Snippet #2821656

The night of the party had been gradually coming towards the end and Jupiter was completely obliterated by this point. When she was dancing at parties the one thing that kept her on the dance floor was the copious amounts of alcohol pumping through her system and keeping her somewhat functional.

The ginger was having too much fun, either dancing with her friends, dancing with her friends, or dancing with strangers. At one point she might have even done a dance against Ethel Maud, but no one could say shit because she was a mother fucking member of the Order now. Not something she should abuse for her own gain, but Jupiter was not the right frame of mind.

“To the window!” She shouted and then dramatically pointed to the wall as she sang, “To the wall.” Jupiter had a giant smile plastered on her face as she danced with one of her other former roommates. You had to basically drag Jupiter from this dance floor at this point, and probably keep tabs on her because she was known for wandering off and dancing with different guys all the time.

As one song ended, Jupiter wasn’t feeling well though and she pushed the guy she was with away to try and get space as she stumbled towards the doors of the area. The room was spinning and her stomach was doing some kind of backflips or whatever and the girl was trying to find any kind of surface she could hold onto to brace herself.

The guy she was with just kept following her and trying to get her to dance more. “C’mon babe, let's go back to dancing… or were you thinking of going somewhere a bit more private?” he mused, and a very sick Jupiter rolled her eyes before speaking.

“If you don’t leave me the fuck alone, I’ll throw up on you.” Her tone came out more of a growl as she pushed him away.

“Damn lady, chill.” He said and slapped her hand away. “Let me help you.” He said.

Jupiter’s eyes started to change from their normal blue to tones of golden, meaning she was losing her temper slowly and you didn’t want them to get to read. “No,” she said abruptly. “I don’t want your help.”

Malachai stepped away from the music and the dancing bodies to get some fresh air. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy himself; he needed a minute to refuel before surrounding himself with people with whom he'd have to put up a front. He was tired of pretending with people who would ignore him the following day, or maybe things would change now that he was a prominent member of ‘The Order.’ It was difficult to discern the real intentions of people when they wore masks.

Outside, he leaned against the structure and drew his mask over his face. Then he reached into his pocket and took out his Camels. He grabbed a cigarette from the package and inserted it between his teeth before searching his pockets again for a lighter. When he found one, he cradled it in his hand and flicked it three times before lighting it. With just one cigarette inhalation, Kai was changed. Smoke puffs swirled about him, creating a massive barrier behind which he felt safe.

He seemed to have forgotten why he was in such a foul mood, leaning back and watching the fog dissipate into the cold air. He was startled, though, by noises near the party's entrance. It sounded like two individuals were fighting. And he was convinced he recognized one of them from somewhere. Kai peered around the corner and saw the redhead shoving a man away from her, who smacked her hand away, infuriating Kai. He took another long drag from his cigarette and tossed it on the ground, crushing it under the soles of his Oxfords.

Kai then paced to Jupiter. “What seems to be the issue?” Standing between them, he inquired. Then he saw the man eyeing him up, a threatening finger pointing at Jupiter from behind. Kai grabbed the man's wrist and put his opposite hand over his neck. Then he pushed the man to the ground with his weight. Finally, Kai leaned over him, hands locked at his sides. “I will kill your ass the next time you lay a finger on her or even look at her,” Kai snarled. “Do you understand?”

The man nodded his head and raised his hands defensively. Kai watched as he brushed himself off and ran back into the celebration. Then he relaxed and turned to face Jupiter. “You okay?” he said gently, inspecting her for any signs of injury.

Jupiter was about ready to get mad with the guy, but before she knew it someone’s back was facing her. But inspecting the colour and details of the suit, and seeing the same brown hair she had grown up knowing here at the academy. It was Malachai, the boy who always seemed to be this happy kid that just did reckless things, but Jupiter knew it was a facade. Jupiter knew the dark turbulent waters that consumed Kai.

Part of her could feel a sense of relief as he stepped in, another part of her wanted to scream at Kai to not hurt the guy but she didn’t do that. Instead she slowly just tried to walk back to where she could lean against a cold wall.

“I feel sick.” is all the redhead could muster as she pulled her mask off for the moment. “No injuries.” She stated in a succinct manner and waved her hand at him.

“Are you okay?” Jupiter said, emphasizing the ‘you as her hand raised up to poke her pointer finger into his chest. “Thank you.” The two words slipped from her mouth, hardly audible as she avoided eye contact for a brief moment. Admitting she needed help or thanking someone for said help was always a reluctant thing for Jupiter and a difficult one to muster.

