applying ointment she'd found unopened in the box. "Go have fun. Dance with a hottie or two. You never know, you just might enjoy it!"
Faith shook her head. Having never been through what her friends had always disgustedly referred to as 'boy troubles' she still felt uncertain, remembering the warmth she'd felt walking with biker earlier that day.
"Last time I took your advice, bike boy and I ended up not speaking."
That gave the blonde pause.
"Still... You're not obligated to sit and have a crappy night. If he's not holding back than neither should you... "
Faith smiled, a tight expression the twisted into a flinch as her friend roughly began to wrap her hand with gauzy bandages.
"I think I'll pass."
"Fine. Be a party shitter."
Not waiting for a reply, Eun taped down the last wrap of bandage, slammed the little medical kit shut, and stormed from the bathroom, thoroughly frustrated. Shaking her head, Faith followed a few steps behind.
Finding a new seat, her previous one was still being cleaned up, the put-out patient leaned against the bar, chin in unharmed hand. An unfamiliar voice beside her spoke up, assessing her current state.
"You don't look too happy."
Turning to the source, she found a handsome young man watching her, his dark eyes curious.
Faith shrugged, brushing the comment off. "Just one of those nights, I guess. Should have stayed home."
"Saaaaame here," her new neighbor drawled, taking a long drink of the beer before him.
"Mmm..."
A soft clink brought her attention back to the bar, where the same kind of drink she'd destroyed now sat. The same bartender from before pointed across the way to Scar, who gave a smile and a nod.
"He also wanted me to tell you to keep control of your Godzilla hands this time," the barkeep informed her, heading on to the next customer.
Looking back to Scar, who was still watching her with a grin plastered on his face, Faith returned the smile and flipped him the bird. Tipping the glass to him, she took a sip and returned her attention back to the stranger as he spoke again.
"That was quite the power squeeze. How's the hand?"
"You saw that?" she felt another wave of embarrassment. "It's fine. Nothing that won't heal."
The man laughed. "That's good. I'd hate to be the one who pissed you off though."
That brought her mind back to the original reason she'd become upset. "Yeah," she paused a moment, thinking. "So why should you have stayed home?"
He smiled sadly. "Fresh from a breakup. I figured I should get out of the house, and that I wouldn't run into him in a regular bar."
That took her a minute to process.
"Ohhh. Okay."
She smiled when he winked at her for connecting the dots. The expression darkened, however, when she saw who was heading over their way.
Hwoarang, who'd been caught up in the crush of dancers, had broken free and headed over to talk to Scar. As they spoke, he had looked over his friends shoulder to see some random guy chatting up Faith, who looked like she was enjoying the attention. If he'd had hackles, they would've been standing on end.
Abruptly ending the conversation, he stalked over to where she was sitting. Instead of immediately going on the offensive, he noticed the new addition to her outfit. Reaching out, he turned over her bandaged hand and spotted several red patches.
"What happened?"
Faith jerked away from his hold. "Nothing."
"Bullshit. That wasn't there before."
"I just discovered that my aim as an emo would be terrible. Now lay off."
"Damnit, woman! What happened?!"
"I'm clumsy. Had an accident."
"That figures."
Standing up, she glared at him before turning her attention back to the nameless stranger, sparing him a strained smile. "It was nice meeting you. Good luck."
She heard a faint 'you too' from behind as she maneuvered her way away from the bar and towards the exit.
To stew over him was one thing, but to have him right in her face like he cared one minute and returning to ass-mode the next was more than she felt like dealing with. Unfortunately for the agitated brunette, the ass she was trying to escape from was following. In a quieter hallway near the door he grabbed her arm and spun her around.
"Why are you being such a bitch?"
"I didn't want to be here in the first place! I came, and now I'm leaving."
"You were fine a little while ago!"
"Just fuck off and dance with your little friends, playboy!" she hissed, struggling once again to be released.
Far from letting her go, the redhead shook his head and reestablished his hold on her. He knew he was, drunk, but he wasn't drunk enough to be hallucinating the words that had just come out of her mouth.
"You're jealous."
Faith stared, her mouth falling slightly open.
"I... I am not jealous!"
"Yes," he angled towards her, "you are."
"Don't. Flatter. Yourself," she bit out in reply, finally shaking him off and taking several backward steps.
Smirking, the biker remained where he was, leaning against the wall.
"If it makes any difference, Ms. Jealousy, I would have danced with you if you'd hauled your ass out there."
"No," she jeered, "it doesn't make a difference."
He shrugged. "Then it doesn't. But just so you know, no matter who I danced with I wasn't going to go home with anyone but you... Later."
Faith felt her anger all but dissipate. Watching as he turned and walked away to rejoin his gang, the sudden drain of emotion caused her to sink against the wall.
Taking a deep breath, she straightened up again and found herself cursing yet another stupid girl moment as she walked out the door. She couldn't apologize yet, her pride wouldn't let her.
"What was that about?"
"Who the hell knows? Women."
Several nearby men added in their drunken grumbles or outright cheers of agreement, except for Scar who merely raised his eyebrows. Ignoring the disbelief of his friend and feeling validated by the practically unanimous support of the others, the redhead ordered another round for them all.
Downing his in one go, the frustrated biker began eyeing the dance floor again. He'd just been out there for the fun of it before, but if Faith was going to be a pissy little bitch, he'd give her reason to be....
Brushing past Scar on his way towards a particularly scantily clad group of women, he heard his older friends words faintly above the music:
"Don't do anything you'll regret, man."
The end is coming. D: