"I don't want to do this."

"Come one, last night you said we could." Jett says from his chair in front of her.

Mai looks down at the scissors Jett had thrust into her hand. "I meant go to like a barber or something. There's a really nice guy down the street that does Uncle Sammy's hair."

Jett tilts his head back and looks up at her, "I don't have the cash to waste on a haircut Miss Mai."

"I could pay for it." She offers.

He returns his gaze forward and shakes his head, "I can't make you pay for something like that."

"But you'll risk having me butcher your head."

"It's just hair. Hair grows. If you don't want to trim it we could always just buzz it down…"

"No!" she sates adamantly, "You look better with your hair a little longer..."

She rests her hands on the back on the kitchen chair. Jett has already wrapped a towel around his shoulders. A few minutes ago they had finished watching a basic tutorial online and had gathered the comb and clippers. Now she's having second thoughts. Jett reaches up and touches her hand.

"Hey, I trust you." He says. The words make Mai shift on her feet. "I mean, just don't lop my ear off or anything." He continues.

She frowns at him, "not funny."

"Kinda funny" she hears him mumble with a smile.

She rolls her eyes and takes a breath. Grabbing the comb and steadying her hands she sections off some of his already damp hair.

It's just hair… It's just hair…

She tries to replicate the technique she saw online and with weary movements she makes her first snip. An inch of hair falls to the floor and she swallows a small squeal. Sectioning off another chunk of hair she continues. More and more hair falls onto the dark wood of the kitchen floor as she moves around his head carefully trimming. Her confidence builds as she gets the hang of it. She thinks to herself that it's not so bad, that she might actually be okay at this. With a bold new confidence she slowly shapes his hair; a little shorter in the back, a little longer in the front. With a few final snips, she takes a step back and studies her work with a furrowed brow.

"Should I be concerned?" he asks. She shakes her head and points to the bathroom.

Jett drops the towel and strides over to the bathroom mirror. "Well shit." He says at his reflection.

Mai's stomach drops, "You hate it."

"No, no, no!" he insists still staring at himself, "It's really good!"

Mai gives an unsure smile as she stands beside him watching his reaction in the mirror. He turns to her and smiles broadly, "I told you you could do it Miss Mai!" He runs a hand through his dark locks.

She shrugs, "It'll do."

"Thank you" He says turning back to the mirror.

"It needed to be done friend." Mai walks back into the kitchen and starts to clean up.

"You're always taking care of me…" Jett mutters, picking up a broom and sweeping hair into a tidy pile. "I wish… I could take care of you somehow." He says cautiously.

Mai's heart jumps. She doesn't mind taking care of him. She likes taking care of someone. She likes feeling needed; it's what fuels her. "It is fine," she returns focused on cleaning up, "I don't mind."

Jett takes a step closer, "You're really great… you know that right?"

Mai turns, a warmth burning inside her. She sets the scissors down on the counter and gazes out the window; it's nearly dusk and the tall trees cast long shadows over the clearing. She can feel him standing behind her.

"Let's go do something tonight." She proposes.

Jett takes a step back, "Like what?"

"I don't know, there's a movie theater like two towns over." She pulls away from him and pushes the chair back under that table.

"How do you want to get there?"

She thinks for a moment, "Hitchhike?" Mai suggests jokingly.

Jett raises an eyebrow, "No one's picking this up with a girl like you standing beside me."

"What? I'm not good enough to hitchhike?" she cops defensively.

"It was a compliment actually."

"Oh."

"I can get us a car you know."

"You mean you can steal us a car…"

"I can borrow a car I never intend to return, yes."

Mai considers her options.

1) Stay at home/watch dust collect. 2) Go to the movies/steal a car. Or…

"I don't want to know where the ride comes from." She says and walks out of the kitchen.

By the time they arrive the theater has only two movies available to see. Mai looks up at the show times for Snake Pit 5: Snakes of Doom and Masquerade 3: The Return of the Jester. Neither film appears particularly exciting. She wonders if this outing was a mistake. The lobby is empty except for a couple of lackluster teenage employees; one at the ticket window the other spiritlessly cleaning the snack counter.

"So on the one hand" Jett says crossing his arms, staring up at the posters, "Snake Pit 4 was pretty good so there's a chance the fifth will be entertaining. But I mean how can you really pass up another movie about the adventures of a homicidal seventeenth century ghost?"

"Masquerade 3: Return of the Jester it is then." Mai declares walking over to the ticket window.

