{WARNING - Rated R... Crude language. Okay, it'll be blocked out... but most of us can read between the lines, right? You've been warned.}
They had been at wits end all evening. It was something unspoken, yet understood. But everything that was spoken was in good nature, even light hearted. They were in denial. Their laughs were short, their talks were breif. So... unlike the two. Unlike the Dakota and Jade RhyDin had come to know. They were both stationed in the small, tiny kitchen - made for one person at the most. Movement was minimal. Jade was situated at the oven, hovering over a skillet. Dakota was near the fridge, busying himself. The silence was unnerving.
Unnerving was an extreme understatement. They had practically been up under each other now for several weeks. Once the danger from Romax had passed, they both thought it best for Jade to stay with him at his apartment, at least several nights a week. Well, their personalities and ways of living had begun to clash in a major way. Living in these tight quarters was causing a serious case of edginess in both of them, and that brought us to tonight. Barely a word was spoken between the two of them. They were both simply trying to work on dinner. Dakota was hunched over in the fridge, looking for a couple of tomatoes. Being that he didn't even have enough room to back completely out of the fridge because of Jade standing RIGHT THERE, he ended up raising his body before he was backed out completely, and BAM, the back of his head bashed up against the bottom of the freezer door, which was on top of the fridge. Dakota dropped the tomatoes as his hand instantly went to the back of his head, blurting out.. "****!"
As he backed out and hit his head, he somehow caught Jade's hip, causing her to go foward slightly. They needed a bigger kitchen. Before she could huff, or in the back of her mind - tend to him, she rubbed against the hot skillet. That of course burned her stomach under one of her old tank tops. It would have seemed that she didn't find it needed to get dressy for him anymore. She yelped, "****!" and jumped back... into him... again. She turned to snarl at him quickly, without much thought, "Watch it!"
As for him, he wore only a pair of ratty jeans with huge holes ripped in both knees. They were already living like an old married couple, weren't they? Not really going out of their way to impress each other these days. He watched her burn herself, and he SERIOUSLY screwed up, because he started to crack a smile. That had to be at least the fourth or fifth time she's done that since living here. But then she barked at him. Big mistake. Already feeling that knot starting to rise in the back of his head, he pretty much barked right back. "You know what? Just get the hell outta my kitchen, Jade. I can't get a damn thing done with you in here. The only thing you ever get done is burnin' yourself, and gettin' in my ****in' way. Go turn the damn news on." Oh my...ordering her around like they've been married for twenty years. That probably wasn't gonna fly with her.
And guess what? It didn't. At first she watched his expression, her baring her teeth - already exposed from her yell at him. But as he smiled, she smiled too. It was a sneer. Nerves... frazzled. Then he yelled right back at her. Mistake number two. "Oh? You want news? I got yer ****in' news!" She slowly raised her hand to him. To a what? You guessed it, the bird was flipped out just for him. "Right 'ere, Jackarse!" She glared at him, hands moving to her hips. Those jade hues were long past to being their normal color. Bloody crimson. And no, she wasn't moving a damn inch.
"Get outta my kitchen, Jade...." His tone was low....a pissed off low...a DANGEROUSLY pissed off low. "I don't even wanna look at you right now. The best thing you can do is to just get the hell outta my sight." And while he'd been speaking, he reached in the fridge for a beer. Yeah, let's add THAT to the mix. Quickly popping it open, he took himself a nice, long swig. "I don't know why, but lately, I ain't been able to do a damn thing right around you. You have done NOTHIN' but chew my arse out over everything, and I'm gettin' just a little damn tired of livin' with the nagging bitch that you've been. NOW BACK OFF OF ME, JADE!!!"
If he was having one, she'd have one. And it was his. She was doing everything in her little power to get under his skin... and she was doing a damn good job. "Fine, I'll get outta yer kitchen. Oh that's peachy. An' ya dun wanna even look at meh now?" Her head bobbed, close to whatever part of his face that was near her, "Like ya been ****in' lookin' at meh fer the last damn week anyway!" With that, she took her own swig of his beer. She brought it back down to her side, leaning back just a small tad as well as her tone lowering, "Ya signed up fer this bitch an' dun ya ****ING ferget it!" Her hand went up and slammed the beer to the counter top, which she followed up with turning and stomping into the living room. Which was feet away. And to add fuel to the fire, her long black locks might as well had been slapping him in the side of the face as she stormed off.
