Ava dragged Drake into class. Math.
The moment he sat down, a chill crawled up his spine.
He felt it—
that stare.
Drake slowly turned his head.
Elle.
Their eyes met.
Drake swallowed hard.
I fucked up.
…
The school day dragged on like a death sentence.
Elle's glare never left him.
Class after class.
Hallway after hallway.
By the time the final bell rang, Drake was sweating bullets.
They walked home together—Ava clinging happily to his arm, Maya and Elle right behind them.
Elle's gaze burned into the back of his skull.
"Drakey~" Ava pressed herself closer, smiling brightly. "Wanna come over again today?"
"W-Well…" Drake scratched the back of his neck.
Ava suddenly raised her voice, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Since I couldn't completely satisfy you yesterday, I thought maybe we could finish what we started—"
Drake clapped a hand over her mouth.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Elle's glare sharpened into something murderous.
"S-Sorry, Ava…" Sweat rolled down Drake's temple. "I—I've got something important to do today."
"A-Ah…" Ava blinked, then nodded. "O-Okay…"
…
They arrived home.
"I'll go change," Maya said quickly, heading upstairs without looking back.
The moment she was gone—
Shing.
Metal.
Drake froze.
He turned.
Elle was walking toward him, a kitchen knife in her hand.
"E-Elle…" Drake backed away. "W-We can talk about this—"
"Talk?" Her voice was low, shaking with fury.
Suddenly—
"AHH! The Demon Queen is trying to kill Drake!"
Amelia burst out of the pendant.
"I have to save him!"
The knife vanished from Elle's hand.
"Huh?" Elle stared at her empty fingers. "What…?"
Drake exhaled sharply, relief flooding him.
Across the room, Amelia winked proudly.
"Elle…" Drake said carefully. "I know what it looks like—"
That was enough.
Elle dropped the knife entirely from her mind and stormed up to him, fists slamming weakly into his chest.
"You know what it looks like?" she hissed, keeping her voice low. "And what does it look like to you?"
Drake opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"To me," Elle continued, voice trembling, "it looks like you're playing with my emotions. You accepted my disgusting feelings just to hurt me. Is this your revenge?"
Drake reached out and cupped her cheek.
"No, Elle."
She stiffened.
"Do you remember when we were kids?" he asked softly.
"…Yeah," she said. "What about it?"
"Do you remember what I said my dream was?"
Elle's eyes widened.
Her jaw dropped.
"…You can't be serious."
"When I was ten," Drake said calmly, "I said I'd marry all the beautiful girls in the world."
Silence.
"Yes," he continued. "I meant it then. I mean it now."
Elle stared at him, frozen.
"I know it sounds disgusting," Drake said. "But that's my dream. I want to build the largest harem this world has ever seen."
She leaned forward and rested her forehead against his chest.
"You're really the greatest pervert alive," she muttered.
"I know."
"…Does Ava approve?" Elle asked quietly.
Drake blinked. "Huh?"
She looked up at him. "I can't change you. You're too far gone. I just need you to love me. That's enough for me."
And then...
Drake kissed her.
"I love you, Elle."
Her expression softened completely.
"I love you too."
She kissed him back.
...
Up on the stairs, hidden from view—
Maya stood frozen, her face completely red.
What the fuck?!
...
Maya stood frozen for half a second.
Then—
"—I'm going to my room!"
She bolted up the stairs, tripping over herself, slamming her door so hard the walls rattled.
Silence.
Drake and Elle stared at each other.
Without a word, they both dropped onto the sofa at the same time, sitting stiffly, eyes forward—like nothing had happened.
A few minutes passed.
Then footsteps.
Maya came back down, changed into plain clothes, her face still burning red.
"I'm… going to a friend's," she said quickly, refusing to meet their eyes. "I'll probably stay the night."
"Y-Yeah," Elle replied, voice too high.
"H-Have fun," Drake added, way too fast.
Maya nodded once.
Then she basically fled.
The door slammed.
The lock clicked.
The house fell quiet.
For exactly half a second.
Elle turned to Drake.
They crashed into each other.
The kiss was urgent, heated.
Drake pressed her gently but firmly down into the sofa cushions, his body hovering over hers as his hand slid along her side, resting on her thigh.
Elle gasped softly into his mouth and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer, deeper, like she was afraid he might disappear if she let go.
They broke apart for air, foreheads touching, breaths ragged.
"…We shouldn't be doing this," Elle whispered.
Drake smiled, brushing his thumb along her cheek.
"Yeah."
They shifted, clumsy and eager, shirts coming off in a rush of fabric and nervous laughter. Elle's eyes traced his abs slowly, lingering, while Drake's gaze softened as it rested on her chest. He wanted to remove that bra so much...
He kissed her neck, slower than the kiss, deeper, as her arms wrapped around his back, nails pressing lightly into his skin.
The world faded.
Only the heat of their bodies remained.
To be continued...
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Sorry if I didn't post lately, I've been busy.