Jupiter leaned against the wall, and Kai followed her. The unpleasant odor of alcohol coming from her told him she had been drinking heavily. Kai was well aware that the redhead could never manage her liquor, so he made a point of being close by in case anything happened to her. This evening, on the other hand, was just coincidental. He had not planned to be outside at the time she needed, but he was glad he was. Kai was well aware of the man's intentions with Jupiter, which only made him angrier. While this was true, he never questioned Jupiter's ability to deal with situations on her own. But a witch who was furious and intoxicated was lethal.

As Jupiter thanked him, Kai caught her finger in mid-air as it went for his chest. Then he just stood there with his hand in hers, staring at her attentively. They spent many lonely nights together when things got out of hand, which typically resulted in them ripping each other's clothing off. This time, though, was different. Kai was willing to be vulnerable with Jupiter. Perhaps the combination of being alone with her and the booze in his system made him feel this way, but there was no denying his feelings for her. “Jupiter,” he said softly before stopping himself. He didn't know what to say, or maybe he knew but couldn't find the right words. He hadn't been this close to her in a long time when they weren't with the others. In front of him was the same redhead beauty who had stolen his heart years before. And now, with his fingers entwined with hers, he was reminded of those memories.

Finally, he let go of her hand and stepped back. “You're welcome,” he nodded as he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. “That guy was a jackass. You sure you'll be okay tonight? I don't mind taking you to your room.”

As her finger pressed into his chest, her eyes automatically met his gaze. His own hand collapsed around her finger and for a moment stood still as they leaned against the wall together, eyes locked enthralled in each other.

It was a moment that Jupiter felt she could almost gently grab with her hands and caress, one to keep and never let go. She was intoxicated, but she was very aware of herself and her emotions, she could hear him say her name in that way her ears could hear over and over. It was the softness in his voice that just radiated that instinct within her every time. The one that wanted to pour out her feelings to him.

The boy with the tousled hair was always a soft spot for her, and it just about broke her when she had to end things so she could put all her focus on getting to this night as an Order member, but somehow it was all so bittersweet. She felt like she lost him in the process, the hurt that lingered in his eyes like a ghost was a painful reminder she shouldn’t say the words that were often lingering just on the edge of her lips. Still, when he let go of her hand she felt rejected and she could feel her heart swell a little more.

The tears almost threatened to come out but Jupiter was good at staying strong. She slowly retracted her hand, her head shook, ginger locks shaking with them. “I’m okay, but stay just a bit longer?” She asked before she had time to think about what she was saying, but her words were genuine, Jupiter wanted him to stay and just talk with her a little while.

“Were you going to say something earlier?” The fire witch asked slowly as she adjusted the sleeves of her dress, avoiding eye contact for a brief moment, and then at the end of her question, her eyes met back up to his to try and gauge his response.

“Of course.” The edges of Kai's lips curled in a smile as Jupiter begged him to stay. Even when they weren’t together, she still had an effect on him that he made a conscious effort to ignore. It wasn’t that he didn’t care; he just knew that he wasn’t good for her. The water witch was drowning in his demons, which terrified him, even more, when he was in Jupiter's presence, as he worried the waves might crash down on her as well.

Jupiter spoke out again, this time yanking Kai away from his thoughts. “It's nothing,” he responded, lowering his gaze and nudging a pebble with his shoe. Of course, it was more than nothing, but he wasn't going to tell Jupiter that, at least not tonight. Tonight was a memorable night for Jupiter. He knew that being a member of The Order had been one of her dreams since they were children. He didn't want to spoil her night by complicated matters with any residual feelings from their past. So he did what he does best: he ignored the issue until it went away on its own. “I just can’t get over the fact that we’re in the freaking Order?” He scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. “I’m almost a little disappointed that they didn’t haze us at least.”

The thought of the five of them stripping naked in a basement and having to sort a pile of sprinkles by color using only tweezers and strobe light was amusing. Kai submitted the idea to the instructors for whoever was selected this year, but they declined. And thank god they did, since the task sounded like a nightmare if Kai were assigned to it. Otto being naked with tweezers, on the other hand, was hilarious. Kai would have paid good money to witness that.

Jupiter’s whole face lit up and softened when Kai said of course to stay with her. It felt like their first few years of being in classes together when they were always around one another but also had a fierce loyalty to hanging out. The redhead was nostalgic of times that seemed easier and regretful of not spending more time with Kai before she cut them off. There were not enough apologies that the woman could voice and reiterate time after time to make up for everything that was said and done, but this felt like the old them for a brief moment and she wanted to cling onto it.

“Nothing? If you say so.” She said with a small laugh and a shake of her head. “Sure, Kai.” She said in that way that would tell him she didn’t believe it, but she’d let him say whatever he wanted.

“It feels right, we deserve it. Especially you.” Jupiter said as she couldn’t keep count of the times Kai had been incredibly studious and knowledgeable on most subjects. It was something the redhead envied and tried to fight with all the time, but he earned every ounce of being in the order.

