The Hijinks War

17. Sodas and Coffees

Things didn't really change. 

Once again Kellen had summoned me right away for some likely inane reason. The freshman who'd been sent for me scampered away before we even reached the room, scared by my grumbled tirade. I didn't knock; I'd been summoned, after all. "What the hell, Kellen? This better be good—"

"Hero!" Kellen grinned, tossing me a can of soda.

"Darn." Jackson annoyingly ruffled my hair as he passed me, eyeing the can as I set it down. "I was hoping you'd open that." 

"I'm not that stupid. What do you guys want?"

This was a small change that would take some time to get used to; Kellen being less of the controlled dictator than usual, and more of a typical teenage jackass. He jumped into the couch in a playful way I'd never witnessed before. The past week and a half had been full of those moments, especially when it came to the Trifecta. Perhaps it had something to do with Jess and I being an official part of their world now.

"The Hellhounds are making some kind of weapon. Intel hasn't been able to find much. Could you please find out what you can about it, Cole?"

Please, a word so foreign coming from him that it almost made me laugh. As much as I wanted to refuse, it sounded interesting. "What do you know already?"

"Oh good!" he said, pointedly ignoring that I hadn't said yes.

I realized that his exclamation wasn't directed at me when a folder appeared in my hands. "Whatever we know is in there," Leon said.

"Fine."

As I turned to leave I heard three things.

Kellen saying, "Oh and Cole, we need this information like yesterday, 'k?"

This was immediately followed by Leon's, "Ooh soda!" then the unmistakable whoosh of carbonated beverage spraying out of its container into his face.

I stumbled out of their room cackling. Lark and Remi were outside, and gave me a confused look, one which I returned as they knocked and waited longer than I would have thought before being let in. I realized I'd never witnessed the same level of familiarity between the Trifecta and the Core, as they showed Jess and I. Maybe it was because we simply refused to act as if they were Gods on earth as everyone else did.

-.-

I sat comfortably on the couch, a cup of the most heavenly cappuccino in my hands. I'd woken up early and driven out to town—a ridiculously long drive—to get cappuccinos for the Aces that had been up late. By the time I'd returned they needed to be reheated, but they were still good. I sniffed the cup in my hand and took a sip, smiling as the rich flavor hugged me. 

"Holy Shit! Cole, you can't pull that Ace shit on me!"

Opening one eye, I looked at Kellen on the floor of his bathroom with one hand still on the doorknob. Oops. "I bought you an Americano from Rose's." Waving a hand at the cup on the table, I looked away before I'd have a chance to fully process that he wore only a towel around his hips. Still as he grabbed his coffee, slowly stretching his lightly tanned ivory torso in front of me, I watched as water dripped out of his hair and onto his shoulders.

"Thanks," he breathed after a long sip. "But you can't just break in here and be, waiting to scare the crap out of me."

"Well, that takes all the fun out of scaring the crap out of you, now doesn't it?" 

"What are you doing here?" He asked, setting his coffee back on the table in front of me. Dear God, Nicole stop staring at his biceps, it's not like you haven't seen any before.