He didn't even know why, but as she began to spin away, he grabbed her wrist. He was just beyond pissed off now. When he grabbed her wrist, was he unknowingly setting himself up for her to just slap the taste out of his mouth??
Yaaaank. It surprised her, yes. Her now swirling crimson hues were set ablaze as she looked upon him. She gave him a good once over as she gritt her teeth - fangs extended somewhere through the yelling. "Don't you ****IN'..." There went her free hand going clean against his cheek, "TOUCH ME!"
She hit him SOLID, and more out of pure instinct after being struck, still gripping her wrist, he shoved her right on her arse. His teeth clenched, as if trying to keep himself from saying anything more, he grabbed his beer and stalked towards the living room, plopping his arse right down on the couch. He shoved her down, and then walked away from her without a word, not even giving her a chance to retaliate?? Ohhhh boy.
If there could be steam coming from her, there would be. He ... shoved her? And walked plum away? He was in for more than a ear full. Her elbow shot back and made contact with a cabinet, putting a good sized hole in it before she pushed herself back up. Silence. It was worse when she was yelling sometimes. She slowly turned around, moments passing giving him time to bake in his anger. She opened the fridge door, nearly calmly. But out of nowhere she started throwing and chucking beers at him. Cans... bottles... the lot. "Yea! Ya ****in' drink al-****in'-right! Because that's the only damn thing you know how ta do right, Dakota Steele!"
Now THAT was completely and utterly unexpected. He wasn't the sloppy drunk that he once was, but he usually did have one or two every night, and she'd never had a problem with that......until now apparently. He was sitting there, taking a drink from the nearly empty can, when a full can of beer smashed right into the side of his head, followed by another one, and a BOTTLE??? He put his arms up, trying to at least protect his head until she had slung pretty much every beer that was in his fridge. He slowly stood up, a gash now having been opened up along his left eyebrow from a solid shot he just took. He didn't scream, he didn't yell, but he did put a finger right in her face as he stalked towards her. "I might have me a beer ev'ry now n' then, but who in the HELL are you to judge me? You have ****ed well over half of Rhy'Din, and you think you're in ANY position to tell me how to live, you ****in' undead whore?"
Jade faught back the urge to bite that finger right off. If it was anyone else, she would have. He should count himself lucky... for now. Though, she did snap at him when he got too close. But his words... ohhhh his words cut her like a knife. He... saying those things. He was now reasonabley unlucky. Her hands came up as if to strangle him, only to faulter and push him well aways from her. She didn't know who she did that for. Him or her. Her index finger snapped up to point at him, "Who the HELL am I to judge? A LOT ****IN' more than YOU! At least I HAVE my DAUGHTER. What do you have? Huh, Dakota ****in' Steele? Where are YOUR kids? Where are the women YOU left?" Her words could have been hissed out by a cobra, "Ya wanna tell meh that, baby?"
And the tragedy of all this is, as soon as he spit his words out, he was immediately sorry. In fact, he was almost about to instantly apologize for that. But then, she hit him with her cut throat retaliation, and it hurt one hell of a lot more than anything else she'd hit him with tonight. He stood there, stunned. Yeah, she went there. She hit him where it hurt the most. Moments passed, and he slowly reached for his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Pulling a single smoke out, he placed it between his lips and lit it up. Then, he headed down the narrow hallway, and into the lone bedroom in the apartment. Pulling the closet door open, he picked up her suitcase which was lying there on the closet floor, and slung it on the bed. He then stopped to inspect everything hanging up in the closet. She'd divided up a side of the closet to be for her stuff. He basically grabbed as many of her clothes as he could in one armload and slung them carelessly in the suitcase. This was gonna take a few minutes.
Her mouth opened and closed serveral times as she watched him in his silence, knowing exactly what she did. Knowing that she should say she was sorry. Ask for his worst punishment at best, but she couldn't. Her foolish pride wouldn't. It didn't get her anywhere all these years... at it wouldn't help any tonight - worsening things as always. As quickly as it came, her soft, sorry, caring face flickered away... leaving the angry shell that was Jade. She followed him, snarling... watching as he grabbed up her things... shoving them in her suitcase. Inside where she loved him... buried deep down by the animal in her... she wanted to cry, plead. What came out was the complete opposite, "What? Ya gunna throw meh out like all yer women before? Ya gunna leave 'nother one o' yer children fatherless? That's jus' ****in' like you!" Her hand slammed into the door, as if deep down trying to protest her own words.