"Oh, wait!" Jett rushes in front of her, "Let me uh- I'll get the tickets."

"You didn't have enough money for a haircut. I can get us tickets." She tries to walk past him but he moves into her path.

"Yeah and with the money I saved from the haircut I can afford to take you to the movies." Mai frowns at him as a warm blush creeps up her neck. "Seriously, I've got this." He reaffirms pulling out his wallet. Mai sighs, steps aside, and lets him have his way.

It's just a movie Mai. It doesn't mean anything.

She wanders over to the snacks counter, interrupting the unenthusiastic attendee. When she asks for popcorn and a box of Milk Duds, he sighs heavily as if he can't be bothered.

"That'll be $15.34" he groans.

Jeez; steep pricing for popcorn.

She hands him exact change and finds a seat in the lobby. It's a sad old building with carpet from the 70's and dim neon that flickers. She's only been here a few times but she's pretty sure they have three viewing rooms and one and a half working bathrooms; meaning the men's room works and the lady's room sinks don't have running water. Jett walk up to her and hands her a ticket with a frown.

"You didn't have to get the popcorn." He says.

"Well you got the tickets." Mai pulls herself up, "It was only fair."

Jett tucks his hands into his pockets; the frown still painted on his features, "She said it's the room on the right."

"Popcorn?" she offers tilting the bag towards her companion. He takes a handful and munches. Finding seats was easy. There are very few people inside, maybe ten if Mai is counting.

The lights go dim and the trailers start to roll. A few cheesy block busters, another romantic comedy about dying teenagers, an action-packed YA book-to-movie series, and a few horror films full of sex and spirits. The featured presentation starts and Mai gets chills. They are right underneath the AC vent.

Tinkering notes of a harpsicord play liltingly through the speakers. The scene sets in 17th century France, a noble house. A richly dressed lady sits with her back to the camera. Slowly they zoom, building tension, each note of the harpsicord getting softer and softer until… TWANG! They hit the wrong key. With a hiss the woman looks over her shoulder, revealing a horrid face. The skin and nose is ripped right off her from, nothing but fake gore in its place. Fake blood oozes out of her mouth and with a screech they cut to the title sequence.

Mai licks salt and butter off her lips. The movie plays on, building up tension, introducing the family. She likes to guess who will die first. The asshole uncle seems like a real contender. The experience is peaceful, boring even. After the first haunting she loses interest; it's a predictable storyline. What really makes her jump is Jett. Giggling. Actually giggling. Beside her.

His feet are propped up on the seat in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest, and a huge smile is spread across his lips. On screen the Ghost Countess grabs a knife and strides down the hallway right behind Asshole Uncle. He pulls at his collar, beginning to feeling flush as the lights go out. He reaches for the light switch, pawing at the walls for an intense thirty seconds before he flicks it on again and turns around to be stabbed in the face! And Jett is giggling again. Loudly at that. Mai stares at him. A few people in front of them turn their heads, so Mai jabs him with her elbow.

"What?"

"Quiet." She hisses.

"It's too Cheesy!"

They are starting to get dirty looks. Mai slumps down in her seat, trying oh so hard not to start chuckling herself. But as they glance at each other, she breaks.

Mai face hurts by the time they reach their car.

"Oh my gosh!" she laughs, sliding in the passenger seat, "That's the first time I've ever been kicked out of a movie."

Jett smiles widely, "Seriously? Actually no, that sounds about right."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she's still trying to regain her breathing.

He starts the car, "No, it's just like… you seem to like order."

She snaps her fingers at him, "That I do! Order is nice. Order is control."

"Those people were too sensitive anyway." He suppresses another chuckle, "It was a joke."

"You violated the cardinal rule of movie going! I'm pretty sure there's a special spot in hell for those who talk during a movie." She rolls down the windows of their stolen ride.

She wonders if she should be concerned that she has no remorse over the thievery. She likes order, she likes rules; riding in a stolen car is risky and dangerous. She could get hurt, she could get in trouble; they could be pulled over by the police and taken into the station. Her family would have to bale her out; they'd have to meet Jett. They wouldn't let Jett near her anymore. All these possibilities run through her head, but she doesn't let them take root. Maybe Jett's recklessness is rubbing off on her; another thing she should be more concerned about.

"Oh come on! That 'film' was riddled with inaccuracies!" He defends.

"Riddled eh?"

Jett gives her a sideways glance, "Are you mocking me?"

She lets out a giggle she can never respect herself for. "Maybe" she smiles smugly.

