A Little Death

III

Skyler's POV

I sit in my new apartment, small but I've made it tolerable. Home. For now. My constant life of moving around the goddamn town and sometimes the country to stay out of reach of my dad. 

The moving around with him turned into moving as far away from him as possible. I remember the night before the last when my dad had sent me an early gift for Christmas, a bunch of goons to get me.

It hurts to think about him. 

I used to be a daddy's girl, always hanging around, watching him murder people brutally. He loved me, he loved me a lot. I had always been raised by him alone, and I didn't need anything else. I was content, even though my father was a mafia boss, I was happy, I had everything I wanted, everything I needed. I know he still loves me, he just doesn't know how to apologize.

Or know how to call someone gently, trying to make up with them, instead of force-dragging them to him. It was the only way he knew how to do things, by force. 

I try to forget about it, shrug it off.

I look outside my window, it is currently 5 AM. I never liked the city when it's full. It's the times when there's the least people out that are the best. The dust comes in, the breeze pushing it through my window. It is highlighted by the lamp kept on the sill, giving the air around me an ethereal quality.

Another topic strikes my brain, Joshua.

The man that had helped me fight off the bunch of goons my dad had sent to get me.

I was still surprised about his randomly originating strength and fighting skills.

The ultimate sleeper bod.

So, I decided to text him.

I turn on my phone just to see he's already typing. 

"Hey wsg"

I didn't really understand the point of communicating over text, when you could just meet in real life.

I sent him the location to my house.

Then, I go to sleep.

Joshua's POV

Why is she so fucking abrupt? It's almost as if she's doing me a favor to be meeting me, when she was gonna text me first. 

If I wasn't texting her already.

The mafia boss's daughter.

I'm friends with a mafia boss's daughter.

Oh well.

I try to remember why I'm up at 5:15 in the morning, all I can remember is the fight day-before-yesterday.

I had finally felt something in the part of my brain that I didn't know you could feel anything in.

The rush in my chest.

It felt amazing. The feeling people had described as what drugs felt like.

Shit, maybe the mafia minions had let some slip from their pockets.

But, it felt amazing. I wanted to feel it again.

I needed to feel it again.

I go over to the location Skyler has sent me.

I'm fucking done with her sending me locations, it's gonna be me next time.

I reach her apartment, a very grumpy taxi driver and a headache later.

I turn the doorknob, expecting to find it left open.

And it was.

Some mafia boss's daughter.

I sneak in. There is now a dirty, crowded apartment in front of me. Just like mine. I look over to the kitchen, empty, the TV coated in dust and a woman lying on the couch asleep. I resist the intrusive thought to draw a mustache on her as she slept.

Skyler is lying on the couch, hand over her eyes, one hanging over the sofa, her leg is up on the edge of the sofa, one lying straight.

Then she wakes up.

She rubs her eyes, and basks in all my dominance, as I stand over her.

I see her arm move a little, just in time to see her form a fist and almost punch the lower part of my chin. I catch her stiffened fist, just in time to prevent it.

"Should've practiced your uppercuts last-to-last night, you unaware little shit."

She sits up.

"Oh it's you." she says, acting like she didn't know. I can see her trying not to smile.

"oHh"

She finally gives in and smiles a little.

I sit next to her, in her couch. I lean towards her ear and whisper in it.

"I'll get you back for that."

I lean back, and sit sprawled all over the couch. I avoid making eye contact with her wide open eyes that I see through my peripheral view. I pretend to watch something outside the window until she breaks the silence.

"Ooookk, so how'd you learn to fight?"

"I took MMA for a few years, until a couple months ago."

"What happened?"

"I accidentally kicked someone a little too hard."

"That loser."

"I know! So what if you end up in the hospital, you're gonna fucking sue me for that?" Then I realize how that sounded. 

Great, my third impression is a fucked up-psycho. But there's a spark in Skyler's eyes as I say that sentence. Like a 5 year-old finally meeting Elsa.

"No shit?"

"No shit."

She grins.

"So, you share habitats with a raccoon?" I ask to see her smile fade.

"At least I don't smell like one."

I sniff my underarms, "I don't know what you're talking about. They're fine!"

"Sure they are." She says, pinching her nose and wrinkling up her nose bridge.

"Fuck you." I pluck her in the forehead and watch her look at me with hellfire in her eyes.

"OH, YOU DIDN'T-"

"Yes I did."

I raise my arms in defence to try to block her leap on me, trying to tackle me as I scoot to the side of the couch, but I am unsuccessful as she lands right on me and tightens her grip by wrapping her legs around my waist. I hold the wrists of both her hands using only one hand and she struggles for a bit before finally letting her right arm lose.

She grabs the lamp right beside the couch and tries to smack me with it but I let her hands free and I try to control the lamp instead as she throws it behind the couch not finding an opportunity to throw it directly at me. Not finding any other weapon, she starts just flailing her hands around like a maniac while I dodge her hits and slaps until one lands my face and she freezes.

"Oh shit." she manages to find the words.

"Oh shit indeed."

I get up off the sofa, with her still straddling me.

I walk towards the balcony as she tries to figure out what I'm doing, but by the time realization hits her, she's already too late.

I open the door and lean my torso at an almost-right angle at the railing, allowing her to dangle from the 9th floor of her building with the lone support of her legs around my waist.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK NO YOU WOULDN'T-"

"Yes I would."

Her eyes widen as she closes her legs around me even tighter and puts her arms around my neck.

"FUCK YOU-"

"If I were you, I would be nice in a situation like this." I lean even more.

"MOTHERFUCKE-"