“Please, they used to haze students when my great grandfather became a member but in roughly one hundred years the world is a little too sensitive for that. They had to change a lot of their policies.” Jupiter said as she could recall quite a few stories she had been told over the years. “You really wish we had been hazed? To stand in the surrounding forests in nothing but underwear searching for an item that doesn’t exist but we don’t get to come home until we find it?”

Kai couldn't help but grin as he listened to Jupiter speak. “Well,” he said, running his hand through his disheveled hair, attempting to collect his thoughts, “you look just as good wearing only underwear.” Smooth move Kai, he thought. But, unfortunately, it was a poor choice of words. Kai had not intended for it to be the first thing that came from his mouth. It was such a stereotypical male response to a woman. While there was no denying Jupiter's attractiveness, Kai knew there was no need for him to make inappropriate comments about how great she looked in or out of her underwear. And Kai had seen her several times when she was completely nude.

Kai laughed sheepishly to himself before averting his eyes once again. “I'm sorry, I didn't-” Shut up, Kai. Change the topic now. He raised his eyes to meet hers and said, "I'm happy we weren't hazed. I'm equally pleased that they rejected my proposal when they had the opportunity before choosing me.” Then, he fell silent. He was quiet for a long time while the sounds of crickets filled the air around them.

Finally, he sighed and went to lean against the wall alongside Jupiter. “Do you think they made the right decision choosing me?” He posed the question with a grave look on his face. It was a question that had plagued his thoughts since the start of the night. Given the tragedy fifteen years ago and his mental condition, Kai believed he was the least suited for the role. There came a revelation that maybe he wasn't ready to rescue the world when he couldn't even save himself.

A grin slipped on her face as Kai mentioned she looked good in her underwear. Of course, she did, that was not news to Jupiter and usually, the confidence from that alone made her dress in skirts very often, but still part of her felt a little twinge of feelings when being referred to as attractive and that was it. Jupiter had a strange yearning for someone to compliment more than that of her and she knew Kai had felt those other feelings before. It was wrong of her to expect those now. “Everyone here pretty much looks good in underwear.” She said with a soft laugh, but she meant it and Jupiter has seen a lot of people here in underwear.

“You put in a proposal to get hazed? Kai, I swear you just like to stir the pot a lot.” and despite her trying to jokingly scold him she had the biggest grin on her face. Of course, he would do something like that, they were the two idiots that put a hot tub in his room or the time he locked himself out of the room after carrying a couch up twelve flights of stairs.

These were the thoughts in her head when he had asked if she thought they made the right choice in choosing him. Part of her was inclined to jokingly say no but it felt like a more serious conversation than that. “Absolutely.” She spoke quietly but her words were meant all the same.

“You’re the most deserving I know. You have such raw talent, and even though you can be a bit moronic at times, you’re incredibly knowledgeable. But you have such good control. Anyone would be proud of you.”

Kai was hesitant to accept it, but Jupiter's statement that he deserved to be a member of The Order made it seem plausible. And maybe Jupiter was correct. Perhaps all Kai has endured has served as a test that has brought him to this moment in time. Maybe he would not have met Desiree if he hadn't provoked the seas to carry his brother offshore. Without meeting her, he would not have been admitted to The Academy, and without admission to The Academy, he would not have been a member of The Order, he would not have met his friends, and he would not have met Jupiter.

“I appreciate that, Jupiter,” Kai replied, half-smiling. “I suppose I could say the same about you.” And he really meant it. Jupiter's talents were undeniable; in fact, he looked up to her as inspiration for his studies. While he may not have wanted to acknowledge it, he found it quite meaningful to have someone to idolize.

Kai went into his pocket and took out a pack of smokes, not wanting to spoil the night with emotional nonsense. He crammed one between his teeth before nudging the box to Jupiter. “Want one?” he offered.

Jupiter had no issues boosting up any of her friends, but she felt the most genuine and heartfelt with Kai. He deserved the world and the stars in the galaxy, but all he got was the crap pile of cards weighing in his pocket. One day she hoped he could let go of them.

“You suppose, huh?” She asked with a grin on her face, she knew he meant well because they've had talks about this before and they knew they pushed the other to be better. He was genuine and he was alright.

She felt his nudge of the pack of cigarettes and Jupiter wasn’t normally someone who smoked, but when she was drinking this heavily, one of the best feelings in the world was to take the smoke and light it up. She grabbed the cigarette between her fingers and into her mouth. Igniting a flame from her finger she lit up his smoke and then hers.

Just as she took in her first drag and blew it out, giving her the sweet headrush that made her feel just a little more with it, something was off. The music wasn’t playing and gasps could be heard. Maybe it was just a misstep and Jupiter didn’t move at first, but suddenly Jupiter had her hands covering her ears as she looked to Kai with concern.