"DON'T ****ING DO THAT!!!! DON'T BRING CLAIRA INTO THIS, YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!!!!! THIS IS BETWEEN ME N' YOU!!!!!" Yep, she completely set him off with that comment. He loved Claira more than anyone could imagine, and Jade just ripped his heart out with that comment. That cigarette was hanging between his lips as he was desperately trying to close her suitcase, which was giving him fits because he had simply wadded up her stuff and threw it all in there. He couldn't even look at her at this point.
With that, she knew.... there was no turning back. There was no apologies... there was no kisses goodbye. Nothing. Maybe that line had been crossed long ago, but this was her realization point. Her eyes widened, those hues flickering from crimson to her jade color. They seemed to fret, not ready to give up steam. But she needed to... throw in the towel. She'd... went overboard, more than once tonight. And putting her own child onto his already heavy heart... she was shamed. A hand rose to touch her lips, as if holding back every bit that sickened her. She shut her eyes tight, the same hand going out towards him... her voice the smallest of whispers, "Jus'.... give me... the bag..."
"If I missed anything, I'll get it to you..." And this was the most civil they'd been to each other all night....just like that. He handed her her suitcase. No, there would be no apologies...not tonight, not ever. The fight in him had died the very second he screamed those last words at her, but even trying to apologize for the horrible things he'd said to her would be pointless by now. His face was a stone without expression, without emotion....although he was dying inside. But he'd be damned if he'd let her see him cry. Foolish pride....it has killed many relationships, and tonight, it seemed to kill a beautiful one.
She gripped the bag in one hand as she opened her eyes, the crimson long gone. She took a big breath.... but couldn't speak. It was as if she thought words were worthless at the moment. Or there was a lump stuck in her throat. She bit and bit hard onto her lower lip as she nodded. Jade looked over him, at the man she had helped build up only to break down. After a long moment, she switched hands that held the suitcase as she turned to walk out from the room - in silence. She got to the front door and pause, looking over her shoulder. Her long black locks hid her eyes, but not her broken quiet voice, "Dakota..." she paused, pushing open the door... as if giving hope to... something, "The skillet is still on... the burner." She looked away and slipped out of the door... trying at slamming it... but failing.
They had been at wits end all evening. It was something unspoken, yet understood. But everything that was spoken was in good nature, even light hearted. They were in denial. Their laughs were short, their talks were breif. So... unlike the two. Unlike the Dakota and Jade RhyDin had come to know. They were both stationed in the small, tiny kitchen - made for one person at the most. Movement was minimal. Jade was situated at the oven, hovering over a skillet. Dakota was near the fridge, busying himself. The silence was unnerving.
Unnerving was an extreme understatement. They had practically been up under each other now for several weeks. Once the danger from Romax had passed, they both thought it best for Jade to stay with him at his apartment, at least several nights a week. Well, their personalities and ways of living had begun to clash in a major way. Living in these tight quarters was causing a serious case of edginess in both of them, and that brought us to tonight. Barely a word was spoken between the two of them. They were both simply trying to work on dinner. Dakota was hunched over in the fridge, looking for a couple of tomatoes. Being that he didn't even have enough room to back completely out of the fridge because of Jade standing RIGHT THERE, he ended up raising his body before he was backed out completely, and BAM, the back of his head bashed up against the bottom of the freezer door, which was on top of the fridge. Dakota dropped the tomatoes as his hand instantly went to the back of his head, blurting out.. "****!"
As he backed out and hit his head, he somehow caught Jade's hip, causing her to go foward slightly. They needed a bigger kitchen. Before she could huff, or in the back of her mind - tend to him, she rubbed against the hot skillet. That of course burned her stomach under one of her old tank tops. It would have seemed that she didn't find it needed to get dressy for him anymore. She yelped, "****!" and jumped back... into him... again. She turned to snarl at him quickly, without much thought, "Watch it!"
As for him, he wore only a pair of ratty jeans with huge holes ripped in both knees. They were already living like an old married couple, weren't they? Not really going out of their way to impress each other these days. He watched her burn herself, and he SERIOUSLY screwed up, because he started to crack a smile. That had to be at least the fourth or fifth time she's done that since living here. But then she barked at him. Big mistake. Already feeling that knot starting to rise in the back of his head, he pretty much barked right back. "You know what? Just get the hell outta my kitchen, Jade. I can't get a damn thing done with you in here. The only thing you ever get done is burnin' yourself, and gettin' in my ****in' way. Go turn the damn news on." Oh my...ordering her around like they've been married for twenty years. That probably wasn't gonna fly with her.