The air around them is fresh as the car rolls down the highway. Every loose strand of hair tickles her face in the wind. She braids it back. It feels good to cool down like this. The moon shines down on their faces and in she hears the trees wiz by as they pick up speed. She's almost glad that this clunker doesn't have an AC. Riding with the windows down seems right.

"Hey now, just because I didn't finish high school, doesn't mean I'm required to use backwoods third grade English."

Mai tucks her legs under herself on the bench and runs a hand out the window. The air feels electric and smells like rain. She sighs, "Graduation does not guarantee intelligence. You should meet some of the kids I go to school with."

Jett raises an eyebrow, "Like whom?"

"Well, there's this one girl who asked me what a euphemism was… There's the kid I was paired up with on a group project for chemistry, he asked what seven multiplied by nine was…"

"Yikes." He grimaces.

Mai shakes her head, "Small Town."

"Hey," he gives a gentle shove, "I attended some really great small town schools."

Mai chews on her bottom lip. The wind is on her face and rushing through her ears. "So… how many schools did you go to?"

Jett tightens his grip on the wheel. There's so little she knows about her guest, her companion, her friend. "Uh… I'm not sure. A lot." His face gets trapped in memories, "I'd say maybe like eight or nine? Before I dropped out."

She nods, "That's a lot."

Jett gives a tight grin, "Well, before that I was homeschooled."

"What?"

"Homeschooled," he explains, "you have a parent teach you an-"

"I know what homeschooling is, Rhone."

"You seemed a little confused." This time he smiles smugly.

"That's just… really interesting." She turns her gaze towards the road, "when was that, like grade school?"

Jett sighs, "Everything up until I went to live with Ned. It was a bit of a culture shock at first. But I made due."

"You've lived an interesting life Jett Rhone. Homeschooled, house fire, monster hunting, eight or nine different schools, more monster hunting…"

"Want to write my autobiography?" he cocks his head to the side and gives her a charming smile.

Mai takes a hard swallow and looks at her knees, "Where are we going?" she asks.

"Honestly?" He says, "I'm not really sure…"

"Well where are you driving?"

"I was just kind of following the highway, letting it lead me."

"Aren't we going home?" she bites at her cheek.

"Do you really want to go home?"

She thinks.

… um… I want… uh.

They continue on in silence for a while; nothing around them but the sound of the road. Plants fly past. Semi-trucks drive over rumble strips. The breeze rushes in their ears.

"I'll take you home." Jett says after a while.

She sets her toothbrush back in the cup and wipes the mirror clean. Getting back took longer than anticipated since Jett had driven so far past their exit. They were forced to drive on back roads and through town at a speed limit of twenty-five. Mai is nearly exhausted. She straightens the towels on the rack as Jett walks in. He gives her a half smile; she returns the gesture and continues to fiddling with the towels.

"So…" He starts as he wets his toothbrush. Mai turns her head to him. "Sorry that was a crappy date."

Wait. What.

Mai furrows her brow as her jaw slacks, "Wait. What? That wasn't a date." She can feel her face running red and a new wave of flustered butterflies coursing through her stomach.

"Well, It wasn' a 'bery good one." He says with a mouth full of toothpaste. He spits, "My fault really, you were great."

What the ever living fuck is happening.

"That was not a date Jett. We went to a movie, I said we should g- Is that why you wanted to pay?" She crosses her arms over her ratty tee-shirt suddenly feeling self-conscious, "Why did you think it was a date? Do you want to date me?"

Wow, that came out wrong.

Jett leans against the sink so nonchalantly it's unnerving "Well, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" She bites.

His expression changes, making him look small like a kicked dog. He stares at the wall behind her, "I don't know Mai! We're something aren't we? There's more than just the initial friendship. Like, you're amazing and beautiful," He meets her eyes "And 'friends' don't cuddle like we do."

She frowns at him, "No." she states adamantly, "That was not a date. You do not get to date me."

Jett's cheeks flush red and he squeezes his fists into balls. "Shit." He mumbles, shaking his head. "Well then what was all that about?" he yells.

"All what!?" She's torn between punching him in the face and puking from all the tumbling her stomach is doing.

"All the-" he stops himself, "You know what… it doesn't matter." He grabs his toothbrush and walks out into the hall. She hears him stomp into his room. She jumps at the slam of a draw opening and closing.

That lil' shithead.

"Jett what the hell are you doing?" she asks as she plods into the guestroom not able to walk past the doorway. Jett throws a handful of clothes into his open duffle.

"I made a mistake, okay? I'm going." His tone is bitter and hurt.