And guess what? It didn't. At first she watched his expression, her baring her teeth - already exposed from her yell at him. But as he smiled, she smiled too. It was a sneer. Nerves... frazzled. Then he yelled right back at her. Mistake number two. "Oh? You want news? I got yer ****in' news!" She slowly raised her hand to him. To a what? You guessed it, the bird was flipped out just for him. "Right 'ere, Jackarse!" She glared at him, hands moving to her hips. Those jade hues were long past to being their normal color. Bloody crimson. And no, she wasn't moving a damn inch.
"Get outta my kitchen, Jade...." His tone was low....a pissed off low...a DANGEROUSLY pissed off low. "I don't even wanna look at you right now. The best thing you can do is to just get the hell outta my sight." And while he'd been speaking, he reached in the fridge for a beer. Yeah, let's add THAT to the mix. Quickly popping it open, he took himself a nice, long swig. "I don't know why, but lately, I ain't been able to do a damn thing right around you. You have done NOTHIN' but chew my arse out over everything, and I'm gettin' just a little damn tired of livin' with the nagging bitch that you've been. NOW BACK OFF OF ME, JADE!!!"
If he was having one, she'd have one. And it was his. She was doing everything in her little power to get under his skin... and she was doing a damn good job. "Fine, I'll get outta yer kitchen. Oh that's peachy. An' ya dun wanna even look at meh now?" Her head bobbed, close to whatever part of his face that was near her, "Like ya been ****in' lookin' at meh fer the last damn week anyway!" With that, she took her own swig of his beer. She brought it back down to her side, leaning back just a small tad as well as her tone lowering, "Ya signed up fer this bitch an' dun ya ****ING ferget it!" Her hand went up and slammed the beer to the counter top, which she followed up with turning and stomping into the living room. Which was feet away. And to add fuel to the fire, her long black locks might as well had been slapping him in the side of the face as she stormed off.
He didn't even know why, but as she began to spin away, he grabbed her wrist. He was just beyond pissed off now. When he grabbed her wrist, was he unknowingly setting himself up for her to just slap the taste out of his mouth??
Yaaaank. It surprised her, yes. Her now swirling crimson hues were set ablaze as she looked upon him. She gave him a good once over as she gritt her teeth - fangs extended somewhere through the yelling. "Don't you ****IN'..." There went her free hand going clean against his cheek, "TOUCH ME!"
She hit him SOLID, and more out of pure instinct after being struck, still gripping her wrist, he shoved her right on her arse. His teeth clenched, as if trying to keep himself from saying anything more, he grabbed his beer and stalked towards the living room, plopping his arse right down on the couch. He shoved her down, and then walked away from her without a word, not even giving her a chance to retaliate?? Ohhhh boy.
If there could be steam coming from her, there would be. He ... shoved her? And walked plum away? He was in for more than a ear full. Her elbow shot back and made contact with a cabinet, putting a good sized hole in it before she pushed herself back up. Silence. It was worse when she was yelling sometimes. She slowly turned around, moments passing giving him time to bake in his anger. She opened the fridge door, nearly calmly. But out of nowhere she started throwing and chucking beers at him. Cans... bottles... the lot. "Yea! Ya ****in' drink al-****in'-right! Because that's the only damn thing you know how ta do right, Dakota Steele!"
Now THAT was completely and utterly unexpected. He wasn't the sloppy drunk that he once was, but he usually did have one or two every night, and she'd never had a problem with that......until now apparently. He was sitting there, taking a drink from the nearly empty can, when a full can of beer smashed right into the side of his head, followed by another one, and a BOTTLE??? He put his arms up, trying to at least protect his head until she had slung pretty much every beer that was in his fridge. He slowly stood up, a gash now having been opened up along his left eyebrow from a solid shot he just took. He didn't scream, he didn't yell, but he did put a finger right in her face as he stalked towards her. "I might have me a beer ev'ry now n' then, but who in the HELL are you to judge me? You have ****ed well over half of Rhy'Din, and you think you're in ANY position to tell me how to live, you ****in' undead whore?"