"You can't just leave."

He won't even look at her, "I've done it before, and I can do it again."

"Why are you getting so emotional? Can we talk about this?" she continues to hold her arms around herself, afraid of what might happen if she lets go.

Jett stops stuffing his things away and turns to her. His eyes are glassy with tears; a sight that wounds her. She doesn't want to hurt him. She doesn't want him to leave. He's supposed to stay. He's the one she actually wants to stay. What did she do wrong?

"Did you think you could just determine that this was a date and not tell me?" Mai besieges.

"You, Mai Winchester," he starts, "are a freaking strobe light. Are you on? Are you off? Are you on? Are you off? I don't know! I never know with you! You tried to stab me once but I didn't care because I want to be here with you. I choose this place over anywhere in the world, I always come back here. To you."

Mai holds in her breath.

"And I have feelings," he continues, "Feelings that I get when I'm here, with you. And I thought… I thought that you had them too; the same feelings. Jeez Mai we've spent nights together, we've held each other and laughed and fought. Hell you've brought me back from the edge of death. I thought we were on the same page, I thought we were something!"

She finds it hard to swallow; his words as well as her own saliva. "I don't know you…" she manages, "You're a hunter. I can't be something with a hunter, damn it Jett! What did you want? You want to fall in love? To be my boyfriend?"

Jett stands stoic without a reply. Mai snorts derisively.

"I don't need a boyfriend, I don't even want one. I want my friend. I want my friend with all the feelings I get when he's here and safe and I get to hold onto him at night and know that I have one person in my life that isn't dead or dying. And Damn you for being that person!"

"So what, you want me but not to be with me." He throws his hands in the air, "I'm not going to hurt you Mai. You don't have to be afraid of m-"

"I'm not afraid you ass hole!" she's shouts, "I'm protecting myself. Collateral damages Jett. You're dumping this shit on me and leaving. I am getting hurt. You're leaving just like everyone else. Just like my Dad, and my Mom, and like Dean and… and!" Frustration wells up inside her.

"What do you feel?" he asks.

"…What?"

"What do you feel when we're together?"

"I just-"

"Mai! What do you feel!?"

"knots. Knots in my stomach and like… relief when you're with me. And I get all warm and who the fuck cares."

Jett slugs his duffle over his shoulder, "You feel it too. You feel it too and you won't get over your stupid fear and be happy." He brushes past her into the hallway.

"I can't be in love with you Jett! I don't know anything about you-"

He turns on his heels, "What do you want to know!?" he demands. She just frowns. He screws up his face as if he's about to cry, but before the tears come he's turned around and at the edge of the steps.

"Don't go!" she hears herself begging. "Jett, Please."

He looks at her pensively. Long moments hang in the air. She can just see his face in the dark hallway; the only light coming from the bathroom. She's shaking with adrenaline and anxiety; like four cups of coffee on an empty stomach shaking. Her head spinning with terror that the only thing she likes in her life is about to walk out her front door. So caught up in unease, she doesn't realize that he's standing in front of her. His hands hold her face; rough, dry, trying hands.

She squeezes her hands into tight fists. He wraps his arm around her pulling her in for a hug. She's still shaking but in one sweet movement, he tilts his head down and lays his lips against hers.

His dark hair brushes her forehead, his hands hold her cheeks, his Amber and cigar scent fills her senses. She can't understand what's happening. She tightens her muscles, not fighting it, but not giving in. His kiss is shaky and light. It's chaste. Her arm moves out to touch him, but he begins to pull away. She follows his receding movement slightly before seeing that the moment is over. It's over before she could assess and react.

His hands release her face and his eyes look down at her with a passive expression. Mai falls against the wall, folding her arms behind her back and gripping the doorframe for stability. Her tongue falls still, not uttering a word. Her brain goes blank, not thinking a though. She just waits for his response. They stand with faces inches apart. Then Jett reaches in and kisses her nose right on the freckles.

"We are something." He says, "Don't make me your boyfriend, don't fall in love with me, but I need you." His voice is laced with want and insecurity.

She tries to respond but all that comes out is unsteady breathing.

He rests his forehead against hers, "I promise not to let you become collateral damage Miss Mai."

Without too much thought, she reaches up and kisses him again; intoxicated by how much he needs her.

A/N: Yep. That happened.

Hope everyone is having a good time. Thank you so much if you've made it this far. Please Please Please review. Even if you have nothing to say leave a smiley face or whatever. Feedback people. FEEDBACK!