Jade faught back the urge to bite that finger right off. If it was anyone else, she would have. He should count himself lucky... for now. Though, she did snap at him when he got too close. But his words... ohhhh his words cut her like a knife. He... saying those things. He was now reasonabley unlucky. Her hands came up as if to strangle him, only to faulter and push him well aways from her. She didn't know who she did that for. Him or her. Her index finger snapped up to point at him, "Who the HELL am I to judge? A LOT ****IN' more than YOU! At least I HAVE my DAUGHTER. What do you have? Huh, Dakota ****in' Steele? Where are YOUR kids? Where are the women YOU left?" Her words could have been hissed out by a cobra, "Ya wanna tell meh that, baby?"
And the tragedy of all this is, as soon as he spit his words out, he was immediately sorry. In fact, he was almost about to instantly apologize for that. But then, she hit him with her cut throat retaliation, and it hurt one hell of a lot more than anything else she'd hit him with tonight. He stood there, stunned. Yeah, she went there. She hit him where it hurt the most. Moments passed, and he slowly reached for his pack of cigarettes and lighter. Pulling a single smoke out, he placed it between his lips and lit it up. Then, he headed down the narrow hallway, and into the lone bedroom in the apartment. Pulling the closet door open, he picked up her suitcase which was lying there on the closet floor, and slung it on the bed. He then stopped to inspect everything hanging up in the closet. She'd divided up a side of the closet to be for her stuff. He basically grabbed as many of her clothes as he could in one armload and slung them carelessly in the suitcase. This was gonna take a few minutes.
Her mouth opened and closed serveral times as she watched him in his silence, knowing exactly what she did. Knowing that she should say she was sorry. Ask for his worst punishment at best, but she couldn't. Her foolish pride wouldn't. It didn't get her anywhere all these years... at it wouldn't help any tonight - worsening things as always. As quickly as it came, her soft, sorry, caring face flickered away... leaving the angry shell that was Jade. She followed him, snarling... watching as he grabbed up her things... shoving them in her suitcase. Inside where she loved him... buried deep down by the animal in her... she wanted to cry, plead. What came out was the complete opposite, "What? Ya gunna throw meh out like all yer women before? Ya gunna leave 'nother one o' yer children fatherless? That's jus' ****in' like you!" Her hand slammed into the door, as if deep down trying to protest her own words.
"DON'T ****ING DO THAT!!!! DON'T BRING CLAIRA INTO THIS, YOU HEARTLESS BITCH!!!!! THIS IS BETWEEN ME N' YOU!!!!!" Yep, she completely set him off with that comment. He loved Claira more than anyone could imagine, and Jade just ripped his heart out with that comment. That cigarette was hanging between his lips as he was desperately trying to close her suitcase, which was giving him fits because he had simply wadded up her stuff and threw it all in there. He couldn't even look at her at this point.
With that, she knew.... there was no turning back. There was no apologies... there was no kisses goodbye. Nothing. Maybe that line had been crossed long ago, but this was her realization point. Her eyes widened, those hues flickering from crimson to her jade color. They seemed to fret, not ready to give up steam. But she needed to... throw in the towel. She'd... went overboard, more than once tonight. And putting her own child onto his already heavy heart... she was shamed. A hand rose to touch her lips, as if holding back every bit that sickened her. She shut her eyes tight, the same hand going out towards him... her voice the smallest of whispers, "Jus'.... give me... the bag..."
"If I missed anything, I'll get it to you..." And this was the most civil they'd been to each other all night....just like that. He handed her her suitcase. No, there would be no apologies...not tonight, not ever. The fight in him had died the very second he screamed those last words at her, but even trying to apologize for the horrible things he'd said to her would be pointless by now. His face was a stone without expression, without emotion....although he was dying inside. But he'd be damned if he'd let her see him cry. Foolish pride....it has killed many relationships, and tonight, it seemed to kill a beautiful one.
She gripped the bag in one hand as she opened her eyes, the crimson long gone. She took a big breath.... but couldn't speak. It was as if she thought words were worthless at the moment. Or there was a lump stuck in her throat. She bit and bit hard onto her lower lip as she nodded. Jade looked over him, at the man she had helped build up only to break down. After a long moment, she switched hands that held the suitcase as she turned to walk out from the room - in silence. She got to the front door and pause, looking over her shoulder. Her long black locks hid her eyes, but not her broken quiet voice, "Dakota..." she paused, pushing open the door... as if giving hope to... something, "The skillet is still on... the burner." She looked away and slipped out of the door... trying at slamming it... but failing.